Abstract: An industrial robot is used to assemble a part to a predetermined location on a randomly moving workpiece. The workpiece may be an automobile on an assembly line and the part may be a wheel (a tire mounted on a rim) to be assembled on one of the wheel hubs of the automobile. The robot has mounted on it a camera, a force sensor and a gripper to grip the part. After the robot grips the part, signals from both the force sensor and vision are used by a computing device to move the robot to a position where the robot can assemble the part to the predetermined location on the workpiece. The computing device can be the robot controller or a separate device such as a PC that is connected to the controller.

Abstract: A high efficiency electronic ballast for large power metal halide lamp includes a power input circuit, a power factor correction circuit, a secondary power supply, a control circuit, a half bridge power converter, a resonant starting circuit, and lamp current on/off detector. The half bridge power converter has two DC block output capacitor to protect the converter when the output is shorted to ground. The operation frequency of the converter is chosen in the weak area of the acoustic resonant to avoid the acoustic resonant in the lamp. The control circuit adds a method for deep frequency and amplitude modulation and delay control function to the converter. For fine sweep pass through the output resonance point for igniting high voltage, two sweep rate control circuits are added. The metal halide lamp can be operated with very stable from starting to normal operation with high electronic ballast system efficiency.

Abstract: Both vision and force control are used to program a robot so that a tool having a tip can follow a desired path visibly marked on a workpiece when the tool is to perform work on the workpiece. There is a force sensor, a camera positioned to view the visibly marked path and a computing device. When the tool tip is in controlled contact with an area of the workpiece that includes the desired path, the camera and the force sensor each provide information to the computing device. The information is used to develop a program to move the robot to cause the tool tip to follow the desired path when the tool is to perform work on the workpiece. The tool can move in relation to the workpiece and the camera is mounted on the robot or the workpiece moves in relation to the stationary camera and tool.

Abstract: An automated nanomanipulation system is provided for manufacturing a nanoscale structure. The system includes: a design model for the nanoscale structure; image data of a sample surface upon which the nanoscale structure is to be manufactured; a movable member configured to perform a nanomanipulation operation on the sample surface; and a path planning subsystem adapted to receive the design model and the image data. The path planning subsystem generates path data indicative of a path for traversing the movable member along the sample surface such that the movable member manipulates one or more randomly distributed nanoobjects in accordance with the design model.

Abstract: A high efficiency electronic ballast for large power metal halide lamp includes a power input circuit, a power factor correction circuit, a secondary power supply, a control circuit, a half bridge power converter, a resonant starting circuit, and lamp current on/off detector. The half bridge power converter has two DC block output capacitor to protect the converter when the output is shorted to ground. The operation frequency of the converter is chosen in the weak area of the acoustic resonant to avoid the acoustic resonant in the lamp. The control circuit adds a method for deep frequency and amplitude modulation and delay control function to the converter. For fine sweep pass through the output resonance point for igniting high voltage, two sweep rate control circuits are added. The metal halide lamp can be operated with very stable from starting to normal operation with high electronic ballast system efficiency.

Abstract: An automated nanomanipulation system is provided for manufacturing a nanoscale structure. The system includes: a design model for the nanoscale structure; image data of a sample surface upon which the nanoscale structure is to be manufactured; a movable member configured to perform a nanomanipulation operation on the sample surface; and a path planning subsystem adapted to receive the design model and the image data. The path planning subsystem generates path data indicative of a path for traversing the movable member along the sample surface such that the movable member manipulates one or more randomly distributed nanoobjects in accordance with the design model.