Patents Examined by Steven R. Garland
  • Patent number: 7668608
    Abstract: A method and system of editing a graphical programming language object for designing a process control entity within an off-line database. The method and system enables a user to select one or more programming language object fragments from a library of programming language object fragments, and displays the selected programming language object fragments within a graphical programming language object interface display. The programming language object fragments are programming logic routines for a process control entity, such as steps, transitions and actions. Using the selected programming language object fragments, the user is enabled to configure a graphical programming language object for a process control entity within a graphical programming language object interface display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2010
    Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark J. Nixon, Ling Zhou, Brian Crandall, Larry O. Jundt
  • Patent number: 7668616
    Abstract: A method of replacing an existing part or parts on a structure such as an aircraft. The structure is inducted for modification. An existing part is removed and a new part is temporarily installed. Hole locations are digitally transferred to the new part, e.g., photographically captured in a three-dimensional coordinate measurement system, converted to targets printable in a laser projection system. Targets are laser projected or printed on the replacement part. Holes are drilled at each printed target. The holes drilled at printed targets match hole locations on the existing part. Then, the new/replacement part is permanently attached to the structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2010
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Michael L. Piasse, Craig M. Farniok, Richard J. Steckel, Orval M. Nobles
  • Patent number: 7664556
    Abstract: A control object model generation device of this invention includes a simulation computing unit (5) which executes simulation of a control system including a controlled system represented by a mathematical model and a controller represented by a controller algorithm, a model control feature amount computing unit (8) which computes a model control feature amount from the simulation result, an evaluation function computing unit (9) which computes an evaluation function value indicating the similarity between a real control feature amount obtained from a control result on an actual controlled system and a model control feature amount, and a controlled system model parameter search computing unit (10) which executes simulation while sequentially changing the values of controlled system model parameters set in the mathematical model, and obtains controlled system model parameters which optimize the evaluation function value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2010
    Assignee: Yamatake Corporation
    Inventors: Masato Tanaka, Mayumi Miura
  • Patent number: 7657329
    Abstract: A system for utilization with a logic controller comprises an interface component that receives a request to embed human-machine interface (HMI) logic into control logic. Thereafter, an embedder component executes the request and embeds the HMI logic into the control logic. In an example, the control logic can be ladder logic, and the logic controller can be a combined controller/HMI device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2010
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert F. Lloyd
  • Patent number: 7650196
    Abstract: A human-machine interface generation system comprises a reception component that receives a request to generate a human-machine interface relating to at least one of an industrial system, device, process, and sub-process and parameters associated with an initiator of the request. A view generation component generates the human-machine interface based at least in part upon the request and the parameters. For example, the system can further comprise a query generation component that creates a query based at least in part upon the request and the parameters and utilizes the query to extract data from a server within an industrial automation environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2010
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin G. Gordon, Clifton H. Bromley, Eric G. Dorgelo, Douglas J. Reichard, Marc D. Semkow, Shafin A. Virji
  • Patent number: 7643900
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention teach a method of controlling a screw in a two-stage injection unit and a system for implementing the method. For example, a method of controlling a screw in a two-stage injection unit, the method executable at a computing apparatus associated with the two-stage injection unit is disclosed. The method comprises receiving an indication of an operational parameter associated with the screw of the two-stage injection unit; based on the indication of the operational parameter, determining a target speed (STARGET) for the screw, the target speed (STARGET) being sufficient to enable the screw to produce a required amount of material in a molten state; causing the screw to rotate at the target speed (STARGET), thereby causing the screw to operate in a substantially continuous manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2010
    Assignee: Husky Injection Molding Systems Ltd.
    Inventors: Denise Davina Craig, Eric Thomas Scott, Raymond Weiping Zhang
  • Patent number: 7620480
    Abstract: A method of cooling components across a continuum having a plurality of levels includes receiving and evaluating detected data related to the components across the continuum. A control scheme is developed based upon the evaluated data, where the control scheme is configured to manipulate one or more actuators across a plurality of levels. In addition, one or more of the actuators across the plurality of levels are manipulated in accordance with the developed control scheme.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2009
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Chandrakant D. Patel, Cullen E. Bash, Ratnesh K. Sharma, Chris G. Malone, Abdlmonem Beitelmal
  • Patent number: 7620474
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing tires by disposing an uncured elastomeric material on a substantially rigid toroidal support so as to form a green tire. The green tire and the toroidal support are then disposed within a vulcanization mold in which a molding cavity is defined, so as to mold and cure the green tire. The molding cavity includes at least a portion in which molding and curing are carried out at a constant volume. The disposition of the elastomeric material onto the rigid toroidal support is carried out by controlling the volume distribution of the elastomeric material onto the toroidal support, so as to fit a predetermined curve of excess material volume, i.e., a curve showing a difference between the volume distribution of the material forming the green tire and the available volume in the portion of the molding cavity adapted for molding and curing the green tire at constant volume, versus a predetermined, e.g. radial, direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2009
    Assignee: Pirelli Pneumatici S.p.A.
    Inventor: Luca Bruschelli
  • Patent number: 7620461
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention can provide systems and methods for using a combustion dynamics tuning algorithm with a multi-can combustor. According to one embodiment of the invention, a method for controlling a gas turbine engine with an engine model can be implemented for an engine comprising multiple cans. The method can include obtaining operating frequency information associated with multiple cans of the engine. In addition, the method can include determining variation between operating frequency information of at least two cans. Furthermore, the method can include determining a median value based at least in part on the variation. Moreover, the method can include inputting the median value to an engine model, wherein based at least in part on the median value, the engine model determines an engine control action. In addition, the method can include outputting a control command to implement the engine control action.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2009
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Garth Frederick, II, Thomas Raymond Farrell, Timothy Andrew Healy, John Carver Maters, Jonathan Carl Thatcher
  • Patent number: 7613535
    Abstract: A semiconductor manufacturing system includes a centralized computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) system; a plurality of sectional CIM systems respectively associated with a plurality of manufacturing facilities and coupled with the centralized CIM system; and a centralized basic record module, coupled and coordinated with the centralized CIM system, and designed for defining a unified process flow associated to a mobile object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2009
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Larry Jann, Chien-Fei Cheng, I. Chun Chen, Liang Po Hsiung
  • Patent number: 7606639
    Abstract: A method and system for curtailing energy consumption of an appliance, such as an air conditioning compressor or heat pump, is provided. A control unit stores information relating to the load, which may include a connected load value, such as a power consumption value or efficiency rating. The control unit then monitors the appliance to determine when the appliance is calling for energy. Upon receiving an energy reduction value from a remote source, the control unit then calculates a permitted run time from the energy reduction value and the connected load value. The control unit, through a switch, then permits the appliance to be operable only for the permitted run time so as to reduce power consumption by a predetermined amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2009
    Assignee: Comverge, Inc.
    Inventor: Wendell M. Miyaji
  • Patent number: 7606638
    Abstract: A windpark includes at least two wind energy installations, each of which installations comprises a rotor, a generator driven by the rotor and a control device, and which are connected via connecting lines to a main line. The windpark also includes a linking point which connects the main line to a power transmission network, a parkmaster which is configured for power factor control and has communication lines for transmission of control signals to the wind energy installations, and a power-factor control section including a distributed regulator having a higher-level regulator located at the parkmaster which is configured to determine a nominal voltage in order to set a global power coefficient for the power which is emitted to the power transmission network and to emit the nominal voltage as a signal via the communication lines and lower-level regulators at the wind energy installations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2009
    Assignee: REpower Systems AG
    Inventors: Jens Fortmann, Heinz-Hermann Letas
  • Patent number: 7603194
    Abstract: A fabricating method for a system that includes a plurality of processing apparatuses connected to each other by an inter-apparatus transporter and a computer storing managing information of processing and transporting of semiconductor wafers. The processing apparatuses have an interface for loading and unloading a plurality of the semiconductor wafers that are contained in a carrier. The semiconductor waters are processed in processing chambers of the processing apparatuses and the result of processing is monitored. In the processing, a first carrier containing the plurality of the semiconductor wafers having been processed in the first processing apparatus is transported toward the second processing apparatus by the inter-apparatus transporter prior to unloading of a second carrier containing semiconductor wafers processed in the second processing apparatus, according to the managing information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2009
    Assignee: Renesas Technology Corp.
    Inventors: Natsuki Yokoyama, Yoshifumi Kawamoto, Eiichi Murakami, Fumihiko Uchida, Kenichi Mizuishi, Yoshio Kawamura
  • Patent number: 7596421
    Abstract: A process control system includes a client computer which prepares a correlation between a reference monitored value of apparatus information and a feature quantity, a manufacturing execution system which prepares a processing recipe describing, as a first setting value in an actual manufacturing process, a value of the control parameter, an apparatus information collection section which collects an objective monitored value of the apparatus information in operation of the actual manufacturing process with the first setting value, a feature quantity calculation section which calculates a value of a feature quantity corresponding to the objective monitored value based on the correlation, a parameter calculation section which calculates a second setting value in the actual manufacturing process on the basis of the value of the feature quantity, and an apparatus control unit which changes the processing recipe with the second setting value being as a setting value of the second step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2009
    Assignee: Kabushik Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Junji Sugamoto, Yukihiro Ushiku, Kazutaka Akiyama, Shoichi Harakawa
  • Patent number: 7590472
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for realizing energy cost savings through load shifting utilizing a battery bank that may serve as a battery back-up on a premises for providing power in the event of a grid power outage or curtailment. A budget of unreserved cycles of battery charging and discharging is determined, taking into account the rated battery life in terms of both time (e.g., years) and number of cycles. That cycle budget is allocated to days of the year identified as days on which the greatest savings can be realized through load shifting. These days are identified by taking into account the peak and off-peak usage rates applicable on those days, any rate tiers that may be entered as a result of the additional energy expended to load shift, and the round trip efficiency of the charge/discharge cycles. Load shifting is executed in accordance with an established schedule of the identified days, by discharging the batteries during peak usage hours and charging the batteries during off-peak periods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2009
    Assignee: GridPoint, Inc.
    Inventors: David B. Hakim, Douglas Ricardo Danley, Michael Caplan
  • Patent number: 7587261
    Abstract: An image acquisition system for machine vision systems decouples image acquisition from the transmission of the image to a host processor by using a programmable imager controller to selectively disable and enable the transmission of data to the host and by using a system of buffers to temporarily store image data pending allocation of memory. This enables the image acquisition system to acquire images asynchronously and to change the exposure parameters on a frame-by-frame basis without the latency associated with the allocation of memory for storage of the acquired image. The system architecture of the invention further permits interruption and resumption of image acquisition with minimal likelihood of missing data. Data throughput is further enhanced by transmitting to the host only that data corresponding to the region of interest within the image and discarding the data from outside of the region of interest at the camera stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2009
    Assignee: Metrovideo, Inc.
    Inventor: T. Eric Hopkins
  • Patent number: 7584006
    Abstract: A method and system for managing memory modules or memory devices is disclosed. The memory modules or memory devices are managed by using a microcontroller on the memory module. A user can remotely control the memory module by sending instructions and data to the microcontroller. The microcontroller can cause the measurement of a number of operational parameters of the memory module. The values of the measured operational parameters can be displayed on a display unit that is attached to the memory module or displayed on a screen associated with the host system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2009
    Assignee: Corsair Memory
    Inventors: Andy Paul, John Beekley, Don Lieberman, Dan Solvin, Robert Pearce, Martin Mueller
  • Patent number: 7571013
    Abstract: A method for optimization of operating parameters of a wind energy installation defines an upper and a lower interval limit value for a parameter to be optimized. The method includes carrying out a cycle with alternate operations of the wind energy installation with the interval limit values, with a data record in each case being produced with a target variable over a variable number of repetitions. The data records relating to the interval limit values are evaluated to form a quality measure, and the interval limit value with the poorer quality measure is identified. Then, at least the interval limit value with the poorer quality measure is replaced by shifting through a step value ? in a direction of another interval limit value. The cycle is then repeated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2009
    Assignee: REpower Systems AG
    Inventor: Jens Altemark
  • Patent number: 7561938
    Abstract: An inventive method in an integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing process for using data regarding repair procedures conducted on ICs at probe to determine whether any further repairs will be conducted later in the manufacturing process includes storing the data in association with a fuse ID of each of the ICs. The ID codes of the ICs are automatically read, for example, at an opens/shorts test during the manufacturing process. The data stored in association with the ID codes of the ICs is then accessed, and additional repair procedures the ICs may undergo are selected in accordance with the accessed data. Thus, for example, the accessed data may indicate that an IC is unrepairable, so the IC can proceed directly to a scrap bin without having to be queried to determine whether it is repairable, as is necessary in traditional IC manufacturing processes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2009
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Salman Akram, Warren M. Farnworth, Derek J. Gochnour, David R. Hembree, Michael E. Hess, John O. Jacobson, James M. Wark, Alan G. Wood
  • Patent number: 7542818
    Abstract: A process for achieving décor on surface elements (1) which comprises a decorative upper layer (2) and a supporting core (5). A selected main décor is entered via a terminal, the selected décor emanating from the group consisting of; an archetype digitized via digital camera or scanner and a digitized décor from a database. The dimensions of the surface to be covered by surface elements (1) and the desired dimension of the décor is entered into the terminal. Support programs is then used for calculating the segmentation of the main décor to cover more than one surface element. The result of the selections and calculations is visualised via the terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2009
    Assignee: Pergo (Europe) AB
    Inventors: Krister Hansson, Johan Lundgren, Hakan Wernersson