One variation of a method for monitoring cooling units in a store includes: at a robotic system, during a first scan routine, autonomously navigating toward a cooling unit in the store, recording a color image of the cooling unit, and scanning a set of temperatures within the cooling unit; identifying a set of products stocked in the cooling unit based on features detected in the color image; mapping the set of temperatures to the set of products at a first time during the first scan routine based on positions of products in the set of products identified in the color image; and generating a record of temperatures of the set of products stocked in the cooling unit at the first time.

A pressure cap structure for a cooling system having variable opening pressure, which is applied to a cooling system for circulating cooling water to radiate heat generated by an engine of a vehicle, and maintains the inside pressure of the cooling system in a predetermined range, the pressure cap may include a positive pressure spring mounted in a valve body, and operated to connect the cooling system to the outside when the pressure of the cooling system rises, and a shape memory member restored to the initial shape when reaching a predetermined temperature, and mounted between the positive pressure spring and a spring guard supporting the positive pressure spring.

An apparatus for providing an alert based on a liquid boiling mechanism is described. The apparatus includes a probe. The probe includes a heat sensor enclosed by a protective material. The probe is configured to transmit a temperature measurement signal. The probe is also configured to be submerged in a liquid to be heated. The apparatus may also include a base unit communicatively connected to the probe. The base unit includes an alert disrupt control. The base unit is configured to emit an alert in response to a boiling temperature detected from the temperature measurement signal. The base unit is also configured to deactivate the alert in response to user action detected on the alert disrupt control.

A thermostat for controlling an HVAC system in an enclosure may include a passive infrared sensor, an active infrared sensor, and an electronic display having a first mode and a second mode. The thermostat may also include one or more processors programmed to change a setpoint temperature of the thermostat to an energy-saving temperature upon detection of a non-occupancy condition for the enclosure. The processor(s) may detect the non-occupancy condition based at least in part on readings received from the passive infrared sensor. The processor(s) may also be programmed to change the electronic display from the first mode to the second mode upon detection of a person approaching the thermostat. The processor(s) may detect a person approaching the thermostat based at least in part on readings received from the active infrared sensor.

A thermostat for controlling an HVAC system in an enclosure may include a passive infrared sensor, an active infrared sensor, and an electronic display having a first mode and a second mode. The thermostat may also include one or more processors programmed to change a setpoint temperature of the thermostat to an energy-saving temperature upon detection of a non-occupancy condition for the enclosure. The processor(s) may detect the non-occupancy condition based at least in part on readings received from the passive infrared sensor. The processor(s) may also be programmed to change the electronic display from the first mode to the second mode upon detection of a person approaching the thermostat. The processor(s) may detect a person approaching the thermostat based at least in part on readings received from the active infrared sensor.

To simplify determination of drive parameters upon driving a motor for which circuit constants are unknown, and shorten the time required in determination. A parameter determination support device includes: an automatic measurement means for automatically measuring a D-phase current (A), DC link voltage (V) and Q-phase voltage command (%) of the motor drive device, as operating information upon driving the synchronous motor at a substantially constant speed under each condition of a first condition based on a base speed, and a second condition in which the D-phase current (A) of the motor drive device was changed from the first condition, according to the test-run program, by applying the initial parameter; an estimation means for estimating a short circuit current (Arms) and a D-phase inductance (mH), as circuit constants of the synchronous motor, based on the operating information; and a calculation means for performing calculation of an optimum parameter tailored to the output specification of the synchronous motor, based on the circuit constants.

Examples of a fiber optic temperature control system is provided. The fiber optic temperature control system comprises two or more independent temperature measuring system combined into single fiber optic probe. The fiber optic temperature control system comprises at least one temperature control measuring system and an overtemperature measuring protection system. The least one temperature control measuring system comprises a first temperature controller, a first opto-electronic converter with a first light source, a first detector and a first processor, and a first fiber optic bundle with a plurality of optical fibers to provide temperature measurement from at least one point. The over temperature measuring protection system comprises a second controller, a second opto-electronic convertor with a second detector and second processor, and a second fiber optic bundle with a plurality of optical fibers. A splitter coupled to the first and the second fiber optic bundles to physically separate the first and the second fiber optic bundles into a first and a second independent optical guiding channels enclosed by the single probe. A thermographic phosphor is provided at a distal end of the probe so that at least two independent temperature measurements are provided using a single fiber optic temperature sensing probe.

One variation of a method for monitoring cooling units in a store includes: at a robotic system, during a first scan routine, autonomously navigating toward a cooling unit in the store, recording a color image of the cooling unit, and scanning a set of temperatures within the cooling unit; identifying a set of products stocked in the cooling unit based on features detected in the color image; mapping the set of temperatures to the set of products at a first time during the first scan routine based on positions of products in the set of products identified in the color image; and generating a record of temperatures of the set of products stocked in the cooling unit at the first time.

A motor control device includes: a rotational position calculator that calculates a rotational position of a motor that rotates a rotor; an operation state controller that controls a state of supply of operation power to the rotational position calculator; a deviation calculator that calculates a deviation of a rotational position of the rotor on the basis of a stop target rotational position of the rotor and the rotational position of the rotor after supply of a drive current to a coil is stopped and before supply of operation power to the rotational position calculator is stopped; a storage controller that stores the deviation on a storage; a rotational position control signal generator that generates a rotational position control signal for controlling the rotational position of the rotor on the basis of the deviation stored on the storage and the stop target rotational position of the rotor; and a drive current output unit that outputs the drive current to the coil on the basis of the rotational position control signal after supply of operation power to the rotational position calculator is restarted by the operation state controller.

Thermal management systems incorporating shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators and related methods. A thermal management system includes a heat transfer region, a process fluid conduit, a thermal management fluid conduit, and an SMA actuator assembly. The SMA actuator assembly includes an SMA element coupled to an actuation element, which is configured to assume a position among a plurality of positions defined between a restrictive position and an open position. The position of the actuation element is based, at least in part, on a conformation of the SMA element. A method of passively regulating a temperature of a process fluid includes conveying a process fluid stream in heat exchange relation with an SMA element, transitioning the SMA element to assume a conformation, flowing each of the process fluid stream and a thermal management fluid stream through a heat transfer region, and modulating a flow rate of the thermal management fluid stream.