10476results about "Ignition automatic control" patented technology

An adaptive interface for a programmable system, for predicting a desired user function, based on user history, as well as machine internal status and context. The apparatus receives an input from the user and other data. A predicted input is presented for confirmation by the user, and the predictive mechanism is updated based on this feedback. Also provided is a pattern recognition system for a multimedia device, wherein a user input is matched to a video stream on a conceptual basis, allowing inexact programming of a multimedia device. The system analyzes a data stream for correspondence with a data pattern for processing and storage. The data stream is subjected to adaptive pattern recognition to extract features of interest to provide a highly compressed representation that may be efficiently processed to determine correspondence. Applications of the interface and system include a video cassette recorder (VCR), medical device, vehicle control system, audio device, environmental control system, securities trading terminal, and smart house. The system optionally includes an actuator for effecting the environment of operation, allowing closed-loop feedback operation and automated learning.

A powered surgical tool with a housing that contains a power generating unit such as a motor. A control module is disposed in a shell that is mounted in the housing. The control module contains a control circuit for regulating the actuation of the power generating unit. The power generating unit emits a signal representative of the operating state of the unit that is transmitted through the structural material forming the shell. Also internal to the control module shell is a sensor that monitors the signal emitted by the power generating unit. This signal output by the sensor is applied to the control circuit. The control circuit, based on the sensor signal regulates actuation of the power generating unit. Wherein the power generating unit is a motor, the signal emitted is the magnetic field that varies with rotor position. The sensor monitors the strength of this field.

Amperage control of a power tool motor is provided by pulse width modulation of current from a power supply. The pulse width modulation may be varied according to the determined motor current and measured power supply voltage. The power supply preferably includes a battery, such a lithium ion or nickel cadmium.

An apparatus for processing digital media signals, comprising a digital processor for controlling the apparatus; a graphic user interface, having a wireless remote control providing a command input to the processor; a network interface for transmitting digital information from the processor to a remote location over a communications network, the information identifying a digital media signal for desired reproduction based, at least in part, on an input received from the remote control; and an output, controlled by, and local to, the processor, for transferring the desired digital media signals for reproduction thereof.

A medical robotic system includes a surgical instrument, a robotic arm assembly, an input device, and a processor. The surgical instrument has an end effector and a sensor for sensing a force exerted by the end effector, and is operatively mounted on the robotic arm assembly. The processor is configured to receive commanded movement of the end effector from the input device, receive information of the force from the sensor, determine a reduced velocity of the commanded movement that would inhibit damage causing motion of the end effector, and control robotic manipulation of the surgical instrument in response to the commanded movement of the end effector while restricting the velocity of the commanded movement to the reduced velocity.

An adaptive interface for a programmable system, for predicting a desired user function, based on user history, as well as machine internal status and context. The apparatus receives an input from the user and other data. A predicted input is presented for confirmation by the user, and the predictive mechanism is updated based on this feedback. Also provided is a pattern recognition system for a multimedia device, wherein a user input is matched to a video stream on a conceptual basis, allowing inexact programming of a multimedia device. The system analyzes a data stream for correspondence with a data pattern for processing and storage. The data stream is subjected to adaptive pattern recognition to extract features of interest to provide a highly compressed representation which may be efficiently processed to determine correspondence. Applications of the interface and system include a VCR, medical device, vehicle control system, audio device, environmental control system, securities trading terminal, and smart house. The system optionally includes an actuator for effecting the environment of operation, allowing closed-loop feedback operation and automated learning.

An improved building automation system is provided which is modular in design thus minimizing the amount of instruction necessary to affect control of a particular building system. A relatively small set of interprocess control commands define an interprocess control protocol which is utilized in relatively high level scripts and control applications. The improved building automation system operates to translate control instructions in one particular control protocol to control instructions in a second control protocol. A text parsing program routes interprocess communication commands between modular communication programs to affect control over the automated building systems. The text parsing program includes executable instructions which allow for conditional communication of interprocess control commands depending upon system events.

An alarm processor suppresses alarms when a physiological parameter is below a predetermined value but recovering toward a normal range.

A medical robotic system comprises a number of components that may be monitored to determine their preventive maintenance needs by recording usage-related information for the monitored components into associated non-volatile memories. When usage of the component exceeds a specified usage threshold, the system displays a warning message on its display screen to have preventive maintenance performed for the component. If the usage continues without such maintenance and exceeds a higher usage threshold, the system displays an error message on its display screen and the system transitions into an error state during which medical procedures are not allowed to be performed. The usage-related information may also be communicated to a remote computer which gathers and processes usage-related information from a number of medical robotic systems to estimate resource requirements for timely performing preventive maintenance on the medical robotic systems, and anticipated service revenues from such maintenance.

A manipulator has a working unit including an end effector and a posture axis for changing the orientation of the manipulator, a compound mechanism provided on the working unit, and a controller for actuating a gripper axis, a yaw axis, and a roll axis by respectively controlling movement positions of three motors. The controller includes a torque generation detector for detecting a timing at which torque is generated on the gripper axis. When the controller detects the timing at which a torque τg′ is generated on the gripper axis under operation of a given motor, the movement positions of the plural motors are shifted and set, corresponding to the directions at which interference torques are generated with respect to the yaw axis and the roll axis, and to predetermined positions of the same directions.

The present invention provides a system for operating a power line communications system that employs surface wave communications and conducted communications. The system is comprised of a plurality of network elements, which may take the form of repeaters, communication interface devices, backhaul devices, medium voltage transducers, distribution points, aggregation points, and others. In one embodiment, surface waves are communicated over the medium voltage power lines and the conducted communications are communicated via the low voltage power lines to and from customer premises.

A drilling device prevents recurrence of an overload condition after occurrence of the overload condition, thereby improving operability and safety in the drilling device. A motor for rotating a drill is connected to an AC power source through a motor control unit, a current detector, and a power switch. A magnet is also connected to the AC power source through the power switch and a full-wave rectifier. The motor control unit rotationally drives the motor on the basis of a signal sent from a main control unit according to a state in which a motor start switch is on. The main control unit controls the motor control unit to gradually reduce a supply voltage to the motor when the motor becomes overloaded, to gradually increase the voltage to the normal power supply condition when the overload condition is vanished, and to stop power supply to the motor if the overload condition continues for a predetermined period.

To improve a surgical machine with a sensorless electric motor comprising a rotor and at least two motor windings, and with a motor controller for controlling and / or regulating the electric motor, so that the electric motor is operable with optimum efficiency at low rotational speeds and a starting of the motor in accordance with the purpose, also under load, is enabled, it is proposed that a space vector pulse width modulation (SVPWM) method for controlling and / or regulating the electric motor, in which all motor windings are able to be simultaneously supplied with electric current, be performable with the motor controller. A method for controlling and / or regulating a surgical machine is also proposed.

A motor control apparatus includes a steering column having inserted therein a steering shaft to which steering torque is transmitted, a reduction gear box coupled to the steering shaft, and an electric motor that transmits a steering assisting force to the steering shaft via a reduction mechanism in the reduction gear box. The electric motor and its control unit including a control board mounted with a control circuit, are provided side by side in the reduction gear box. A connection terminal of the electric motor is electrically connected to the control unit directly. This minimizes a connection distance between the control unit and the electric motor.

A system, method and computer program product provides for power line communications (PLC) over electric power lines includes a device mountable near an electrical distribution transformer (DT) to provide a high speed interface and communicates with one or multiple access devices, which provide low speed interfaces for analog signals or digital signals over RS 232, RS 485, optical, wireless and Ethernet. The device transmits data to / from these access devices over the electric lines to other repeaters over one or more wires of an electrical line or over multiple lines, and serves to strengthen and improve signal quality. Upon detecting a wire or line is having problems carrying data, the data is sent over other wires, and upon power line failures, wireless backup to mobile / GSM and WiMax networks is utilized. The device permits utilities and others to read electric meters, monitor the power quality of the distribution grid and detect power losses / failures / outages, and permits telecom service providers and others to provide a communications link to cell phone towers, WiFi Access Points and enable broadband Internet and telephony in rural, remote or sparely populated areas.

The present invention provides a system for operating a power line communications system that employs surface wave communications and conducted communications. The system is comprised of a plurality of network elements, which may take the form of repeaters, communication interface devices, backhaul devices, medium voltage transducers, distribution points, aggregation points, and others. In one embodiment, surface waves are communicated over the medium voltage power lines and the conducted communications are communicated via the low voltage power lines to and from customer premises.

A system for tele-operating a robot in an environment includes a user interface for controlling the tele-operation of the robot, an imaging device associated with the robot for providing image information representative of the environment around the robot, means for transmitting the image information to the user interface, means for converting the image information to a user-perceptible image at the user interface, means for designating one or more waypoints located anywhere in the user-perceptible image towards which the robot will move, the waypoint in the user-perceptible image towards which the robot will first move being designated as the active waypoint using an icon, means for automatically converting the location of the active waypoint in the user-perceptible image into a target location having x, y, and z coordinates in the environment of the robot, means for providing real-time instructions to the robot from the user interface to move the robot from the robot's current location in the environment to the x, y, and z coordinates of the target location in the environment, and means for moving the icon representing the active waypoint in the user-perceptible image to a new location in the user-perceptible image while the robot is executing the real-time instruction, wherein the location-converting means automatically converts the new location of the icon representing the active waypoint into a new target location having x, y, and z coordinates in the environment of the robot towards which the robot will move.

The improved building automation system of the present invention is modular in the extreme. This diminishes the amount of custom programming required in order to affect control of a particular building. It allows for a relatively open architecture which can accommodate a variety of unique control applications which are scripted for a particular building. By modularizing many of the common processes utilized in the automation system, the custom programming required to control any particular building is minimized. This modularity in design allows for uniform and coordinated control over a plurality of automation subsystems which may be incompatible with one another at the device or machine level, but which can be controlled utilizing a relatively small and uniform set of "interprocess control commands" which define an interprocess control protocol which is utilized in relatively high level scripts and control applications which may be written for a particular building.

An Internet appliance, comprising, within a single housing, packet data network interfaces, adapted for communicating with the Internet and a local area network, at least one data interface selected from the group consisting of a universal serial bus, an IEEE-1394 interface, a voice telephony interface, an audio program interface, a video program interface, an audiovisual program interface, a camera interface, a physical security system interface, a wireless networking interface; a device control interface, smart home interface, an environmental sensing interface, and an environmental control interface, and a processor, for controlling a data transfer between the local area network and the Internet, and defining a markup language interface communicated through a packet data network interface, to control a data transfer or control a remote device.

A room occupancy sensor, a home automation system and a method for automatic control of controlled devices throughout a home. A unique architecture of occupancy sensors includes entry / exit sensors for detecting movement through doorways that separate rooms in the home, room motion sensors for detecting room occupancy, spot sensors to detect occupancy of specific locations within the rooms, and house status sensors to detect the status of certain parameters of the home. A central controller communicates with the sensors and controlled objects over a communications network, where the sensors and controlled objects can be added to the system in a ‘plug and play’ manner. The central controller controls the controlled objects in response to the entry / exit sensors, room motion sensors, spot sensors and the house status sensors. This control is accomplished by assigning each room to one of a plurality of room states, which dictate how the controlled objects are controlled by the central controller. The controlled objects also have controlled object states, which are used by the central controller to control the controlled objects. The room occupancy sensors have a sensitivity that is automatically adjusted based upon temperature measurements, and the number and timing of occupancy detections.

The communication system of one embodiment is for communicating data through a power distribution system having a medium voltage power line and low voltage power line and comprises a first device comprising a first wireless transceiver, a first modem in communication with the first wireless transceiver and the medium voltage power line. The system may also comprise a second device comprising a second wireless transceiver in wireless communication with the first wireless transceiver; and a second modem in communication with the second wireless transceiver and the low voltage power line.

An industrial plant asset management system comprising of a synchronized multiple view graphical user interface combining simultaneous real time and database display capability, a database including a knowledge manager and having input and output interfaces, a normalizing data acquisition module with real time and database interfaces, and a variety of device dependent data collector modules with associated signal conditioning and processing devices for providing an environment for development and deployment of visual models for monitoring plant assets.

The need for a more-readily usable interface for programmable devices is widely recognized. The present invention relates to programmable sequencing devices, or, more particularly, the remote controls for consumer electronic devices. The present invention provides an enhanced interface for facilitating human input of a desired control sequence in a programmable device by employing specialized visual feedback. The present invention also relates to a new interface and method of interfacing with a programmable device, which is usable as an interface for a programmable video cassette recorder.

A process control management method in a computer system for configuring and supervising a process plant includes providing an interactive user interface to manage a plurality of objects in the process plant, where each of the plurality of objects corresponds to a physical or logical entity in the process plant, including generating a navigation pane to display a set of selectable items, each in the set of selectable items corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of objects, and generating a command pane to display a set of selectable controls, each in the set of selectable controls corresponding to a task to be performed on at least one of the plurality of objects in the process plant; receiving a selection of one of an item in the set of selectable items via the navigation panel and a control in the set of selectable controls via the command panel; determining an operational context based on the received selection, wherein the operational context corresponds to one of a range of actions applicable to the selection if the selection is an item selection, or a range of items to which the selection is applicable if the selection is a control selection; and adjusting one of the navigation pane or the command pane according to the operational context, including displaying a subset of selectable items in the navigational pane, wherein each in the subset of selectable items is within the range applicable to the selection, if the selection is a control selection, and displaying a subset of selectable controls in the command pane, wherein each in the subset of selectable controls is within the range applicable to the selection, if the selection is an item selection.

A system for gathering date in a space includes a data server, a first wireless module operably connected to the data server, a first plurality of wireless sensor modules, and at least one other wireless sensor module. The first plurality of wireless sensors module are operable to generate sensor data relating to the control and operation of an HVAC system. The first plurality of wireless sensor modules are also operable to communicate the first sensor data to the first wireless module. The at least one other wireless sensor module is operable to generate second sensor data relating to at least one of the group consisting of light fixtures, architectural fixtures and plumbing fixtures, office equipment, and vending machines and furniture. The at least one other wireless sensor module is also operable to communicate the second sensor data to the first wireless module.