Patents by Inventor Fan-Tien Cheng

Fan-Tien Cheng has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20240097444
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a hybrid system and method for distributed virtual power plants integrated intelligent net zero. In this method, a cyber physical agent (CPA) is utilized to collect a carbon emission information and an energy management information, and then an artificial intelligence (AI) optimization model of an intelligent central dispatch platform is utilized to obtain a power dispatch manner of the distributed virtual power plants based on the carbon emission information and the energy management information, such that the power dispatch manner of the distributed virtual power plants meets the requirements of enterprise economic benefits and net zero carbon emissions at the same time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2022
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Inventors: Ting-Chia OU, Hao TIENG, Fan-Tien CHENG, Tsung-Han TSAI, Yu-Yong LI
  • Publication number: 20240095755
    Abstract: A hybrid method for green intelligent manufacturing (GiM) combines the carbon reduction and the energy saving into the intelligent manufacturing based Industry 4.1 cloud platform. GiM assists companies to achieve the goal of net zero transition and help them advance to Industry 4.2 as soon as possible by simultaneously taking carbon footprint and energy issues into account. GiM collects large volumes of essential data (including carbon footprint) via cyber physical agents (CPAs), and sends them to two critical services of carbon management and intelligent energy management system (iEMS) deployed on the cloud platform. The two critical services optimize the energy dispatch schedule by strictly following the requirements of energy saving, carbon reduction, and net zero. Then, the state of zero defects of intelligent manufacturing achieved in Industry 4.1 can be upgraded to net zero of GiM in Industry 4.2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2022
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Inventors: Hao TIENG, Fan-Tien CHENG, Ting-Chia OU, Tsung-Han TSAI, Yu-Yong LI
  • Patent number: 11921474
    Abstract: A virtual metrology method using a convolutional neural network (CNN) is provided. In this method, a dynamic time warping (DTW) algorithm is used to delete unsimilar sets of process data, and adjust the sets of process data to be of the same length, thereby enabling the CNN to be used for virtual metrology. A virtual metrology model of the embodiments of the present invention includes several CNN models and a conjecture model, in which plural inputs of the CNN model are sets of time sequence data of respective parameters, and plural outputs of the CNN models are inputs to the conjecture model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: NATIONAL CHENG KUNG UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Fan-Tien Cheng, Yu-Ming Hsieh, Tan-Ju Wang, Li-Hsuan Peng, Chin-Yi Lin
  • Publication number: 20230419107
    Abstract: A virtual metrology method based on convolutional autoencoder and transfer learning includes performing a data alignment operation, a modeling operation and a calculating operation. The data alignment operation includes performing a data-length adjusting operation onto a plurality of sets of process data. The modeling operation includes classifying paired data and unpaired process data; creating a pre-trained model by using the unpaired process data, and then inputting the paired data to the pre-trained model to create a virtual metrology model based on convolutional autoencoder. The virtual metrology model based on convolutional autoencoder includes at least one convolutional neural network model. In addition, the calculating operation includes executing one of a predicting step and a transfer learning step according to whether the actual metrology data is obtained, thereby calculating one of a phase-one virtual metrology value and a phase-two virtual metrology value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2022
    Publication date: December 28, 2023
    Inventors: Fan-Tien CHENG, Yu-Ming HSIEH, Yueh-Feng TSAI, Chin-Yi LIN
  • Patent number: 11829124
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for predicting an occurrence of a tool processing event, thereby determining whether to activate a virtual metrology. In a model-building stage, plural sets of model-building data are used to create at least one classification model in accordance with at least one classification algorithm, in which each classification model includes plural decision trees. Then, probabilities of the decision trees are used to create at least one reliance index model, and the sets of model-building data are used to create at least one similarity index model in accordance with a statistical distance algorithm. In a conjecture stage, a set of processing data of a workpiece is inputted into each classification model, each reliance index model and each similarity index model to determine whether to activate (start) virtual metrology.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: NATIONAL CHENG KUNG UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Fan-Tien Cheng, Yu-Ming Hsieh, Jing-Wen Lu
  • Patent number: 11745267
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing (AM) method is provided. The method includes performing a laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) process on the powder layer. Then, a first surface roughness value of the powder layer after the L-PBF process is obtained to generate a first surface profile. An absorptivity and a set of re-melting process parameters data are used to perform a heat transfer simulation. A second surface profile of the powder layer after laser re-melting is obtained by using the first surface profile and a low-pass filter. Then, the set of re-melting process parameters data is adjusted iteratively to perform the heat transfer simulation until a second surface roughness value predicted from the second surface profile is smaller than or equal to a surface roughness threshold, thereby obtaining optimal values of re-melting process parameters for performing a re-melting process to reduce a surface roughness of a powder layer after the L-PBF process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: NATIONAL CHENG KUNG UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Hong-Chuong Tran, Yu-Lung Lo, Haw-Ching Yang, Fan-Tien Cheng
  • Patent number: 11679565
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing (AM) method includes using an AM tool to fabricate a plurality of workpiece products; measuring qualities of the first workpiece products respectively; performing a temperature measurement on each of the melt pools on the powder bed during a fabrication of each of the workpiece products; performing photography on each of the melt pools on the powder bed during the fabrication of each of the workpiece products; extracting a length and a width of each of the melt pools; performing a melt-pool feature processing operation; building a conjecture model by using a plurality of sets of first process data and the actual metrology values of the first workpiece products in accordance with a prediction algorithm; and predicting a virtual metrology value of the second workpiece product by using the conjecture model based on a set of second process data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: NATIONAL CHENG KUNG UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Haw-Ching Yang, Yu-Lung Lo, Hung-Chang Hsiao, Shyh-Hau Wang, Min-Chun Hu, Chih-Hung Huang, Fan-Tien Cheng
  • Patent number: 11673339
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing (AM) method includes using an AM tool to fabricate a plurality of workpiece products; measuring qualities of the first workpiece products respectively; performing a temperature measurement on each of the melt pools on the powder bed; performing photography on each of the melt pools on the powder bed; extracting a length and a width of each of the melt pools; performing a melt-pool feature processing operation; first converting each of the workspace images to a gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM); building a conjecture model by using a plurality of sets of first process data and the actual metrology values of the first workpiece products in accordance with a prediction algorithm; and predicting a virtual metrology value of the second workpiece product by using the conjecture model based on a set of second process data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: NATIONAL CHENG KUNG UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Haw-Ching Yang, Yu-Lung Lo, Hung-Chang Hsiao, Shyh-Hau Wang, Min-Chun Hu, Chih-Hung Huang, Fan-Tien Cheng
  • Publication number: 20230153846
    Abstract: A golden path search method for manufacturing process provides a two-phase process to search for a golden path. A first phase step of the two-phase process includes preparing a search model based on a search algorithm, and selecting a plurality of key process stages of a plurality of process stages by feeding sets of final inspection values and the production paths of the workpieces into the searching model, and then generating a plurality of key paths according to the key process stages. A second phase step of the two-phase process includes building a plurality of prediction models of the key paths according to the production paths and the sets of final inspection values, and predicting a plurality of yield rates corresponding to the key paths according to the prediction models, and then searching for the golden path of the key paths according to the yield rates.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2022
    Publication date: May 18, 2023
    Inventors: Chin-Yi LIN, Fan-Tien CHENG, Ching-Kang ING, Yu-Ming HSIEH, Po-Hsiang PENG
  • Publication number: 20220314552
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing (AM) method includes using an AM tool to fabricate a plurality of workpiece products; measuring qualities of the first workpiece products respectively; performing a temperature measurement on each of the melt pools on the powder bed; performing photography on each of the melt pools on the powder bed; extracting a length and a width of each of the melt pools; performing a melt-pool feature processing operation; first converting each of the workspace images to a gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM); building a conjecture model by using a plurality of sets of first process data and the actual metrology values of the first workpiece products in accordance with a prediction algorithm; and predicting a virtual metrology value of the second workpiece product by using the conjecture model based on a set of second process data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2022
    Publication date: October 6, 2022
    Inventors: Haw-Ching YANG, Yu-Lung LO, Hung-Chang HSIAO, Shyh-Hau WANG, Min-Chun HU, Chih-Hung HUANG, Fan-Tien CHENG
  • Publication number: 20220297383
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing (AM) method includes using an AM tool to fabricate a plurality of workpiece products; measuring qualities of the first workpiece products respectively; performing a temperature measurement on each of the melt pools on the powder bed during a fabrication of each of the workpiece products; performing photography on each of the melt pools on the powder bed during the fabrication of each of the workpiece products; extracting a length and a width of each of the melt pools; performing a melt-pool feature processing operation; building a conjecture model by using a plurality of sets of first process data and the actual metrology values of the first workpiece products in accordance with a prediction algorithm; and predicting a virtual metrology value of the second workpiece product by using the conjecture model based on a set of second process data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2022
    Publication date: September 22, 2022
    Inventors: Haw-Ching Yang, Yu-Lung Lo, Hung-Chang Hsiao, Shyh-Hau Wang, Min-Chun Hu, Chih-Hung Huang, Fan-Tien Cheng
  • Publication number: 20220291675
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a multiple-variable predictive maintenance method for a component of a production tool and a computer program product thereof, in which a multiple-variable time series prediction (TSPMVA) and an information criterion algorithm are adapted to build a best vector autoregression model (VAR), thereby forecasting the complicated future trend of accidental shutdown of the component of the production tool. Therefore, the multiple-variable prediction of the present invention can improve the accuracy of prediction compared with the single-variable prediction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2022
    Publication date: September 15, 2022
    Inventors: Chin-Yi LIN, Yu-Ming HSIEH, Fan-Tien CHENG, Hsien-Cheng HUANG
  • Patent number: 11383450
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing (AM) system, an AM method, and an AM feature extraction method are provided. The AM system includes an AM tool, a product metrology system, an in-situ metrology system, a virtual metrology (VM) system, a compensator, a track planner, a controller, a simulator and an augmented reality (AR) device. The simulator is used to find feasible parameter ranges, while the AR device is used to support operations and maintenance of the AM tool. The product metrology system, the in-situ metrology system and the VM system are integrated to estimate the variation of material on a powder bed of the AM tool. The compensator is used for compensating the process variation by adjusting process parameters. The product metrology system is used to measure the quality of products. The in-situ metrology system is used to collect features of melt pools on the powder bed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: NATIONAL CHENG KUNG UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Haw-Ching Yang, Yu-Lung Lo, Hung-Chang Hsiao, Shyh-Hau Wang, Min-Chun Hu, Chih-Hung Huang, Fan-Tien Cheng
  • Patent number: 11383446
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing (AM) system, an AM method, and an AM feature extraction method are provided. The AM system includes an AM tool, a product metrology system, an in-situ metrology system, a virtual metrology (VM) system, a compensator, a track planner, a controller, a simulator and an augmented reality (AR) device. The simulator is used to find feasible parameter ranges, while the AR device is used to support operations and maintenance of the AM tool. The product metrology system, the in-situ metrology system and the VM system are integrated to estimate the variation of material on a powder bed of the AM tool. The compensator is used for compensating the process variation by adjusting process parameters. The product metrology system is used to measure the quality of products. The in-situ metrology system is used to collect features of melt pools on the powder bed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: NATIONAL CHENG KUNG UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Haw-Ching Yang, Yu-Lung Lo, Hung-Chang Hsiao, Shyh-Hau Wang, Min-Chun Hu, Chih-Hung Huang, Fan-Tien Cheng
  • Patent number: 11378946
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a predictive maintenance method for a component of a production tool, in which a time series prediction (TSP) algorithm and an information criterion algorithm are adapted to build a TSP model, thereby forecasting the complicated future trend of accidental shutdown of the component of the production tool. In addition, an alarm scheme is provided for performing maintenance immediately when the component is very likely to enter a dead state, and a death related indicator (DCI) is provided for quantitatively showing the possibility of the component entering the dead state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: NATIONAL CHENG KUNG UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Chin-Yi Lin, Yu-Ming Hsieh, Fan-Tien Cheng, Hsien-Cheng Huang
  • Publication number: 20220026861
    Abstract: A virtual metrology method using a convolutional neural network (CNN) is provided. In this method, a dynamic time warping (DTW) algorithm is used to delete unsimilar sets of process data, and adjust the sets of process data to be of the same length, thereby enabling the CNN to be used for virtual metrology. A virtual metrology model of the embodiments of the present invention includes several CNN models and a conjecture model, in which plural inputs of the CNN model are sets of time sequence data of respective parameters, and plural outputs of the CNN models are inputs to the conjecture model.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2021
    Publication date: January 27, 2022
    Inventors: Fan-Tien CHENG, Yu-Ming HSIEH, Tan-Ju WANG, Li-Hsuan PENG, Chin-Yi LIN
  • Publication number: 20210402476
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing (AM) method is provided. The method includes performing a laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) process on the powder layer. Then, a first surface roughness value of the powder layer after the L-PBF process is obtained to generate a first surface profile. An absorptivity and a set of re-melting process parameters data are used to perform a heat transfer simulation. A second surface profile of the powder layer after laser re-melting is obtained by using the first surface profile and a low-pass filter. Then, the set of re-melting process parameters data is adjusted iteratively to perform the heat transfer simulation until a second surface roughness value predicted from the second surface profile is smaller than or equal to a surface roughness threshold, thereby obtaining optimal values of re-melting process parameters for performing a re-melting process to reduce a surface roughness of a powder layer after the L-PBF process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2021
    Publication date: December 30, 2021
    Inventors: Hong-Chuong TRAN, Yu-Lung LO, Haw-Ching YANG, Fan-Tien CHENG
  • Publication number: 20210382464
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for predicting an occurrence of a tool processing event, thereby determining whether to activate a virtual metrology. In a model-building stage, plural sets of model-building data are used to create at least one classification model in accordance with at least one classification algorithm, in which each classification model includes plural decision trees. Then, probabilities of the decision trees are used to create at least one reliance index model, and the sets of model-building data are used to create at least one similarity index model in accordance with a statistical distance algorithm. In a conjecture stage, a set of processing data of a workpiece is inputted into each classification model, each reliance index model and each similarity index model to determine whether to activate (start) virtual metrology.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 24, 2020
    Publication date: December 9, 2021
    Inventors: Fan-Tien CHENG, Yu-Ming HSIEH, Jing-Wen LU
  • Patent number: 10948903
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a two-phase process for searching root causes of a yield loss in a production line. In a first phase, an interaction between two process tools, that between two parameters, or that between one process tool and one parameter that is likely to cause the yield loss is identified. In a second phase, a threshold of the parameter that is likely to cause the yield loss and is obtained from the first phase is identified. In each phase, two different algorithms can be used to generate a reliance index (RII) for gauging the reliance levels of their search results.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: NATIONAL CHENG KUNG UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Chin-Yi Lin, Yu-Ming Hsieh, Fan-Tien Cheng
  • Patent number: 10935962
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a two-phase process for searching the root causes of the yield loss in the production line 100. In a first phase, process tools and their process tool types that are likely to cause the yield loss are identified, and in a second phase, the process parameters that are likely to cause the yield loss within the process tool types found in the first phase are identified. In each phase, two different algorithms can be used to generate a reliance index (RIk) for gauge the reliance levels of their search results.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: NATIONAL CHENG KUNG UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Fan-Tien Cheng, Yao-Sheng Hsieh, Jing-Wen Zheng