Abstract: A modular ink absorbent system for channeling waste ink spit from a printhead in an inkjet printing mechanism to a permanent storage location while isolating the ink from contaminating other components in the mechanism. An absorbent core has a spit target that receives the waste ink and an exit surface. A pair of support walls of a flexible or rigid, fluid impervious material sandwich the core between them. The exit surface is in fluid communication with the storage location and the support walls channel the ink from the target surface to the permanent storage location. The support walls have mounting structures which mate easily with mounting structures on the printer service station frame to accurately locate the target from the printhead. A method of conducting ink spit through a printing mechanism, along with an inkjet printing mechanism having such a modular ink absorbent system, are also provided.

Abstract: A characteristic extraction apparatus relates location data about a location which a moving object, such as a human being, etc., visits, to situation data representing a situation at a time when the moving object visits the location and records the data. Then, it analyzes the recorded data, extracts the characteristic, such as a preference, a movement pattern, etc., of the moving object, and presents it to a user.

Abstract: An image acquiring section acquires a pattern image of a sample. A figure creating section creates a figure, which reflects a shape of the micropattern, on the basis of the pattern image. A density distribution data acquiring section acquires density distribution data on a straight line perpendicular to a tangential line of an outline of the figure. An edge detecting section detects pattern edge coordinates from the density distribution data. A pattern shape measuring section measures a shape of the micropattern on the basis of the pattern edge coordinates.

Abstract: A system for automatic headlight leveling control in a motor vehicle has two level sensors which are offset in the longitudinal direction for measuring the vehicle body pitch angle in the form of a level difference. An electronic control unit determines a desired value for the headlight adjustment as a function of the first derivative of the directly measured or further processed level difference. In one embodiment of the invention, electronic control unit determines a static level difference and a dynamic level difference, and the desired value is determined as a function of the first derivative or the second derivative of the dynamic level difference.

Abstract: To allocate products for machines on a manufacturing line, provide a standard test time. Minimize total test time with respect to production scheduling. Form a supply demand matrix table for products and machines for product allocation. Find the grid location with minimum testing time. Provide maximum time allocation from a machine at the corresponding position on the matrix table. Determine the grid location with the next minimum testing time. Loop back to provide a maximum allocation of remaining time from the corresponding machine and repeat looping back until no demand is left. Find need for an optimum testing process by testing whether only one machine can test the product and no quantity is allocated to a machine. If YES branch to calculate utilization per machine. If NO, decide whether NCOL+NLIN−1=NVB. If YES perform optimum testing. If NO, branch to calculate machine utilization per machine.

Abstract: A method for determining the flatness of a material strip and a device for performing the method. The method and device solve the technical problem of calculating the strip elongation from values of the strip contour and thus determining the flatness of the material strip. This problem is solved according to the present invention by a method in which, from the changes of slope values measured at a plurality of measurement points, the wavelength and phase of these changes are calculated. Therefrom there is calculated the position of at least one extremum, at which the measured slope values have only a transverse component. The slopes are summed to calculate a contour, from which the amplitude is calculated. The strip elongation as a measure of the flatness of the material strip is then determined from the wavelength and amplitude.

Abstract: A method of load shedding wherein a series of load shedding thermostats are mounted in building serviced by a utility. Each thermostat contains an addressable processor arranged to receive different code inputs form the utility. Heat loss and load characteristics for buildings are calculated from measured indoor and outdoor temperature movements along with the equipment's duty cycle for a given period of time and the required setback temperature for a given coded input is set into the thermostat based upon heat loss and load characteristics of the building.

Abstract: An exemplary embodiment of the invention is a method and apparatus for calculating at least one confidence interval. The method comprises activating a calculator. The calculator prompts the user to enter at least three pairs of calibration data. The user then specifies a reference for the calibration data. The calculator then generates a list of the calibration data. The calculator then calculates a linear calibration curve derived from the calibration data. The calculator then calculates a residual calibration value plot derived from the calibration data. The user enters an unknown sample output measurement. The calculator calculates a back-calculated unknown sample input measurement. The calculator lastly calculates a confidence interval for the back-calculated unknown sample input measurement.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining lateral velocity of a vehicle (10) uses a controller (16) having a lateral velocity estimator (18) therein. A vehicle speed determination circuit (20) is used to determine the vehicle speed which is coupled to the controller (16). A yaw rate sensor (26) is used to generate a yaw rate signal, a lateral acceleration signal (28) is used to generate a lateral acceleration signal, and a roll angle sensor (30) is used to generate a roll angle signal that are each coupled to controller (16). The controller (16) measures an unbiased lateral velocity derivative and determines a fictitious lateral velocity estimation using the unbiased lateral velocity derivative. Using the fictitious error to drive a model based adaptive observer, an accurate lateral velocity determination may he made in spite of model uncertainties and measurement noise.

Abstract: A method for linearizing an amplifier to produce an amplified output signal from a set of carrier frequencies is disclosed in which a set of digital baseband signals corresponding to the set of carrier frequencies are combined to produce an extended digital baseband signal. Look-up values are then derived from the power values of the extended digital baseband signal and applied to a look-up table to obtain predistortion values. One or more predistorted signals are then produced by complex mixing the predistortion values with one of the set of extended digital baseband signals. The predistorted signal(s) are then amplified to produced an output signal which is linearly related to the set of digital baseband signals.

Abstract: The latent stress in a material can be measured using critically refracted longitudinal ultrasonic technique. The system uses a frame to hold a hydraulic piston. The piston is used to apply an adjustable force against the probes. A signal is initiated by a first transducer. The signal is angled against the piece under test so as to create a critically refracted wave along the piece. The delay time to receive the wave at a first and second probe is measured. The delay time correlates to a stress in the piece.

Abstract: A device for outputting stochastic process according to the present invention comprises a plurality of random variable output units, a normalizing unit, and a result output unit. Each of the random variable output units outputs a sequence of random variables whose limiting distribution obeys an explicit density function. The normalizing unit normalizes the sum of the random variables in the same row over the random variable sequences output by the random variable output units, and sequentially outputs the normalized values. The result output unit integrates the values sequentially output by the normalizing unit, and sequentially outputs the integrated values as result values in stochastic process. The random variable output units utilize a recurrence formula obtained by an addition formula of a tangent function, thus, efficient high speed simulation of the Lévy's stable processes is realized.

Abstract: A radiation-curable ink, a method of making the ink, a thermal transfer printer ribbon having a radiation-curable ink layer, and a thermal transfer printer with an actinic energy source are provided. A method of thermal transfer printing using an ink ribbon having radiation-curable components is also provided. The radiation curable components of the ink can be thermally dried and are cured after printing of an image on a receiving article.

Abstract: A service provider remotely load-tests web sites or other transactional servers over the Internet using a hosted service. The service is particularly useful for load testing a web site or web site application that has not yet been deployed. Initially, the owner or operator of the web site (“customer”) registers with the service through an online registration process. The customer also makes a staged implementation of the web site accessible to the service provider over the Internet. Using information remotely obtained from the customer during registration, the service provider develops the load test and then executes the load test from a remote server farm. The server farm preferably has sufficient processing power to simulate tens or hundreds of thousands of concurrent users. The customer may also have the opportunity to participate in the load testing process using a hosted collaboration application.

Abstract: A measuring instrument includes a first temperature sensor, a second temperature sensor and circuitry. The first and second temperature sensors each generate a signal indicative of the temperature of a medium being detected. The circuitry is configured to activate verification of temperature being sensed with the first sensor. According to one construction, the first temperature sensor comprises at least one thermocouple temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor comprises an optical temperature sensor, each sensor measuring temperature over the same range of temperature, but using a different physical phenomena. Also according to one construction, the circuitry comprises a computer configured to detect failure of one of the thermocouples by comparing temperature of the optical temperature sensor with each of the thermocouple temperature sensors. Even further, an output control signal is generated via a fuzzy inference machine and control apparatus.

Abstract: A time-varying image of a circulating venue containing a flow of particles is generated by imaging using a video camera and a digital frame grabber. Spatio-temporal intensity gradients within each of the images are generated. Particles are then identified within the images. A particle is matched with a corresponding identical particle from other images using, for example, a heuristic equation that measures similarity of shape, size, and position. The distance of translation of the matched particle from one image to another is determined. Leukocyte velocity is determined by dividing the translation distance by the time differential between the images. The first five statistical moments of frequency distribution of the velocity may also be determined.

Abstract: In a logic analyzer or similar binary signal-analyzing instrument, hardware circuitry, such as an ASIC, or other dedicated hardware, is used to perform waveform compression and summarization more rapidly than it could be done by software alone. The hardware is used to perform the compression of the data and to summarize its behavior for visual display. In one embodiment, the hardware starts from a given memory address and compares current timestamp values with final timestamp values to determine the length of the timeslice. Within the timeslice, all of the data is compared to determine whether it remains the same throughout the timeslice or whether it changes. The same approach can be used on violation data, such as glitches and setup and hold violations.

Abstract: A method for determining bag size to adequately accommodate a food product filled into a ba y a form and fill machine, and subsequently determining the appropriate case pack configuration. The method efficiently and accurately determines a bag size that is large enough to accommodate the product that falls into the bag without interfering with the sealing process of the bag and while determining the appropriate amount of fill within the bag. The method uses various empirically determined relationships from historical bag sizing trials for a specific product and applies these relationships to a series of models in order to solve for a bag length. The method eliminates the need for costly and time-consuming bag sizing trials.

Abstract: The recording apparatus and the recording method of the invention are provided with a recording head for ejecting ink onto a recording medium, a scanning section for moving the recording head in a predetermined direction to scan the recording medium and a correction section for controlling an ejection timing of the ink according to a discrepancy information on the recording medium to correct landing positions of the ink droplet on the recording medium. The discrepancy information on the recording medium represents a deviation of a paper-nozzle distance from a reference value. The paper-nozzle distance represents a distance from a nozzle portion of the recording head to the opposing recording medium. The recording apparatus and the recording method of the invention can correct the droplet landing position on the surface of the paper in the scan direction and produce an image with little dot position deviation.

Abstract: A pressure transmitter with first and second absolute pressure sensors receives process pressures from corresponding first and second process inlets. A transmitter circuit coupled to the first and second absolute pressure sensors generates a differential pressure type output. A third absolute pressure sensor coupled to the transmitter circuit receives atmospheric pressure from a third inlet. The transmitter circuit generates a second type of transmitter output that can be a gage or absolute pressure type. Single crystal. sapphire pressure sensors are preferred to provide enough accuracy for measuring accurately over 200:1 pressure range.