Abstract: Systems and methods determine alignment between a wire and a laser beam in laser joining. A system for checking alignment of a wire relative to a beam of a laser includes a controller configured to align, by tooling, the beam with a sensor system. A laser generates the beam across the wire, with the beam directed to the sensor system. The sensor system measures light intensity of the beam. A processor computes a feature parameter representative of an alignment between the wire and the beam. The processor determines whether the feature parameter is within the process specifications.

Abstract: A method of transmitting data across a J1939 network comprises communicating at least one sensor, if not a plurality of sensors or operator interface devices, related to a utility service body data mounted on a chassis across the J1939 network on unassigned PGN/SPN combinations for various uses. Furthermore, at least one controller can evaluate other J1939 data, such as transmission gear and/or engine RPM before permitting operation of at least one function of the utility service body or upfit body with at least some embodiments.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for analyzing refuse includes operations of receiving sensor data indicating an operational state of a vehicle body component of a refuse collection vehicle (RCV); analyzing the sensor data to detect a presence of a triggering condition based at least partly on a particular operational state of the vehicle body component, as indicated by the sensor data; in response to detecting the triggering condition, accessing image data indicating a physical state of refuse collected by the RCV; providing the image data as input to at least one contaminant detection model trained, using at least one machine learning (ML) algorithm, to output a classification of the image data, the classification indicating a degree of contamination of the refuse; and storing, in a machine-readable medium, the classification of the image data.

Abstract: A welding setup includes an adjustable material feed system for a consumable welding wire. Speed sensors measure the speed of the wire progressing through the material feed system. A control module controls the material feed system to draw the wire into the material feed system and progress the wire to a working end of the welding setup. Speed data is sampled from the speed sensor during diagnostic duration and wire slip may be determined from the speed data and a reference speed.

Abstract: A scrambling method of data on a J1939 communication system of a vehicle involves at least moving data from one of a PGN and a PGN/SPN location to another PGN or PGN/SPN location at a first controller on the vehicle before transmitting data and then re-ordering the data at a second controller. Some embodiments further comprise encrypting data either before or after shifting, but before transmitting so as to further complicate efforts to interpret meaningful data from the transmission. The second controller may be on the vehicle or may be remotely located.

Abstract: A method and device for positively identifying that a dump event of a refuse container has occurred into a refuse hopper of a refuse vehicle are provided. When used with route software, alerts may be generated if a specific refuse container is missed or if an unexpected dump event occurs during the route.

Abstract: Techniques are described for determining an amount of fuel that is consumed by the body components of a vehicle, based at least partly on sensor data describing the operations of the body components and/or the location of the vehicle. A vehicle is equipped with a body that has any suitable number of body components that perform operations not directly associated with the translational movement of the vehicle from one location to another. Fuel is consumed to provide power (e.g., through power take off) to operate the body components. The vehicle includes sensor device(s) configured to sense the operations of the body components and generate sensor data that describes the operations of the body components. The sensor data is analyzed to determine an amount of fuel that is consumed to power the operations of the body components.

Abstract: A scrambling method of data on a J1939 communication system of a vehicle involves at least moving data from one of a PGN and a PGN/SPN location to another PGN or PGN/SPN location at a first controller on the vehicle before transmitting data and then re-ordering the data at a second controller. Some embodiments further comprise encrypting data either before or after shifting, but before transmitting so as to further complicate efforts to interpret meaningful data from the transmission. The second controller may be on the vehicle or may be remotely located.

Abstract: A refuse collection vehicle includes a body having a storage compartment and a packer system. The storage compartment includes a floor. The packer system includes an ejector, two or more helical band actuators, and a driver. The helical band actuators each include a drive cylinder base, a helical band drive cylinder, and a drive cylinder receptacle coupled between the helical band drive cylinder and the ejector. The driver is commonly coupled to the helical band actuators and operable to extend and retract the helical band drive cylinders. The helical band actuators are operable to advance the ejector such that refuse is compacted in the storage compartment or ejected from the storage compartment.

Abstract: A connected ecosystem for a laboratory environment comprises an electronic lab notebook, and instrumented biosafety cabinet, and one or more sensing vessels containing cell cultures. The electronic lab notebook interfaces with the instrumented biosafety cabinet to provide instructions, guidance, and monitoring of a user during the set up of the experimental protocol and to receive commands from the user via one of several input modalities. After the experimental protocol has been set up in the instrumented biosafety cabinet, cell cultures may be moved to an incubator where the connected ecosystem may provide automatic monitoring of the cultures. The automatic monitoring is provided by sensors integrated into cell culture vessels and supplemented by images of the cell cultures captured by a camera. The user may be informed of deviations from expected results detected based on the automatic monitoring.

Abstract: A method and device for positively identifying that a dump event of a refuse container has occurred into a refuse hopper of a refuse vehicle are provided. When used with route software, alerts may be generated if a specific refuse container is missed or if an unexpected dump event occurs during the route.

Abstract: A refuse vehicle includes a vehicle chassis and an all-electric vehicle body on the chassis. The body includes a hopper, a refuse storage container, and a plurality of electrically powered body systems. The body systems include an electrically actuated tailgate, an electrically actuated refuse loading assembly, and an electrically actuated refuse packing assembly configured to remove refuse from the hopper and to pack said refuse in the storage container. The vehicle (e.g., vehicle body) further includes a power management module configured to regulate energy usage of the body systems and/or to record and track electrical energy usage in the body systems.

Abstract: Techniques are described for determining an amount of fuel that is consumed by the body components of a vehicle, based at least partly on sensor data describing the operations of the body components and/or the location of the vehicle. A vehicle is equipped with a body that has any suitable number of body components that perform operations not directly associated with the translational movement of the vehicle from one location to another. Fuel is consumed to provide power (e.g., through power take off) to operate the body components. The vehicle includes sensor device(s) configured to sense the operations of the body components and generate sensor data that describes the operations of the body components. The sensor data is analyzed to determine an amount of fuel that is consumed to power the operations of the body components.

Abstract: A refuse vehicle includes a telescopic arm, a sensor, and a processor. The telescopic arm includes an outer boom defining a bore, an inner boom received in the bore of the outer boom, and a bearing pad received in the bore and located between an exterior surface of the inner boom and an interior surface of the outer boom. The sensor is configured to output data indicating a position of a load-bearing limb of the telescopic arm. The processor is configured to receive data output from the sensor and determine a wear-state of the bearing pad based on the position.

Abstract: An extrusion system (100) according to certain aspects includes at least one infrared emitting device (102) arranged in a generally cylindrical shape with a hollow interior. The at least one infrared emitting device (102) is positioned downstream of an outlet of an extrusion die (110) to irradiate a perimeter of wet extrudate material in a uniform manner to form stiffened wet extrudate material (116) before such material is received by an extrudate support channel (118). The at least one infrared emitting device (102) generally uniformly stiffens the skin of the wet extrudate material (116) to resist mechanical deformation of the extrudate material during subsequent handling steps. Such skin stiffening allows for increased tolerance of handling forces and permits extrusion of softer wet extrudate material without compromising the shape of a fired ceramic product.

Abstract: Presented are intelligent non-autogenous metalworking systems and control logic for automated wire-to-beam alignment, methods for making/using such systems, and robot-borne laser welding/brazing heads with closed-loop control for real-time wire alignment. A method for controlling operation of a non-autogenous workpiece processing system includes a system controller receiving sensor signals from a position sensor indicative of a location of filler wire discharged into a joint region by a wire feeder. Using the received sensor signals, the controller determines a displacement between the wire location and a location of a beam emitted onto the joint region by a beam emitter. If the wire displacement is greater than a threshold wire displacement value, the controller responsively determines a corrective force calculated to reduce wire displacement to below the threshold wire displacement value.

Abstract: A refuse collection vehicle has various hydraulic actuators including at least one cylinder with an internal seal. A sensor is responsive to movement of the piston and sends a signal to a controller to indicate piston movement information during an associated vehicle body component movement. The controller is configured to determine a motion characteristic of the piston during a predetermined body component movement, compare the determined motion characteristic to a stored reference motion characteristic, and in response to determining that a difference between the determined motion characteristic and the reference motion characteristic is greater than a predetermined value, trigger an indication that the refuse collection vehicle is in need of service.

Abstract: A refuse collection vehicle includes a grabber that is operable to engage a refuse container, a lift arm coupled to the grabber and operable to raise and lower the grabber, a camera that is arranged to generate video data of a scene external to the refuse collection vehicle, and a semi-transparent display device configured to display the video data generated by the camera, wherein the semi-transparent display is positioned within a forward line of sight of an operator of the refuse collection vehicle.

Abstract: A method of transmitting data across a J1939 network comprises communicating at least one sensor, if not a plurality of sensors or operator interface devices, related to a utility service body data mounted on a chassis across the J1939 network on unassigned PGN/SPN combinations for various uses. Furthermore, at least one controller can evaluate other J1939 data, such as transmission gear and/or engine RPM before permitting operation of at least one function of the utility service body or upfit body with at least some embodiments.

Abstract: A method of transmitting data across a J1939 network comprises communicating at least one sensor, if not a plurality of sensors or operator interface devices, related to a utility service body data mounted on a chassis across the J1939 network on unassigned PGN/SPN combinations for various uses. Furthermore, at least one controller can evaluate other J1939 data, such as transmission gear and/or engine RPM before permitting operation of at least one function of the utility service body or upfit body with at least some embodiments.