Abstract: A method may include determining whether the topology of a network includes a direct path between a first endpoint and a second endpoint in the network. A direct path may be used to send a first type of traffic from the first endpoint to the second endpoint whereas any currently available path may be used to send a second type of traffic from the first endpoint to the second endpoint. If the topology of the network does not include a direct path, the first type of traffic may be buffered at the first endpoint until the topology of the network is reconfigured to include the direct path. The topology of the network may be reconfigured when at least one switch in the network reconfigures, for example, by switching from one interconnection to another interconnection pattern. Related systems and articles of manufacture are also provided.

Abstract: An apparatus for network switching may include a plurality of input ports, a plurality of output ports, and a subset of pre-configured interconnection patterns including some but not all of the possible interconnection patterns between the input ports and the output ports. The apparatus may be communicatively coupled to a network via the input ports and/or the output ports. The apparatus may be configured to switch to a first interconnection pattern and a second interconnection pattern from the subset of pre-configured interconnection patterns. The first interconnection pattern and the second interconnection pattern may each provide a set of connections between the input ports and the output ports. At least one signal between the input ports and the output ports may be transmitted via the first interconnection pattern and/or the second interconnection pattern. Related methods are also provided.

Abstract: An apparatus for interfacing with a circuit switched network may be configured to detect when a data carrier signal from a circuit switched network is offline. While the data carrier signal from the circuit switched network is offline, the apparatus may send, to a network element coupled with the circuit switched network via the apparatus, control packets indicating that the data carrier signal is offline. The apparatus may further maintain an active data carrier signal between the apparatus and the network device by sending, to the network element, protocol idle frames. The apparatus may buffer, at the apparatus, packets sent from the network element to the circuit switched network. Once the data carrier signal is restored, the apparatus may send, to the circuit switched network, control packets indicating that the data carrier signal is online and the packet buffered at the apparatus while the data carrier signal is offline.

Abstract: An apparatus for network switching may include a plurality of input ports, a plurality of output ports, and a subset of pre-configured interconnection patterns including some but not all of the possible interconnection patterns between the input ports and the output ports. The apparatus may be communicatively coupled to a network via the input ports and/or the output ports. The apparatus may be configured to switch to a first interconnection pattern and a second interconnection pattern from the subset of pre-configured interconnection patterns. The first interconnection pattern and the second interconnection pattern may each provide a set of connections between the input ports and the output ports. At least one signal between the input ports and the output ports may be transmitted via the first interconnection pattern and/or the second interconnection pattern. Related methods are also provided.

Abstract: A method may include determining whether the topology of a network includes a direct path between a first endpoint and a second endpoint in the network. A direct path may be used to send a first type of traffic from the first endpoint to the second endpoint whereas any currently available path may be used to send a second type of traffic from the first endpoint to the second endpoint. If the topology of the network does not include a direct path, the first type of traffic may be buffered at the first endpoint until the topology of the network is reconfigured to include the direct path. The topology of the network may be reconfigured when at least one switch in the network reconfigures, for example, by switching from one interconnection to another interconnection pattern. Related systems and articles of manufacture are also provided.

Abstract: An apparatus for interfacing with a circuit switched network may be configured to detect when a data carrier signal from a circuit switched network is offline. While the data carrier signal from the circuit switched network is offline, the apparatus may send, to a network element coupled with the circuit switched network via the apparatus, control packets indicating that the data carrier signal is offline. The apparatus may further maintain an active data carrier signal between the apparatus and the network device by sending, to the network element, protocol idle frames. The apparatus may buffer, at the apparatus, packets sent from the network element to the circuit switched network. Once the data carrier signal is restored, the apparatus may send, to the circuit switched network, control packets indicating that the data carrier signal is online and the packet buffered at the apparatus while the data carrier signal is offline.

Abstract: A multi-mode optical waveguide device is formed from a plurality of periodically structured waveguides, where each waveguide is configured to guide a carrier signal comprising one spatial mode of a plurality of spatial modes and has at least one segment of each waveguide with a waveguide width that periodically changes along a waveguide path to induce coupling between pairs of spatial modes. In some embodiments, the at least one segment is disposed at a location along the waveguide path at which maximal mode overlap occurs. The waveguide device may be used as for space-division multiplexing and as an optical switch.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments provide a system that determines whether to dynamically replicate data segments on a node in a computing cluster that stores a collection of data segments. During operation, the system identifies a data segment from the collection that is predicted to be frequently accessed by future tasks executing in the cluster. The system then determines a slowdown that would result for the current workload of the node if the data segment were to be replicated to the node. The system also determines a predicted future benefit that would be associated with replicating the data segment to the node. If the predicted slowdown is less than the predicted future benefit, the replication system replicates the data segment to the node.

Abstract: A system and method for facilitating the accurate entry of information into a highly structured database by initially extracting information from a plurality of nonuniformly formatted source data streams, e.g., documents/files, and subsequent interactions with users before storing the accepted and/or modified information into the database. Embodiments of the present invention provide an interactive path for each user (e.g., the author of the source document/file) to interactively modify the extracted data, e.g., according to the source document/file. Preferably, this interactive path is provided via the Internet and the extracted information can be modified by editing and/or selectively copying portions of the source documents/files to supplement and/or modify the extracted information.

Abstract: A surveillance system using an array of detectors onto which energy from the scene under surveillance is focused can indicate the direction of an event that has been recognized. The invention uses two or more arrays to locate events in three dimensions, and to define regions within the three dimensional space being surveyed. The events are located by detecting which elements from the respective arrays are stimulated by the occurrence of an event, and determining the location of the event to be at the intersection of the fields of view of the stimulated elements.

Abstract: An adhesive liquid dispensing apparatus includes a gun manifold, a dispensing module, and a dispensing orifice. The inlet port of the gun manifold is directly coupled with a reservoir of adhesive hot melt liquid that is fixedly attached to the manifold. The contents of the reservoir are under pressure so that the adhesive hot melt liquid is dispensed from the adhesive liquid dispensing apparatus without the need for heated supply hoses to connect the inlet port of the manifold to a remote source of adhesive hot melt liquid. Preferably, the adhesive liquid dispensing system is coupled with a robot that controls the positioning of the system during an adhesive liquid dispensing operation.

Abstract: An optical detection system for forming an image of a field of view in an object plane onto an image plane in which the electromagnetic radiation image is transmitted to a detector array at the image plane via an optical distorting element such as a reflector 11, so as to impose a non linear relationship between areas in the image and object planes.

Abstract: A method of testing resistance bolometer arrays involves applying different voltages to different bolometers so as to produce a detectable difference between adjacent bolometers under normal conditions. The voltages may be applied in a recognizable pattern so that faults can be readily identified from a visual display of the array.

Abstract: An adhesive liquid dispensing apparatus includes a gun manifold, a dispensing module, and a dispensing orifice. The inlet port of the gun manifold is directly coupled with a reservoir of adhesive hot melt liquid that is fixedly attached to the manifold. The contents of the reservoir are under pressure so that the adhesive hot melt liquid is dispensed from the adhesive liquid dispensing apparatus without the need for heated supply hoses to connect the inlet port of the manifold to a remote source of adhesive hot melt liquid. Preferably, the adhesive liquid dispensing system is coupled with a robot that controls the positioning of the system during an adhesive liquid dispensing operation.

Abstract: An embodiment of a method of routing a packet between nodes of a network begins with a step of determining that a route of an external network from a source node to a network node provides an expected near minimum transmission time for transmission of the packet from the source node to a destination node. The method continues with a step of determining that a packet queue for a network link at a source node exceeds a threshold. The method concludes with a step of routing the packet to the destination node via the external network and the network node.

Abstract: A radiation detection apparatus is capable of detecting and locating events, such as a fire or the appearance of an intruder, in a scene under surveillance. The apparatus comprises an array of detector elements, e.g. infrared detectors. The apparatus has two fields of view, namely a first field of view defined by a lens providing a single focussed image of a distant scene on the array and a second field of view defined by a reflector arranged between a plane of the array and a plane of the lens whereby to reflect onto the detector array radiation entering the lens from outside the first field of view. One or more processors are provided to distinguish events in the second field of view from those in the first field of view.

Abstract: A two dimensional array of resistive bolometers (B) is arranged in rows and columns. Amplifiers (A0, A1 etc) amplify signals obtained from the bolometers. Instead of providing one amplifier per column, a smaller number of amplifiers is used each of which is connected to a plurality of column sense lines (L) via a multiplexer (M0, M1 etc).

Abstract: A two dimensional array of resistive bolometers (B) is arranged in rows and columns. Amplifiers (A0, A1 etc) amplify signals obtained from the bolometers. Instead of providing one amplifier per column, a smaller number of amplifiers is used each of which is connected to a plurality of column sense lines (L) via a multiplexer (M0, M1 etc).

Abstract: A two dimensional array of resistive bolometers (B) is arranged in rows and columns. Amplifiers (A0, A1 etc) amplify signals obtained from the bolometers. Instead of providing one amplifier per column, a smaller number of amplifiers is used each of which is connected to a plurality of column sense lines (L) via a multiplexer (M0, M1 etc).

Abstract: A signal processing technique applied to the readout of two-dimensional detector arrays provides a dynamic correction mechanism for the varying offsets of the different elements of the array. The outputs of the elements are supplied to an offset correction circuit operative to compensate for the differences in the d.c. or low frequency outputs from a predetermined voltage wherein a fraction of the difference is subtracted at each successive cycle to gradually reduce the difference.