Patents Examined by Michael W Choi
  • Patent number: 9850613
    Abstract: A display control unit switches a display screen to a detergent name list screen based on detergent name list screen information received by a second communication unit, an operation unit accepts a selection of an arbitrary detergent name by a user from a plurality of detergent names displayed as a list on the detergent name list screen, the second communication unit transmits, to a server, detergent name specifying information for specifying the arbitrary detergent name accepted by the operation unit and washing machine specifying information and receives, from the server, detergent information related to a detergent specified based on the detergent name specifying information and the washing machine specifying information, and a first communication unit transmits the detergent information received by the second communication unit to a washing machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kenichi Kamon, Kazunori Kurimoto, Kazuhiro Kuroyama, Yuko Omura
  • Patent number: 9836044
    Abstract: An arithmetic processing unit divides a modified NC program into a plurality of segments and determines a machining time estimation target segment among the plurality of divided segments. When estimating the machining time required for the machining of a machine tool controlled based on the modified NC program, the arithmetic processing unit shortens the time required for the machining time estimation process by reutilizing an estimated machining time for an NC program before modification with respect to segments other than the machining time estimation target segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi Yamada, Kazuhiko Morisaki
  • Patent number: 9833868
    Abstract: A chatter avoidance method and device is provided, including steps of: providing a stable operating condition plot; partially removing a first layer of a workpiece with a predetermined first removal depth according to a safe removal depth of the stable operating condition plot and sensing a chatter caused by the removal operation; if no chatter is sensed, completing the removal operation, otherwise, continuing to partially remove the first layer with a second removal depth less than the predetermined first removal depth; and determining a minimum removal depth according to the removal operation, and removing a last layer of the workpiece with a last removal depth less than or equal to the minimum removal depth, allowing the workpiece to have a target thickness. The disclosure prevents a chatter from continuously occurring without requiring a shut-down and thereby maintains a desired production rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Tsung-Ling Hwang, Chin-Te Lin, Shuo-Peng Liang, Ta-Jen Peng, Jen-Ji Wang, Tzuo-Liang Luo
  • Patent number: 9838736
    Abstract: Systems and methods for controlling a plurality of devices in a home automation system may include providing a device proxy for a device connected to the home automation system and setting a new value in a value box of the device proxy, whereby the value box corresponds to at least one of a sensor, control, and metadata of the device. The systems and methods may further include determining one or more rules associated with the device proxy and running the determined one or more rules, whereby the determined one or more rules are indicative of interactive relationships between the device proxy and one or more other device proxies corresponding to one or more other devices connected to the home automation system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: ECHOSTAR TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: George Horkan Smith, Eric Holley
  • Patent number: 9817374
    Abstract: A method for a real-time dynamic simulation of a response of a complex system or process controlled by a plurality of driving factors Pi (i=1 . . . k), each varying in a given range of variation. The range of variation of the driving factor Pi is discretized into NPi values. A prior parametric model of simulation is obtained in the form of a functional equation connecting the response to variations in the plurality of driving factors for any combination of values of the driving factors. Their range of variation is in the form of a sum of N modes that are functions of the factors. Each mode is defined for each of the NPi discretized values. The parametric model is stored in the form of a computer program in an independent device comprising a processor capable of running the program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignees: ECOLE CENTRALE DE NANTES, CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE
    Inventors: Francisco Chinesta, Adrien Leygue, Felipe Bordeu, Arnaud Poitou
  • Patent number: 9804623
    Abstract: Technologies are generally described for addressing the bidirectional power flow conflict incurred by power surpluses produced from a number of households' on-location energy generation units (e.g., solar) in power distribution networks. A micro grid composed of households in a neighborhood may be considered as a generating- or consuming-resource entity at different time periods. The approach may be formulated as a power balance computation such that power balance may not be achieved within the micro grid itself, and therefore power sharing (or redispatching) among micro grids is operated, before requesting power from the macro grid, i.e., the fuel-based conventional grid. Enhancement of renewable energy utilization and reduction in the amount of data packet traffic in exchange of information and control messages via uplink and downlink transmissions throughout an overlay multi-tier communications network infrastructure may be taken into consideration in example implementations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: NEW JERSEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Nirwan Ansari, Chun-Hao Lo
  • Patent number: 9803618
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a system configured to monitor a condition of a rotating system comprising a main bearing, the monitoring arrangement having a first measurement device configured to be arranged at a first location in proximity of the main bearing for determining a first measurement indicative of a current flow at the first location, and a control unit connected to the measurement device. The control unit is further configured to form a first parameter based on the first measurement, match the first parameter with a plurality of predetermined current flow profiles, each of the plurality of predetermined current flow profiles being indicative of a condition of the rotating system, determine, if a matching current flow profile is found, a relevance level for the corresponding condition, and provide an indication of an alarm if the relevance level is above a predetermined threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: AKTIEBOLAGET SKF
    Inventor: Olle Bankeström
  • Patent number: 9784241
    Abstract: A wind turbine includes a rotor, a plurality of rotor blades coupled to the rotor, and a blade pitch control system coupled to each rotor blade. A computer-implemented method for controlling the wind turbine includes determining at least one pitch position for a first blade. The method also includes determining whether there is a malfunction of the blade pitch control system associated with the first blade. The method further includes predicting a rotor imbalance using a model of at least a portion of the wind turbine. The method also includes comparing the predicted rotor imbalance with a predetermined threshold value. The method further includes one of regulating the pitch position for the second blade such that the predicted rotor imbalance is restored to a value below the predetermined threshold and regulating a pitch position for a second blade such that the predicted rotor imbalance does not exceed the predetermined threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Rogier Sebastiaan Blom, Matthijs Leonardus Gerardus Boerlage, Nora Cheng-Huei Han
  • Patent number: 9772641
    Abstract: A control device has a monitoring section that monitors an amount of electric energy of a first machine, and a power supply controller that controls power supply of a second machine in accordance with an amount of electric energy of the first machine and schedule information indicative of an operation schedule of each of the first machine and the second machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: OMRON Corporation
    Inventor: Wakahiro Kawai
  • Patent number: 9630365
    Abstract: One variation of a method for manufacturing a physical volumetric representation of a virtual three-dimensional object includes: slicing the virtual three-dimensional object into a set of virtual layers of discrete virtual thickness; for each virtual layer in the set of virtual layers, selecting a set of cross-sections of a portion of the virtual three-dimensional object within the virtual layer, setting an opacity level for each cross-section, combining the set of cross-sections into a composite cross-section based on an opacity level set for each cross-section, and printing the composite cross-section onto a dominant face of a substrate in a set of substrates; and assembling the set of substrates into a stack, each substrate in the set of substrates positioned within the stack according to a position within the virtual three-dimensional object of a cross-section printed on the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: Looking Glass Factory, Inc.
    Inventors: Shawn Frayne, Shiu Pong Lee, Tung Yiu Fok, Alexis Hornstein