Abstract: A vehicle lateral control system that integrates both vehicle dynamics and kinematics control. The system includes a driver interpreter that provides desired vehicle dynamics and predicted vehicle path based on driver input. Error signals between the desired vehicle dynamics and measured vehicle dynamics, and between the predicted vehicle path and the measured vehicle target path are sent to dynamics and kinematics control processors for generating a separate dynamics and kinematics command signals, respectively, to minimize the errors. The command signals are integrated by a control integration processor to combine the commands to optimize the performance of stabilizing the vehicle and tracking the path. The integrated command signal can be used to control one or more of front wheel assist steering, rear-wheel assist steering or differential braking.

Abstract: A method to assist steering of a vehicle equipped with an active steering system when operating in a reverse direction is provided. The method comprises monitoring vehicle operating characteristics and an operator steering input. Boundaries of a target region and a reference point are determined. A target steering angle range is calculated based upon the reference point and the target location. A controlled steering angle of the active steering system is corrected when the operator steering input is outside the target steering angle range. An aspect of the invention included determining the reference point comprising a point of intersection of a first vector and a second vector, the first vector parallel to and passing through a centerline of a rear axle of the vehicle and the second vector perpendicular to and passing through a centerline of an inside front steerable wheel of the vehicle.

Abstract: A vehicle curve speed control system (10) adapted for use with a vehicle (12) having an operator (14), includes a map database (16) representing a current vehicle path, and a locator device (20) communicatively coupled to the database (16) and configured to determine the location of the vehicle (12) on the path. The system (10) further includes a controller (36) configured to identify approaching curve points of a curve (18a) in terms of curvature or radius, and determine a desired speed profile based on operator preference and/or vehicle characteristic input. An acceleration profile is determined, based on the current vehicle speed, and desired speed profile. An acceleration/deceleration command at the present control loop is modified towards achieving an optimal curve speed, and is delivered to either a brake or acceleration module (40,42) to automatically accelerate or decelerate the vehicle (12) accordingly.

Abstract: A system for lane centering control for a vehicle having a user-operable steering device is disclosed. The system includes a set of sensors for sensing the vehicle speed, yaw rate, and steering device angle, a target path tracker configured for tracking the target path of the vehicle, a processor responsive to the set of sensors for predicting the path of the vehicle, a controller responsive to the set of sensors, the target path tracker, and the processor, and productive of a lane centering control signal, and an active front steering actuator responsive to the control signal and productive of steering assistance to the steering device. The controller includes a processing circuit responsive to executable instructions for producing the steering assistance to the steering device to reduce a difference between the predicted path and the target path, thereby serving to maintain lane centering of the vehicle.

Abstract: A rear-wheel steering control system for a vehicle/trailer combination that adaptively changes an open-loop feed-forward command signal for different trailers or the same trailer with different configurations based only on vehicle parameters. The system includes a hand-wheel sensor for providing a hand-wheel angle signal of a hand-wheel position of the vehicle, a vehicle speed sensor for providing a vehicle speed signal of the vehicle, and a vehicle yaw rate sensor for providing a measured vehicle yaw rate signal of the vehicle. The system also determines if a vehicle yaw rate has reached a steady state and uses the steady-state yaw rate signal to calculate the rear-wheel steering command. In one embodiment, the system updates feed-forward rear/front values for a plurality of predetermined vehicle speeds when determining the proper rear-wheel steering command.

Abstract: A vehicle-trailer back-up control system that employs an active front steer sub-system. The system includes a smart hitch controller that receives a vehicle speed signal and a hand-wheel angle signal, and calculates a hitch angle command signal. The system further includes a hitch angle sensor that measures the hitch angle between the vehicle and the trailer that is compared to the hitch angle command signal to generate a hitch angle error signal. A PID control unit receives the hitch angle error signal, and generates a corrected road wheel angle signal based on proportional and derivative gains. The corrected road wheel angle signal is used to generate a motor angle signal that is applied to a steering actuator to be combined with the steering angle signal to generate the front wheel steering signal during a back-up maneuver.

Abstract: The invention describes a sensor mechanism for measuring hitch articulation angle. A configuration of the contact face between hitch ball and receiver eliminates the effect of the unwanted trailer motions, such as roll and pitch while accurately registering trailer yaw motion. Also, there is no yaw slippage at the contact that was a major problem during the successive acceleration and brake maneuvers. With the freely rotating ball and shaft, the angle is measured using an angle sensor, such as an optical encoder, potentiometer, or other means. For the case of a relative angle sensor, automatic zero angle calibration can be used to allow an absolute angle measurement.

Abstract: This invention provides a system to detect in real time the condition of jackknifing tendency during vehicle-trailer backing up, and to provide steering direction assistance. The system utilizes rates of change of a vehicle-trailer articulation angle to determine a critical articulation angle.

Abstract: This invention provides a system to detect in real time the condition of jackknifing tendency during vehicle-trailer backing up, and to provide steering direction assistance. The system utilizes rates of change of a vehicle-trailer articulation angle to determine a critical articulation angle.

Abstract: The invention describes a sensor mechanism for measuring hitch articulation angle. A configuration of the contact face between hitch ball and receiver eliminates the effect of the unwanted trailer motions, such as roll and pitch while accurately registering trailer yaw motion. Also, there is no yaw slippage at the contact that was a major problem during the successive acceleration and brake maneuvers. With the freely rotating ball and shaft, the angle is measured using an angle sensor, such as an optical encoder, potentiometer, or other means. For the case of a relative angle sensor, automatic zero angle calibration can be used to allow an absolute angle measurement.

Abstract: An apparatus for controlling a buffer adapted to transmit motion-involving video compressed by use of an intraframe compression coding technique employing discrete cosine transform and variable length coding to a constant rate channel, wherein a statistical feed-forward-based buffer control apparatus having a simple construction is combined with an existing statistical feed-back-based buffer control apparatus, thereby being capable of stably controlling a buffer even when a scene change occurs, and reducing the capacity of the buffer and the length of a tape needed.

Abstract: An austenitic stainless steel and a manufacturing process therefor are disclosed, in which, instead of the expensive Ni, there are added Cu as an austenite (.tau.) stabilizing element, and tiny amounts of Ti as a ferrite forming element and B for improvement of high temperature hot workability, so that the optimum Md.sub.30 temperature and the optimum delta-ferrite content can be controlled, thereby improving the formability, the season cracking resistance, the hot workability and the high temperature oxidation resistance, and reducing the surface defects during the hot rolling and saving the manufacturing cost by reducing the content of Ni. The austenitic stainless steel according to the present invention includes in weight %: less than 0.07% of C, less than 1.0% of Si, less than 2.0% of Mn, 16-18% of Cr, 6.0-8.0% of Ni, less than 0.005% of Al, less than 0.05% of P, less than 0.005% of S, less than 0.03% of Ti, less than 0.003% of B, less than 3.0% of Cu, less than 0.3% of Mo, less than 0.

Abstract: An anti-crime security system which provides an entrance and an exit to an establishment, wherein the entrance and exit define an enclosed area, provides sensors to monitor ingress and egress through the enclosed area, and monitors activity in the enclosed area and controls access to the establishment based on the ingress, egress, and activity monitored by the sensors.

Abstract: 8-bit absolute value calculation method and circuit.

Abstract: A semiconductor optoelectronic device which can be used to perform the logical INVERTER or NOR operation. The device includes a surface-emitting laser 200 electrically coupled to a heterojunction phototransistor 240. When the total illumination intensity at the phototransistor is below a given threshold, the laser is in a lasing state; when the total illumination exceeds the threshold, the laser is in a non-lasing state. The phototransistor is operated at bias voltages below the threshold for avalanche effects.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method for treating a spent copper-refining electrolyte to remove impurities such as copper (Cu), arsenic (As), antimony (Sb), bismuth (Bi), nickel (Ni) and the like by using a hydrogen sulfide gas. The method comprises the steps of: (a) blowing a hydrogen sulfide gas into the spent electrolyte to precipitate copper sulfide (CuS); (b) blowing air into the coprecipitates solution obtained in the above step (a) to oxidize arsenic, bismuth and antimony thereby redissolving them into the solution, and the solution is subjected to solid-liquid separation to separate copper sulfide from the liquid; (c) blowing a sulfur dioxide gas into the copper-depleted liquid to reduce arsenic, bismuth and antimony and blowing a nitrogen gas to purge the remaining sulfur dioxide gas; (d) blowing a hydrogen sulfide gas to precipitate arsenic, bismuth and antimony in the form of sulfides and blowing a nitrogen gas to purge the remaining hydrogen sulfide gas and separating arsenic sulfide (As.sub.2 S.sub.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing and a structure of a semiconductor device is disclosed whereby a gate insulating layer, a polycrystalline silicon layer, a tungsten silicide layer and a first insulating layer are formed on a semiconductor substrate. Gates are formed by the removal of the layers by dry etching, wherein the etch rate of the tungsten silicide layer is faster than the other layers, thereby forming an undercut region in the tungsten silicide layer. A second insulating layer is formed on the surface of the resultant structure to form spacers, and a contact window is formed between the gates via an etching process. The second insulating layer portion which forms the spacers need not be thick to prevent etching of the gates when forming the contact window, therefore good step coverage is achieved and reliability of the device is increased.

Abstract: A MESFET which includes a semi-insulating substrate, e.g., a GaAs substrate, an insulating layer formed on a portion of the upper surface of the substrate, a first semiconductor layer formed on the upper surface of the substrate adjacent to opposite sides of the insulating layer, the first semiconductor layer having sidewalls defining a void therein, a nitride layer formed on a portion of the upper surface of the insulating layer, an oxide layer formed on the nitride layer, a second semiconductor layer formed on the sidewalls of the first semiconductor layer and in covering relationship to the void, a gate electrode formed on at least a portion of the upper surface of the second semiconductor layer, and, source and drain electrodes formed on the upper surface of the first semiconductor layer, on opposite sides of the gate electrode.

Abstract: A static random access memory with a double vertical channel structure capable of providing a highly integrated memory element and a method of the same. On a substrate of a first conductivity type, first and second layers of the same conductivity type are formed, in order. On respective surfaces of the three layers, impurity diffusion regions are formed, centers of which are located on a vertical line. The first layer having the second impurity diffusion region and the second layer having the third impurity diffusion region are removed at their center portions, except for their opposite side portions, thereby forming trenches. In these trenches, gate electrodes and a ground electrode are formed. Accordingly, the first impurity diffusion region and the remaining opposite side portions of second and third impurity diffusion regions become source/drain regions, while the remaining opposite side portions of first and second layers become a double vertical channel region.

Abstract: The profile of a tool or other object having a flat reference plane is illuminated by interfering beams of coherent light to generate a striped light pattern which at any point deviates from straight lines as a function of the surface spacing from the reference plane. A camera image of the pattern taken at an angle to the beams is processed by an image analysis program which converts the stripes to lines corresponding to light peaks and valleys of the pattern. Tool wear or object profile is determined from the deviation of lines from straight reference lines. The program includes algorithms for identifying peak and valley line segments, determining the segments which are neighbors of other segments, and connecting lines according to a set of rules and constraints which use the data on neighbor segments and the proximity of segment end points.