Abstract: A data message (201) is transmitted (301) to a plurality of communication units (103, 105, 107, and 109). The data message (201) is received (401) by the plurality of communication units, which determine (403) whether the quality of the received data message is acceptable. When at least one of the plurality of communication units determines that the received data message is of unacceptable quality, the at least one of the plurality of communication units transmits (411) an energy burst (203) in a predetermined time window. Upon detection of the energy burst (203), the transmitting device may retransmit (309) the data message to the plurality of communication units.

Abstract: A control and display apparatus and method for use with a heating and cooling system. Operating parameters of the system are arranged in a computer memory in a data structure comprising a plurality of virtual spreadsheets, the cells of which are individually displayed on an alphanumeric display panel. A keypad comprising at least four keys is provided to move the field of the display panel to a cell to be displayed and for adjusting system operating parameters within the cell.

Abstract: A pulse code modulation (PCM) data enhancer which corrects bit errors using correlations between two particular PCM words received by a receiving unit separated by a predetermined time interval and a method therefor. A primary and a number of secondary pulse codes are stored in a first-in-first-out (FIFO) memory. The primary pulse code is modified, and the modified and secondary pulse codes provide addresses to a memory storing the probability of a transition between the modified pulse code and each of the secondary pulse codes. The probabilities are then accumulated, and the modified pulse code resulting in the greatest accumulated probability is output as an error-corrected data word.

Abstract: A force feedback velocity control measures the forces adjacent the end point of an arm being controlled and adjusts the stiffness of a manual controller in any one direction by scaling the end point force in the corresponding direction and adjusting the scaled force based on the degree of displacement of the manual controller away from a datum or zero velocity position in the one direction. A suitable deadband zone is provided surrounding the datum position.

Abstract: A control system utilizing a programmable controller for an injection molding machine in which the controller is periodically scanned in response to input signals to produce output control signals is provided with an impulse response filter arrangement. The impulse response filter senses a plurality of current and past sensor input signals to accurately predict the occurrence of a variable triggering event which will in fact be sensed by a sensor. A predictive sensor signal is then generated which is inputted to the controller in advance of the occurrence of the triggering event and at a time which corresponds to the processor scan time so that the controller generates the desired output at the precise time the triggering event occurs thus eliminating controller response latency from the control system.

Abstract: A system for controlling forward error correction of a VSAT earth station is disclosed. A hub earth station communicating with the VSAT earth station transmits digital data representing a propagation condition measured at the hub earth station. The VSAT earth station computes an estimated inroute fade from the transmitted information, as well as from the VSAT demodulator's estimate of propagation condition. When the total inroute fade is below a selected margin, a higher FEC encoding rate is selected for the VSAT transmitter in which to transmit its data packets to the hub earth station. As the estimated inroute fade exceeds a high FEC rain margin, a lower rate of FEC encoding is employed at the VSAT earth station. By permitting a higher FEC encoding rate, digital throughput is increased between the VSAT earth station and the hub station.

Abstract: In a buffer storage control system for controlling a buffer storage based on a part of a page address of a logical address and a part of a byte index of the logical address which is used as a line address, the system includes: a tag portion TAG1 (13, 17) provided in a plurality of pipe lines (IF, OP) of a central processing unit CPU (1) to retrieve a hit/mis-hit of data based on a part of the page address of the logical address and a part of the byte address of the logical address which is used as the basic line address; a data portion DATA (14, 18) for holding data when retrieving the tag portion TAG1 by the basic line address and when the data is hit; and a tag portion TAG2 (21, 22) provided in a MCU, when the data is mis-hit by using the basic line address, to retrieve the hit/mis-hit of data by using a synonymic line address which is obtained by changing a variable portion of the basic line address; wherein, in a data access, the tag portion TAG1 is retrieved by using only the basic line address, when the

Abstract: A computer controlled system for real-time control of semiconductor wafer fabrication process uses a multi-point, real-time, non-invasive, in-situ pyrometry-based temperature sensor with emissivity compensation to produce semiconductor wafer reflectance, transmittance, and radiant heat energy measurements. The temperature values that the sensor determines are true temperatures for various points on the wafer. The process control computer stores surface roughness values for the semiconductor wafer being examined. The surface roughness values are produced by surface roughness sensor that makes non-invasive and in-situ measurements. The surface roughness sensor performs roughness measurements of the semiconductor wafer based on coherent reflectance and scatter reflectance of the wafer. Based on surface roughness measurements, the process control computer can use the real-time, in-situ measurements of the multi-point pyrometry-based sensor to obtain real-time measurements of time wafer temperature distribution.

Abstract: A method of determining supply sequence of products to be processed to an N-step flow shop type production line, where N is an integer N greater than or equal to 2, is disclosed.

Abstract: The invention is directed toward a method and apparatus for generating hollow and non-hollow solid representations of an object represented in terms of volumetric data. The volumetric data represents the object in terms of a plurality of voxels, each voxel having a plurality of voxel faces that interconnect to enclose a voxel volume that represents a portion of the object volume or a portion of the volume of a background substance. A surface representation is generated that represents the object with a plurality of surface voxel faces defining a surface that encloses the voxels whose volumes represent the object volume. An array of control points is formed from the surface representation, each control point corresponding to a surface voxel face. A NURB based solid representation of the object is generated from the array of control points. The NURB based solid representation can be used to drive a CAD/CAM system to generate a replica of the object or can be used for various other purposes.

Abstract: A numerical control system for machine tools or robots has in the area of man-machine communication (MMC) initially a universal form, which can be tailored in the simplest possible way to any applications. Information handling provides control data which can be processed in a universal manner by an integrated control kernel (CK) and thus ensures control of the machine and robot drives (ANT), including peripherals (PER).

Abstract: In an error-correcting apparatus for correcting errors included in reproduced data which are stored in a RAM, a syndrome generation circuit, a polynomial calculation circuit for calculating an error position polynomial and an error value polynomial, and a position calculation circuit for calculating an error position are operated in parallel. A divider section of the error-correcting apparatus has a divider for performing the division of highest-degree coefficients of two polynomials, a multiplier for multiplying the coefficient of the polynomial set in the divisor side of the divider by the output of the divider, and an adder for adding the output of the multiplier and the coefficient of the polynomial set in the dividend side of the divider. The divider section executes the division over a Galois field while sequentially shifting the contents of registers which store the coefficient data of the dividend polynomial.

Abstract: An apparatus for distributing control menus over a multi-channel distribution network such as a CEBus throughout a home is disclosed. The apparatus includes a controller such as a personal computer for centrally generating control menus as video information on available channels of the multi-channel distribution network. The controller also executes commands received over the distribution network. The apparatus further includes a display device such as a TV for receiving and displaying the control menu on the channel selected by the control means and a receiver, located proximate to the display device, for receiving user commands related to the displayed menu and for delivering the user commands, via the distribution network, to the control processor. User commands can be given using, for example, infra-red transmission or voice recognition circuitry.

Abstract: Device for compensating for deviations in register in a printed product produced in a sheet-fed rotary printing press having a plurality of printing units includes at least one opto-electrical sensor device for detecting measured values from at least two image regions of a printed product; a computer/control device connected to the sensor device for receiving therefrom data regarding the measured values, for ascertaining from the data deviations in register between color separations caused by shrunken and/or swollen printing transferred to the printed product in the respective printing units, and for determining corresponding compensating adjustment data; and adjusting devices connected to the computer/control device for compensating for the deviations in register between the color separations in accordance with the determined adjustment data of the computation/control device; and method of compensating.

Abstract: A feedback control loop having a variable attenuator controlled by oscillation detector means and overshoot detector means to better track the input signal. The oscillation detector means utilizes an estimated signal value compared to a subsequent measured value with the absolute difference of the two compared to predetermined threshold values. Should the calculated difference exceed predetermined threshold values, the variable attenuator value is adjusted and the process repeated after a brief disabling period to allow settling.In addition to the oscillation detector, an overshoot detector means may also be used alone or in combination with oscillator detector means to control the variable attenuator setting.

Abstract: An inverter equipment equipped in itself with a sequence processing function which is capable of preparing and processing an operation sequence corresponding to signals of various external inputs is herein disclosed. A rewritable operation sequence program of the inverter equipment and a sequence operation logic operated under control of a CPU which receives signals 20 of various external inputs through an interface according to the sequence program are memorized in a semiconductor memory built in a sequence operation unit 10 of the inverter equipment, and the operation sequence corresponding to general input-output signals 10a is processed according to the sequence program.

Abstract: An improved luminaire load control system for handling control signals as by converting them into power line carrier communication signals which are transmitted through branch power lines to terminal control units without causing any significant interference to power line installation. the conversion of the control signals is done respectively at a plurality of gate way units mounted on each branch power line and each gate way unit further includes memory unit for storing the information regarding to the connecting status of the terminal unit for sending back the stored information to a central control unit upon receipt of a send back command therefrom.

Abstract: A control system utilizing a programmable controller for an injection molding machine in which the controller is periodically scanned in response to input signals to produce output control signals is provided with an impulse response filter arrangement. The impulse response filter senses a plurality of current and past sensor input signals to accurately predict the occurrence of a variable triggering event which will in fact be sensed by a sensor. A predictive sensor signal is then generated which is inputted to the controller in advance of the occurrence of the triggering event and at a time which corresponds to the processor scan time so that the controller generates the desired output at the precise time the triggering event occurs thus eliminating controller response latency from the control system.

Abstract: On-line control of a process is achieved by feedforward computations of manipulated variable setpoints modified during each of frequent optimization cycles by feedback trim determined by actual versus predicted effects of setpoint changes on the process controlled variables. Process, economic, contractual and equipment parameter values are continuously polled and collected and used to compute the optimal setpoints for the manipulated variables before the feedback trim is applied. Drift factors are added to the feedback trim to provide on-line calibration of key measuring instruments. Drifts in process performance are updated on-line periodically through self-tuning routines computed as calibration factors for predictor and control equations based on rigorous process simulations and actual plant performance. The equations take the form of polynomials in which each term contains an adjustable coefficient and one or more variable process parameter.

Abstract: A system for monitoring the soldering process which comprises a soldering ans including a means for monitoring analog heat flow, a means, connected to said soldering means, for converting analog heat flow readings into a digital temperature data points, a computing means, connected to said means for converting analog heat flow readings into digital data points, which smoothes the temperature data points; locates the beginning of the temperature data point decay; locates the beginning of the temperature data point recovery; calibrates the system for monitoring the soldering process; and classifies the current temperature data point input as an iron cleaning operation or a soldering operation.