Methods and apparatus for enhanced control over electronic device manufacturing systems are provided herein. In some embodiments, the integrated sub-fab system may employ Ethernet and/or RS232 Serial communications through an open platform of apparatus to achieve a reduced carbon footprint during electronic device manufacturing. For this example, the system could include a process tool set and controller linked by sensors or software interconnect with one or more sub-fab or local factory auxiliary systems that can be operated in one or more states of energy consumption. These one or more auxiliary systems can be switched between different levels of energy consumption, as required by the process, via the controller. For many auxiliary components or systems the integrated sub-fab system utilizes existing signal outputs, for others they may employ secondary sensors or monitors.

A control method and a control apparatus for a paraffin dispenser in an embedder, a paraffin dispenser and an embedder are provided. The control method includes: collecting information of a current mold so as to acquire an identification of the current mold; determining whether the identification of the current mold is correct; and controlling the paraffin dispenser to pour paraffin into the current mold, when it is determined that the identification of the current mold is correct.

Provided are methods for controlling loading/unloading of a material (from a load-delivering unit to a load-receiving unit, wherein at least one of the load-delivering unit and the load-receiving unit is a working machine vehicle configured to transport a load of material from a first location to a second location, and wherein at least the load-delivering unit is provided with a control unit configured to control operation of the load-delivering unit. Methods include receiving a first signal indicative of the material associated with the load-delivering unit; receiving a second signal indicative of the material intended to be received by the load-receiving unit; and comparing material information related to the first signal with material information related to the second signal.

A ruggedized edge computing assembly is provided, which includes an edge computing device having a processor configured to control a controlled device. The ruggedized edge computing assembly includes a field connector configured to connect to the edge computing device via a plurality of pins and to the controlled device via a coupling. The ruggedized edge computing assembly further includes a housing overmolded around each of the field connector and the edge computing device. The housing includes two portions which are a field connector portion configured to accommodate the field connector and an edge computing device portion configured to accommodate the edge computing device. The two portions are configured to interlockingly engage together at an interface.

Provided are methods for controlling loading/unloading of a material (from a load-delivering unit to a load-receiving unit, wherein at least one of the load-delivering unit and the load-receiving unit is a working machine vehicle configured to transport a load of material from a first location to a second location, and wherein at least the load-delivering unit is provided with a control unit configured to control operation of the load-delivering unit. Methods include receiving a first signal indicative of the material associated with the load-delivering unit; receiving a second signal indicative of the material intended to be received by the load-receiving unit; and comparing material information related to the first signal with material information related to the second signal.

An edge device for use in a system for monitoring a vehicle-borne probe includes a first communication interface configured to receive sensed data related to a characteristic of a heating element of a first probe, a core application module configured to host a plurality of core applications, a dynamic application module configured to host a plurality of dynamic applications, and a processing unit configured to implement the plurality of core applications on the sensed data. The plurality of core applications includes a coarse data processing application configured to monitor and analyze the sensed data to generate a first data output.

A smart tool includes a body having a working output. A first controller is disposed within the body and connected to a plurality of sensors. The plurality of sensors includes at least one camera having a field of view at least partially capturing the working output. A neural network is trained to analyze an image feed from the at least one camera and trained perform at least one of classifying at least one of a working tool and an extension connected to the working output, classifying a component and/or a portion of a component interfaced with the working output, and determining a positioning of the smart tool. The neural network is stored in one of the first controller and a processing unit remote from the smart tool.

A method of controlling a rolling mill production system for production of a coil-shaped end product from a slab, the production including processing the slab by sequentially arranged production units, the processing by the production units resulting in a respective strip-shaped product having physical data, the method including modeling, under consideration of the physical data, the processing of a testing product by a plurality of production units arranged downstream from a given production unit while taking into account the physical data. If the modelling shows that, under consideration of the physical data, one of the products resulting from processing by the downstream production units does not meet a predetermined quality criterion, the intended manufacture of the product is interrupted and a signal relating to the interrupting is outputted.

The disclosure relates to a method for joining metal sheets resting on one another with a variable total thickness by a clinching device comprising at least one punch and a die arranged coaxially to the punch. The punch is controllable by an electronic control unit and movable in an axial direction relative to the die. The metal sheets are arranged in a plane between the punch and the die, and the penetration depth necessary for joining the metal sheets is adjustable. Before joining the metal sheets, the current total thickness is determined with the aid of the control unit and the penetration depth is set depending on the total thickness. The method includes: storing a number of different total thicknesses or total thickness ranges in the control unit, assigning a penetration depth to a total thickness or to a total thickness range, and calibrating the clinching device.

A mode setting unit sets a parameter setting mode or a work mode. A parameter setting unit sets a plurality of parameter values in the parameter setting mode. A torque estimation unit calculates a tightening torque value by using a detection result from an impact detection unit. In a work mode, a control unit stops a rotation of a motor based on the plurality of parameter values set by the parameter setting unit and in accordance with the tightening torque value calculated by the torque estimation unit. In the parameter setting mode, a work information storage unit stores the tightening torque value calculated by the torque estimation unit during a tightening work according to a user operation, and the parameter setting unit sets the plurality of parameter values based on the tightening torque value stored in the work information storage unit.