Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and a device for managing energy consumption and, more particularly, to a method and a device for managing energy consumption for each time period so as to support a user's achieving of a target energy consumption rate for a predetermined time period. In addition, disclosed is a technology for a sensor network, machine to machine (M2M) communication, machine type communication (MTC), and the Internet of Things (IoT). The present disclosure can be utilized in an intelligent service (such as smart home, smart building, smart city, smart car or connected car, health care, digital education, retail business, security and safety-related services) based on the technology.

Abstract: A petrochemical plant or refinery may include equipment such as pumps, compressors, valves, exchangers, columns, adsorbers, or the like. Some petrochemical plants or refineries may include one or more sensors configured to collect operation information of the equipment in the plant or refinery. A faulty condition of a process of the petrochemical plant may be diagnosed based on the operation of the plant equipment. A diagnostic system, which may receive operation information from the one or more sensors, may include a detection platform, an analysis platform, a visualization platform, and/or an alert platform.

Abstract: This disclosure relates generally to a system and method to identify at least one conflict and for controlling both static and dynamic variables in one or more operations of at least one subsystem of a plurality of building automation sub-systems. It includes a supervisory control layer that orchestrates multiple underlying sub-systems like heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) sub-systems and at least one access control sub-system. A test case generation framework is used to verify static and dynamic variables of operations of the sub-systems. It identifies conflicts in the static and dynamic variables. Therefore, the system provides controls to the sub-systems using the identified and adjusted conflict of static and dynamic variables on operations.

Abstract: The invention relates to the field of hydropower scheduling, and relates to a method for multi-objective optimal operations of cascade hydropower plants based on relative target proximity and marginal analysis principle. The invention constructs an optimization model with relative target proximity by introducing positive and negative ideal points of objectives so that a multi-objective optimization is efficiently handled. A strategy for processing complex operation constraints is proposed and coupled with genetic algorithm to solve the model. Thus, optimal solution sets under different weight coefficients of objectives can be determined. Following this, marginal benefit and marginal cost are introduced to represent a relationship between multiple objective values and corresponding weight coefficients.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for the inspection of cured layers of an object during the fabrication of the object using a 3D printing system. A just-printed layer is inspected by pressing the layer against a pressure sensitive surface in order to collect information about the layer. A tank contains a photo-curing liquid polymer, and at its bottom are pressure sensitive elements (e.g., in a backing member or mask). An extraction plate to which the object is affixed is adjusted so as to position a surface of the object adjacent to the pressure sensitive elements, which report a pressure distribution (e.g., by virtue of a force exerted by a localized region of the object on a localized region of the pressure sensitive elements).

Abstract: A numerical controller includes a work installation error compensation unit, and the work installation error compensation unit includes a tool position and direction calculation unit and an error compensation unit that selects the positions of two rotary axes according to a first method of selecting a solution close to a previous solution or a second method of selecting a solution close to a command value when a plurality of solutions is present. The numerical controller further includes a look ahead unit that looks ahead a program, and the work installation error compensation unit performs error compensation on the looked ahead command value according to the first method to obtain a compensation command value and sets the first method when the compensation command value is within a movable region of a five-axis machine tool while setting the second method when the compensation command value is outside the movable region.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and systems are disclosed herein for power modulation control of power grids using end-use loads. At the beginning of a coordination period typically lasting a few minutes, a population of end-use loads (water heaters, air conditioners, plug-in electric vehicles, etc.) is interrogated for their willingness to participate in power modulation by undergoing state transitions from on to off, or off to on. Distribution system flexibilities are calculated from the sums of device powers within distribution systems. Area flexibilities are calculated from the sums of device powers within areas. Thresholds for various devices to change state in response to inter-area oscillation damping or frequency regulation are derived from these flexibilities. Two power functions are monitored in real-time and compared with the device thresholds to trigger state changes which then remain locked throughout the remainder of the coordination period, then the devices are released from the lockout state.

Abstract: An automobile factory planning system and method for controlling a cycle time. The system comprises a conveyor belt configured to transport a plurality of automobiles at a controlled displacement velocity along a manufacturing path through the automobile factory. A feedback device is configured to provide a visual indicator of a designated position at which a next automobile is to be placed on the conveyor belt relative to the position of a previous automobile. The designated position is calculated as a function of the cycle time and the displacement velocity of the conveyor belt.

Abstract: A laser processing machine includes a processing head having a sensor, and a control unit to which a signal from the sensor is inputted. The control unit determines, by the signal, whether a drive shaft for the processing head needs to be adjusted. When the drive shaft is a state of needing adjustment, the control unit informs a display unit that the drive shaft is in a state of needing adjustment, and adjusts the drive shaft for the processing head by comparing data of a signal from the sensor with prestored data obtained during normal operation, in a different process than a laser processing process.

Abstract: An automation operating and management system consolidates and analyzes inputs from multiple machines within an automated enterprise to predict failures and provide instructions for counteractions to prevent failures during machine operation, and to identify opportunities for efficiency improvement, including actions for reduction in peak power consumption demand within a facility including multiple machines. A machine can include a machine controller and at least one base layer controller, where the base layer controller acts as a low level controller to directly control the motion of elements in communication with the base layer control, according to parameters set by the machine controller. The base layer controller collects timing data for the elements under its control, compares the timing data with the parameters and sets an alarm when the timing data is outside of tolerance limits defined by the parameters.

Abstract: A triggering mechanism for downhole equipment includes a housing for inserting downhole in an oilfield wellbore and associating downhole with a computer processor, a clock, at least one sensor circuit, and an electrical power source. The computer processor includes computer processing circuitry and a computer readable memory circuit. The sensor circuit senses at least a pressure parameter associated with the pressure within the oilfield wellbore downhole environment. A valve control circuit controls a valve and controls flow of control fluid to a hydromechanical device operating in association with the downhole tool within the oilfield wellbore. The valve control commands derive from real-time sampling of the downhole physical parameters to form ratio-based derivative values relating to physical parameter differences over a predetermined time span.

Abstract: A controller for equipment obtains utility rate data indicating a price of one or more resources consumed by the equipment to serve energy loads. The controller generates an objective function that expresses a total monetary cost of operating the equipment over an optimization period as a function of the utility rate data and an amount of the one or more resources consumed by the equipment at each of a plurality of time steps. The controller optimizes the objective function to determine a distribution of predicted energy loads across the equipment at each of the plurality of time steps. Load equality constraints on the objective function ensure that the distribution satisfies the predicted energy loads at each of the plurality of time steps. The controller operates the equipment to achieve the distribution of the predicted energy loads at each of the plurality of time steps.

Abstract: A control device, comprising an environmental sensor, an electrical quantity sensor, a control operating unit, and a resistance output unit. The control operating unit connects to the environmental sensor, the electrical quantity sensor, and the resistance output unit. The resistance output unit additionally connects to a temperature controller to replace original resistive temperature sensor. The resistance output unit outputs a first resistance to the temperature controller so that a controlled device operates at a first power state. The resistance output unit also can output a second resistance to the temperature controller so that another controlled device operates at a second power state. When the control operating unit reads environmental information or time information, the resistance output unit outputs the first resistance or the second resistance after calculating by the control operating unit so that the controlled device operates at the first power state or the second power state.

Abstract: A robotic vehicle, in particular for spraying insulation material, comprises a chassis (110), at least two driven wheels (122) having a common axis of rotation, and a wheel connecting member (151) which connects the two wheels (122). The wheel connecting member (151) is connected to the chassis by a pivotal connection which allows the wheel connecting member to pivot with respect to the chassis about a pivoting axis transverse to the common axis of rotation of the wheels. The wheel connecting member (151) may be removably mounted to the chassis (110).

Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for determining an optimized toolpath in a computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) system, wherein the optimized toolpath comprises a toolpath associated with a part of a workpiece and wherein the optimized toolpath is configured for a computer numerical control (CNC) machine.

Abstract: A three-dimensional (3D) object printing process-level simulator including, in an example, a layer module for modeling a plurality of layers of a simulated 3D object to be built and a printing device controller to receive a number of simulated values from the layer module to simulate a 3D object printing process and adjust the 3D object printing process based on physical characteristics of a printing device associated with the printing device controller. A cyber-physical three-dimensional (3D) object printing simulator including, in an example, a printing device including a processor to send instructions describing how a simulated 3D object is to be printed and a layers module to simulate heat transfer from a plurality of layers in the 3D object to be printed based at least a density of the plurality of layers.

Abstract: A water detection apparatus includes a continuity probe, a voltage source that provides a reference voltage, and a control circuit. The control circuit provides the reference voltage to the continuity probe, measures a feedback signal corresponding to the reference voltage at a predetermined location of the fire suppression system, computes a continuity between the continuity probe and the predetermined location based on the feedback signal and the reference voltage, determines whether water is present in a low point of the piping system based on the computed continuity, and predicts whether a valve tripping event is expected to occur based on whether water is present in the low point to provide a detection signal for remedial action to mitigate false trips of the valve based on detecting the water in the low point.

Abstract: Provided is a numerical controller in which a plurality of devices is allowed to be connected to a serial bus by a daisy chain, acquiring, from each of the devices, a connection number on the daisy chain and a device ID as connection information, determining presence or absence of a problem by comparing the connection information with a connection setting parameter obtained by associating the connection number with a logic axis number of the numerical controller, storing the connection information acquired by the connection information acquisition unit when there is no problem in the determination, and identifying a removed device by comparing the connection information acquired by the connection information acquisition unit with the connection information stored in the connection information storage unit when there is a problem in the determination, and excluding the removed device from the connection setting parameter, thereby creating connection setting data.

Abstract: A controller controls a machine tool, which performs thread cutting for a workpiece, according to a machining program. The controller analyzes operating conditions of a cutting-up/cutting-in motion commanded in the machining program and inserts a cutting-up/cutting-in motion created based on the analyzed operating conditions into the thread cutting. In the insertion of the cutting-up/cutting-in motion into the thread cutting, a cycle including a cutting-in operation, a cutting-up operation for separating chips by raising the cutting tool for cutting in the radial direction of the workpiece, and an operation to cause the cutting tool to approach a start position of an immediately preceding cutting-up operation so as not to interfere with the workpiece is repeatedly performed.

Abstract: A method of generating events based on automation system data in an intelligent programmable logic controller includes the intelligent programmable logic controller collecting automation system data and applying a context model to the automation system data to create contextualized data. The intelligent programmable logic controller generates one or more events based on the contextualized data.