Patents Examined by Vincent W Chang
  • Patent number: 11108233
    Abstract: [Problem] To provide a manufacturing method of a solar house capable of taking in a moderate amount of sunlight while obtaining a large amount of electric power generation. [Solution] A manufacturing method of a solar house 1 includes a step for contact-arranging the first house set 81, the second house set 82, and the intermediate house member 83 so that the intermediate house member 83 is positioned between the first house set 81 and the second house set 82 in the second direction Y; a step for contact-arranging the intermediate house member 83 and the other second house set 82 or the other first house set 81 in the second direction Y by a necessary number with respect to the arranged first house set 81 or the arranged second house set 82; and a step for supporting the first panel set 2 and the second panel set 3 with respect to the first house set 81 and the second house set 82 with the first support column 71.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: KATO HOLDINGS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kenji Kato
  • Patent number: 11090870
    Abstract: A method of extracting data embedded in a 3D object includes a 3D scanning device scanning a 3D object and extracting data embedded as physical representations in the 3D object. A processing device will identify, from the extracted data, instructions for causing the processing device to perform an action such as identifying building instructions for printing a copy of the 3D object. The processing device will also perform the action to identify the building instructions, and cause a 3D printer to use the building instructions to print the copy of the 3D object. The processing device may be part of the 3D scanning device or part of another device or system that is in communication with the 3D scanning device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Jonathan D. Levine, Donald M. Pangrazio, III, David R. Vandervort, Reiner Eschbach, Robert Eero Nuuja
  • Patent number: 11079786
    Abstract: A method for weather adjustment of an electrical utility system. Data defining sequential events in the utility system is obtained, each event identified by three coordinate values: hour of day, recorded temperature, and resource usage. A three-dimensional topological surface is generated from the coordinate value, by plotting the resource usage against the hour and temperature in a three-dimensional space. A polynomial equation having calculated coefficients and a highest degree of six for each variable is generated to define the topological surface, wherein the polynomial equation expresses the resource usage as a tenth-degree polynomial function of hour of day and temperature. A future load on components of the system at a particular temperature and hour of day is determined by applying the coefficients to the coordinate values for the particular temperature and hour, and modifying the functionality of components of the electrical utility system based on the determined future load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2021
    Inventor: Christopher Sticht
  • Patent number: 11061382
    Abstract: A method of forming a component by an electroforming process using an electroforming apparatus is presented. The electroforming apparatus includes an anode, a cathode and an electrolyte including a metal salt. The method includes receiving a set of training electroforming process parameters; training a machine learning algorithm based on at least a subset of the set of training electroforming process parameters; generating a set of updated operating electroforming parameters from the trained machine learning algorithm; and operating the electroforming apparatus based on the set of updated operating electroforming parameters. The step of operating the electroforming apparatus includes applying an electric current between the anode and the cathode in the presence of the electrolyte and depositing a plurality of metal layers on a cathode surface to form the component. A system of forming a component is also presented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Andrew Joseph Detor, Pei-Hsin Kuo
  • Patent number: 11060266
    Abstract: A method of controlling a water reservoir supply pump arrangement determines a set value p, q, v, n of the pump arrangement based on an offset value pref, qref, nref, vref, G0 reduced by a component which is a function of a difference between an actual water level h and a predetermined water level href in a water reservoir. The difference is weighted by a proportional gain factor G. Further, a water reservoir supply pump arrangement is provided including at least one water pump and a control device for controlling the at least one pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: GRUNDFOS HOLDING A/S
    Inventors: Carsten Kallesøe, Abdul-Sattar Hassan
  • Patent number: 11048215
    Abstract: A machine learning device included in a tool selecting apparatus includes a state observing unit that observes, as state variables indicative of a current environmental state, data related to machining condition, data related to cutting condition, data related to machining result, and data related to a tool, and a learning unit that, by using the state variables, learns distribution of the data related to the machining condition, the data related to the cutting condition, and the data related to the machining result, with respect to data related to the tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takuya Saitou
  • Patent number: 11041653
    Abstract: A method for managing failures in multiple nodes of a building management system includes selecting a second building management system node from the building management system nodes to perform a computing job to determine one or more values for the building management system. The method includes sending the computing job to the second building management system node for the second building management system node to determine the one or more values for the building management system, receiving progress messages from the second building management system node, wherein the progress messages indicate the status of the second building management system node for determining the one or more values, and selecting a third building management system node from the plurality of building management system nodes to perform the computing job in response to the progress messages indicating that the second node has failed to determine the one or more values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventor: Andrew J. Przybylski
  • Patent number: 11036201
    Abstract: An automated manufacturing system that includes a self-contained through-skin sensor for determining the location of an underlying aperture in a support structure suited to mount a skin or surface. In an embodiment, the sensor includes a sensor disposed in a housing and configured to determine a location of an aperture disposed in an adjacent surface through electromagnetic, x-ray, ultrasonic or other means. The sensor further includes an alignment assembly having an alignment orifice disposed in the housing and configured to be maneuvered in an x-y plane within the housing. The sensor also includes a vacuum pump system, a local battery and a processor coupled to the sensor and configured to control first and second actuators to maneuver the alignment orifice within the x-y plane to be co-axially located with the aperture in response to the sensor signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: MTM Robotics, LLC
    Inventors: Eric Pospisil, Manny Leyden, Michael Gary Woogerd, Chace Howard Fadlovich
  • Patent number: 11029713
    Abstract: A method and system for expanding the range of working environments in which a 3-D or depth sensor can operate without damaging or degrading the measurement performance of the sensor are provided. The sensor has a rigid support structure and a plurality of optoelectronic components fixedly supported on the support structure. The system includes an enclosure for enclosing the support structure and the supported optoelectronic components within an interior of the enclosure. A temperature control circuit includes a controller to monitor interior temperature within the enclosure and to regulate temperature within the enclosure to be within an operational temperature range of the sensor based on the monitored temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: Liberty Reach Inc.
    Inventors: G. Neil Haven, David J. Witalka
  • Patent number: 11022952
    Abstract: A system for optimizing manufacturing utilization is disclosed. The system includes a manufacturing apparatus configured to transmit a first electronic message type indicating a time period when the manufacturing apparatus is in use, as well as a sensor disposed in a work cell associated with the manufacturing apparatus, the sensor configured to transmit a second electronic message type indicating a time period of operator activity within the work cell. The system further includes a computing device configured to receive the first and second electronic message types and accumulate one or more of each of the respective time periods of the first and second electronic message types. The computing device determines utilization of the manufacturing apparatus based on accumulated time periods corresponding to the first electronic message type as a percentage of accumulated time periods corresponding to the second electronic message type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventor: Nathan John Lamers
  • Patent number: 10999652
    Abstract: Load curtailment systems and methods track energy consumption information about a site over time. The energy consumption information is used to track power levels and to determine whether an energy surplus or an energy deficit accrues for the site based a predetermined setpoint. A load management system is used to offset the deficit or surplus by charging or discharging energy storage in a manner preventing average power draw within at least a subdivision of a utility billing period from exceeding the setpoint, thereby managing demand charges billed by a utility based on power draw of the site.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: ENGIE STORAGE SERVICES NA LLC
    Inventor: Ho Shing Abraham Poon
  • Patent number: 10983491
    Abstract: An automation device, having an input for receiving input signals and/or an output for outputting output signals of a process, and an electronic data processing unit, which is adapted to run an application program during operation of the automation device and to process data contained in the input and/or output signals by means of a program function, characterized in that in a digital program memory, a plurality of program functions is stored separately to the application program, which are each uniquely addressable via a function pointer, wherein during operation of the automation device, based on a predetermined function selection, the application program is configured to determine the function pointer of the program function corresponding to the predetermined function selection from a functions reference list stored in a digital data memory and, by means of the determined function pointer, to run the program function corresponding to the predetermined function selection for processing the data contained in
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: WAGO Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH
    Inventors: Niels Fangmeier, Stefan Van Lier
  • Patent number: 10983505
    Abstract: Some embodiments facilitate creation of an industrial asset item via an additive manufacturing process wherein motion is provided between a build plate and a print arm. A correction engine may receive, from an industrial asset item definition data store containing at least one electronic record defining the industrial asset item, the data defining the industrial asset item. A correction engine computer processor may then correct the motion provided between the build plate and the print arm such that the motion deviates from a path indicated by the data defining the industrial asset item. The three-dimension printer may be a rotary printer such that the build plate rotates about a vertical axis and moves along the vertical axis during printing. In these cases, a pre-compensation algorithm may be applied to correct the motion provided between the build plate and the print arm before transmitting data to the three-dimensional additive manufacturing printer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Subhrajit Roychowdhury, Brian McCarthy, Michael Tucker, David C Bogdan, Jr., Michael Evans Graham, William Carter, Victor Ostroverkhov
  • Patent number: 10974311
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for positioning an end effector relative to a fuselage assembly. The end effector is positioned relative to an expected reference location for a reference point on the fuselage assembly using data from a first metrology system. After positioning the end effector relative to the expected reference location, an actual reference location for the reference point on the fuselage assembly is identified using data from a second metrology system. The end effector is positioned at an operation location based on the actual reference location identified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Harinder S. Oberoi, John Willard Dorsey-Palmateer, Yuanxin Charles Hu, Branko Sarh, Kevin Marion Barrick, Melissa Ann Findlay, Jorge Alberto Arriaga, Gregory Gudzinski, Jeffrey Lawrence Miller
  • Patent number: 10969757
    Abstract: Techniques are described for implementing automated control systems that repeatedly perform automated modifications to control system actuator components' ongoing operations to improve functionality for target battery systems, such as to reduce power dissipation while performing other battery power use activities to maximize battery life. Controlling a battery's usage may include using a DC-to-DC amplifier, and the repeated automated modifications may include modifying the state of the DC-to-DC amplifier actuator to adjust a level of resistance and/or an amount of time during which power is supplied. The repeated automated modifications may be performed to repeatedly reduce the distance between the current battery performance and an idealized version of the battery performance (e.g., a version with no power dissipation).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: Veritone Alpha, Inc.
    Inventors: Wolf Kohn, Jordan Makansi, Yanfang Shen
  • Patent number: 10948969
    Abstract: A processing system includes multiple processors in which a first processor operates at a first clock frequency and first supply voltage at all times. At least one processor is dynamically switchable to operate at the first clock frequency and first supply voltage resulting in the first and second processors providing symmetrical multi-processing (SMP) or at a second clock frequency and a second supply voltage resulting in the first and second processors providing asymmetrical multi-processing (ASMP). An integrated controller (e.g., finite state-machine (FSM) controls not only voltage change, but also clock-switching. Various criteria can be used to determine when to switch the at least one switchable processor to improve power consumption and/or performance. Upon receipt of a switching command to switch between SMP and ASMP, a series or sequence of actions are performed to control a voltage supply and CPU/memory clock to the switchable processor and cache memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: Futurewei Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Wei Chen, Tongzeng Yang, Konggang Wei
  • Patent number: 10935272
    Abstract: Various embodiments include a control valve comprising a first valve assembly between an inlet and an outlet. The first valve assembly comprises: a valve seat fixed relative to the valve body with an opening in a sidewall; a slider rotating inside the valve seat to block the opening, but stationary in an axial direction; a regulating valve plug with an opening at one end, surrounding the valve seat and movable in the axial direction to block the opening in the sidewall of the valve seat; and a first valve stem connected to the slider and to the regulating valve plug, the first valve stem having one end extending out of the valve body. A first overlap between the slider and the opening and a second overlap of the plug and the opening are changed by movement of the first valve stem.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: SIEMENS SCHWEIZ AG
    Inventors: Lei Wang, Zuo Hui Ren, Jian Hui Wang, Fu Lai Zhong, Fang Zhao, Ping Zhang, Xiao Xiang Zhang, Ning Zhan
  • Patent number: 10901374
    Abstract: The settling time of machine learning is shortened. A machine learning device is configured to perform machine learning related to optimization of coefficients of a transfer function of an IIR filter of a feedforward calculation unit with respect to a servo control device configured to control a servo motor configured to drive an axis of a machine tool, a robot, or an industrial machine using feedforward control by a feedforward calculation unit having the IIR filter. The machine learning device represents a zero-point at which the transfer function of the IIR filter is zero and a pole at which the transfer function diverges infinitely in polar coordinates using a radius r and an angle ?, respectively, and searches for and learns, within a predetermined search range, the radius r and the angle ? to thereby perform the optimization of the coefficients of the transfer function of the IIR filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ryoutarou Tsuneki, Satoshi Ikai, Naoto Sonoda
  • Patent number: 10887377
    Abstract: A control system, a control method and an equalization apparatus for improving process control reliability are provided. In each equalization apparatus, a received-data outputting unit sends, to a network, input data from a sensor measuring a state of a process; an other-apparatus-data receiving unit acquires the input data from the received-data outputting unit and receives, from the network, input data sent from each of other equalization apparatuses than itself; and a data selecting unit selects, as output data, a representative value of the input data acquired by the other-apparatus-data receiving unit. Each computing apparatus calculates a manipulative variable of an actuator based on the output data from a corresponding equalization apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: YOKOGAWA ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shunsuke Hayashi
  • Patent number: 10876277
    Abstract: A valve controller device for controlling a set of one or more solenoid valves is provided. The valve controller comprises an accelerometer for making acceleration measurements in three directions comprising acceleration measurements in a vertical direction. The valve controller comprises a processing unit that determines the arrival of seismic P-waves when the ratio of vibrations' power in the vertical direction with respect to a sum of the vibrations' power in the three directions exceeds a first threshold. The processing unit then determines the arrival of seismic S-waves when the vector sum of the vibrations' power in the three directions exceeds a second threshold. The processing unit then determines the arrival of seismic surface waves when the vector sum of the vibrations' power in the three directions exceeds a third threshold. The processing unit then sends one or more signals to close the set of solenoid valves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Inventors: Mohammad Taghi Fatehi, Parham Reza Fatehi, Keyvan Fatehi