Abstract: A scheduling system is disclosed for scheduling tasks for fulfilling a series of service requests. When each service request is received, a determination is made as to the amount of resources a task requires to provide the requested service. Further, a preferred time within which to perform the task is obtained from the requestor of the service request. For each service request, data for the estimated amount of resources and the preferred time are supplied, on a first-come-first-serve basis, to a scheduling component for solving a combinatorial optimization model which efficiently allocates a predetermined amount of resources for each time slot in a scheduling period by rearranging tasks for service requests previously received. The scheduling component provides for a service requestor, without regard to subsequently received service requests, a service time in which to perform the task for the requested service substantially immediately after the service request is made.

Abstract: A polynomial divider which can perform Euclid's Algorithm by iteratively solving both equations thereof through performing iterations of polynomial division so as to produce an error locator polynomial from an error syndrome polynomial, and apparatus including the polynomial divider. The polynomial divider is capable of performing polynomial division of a numerator polynomial by a denominator polynomial to produce a quotient polynomial and a remainder polynomial.

Abstract: The power control system includes a time controlled bi-stable device for causing at least one slave outlet to be controlled in response to a master unit being energized and/or de-energized. The system thus enables the slave outlet only to be energized, and not the master unit, if the master unit is energized, and then de-energized within a short predetermined time interval. Advantageously, the system of the present invention can be controlled remotely by using a conventional remote control device for a television receiver, and the audio from the television receiver is transmitted through the audio receiver. Thus, by using only the remote control device, either the television receiver can be used with the audio receiver, or the audio receiver can be used independently under the control of the television remote control device.

Abstract: A code generation system to construct an asynchronous real-time controller for a real-time system with asynchronous subsystems is described. The system includes a software user interface to specify a functional description of a real-time system with asynchronous subsystems. The software user interface includes code construction elements selected from a functional library with a corresponding menu. The menu includes a start-up procedure selection option used to initialize parameters associated with the real-time system, a background procedure selection option to specify a control action to be executed in relation to the real-time system, and an interrupt procedure selection option to specify an operation to be performed in response to an asynchronous interrupt signal. Each of the selection options include a variable block definition tool to read and write values to global variables.

Abstract: A method and system for controlling dispensation of fluids utilizing at least one metered valve apparatus controlling a movement of fluid from at least one bulk fluid reservoir through at least one conduit in response to an authorization signal. A central controller establishes an electronic interconnection map corresponding to plumbing interconnections between at least one bulk fluid reservoir and at least one fluid conduit and employs the electronic interconnection map to generate the authorization signal. A remote communication link from the central processor to at least one metered valve apparatus facilitates transmission of the authorization signal.

Abstract: A circuit for inverting a number of n bits of a finite field of 2.sup.n =N+1 elements comprises a first circuit for raising to the power t=2.sup.n/2 receiving the number to invert. A first complete multiplier receives the number to invert and the output of the circuit for raising to the power t. A second circuit provides the product of the output of the circuit for raising to the power t and the inverse of the output of the first complete multiplier.

Abstract: In a telecommunications duplicated synchronous switch where switching in bit synchronism is carried out and fault detection is by discrepancy checking between the duplicate switch planes, determination of the faulty plane is provided by the data being carried in switched bytes grouped into data frames, each frame carrying check data in respect of data from an earlier frame. Corruption of data in a frame is thus indicated by information in a later frame.

Abstract: A method of speed optimization of a spindle component of a machine having multiple synchronized components moving along multiple axes over a motion profile.

Abstract: An ECC decoder detects a no error, a correctable error or an uncorrectable error state and reports to art upper controller after user data is read. A state indicative of the completion of the correction, an erroneous correction, or an abnormal operation is detected and logged for every process of a subblock unit in the ECC decoder, thereby enabling such a state to be referred from the upper controller. An error detection code is provided after the user data to detect a non-detection or an erroneous correction of errors when errors exceed the correcting ability of the ECC decoder. Further, a circuit to obtain values .gamma..sub.n0 to .gamma..sub.nn to decide solutions .beta..sub.k of simultaneous equations of (n) unknowns by the ECC decoder is formed by sequentially coupling from an arithmetic operating circuit of one unknown to an arithmetic operating circuit of (n) unknowns. An error location arithmetic operating circuit for each of a fixed and a variable length subblock is provided for the ECC decoder.

Abstract: A jog-feed operation is set to enable rotation and movement of a coordinate system. During the jog-feed of the coordinate system, a robot is moved equivalently to the jog-feed steps. A tool distal end point of the robot is initially moved to the origin of a user coordinate system serving as a moving target. A jog-feed mode is set to a coordinate system jog-feed mode in conformity to the coordinate system itself. A translating jog-feed operation is carried out until the tool distal end point of the robot reaches a vertex of a workpiece. The tool distal end point of the robot is subsequently moved to a point on an axis of the coordinate system. A rotational jog-feed operation is carried out until the tool distal end point of the robot reaches an edge line of the workpiece. According to the above jog-feed operation, a robot control device calculates an amount of movement of the coordinate system.

Abstract: An automatic verification or matching system is provided for insuring that a multiple-part printed product, such as a multiple-ply form with matching variable indicia on each ply, has been properly assembled. The system operates in conjunction with a conventional pin band collator and comprises a plurality of indicia sensing devices, such as bar code scanners and/or video cameras, located at the collator stations for sensing the variable indicia on each part of the product during assembly. Advantages of the system include the ability to use either bar code scanners or video cameras as indicia sensing devices, provision for automatic resequencing of the printers used for printing the variable indicia in the event of a mismatch error, automatic indication of the collator station where a mismatch error has occurred, and automatic marking of defective products that are produced after an error occurs.

Abstract: An error correcting method, when a parity code is used to decode added data, that drastically reduces the probability of erroneous correction due to erasure correcting. When coded data, to which has been added a parity code, is decoded, errors up to half of a predetermined number of words of the parity code are word-corrected, and errors up to the predetermined number of words of the parity code are erasure-corrected.

Abstract: An RF identification system has a forward link that includes an encoder and decoder that utilize an (8, 13, 4) block code. The (8, 13, 4) block code has the ability to detect one bad bit in a thirteen-bit block, and can always detect two bad bits per block.

Abstract: The invention is a method of determining whether a pick up apparatus has picked up a component in a normal manner. The method includes picking up a component with the apparatus, detecting at least one dimension of a projected image with of the component with an optical detector and determining whether the component has been picked up normally by determining whether the dimension of said projected image, less a correction factor based on the diffraction of light, is within a tolerance range.

Abstract: To control the operation of an actuator in the minimum time and with a high efficiency for an operation of a short pitch. A numerical control method for controlling the operation of at least one actuator by a servo circuit having a certain characteristic. The numerical control method is characterized in that an eigen value (.beta.) by which an amount of movement up to an eigen acceleration and deceleration time (Tp) of the servo circuit becomes one-half of a target amount of movement (.DELTA..theta.) which is input and a step signal of a value (.beta..multidot..DELTA..theta.) obtained by multiplying this eigen value with the target amount of movement is input to the servo circuit, whereby the operation of the actuator during a time from at least the start of the operation to the eigen acceleration and deceleration time is controlled.

Abstract: The invention relates to a control system for an industrial robot adapted for storage of user programs which comprise a series of robot instructions. At least one of the robot instructions is arranged as a shell instruction, which constitutes a call to a shell routine (20). The shell routine is associated with a plurality of optional attributes (21a, 21b, 21c) and comprises- a forward list (22) comprising a first set of robot instructions; and- a backward list (23) comprising a second set of robot instructions.The control system comprises a program executor adapted, for forward running of a user program, to execute the shell instructions in accordance with the forward list and, for running the user program backwards, to execute the shell instructions in accordance with the backward list.The invention also relates to a method for controlling an industrial robot. The method comprises creating a plurality of shell routines and testing them in advance.

Abstract: A system (8) for managing multiple dispensing units by communicating information through a communications network (12) is provided. The system includes a plurality of dispensing units (10) operable to transmit and receive information through the network. Each dispensing unit includes a plurality of bins (20) operable to hold a quantity of product. Each dispensing unit includes a plurality of reference level sensors (72) where each reference level sensor is coupled to an associated bin. Each reference level sensor is operable to determine when the quantity of product in the associated bin drops below a reference level (76) that is higher than an out of stock level (82) of the associated bin. Each dispensing unit includes a controller subsystem (34) coupled to the plurality of bins, to the plurality of reference level sensors, and to the network.

Abstract: In a packet transmission method of forming m error correction code packets from n (n>m) data packets including headers, and transmitting the error correction code packets, an n-bit data code portion is formed by reading out pieces of bit information, of the data packets excluding headers, which are located at the same bit position, and sequentially arranging the pieces of bit information. An m-bit error correction code portion is formed by coding information of the data code portion and forming an error correction frame constituted by the data code portion and the error correction code portion. Each bit information of the error correction code portion is assigned as bit information of a corresponding error correction code packet at the same bit position as the bit position of each data packet, from which the bit information is read out.

Abstract: A signal form synthesizer comprises a digital generator circuit (1) for generating the synthesis signal to produce a first series of digital samples which are representative of this signal and formed by binary words of N bits, and a digital-to-analog converter circuit (30) for producing an analog version of this signal. Furthermore, there is provided an assembly (40) for filtering in accordance with a band-pass characteristic curve the samples of the first series and for supplying to said digital-to-analog converter circuit (30) a second series of samples formed by binary words of N' bits, where N.gtoreq.N'. A negative feedback loop (45) subtracts the samples of the second series from the samples of the first series.

Abstract: A converter which may be used for implementing either logarithmic or inverse-logarithmic functions is disclosed. The converter includes a memory, two multiplier, and two adders. The memory stores a plurality of coefficient which are based on a second-order Taylor polynomial used to estimate a logarithmic or inverse-logarithmic function over a domain of input values. A method of using the converter is also disclosed.