Patents Examined by Joshua Sanders
  • Patent number: 10114388
    Abstract: A method of demand management and control of fluid pipe networks including providing a computer controlled fluid network for delivery of fluid through a plurality of valves, maintaining a real time database of predetermined parameters including flow schedules and valve capabilities, requesting a flow rate and time of delivery of said fluid to at least one of said plurality of valves, determining availability of providing delivery and flow rate of fluid to the at least one of said plurality of valves based on hydraulic capacity of the fluid network, and calculating parameters using the database to deliver fluid to the at least one of said plurality of valves, whereby each of the plurality of valves is monitored and adjustably controlled to provide the flow rate and delivery through the at least one of said plurality of valves and manage the pressure head within said fluid pipe network between predetermined limits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: RUBICON RESEARCH PTY LTD
    Inventors: David John Aughton, Sumith Choy
  • Patent number: 10099365
    Abstract: In a work machine including an articulated robot which is provided with a work head and moves the work head, imaging devices which image at least part of a workpiece or part of the work machine are attached to a distal end of the robot, and a target operation position of the robot is corrected on the basis of position data regarding a plurality of feature points of the workpiece, created on the basis of imaging data obtained through imaging performed by the imaging devices and design data of the workpiece, or position data regarding a plurality of feature points set for the work machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: FUJI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masatoshi Fujita, Seigo Kodama, Ryo Nagata
  • Patent number: 10082060
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a system may include a gas turbine system. the gas turbine system includes a gas turbine, an after-treatment system that may receive exhaust gases from the gas turbine system, and a controller that may receive inputs and model operational behavior of an industrial plant based on the inputs. The industrial plant may include the gas turbine and the after-treatment system. The controller may also determine one or more operational parameter setpoints for the industrial plant, select the one or more operational parameter setpoints that reduce an output of a cost function, and apply the one or more operational parameter setpoints to control the industrial plant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Maruthi Narasinga Rao Devarakonda, Rachel Tarvin Farr, Sahika Genc
  • Patent number: 10074980
    Abstract: A control apparatus includes a receiving unit, a demand-response unit, a power consumption fluctuation unit, and a setting unit. The receiving unit receives a demand relating to power consumption from an energy management apparatus. The demand-response unit executes a demand-response control in order to adjust power consumption of facility devices set up in a property in accordance with the demand when the demand is received by the receiving unit. The power consumption fluctuation unit executes a non-demand-response control in order to increase or decrease power consumption of the facility devices regardless of the demand. The setting unit sets the non-demand-response control to active or inactive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Chikara Maeda
  • Patent number: 10061292
    Abstract: A method for aligning a strip of labels, which contains a plurality of labels, relative to a cutting device, wherein the strip of labels is cut into labels by the cutting device that are subsequently applied to containers. In a learning mode, the strip of labels is automatically transported by a transport device and the position of the strip of labels relative to the cutting device is detected by a position sensor disposed as a first camera, and, in an aligning mode, an operator can then enter a desired cutting parameter in a machine control unit of an input unit. Information indicated of the desired cutting parameter relative to the strip of labels is then displayed to the operator on a screen, and the machine control unit controls the cutting device on the basis of the desired cutting parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventors: Armin PĆ¼schner, Markus Weiss
  • Patent number: 10042337
    Abstract: An electrical circuit is provided in a casing. The electrical circuit includes a capacitor having a particular function needed for realizing the electrical circuit. The electrical circuit includes an electrical component configured to generate heat due to energization. A flow creator creates, in the casing, an air flow that flows in a direction from the electrical component to the capacitor such that air heated by heat generation of the electrical component flows to the capacitor. A controller controls the flow creator. The capacitor has a characteristic that capacitance monotonically decreases or monotonically increases as temperature rises, in a part of a temperature range in which the electrical circuit operates. The controller detects a capacitance change due to a temperature change of the capacitor caused by the air heated by the heat generation, and controls the flow creator based on a detection result of the capacitance change.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tetsuya Kitajima
  • Patent number: 10042345
    Abstract: According to an embodiment, a conversion device converts a first automaton into a second automaton, which both are weighted finite state automatons. The first automaton has a boundary of a path assigned with an input symbol, an appearance position of the boundary, and identifiers for identifying paths. The second automaton has path(s) except unnecessary path(s). The device includes a specifying unit and a search unit. The specifying unit is configured to specify, as a start position, a state of the head of a retrieved path in which a combined weight, which is obtained by adding an accumulated weight from an initial state to the state of the head of the retrieved path in the first automaton and a weight of the best path from the state of the head of the retrieved path to a final state, is best. The search unit is configured to search for a path in which a weight from the start position to a final state in the first automaton is best until reaching next boundary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventor: Manabu Nagao
  • Patent number: 10039945
    Abstract: Fire suppression systems for vehicles and industrial applications including arrangements of an input bus and output bus coupled to a centralized controller to provide for automatic and manual detection of a fire and manual and automatic system actuation in response to the fire. The arrangements further provide for system information regarding the status and operation of the system components. Additionally, the arrangement of system components provide for expandability and programmability to configure the system for the protection of multiple and variable hazards using customized or programmed detection and/or actuation. The systems include configured connectors and color coded schemes to facilitate system installation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: Tyco Fire Products LP
    Inventors: Derek M. Sandahl, Brian L. Counts, Marvin B. Fernstrum, Chad L. Ryczek, Saul Escalante-Ortiz, John T. Werth, Gregory J. Lilley, David R. Strehlow, Anthony J. Kreft, Thomas John Myers, John S. Bushert, Richard J. Hackl, Marvin D. Thorell
  • Patent number: 10007250
    Abstract: The invention pertains to a reference positioning system for positioning a workpiece in a three-dimensional coordinate system, the reference positioning system comprising a first positioning unit for positioning a first alignment feature of the workpiece in a first dimension, in a second dimension and in a third dimension, comprising a first centring pin and a first reference level locator, a second positioning unit for positioning a second alignment feature of the workpiece in the second dimension and in the third dimension, comprising a second centring pin and a second reference level locator, and a third positioning unit for positioning a third alignment feature of the workpiece in the third dimension, comprising a third reference level locator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: HEXAGON METROLOGY S.P.A.
    Inventors: Roland Graf, Marco Forneris
  • Patent number: 10008965
    Abstract: Systems and methods for controlling a generator set are disclosed herein. The method includes determining a state of local modes selectable via a local interface proximate to the generator set. The local modes include a local standby mode and a local remote enabled mode. The method also includes determining a state of a plurality of remote modes using a command from a device remote from the location of the generator set in response to determining the remote enabled mode is active. The method includes, in response to determining the local standby mode is active, the remote enabled mode is active, and one of the remote modes is active, determining whether to activate or stop the generator set based on the active remote mode and disabling the local standby mode from controlling activation of the generator set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: Cummins Power Generation IP, Inc.
    Inventor: Dan G. Priem
  • Patent number: 9983554
    Abstract: A method controls iteratively the operation of the machine with control inputs determined using the model of the machine based on an optimization of a cost function subject to constraints on the control inputs. A current iteration of the method includes determining a current state of the machine after the controlling with a previous control input determined for a previous iteration by optimizing a previous cost function using a previous model of the machine and determining a current model of the machine to reduce a difference between the current state and a state estimated using the previous model of the machine. The cost function is updated during the current iteration based on a difference between the previous model and the current model to produce a current cost function. A current control input for the controlling at the current iteration is determined using the current model and the current cost function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Stefano Di Cairano, Avishai Weiss
  • Patent number: 9971609
    Abstract: In an aspect of the disclosure, a method, a computer-readable medium, and an apparatus are provided. The apparatus may be a control system. The control system includes, a BMC managing a host computer, the BMC including a first processor and BMC firmware executed on the first processor, is to monitor temperature readings of a plurality of temperature sensors of the host computer. The control system further includes a thermal watchdog temperature sensor installed at a predetermined location of a host computer and monitoring a working temperature at the predetermined location of the host computer. The control system includes a thermal watchdog module dedicated for the host computer, independent of the BMC firmware, and in communication with the thermal watchdog temperature sensor through a communications link. The thermal watchdog module is configured to retrieve a temperature reading of the thermal watchdog temperature sensor through the communications link.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: AMERICAN MEGATRENDS, INC.
    Inventors: Venkatesan Balakrishnan, Padma Devaraj, Anand Krishnan Vadivelu
  • Patent number: 9968011
    Abstract: In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, a system may include a temperature sensor configured to sense an inlet ambient temperature associated with an information handling system, a cooling subsystem comprising at least one cooling fan configured to generate a cooling airflow in the information handling system, and a thermal manager communicatively coupled to the temperature sensor and the cooling subsystem and configured to, based on the inlet ambient temperature, a maximum power consumption level of the information handling system, a maximum airflow rate capable of being generated by the at least one cooling fan, and a hardware configuration of the information handling system, calculate a lowest possible maximum exhaust temperature for the information handling system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
    Inventors: Hasnain Shabbir, Dominick A. Lovicott
  • Patent number: 9958841
    Abstract: Provided is a method and device for remotely controlling a household appliance. The method includes: sending, by a social application client, a control command for a target household appliance, wherein the control command includes an account of the target household appliance, and the account of the target household appliance is a unique social account registered in a social application server when the target household appliance leaves a factory; and controlling, by the social application client, the target household appliance corresponding to the account of the target household appliance according to the control command. A user can directly control the household appliance through the social application client, thus improving the efficiency of controlling the household appliance and reducing the cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignees: Hisense Co., Ltd., Hisense USA Corp.
    Inventors: Yangyang Li, Nan Zhu, Yunxiang Zhuang
  • Patent number: 9958856
    Abstract: The robot of this embodiment moves a work tool to points where multiple work-pieces are placed, and executes a process specified at each point where the work-piece is placed. A point sequence memory stores the point where the work-piece is placed. A work-instruction-sequence memory stores a work instruction executed at the point where the work-piece is placed. A work-piece-correction-level memory stores, in association with each other, a work-piece correction level at each point and a parameter of each point where the work-piece is placed. A work-piece-correction counter memory stores a counter indicating to which point the work-piece correction level at the point is reflected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: JANOME SEWING MACHINE CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yusuke Sumii, Kenichiro Hiruma
  • Patent number: 9950927
    Abstract: The present invention relates generally to a method for supplying high purity hydrogen through a hydrogen supply system comprising in fluid communication one or more storage caverns, multiple hydrogen production sources, and a pipeline distribution system capable of delivering hydrogen to a plurality of hydrogen demand points which coordinates the operation of the cavern, hydrogen plants, and pipeline distribution system to meet the real time dynamic demand profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: PRAXAIR TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Rommel M. Oates, Solomon A. Dadebo, Douglas Prior
  • Patent number: 9915932
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for monitoring equipment in a semiconductor manufacturing facility. A processing device maintains baseline measurement record generated from measurements performed by a plurality of tools over a first time range. A measurement record is received, the measurement record corresponding to a measurement performed on a wafer, the wafer having been processed by a first tool of the plurality of tools. The measurement record is stored in a drift candidate table corresponding to a second time range. A determination is made as to whether the measurement record satisfy a set of excursion rules in view of the drift candidate table, and, in response to the determination, the measurement record is stored in an alert table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Paul Alexander Llanos, Roger Steele Cornell
  • Patent number: 9909777
    Abstract: A smart-home device may include a user interface having a first operating mode and a second operating mode, and a four-channel thermopile. A processing system may be programmed to receive an indication of a user presence near the smart-home device from the thermopile, and determine a motion signature based on the responses from the thermopile. The processing system may also be programmed to process the determined motion signature to determine the presence of a condition warranting user interface entry into the first mode from the second mode, and cause the user interface to transition from the first mode to the second mode based on the determined motion signature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Vivek Goyal, John Stefanski, Mark Stefanski
  • Patent number: 9904273
    Abstract: A machine tool includes a tool post having a tool unit for machining a workpiece, operation control means for controlling the operation of the tool unit in accordance with a plurality of commands described in a numerical control program and movement limiting means for inhibiting entry of the tool unit into a no-entry region. The plurality of commands include a limit value setting command for calculating a limit value of a position of the tool unit avoiding interference with a machine element located within a movable region of the tool unit and for determining the no-entry region by the calculated limit value. Upon reading the limit value setting command out of the numerical control program, the operation control means calculates the limit value and determines the no-entry region by the calculated limit value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: STAR MICRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Takeshi Ikegaya
  • Patent number: 9882384
    Abstract: In an energy distribution system, energy is fed through substations into subnetworks and the distribution is monitored by a central device superordinate to the substations. At least one substation is operated in an optimization mode for optimizing the operation of the entire energy distribution grid. The substation thereby investigates a modification action which could be performed by the substation in its subnetwork for the effect of the modification action on the operating state of the entire energy distribution system. The substation receives substation-individual sensitivity values, which indicate the change in the local operating state in the subnetwork assigned to the respective other substation if the modification action were to be implemented. The substation operated in the optimization mode checks, based on the sensitivity values, whether the modification action would result in an improvement of the operating state for the entire energy distribution grid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Izudin Dzafic