Automating Manufacturing Systems - Process Control and ...

plc glossary - 35.23
used to pull it low. This is commonly needed in CMOS devices.
pulse - a brief change in a digital signal.
purge bubbling - a test to determine the pressure needed to force a gas into a liquid.
PVC - poly vinyl chloride - a tough plastic commonly used in electrical and other applications.
pyrometer - a device for measuring temperature
35.17 Q
QA (Quality Assurance) - a formal system that has been developed to improve the quality of a product.
QFD (Quality Functional Deployment) - a matrix based method that focuses the designers on the significant
design problems.
quality - a measure of how well a product meets its specifications. Keep in mind that a product that exceeds
its specifications may not be higher quality.
quality circles - a team from all levels of a company that meets to discuss quality improvement. Each
members is expected to bring their own perspective to the meeting.
35.18 R
rack - a housing for holding electronics modules/cards.
rack fault - cards in racks often have error indicator lights that turn on when a fault has occurred. This allows
fast replacement.
radar () - radio waves are transmitted and reflected. The time between emission and detection determines the
distance to an object.
radiation - the transfer of energy or small particles (e.g., neutrons) directly through space.
radiation pyrometry - a technique for measuring temperature by detecting radiated heat.
radix - the base value of a numbering system. For example the radix of binary is 2.
RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks) - a method for robust disk storage that would allow removal
of any disk drive without the interruption of service, or loss of data.
RAM (Random Access Memory) - Computer memory that can be read from, and written to. This memory is
the main memory type in computers. The most common types are volatile - they lose their
contents when power is removed.
random noise - there are no periodic waveforms, frequency and magnitude vary randomly.
random-scan devices - draw an image by refreshing one line or vector at a time; hence they are also called
vector-scan or calligraphic devices. The image is subjected to flicker if there are more lines in the
scene that can be refreshed at the refresh rate.
Rankine - A temperature system that uses absolute 0 as the base, and the scale is the same as the Fahrenheit
scale.
raster devices - process pictures in parallel line scans. The picture is created by determining parts of the
scene on each scan line and painting the picture in scan-line order, usually from top to bottom.
Raster devices are not subject to flicker because they always scan the complete display on each
refresh, independent of the number of lines in the scene.
rated - this will be used with other terms to indicate suggested target/maximum/minimum values for
successful and safe operation.
RBOC (Regional Bell Operating Company) - A regional telephone company. These were originally created
after a US federal court split up the phone company into smaller units.
Read/Write (R/W) - a digital device that can store and retrieve data, such as RAM.
reagent - an chemical used in one or more chemical reactions. these are often used for identifying other
chemicals.