3709results about "Safety arrangments" patented technology

A surgical instrument is disclosed, the instrument including: a handle assembly; a jaw assembly including a staple cartridge containing a plurality of staples and an anvil to form the plurality of staples upon firing; a lockout mechanism configured to prevent reuse of the jaw assembly; a drive assembly at least partially located within the handle and connected to the jaw assembly; a motor operatively coupled to the drive assembly; and a controller operatively coupled to the motor, the controller configured to control supply of electrical current to the motor and to monitor a current draw of the motor, wherein the controller is further configured to terminate the supply of electrical current to the motor in response to a drop in the current draw.

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.

A system and method for monitoring a semiconductor manufacturing process is disclosed. The system communicates with one or more process tools, and monitors each tool during a predetermined process window time. Errors and warnings are provided to users, allowing corrective action to be taken. Additionally, the system of the present invention can initiate automatic adjustment of the process tools to maintain an efficient manufacturing operation.

The present invention provides a system and method for implementing logic control in programmable controllers in distributed control systems using a wired or wireless network. A software application is used to define the configuration of the network. Based on the network configuration, a compiler engine automatically assigns each statement of the control program to at least one programmable logic controller in the network. Each statement is then transmitted over a data transmission medium to the programmable logic controller assigned to the statement.

The present invention relates to a wireless home automation system having a controller for controlling a broad variety of functions via two ways communication with a plurality of devices. The controllers and devices of the system comprises means for generating a signal comprising a destination identifier, instructions related to the input / output of the destination or source device, and a repeater identifier. The devices according to the invention are adapted to act as input / output devices and signal repeating devices. The processors of each device comprises means for, upon reception of a signal, processing said information if the destination identifier corresponds to the device identifier of the device, and means for, upon reception of a signal, transmitting a second signal holding at least said destination identifier and said instruction if the repeater identifier corresponds to the device identifier of the device.

A method and system detects and diagnoses faults in heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment. Internal state variables of the HVAC equipment are measured under external driving conditions. Expected internal state variables are predicted for the HVAC equipment operating under the external driving conditions using a locally weighted regression model. Features are determined of the HVAC based on differences between the measured and predicted state variables. The features are classified to determine a condition of the HVAC equipment.

A multi-level meshed security network. The network includes a first level having a plurality of base units, supporting relatively high power RF communications, and a controller function. The second level has a plurality of transponders, supporting relatively low power RF communications, and at least one sensor. Each of the components of the first level communicates with each other and with each of the components of the second level.

A system and method of managing therapy provided to patients in an institution. The system monitors all aspects of the medication delivery to a patient, as well as other information related to the patient, such as values of vital signs, laboratory results and patient factors such as history, diagnosis, allergies and the like. The system includes one or more databases of information, including institutionally developed rules, guidelines and protocol representing the best medical practices of the institution. The system provides alerts and / or recommendations based on the application of the rules to the information being monitored, and alerts care givers accordingly, providing for dynamic adjustment of the patient's therapy. The system also monitors the status of the alerts, and if no action is taken in a selected period of time, may escalate the priority of the alert and / or halt the delivery of medication to the patient until the alert is resolved.

A security network for use in a building with an opening to be monitored for possible intrusion. The network includes an intrusion sensor monitoring the opening; an RFID transponder associated with the sensor; an RFID reader in wireless communication with the transponder; and a portable telephone handset having first keys activating conventional telephone capability and second keys activating interaction with the other security network components. The handset wirelessly communicates with the reader. The reader may take the form of a security cradle for the handset. Alternatively, the reader may take the form of a telephone console. The console has keys enabling a user to dial remote telephone numbers; circuitry adapted to receive wireless communications from the transponder; circuitry in wireless communication with the handset; circuitry in communication with an external network; and a processor executing program code enabling the handset to communicate with the external network via the telephone console.

An integrated HVACR control and protection system includes a modular and reprogrammable design providing a plurality of possible combinations of power detection, voltage detection, run current detection, transient current detection, temperature detection, universal thermostat interface, peripheral or remote control, and local display and control. The control and protection system is capable of evaluating the relationship between real power used by an HVACR system compressor and other system operating parameters to detect problems early in the failure cycle, i.e., before a failure has progressed to requiring a system shutdown or causing damage to other components. Additionally, a control system and method provide sensorless detection of various HVACR system faults, such as, for example, loss of refrigerant or a refrigerant flow restriction, that impact the relationship between real power and current, voltage, temperature, or other operating parameters. Peripheral or remote control includes wired or wireless system monitoring and parameter programming using a personal digital assistant (PDA), for example utilizing IR communication between the PDA and the control and protection system.

A remote control system for a laundry appliance which includes a remote control device externally accessible via a communication network, the remote control device including a data base storing coping information used to cope with an abnormal condition occurring during operation of the laundry appliance, a laundry appliance control device connected via the communication network to the remote control device so as to transmit information about an abnormal condition via the communication network to the remote control device when the abnormal condition has occurred in the laundry appliance, and an analyzer for analyzing the coping information corresponding to the abnormal condition in the laundry appliance to infer a cause of the abnormal condition of the laundry appliance. When the analyzer analyzes a plurality of pieces of the analytic information, a higher priority is given to the analytic information corresponding to a cause of the abnormal condition with a larger number of times of occurrence.

Systems and methods for shut-down of a photovoltaic system. In one embodiment, a method implemented in a computer system includes: communicating, via a central controller, with a plurality of local management units (LMUs), each of the LMUs coupled to control a respective solar module; receiving, via the central controller, a shut-down signal from a user device (e.g., a hand-held device, a computer, or a wireless switch unit); and in response to receiving the shut-down signal, shutting down operation of the respective solar module for each of the LMUs.

Control systems and methods for controlling certain systems, devices, and apparatus are described. A control system may include a memory and at least one processor. The memory may be operable to store both a Foundation Fieldbus protocol that facilitates communication with one or more Foundation Fieldbus devices and a second protocol that facilitates communication with one or more control devices. The at least one processor may be operable to access both the Foundation Fieldbus protocol and the second protocol, and to control the one or more Foundation Fieldbus devices and the one or more control devices. A network may facilitate communications between the at least one processor and both the one or more Foundation Fieldbus devices using the Foundation Fieldbus protocol and the one or more control devices using the second protocol.

A valve actuator having an electric drive motor with a motor shaft and having an output shaft linked to the motor shaft to drive movement of a valve, the actuator further having a control system arranged to provide a first closed loop control of the actuator output shaft and including a controller coupled to a first position sensor to sense the position of the actuator output shaft, and to a second position sensor to sense the position of the motor shaft and to enable determination of the speed of the motor shaft, the control system being configured to respond to sensed signals from the first and second sensors and adjust the motor speed / position accordingly.

The present invention relates to a wireless home automation system having controllers for controlling a broad variety of functions via two-way communication with a plurality of devices. More specifically, the invention relates to sharing information related to the system between controllers, e.g. by updating a second controller with the newly learned information of a first controller, or by replicating a controller by making a second controller a complete copy of a first controller. The information can be shared by generating and transmitting, with a first controller, a list of device identifiers of devices controlled by the first controller to a second controller. The list is received by the second controller and stored in a memory of the second controller dedicated to store device identifiers of devices controlled by the second controller. This function proves advantageous when new controllers are introduced or if a controller is lost, worn out, or destroyed.

An architecture for an automation system is disclosed that includes look-up services, a soft-state store, and a publication / subscription eventing component. The look-up services maintain a database of a number of devices to be controlled and monitored, and a database of a number of device objects corresponding to the devices. The services can be divided into attribute-based and name-based services. The soft-state store manages variables regarding the devices and the device objects, including heartbeats. The eventing component enables subscriptions to events related to changes in the variables. The architecture can include management daemons, such as a monitoring daemon that detects problems with power line devices.