Abstract: Systems and methods for analyzing combustion system operation are provided. According to one embodiment, a method can include receiving multiple CO measurements from respective CO sensors distributed within a combustion system; receiving multiple O2 measurements from respective O2 sensors distributed within the combustion system; and determining at least one operating condition of the combustion system based at least in part on CO indicated by the CO measurements relative to O2 indicated by the O2 measurements.

Abstract: A method and apparatus implementing a user interface device, such as a mouse or trackball, having electronically controllable tactile responsiveness which is flexibly programmable. A user interface device effects positioning of a cursor within a limited area, such as on a display screen, with limits imposed by controllable tactile responsiveness. Programmable force-position characteristics relate the tactile responsiveness of the interface device to the position of the cursor within the limited area or on the display screen. In a described embodiment, the interface device includes at least two sets of wheels that move as the interface device is actuated. The at least two sets of wheels are aligned on mutually orthogonal axes. A servo motor is attached to each of the at least two sets of wheels.

Abstract: A process and neural network architecture for on-line adjustment of the weights of the neural network in a manner that corrects errors made by a nonlinear controller designed based on a model for the dynamics of a process under control. A computer system is provided for controlling the dynamic output response signal of a nonlinear physical process, where the physical process is represented by a fixed model of the process. The computer system includes a controlled device for responding to the output response signal of the system. The computer system also includes a linear controller for providing a pseudo control signal that is based on the fixed model for the process and provides a second controller, connected to the linear controller, for receiving the pseudo control signal and for providing a modified pseudo control signal to correct for the errors made in modeling the nonlinearities in the process. A response network is also included as part of the computer system.

Abstract: In a method and device for monitoring speed, in particular for monitoring the rotation speed of an electric machine, two processors are employed which monitor the speed using different checking modes and cross-compare results. The first processor executes a conventional control algorithm and checks on the basis of an estimated or measured value of the speed whether a speed limit has been exceeded. The second processor determines the actual output frequency, which is also indicative of the speed, of a converter either from actual current values, which are measured anyway, or by reconstructing the voltage from control signals of transistors. Both processors thus monitor if a rotation speed limit has been exceeded and/or execute corresponding response actions. The method also recognizes faults in the power section based on the evaluation of the phase current. The system can also be designed to manage pulling loads.

Abstract: A computerized method determines the ranking of documents including information content. The present method uses both content and connectivity analysis. An input set of documents is represented as a neighborhood graph in a memory. In the graph, each node represents one document, and each directed edge connecting a pair of nodes represents a linkage between the pair of documents. The input set of documents represented in the graph is ranked according to the contents of the documents. A subset of documents is selected from the input set of documents if the content ranking of the selected documents is greater than a first predetermined threshold. Nodes representing any documents, other than the selected documents, are deleted from the graph. The selected subset of documents is ranked according the linkage of the documents, and an output set of documents exceeding a second predetermined threshold is selected for presentation to users.

Abstract: A method is presented for path planning after changes in task space. In one embodiment, the method is applied to planning a path for a robot arm. The method identifies areas in the configuration space which are affected by the changes in task space. Cost waves can then be repropagated in these affected areas to allow for planning in N dimensions and using space variant metrics. The method is also adapted to use in the presence of phantom obstacles.

Abstract: A programmable logic controller system including a private operating system that does not support a TCP/IP protocol, and a communication module connected to a private communication bus and a TCP/IP network, and at least one intelligent module. The communication module includes TCP/IP connection and communication functions, a plurality of delegation services, and a transcoding and routing service configured to encode, decode, and route a request. The private communication bus includes a plurality of supported protocols. Further, the at least one intelligent module includes an HTTP server and at least one application having an application programming interface. The application programming interface is configured to use the TCP/IP connection and communication functions from a remote location. In addition, the plurality of delegation services are configured to enable the at least one application in the at least one intelligent module to delegate services to the communication module on the TCP/IP network.

Abstract: A refrigeration control apparatus comprises a master unit with a mother board. The mother board comprises a bus configured to carry signals between boards coupled to the mother board. A processor board interfaced to the mother board is provided. The processor board comprises a processor, and a program memory where instructions for the processor are stored on the program memory. An interface circuit coupled to the mother board is provided. A load control module interfaced to the mother board is provided, wherein the load control module comprises an interface circuit coupled to the mother board, and a circuit breaker coupled to a power input. A load relay comprising a first interlocked relay and a second interlocked relay coupled to the circuit breaker is provided. The load relay is configured to switch power. An override switch and the processor coupled to the load relay to control the load relay is provided.

Abstract: A mechanism for controlling threads in a Java application while avoiding the unsafe conditions inherent in the use of existing java.lang.Thread methods. In one embodiment, a first class is defined for handling threads in an application. The first class uses a target variable to indicate whether a thread should continue to run, or whether it should be stopped. This first class provides a start( ) method to set up the target variable, a stop( ) method to set the target variable to indicate that the thread should be stopped, and an abstract run( ) method. The functionality of the run( ) method is provided by one or more additional classes which extend the first class. The additional classes override the abstract run( ) method and define the tasks to be performed by threaded objects instantiated from these classes. When a thread needs to be stopped, the corresponding target variable is set to indicate that it should be stopped.

Abstract: A material flow design system for a mixed-model demand flow manufacturing line is presented. The material flow system utilizes a replenishment card/replenishment container system of material management. The material flow design system defines the size of replenishment containers and the location of material deduct points in the production path. The material flow design system may further include a design system for designing an inventory control system. The inventory control system involves locating backflush and intermediate backflush locations on the production path and deduct points in the material flow sequence. An inventory monitoring system monitors material flow, deducts material from inventories at deduct points, and credits material to inventory indicated by the deduct points when products produced by the manufacturing line flow through material backflush points defined in the manufacturing line.

Abstract: The system described herein determines an input command profile for a dynamic system that can be modeled as a linear system, the input command profile for transitioning an output of the dynamic system from one point to another point. The system identifies characteristics of the dynamic system, and then selects a command profile which defines an input to the dynamic system based on the identified characteristics. The command profile comprises one or more pulses which rise and fall at switch times, and the command profile is useable with substantially any dynamic system that can be modeled as a linear system. The system then imposes a plurality of constraints on the dynamic system, at least one of the constraints being defined in terms of the switch times, and determines the switch times for the input to the dynamic system based on the command profile and the plurality of constraints.

Abstract: In a semiconductor process system having a semiconductor process apparatus for performing various jobs to manufacture a semiconductor device, a material convey unit for conveying materials used in the jobs to the semiconductor process apparatus, and a host computer for monitoring the operation state of the semiconductor process apparatus, instructing the material convey unit to convey a material used in a required job, and instructing the semiconductor process apparatus to execute the job, the host computer makes a job reservation that informs the semiconductor process apparatus of the job to be executed simultaneously with the convey instruction of the material used in the required job, and the semiconductor process apparatus confirms in accordance with the job reservation if job data required for the reserved job is present in the apparatus, and takes a predetermined measure such as requesting a job data transfer means to transfer job data required, or outputting a predetermined warning, if the job data is

Abstract: A method of and an apparatus for determining a machining sequence of wire-cut electric discharge machining capable of easily changing a machining sequence in continuously machining a plurality of machining shapes. By making a sequence of a combination of a shape to be machined and a machining stage for the shape to be machined capable of being edited, the machining sequence in the case where the plurality of machining shapes are machined continuously is made easily changeable. In the method for specifying the machining sequence, two different modes are available. In a first mode, a plurality of standard machining patterns are prepared in advance, and the machining pattern is changed to form a desired machining pattern. In a second mode, a sequence of a combination of a plurality of shapes to be machined and the machining stages for a selected machining pattern is changed to form a desired machining pattern.

Abstract: The present invention provides systems and methods for controlling associated processes in a process facility and, in particular, for distributing data among nodes of a real time process control system that controls the process facility. An exemplary real time process control system includes a plurality of sensors, controllable devices, and communication paths, as well as a computer system. The sensors and controllable devices are associated with various ones of the processes of the process facility, and the communication paths associate the sensors and controllable devices with the computer system. The computer system operates on data relating to the process facility, and distributes the data among the nodes thereof. The nodes are associated with one another by ones of the communication paths also. The computer system includes subscriber nodes that desire data associated with certain of the processes and a publisher node.

Abstract: A computer system, computer program product and method for evaluating manufacturing line performance includes determining tool status, determining lot status and combining the tool status and the lot status to produce status codes. The status codes include a running code a tool down code a no operator code; and a no work-in-process code.

Abstract: A multiple sensing technology-based occupancy sensor. Ultrasonic and infrared sensors are used to produce first and second occupancy estimator signals that are combined using a fusion based detection algorithm to produce a combined estimator signal. The combined estimator is then used to switch electrical loads when the combined estimator signal is above a predetermined threshold. The result is an occupancy sensor that has a very high probability of occupancy detection and a low probability of false tripping.

Abstract: A universal recipe editor is for off-line viewing and editing of semiconductor-manufacturing recipes. The universal recipe editor can read recipes from a wide variety of semiconductor-manufacturing machines from different manufacturers using recipe distributed object model (R-DOM) files. An R-DOM file is generated for each kind of recipe-file format to locate process parameters within proprietary recipe-file formats. The sequence of parameters in the R-DOM file matches the sequence in the recipe data file so that parameters may be mapped from recipe data files for display and editing. ASCII or binary recipe file formats are mapped from the recipe data file using R-DOM objects. Revision and authoring information is kept in a recipe information file for each recipe. Each line of the recipe data file can specify a different process parameter. Security or access rights for each parameter is added for each parameter by including security codes on each line in the R-DOM file.

Abstract: A system and method of scheduling demand for a manufacturing resource in response to a customer order for a product is provided. The system and method includes means for tracking scheduled finished goods orders, existing finished goods inventory, past due finished goods orders, unallocated customer orders and marketing orders, and the manufacturing lead time for the product, among other manufacturing process parameters. The customer order amount and the date requested for the order are entered, and depending on whether the date requested is inside, equal to or outside the manufacturing lead time, manufacturing resources are consumed from one or more of the scheduled finished goods orders, existing finished goods inventory, available to promise amounts, past due finished goods orders, unallocated customer orders, marketing orders, and high flex amounts.

Abstract: An apparatus for providing sector location pulses to a controller of a rotating disk data storage device having a counter clocked in proportion to the disk rotation rate and an accumulator for accumulating times to sectors on the disk. A comparator connected to the counter and the accumulator enables an accumulator clock for repetitive clocking of the accumulator at such times the contents of the accumulator do not exceed the contents of the counter. A sector location pulse generator connected to the comparator generates the controller pulses, when enabled, concurrently with the accumulator clock signals. A master reset generator resets the first counter and the accumulator each time an index location on the disk passes a transducer head used to read and write data to and from the disk and a partial reset generator resets the accumulator each time the transducer head is moved between tracks on the disk.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for dispensing drugs, wherein a patient's order of one or more prescriptions is automatically filled. Various drugs are stored in three or more filler lines. A vial size is assigned to each line. When a prescription is filled, it is automatically assigned to a line in view of the vial size requirements and processed accordingly. Provisions are made for the inability to fill a prescription or order. Subsequently, all of the patient's prescriptions are collected and made available as a single order.