Patents Examined by M. N. Von Buhr
  • Patent number: 10168684
    Abstract: A power profile management method and system. The method includes retrieving by a computer processor input data associated with a user of power consumption devices at a specified location. The computer processor retrieves power consumption data comprising power consumption levels for the power consumption devices. The computer processor generates and transmits a mobile usage portfolio associated said user and the power consumption devices. The computer processor generates a load usage prediction report associated with the user and the power consumption devices. The load usage prediction report is generated based on the mobile usage portfolio and said power consumption data. The computer processor transmits the load usage prediction report to a power provider utility for analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory J. Boss, Rick A. Hamilton, II, Julianne F. Haugh, Anne R. Sand
  • Patent number: 10135247
    Abstract: A method and system for use in controlling an electric network are provided. The system includes an Integrated Volt-VAr Control (IVVC) component configured to determine optimization parameters for slow dynamics electromechanical devices and fast dynamics DER devices coupled to the network. The slow dynamics devices are controlled by a present state of the electric network and a voltage rise table that is adaptively updated in real-time using a command output, or a power flow-based complete optimization routine that generates optimal setpoints for the traditional controllable assets and for at least some of the fast dynamics DER devices. The fast dynamics devices are controlled locally using a control algorithm that uses a reactive power contribution based on IVVC settings, based on photo-voltaic (PV) plant active power variations, based on power factor, or based on a voltage of the local electric network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Rayette Ann Fisher, Wei Ren, Murali Mohan Baggu Datta Venkata Satya, Felipe Antonio Chegury Viana, Krishna Kumar Anaparthi, Reigh Allen Walling
  • Patent number: 10126738
    Abstract: Methods and systems for improving tire uniformity through identification of characteristics of one or more candidate process effects are provided. The magnitudes of process harmonics associated with one or more candidate process effects can be identified by combining uniformity measurements for a set of tires to achieve an enhanced resolution for a sampling of the process harmonic. The enhanced resolution approach can combine uniformity measurements for a set of a plurality of tires that are slightly offset from one another to generate a composite process harmonic sampling. In particular, the composite process harmonic sampling can be generated by aligning the uniformity measurements for each tire in the set of tires based on the azimuthal location of the maximum magnitude of the process harmonic on each tire. The magnitude of the process harmonic can then be determined using the composite process harmonic sampling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN
    Inventor: William David Mawby
  • Patent number: 10120350
    Abstract: In a method and system, a device tag allows automatic configuration of a process control system to download and cache device diagnostic data associated with one or more process control field devices. The device diagnostic data are downloaded and cached using bandwidth not otherwise required for real-time process control communications. The device diagnostic data may be polled asynchronously and/or according to a low priority, background task. The device diagnostic data include one or more non-static parameter values. The cached parameter values may be used in display routines, control routines, or any routine for which the update frequency is sufficient. Each cached parameter value may also have associated with it a status.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: FISHER-ROSEMOUNT SYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventors: Andre A. Dicaire, Trevor D. Schleiss
  • Patent number: 10095256
    Abstract: On receiving a request to reduce power consumption such as a request for power conservation, a power control device controls power used in a power consumption system including a plurality of devices so that a user can use enough consumable power while saving power in the most comfortable manner possible. The plurality of devices is classified into controllable devices and control-difficult devices. An information acquisition unit acquires amounts of power used by the controllable devices and an amount of most recently measured power of the entire power consumption system. When an amount of an upper limit power is set for the entire power consumption system, a demand control unit controls the amounts of power used by the controllable devices based on evaluation functions set for the respective controllable devices and differential equations set for the respective controllable devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masatsugu Ogawa
  • Patent number: 10067516
    Abstract: Illustrative embodiments of the present invention are directed to methods and systems for receiving physiological data of occupants of a building and using the information to control or regulate a controllable setpoint of a climate-control system for the building. The system may operatively interface with biofeedback sensors including wearable sensors and mountable sensors placed within a controlled space within the building. The system may adjust the controllable setpoint of the climate-control system based on a comfort metric associated with at least one of the occupant of the building, the comfort metric derived from the biofeedback data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: OPOWER, INC.
    Inventors: Daniel Bloomfield Ramagem, Oren Benjamin Yeshua, Crystal Hsiung, Justin Spradlin, Wayne Lin
  • Patent number: 10054932
    Abstract: One embodiment of the invention is a slicing engine that generates two or more slices of a virtual 3D model given a slice plane. The slicing engine then determines connection points on each of the slices that indicate how the 3D model is to be reconnected by the user when the 3D model is fabricated. The slicing engine also determines an optimized layout for the various slices of the 3D model on fabrication material for minimal use of the material. The user is then able to “print” the layout on the fabrication material via 3D printers, and connect the various printed slices according to the connection points to build a physical representation of the 3D model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: AUTODESK, INC.
    Inventors: Jonathan Bachrach, Saul Griffith
  • Patent number: 10042374
    Abstract: Method and apparatus are provided for determining a grid condition, such as a weakened grid condition, and controlling a power plant, such as a wind or solar power plant, in a manner which is appropriate to the grid condition. The method includes measuring (14) output parameters of a generator, such as a wind turbine or PV generator. The measured output parameters include reactive power and voltage. The method further includes determining (16) a relationship between the measured output parameters of the generator. The relationship between the measured output parameters of the generator is indicative of a condition of a power grid to which the plant supplies power. The method allows controlling (18) the plant responsive to the relationship between the measured output parameters of the generator to avoid onset of oscillatory behavior, which could otherwise occur in the power plant in the presence of a weakened grid condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy A/S
    Inventors: Robert J. Nelson, Najlae M. Yazghi, Hongtao Ma, William F. Clark
  • Patent number: 10025336
    Abstract: A computer-based method for contingency analysis of oscillatory stability in an electrical power transmission system is provided. The method uses at least one processor. The method includes receiving, by the at least one processor, a plurality of component inputs from a plurality of system components within the electrical power transmission system. The method also includes generating a nominal matrix for the electrical power transmission system. The nominal matrix includes a set of equations at least partially modeling the electrical power transmission system. The method further includes calculating eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the nominal matrix. The method also includes identifying a contingency representing a postulated disturbance of the electrical power transmission system. The method further includes estimating a contingency eigenvalue for the contingency using the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the nominal matrix.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Chaitanya Ashok Baone, Nilanjan Ray Chaudhuri, Naresh Acharya
  • Patent number: 10019047
    Abstract: A load control device for controlling the power delivered from an AC power source to an electrical load is able to receive radio-frequency (RF) signals from a Wi-Fi-enabled device, such as a smart phone, via a wireless local area network. The load control device comprises a controllably conductive device, a controller for rendering the controllably conductive device conductive and non-conductive, and a Wi-Fi module operable to receive the RF signals directly from the wireless network. The controller may cooperate with one or more other devices to synchronize in time the adjustments made by one or more load control devices that are operable to control the power delivered to one or more electrical loads. The one or more load control devices may also cooperate with one or more Internet based information providers to provide preconfigured and condition based adjustments of the one or more electrical loads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: Lutron Electronics Co., Inc.
    Inventor: John Bull
  • Patent number: 10012972
    Abstract: A programmable logic controller (PLC) system is provided. The programmable logic controller (PLC) system includes a storage unit storing a user program; a main control unit performing a scan operation based on the user program, measuring a scan time required for the scan time, and determining whether there is a need to process a web based service; and a web based service control unit processing the service data based on the scan time service request details, and service data that are transmitted from the main control unit, according to a result of the determination on whether there is a need to process the web based service.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2018
    Assignee: LSIS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Seung Shin Han
  • Patent number: 10012974
    Abstract: A motor control system which makes a tool motor and a workpiece motor rotate in synchronization in a machine tool equipped with a tool motor, a workpiece motor, and a tool shaft movement motor which drives a linear shaft to change an intershaft distance between the tool shaft and the workpiece shaft, wherein when the power outage detector detects a power outage of the power supply during synchronous rotation of the tool motor and the workpiece motor, the operation of the forced deceleration circuit for causing forced deceleration of either one of the tool motor and workpiece motor is made to be delayed by a predetermined time and during that time the tool shaft movement motor is used to drive the linear shaft and separate the tool and workpiece as a retraction operation to thereby prevent damage to the tool and the workpiece at the time of a power outage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2018
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shoutarou Hashimoto, Tadashi Okita
  • Patent number: 10005195
    Abstract: Disclosed are a corrugated paperboard cutting control apparatus and a corrugated paperboard cutting control method. Under control of a cutter control device (110), a camera (CA) images a flute arrangement state in a cut section LE of a corrugated paperboard after being cut. A lower-level management device (100) acquires a result of the imaging from the camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA ISOWA
    Inventor: Michio Suzuki
  • Patent number: 10001792
    Abstract: An occupancy schedule determining method and system that receives usage data indicating a quantity of a resource supplied by a utility that is used at the location over a plurality of days, each of the plurality of days being subdivided into a plurality of predetermined time periods, and the usage data indicating the quantity of the resource supplied by the utility that is used during each of the predetermined time periods, aggregates the usage data for each of the plurality of predetermined time periods over the plurality of days, and uses the aggregated usage data to determine the occupancy schedule at the location using a processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: OPOWER, INC.
    Inventors: Ben Packer, Agustin Fonts, Erik Shilts, Garner Chung, Richard Tyler Curtis
  • Patent number: 9994118
    Abstract: Implementations of the present invention contemplate utilizing a communicative infrastructure represented by a telematics unit of an electric vehicle and a telematics service provider (TSP) communicatively coupled to the telematics unit to control an amount of power reserved for a charging event of the vehicle. Specifically, the TSP utilizes information provided by the telematics unit, electrical power utilities, and electrical power metering devices to determine the characteristics of electrical energy available for charging the vehicle. The TSP can utilize the characteristics of the available energy along with additional information, such as charging preferences established by a subscriber of the TSP and vehicle use schedules, to determine an amount of power to reserve for the charging event. The amount of power reserved for the charging event may be determined based on cost, greenhouse gas emissions, a combination thereof, and on other factors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: General Motors LLC
    Inventors: Nate Williams, Venkatesh Donthy, Paul H. Pebbles, Justin Roebuck
  • Patent number: 9965016
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are system and method embodiments for a power tracking and control architecture. An embodiment operates by compiling a data telegram, wherein the data telegram comprises a plurality of blocks; sending, by a first communication path of the controller, the data telegram to a second tier of the tiered network, wherein at least one power asset of the second tier of the tiered network is configured to update a power profile according to at least one block of the data telegram; and receiving, by a second communication path of the tiered network, an update from the at least one power asset of the second tier of the tiered network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: International Power Supply AD
    Inventors: Stoil Rangelov Trifonov, Filip Stoilov Rangelov, Alexander Stoilov Rangelov
  • Patent number: 9948101
    Abstract: The systems and methods disclosed herein relate to management of peak electrical demand as registered by an electrical utility meter of an electrical utility customer. The metered demand level of the customer may be monitored over a first portion of a demand charge measuring period, then a cumulative amount of energy consumed by the customer in the first portion and a projected total energy consumed during the demand charge measuring period may be calculated. Next, an offset energy amount may be determined that is the amount required to bring a net amount of energy consumed by the customer during the demand charge measuring period to lie within a target value range for the demand charge measuring period. A power source such as a battery may then be controlled to provide the offset energy amount to the customer over a second portion of the demand charge measuring period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: GREEN CHARGE NETWORKS LLC
    Inventor: Bryan Chow
  • Patent number: 9939416
    Abstract: A system and method for sampling air at multiple locations in a controlled environment. The system and method includes automatic adjustment of mass flow rates and duration of vacuum connections (either via time elapsed or indirectly by volume) based on rates set by an operator. Additionally, the system and method enables users to monitor and control aspects of the system via network-connected devices. Additionally, the system enable a vacuum pump to be disconnected from power in response to a physical emergency button, a software-based emergency stop button available on network connected devices, and an automatic power disconnection in response to an abnormal mass flow reading that could potentially impact the vacuum pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: Veltek Assoicates, Inc.
    Inventor: Nathan G. Kocher
  • Patent number: 9915940
    Abstract: A method and system for linking sensor data to metrology data and metrology data to sensor data is described herein. In one embodiment, a user selection of metrology data for a product is received, related process tool fault detection summary for the selected metrology data for the product is presented, a user selection of a process tool from the process tool fault detection summary is received, and related fault detection details for the selected process tool are presented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: Applied Materials, LLC
    Inventors: Brad Schulze, Joseph Dox
  • Patent number: 9904270
    Abstract: A numerical control apparatus includes: a program input unit that reads a tool distal end position and a tool posture and generates designated position sequences of the linear axis and designated position sequences of the rotation axis; a distal-end-position-curve generating unit that generates a tool distal end position curve concerning the tool distal end position; a tool-posture-curve generating unit that generates a tool posture curve concerning the tool posture associated with movements of the tool distal end position; an interpolation calculating unit that calculates an interpolation point of the tool distal end position, calculates an interpolation point of the tool posture, and calculates an interpolation point of a machine position of the linear axis; and an interpolation output unit that moves the linear axis to the calculated interpolation point of the machine position and moves the rotation axis to the calculated interpolation point of the tool posture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Daisuke Fujino, Yukihiro Iuchi, Kenji Okuma, Tomonori Sato