Patent ID: 6260188
Filing Date: 2001-07-10
Classification: A61F

Abstract:
A method of controlling a process having operating conditions, one or more inputs, and one or more outputs, the process defining parameters of the one or more outputs, the method comprising:(a) defining a first steady state set of first respective ones of the operating conditions representing one or more previously-specified acceptable operating parameters of the process;(b) defining a second steady state set of output conditions representing acceptable parameters of the one or more outputs;(c) operating the process, and routinely sampling output on the basis of a single output population model;(d) detecting destabilizing process events which result in output not representing acceptable output parameters;(e) defining one or more third sets of operating conditions according to which output is rejected and/or defining one or more fourth sets of output parameters according to which output is rejected;(f) upon detecting a destabilizing process event in step (d), temporarily implementing sampling assuming a dual population output, including1) automatically rejecting output whenever any one of the operating conditions or output parameters of step (e) is violated, thereby establishing a leading automatic output rejection and a trailing automatic output rejection, and thus defining an automatic output rejection period according to which output is automatically rejected in response to the destabilizing event, and2) defining a leading transition period proximate and before the automatic output rejection period, and a trailing transition period proximate and after the automatic output rejection period, the transition periods, overall, representing periods of higher than average risk that output will be defective; and(g) identifying output in at least one of the leading transition period and the trailing transition period.