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 method of manufacturing a thermo valve includes an overlaying step of overlaying a valve body onto a thermo actuator so as to cover a groove portion; and a caulking step of caulking an installing portion of the valve body onto the thermo actuator. The caulking step is performed by pressing, by use of a jig, the valve body and the thermo actuator toward an axis center in a radial direction. A pressing face of the jig has a short side portion and a long side portion longer than the short side portion. Pressing is performed with the long side portion being substantially in parallel to the axis center of the thermo actuator and the short side portion being substantially in parallel to the groove portion.

A method of manufacturing a thermo valve includes an overlaying step of overlaying a valve body onto a thermo actuator so as to cover a groove portion; and a caulking step of caulking an installing portion of the valve body onto the thermo actuator. The caulking step is performed by pressing, by use of a jig, the valve body and the thermo actuator toward an axis center in a radial direction. A pressing face of the jig has a short side portion and a long side portion longer than the short side portion. Pressing is performed with the long side portion being substantially in parallel to the axis center of the thermo actuator and the short side portion being substantially in parallel to the groove portion.

A system and method of minimizing the time between opening a hot water valve and hot water reaching a point of use by temporarily diverting the water to another point of use. The system and method embody a thermally sensitive valve arranged so as to permit the flow of cool water from a hot water supply line to be diverted to a point of use that is insensitive to the temperature of the water provided. Embodiments of the invention may also comprise timers that function to limit the amount of time that water may flow to a point of use that is insensitive to the temperature of the water provided. Such embodiments may operate without user intervention or may require that a user or other device provide a signal that causes the invention to divert water to a point of use that is insensitive to the temperature of water provided.

A temperature control device comprises: an operation amount upper limit setting part that sets an upper limit of an operation amount of a heater; and a temperature change rate comparing part that determines, in every prescribed time period, whether an actual measured change rate of the temperature of a body-to-be-heated with respect to time is outside a prescribed range that includes a target rate of change. The operation amount upper limit setting part sets the upper limit to a preset initial value when operation of the heater is started toward the target temperature, and updates the upper limit, in a period until the temperature of the body-to-be-heated reaches the target temperature, such that the difference between an actual measured temperature and a temperature locus that is represented using the target rate of change becomes smaller when it is determined that the actual measured change rate is outside the prescribed range.

A method of manufacturing a thermo valve includes an overlaying step of overlaying a valve body onto a thermo actuator so as to cover a groove portion; and a caulking step of caulking an installing portion of the valve body onto the thermo actuator. The caulking step is performed by pressing, by use of a jig, the valve body and the thermo actuator toward an axis center in a radial direction. A pressing face of the jig has a short side portion and a long side portion longer than the short side portion. Pressing is performed with the long side portion being substantially in parallel to the axis center of the thermo actuator and the short side portion being substantially in parallel to the groove portion.