489 results about "Industrial setting" patented technology

An improved cartridge, typically in cylindrical or panel form that can be used in a dry or wet/dry vacuum cleaner. The cartridge is cleanable using a stream of service water, or by rapping on a solid object, or by using a compressed gas stream, but can provide exceptional filtering properties even for submicron particulate in the household or industrial environment. The cartridge has a combination of nanofiber filtration layer on a substrate. The nanofiber and substrate are engineered to obtain a maximum efficiency at reasonable pressure drop and permeability. The improved cartridge constitutes at least a substrate material and at least a layer including a non-woven, fine fiber separation layer.

Novel methods and apparati for continuous production of aligned carbon nanotubes are disclosed. In one aspect, the method comprises dispersion of a metal catalyst in a liquid hydrocarbon to form a feed solution, and volatilizing the feed solution in a reactor through which a substrate is continuously passed to allow growth of nanotubes thereon. In another aspect, the apparatus comprises a reactor, a tube-within-a-tube injector, and a conveyor belt for passing a substrate through the reactor. The present invention further discloses a method for restricting the external diameter of carbon nanotubes produced thereby comprising passing the feed solution through injector tubing of a specified diameter, followed by passing the feed solution through an inert, porous medium. The method and apparati of this invention provide a means for producing aligned carbon nanotubes of a particular external diameter which is suitable for large scale production in an industrial setting.

The dimensionally stable alkaline solid block warewashing detergent uses an E-form binder forming a solid comprising a sodium carbonate source of alkalinity, a sequestrant, a surfactant package and other optional material. The solid block is dimensionally stable and highly effective in removing soil from the surfaces of dishware in the institutional and industrial environment. The E-form hydrate comprises an organic phosphonate and a hydrated carbonate.

The dimensionally stable alkaline solid block warewashing detergent uses an E-form binder forming a solid comprising a sodium carbonate source of alkalinity, a metal corrosion protecting alkali metal silicate composition, a sequestrant, a surfactant package and other optional material. The solid block is dimensionally stable and highly effective in removing soil from the surfaces of dishware in the institutional and industrial environment. The E-form hydrate comprises an organic phosphonate and a hydrated carbonate.

In an information processing system having an equipment controller for enabling the digitization of complex work processes conducted during testing and/or operation of machinery and equipment, a local wireless communications network is implemented using at least one fixed point wireless communications access station and one or more voice-responsive wireless mobile computing/communications devices that are capable of accurate vocal command recognition in noisy industrial environments. The computing/communications device determines spectral characteristics of ambient non-speech background noises and provides active noise cancellation through the use of a directional microphone and an adaptive noise tracking and subtraction process. The device is carried by a user and is responsive to one or more vocal utterances of the user for communicating data to the information processing system and/or generating operational control commands to provide to the equipment controller for controlling the machinery or equipment.

A system and method for managing welding procedures is provided. The invention includes a welding system, a local server and/or a remote system. The invention further provides for searching of the welding system, local server and/or remote system for potentially suitable welding procedure(s). The invention further provides for dynamic creation of welding procedure(s) based upon user input, information stored on the welding system, a local area network and/or a remote system. The invention also includes filtering of the search results based at least in part upon commonality of consumables. The invention further includes calculation of weld costs for potentially suitable welding procedure(s). The invention further provides for communication with an inventory & distribution system and/or ordering system in order to facilitate further automation of the industrial environment.

A high-speed, three-dimensional, gamma-ray imaging method and system as well as a detector and array of such detectors for use therein are provided which characterize radioactivity distributions in nuclear and radioactive waste and materials facilities by superimposing radiation images on a view of the environment using see-through display screens or shields to provide a stereoscopic view of the radiation. The method and system provide real-time visual feedback about the locations and relative strengths of radioactive sources. The method and system dynamically provide continuous updates to the displayed image illustrating changes, such as source movement. A pair of spaced gamma-ray cameras of a detector subsystem function like “gamma eyes”. A pair of CCD cameras may be coupled to the detector subsystem to obtain information about the physical architecture of the environment. A motion tracking subsystem is used to generate information on the user's position and head orientation to determine what a user “sees”. The invention exploits the human brain's ability to naturally reconstruct a 3D, stereoscopic image from 2D images generated by two “imagers” separated by a known angle(s) without the need for 3D mathematical image reconstruction. The method and system are not only tools for minimizing human exposure to radiation thus assisting in ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) planning, but also are helpful for identifying contamination in, for example, laboratory or industrial settings. Other optically-invisible radiation such as infrared radiation caused by smoldering fires may also be imaged. Detectors are manufactured or configured in curvilinear geometries (such as hemispheres, spheres, circles, arcs, or other arrangements) to enable sampling of the ionizing radiation field for determination of positional activity (absolute or relative amounts of ionizing radiation) or spectroscopy (energy distributions of photons). More than one detector system may be used to obtain three-dimensional information. The detector systems are specifically suitable for direct visualization of radiation fields.

Manufacturing processes profit greatly from a close collaboration between human and machine. Whereas a human behaves flexibly and adaptively but is inclined to make mistakes during repetitive work operations, machines operate quickly and exactly but are static and not very flexible. In order to enable an improved hazard protection in the context of a safe human-machine interaction, a spatial- and time-dependent variable degree of hazard is allocated to monitored spatial areas as a function of the current position and the current movement state of a machine or a machine element, as well as of the observed person. For this purpose, a multicamera system is used to acquire image data of the person in order to obtain the most detailed information possible about the position and alignment of a person, in particular also with reference to the body parts thereof, in an industrial environment. These image data are then examined with regard to the imaging of a person so that whenever a person has been detected in the image data, an articulated virtual 3D model of the human body is matched to this person hypothesis. Subsequently, this virtual body model is continuously matched to the movement behavior of the person detected in the image data. A hazard potential is determined using knowledge of the position and the movement behavior of the virtual body model in space. The hazard potential thus determined is subjected to a threshold value comparison in order to act upon the movement control of the machine or the machine part in the event of this threshold value being exceeded.

A computerized Neuropsychological/NeuroCognitive and Psychomotor Performance Assessment and Rehabilitation system is designed for use on handheld computer systems. Components of the system include an executive program, test modules, interpretive and report modules, and supporting utilities. The system provides point-of-use interpretations and result reports. The system is designed for use in clinical settings, occupational medicine, and research. Medical applications include use as a diagnostic, evaluation, and treatment instrument. In industrial settings it can be used as a fitness/readiness for work assessment. The assessment and rehabilitation system also contains modules for use in forensic mental competency, mental and emotional status examinations.

The present invention relates to the field of the detection, analysis and/or determination of matter or particles suspended in fluid. In one particular form, the present invention relates to smoke detectors, which detect unwanted pyrolysis or combustion of material. In another form, the present Invention relates to smoke detectors of the early detection type, and which may be applied to ventilation, air-conditioning or duct monitoring of a particular area. In yet another form, the present invention relates to surveillance monitoring, such as building, fire or security monitoring. in still another form, the present invention relates to environment monitoring, such as monitoring, detection and/or analysis of a fluid, zone, area and/or ambient environment, including commercial and Industrial environments.

A network for connecting a plurality of devices and the components used in constructing the network. The network includes at least one fan-out device for connecting the devices to each other. The fan-out device includes a controller, a top port and a plurality of downstream ports. The controller monitors messages received by the ports and generates messages that are sent via the ports. The network also includes a plurality of network cables, one per port. The network preferably utilizes a cabling system that includes twisted pairs for communicating the messages via the Ethernet protocol and power conductors for distributing power to the various network devices. The fan-out device includes one power component associated with each of the ports. Each power component provides connections between the power lines in the network capble and the ports of the fan-out device. The power components are used to power the devices on the network and to monitor the power lines for problems. Switching circuitry in the power components allows the fan-out device to isolate cable runs connected thereto that have shorts or other problems. The fan-out device preferably stores a device identification number that the controller transmits on all of the ports in response to a message received on one of the downstream ports. The controller also generates a signal on the top port that causes any device connected to the fan-out device via the top port to ignore the message. One embodiment of the fan-out device provides a hub that is transparent to Ethernet protocols while not introducing the jitter into the signals associated with the re-transmission and synchronization functions performed by conventional hubs.

The invention particularly relates to an audio/video combined monitoring method and a system thereof, belongs to the technical field of industrial environment monitoring, and aims to solve the problems in the prior art, for example, the monitoring is only conducted by video monitoring operators on duty, who are easy to be fatigue and hardly identify places with potential safety hazards, moreover, video monitoring is limited by functions and viewing angles, so that the potential hazard cannot be found in time, thereby missing rescue opportunities. The audio/video combined monitoring method uses audio signals and video signals at the same time to conduct environmental monitoring, and guides the operators on duty to selectively observe video windows by using the identification results of the audio signals. The processing method of the audio signals comprises the following steps: (1) feature extraction, (2) model training, (3) sound classification, (4) online study, and (5) hazard rating evaluation.

A method for accounting for individuals in an emergency at industrial facilities utilizing Ultra-Wideband (UWB) transmitters associated with individuals or objects and UWB monitoring stations. Identification information received from the UWB transmitters by UWB monitoring stations are communicated along with time of arrival information to a computer which calculates the location of the UWB transmitter. The system can be used despite severe multi-path effects and can provide location information in 3 dimensions. The system can optionally include proximity-based RF equipment for access control or otherwise for identification in specific locations. Information from the proximity-based RF equipment is also sent to the computer which also receives information from the UWB monitoring stations.

A system and method for remotely measuring the temperature of an object using microwave radiometry that may be used in hostile environments. A single pole-single throw reflective PIN diode switch is operable in a PASS mode and a BLOCK mode. In the PASS mode, the switch passes the power received from the object to a low-noise block converter (“LNB”) for amplification. In the BLOCK mode, the switch blocks the object power and reflects the load noise power of an ambient temperature load to the LNB. A detector diode detects the amplified power output during both the BLOCK and PASS mode and the AC signal from the detector is converted to an output signal proportional to the difference in the noise powers detected in the PASS and BLOCK modes. A servo loop uses the output signal to generate a feedback signal to a noise injection diode that causes the diode to inject sufficient power into the LNB to automatically maintain a balance between noise power measured in the PASS mode and the combined noise powers measured in the BLOCK mode. The output signal is then used to compute the temperature of the object.

Systems and methods for improving the health and wellbeing of subjects in an industrial setting are disclosed. The systems may include a camera arranged so as to observe one or more features of a subject, and a processor, coupled to the camera, the processor configured to analyze one or more images obtained therefrom, to extract one or more features from the image(s) of the subject, and to analyze one or more of the features, or sub features nested therein to predict an outcome of a state of the subject. In particular the system may be configured to generate a diagnostic signal (e.g. an outcome, fever, mastitis, virus, bacterial infection, rut, etc.) based upon the analysis.

A method and apparatus for monitoring the condition of a living subject may be self-adjusting or adjustable to accommodate different end uses. Adjustments might be made, for example, based on characteristics of the subject to be monitored (such as species, age, health, etc.), environment (such as home or industrial setting, room size, room contents, spurious signals in the environment), and set-up conditions (such as distance between the apparatus and living subject, alignment of the apparatus with the subject, etc.).

A system and method for configuring and monitoring devices utilizing a power line network is provided herein. Each network device (e.g., programmable logic controller, machine, or sensor) contains a power line interface to facilitate communication over a power line network. The power line interfaces contain at least one unique identifier to distinguish the interface and its associated network device from other devices on the same network and thereby enable device message exchange. The ubiquity of power lines in an industrial environment or any environment for that matter provides an accommodating medium of communication, which the subject invention exploits to set-up, configure, and program industrial control devices connected thereto. Furthermore, the subject invention can utilizes power lines after configuration, during system operation, or upon device failure to monitor, diagnose, and/or predict the health of a system device.