Abstract: Upon detection of an error such as a malfunction occurring at a drive mechanism, a sensor transmits an error signal to a control section. The control section selects character information about details of the error corresponding to the error signal and an image representing the drive mechanism where the error occurs and a position of the sensor in the drive mechanism, and reads out the character information and the image from a storage part. Then, the control section allows a liquid crystal display device to display error information in which a first image of character information is combined with a second image of an error occurrence site in the drive mechanism. After correction of the error, an operator touches a GUI on a screen to thereby check an operation of the drive mechanism.

Abstract: A method for determining a polishing endpoint includes obtaining spectra from different zones on a substrate during different times in a polishing sequence, matching the spectra with indexes in a library and using the indexes to determining a polishing rate for each of the different zones from the indexes. An adjusted polishing rate can be determined for one of the zones, which causes the substrate to have a desired profile when the polishing end time is reached.

Abstract: A design data management program directs a computer to perform a procedure of converting design data generated at a designing side to a data format applicable to a production side and transmitting the data to the production side, and a procedure of converting the data to data described in a predetermined language and storing the data in the storage device when a notification of a change of the design data is received from the production side.

Abstract: A method to calculate energy demand in an energy generation, transmission and distribution network including one or more power plants based on different energy source types including renewable energy, a communications system and one or more local consumption metering units. A customer demand profile for one or more customers is provided. A customer-specified proportion of power demand to be supplied from a given energy source type is registered. A total predicted energy demand dependent is calculated in part on an accumulated demand for the given energy source type.

Abstract: A method for managing collected data in a semiconductor processing environment. The collected data can include: raw data collected during a process, trace file data received during a process, and process log file data received during a process. The raw data is synchronized with the trace file data and process log file data to create wafer data and summary data, and a file is created containing the wafer data and the summary data.

Abstract: System and method for analyzing information suitable for use in connection with a manufacturing production line constructing a composite product from a sequential addition of component parts during a production run. An inspection system is adapted to inspect a first product attribute of a product being manufactured during the production run. The first product attribute is associated with the first component part. A product attribute database is adapted to store the first product attribute parameter. A processor is adapted to populate the product attribute database with a plurality of first product attribute parameters associated with a sample set of products being manufactured during the production run. A manufacturing information database is adapted to store one or more manufacturing parameters. A logic filter is adapted to correlate the populated plurality of first product attribute parameters with the populated plurality of manufacturing parameters.

Abstract: In a room exit determination, a determination of presence of a body in a room is made if a movement pattern vector consisting of a room ID of movement origin, a room ID of movement destination and a movement period of time is not received from the a non-specified room response sensor within a predetermined period of time. A determination of exit from the room of a body is made only when the movement period of time in the movement pattern vector agrees with a movement period of time of past exits from the room stored in the a movement time storage if this vector is received from the non-specified room response sensor.

Abstract: There is provided a service method, a service system, and a manufacturing/inspection apparatus that can reduce the initial cost of use of the apparatus at the time of introducing a manufacturing/inspection apparatus and maintain the accuracy after introduction of the apparatus. In the service method for using the manufacturing/inspection apparatus for manufacturing or inspecting products such as semiconductor wafer, semiconductor device, exposure mask or liquid crystal device, the charge for use of the manufacturing/inspection apparatus is set based on the manufacturing or inspection difficulty information of the product manufactured or inspected with the manufacturing/inspection apparatus and the running information of the manufacturing/inspection apparatus stored in a physical memory medium.

Abstract: A curtailment module is disclosed for enabling an energy provider to send a request to curtail energy use to a user. The curtailment module includes an interface for electronic communications with a temperature control device. A paging module is used to receive the request from the energy provider through a paging network. The curtailment module also includes a processor in electronic communication with the paging module for receiving the request from the paging module. Memory is also included and is in electronic communication with the processor for storing a curtailment message and history data. The curtailment module also includes a sound component in electronic communication with the processor for outputting an audio verification. A code generator is stored in the memory and executable by the processor to generate a verification code using the curtailment message and the history data as inputs.

Abstract: A machining error correction method corrects error in machining of a work by a tool. The method is adapted for a machine tool that includes a numerical control unit in which a movement amount of the tool is programmed and a tool moving unit that is driven by an instruction signal sent from the numerical control unit and feeds the tool to the work fixed on a work table. The method includes the steps of moving the tool from a program origin to a measurement point provided separately from the program origin by giving a predetermined measurement movement amount to the tool moving unit from the numerical control unit; measuring a positional deviation amount between the measurement position and a tool position after the movement is finished; and correcting a machining movement amount of the tool moving unit using the positional deviation amount when the work is machined.

Abstract: A method of fabricating an article from a blank of material (e.g., aluminum alloy sheet) having anisotropic deformation properties, with tooling which has been designed by predicting flow and deformation of the blank using an analysis which decouples the anisotropic deformation properties of the blank. The method calculates the response of a small amount of the blank using crystal plasticity theory. The blank can be represented as a mesh having a plurality of elements. A strain path is predicted for each element using finite element analysis (FEA), and a stress-strain curve is defined for each element by performing a material point simulator (MPS) calculation for each element using its respective strain path. A second FEA is then carried out on the elements using the respective stress-strain curve for each element. The stress-strain curve for each element may be defined by assigning to each element a curve which lies between an upper bound curve and a lower bound curve, using various methods.

Abstract: A method for the management of a Workcell System capable to control concurrent processes that use pieces of equipment, here called Resources, interacting with each other according to the needs and the changes that have not been forecast in advance in their process cycles, by means of a continuous real-time re-scheduling of automatic tasks.

Abstract: A production system including a production line having a series of pieces of production equipment, each of which has a parts supply unit. The production system includes an NC management apparatus that is connected with each piece of the production equipment via a local-area network and acquires therefrom NC data used for operating each piece of the production equipment, and a scheduling apparatus that generates a production schedule and transmits the generated production schedule to the NC management apparatus via the local-area network. The NC management apparatus generates, for each piece of the production equipment, data that is required to perform production according to the production schedule, obtains, for each piece of the production equipment, values that represent differences between current NC data that has been most recently acquired and the generated data, and outputs the values.

Abstract: A control unit (14) makes an end effector (10) compliant with respect to an x-axis and a y-axis which are perpendicular to a z-axis parallel to a direction in which a shaft (20) is moved for insertion and makes the end effector (10) produce a pressing force acting in a direction parallel to the z-axis to press the shaft (20) against an internally toothed disk (22). The control unit (14) moves the compliance center of the shaft (20) along a predetermined groping route in a state where the pressing force acting in the direction parallel to the z-axis is produced by the end effector (10). The shaft (20) gripped by the end effector (10) repeats radially outward movement from a position near the center of the center opening (22b) of the internally toothed disk (22) in different phases in an xy plane defined by the x-axis and the y-axis to find a position where the splines (20a) of the shaft (20) are able to engage the internal teeth (22a) of the outermost internally toothed disk (22).

Abstract: A control system for a bulk material baler embodied in a machine readable data structure and including an instruction to a moveable guide track to move from a removed position to a closed position to create a guide track loop around a volume of bulk material to be baled while that bulk material is under compression and also including in instruction to a bale strap feed drive to feed a pre-determined length of strapping around the guide track loop, and including an instruction to a cutter to cut the end of the bale strap and including an instruction to a strap fastener to fasten together the ends of the bale strap and including an instruction to remove the moveable guide track section from around the bale and an instruction to release compression and an instruction to eject a bound bale.

Abstract: One of a plurality of switches constituting a power system is set as a perceived switch, and n optional switches Bk (k=1 to n) in the on state among the other switches are changed to the off state, and n loop networks including the perceived switch are created, and each switch Ck (k=1 to n) constituting the loop networks is changed from the off state to the on state so as to create a plurality of network configuration candidates, and a power network configuration is decided on the basis of the plurality of network configuration candidates.