Method and apparatus for changing and controlling characteristics of device

• US 6,941,176 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2001
• Issued: 09/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha (Yamaha Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha (Yamaha Corporation)
• Inventors: Kamihira, Ichikai, Kaji, Hirotaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Voeltz, Emanuel Todd
• Application Number:
  US09/840,679
• Publication Number:
  US 20020045958A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,597 Days
• Field of Search: 700/28, 700/32, 700/33, 700/34, 701/42, 701/58, 701/60, 701/68, 701/70, 701/85, 701/99, 701/103, 701/110
• US Class Current: 700/28
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0267 Fault communication, e.g. human machine interface [HMI]

Abstract

Real time customization of characteristics of a control unit is conducted, and a control unit can become adaptive to an individual user. The input-output relationship of the control module is regulated by pre-selected control parameters. A method includes the steps of: (a) calculating values of the control parameters; (b) operating the machine using the values of the control parameters; (c) indicating to the user the values of the control parameters in sensorially recognizable form; (d) indicating to the user an intuitively recognizable symbol generalizing the values of the control parameters; (e) selecting or modifying the values of the control parameters by the user using the information indicated in steps (c) and (d) based on the user'"'"'s evaluation of the performance of the machine; and (f) repeating steps (a) through (e) while operating the machine.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a machine operated by a user using a control module, the input-output relationship of said control module being regulated by pre-selected control parameters, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) calculating values of the control parameters;

(b) operating the machine using the values of the control parameters;

(c) indicating to the user the values of the control parameters in sensorially recognizable form;

(d) indicating to the user an intuitively recognizable symbol generalizing the values of the control parameters;

(e) selecting or modifying the values of the control parameters by the user using the information indicated in steps (c) and (d) based on the user'"'"'s evaluation of the performance of the machine, thereby modifying the input-output relationship of said control module; and

(f) repeating steps (a) through (e) while operating the machine to customize the input-output relationship of said control module.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein step (a) is conducted using evolutionary computing techniques.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein step (c) indicates the value of each control parameter in sensorially recognizable form.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein step (d) indicates one intuitively recognizable symbol generalizing the values of all of the control parameters.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, after step (f), repeating steps (a), (b), (c), and (e).

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the machine is a motor.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the control parameters are a static characteristic and a dynamic characteristic of the motor.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the selected values of the control parameters are saved in a detachable memory.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein in step (a), values of the control parameters is calculated by heuristic processing.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the heuristic processing is evolutionary computing.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the evolutionary computing is genetic algorithms or genetic programming.

9. An apparatus for controlling a machine operated by a user comprising:

(a) a control module for controlling performance of the machine, the input-output relationship of said control module being regulated by pre-selected control parameters;

(b) a parameter module for calculating values of the control parameters;

(c) an indicator for indicating to the user (i) the values of the control parameters in sensorially recognizable form and (ii) an intuitively recognizable symbol generalizing the values of the control parameters; and

(d) an input device for selecting or modifying the values of the control parameters by the user using the information indicated in the indicator, thereby modifying the input-output relationship of said control module.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the parameter module comprises an optimizer configured to optimize values of the control parameters using evolutionary computing techniques based on information from the input device.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the indicator indicates visual patterns.

12. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the machine is a motor.

13. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the control module controls the machine by outputting a controlled variable based on input information which includes at least one of a manipulated variable inputted from the user, environmental information, or information indicative of the performance of the machine.

14. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the sensorially recognizable form is in the form of figures, numbers, or graphs.

15. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the intuitively recognizable symbol is in the form of language expressions, identifiable drawings or patterns, or identifiable sounds or rhythms.