Abstract: Apparatuses, systems, and methods for optimizing and adjusting water usage are described. An example method may include receiving water usage data and determining a peaking factor for water usage. The peaking factor may be associated with water usage at a flow controller. A flow controller can control various types of water outlets, such as a water sprinkler for a residential home. The flow controller may be positioned along a main water supply to a property or home. The method may also include determining that the peaking factor passes a threshold water usage for the flow controller and adjusting a watering schedule of the flow controller based partly on the determination that the peaking factor passed the threshold water usage.

Abstract: A method is provided for controlling a managed pressure drilling system. The method comprises providing a fast system interpretation model for the operation of the managed pressure drilling system, obtaining real-time measurements from one or more sensors regarding the operation of the managed pressure drilling system, using the measurements to calibrate the fast system interpretation model for the managed pressure drilling system in real-time and using a predictive controller to run the calibrated fast system interpretation model to a time horizon in the future.

Abstract: A temperature voting system which receives votes indicating the temperature preferences of a plurality of occupants within a given HVAC zone, and adjusts a set-point temperature of a corresponding HVAC system accordingly. The votes may be received via a mobile device, an employee workstation, or from one or more biomedical devices. Each occupant may manually enter and submit a vote for their preferred set-point temperature, or a software application may be configured to automatically cast a vote for the corresponding occupant according to user-configurable preferences or current metabolic state. The received votes may be weighted according to a status of the voter, and aggregated to determine an appropriate set-point temperature. In some embodiments, near-field communication devices, GPS location technology, or other technology may be used to automatically detect the presence of an occupant within a HVAC zone and cast the occupant's vote for a corresponding HVAC zone.

Abstract: 3D printing may include receiving 3D modeling data from a device, transmitting information regarding available 3D printers in a cloud environment to the device, receiving a request to divide a printing task from the device, selecting at least one of the available 3D printers, dividing the 3D modeling data into portions of sub-data based on the request, matching respective portions of the sub-data to at least one of the selected 3D printers.

Abstract: A system for modeling networks of electricity supply and demand including a first user interface; a second user interface; a database, a memory; and a controller adapted to: receive, via the first user interface, a first request to create a first plan for a first node of a collection of the one or more collections, the first request specifying a domain of the collection, receive plan instructions for the first plan, receive a second user request to create a second plan for a second node of the collection, the second user request specifying the domain of the collection, receive a plan instruction to interconnect the first node with the second node in the first plan, generate a forecast including a projected value for an energy infrastructure variable using the assumptions provided in the first plan and the second plan, and display the forecast on the first user interface.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for ongoing assessment of a condition of a building structure combined with determination of a direction of a particular condition assessed by a digital sensor proximate to the structure. A user or other agent supporting a smart device is made aware of a condition and directed towards a site of the condition. Conditions may also be remotely monitored and an appropriate response technician deployed to address conditions monitored with directional input to the condition within the structure.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, system and computer program is provided for controlling an electric power system, including implementation of a voltage control and conservation (VCC) system used to optimally control the independent voltage and capacitor banks using a linear optimization methodology to minimize the losses in the EEDCS and the EUS. An energy validation process system (EVP) is provided which is used to document the savings of the VCC and an EPP is used to optimize improvements to the EEDCS for continuously improving the energy losses in the EEDS. The EVP system measures the improvement in the EEDS a result of operating the VCC system in the “ON” state determining the level of energy conservation achieved by the VCC system. In addition the VCC system monitors pattern recognition events and compares them to the report-by-exception data to detect HVL events.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus to communicatively couple on/off valves to controllers in a process control system are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a first interface to receive a command signal from a termination module to be communicatively coupled to a controller in a process control system. The command signal is directed to an on/off valve in the process control system. The first interface transmits a feedback signal to the termination module in response to the command signal. The example apparatus also includes a second interface to receive position information from proximity sensors in a switch box monitoring a state of the on/off valve. The feedback signal is based on the position information. The example apparatus further includes a communication processor to be communicatively coupled to the first and the second interfaces to process the command signal and the feedback signal.

Abstract: An HVAC controller may be programmed using a mobile device that includes a touch screen display configured to display information and to permit a user to enter information, a network connection configured to communicate with a remote server that is itself in operative communication with the HVAC controller, and a controller in operative communication with the touch screen display and the network connection. The controller may be configured to receive one or more messages related to the operation of the HVAC system via the network connection, and to display the one or more messages on the touch screen display.

Abstract: A smart energy storage system is described. The system includes a smart energy storage unit coupled to a selected circuit of a local electric grid, and configured for being charged so as to withdraw and store energy from the local electric grid, and discharged for supplying energy to the local electric grid. The smart energy storage unit includes an energy storage cell configured for being charged so as to withdraw and store energy from the local electric grid, and discharged for supplying energy to the local grid, and a storage cell management unit for controlling the energy storage cell.

Abstract: A system and method for selectively removing tire material from the bead portions of a cured tire to reduce one or more harmonics of at least one uniformity parameter are disclosed. According to aspects of the present disclosure, tire material is selectively removed using a plurality of direct address commands. The direct address commands specify ablation parameters for discrete ablation segments at specific angular locations around the bead of the tire. The direct address commands are generated by analyzing the desired ablation pattern for the bead of the tire. The ablation device can then be controlled to selectively remove tire material in discrete ablation segments at identified addresses pursuant to the direct address commands to achieve the desired ablation pattern on one or more tracks along the bead portion of the tire using a single pass of the ablation device.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatus are disclosed that enable certain establishments that serve self-serve food and/or serve food via vending machines, to comply with recently issued FDA rules for providing calorie content and Nutrition Facts information to consumers. The calorie content and/or Nutrition Facts may be displayed on an electronic display, printed on a label, and/or provided via an audible signal, and/or may be provided in real time.

Abstract: A portable or modular cooling system is operated via the power-over-Ethernet (PoE) standard. The cooling system receives electrical power via an Ethernet connection to a source device (such as a server, switch, or other PoE-enabled equipment). The cooling system may thus be used to spot-inject cooler ambient air in the vicinity of the source device without the need for grid electric and for cumbersome electrical wiring.

Abstract: In a numerical control system including a numerical controller having a tool database and a tool catalog database which can be referred to from the numerical controller, the tool catalog database has tool catalog data including first cutting condition data, and the tool database has tool data including second cutting condition data to be used for machining. After execution of the machining, the numerical controller updates the first cutting condition data to be stored in the tool catalog database based on the second cutting condition data stored in the tool database.

Abstract: A self-regulating intelligent building automation system includes: a smart sensing unit including a first sensing unit disposed in a first specific space and a second sensing unit disposed in a second specific space separated from the first specific space; a self-regulating terminal unit including a first self-regulating terminal disposed in the first specific space and a second self-regulating terminal disposed in the second specific space; a network management unit managing a network without a direct digital control unit and wirelessly communicating with the smart sensing unit and the self-regulating terminal unit; and a central monitoring unit connected to the network management unit via the Internet.

Abstract: A molding facility or peripheral apparatus for a molding facility including at least one non-safe control apparatus having at least one signal input and at least one signal output for the non-safe control of non-safety-relevant actuators of the molding facility or peripheral apparatus, and at least one safe control apparatus which has at least one safe signal input and at least one safe signal output and in which there is stored a safety program which can be executed for the safe control of safety-relevant actuators of the molding facility or peripheral apparatus, wherein the safety program is a version of a wiring diagram, that can be executed by the safe control apparatus and is compiled by a compiler.

Abstract: A system for controlling automation includes a machine which collects data generated by performance of an operation by the machine. A user device displays a machine control interface (MCI) corresponding to the machine. The MCI displays the collected data to a touch interface of the user device, and defines at least one touch activated user interface element (UIE) for manipulating the data. The user device can be enabled as an automation human machine interface (HMI) device for controlling an operation performed by the machine, such that a touch action applied to a UIE of the MCI controls the operation. A prerequisite condition to enabling the user device as an automation HMI device can include activation of an enabling switch selectively connected to the user device. The MCI can be stored in a memory of the enabling switch and retrieved from the enabling switch by the user device.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method of generating a digital representation of a user-defined construction element connectable to pre-manufactured toy construction elements of a toy construction system, each pre-manufactured toy construction element comprising a number of coupling elements for coupling the pre-manufactured toy construction element with one or more other pre-manufactured toy construction elements of said toy construction system, the method comprising determining one or more positions for placement of one or more coupling elements to be included in the user-defined construction element; generating, responsive to input by a user indicative of a user-defined shape, a digital representation of a user-defined construction element, the user-defined construction element comprising said one or more coupling elements at said determined one or more positions; providing the digital representation for automated production of said user-defined construction element.

Abstract: Described is a system for self-organized critical image segmentation. During operation, the system generates a delta pattern from a self-organized critical process. An initial test pattern is then altered based on the delta pattern to generate a new test pattern. The new test pattern is a mask identifying distinct regions in an image. A new energy score is then generated of the new test pattern. The operations of generating the delta pattern and altering the initial test pattern are then repeated until an energy score of the new test pattern is less than an energy score of the initial test pattern. At that point, the initial test pattern is replaced with the new test pattern. Finally, the process is repeated until a termination condition is reached, at which point the new test pattern provides the image segmentation by dividing the image into distinct regions, including a foreground and background.

Abstract: Module-based systems and methods are described for controlled roll-out of module classes for configuring a process plant. In various aspects the module-based systems and methods generate a second version of a module class based on a modification to a first version of the module class, where the module class is associated with one or more module instances that are each associated with a process control element of the process plant. The module-based systems and methods execute a roll-out instruction to update an upgraded process control element, where the upgraded process control element is associated with a new module instance based on the second version of the module class. The roll-out instruction is also designed to ignore or skip a non-upgraded process control element, where the non-upgraded process control element remains associated with a previous module instance based on the first version of the module class.