Patents Examined by Thomas C. Lee
  • Patent number: 11883927
    Abstract: A method of machining a surface of a component. The method comprises scanning the surface of the component to obtain scanned electronic 3D data representing the scanned surface of the component locating a surface defect of the scanned surface and identifying a defect region that surrounds and includes the surface defect, and providing electronic 3D data representing a patch having the desired shape of the defect region. The method also comprises transforming the patch to generate a tooling path for repairing the surface defect. The transformation comprising translating a plurality of nodes of the patch. The translation distance of each node based on the distance of that node from an origin node of the patch. The method further comprises machining the surface of the component according to the generated tooling path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLC
    Inventor: Karl S. Huckerby
  • Patent number: 11874649
    Abstract: Methods and systems for cleaning process sequence management are provided. An indication is received from a client device of a sequence of cleaning operations associated with a substrate process at a manufacturing system. An indication of one or more cleaning criteria that trigger initiation of the sequence of cleaning operations during a cleaning process at a process chamber of the manufacturing system is also received. A set of instructions corresponding to the sequence of cleaning operations is generated. In response to a detection that at least one of the one or more cleaning criteria is satisfied, the generated set of instructions are executed to initiate the sequence of cleaning operations at the process chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventor: Chongyang C. Wang
  • Patent number: 11868116
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method and an Internet of Things system for regulating a gas in-home pressure based on smart gas. The method includes: determining a gas in-home pressure regulation scheme, and the gas in-home pressure regulation scheme including a pressure regulation parameter of a gas device; generating, based on the gas in-home pressure regulation scheme, a pressure regulation instruction; regulating, based on the pressure regulation instruction, a gas in-home pressure of at least one floor; and transmitting the gas in-home pressure regulation scheme to a smart gas user terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: CHENGDU QINCHUAN IOT TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Zehua Shao, Yong Li, Yaqiang Quan, Bin Liu, Lei Zhang
  • Patent number: 11860612
    Abstract: An automatic testing method includes obtaining a positioning image, analyzing position of a plurality of slots of the test motherboard in the positioning image to generate route information for insertion and testing of components; wherein photographing test motherboard and obtaining positioning image focused on the test motherboard, controlling the clamping device to insert a plurality of the components into the slots according to the route information, controlling the test motherboard to test the components, determining if there is a faulty component, controlling the clamping device to withdraw and insert the components into other slots according to the route information and controlling the test motherboard to retest the components again if there is no faulty component. An automatic testing device and a non-volatile storage medium performing the above-described method are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: Fulian Precision Electronics (Tianjin) Co., LTD.
    Inventors: Wei-Chen Lin, Duo Qiu, Ya-Nan Bian
  • Patent number: 11860589
    Abstract: During each of a plurality of iterations, a policy of a controller is updated and at least part of a process is controlled using the updated policy. The updated policy is associated with a performance level of the controller. For each iteration, the updated policy is determined using the associations generated during one or more previous iterations between the policies and the corresponding performance levels of the controller in controlling the at least part of the process, such that the updated policy is optimized to have a highest likelihood of producing a positive change in the performance level of the controller in controlling the at least part of the process rather than optimized to have a highest likelihood of producing a largest positive magnitude of change in the performance level of the controller in controlling the at least part of the process relative to the previous iteration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Daniel Pachner, Vladimir Havlena, Pavel Otta
  • Patent number: 11851212
    Abstract: A method of producing a component part (202, 204) of an aircraft airframe (200), the method comprising: providing a first digital model, the first digital model being a digital model of the component part (202, 204); producing an initial physical part using the first digital model; measuring a surface of the initial physical part; creating a second digital model using the measurements of the surface of the initial physical part, the second digital model being a digital model of the initial physical part; specifying one or more fastener holes (606) in the second digital model; and drilling one or more fastener holes (606) in the initial physical part using the second digital model with the one or more fastener holes specified therein, thereby producing the component part (202, 204) of an aircraft airframe (200).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: BAE Systems plc
    Inventors: Graham Peter Coulier, Jonathan Michael Carberry, Alistair James Fletcher
  • Patent number: 11851793
    Abstract: A non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-readable instructions, when executed by a computer, causing the computer to execute a process. The process includes: obtaining image data; obtaining thread colors as available colors for sewing an embroidery pattern; setting a first color representing a target area; in a case where at least one color is assigned from the available colors as a color representing the target area, selecting a color close to the first color when combined with the at least one color assigned, from the available colors, as a candidate; determining whether a difference between color information representing the at least one color assigned and color information representing the candidate is smaller than a threshold value; in a case where the difference is smaller than the threshold value, adding the candidate to the at least one color assigned; and generating embroidery data associating thread color data with position data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuta Kamihira, Mayumi Nishizaki
  • Patent number: 11846933
    Abstract: An apparatus, system and method of providing industrial analytics. The apparatus, system and method include at least a plurality of sensors sensing performance indicators for an industrial process across multiple nodes, wherein ones of the multiple nodes are remote from each other; at least one machine learning module comprising non-transitory computing code executed by a processor. When executed by the processor, the code causes the steps of: receiving user input regarding at least the industrial process and a data set; selecting a model based on at least the user input, wherein the selected model comprises a plurality of learnings based on the performance indicators sensed by multiple sensors across at least multiple ones of the multiple nodes; applying the selected model to the data set; assessing at least the performance indicators for the data set upon application of the selected model; and outputting the assessed performance indicator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Mustafa Gokhan Uzunbas, Ser Nam Lim, Ashish Jain, Vladimir Shapiro, Weiwei Qian, Mohamad Bagheri Esfe
  • Patent number: 11846917
    Abstract: A computer device includes at least one processor in communication with at least one memory device. The at least one processor is programmed to store, in the at least one memory device, a model for simulating a portion of an assembly line and receive scan data of a first inspection of a product being assembled, execute the model using the scan data as inputs to generate a final profile of the product, compare the final profile to one or more thresholds, determine if the final profile exceeds at least one of the one or more thresholds, and adjust the first device if the determination is that the final profile exceeds at least one of the one or more thresholds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: GlobalWafers Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Sumeet S. Bhagavat
  • Patent number: 11846959
    Abstract: An electricity management system for a residential setting includes a controller that is coupled with a plurality of appliances. A plurality of sensors are coupled with the controller and respectively coupled to the plurality of appliances. The controller cooperates with the sensors and the appliances to generate a demand response plan for delivering electrical power to the plurality of appliances. The demand response plan includes a shifting strategy that regulates a delivery of electrical power based upon a regional pattern of electrical consumption, a shedding strategy that maintains a household consumption of electrical power below a household upper consumption limit and a modulating strategy based upon the respective operating cycles of the plurality of appliances that prevents a simultaneous peak electrical event within more than one appliance of the plurality of appliances. The shifting strategy, the shedding strategy and the modulating strategy are implemented contemporaneously.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: Andrew W. Batek, Jason Schneemann, Kevin Y. Zhang
  • Patent number: 11841149
    Abstract: Tools, strategies, and techniques are provided for enhancing the control and operation of air curtain devices. The air curtain device can be provided with a computer system programmed to receive input data from various sensors and to communicate the sensor data to a wireless mesh computer architecture. An algorithm module can be programmed to determine adjusted settings or parameters for the air curtain device in response to the sensor data and/or other data sources such as external data sources. Data may be obtained from multiple air curtain devices configured for cooperative performance, and operating parameters or settings may be adjusted in connection with one or more of the multiple air curtain devices. A control device of the air curtain may be provided with a unitary structure suitable for efficient installation of multiple control harness connectors thereon to supply power and/or to establish data connectivity with multiple components of the control device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: BERNER INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Phillip M. Thomas, Jr., Lih Wei Chia, Yan Yi Seow, Yee Hui Poh
  • Patent number: 11841692
    Abstract: A method includes identifying a recipe for depositing layers on a substrate in a processing chamber of a substrate processing system. The recipe comprises iterations of a set of one or more processes, and wherein each iteration of the iterations is for depositing at least one layer of the layers. The method further includes determining changes to parameters for depositing the at least one layer on the substrate. Each of the changes corresponds to a respective iteration of the iterations and is associated with a relative position of a corresponding layer. The layers are to be deposited on one or more substrates based on the recipe and the changes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Venkatanarayana Shankaramurthy, Anton Baryshnikov, Brett Berens, Mitesh Sanghvi, Shuang Liu
  • Patent number: 11842412
    Abstract: An aggregated distribution system includes an HVAC controller, a battery controller, and an aggregated data management engine. The aggregated data management engine is configured to retrieve an HVAC energy usage profile and retrieve a battery energy usage profile. The aggregated distribution system also includes distribution engine configured to forward a first set of HVAC dual variables and forward a first set of battery dual variables to a first neighboring unit of the aggregated distribution system, receive one or more additional sets of HVAC dual variables and one or more additional sets of battery dual variables from one or more neighboring units of the aggregated distribution system, update the HVAC energy usage profile with the one or more additional sets of HVAC dual vehicles and update the battery energy usage profile with the one or more additional sets of battery dual vehicles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignees: TOTAL SOLAR INTERNATIONAL, NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Mo-Yuen Chow, Alberto Castelo Becerra, Wente Zeng
  • Patent number: 11829126
    Abstract: A non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry, are configured to cause the processing circuitry to receive sensory datasets associated with an industrial automation system from sensors, receive positioning data via an extended reality device associated with a user, determine a first virtual positioning of the user in a virtual coordinate system based on the positioning data, determine a second virtual positioning of an industrial automation system in the virtual coordinate system based on the sensory datasets, determine output representative data to be presented by the extended reality device based on the plurality of sensory datasets and in accordance to the first virtual positioning relative to the second virtual positioning, and instruct the extended reality device to present the output representative data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Thong T. Nguyen, Paul D. Schmirler, Timothy T. Duffy, Kristopher J. Holley, Susan J. Lovas
  • Patent number: 11829124
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for predicting an occurrence of a tool processing event, thereby determining whether to activate a virtual metrology. In a model-building stage, plural sets of model-building data are used to create at least one classification model in accordance with at least one classification algorithm, in which each classification model includes plural decision trees. Then, probabilities of the decision trees are used to create at least one reliance index model, and the sets of model-building data are used to create at least one similarity index model in accordance with a statistical distance algorithm. In a conjecture stage, a set of processing data of a workpiece is inputted into each classification model, each reliance index model and each similarity index model to determine whether to activate (start) virtual metrology.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: NATIONAL CHENG KUNG UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Fan-Tien Cheng, Yu-Ming Hsieh, Jing-Wen Lu
  • Patent number: 11829123
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems and method for managing material balance between incoming and outgoing streams of material in an industrial system. A method may include providing a graphical user interface (GUI) that enables a system administrator to generate a visual model of the industrial system that includes (1) elements that are interconnected in the industrial system, and (2) streams including at least one incoming stream of material to each element and at least one outgoing stream of material from each element. The method may include receiving, via the GUI, a plurality of parameters of the elements and the streams such as material chemistry, user demand of each user element of the user elements, and flowrate for each stream of the streams. The method may include determining a category of each stream and automatically balancing, by a processor, incoming and outgoing streams for each element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: FTD Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Vyacheslav Libman, Alexander Kondratov, Boris Eliosov
  • Patent number: 11822312
    Abstract: A system comprising a scanner to scan the airman or soldier (subject), a processor to receive, from the scanner, a non-manifold three-dimensional (3D) digital surface model (DSM) scan data representative of the subject, and a computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) device. The processor recognizes anatomical features on the 3D surface model including the cephalic (head) region of the scanned subject; stores each sub region defined by anatomical features as a non-manifold 3D surface model; creates a surface offset from the DSM sub region; creates a closed volume within and between the DSM sub region and the offset surface representative of a solid 3D pilot flight equipment; and causes a computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) device to manufacture the solid 3D pilot flight equipment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Matthew S. Richardson, Michael W. Hale
  • Patent number: 11822319
    Abstract: A semiconductor system shares information on a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus between first and second semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses through direct communication. The first semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes a first acquisition unit acquiring first information on the first semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, a first storage unit storing the acquired first information, and a first communication unit sending the stored first information to the second semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Noriaki Koyama, Kazushi Shoji, Motokatsu Miyazaki
  • Patent number: 11824358
    Abstract: A transformer economizer automatically disconnects a main electric power transformer from a grid power line during low-load periods, and automatically reconnects the main transformer to the grid power line during high-load periods, to reduce low-power electricity losses incurred by the main transformer. The main transformer is therefore deenergized and a much smaller auxiliary transformer is energized during low-load periods to reduce the low-power electricity losses incurred by the main transformer. The main transformer is then automatically switched back into service during high-load periods, while the auxiliary transformer is switched out of service. This provides long-term energy, cost, and carbon footprint savings by automatically switching the large transformer's loads to a much smaller auxiliary transformer, and therefore proportionally lower losses, during light-load conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: 741 Solutions LLC
    Inventor: James N. Keig
  • Patent number: 11815882
    Abstract: The present invention includes: (a) a method for improving data to be processed for bottleneck detection, by cleaning corrupt or outlier data; (b) a method for improved analysis of bottleneck data using a plurality of rules for categorization; and (c) a method for improved display and/or allowing improved user feedback for bottleneck data using multivariate analysis and display. These methods can be used alone, or preferably be combined in whole or in part together to improve performance of an industrial process. A system is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: THROUGHPUT, INC.
    Inventors: Ali Hussan Raza, Bhaskar Subbarao Ballapragada, Seth Rom Page, Anzar Kamdar