Patent application number | Description | Published |
20120215351 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATICALLY PREVENTING DEADLOCK IN MULTI-ROBOT SYSTEMS - A system and method for controlling avoiding collisions and deadlocks in a workcell containing multiple robots automatically determines the potential deadlock conditions and identifies a way to avoid these conditions. Deadlock conditions are eliminated by determining the deadlock-free motion statements prior to execution of the motions that have potential deadlock conditions. This determination of deadlock-free motion statements can be done offline, outside normal execution, or it can be done during normal production execution. If there is sufficient CPU processing time available, the determination during normal production execution provides the most flexibility to respond to dynamic conditions such as changes in I/O timing or the timing of external events or sequences. For minimal CPU impact the determination is done offline where many permutations of programming sequences can be analyzed and an optimized sequence of execution may be found. | 08-23-2012 |
20140074289 | METHOD OF CONTROLLING A REDUNDANT ROBOT - A method for controlling a redundant robot arm includes the steps of selecting an application for performing a robotic process on a workpiece with the arm and defining at least one constraint on motion of the arm. Then an instruction set is generated based upon the selected application representing a path for a robot tool attached to the arm by operating the arm in one of a teaching mode and a programmed mode to perform the robotic process on the workpiece and movement of the arm is controlled during the robotic process. A constraint algorithm is generated to maintain a predetermined point on the arm to at least one of be on, be near and avoid a specified constraint in a robot envelope during movement of the arm, and a singularity algorithm is generated to avoid a singularity encountered during the movement of the arm. | 03-13-2014 |
20140156068 | MULTI-ARM ROBOTIC PAINTING PROCESS SYNCHRONIZATION - Painting robots processing a part moving on a conveyor are synchronized by creating for each of the robots a master sequence of computer program instructions for a collision-free movement of robots along associated master sequence paths relative to the moving part, each of the master sequence paths including positions of the associated robot and the conveyor at pre-defined synchronization points, and running each of the master sequences on a controller connected to the associated robot to move the associated robot and comparing a current path of the associated robot and the conveyor against the master sequence path. The method further includes operating the controllers to adjust the current paths based on the comparison between the master sequence path and the current path, and operating the controllers to request a conveyor motion hold as necessary to facilitate synchronization between movement of the robots and the conveyor. | 06-05-2014 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100042455 | MODEL-BASED REAL-TIME COST ALLOCATION AND COST FLOW - A costing process that takes advantage of real-time information about plant floor activities and provides a more accurate and timely financial feedback about the process efficiencies in response to new changes in the process operation. The costing process includes identifying stations that consume resources, consume activities and supply activities. The costing process also identifies a plurality of resources that are provided to one or more of the stations. The costing process also includes identifying resources from the plurality of resources that are used as needed and resources that are supplied in advance of being used. The costing process allocates costs for each resource to each station that the resource supplies, including calculating a cost rate, calculating a cost of used capacity and calculating a cost of unused capacity. The costing process then determines the cost that each station and product uses based on the allocations. | 02-18-2010 |
20120284077 | AUTOMATED WORK ORDER GENERATION FOR MAINTENANCE - A method for generating an electronic work order for plant maintenance includes detecting a fault of a machine in the plant, and communicating fault information to a system. The system has a server and a database for recording downtime of the machine. The method further includes generating the work order via the server in response to the fault, including recording, within in the work order, a plurality of values from the fault information. The work order is transmitted from the server to a computing device, and a confirmation signal is recorded by the computing device indicating completion of the repair. The method includes transmitting a completed work order from the computing device to the server and recording the completed work order in the database. A system is also disclosed for generating an electronic work order for maintenance in a plant. The system includes the database and server noted above. | 11-08-2012 |
20150261236 | Method for Identification of Energy Saving Opportunities - Provided is a system and a method for identifying inefficiency of energy utilization in a facility by using actual past consumption data. The method uses the past energy usage data, weather information, production information, and variables estimated using Stochastic Frontier equation to calculate energy inefficiency for a production facility. | 09-17-2015 |
20150306697 | RESISTANCE SPOT WELDING METHOD - A resistance spot welding method can be used to join polymeric and metallic workpieces together and includes the following steps: (a) placing an electrically conductive coating between a polymeric workpiece and a metallic workpiece, wherein the metallic workpiece has a textured surface facing the polymeric workpiece; (b) piercing the polymeric workpiece with first and second electrically conductive pins of a welding electrode assembly; (c) applying electrical energy to the first and second electrically conductive pins so that an electrical current flows through the first electrically conductive pin, the electrically conductive coating, and the second electrically conductive pin in order to at least partially melt the polymeric workpiece and the electrically conductive coating, thereby forming a weld pool; and (d) cooling the weld pool to form a solid weld nugget in order to establish a mechanical interface lock between the solid weld nugget and the textured surface. | 10-29-2015 |
20150306862 | RESISTANCE SPOT WELDING SYSTEM AND METHOD - A resistance spot welding system can join two polymeric workpieces and includes a power supply. The power supply has a positive terminal and a negative terminal. The resistance spot welding system further includes a welding electrode assembly electrically connected to the power supply. The welding electrode assembly includes a housing, a first electrically conductive pin and a second electrically conductive pin. The first and second electrically conductive pins both protrude from the housing. The first electrically conductive pin is electrically connected to the positive terminal of the power supply, and the second electrically conductive pin is electrically connected to the negative terminal of the power supply. The second electrically conductive material is electrically insulated from the first electrically conductive pin. The first and second electrically conductive pins are at least partly made of a material having a hardness ranging between 50 HRC and 70 HRC. | 10-29-2015 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090145541 | CONSTRAINED LAYER DAMPER, AND RELATED METHODS - A constrained layer damper having a multilayer damping material is provided, as are related methods for making and using the damper. The constrained layer damper features a constraining layer, a carrier layer, a release liner, a viscoelastic layer interposed between the constraining layer and a first surface of the carrier layer, and a silicone pressure-sensitive adhesive interposed between the release liner and a second surface of the carrier layer. The silicone pressure-sensitive adhesive has sufficient tackiness at room temperature to adhere the constrained layer damper, with the release liner removed, to a substrate, such as a metallic substrate. The constrained layer damper has a peak damping temperature value in a range of about 50° C. to about 100° C. | 06-11-2009 |
20090148712 | VISCOELASTIC COMPOSITION AND DAMPER, AND RELATED METHODS - A viscoelastic composition, a panel constrained layer damper containing a viscoelastic layer and a constraining layer, and a damped structure all provided. The viscoelastic composition features an elastomeric polymeric component containing an ethylene vinyl acetate having a vinyl acetate content constituting about 60 weight percent or more of the ethylene vinyl acetate, a thermoplastic polymeric component such as an ethylene vinyl acetate with a vinyl acetate content constituting about 40 weight percent or less of the ethylene vinyl acetate, asphalt, filler, and a blowing agent. | 06-11-2009 |
20090249627 | METHOD OF MANUFACTURING LAMINATED DAMPING STRUCTURE WITH VULCANIZED RUBBER AS VISCOELASTIC CORE - The present invention provides an improved method of manufacturing constrained layer dampers with a vulcanized rubber viscoelastic core. The method includes the steps of: applying a first layer of adhesive to a first constraining layer; applying a layer of unvulcanized rubber solved in a solvent to the first layer of adhesive to form a first laminate structure; applying a second layer of adhesive to a second constraining layer to form a second laminate structure; laminating the first laminate structure with the second laminate structure; coiling the laminated first and second laminate structures; and increasing the temperature of the coiled first and second laminate structures to thereby vulcanize the layer of rubber. | 10-08-2009 |
20130240306 | BRAKE SHIMS AND METHODS OF FORMING SAME - A brake shim includes a metal substrate having a first surface and a second surface spaced opposite the first surface. The brake shim includes a first film formed from a viscoelastic material and disposed on the first and second surfaces, wherein the first film has a first elastic modulus, a primary surface spaced opposite the first surface, and a secondary surface spaced opposite the primary surface. The brake shim includes a second film formed from a polymer composition including a resin component having at least one epoxide functional group and a curing agent reactive with the resin component and having at least one amine functional group. The second film is disposed on the primary and secondary surfaces and has a second elastic modulus that is from about 10 times to about 1,000 times greater than the first elastic modulus. A method of forming the brake shim is also disclosed. | 09-19-2013 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20150021801 | MAKING NANOCRYSTALLINE MESOPOROUS SPHERICAL PARTICLES - Spherical particles of one or more elemental metals and elemental carbon are prepared from a precursor in the form of a metal oleate. The metal oleate precursor is dispersed in a liquid vehicle and aerosol droplets of the dispersed precursor are formed in a stream of an inert gas. The aerosol droplets are heated in the stream to decompose the oleate ligand portion of the precursor and form spherical particles that have a mesoporous nanocrystalline structure. The open mesopores of the spherical particles provide a high surface area for contact with fluids in many applications. For example, the mesopores can be infiltrated with a hydrogen absorbing material, such as magnesium hydride, in order to increase the hydrogen storage capacity of the particles. | 01-22-2015 |
20150104690 | POROUS INTERLAYER FOR A LITHIUM-SULFUR BATTERY - A porous interlayer for a lithium-sulfur battery includes an electronic component and a negatively charged or chargeable lithium ion conducting component. The electronic component is selected from a carbon material, a conductive polymeric material, and combinations thereof. In an example, the porous interlayer may be disposed between a sulfur-based positive electrode and a porous polymer separator in a lithium-sulfur battery. In another example, the porous interlayer may be formed on a surface of a porous polymer separator. | 04-16-2015 |
20150236324 | LITHIUM-BASED BATTERY SEPARATOR AND METHOD FOR MAKING THE SAME - A lithium-based battery separator includes a porous polymer membrane having opposed surfaces. A porous carbon coating is formed on one of the opposed surfaces of the porous polymer membrane. Polycations are incorporated in the porous carbon coating, in the porous polymer membrane, or in both the porous carbon coating and the porous polymer membrane. | 08-20-2015 |
20150236343 | COATED ELECTRODES FOR LITHIUM BATTERIES - A coated electrode includes a negative electrode and a carbon coating adhered to a surface of the negative electrode. The negative electrode includes an active material selected from the group consisting of lithium, silicon, silicon oxide, a silicon alloy, graphite, germanium, tin, antimony, or a metal oxide; a conductive filler; and a polymer binder. The carbon coating includes a percentage of a ratio of sp | 08-20-2015 |
20150246816 | METHODS FOR MAKING HOLLOW CARBON MATERIALS AND ACTIVE MATERIALS FOR ELECTRODES - In an example of a method for making a hollow carbon material, a carbon black particle is obtained. The carbon black particle has a concentric crystallite structure with an at least partially amorphous carbon core and a graphitic carbon shell surrounding the at least partially amorphous carbon core. The carbon black particle is exposed to any of a heat treatment, a chemical treatment, or an electrochemical treatment which removes the at least partially amorphous carbon core to form the hollow carbon material. | 09-03-2015 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110086294 | ELECTRODES INCLUDING AN EMBEDDED COMPRESSIBLE OR SHAPE CHANGING COMPONENT - One exemplary embodiment includes an electrode including an embedded compressible or shape changing component. | 04-14-2011 |
20110256471 | BIPOLAR PLATE ASSEMBLY WITH THERMOPLASTIC SEALANT AND METHOD THEREFOR - Exemplary embodiments include a product and a method of a bipolar plate assembly for a fuel cell stack. The bipolar plate assembly includes a first plate with a first border, and a second plate with a second border. A thermoplastic sealant is melted between the first and second borders. | 10-20-2011 |
20120301790 | LITHIUM ION SECONDARY BATTERY ELECTRODE AND METHOD OF FORMING SAME - A method of forming an electrode of a lithium ion secondary battery includes combining a binder and active particles to form a mixture, coating a surface with the mixture to form a coated article, translating the article along a first plane, cutting a first plurality of carbon fibers, each having a first average length, to form a second plurality of carbon fibers, each having a longitudinal axis and a second average length that is shorter than the first average length, inserting the second plurality of fibers into the mixture layer so that the longitudinal axis of each of at least a portion of the second plurality of fibers is not parallel to the first plane to form a preform, wherein the second plurality of fibers forms a truss structure disposed in three dimensions within the mixture layer, and heating the preform to form the electrode. An electrode is also disclosed. | 11-29-2012 |