Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a production control apparatus and a method capable of reducing the management load and providing improved convenience. In one embodiment, a control unit assigns an identifier to each unit variation (or each candidate) for each unit to be assembled in a sub-process (or a portion) of the manufacturing process of a product, each unit variation being defined based on requested specifications. Furthermore, the control unit generates and outputs a production plan table that includes sub-identifiers and component identifiers, the sub-identifiers facilitating production planning, the component identifiers being assigned to components used to manufacture each unit variation.

Abstract: A management system for semiconductor manufacturing equipment in a manufacturing facility is provided. The system includes a host computer communicating with a tracking server, the tracking server communicating with a wireless network adapted to communicate with a radio tag associated with a wafer cassette. The tracking server is adapted to receive status information from the radio tag via the wireless network, to derive location or movement information for the wafer cassette from the status information, and to determining an optimal transfer path for the wafer cassette through the manufacturing facility.

Abstract: A safe and efficient machining process design is realized by extracting the unmachined shape and by three-dimensionally visualizing the unmachined shape without generating a machining track. The present device 1 comprises a displacement unit 2 for displacing a machining tool on the surface of a three-dimensional product shape model at arbitrary positions without causing interference between the product shape model and the machining tool, a detection unit 3 for detecting a distance between the arbitrary position and the machining tool, and a preparation unit 4 for preparing the three-dimensional unmachined shape by using the minimum value of the distance obtained for each point on the surface of the shape model when the arbitrary point is moved.

Abstract: A high speed, high precision, high repeatability serial sectioning method for 3-D reconstruction of microstructure specimens is disclosed. The invention employs high-precision motorized metallographic polishing, viewing and computer controlled digital imaging of microstructure sections of a pre-selected pattern for 3-D microstructure reconstruction. The microstructure specimens are transferred throughout by a robotic manipulator arm, which provides greater precision and speed, and serial-sectioning process control software provides control. The 3-D reconstruction of the invention can be analyzed in real time and can be accomplished in a matter of hours.

Abstract: A high speed, high precision, high repeatability serial sectioning device and method for 3-D reconstruction of microstructure specimens. The invention employs a high-precision motorized metallographic polishing unit, a microscope for viewing and computer controlled digital imaging of 2-D microstructure sections of a pre-selected pattern for 3-D microstructure reconstruction. The microstructure specimens are transferred throughout by a robotic manipulator arm providing greater precision and speed and serial-sectioning process control software provides control. The 3-D reconstruction of the invention can be analyzed in real time and can be accomplished in a matter of hours.

Abstract: A high speed, high precision, high repeatability serial sectioning method for 3-D reconstruction of microstructure specimen is disclosed. The invention employs high-precision motorized metallographic polishing, viewing and computer controlled digital imaging of microstructure sections of a pre-selected pattern for 3-D microstructure reconstruction. The microstructure specimens are transferred throughout by a robotic manipulator arm, which provides greater precision and speed and serial-sectioning process control software provides control. The 3-D reconstruction of the invention can be analyzed in real time and can be accomplished in a matter of hours.

Abstract: A gait generation device for generating a desired gait which includes floating periods in which all the legs 2, 2 of a legged mobile robot 1 float in the air and landing periods in which at least one leg 2 is in contact with a floor which appear alternately generates the desired gait in such a manner that, at least when shifting from the floating period to the landing period, the velocity of an end portion 22 of a landing leg with respect to the floor and the acceleration thereof with respect to the floor is substantially 0 at the instant of landing. After both the velocity of the end portion of the leg with respect to the floor and the acceleration thereof with respect to the floor are determined to be substantially 0, a movement of the body of the robot with the desired gait is determined in such a manner that the horizontal component of a moment produced about the desired ZMP by the resultant force of gravity and an inertial force applied to the robot 1 is substantially 0.

Abstract: A gait generation device for setting a translation floor reaction force's horizontal component (component concerning a friction force) applied to a robot 1, a limitation-target quantity, such as a ZMP, and an allowable range, for determining at least a provisional instantaneous value of a desired floor reaction force and a provisional instantaneous value for a desired movement of the robot 1, that receives at least the provisional instantaneous value for the desired movement and determines a model floor reaction force instantaneous value with the aid of a dynamics model.

Abstract: A landing position/orientation of a foot (22) to be landed in a landing action of a robot (1) such as a biped mobile robot or the like is estimated, and a desired footstep path for the robot (1) is set up. Based on the estimated landing position/orientation and the desired footstep path, a future desired landing position/orientation is determined in order to cause actual footsteps of the robot (1) (a sequence of landing positions/orientations of the foot (22)) to approach desired footsteps. Using at least the determined desired landing position/orientation, a desired gait for the robot (1) is determined, and the robot (1) is controlled in operation depending on the desired gait. For determining the desired landing position/orientation, mechanism-dependent limitations of the robot (1) such as an interference between the legs thereof, etc., and limiting conditions of an allowable range in which a desired ZMP can exist are taken into consideration.

Abstract: A substrate-handling robot which serves a processing tool such as a plating tool may be automatically controlled by a controller to perform a self-calibration procedure. As part of the procedure, an end effector of the robot is moved to interact with sensors provided on a calibration fixture that is positioned in a substrate placement location for which the calibration procedure is performed. The calibration fixture may have an opening formed therein to allow movement of the robot end effector within the calibration fixture. Sensor light beams generated by the sensors may interact with the end effector during the automatic calibration process so as to determine calibration data for the substrate placement location.

Abstract: A water filter system comprising a control system, communication means, piping, actuators, sensors and valves. The control system utilizes a communication bus for controlling and monitoring water flow through the piping via control of the actuators and valves. The communication bus comprises a two-wire network in a loop configuration coupling the various actuators and valves to the control system. The control system includes a display and programmable control logic for monitoring and controlling the actuators and valves. In one embodiment, the communication bus adheres to a Actuator Sensor-Interface (AS-I) standard. The control system is further coupled to other control systems in a water treatment plant and a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) network.

Abstract: A protective device for an electrical power distribution network has: means for processing measured values from measurement appliances for the power distribution network, means for initiating switching commands by means of primary appliances for the power distribution network, as well as a programmable protective function which, when it is carried out, determines the switching commands on the basis of the measured values. In this case, the protective device has programmable logic, which can be programmed in order to carry out the protective function.

Abstract: A method and a device for controlling operational sequences in a vehicle in which at least one first processor is provided in at least one control device, which is used for the control of functions of the operational sequences of the vehicle, and at least one second processor of a vehicle-external portable technical unit as coprocessor is able to be connected to the at least one control device, using connection means and is used in addition to the at least one first processor for the control of functions of the operational sequences.

Abstract: A method of managing personalized settings in a mobile vehicle, particularly during service replacement of a vehicle module, is provided. The personalized settings currently stored in the vehicle module are determined. The settings are first stored at a vehicle settings storage unit and then transferred to a replacement module. Systems and programs for managing personalized settings in a mobile vehicle are also provided.

Abstract: A device for controlling electrical systems of a means of transportation that is encapsulated within a housing provided with an external interface and that has a microcomputer for executing control programs and storage means on which control programs for actuating an electrical component and signals of the component can be stored, the signals being exchanged via an internal interface by actuation software of the electrical component. According to the invention, a test module is provided within the housing and at the internal interface of the component, which test module evaluates the signals of the component which are exchanged via the interface, in order to test the satisfactory functioning of an internal component or of the control program.

Abstract: To a self-diagnosis indication system for performing a startup disablement indication when an abnormal condition is self-detected at the time of start up without using on/off signals from a starter switch. There is provided a self-diagnosis indication system for outputting an operation control signal from an ECU by allowing signals from respective types of sensors for detecting an operating condition and a crank pulse signal for detecting a rotation of a crankshaft to enter the ECU and outputting a startup disablement indication signal in a state that an abnormal condition is self-detected at the time of startup, the self-diagnosis indication system being characterized in that a startup disablement indication signal is outputted when a crank pulse signal is inputted in the state that an abnormal condition is self-detected at the time of startup.

Abstract: A method is provided for controlling a low speed operation of a vehicle. A speed activation switch is activated. A target vehicle speed is calculated in response to an accelerator pedal demand as determined by an accelerator pedal position where each respective accelerator pedal position is associated with a respective predetermined target vehicle speed. A vehicle turning geometry is determined in response to a steering wheel angle input. A target wheel speed of each of a plurality of vehicle wheels is calculated as a function of the target vehicle speed and turning geometry. An actual wheel speed of each wheel is measured. A net torque is determined in response to the target wheel speeds and actual wheel speeds. An engine output torque and a braking torque are determined in response to the net torque. The engine output torque and the total vehicle braking torque are controlled for cooperatively maintaining the target vehicle speed.

Abstract: A method for real-time determination of the mass of particles in a particle filter fitted to the exhaust line of an internal combustion engine. The following data—temperature T(t) of the exhaust gas at the filter input, oxygen [O2 (t)] and nitrogen oxide [NOx(t)] concentration of the exhaust gases entering the filter—is used to calculate the rate of combustion of the particles in the particle filter with the aid of kinetic laws of chemical reactions of particle combustion. The rate, the rate emission of particles from the engine F(t), and the mass of particles in the filter mc(t??,.t) obtained during the cycle of operations prior to the moment t??t, is then used to calculate the mass of particles in the filter, mc(t):=mc(t??t)+[F(t) V(t)]*?t.

Abstract: An air flow state determining system that determines a mass air flow into a cylinder of an engine having a cam phaser includes a first module that determines whether an air flow state is one of steady-state and transient based on a cam phaser position. A second module determines the mass air flow using one of a mass air flow sensor signal and a speed density relationship based on whether the mass air flow state is one of steady-state and transient.

Abstract: In a method for equalizing the differences in injection quantities between the cylinders of a combustion engine, an adaptation of the differences in injection quantities, of the injection curves and of the hydraulic start of injection is carried out for different operating points of the combustion engine for at least one selected injection parameter. During this adaptation, the dynamics of a selected operating point are limited. The differences in injection quantities are determined for this selected operating point and are learned as adaptation values that are assigned to the respective injection parameter. In order to limit the dynamics, the injection parameter is set so that the selected operating point remains essentially stationary.

Abstract: Traffic information, including traffic flow information and traffic incident information, obtained through a traffic management system for providing and facilitating the exchange of traffic information between a remote location and a vehicle may be presented to a user on a user display in the vehicle. In one embodiment, the navigation system automatically filters traffic information that is located farther than a predetermined distance from the vehicle. In another embodiment, the navigation system filters traffic information that is not located within the same time zone as the vehicle. The user may also enter user preferences manually through a menu provided by the vehicle radio. In other words, the traffic information may be presented to the user in several circumstances, either as cued by the user, or automatically presented by the traffic management system.

Abstract: A radar activated brake light device to be integrated into a vehicle to alert drivers of potentially hazardous changes in traffic speed consisting of a radar device to measure the speed of a forward vehicle; a sensor input from the speedometer of the host vehicle; a computer processor to evaluate the data for potentially hazardous speed changes; a luminous display mounted on the host vehicle to warn the driver of a trailing vehicle; and, optionally, a warning light and warning buzzer mounted internally to the host vehicle to alert the driver of the host vehicle of potentially hazardous speed changes.

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel method for determining the biological activity of a compound comprising the steps of a) contacting a host with a compound; b) determining the general transcriptional gene response of the host; and c) quantitating the general transcriptional gene response induced by said compound.

Abstract: A method for determining acoustic parameters of a liquid (1) in a resonator arrangement having a resonator chamber (2) includes the following steps: acoustic excitation of the liquid in the resonator chamber (2) in such a way that a sequence of liquid resonances is excited in a frequency range in which the wall material of the resonator chamber (2) and/or associated transducers (6) have natural resonances with amplitude different from zero, and measurement of the associated resonance frequencies of the liquid in the resonator chamber (2); determining an observed deviation of the measured resonance frequencies from ideal resonance frequencies in an ideal resonator corresponding to the resonator chamber (2); calculating a simulation function (yk), which is a function of the acoustic parameters of the liquid (1) and represents calculated deviations of the resonance frequencies from the ideal resonance frequencies; adapting the calculated deviations to the observed deviations through variation of the acoustic par

Abstract: A system and method to perform analysis on test results of multiple integrated circuits. Based on the analysis, the system and method display a wafer map having map indicators representing statistical values of the test results.

Abstract: A test system with multiple instruments. Some instruments act as controller instruments and others act as controlled instruments. Each instrument includes a clock generator that synthesizes one or more local clocks from a reference clock. The reference clock is a relatively low frequency clock that can be inexpensively but accurately generated and distributed to all of the instruments. A communication link between instruments is provided. Timing circuits within instruments that are to exchange time information are synchronized to establish a common time reference. Thereafter, instruments communicate time dependent commands or status messages asynchronously over the communication link by appending to each message a time stamp reflecting a time expressed relative to the common time reference. The test system includes digital instruments that contain pattern generators that send command messages to analog instruments, which need not include pattern generators.

Abstract: A computer-based method for programming measuring equipment offline is provided. The method includes the steps of: setting a format for all output measuring dimensions of a product; receiving nominal scales and tolerances corresponding to the measuring dimensions; importing the nominal scales and tolerances to the output measuring dimensions of the product; setting conversion relations between the output measuring dimensions of the product and codes of measurement software; converting the output measuring dimensions into codes of the measurement software in a client (50) connected to the measuring equipment; creating an element file in a computer (30); and loading codes of the output measuring dimensions into the element file. A related system is also provided.

Abstract: A method and system for processing commonality of semiconductor devices. The method includes providing a first plurality of semiconductor devices, providing a second plurality of semiconductor devices, obtaining a first plurality of measured values corresponding to a characteristic associated with the first plurality of semiconductor devices, obtaining a second plurality of measured values corresponding to the characteristic associated with the second plurality of semiconductor devices, performing a first statistical analysis for the first plurality of measured values, determining a first statistical distribution, performing a second statistical analysis for the second plurality of measured values, and determining a second statistical distribution. Moreover, the method includes processing information associated with the first statistical distribution and the second statistical distribution, and determining an indicator.

Abstract: A system and method for verifying the performance and health of wire systems and end devices, including instruments and processes. A computer runs software that collects data from sampled sensors, stores the data, screens the data for outliers, analyzes the data, performs in situ testing, and generates results of the analysis and testing. The system and method verifies not only the steady state performance of instruments, but also the dynamic performance of instruments and the transient behavior of the processes. In one embodiment, the system performs testing of the wiring system connecting the end devices located at the process. In another embodiment, the system also performs analysis of the amplitude probability density and a power spectral density determined from the sensor, or end device, data. In still another embodiment, the system performs a time domain reflectometry (TDR) analysis for a wiring system connecting an end device.

Abstract: A management method for data in a semiconductor characteristic evaluation apparatus comprised of a control unit, a memory unit, and input/output units includes steps for selecting the workspace including the test programs for testing a plurality of wafer types, for storing the test results in the selected workspace as histories, and for searching for the desired test results from the histories of the stored test results.

Abstract: Methods and systems for translating models generated in one modeling environment into models that can be used in other modeling environments. In particular, information regarding a relationship between components of models in one modeling environment is translated into corresponding elements of models in other modeling environments. In some embodiments of the present invention, for example, mate information between rigid parts in geometric models may be translated into corresponding elements in other modeling environments. The mate information between parts in geometric models may be translated into information representing the degrees of freedom (DoFs) of the parts in the geometric models. The information on the DoFs of the parts in the geometric models may be utilized to build up corresponding elements in other modeling environments that represent the relationship between the parts of the geometric models.

Abstract: A system and method for modeling the effect of a molecular contaminant film on performance of an optical system is disclosed. A mass of material outgassed from materials of the optical system is correlated to spectrum of outgassed products. The spectrum of outgassed products is normalized, and an aggregate molecular contaminant film thickness is predicted from each material. The absorbance spectrum of the aggregate molecular contaminant film is derived, and the derived absorbance spectrum of the aggregate contaminant film is convolved with an optical system instrument function. A plot of at least one transmission band as a function of source temperature is performed to determine the degradation in performance of the optical system.

Abstract: In an optimum design method comprising a first solution determining step of solving an optimization problem of a first evaluation function for a state variable vector with a design variable vector being as a parameter, and a second solution determining step of solving an optimization problem of a second evaluation function for the design variable vector and the state variable vector thus obtained, the second solution determining step includes the steps of computing a gradient vector of the second evaluation function for the design variable vector, computing a first coefficient based on a value of a norm of the gradient vector, computing a search vector based on the first coefficient, computing a second coefficient, and updating the design variable vector based on the second coefficient.

Abstract: A computer implemented method for development profile simulation in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes calculating optical intensities in a photosensitive resist, calculating a spatial average value of the optical intensities, reading a measured changing ratio of a dissolution rate of the photosensitive resist relating to an alkaline concentration changed by at least one of exposure dose on the photosensitive resist, a position in the thickness direction of the photosensitive resist and an alkaline concentration of developer for the photosensitive resist, obtaining a calculated dissolution rate by using the spatial average value and the measured changing ratio, and predicting a pattern shape of the photosensitive resist from the calculated dissolution rate.

Abstract: The present invention relates to methods, computer systems, and computer programs for simulating a biological network. The methods of the present invention facilitate biological network simulations via automated equation generation based on the concept of a hierarchy of canonical forms that describe biological processes at various levels of detail. At each level of hierarchy two classes of canonical forms can be identified: the input canonical form, that is used to supply information to the program, and the output canonical form that is produced by a simulator. The methods in certain preferred embodiments include explicit output description and flexible user intervention at several steps through the model generation. Furthermore, preferred embodiments of the present invention provide the modeling of developmental networks using an organism-as-a-graph approach using domains and fields.

Abstract: New Frequency dependent RLC extraction and modeling for on chip integrity and noise verification employs: A) 2D scan line algorithm for the collection of adjacent signal and power conductor coordinates; B) In core pair-wise frequency Dependent RL extraction; C) In core equivalent circuit synthesis; D) caching and partitioning RL extraction techniques for run time efficiency; and E) Techniques for synthesizing stable circuits to represent frequency dependent RL circuits for non-mono tonic R12.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for performing distributed simulation is presented. According to an embodiment of the present invention, simulators are interfaced to a simulation backplane via simulator-dependent interfaces (SDI's). The simulators exchange messages via the simulation backplane and the SDI's. The SDI's convert the exchanged messages between a data format supported by the backplane and a data format supported by the simulator to which the interface is connected. By interfacing the simulators with the backplane via SDI's, the validation environment may be changed without reconfiguring the backplane.

Abstract: A method for testing operation of a computer application. An emulator is provided to run on a development platform subject to limitations of multiple different target devices, the emulator including a set of emulator APIs corresponding to target Application Program Interfaces (APIs) available on the different target devices. A subset of the target APIs that are supported by one of the target devices is specified. Access by the emulator to the emulator APIs that correspond to one or more of the target APIs that are not in the specified subset is blocked. The application is run on the emulator subject to the blocked access.

Abstract: A machine translator trained with textual inputs generated by other machine translators is disclosed. A textual input in a first language is provided by a user or other source. This textual input is then translated by a first machine translator to generate a translated version of the textual input in a second language. The textual input and the translated version are parsed and passed through a training architecture to develop a transfer mapping, and a bilingual dictionary. These components are then used by a second machine translator when translating other textual inputs.

Abstract: A process of data process for producing Chinese-style language character includes the steps of inputting alphabetical letter keys of English languages; inputting numerical keys from 0 to 9; inputting miscellaneous symbolic and functional keys; and inputting specific Chinese character keys, wherein said Chinese character keys are used for indicative purpose to differentiate the meaning of Chinese words of similar phonetic values.

Abstract: Instead of focusing on specific, static semantic description schemes, emphasis and focus is placed on determining what is necessary and needed to create any type or kind of semantic description for content data in various applications such as MPEG-7. In particular, numerous semantic description tools are selected after examining the principles of cognitive science and category theory. These semantic description tools provide sufficient flexibility and power to create any type or kind of semantic description. Semantic entity tools and categorical structure tools were identified as necessary and needed to create any type or kind of semantic description. Semantic entity tools are tools that represent entities in a semantic description. Categorical structure tools are tools that represent categorical structures of semantic entities and relations among these categorical structures.

Abstract: A natural language parse ranker of a natural language processing (NLP) system employs a goodness function to rank the possible grammatically valid parses of an utterance. The goodness function generates a statistical goodness measure (SGM) for each valid parse. The parse ranker orders the parses based upon their SGM values. It presents the parse with the greatest SGM value as the one that most likely represents the intended meaning of the speaker. The goodness function of this parse ranker is highly accurate in representing the intended meaning of a speaker. It also has reasonable training data requirements. With this parse ranker, the SGM of a particular parse is the combination of all of the probabilities of each node within the parse tree of such parse. The probability at a given node is the probability of taking a transition (“grammar rule”) at that point.

Abstract: A code converting apparatus for converting a first code sequence conforming to a first system to a second code sequence conforming to a second system, in which a speech decoding circuit acquires a first linear prediction coefficient and the information on an excitation signal from the first code sequence, and actuates a filter having the aforementioned first linear prediction coefficient with the excitation signal obtained from the information on the excitation signal, to generate a first speech signal. A gain code generating circuit calculates a gain minimizing the distance between a second speech signal, obtained from the second code sequence, and the first speech signal (optimum gain), and corrects the optimum gain. The gain code generating circuit then finds the gain information in the second code sequence, using an evaluation function which will reduce time variations of the gain of the second system.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus, in the context of speech recognition, for compensating in the cepstral domain for the effect of an interfering signal by using a reference signal.

Abstract: An arrangement for yielding enhanced audio features towards the provision of enhanced audio-visual features for speech recognition. Input is provided in the form of noisy audio-visual features and noisy audio features related to the noisy audio-visual features.

Abstract: A speech reference enrollment method involves requesting a user speak a word; detecting a first utterance; requesting the user speak the word; detecting a second utterance; determining a first similarity between the first utterance and the second utterance; when the first similarity is less than a predetermined similarity, requesting the user speak the word; detecting a third utterance; determining a second similarity between the first utterance and the third utterance; and when the second similarity is greater than or equal to the predetermined similarity, creating a reference.

Abstract: A hybrid approach to improve handwriting recognition and voice recognition in data process systems is disclosed. In one embodiment, a front end is used to recognize strokes, characters and/or phonemes. The front end returns candidates with relative or absolute probabilities of matching to the input. Based on linguistic characteristics of the language, e.g. alphabetical or ideographic language for the words being entered, e.g. frequency of words and phrases being used, likely part of speech of the word entered, the morphology of the language, or the context in which the word is entered), a back end combines the candidates determined by the front end from inputs for words to match with known words and the probabilities of the use of such words in the current context.

Abstract: Acoustic phones (preferably drawn 12 from a plurality of spoken languages) are provided 11. A hierarchically-organized polyphone network (20) organizes views of these phones of varying resolution and phone categorization as a function, at least in part, of phonetic similarity (14) and at least one language-independent phonological factor (15). In a preferred approach, a unique transcription system serves to represent the phones using only standard, printable ASCII characters, none of which comprises a special character (such as those characters that have a command significance for common script interpreters such as the UNIX command line).

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for processing an audio signal including separating the audio signal into a plurality of streams which group sounds from a same source prior to classification and analyzing each separate stream to determine phoneme-level classification. One or more words of the audio signal may then be outputted.

Abstract: A speech recognition system uses a phoneme counter to determine the length of a word to be recognized. The result is used to split a lexicon into one or more sub-lexicons containing only words which have the same or similar length to that of the word to be recognized, so restricting the search space significantly. In another aspect, a phoneme counter is used to estimate the number of phonemes in a word so that a transition bias can be calculated. This bias is applied to the transition probabilities between phoneme models in an HNN based recognizer to improve recognition performance for relatively short or long words.