41945544
A system for analyzing automatic assembly and disassembly operations
A system for evaluating products in their design phase has been developed. It is integrated into a CAD/CAM environment to calculate cost for assembling and disassembling parts. In previous work, a generic assembly and disassembly model was developed to represent operations required for product manufacturing and demanufacturing. To be useful, the model requires a method for translating high-level instructions from product designers into low-level assembly and disassembly instructions. This paper presents a set of rules for accomplishing this task. The developed rules are used for manipulating strings representing parts and handlers in binary assembly and disassembly operations. A telephone assembly and disassembly simulation is used to illustrate the developed system.
10484740
Labeling Points on a Single Line
In this paper, we consider a map labeling problem where the points to be labeled are restricted on a line. It is known that the 1d-4P and the 1d-4S unit-square label placement problem and the Slope-4P unit-square label placement problem can both be solved in linear time and the Slope-4S unit-square label placement problem can be solved in quadratic time in Ref. [8]. We extend the result to the following label placement problem: Slope-4P fixed-height (width) label or elastic label placement problem and present a linear time algorithm for it provided that the input points are given sorted. We further show that if the points are not sorted, the label placement problems have a lower bound of Ω(n log n), where n is the input size, under the algebraic computation tree model. Optimization versions of these point labeling problems are also considered.
18326125
Finding Rectilinear Paths Among Obstacles in a Two-Layer Interconnection Model
Finding the best rectilinear path with respect to the bends and teh lengths of paths connecting two given points in the presence of rectilinear obstacles in a two-layer model is studied in this paper. In this model, rectilinear obstacles on each layer are specified separately, and the orientation of routing in each layer is fixed. An algorithm is presented to transform any problem instance in the two-layer model to one in a one-layer model, so that almost all algorithms for finding rectilinear paths among obstacles in the plane can be applied. The transformation algorithm runs in O(e log e) time where e is the number of edges on obstacles lying on both layers. A direct graph-theoretic approach to finding a shortest path in the two-layer model, which is easier to implement is also presented. The algorithm runs in O(e log2 e) time.
37965905
Rectilinear Paths among Rectilinear Obstacles
Given a set of obstacles and two distinguished points in the plane the problem of finding a collision-free path subject to a certain optimization function is a fundamental problem that arises in many fields, such as motion planning in robotics, wire routing in VLSI and logistics in operations research. In this survey we emphasize its applications to VLSI design and limit ourselves to the rectilinear domain in which the goal path to be computed and the underlying obstacles are all rectilinearly oriented, i.e., the segments are either horizontal or vertical. We consider different routing environments, and various optimization criteria pertaining to VLSI design, and provide a survey of results that have been developed in the past, present current results and give open problems for future research.
16325574
Finding an Approximate Minimum-Link Visibility Path Inside a Simple Polygon
34901507
A faster algorithm for rubber-band equivalent transformation for planar VLSI layouts
In this paper we consider the problem of transforming a single-layer topological routing of n two-terminal nets into a rubber-band equivalent using rectilinear wires in the presence of rectilinear circuit modules. Given a topological planar VLSI layout sketch with |F| features and |W| noncrossing wire segments connecting n two-terminal nets, we present an O(|F|/spl middot/|W|) time algorithm to do the vertex-disjoint rubber-band equivalent transformation of these n nets if it exists. The algorithm consists of two phases, computing a loose homotopy with four spokes matrices, and computing a vertex-disjoint rubber-band equivalent of the given homotopy, each phase taking O(|F|/spl middot/|W|) time and space. Both complexities are asymptotically optimal in the worst case. From the vertex-disjoint rubber-band equivalent of the given homotopy, one can obtain the detailed routing within the same time complexity. Experimental results are also presented.
206055518
Approximate evaluations of characteristic polynomials of Boolean functions
Motivated by combinational circuit verification and testing, we study the approximate evaluation of characteristic polynomials of Boolean functions. We consider an oracle model in which the values of the characteristic polynomials are approximated using the evaluations of the corresponding Boolean functions. The approximation error is defined in the worst case, average case and randomized settings. We derive lower bounds on the approximation errors in terms of the number of Boolean function evaluations. We design algorithms with an error that matches the lower bound. Let k(e,n) denote the minimal number of Boolean function evaluations needed to reduce the initial error by a factor of e where n is the number of Boolean variables. We show that k(e,n) is exponential in n in the worst and average case settings, and that it is independent of n and of order e−2 in the randomized setting.
16301640
A stereo vision-based aid for the visually impaired
This paper describes a portable vision-based obstacle detection system, intended for use by blind people. The system combines an obstacle detection system designed for AGVs with recalibration of ground position and a Kalman Filter based model of the person's walking movement. The system uses stereo vision. Obstacle detection is achieved through comparison of the disparity seen with that expected from the position of the ground. Recalibration of ground position is made by plane fitting in the ground region. Motion estimation using two visual methods and the use of an inclinometer is described. The results show satisfactory success in all parts of the system.
16966197
Integrated system interoperability testing with applications to VoIP
This work has been motivated by the need to test interoperability of systems carrying voice calls over the IP network. The voice over IP (VoIP) systems must be integrated and interoperate with the existing public switched telephone network (PSTN) before they are widely adopted. Standards have been developed to address this problem, but unfortunately different standards bodies and commercial consortiums have defined different standards. Furthermore, the prevailing VoIP standard such as H.323 is incomplete, complex, and presents the implementers with "vendors latitudes". As a result, there is no guarantee that the integrated VoIP systems would interoperate properly even if the implementations are all H.323-compliant. Thus interoperability testing has become indispensable. We want to test all the system interoperations by exercising all the required patterns of "interoperating behaviors". On the other hand, test execution in real environment is expensive, and we want to minimize the number of tests while maintaining the coverage. We present a general method for automatic generation of test cases, which cover all the required system interoperations and contain a minimal number of tests. We study data structures and efficient test generation algorithms, which take time proportional to the total test case size. Finally, we report experimental results on VoIP systems.
1430708
Towards a mechanized metatheory of standard ML
We present an internal language with equivalent expressive power to Standard ML, and discuss its formalization in LF and the machine-checked verification of its type safety in Twelf. The internal language is intended to serve as the target of elaboration in an elaborative semantics for Standard ML in the style of Harper and Stone. Therefore, it includes all the programming mechanisms necessary to implement Standard ML, including translucent modules, abstraction, polymorphism, higher kinds, references, exceptions, recursive types, and recursive functions. Our successful formalization of the proof involved a careful interplay between the precise formulations of the various mechanisms, and required the invention of new representation and proof techniques of general interest.
45853491
Testing Finite-State Machines: State Identification and Verification
We study the complexity of two fundamental problems in the testing of finite-state machines. 1) Distinguishing sequences (state identification). We show that it is PSPACE-complete to determine whether a finite-state machine has a preset distinguishing sequence. There are machines that have distinguishing sequences, but only of exponential length. We give a polynomial time algorithm that determines whether a finite-state machine has an adaptive distinguishing sequence. (The previous classical algorithms take exponential time.) Furthermore, if there is an adaptive distinguishing sequence, then we give an efficient algorithm that constructs such a sequence of length at most n(n/spl minus/1)/2 (which is the best possible), where n is the number of states. 2) Unique input output sequences (state verification). It is PSPACE-complete to determine whether a state of a machine has a unique input output sequence. There are machines whose states have unique input output sequences but only of exponential length. >