Author: claimsbot

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
building a central repository of data structures, the data structures provided to the central repository by hardware entities of a computing device; and
displaying hardware configuration settings of the hardware entities using a browser, the hardware configuration settings based at least in part on the data structures provided to the central repository.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising changing at least one of the hardware configuration settings in response to input received via the browser.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying the hardware configuration settings includes displaying the hardware configuration settings of the hardware entities using the browser running on a remote console communicatively coupled to the computing device via a network.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying further includes displaying hardware configuration settings based at least in part on the data structures and nonvolatile data associated with the hardware entities.
5. The method of claim 2 wherein building the central repository further includes providing the central repository with the data structures being described using a language convertible to a markup language.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein the markup language is an extensible markup language (XML).
7. The method of claim 6 wherein displaying the hardware configuration settings includes executing a translator on the computing device, the translator to convert the data structures into the XML prior to displaying the hardware configuration settings using the browser.
8. The method of claim 6 wherein changing at least one of the hardware configuration settings includes executing a translator on the computing device, the translator to update nonvolatile data associated with the hardware entities with XML data received from the browser.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the hardware entities include at least one of a motherboard and an add-in card of the computing device.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying hardware configuration settings includes displaying policy settings of the hardware entities of the computing device using the browser, the policy settings based at least in part on the data structures provided to the central repository.
11. The method of claim 1 wherein building the central repository of the data structures includes building the central repository in a system memory of the computing device, the data structures obtained from binaries being stored in option read only memories (ROMs) of the hardware entities, the central repository being built during a pre-boot runtime of the computing device.
12. A method, comprising:
converting hardware configuration settings being stored in firmware of a computing device to a markup language; and
conveying the markup language to a browser to display the hardware configuration settings in the browser.
13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:
changing at least one of the hardware configuration settings stored in the firmware in response to input received via the browser.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein the browser is a web browser executing on a remote console communicatively coupled to the computing device via a network.
15. A computer-accessible medium that provides instructions that, if executed by a computing device, will cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:
generating a browser page to display hardware configuration settings of hardware entities of a computing device using a browser, the hardware configuration settings based at least in part on data structures provided by the hardware entities; and
changing at least one of the hardware configuration settings in response to input received via the browser.
16. The computer-accessible medium of claim 15 wherein the instructions for generating the browser page further include instructions to generate the browser page to be displayed in a web browser of a remote console communicatively coupled to the computing device via a network.
17. The computer-accessible medium of claim 15 wherein the instructions for generating the browser page further include instructions to display the hardware configuration settings based at least in part on the data structures and nonvolatile data associated with the hardware entities.
18. The computer-accessible medium of claim 15 wherein the data structures are described using a language convertible to a markup language.
19. The computer-accessible medium of claim 18 wherein the markup language is an extensible markup language (XML).
20. The computer-accessible medium of claim 19 wherein the instructions for generating the browser page include instructions to execute a translator to convert the data structures into the XML prior to generating the browser page to display the hardware configuration settings.
21. The computer-accessible medium of claim 15, wherein the hardware entities include at least one of a motherboard and an add-in card of the computing device.
22. The computer-accessible medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions for generating the browser page include instructions to generate the browser page during a pre-boot runtime of the computing device.
23. A system, comprising:
a computing device, including:
a processor;
multiple hardware entities communicatively coupled to the processor; and
a nonvolatile memory unit coupled to the processor, the nonvolatile memory unit having stored therein a translator to be executed by the processor, the translator to convert data structures corresponding to the multiple hardware entities into a markup language to generate a browser page to display hardware configuration settings of the multiple hardware entities in a browser.
24. The system of claim 23, further comprising:
a network communicatively coupled to the computing device; and
a remote console communicatively coupled to the network, the browser to execute on the remote console, the translator to update nonvolatile data associated with at least one of the hardware entities in response to markup language data received from the browser.
25. The system of claim 24, wherein the browser is a web browser.
26. The system of claim 23 wherein the browser is to be executed by the computing device and wherein the translator to update nonvolatile data associated with at least one of the hardware entities in response to markup language data received from the browser.
27. The system of claim 23 wherein the hardware entities each include a firmware unit, the firmware units of the hardware entities having the data structures stored therein as binaries, the binaries to be contributed as the data structures to a central repository.
28. The system of claim 27 wherein the binaries are to be contributed as the data structures to the central repository during a pre-boot runtime of the computing device.
29. The system of claim 23 wherein the nonvolatile memory unit comprises a firmware unit of a motherboard of the computing device.
30. The system of claim 23 wherein the nonvolatile memory unit comprises a hard disk of the computing device.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A motor drive circuit, comprising:
an output transistor configured to supply a drive current to a drive coil of a motor configured to cause a fan to rotate so as to blow air to cool an object to be cooled;
a switching control circuit configured to control switching of the output transistor so that the motor rotates in a first direction to cool the object to be cooled, or rotates in a second direction opposite to the first direction;
a switching circuit
configured to, when a first time has elapsed since start of rotation of the motor in the first direction, cause the switching control circuit to start switching control so that the motor stops rotating in the first direction and thereafter rotates in the second direction, and
configured to, when a second time has elapsed since start of rotation of the motor in the second direction, cause the switching control circuit to start switching control so that the motor stops rotating in the second direction and thereafter rotates in the first direction,

the switching control circuit including
a pulse width modulation circuit configured to generate a pulse width modulation signal, whose duty is increased in a gradual manner until reaching a predetermined duty ratio, in a case where switching control is started so that the motor rotates in the first direction or in the second direction, the predetermined duty ratio indicating a target rotating speed of the motor, wherein

the pulse width modulation circuit includes:
a frequency dividing circuit configured to be inputted with a first clock signal having a 12 duty ratio, frequency-divide the first clock signal, and output one or more second clock signals each of which has a period 2n times (n representing natural number) as long as a period of the first clock signal, and wherein
the pulse width modulation circuit generates, based on the first and the second clock signals, the pulse width modulation signal whose duty ratio is increased by 12n+1 each; and
a switching signal generating circuit configured to generate a switching signal according to the pulse width modulation signal, to be supplied to the output transistor.
2. The motor drive circuit of claim 1, wherein
the first time is equal to or greater than the second time, and wherein
the predetermined duty ratio when the motor rotates in the second direction is equal to or greater than the predetermined duty ratio when the motor rotates in the first direction.
3. The motor drive circuit of claim 2, wherein
the switching circuit causes the switching control circuit to perform switching control so that the motor rotates only in the first direction when a temperature of the object to be cooled is equal to or greater than a predetermined temperature.
4. The motor drive circuit of claim 1, wherein
the switching circuit causes the switching control circuit to perform switching control so that the motor rotates only in the first direction when a temperature of the object to be cooled is equal to or greater than a predetermined temperature.
5. An illumination apparatus comprising:
the motor drive circuit of claim 1;
an illumination element as the object to be cooled;
an illumination element drive circuit configured to drive the illumination element; and
a power supply circuit configured to supply power supply voltages to the motor drive circuit and the illumination element drive circuit.

We claim:

1. A motorized golf bag cart, comprising:
a. a handle;
b. a base frame attached to said handle, said base frame comprising:
i. a first tube with a longitudinal axis extending substantially in a direction of travel of said cart; and
ii. a second tube with a longitudinal axis extending substantially in the direction of travel of said cart, said second tube being telescopically received within said first tube such that said second tube can be selectively extended and retracted relative to said first tube between respective base frame operative and storage positions, said base frame including a battery storage area for supporting a storage battery when in said extended, base frame operative position which battery storage area collapses when said base frame is in said retracted, storage position;

c. a motor supported on said base frame;
d. a pair of support wheels attached to respective support axles which are, in turn, attachable to said base frame;
e. a pair of drive wheels attached to respective opposite ends of a drive power axle which is, in turn, attached to said base frame;
f. a transmission which transmits power from said motor to said drive power axle; and
g. said storage battery is removably supported on said base frame such that it is connectable to provide a source of electrical energy to said motor.
2. A motorized golf bag cart as in claim 1, said base frame further comprising:
a. a pair of pin receiving apertures in said second tube;
b. a locking pin receptacle positioned on said first tube above a locking pin opening in said first tube; and
c. a spring loaded locking pin positioned within said receptacle, said locking pin being movable between a retracted, release position in which it is removed from engagement with said second tube and an extended, locking position in which it engages a selected one of said locking pin apertures in said second tube such that said second tube can be selectively locked in either said extended or retracted position.
3. A motorized golf bag cart as in claim 1, said base frame further comprising:
a. a transverse hollow tube which extends in a direction transverse to said first and second tubes, said transverse hollow tube having respective opposite open ends which telescopically accommodate respective ones of said support axles such that they can each be selectively extended and retracted between respective operative and storage positions.
4. A motorized golf bag cart as in claim 3, and further comprising:
a. a pair of pin receiving apertures in each of said support axles;
b. a pair of locking pin receptacles positioned on said transverse hollow tube above respective locking pin openings in said transverse hollow tube; and
c. a pair of spring loaded locking pins with one of said locking pins being positioned within each of said receptacles, each said locking pin being movable between a retracted, release position in which it is removed from engagement with a respective one of said support axles and an extended, locking position in which it engages a selected one of said locking pin apertures in said respective one of said support axles such that said support axles can be selectively locked in either said extended or retracted position.
5. A motorized golf bag cart as in claim 1, said base frame further comprising:
a. a pair of transverse hollow tubes, each of which extends in a direction transverse to said first and second tubes, each of said transverse hollow tube having an open end which telescopically accommodates a respective one of said support axles such that each support axle can be selectively extended and retracted between respective operative and storage positions.
6. A motorized golf bag cart as in claim 5, and further comprising:
a. a pair of pin receiving apertures in each of said support axles;
b. a locking pin receptacle positioned on each of said pair of transverse hollow tubes above a respective locking pin opening therein; and
c. a spring loaded locking pin positioned within each said receptacle, each said locking pin being movable between a retracted, release position in which it is removed from engagement with a respective one of said support axles and an extended, locking position in which it engages a selected one of said locking pin apertures in said respective one of said support axles such that each of said support axles can be selectively locked in either said extended or retracted position.
7. A motorized golf bag cart as in claim 1, and further comprising:
a. an upstanding post forming a part of said base frame;
b. a first pivot support attached to said post near an upper end thereof;
c. a bag rest arm attached to the pivot support such that it is pivotable with respect to said post between an extended, operative position and a retracted, storage position;
d. a second pivot support attached to the bag rest; and
e. said handle is an articulating handle attached to the second pivot support such that it is pivotable between an extended, operative position and a retracted, storage position.
8. A motorized golf bag cart, comprising:
a. a pair of support wheels attached to respective support axles;
b. a handle;
c. a base frame attached to said handle, said base frame comprising:
i. a pair of transverse hollow tubes, each of which extends in a direction substantially transverse to a direction of travel of said cart, each of said transverse hollow tubes having an open end which telescopically accommodates a respective one of said pair of support axles such that each support axle can be selectively extended and retracted between respective operative and storage positions;

d. a motor supported on said base frame;
e. a pair of drive wheels attached to respective opposite ends of a drive power axle which is, in turn, attached to said base frame;
f. a transmission which transmits power from said motor to said drive power axle; and
g. a storage battery removably supported on said base frame such that it is connectable to provide a source of electrical energy to said motor.
9. A motorized golf bag cart as in claim 8, said base frame further comprising:
a. a first tube with a longitudinal axis extending substantially in a direction of travel of said cart; and
b. a second tube with a longitudinal axis extending substantially in the direction of travel of said cart, said second tube being telescopically received within said first tube such that said second tube can be selectively extended and retracted relative to said first tube between respective base frame operative and storage positions, said base frame including a battery storage area for supporting said storage battery when in said extended, base frame operative position which battery storage area collapses when said base frame is in said retracted, storage position.
10. A motorized golf bag cart as in claim 9, said base frame further comprising:
a. a pair of pin receiving apertures in said second tube;
b. a locking pin receptacle positioned on said first tube above a locking pin opening in said first tube; and
c. a spring loaded locking pin positioned within said receptacle, said locking pin being movable between a retracted, release position in which it is removed from engagement with said second tube and an extended, locking position in which it engages a selected one of said locking pin apertures in said second tube such that said second tube can be selectively locked in either said extended or retracted position.
11. A motorized golf bag cart as in claim 8, and further comprising:
a. a pair of pin receiving apertures in each of said support axles;
b. a locking pin receptacle positioned on each of said pair of transverse hollow tubes above a respective locking pin opening therein; and
c. a spring loaded locking pin positioned within each said receptacle, each said locking pin being movable between a retracted, release position in which it is removed from engagement with a respective one of said support axles and an extended, locking position in which it engages a selected one of said locking pin apertures in said respective one of said support axles such that each of said support axles can be selectively locked in either said extended or retracted position.
12. A motorized golf bag cart as in claim 8, and further comprising:
a. an upstanding post forming a part of said base frame;
b. a first pivot support attached to said post near an upper end thereof;
c. a bag rest arm attached to the pivot support such that it is pivotable with respect to said post between an extended, operative position and a retracted, storage position;
d. a second pivot support attached to the bag rest; and
e. said handle is an articulating handle attached to the second pivot support such that it is pivotable between an extended, operative position and a retracted, storage position.
13. A motorized golf bag cart, comprising:
a. a pair of support wheels attached to respective support axles;
b. a handle;
c. a base frame attached to said handle, said base frame comprising:
i. a pair of transverse hollow tubes, each of which extends in a direction substantially transverse to a direction of travel of said cart, each of said transverse hollow tubes having an open end which telescopically accommodates a respective one of said pair of support axles such that each support axle can be selectively extended and retracted between respective operative and storage positions;
ii. a first tube with a longitudinal axis extending substantially in a direction of travel of said cart; and
iii. a second tube with a longitudinal axis extending substantially in the direction of travel of said cart, said second tube being telescopically received within said first tube such that said second tube can be selectively extended and retracted relative to said first tube between respective base frame operative and storage positions;

d. a motor supported on said base frame;
e. a pair of drive wheels attached to respective opposite ends of a drive power axle which is, in turn, attached to said base frame;
f. a transmission which transmits power from said motor to said drive power axle; and
g. a storage battery removably supported on said base frame such that it is connectable to provide a source of electrical energy to said motor, said battery being supported in a battery storage area formed in said base frame when said base frame first and second tubes are telescopically extended to said base frame operative position, said battery storage area collapsing when said base frame first and second tubes are in said retracted, storage position.
14. A motorized golf bag cart as in claim 13, said base frame further comprising:
a. a pair of pin receiving apertures in said second tube;
b. a locking pin receptacle positioned on said first tube above a locking pin opening in said first tube; and
c. a spring loaded locking pin positioned within said receptacle, said locking pin being movable between a retracted, release position in which it is removed from engagement with said second tube and an extended, locking position in which it engages a selected one of said locking pin apertures in said second tube such that said second tube can be selectively locked in either said extended or retracted position.
15. A motorized golf bag cart as in claim 13, and further comprising:
a. a pair of pin receiving apertures in each of said support axles;
b. a locking pin receptacle positioned on each of said pair of transverse hollow tubes above a respective locking pin opening therein; and
c. a spring loaded locking pin positioned within each said receptacle, each said locking pin being movable between a retracted, release position in which it is removed from engagement with a respective one of said support axles and an extended, locking position in which it engages a selected one of said locking pin apertures in said respective one of said support axles such that each of said support axles can be selectively locked in either said extended or retracted position.
16. A motorized golf bag cart as in claim 13, and further comprising:
a. an upstanding post forming a part of said base frame;
b. a first pivot support attached to said post near an upper end thereof;
c. a bag rest arm attached to the pivot support such that it is pivotable with respect to said post between an extended, operative position and a retracted, storage position;
d. a second pivot support attached to the bag rest; and
e. said handle is an articulating handle attached to the second pivot support such that it is pivotable between an extended, operative position and a retracted, storage position.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A control system comprising:
a mechanical mechanism;
a force sensor that has N (N is an integer equal to or more than two) triaxial force sensor units, acquires unit output values to which values resulting from the mechanical mechanism have been added from the respective triaxial force sensor units of the N triaxial force sensor units, and outputs force sense values based on the unit output values;
a force sense value corrector that corrects the force sense values based on the force sense values output by the force sensor; and
a controller that performs control of mechanical equipment including the mechanical mechanism based on the force sense values corrected in the force sense value corrector.
2. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the force sensor outputs information containing the unit output values output from the respective triaxial force sensor units of the N triaxial force sensor units as the force sense values, and
the force sense value corrector estimates a location of the center of mass of the mechanical mechanism based on the unit output values contained in the force sense values, and performs the correction processing based on the estimated location of the center of mass.
3. The control system according to claim 2, wherein the force sense value corrector obtains N force vectors corresponding to forces respectively detected by the N triaxial force sensor units from the unit output values contained in the force sense values, estimates a mass of the mechanical mechanism based on a magnitude of a resultant vector of the obtained N force vectors, and performs the correction processing based on the estimated mass.
4. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the force sensor has three or more triaxial force sensor units.
5. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the force sensor has four or more triaxial force sensor units.
6. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the force sensor has at least two triaxial force sensor units,
the force sense value corrector performs processing of estimating the location of the center of mass of the mechanical mechanism according to first force sense values output from the force sensor based on the unit output values from the two triaxial force sensor units in a first position of the mechanical equipment,
the controller performs control of changing the position of the mechanical equipment to a second position different from the first position if a determination that the estimation of the location of the center of mass is impossible has been made by the force sense value corrector, and
after the controller controls the mechanical equipment to be in the second position, the force sense value corrector estimates the location of the center of mass of the mechanical mechanism according to second force sense values output from the force sensor based on the unit output values from the two triaxial force sensor units, and performs the correction processing based on the estimated location of the center of mass.
7. The control system according to claim 2, wherein the force sense value corrector estimates the location of the center of mass by obtaining a least squares solution of the location of the center of mass of the mechanical mechanism using a normalization equation.
8. The control system according to claim 7, wherein the force sense value corrector performs singular value decomposition on the normalization equation, and determines whether the estimation of the location of the center of mass is possible based on the number of singular values obtained by the singular value decomposition.
9. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the force sensor is a six-axial force sensor that acquires three values as the unit output values from the respective triaxial force sensor units of the N triaxial force sensor units, and thereby, acquires 3\xd7N values, calculates translational forces Fx, Fy, Fz of X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis and moment Mx, My, Mz around the respective axes based on the acquired 3\xd7N values, and outputs information containing the calculated Fx, Fy, Fz and Mx, My, Mz as the force sense values.
10. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the force sense value corrector performs the correction processing based on a plurality of the force sense values obtained in a plurality of the positions of the mechanical equipment.
11. The control system according to claim 1, further comprising a position information acquirer that acquires position information of a variable part of the mechanical mechanism,
wherein the force sense value corrector estimates the location of the center of mass of the variable part and performs the correction processing based on the position information of the variable part.
12. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the mechanical equipment is a robot,
the mechanical mechanism is an end effector of the robot,
the force sense value corrector has N of the triaxial force sensor units, acquires the force sense values from the force sensor provided in correspondence with the end effector of the robot, and performs correction processing of the acquired force sense values, and
the controller performs control of the robot and the end effector based on the force sense values after the correction processing.
13. A program causing a computer to function as
a force sense value corrector that acquires force sense values from a force sensor provided in correspondence with a mechanical mechanism of mechanical equipment and performs correction processing of the force sense values, and
a controller that performs control of the mechanical equipment and the mechanical mechanism based on the force sense values after the correction processing,
wherein the force sensor has N (N is an integer equal to or more than two) triaxial force sensor units, and
the force sense value corrector performs the correction processing according to the force sense values output from the force sensor based on unit output values from the N triaxial force sensor units.
14. A method of controlling mechanical equipment comprising:
acquiring force sense values from a force sensor provided in correspondence with a mechanical mechanism of the mechanical equipment and having N (N is an integer equal to or more than two) triaxial force sensor units;
performing correction processing on the acquired force sense values;
performing control of the mechanical equipment and the mechanical mechanism based on the force sense values after the correction processing; and
performing processing of correcting the force sense values as the correction processing according to the force sense values output from the force sensor based on unit output values from the N triaxial force sensor units.