Abstract: A device and method for equalizing the pressure between work-space and crankcase in a pressurized engine, such as a Stirling engine. The device consists of a two-way valve connected between the work-space and the crankcase. The valve is connected to the work-space with a passageway including a constriction to provide an mean pressure for monitoring purposes. The valve connects the work-space and crankcase allowing the pressure to equalize when the mean pressure of the work-space exceeds the crankcase pressure by a predetermined amount.

Abstract: An apparatus and method of starting an electric motor (having a rotor that rotates in a given direction during steady state operation from the at rest position) generates a preliminary signal that causes the rotor to rotate in an opposite direction to that of the given direction. The method and apparatus also begin rotation of the rotor in the given direction after the rotor rotates in the opposite direction.

Abstract: An external combustion engine having an exhaust flow diverter for directing the flow of an exhaust gas. The external combustion engine has a heater head having a plurality of heater tubes through which a working fluid is heated by conduction. The exhaust flow diverter is a cylinder disposed around the outside of the plurality of heater tubes and includes a plurality of openings through which the flow of exhaust gas may pas. The exhaust flow diverter directs the exhaust gas past the plurality of heater tubes. The external combustion engine may also include a plurality of flow diverter fins coupled to the plurality of heater tubes to direct the flow of the exhaust gas. The heater tubes may be U-shaped or helical coiled shaped.

Abstract: A method for demultiplexing digital video data which originates from multiple sources in which the multiplexed images are not indexed nor is there identification information provided to differentiate sources. The sources are generally cameras which may be stationary cameras or moving cameras that rotate as are commonly used in the surveillance industry. A first set of digital video data representative of a first image is retrieved from a memory source or from a video tape. The first set of digital video data is stored to a memory location associated with a first source. The first set of video data is also identified as representative video data of the first source. A second set of digital video data representative of a current image is then retrieved. A difference ratio is calculated using the representative digital video data and the current set of digital video data.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a variable acoustic source and a microphone, both acoustically coupled to a volume having a fluid region and an air region. The apparatus also can include a processor to determine a volume of the air region based on signals received from the microphone and the variable acoustic source. A fluid valve is coupled to the processor, and is configured to allow an amount of fluid to exit the fluid region associated with the volume of the air region. An atomizer, coupled to the fluid region, is configured to aerosolize at least a portion of the fluid.

Abstract: A loading mechanism for a medication infusion pump. The mechanism includes a medication reservoir, a plunger, a threaded plunger rod offset from the axis of the reservoir and an infusion pump with a drive screw that is offset from the axis of a pump barrel. The pump barrel receives the assembly comprising the reservoir, plunger and plunger rod.

Abstract: A sailcloth in roll good form permits efficient and cost effective construction of cross cut and vertical cut, laminate sails based on “off-angle,” (asymmetrical) load bearing fibers. The sailcloth also may include a conventional warp and fill thread or fiber layout. Such sailcloth illustratively is significantly less susceptible to load force stretch, creep elongation, and airfoil shape deformation because, among other things, it is not dependent on the load bearing limitations of symmetrical, woven or knitted roll good sailcloth.

Abstract: A method and computer program software product for establishing an areal density of an elemental constituent of one layer of a stack of layers of material overlying a substrate. Incident penetrating radiation excites characteristic x-ray fluorescent radiation in multiple lines associated with each of one or more elements. Areal densities of successive layers are determined by self-consistent solution of equations relating the ratios of intensities of the characteristic fluorescence lines of successive elements.

Abstract: The present invention relates to network enabled analysis of x-ray images. Also described are devices comprising calibration phantoms; methods of using these devices; methods of formulating databases containing information regarding x-ray images; the databases themselves; and methods of manipulating the information and databases.

Abstract: In a first embodiment of the invention there is provided an electronic chip for use with an automatic testing equipment device testing a device under test. The device under test has a plurality of pins and the electronic chip is placed in a channel of a test card that is associated with one of the pins. An input signal is provided to a pin of the device under test and the resulting output is provided to the pin electronics for the channel of the test card. In most embodiments, the output signal is a voltage signal. One purpose for the electronic chip is to measure jitter based upon timing measurements performed by the electronic chip. Jitter measurements are particularly important for high-speed serial devices. The electronic chip includes an integrating time measurement circuit for receiving the input signal and producing an output signal including a timing measurement of at least a portion of the input signal.

Abstract: The invention is based on the realisation that inflamed plaques in blood vessel walls, which are potentially vulnerable to rupture, can be detected at elevated temperatures which are lower than previously realised. In particular, the low temperatures at which inflamed plaque can be detected are often associated with systems in which blood flow is generally close to normal in particular temperature differences above zero but not more than 0.39° C. have been found to be indicative of the presence of inflamed plaque.

Abstract: An inertial sensor includes at least one pair of sensor elements arranged in a linear array. Each sensor element has a frame and a movable mass suspended within the frame. The frames of each pair of sensor elements may be coupled so that the frames are allowed to move in anti-phase to one another along parallel axes but are substantially prevented from moving in phase with one another.

Abstract: The compounds of the formula (formula 1) and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof and a process for preparing the same and pharmaceutical compositions containing the same are described wherein the substituents have the meaning as specified in the description. The compounds are used as thrombon inhibitors.

Abstract: A method of smoothing fundamental frequency discontinuities at boundaries of concatenated speech segments includes determining, for each speech segment, a beginning fundamental frequency value and an ending fundamental frequency value. The method further includes adjusting the fundamental frequency contour of each of the speech segments according to a linear function calculated for each particular speech segment, and dependent on the beginning and ending fundamental frequency values of the corresponding speech segment. The method calculates the linear function for each speech segment according to a coupled spring model with three springs for each segment. A first spring constant, associated with the first spring and the second spring, is proportional to a duration of voicing in the associated speech segment. A second spring constant, associated with the third spring, models a non-linear restoring force that resists a change in slope of the segment fundamental frequency contour.

Abstract: A device for detecting radiation, typically in the infrared. Photons are absorbed in an active region of a semiconductor device such that the absorption induces an interband electronic transition and generates photo-excited charge carriers. The charge carriers are coupled into a carrier transport region having multiple quantum wells and characterized by intersubband relaxation that provides rapid charge carrier collection. The photo-excited carriers are collected from the carrier transport region at a conducting contact region. Another carrier transport region characterized by interband tunneling for multiple stages draws charge carriers from another conducting contact and replenishes the charge carriers to the active region for photo-excitation. A photocurrent is generated between the conducting contacts through the active region of the device.

Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a method of activating electrodes in a multichannel electrode array is provided. Each channel is associated with a different electrode in the array. At least two groups of channels in the multichannel electrode array are selected, wherein at least one of the selected groups includes a plurality of channels. One or more channels in each selected group is selected, and the electrodes associated with each selected channel are activated. The steps of selecting at least one channel in each selected group, and activating the electrodes associated with each selected channel are repeated, such that the selected channels in at least one selected group varies.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for driving a current switch with a differential drive signal monitors both the temperature of the switch and the current through the switch. The method and apparatus dynamically control the amplitude of the drive signal as a function of the switch temperature and the current through the switch. The result is a significant reduction in base drive amplitude without compromise to offset and linearity performance of the driver. The resulting dynamic performance of the switch is substantially improved.

Abstract: A controller for providing user input of a desired direction of motion or orientation for a transporter. The controller has an input for receiving specification by a user of a value based on a detected body orientation of the user. User-specified input may be conveyed by the user using any of a large variety of input modalities, including: ultrasonic body position sensing; foot force sensing; handlebar lean; active handlebar; mechanical sensing of body position; and linear slide directional input. An apparatus that may include an active handlebar is provided for prompting a rider to be positioned on a vehicle in such a manner as to reduce lateral instability due to lateral acceleration of the vehicle.

Abstract: A technique for allocating fingers in a path searcher of a multipath receiver involves determining a required number of fingers for each multipath region, determining a number of allocated fingers for each multipath region according to an area-based weighting scheme such that each multipath region that is allocated fewer than its required number of fingers is deemed to have a non-zero residual area, allocating any surplus fingers to multipath regions having non-zero residual areas until either no surplus fingers remain or each multipath region is allocated its required number of fingers, and placing any fingers allocated to each multipath region within the multipath region. Placing the fingers in un-resolvable path scenario involves detecting path location at the edges of multipath region; placing fingers at the edges and placing remaining fingers uniformly between the first and the last path such that the there is a minimum placement separation between the fingers.