Abstract: An apparatus for measuring acceleration includes: a reference cavity having a first fixed reflecting surface and a second fixed reflecting surface; a sense cavity having a fixed reflecting surface and a non-fixed reflecting surface, the non-fixed reflecting surface being configured to be displaced when subject to an acceleration force; a light source to illuminate the reference and sense cavities; a controller to vary a wavelength of light emitted by the light source and/or an index of refraction of an optical medium of the cavities; a photodetector to detect light emitted by the reference and sense cavities; an interferometer sensor to measure using the detected light, for each variation of the wavelength of light and/or the index of refraction a reference displacement of the reference cavity and a sense displacement of the sense cavity; and a processor to calculate the acceleration using each of the reference displacements and the sense displacements.

Abstract: A multi-step method of making a mammalian subcutaneous medical implant for releasing self-contained drugs on a controlled basis over at least a 3 day period includes depositing at least portions of one or more individual layers of the implant by at least one computer controlled 3-D printer. The 3-D printing method may be accomplished via an array of 3-D nozzles that deposit materials (such as plastics, thermoplastics, coating materials, drug-containing matrix materials, non-drug containing matrix materials, bonding materials, biodegradable materials and/or the like) in very small, precise portions. The materials may be deposited in liquid, powder, sheet or other forms. Non-implant forms may also be provided by the techniques disclosed herein.

Abstract: A method (and the resulting product) of making a medical implant device for releasing self-contained drugs on a controlled basis wherein the method utilizes, at least in part, computer-controlled 3-D printing equipment to deposit via nozzles portions of one or more layers of the medical implant product. The implant has an outer impervious coating, an inner matrix core, an opening and an optional bonding layer.

Abstract: A method (and the resulting product) of making a medical implant device for releasing self-contained drugs on a controlled basis wherein the method utilizes, at least in part, computer-controlled 3-D printing equipment to deposit via nozzles portions of one or more layers of the medical implant product. The implant has an outer impervious coating, an inner matrix core, an opening and an optional bonding layer.

Abstract: A method (and the resulting product) of making a medical implant device for releasing self-contained drugs on a controlled basis wherein the method utilizes, at least in part, computer-controlled 3-D printing equipment to deposit via nozzles portions of one or more layers of the medical implant product. The implant has an outer impervious coating, an inner matrix core, an opening and an optional bonding layer.

Abstract: An improved medical implant device directed to, inter alia, (i) avoiding unwanted initial drug “burst” problems, (ii) providing a more level amount of drug delivery, (iii) reducing blood clotting, (iv) reducing the amount of drug material that remains in the implant device, and/or (v) novel materials for an implant device.

Abstract: An improved medical implant device directed to, inter alia, (i) avoiding unwanted initial drug “burst” problems, (ii) providing a more level amount of drug delivery, (iii) reducing blood clotting, (iv) reducing the amount of drug material that remains in the implant device, and/or (v) novel materials for an implant device.

Abstract: Methods, systems and devices for estimating a parameter of interest in a borehole. The apparatus may include a displacement device configured for displacement responsive to the parameter of interest and environmental noise; a detector array configured to provide information comprising a first signal and a second signal both relating to the displacement; and at least one processor configured to mitigate effects of the environmental noise on the information by determining correlated portions of each corresponding signal representative of effects of common mode elements of the environmental noise on each corresponding signal. The displacement device may be an optical displacement device configured to receive a first electromagnetic beam with a first value of a beam property and a second electromagnetic beam with a second value of the beam property, which comprises a displacement element configured for displacement responsive to the parameter of interest and the environmental noise.

Abstract: A multi-step method of making a mammalian subcutaneous medical implant for releasing self-contained drugs on a controlled basis over at least a 3 day period includes depositing at least portions of one or more individual layers of the implant by at least one computer controlled 3-D printer. The 3-D printing method may be accomplished via an array of 3-D nozzles that deposit materials (such as plastics, thermoplastics, coating materials, drug-containing matrix materials, non-drug containing matrix materials, bonding materials, biodegradable materials and/or the like) in very small, precise portions. The materials may be deposited in liquid, powder, sheet or other forms. Non-implant forms may also be provided by the techniques disclosed herein.

Abstract: An improved lacrosse stick design and method of using same providing, inter alia, (1) an extendable lacrosse stick, (2) a quick release head/stick design, (3) a method of changing the lacrosse stick head or stick length “on the fly” so as to avoid leaving the playing field, and (4) a method of changing a lacrosse head or stick length without the use of any tools.

Abstract: An efficient data-directed scrambler is provided for processing digital signals having an unequally-weighted code. The data-directed scrambler includes inputs for receiving unequally-weighted bits of an input signal, outputs for supplying N scrambled bits of an output signal, and two or more scrambler columns connected in series between the inputs and the outputs. One or more of the scrambler columns includes a swapper cell and a digital fanout. Least significant bits in the unequally-weighted code are input to a swapper cell, and higher order bits in the unequally-weighted code are input to respective digital fanouts. In the other embodiments, an efficient data-directed scrambler is provided for processing digital signals having an equally-weighted code.

Abstract: A sigma-delta digital-to-analog converter comprises a current digital-to-analog converter (IDAC) stage which generates a current depending on an input digital signal. An output current-to-voltage converter converts the generated signal to a voltage on a continuous-time basis. The amplifier used in the output current-to-voltage converter is chopper-stabilized. The converter can be single bit or multi-bit. The IDAC stage can be implemented with a pair of branches, a first branch comprising a first biasing current source and a second branch comprising a second biasing current source. The biasing current sources can be chopper-stabilized by connecting the bias current sources to the output current-to-voltage converter by a set of switches. The switches connect the biasing current sources to the output current-to-voltage converter in a first configuration and a second, reversed, configuration. This modulates flicker noise contributed by the bias current sources to the chopping frequency.

Abstract: A multi-bit continuous-time sigma-delta analog-to-digital converter (ADC) has a differential input stage which receives an analog input signal current. A multi-bit feedback current digital-to-analog converter (IDAC) generates a multi-level feedback current depending on a digital feedback signal from a flash ADC. An integrator has a differential input that integrates the difference of the generated current by the multi-bit IDAC and the input signal current on a continuous-time basis. The input stage further comprises a first biasing current source and a second biasing current source which bias the input stage in a mid-scale condition. A first summing node connects to the first differential input line, a first differential input of the integrator and the first output branch. A second summing node connects to the second differential input line, a second differential input of the integrator and the second output branch.

Abstract: A hybrid tuning circuit is used consisting of a digital finite state machine and an analog tuning circuit to effectively keep the RC product of the continuous time integrator constant across process, temperature, supply, and sampling rate variations. Since the implementation is continuous, the tracking is more accurate than traditional techniques. Using a carefully chosen clocking scheme, the technique gets rid of inter-symbol interference in the feedback DAC. The technique does not use a reference frequency, thereby eliminating the need for a user to identify a reference frequency.

Abstract: A sigma delta modulator includes a modulator module that includes a quantizer with variable hysteresis, which receives an input signal to perform necessary modulation operations. A non-linear mapping module receives a signal associated with said input signal and tabulates the necessary hysteresis control information so as to reduce the transition rate of the modulator module.

Abstract: An efficient data-directed scrambler is provided for processing digital signals having an unequally-weighted code. The data-directed scrambler includes inputs for receiving unequally-weighted bits of an input signal, outputs for supplying N scrambled bits of an output signal, and two or more scrambler columns connected in series between the inputs and the outputs. One or more of the scrambler columns includes a swapper cell and a digital fanout. Least significant bits in the unequally-weighted code are input to a swapper cell, and higher order bits in the unequally-weighted code are input to respective digital fanouts. In the other embodiments, an efficient data-directed scrambler is provided for processing digital signals having an equally-weighted code.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for processing N equally-weighted digital signals, where N is an arbitrary integer not necessarily an integer power of 2. The methods and apparatus are particularly useful in noise-shaping, mixed-signal converters. The apparatus includes a rotator for rotating the N equally-weighted digital signals in a sequence of rotator states in respective clock cycles to provide N rotated digital signals, and a data-directed scrambler having N inputs and N outputs for data-directed scrambling of the rotated digital signals to distribute the N equally-weighted digital signals to each of the N outputs of the scrambler such that the usage of the N outputs is dynamically balanced over a relatively small number of clock cycles, leading to a shaped noise spectrum.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for processing N equally-weighted digital signals, where N is an arbitrary integer not necessarily an integer power of 2. The invention is particularly useful in noise-shaping, mixed-signal converters. The apparatus includes a rotator for rotating the N equally-weighted digital signals in a sequence of rotator states in respective clock cycles to provide N rotated digital signals, and a data-directed scrambler having N inputs and N outputs for data-directed scrambling of the rotated digital signals to distribute the N equally-weighted digital signals to each of the N outputs of the scrambler such that the usage of the N outputs is dynamically balanced over a relatively small number of clock cycles, leading to a shaped noise spectrum.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for sample rate conversion in a system including two or more sample rate converters. The method includes the steps of providing an input clock and an output clock to each of the sample rate converters, measuring a sample rate ratio of the clocks in one of the sample rate converters, designated as a master, and controlling each of the sample rate converters with the sample rate ratio measured by the master. The measured sample rate ratio may be transmitted from the master to each of the other sample rate converters. This approach matches the group delays among the sample rate converters.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for sample rate conversion in a system including two or more sample rate converters. The method includes the steps of providing an input clock and an output clock to each of the sample rate converters, measuring a sample rate ratio of the clocks in one of the sample rate converters, designated as a master, and controlling each of the sample rate converters with the sample rate ratio measured by the master. The measured sample rate ratio may be transmitted from the master to each of the other sample rate converters. This approach matches the group delays among the sample rate converters.