Abstract: A riser card, such as a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) card, attaches to a circuit board such as a mother board in a transverse orientation and has a first connector and a second connector attached to opposing sides of the card for receiving expansion cards. In one embodiment, the first connector is offset from the second connector with respect to an axis in the plane of the riser card. In another embodiment, the first and second connectors each have a first and last pin, and the first pin of the first card is opposite the first pin of the second connector. The riser card may mount one expansion board right side up, and the second board upside down. The first and second connectors can be female connectors which are each matable with a male connector on the corresponding expansion board, or can be card edge connectors. The expansion boards, when mated with the connectors, are substantially parallel to, but offset from the circuit board.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to ventilating or cooling element for airflow cooling in a digital data processing apparatus, and it is particularly suited to such apparatus having a high circuit density, or mounted within a restricted chassis or housing, such as the housing of a web server, or of a storage array device for a network server or web server. The cooling element includes a fan that is disposed at an angle to integrate its cooling air with general circulation or air flow through the chassis. The element may mount on a plate, such as the thermally conductive plate of a heat sink, that is adapted for coupling to the chassis and/or contacting a microprocessor chip, and a fan is disposed on the mounting plate at an angle to cool the plate or chip without creating obstructive cross wind. The mounting plate can be disposed within the middle portion of the chassis. The fan or cooling element can be angled so as to direct airflow towards at least a selected portion of the chassis, e.g.

Abstract: The provides improved control devices, systems and methods for operation thereof. These rely on control devices that provide virtual machine environments in which Java objects, or other such software constructs, are executed to implement control (e.g., to monitor and/or control a device, process or system). These objects define blocks which are the basic functional unit of the control. They also define the input, output and body parts from which blocks are formed, and the signals that are communicated between blocks. The objects also define nested and composite groupings of blocks used to control loops and higher-level control functions.

Abstract: Inductive transfer methods and structures combine, in a single system, at least two of the three functions of transferring power, communicating data, and sensing position with a vehicle on a guideway. A set of conductors is installed on the guideway to inductively couple a multiplicity of diverse signals with a corresponding set of conductors on the vehicle. The vehicle may be moving or stationary, and signals may be coupled in one or both directions. Coupling is effected without direct electrical contact, through a common region or gap, and the structures provide suitable and precise air gap control for the conductors effecting coupling of each signal. In addition, the windings are arranged with a topology and/or symmetry to cancel crosstalk between different signals.

Abstract: A control system has blocks or other components that facilitate validation of their own replacements, e.g., downloaded via e-commerce transactions. The system includes first and second process control components. The first component is coupled to a third process control component, with which it transfers information, e.g., as part of an active or ongoing control process. The second component can be, for example, an update or other potential replacement for the first component. The first and/or second components can effect substitution of the second component for the first. More particularly, they can effect coupling of the second component for information transfer with the third component and decoupling of the first component from such transfer with the third component. Preferably, such coupling and decoupling occur while the process control system remains active.

Abstract: A system for conveying a weather report includes a television transmitter, cable head-end or other broadcast device and a television receiver or other display device. A sequence of images broadcast by the transmitter and displayed by the receiver depict sun, sky, clouds, rain and other weather conditions superimposed on a landmark associated with a city, county or region which the report covers. To provide a temporal perspective of the report, a clock face, time line and/or rising/setting sun are superimposed on each of the images, indicating the hours at which the depicted weather conditions are forecasted to occur.

Abstract: An I/O device in the form of an internal dongle includes a body having connective structure being arranged to removably attach the body to a housing of an electronic device. The dongle also includes a circuit assembly that has an exterior connector on the body for electrically connecting to a second electronic device, a dongle circuit being electrically coupled to the external connector through the body, an electronic cable having a first end electrically coupled to the dongle circuit, and a second end being structured and arranged to connect to an electronic component of the first mentioned electronic device within the housing.

Abstract: A control system incorporates components that automatically switch information sources in response to actual or potential degradation of information generated by them. Thus, a control system has first and second control components that generate first and second “source” signals, respectively, representing substantially identical or related process control variables. A third control component, which normally processes the first source signal, responds to actual or potential degradation of that signal for processing the second source signal in lieu of the first.

Abstract: A fluid level detection system includes an illumination source and a photodetector. The illumination source produces a beam at a fixed angle, which the photodetector is adapted to sense as it is reflected from the surface of a fluid. The photodetector varies in accord with the amount of the reflected beam that impinges on it. This amount, in turn, varies with the distance between the surface of the fluid, the illumination source and photodetector. The system can be used, for example, in automated pipetting applications in which it is important to ascertain the position of a pipette tip with respect to fluid contained within a body to provide safe and effective automatic processing of the fluid without the pipette tip contacting the body.

Abstract: A method of inspecting an image to locate a ball grid array surface-mounted device includes the steps of inspecting the image to find its surface features and to determine their locations (referred to herein as their “observed” locations); comparing expected locations of those features with the observed locations to identify missing surface features; reinspecting the image in the vicinity of apparently missing surface features to verify if the feature is really missing or to find those features and to determine their “observed” locations; and determining, from the observed locations of the surface features, the position and/or angle of the ball grid array surface-mounted device. The invention can be used to determine the position and/or angle of ball grid array surface-mounted devices with surface features in any of many array configurations, e.g., a regular lattice, a checker board lattice, a reverse checker board lattice, a regular lattice with a holes., and a custom lattice.

Abstract: The invention provides methods for treating abnormal uterine bleeding via application of compounds that block uterine stromal cell response to angiogenic growth factors by interfering with the growth factors themselves, by blocking receptors in the uterine epithelial or stromal cells to those growth factors, and/or by inhibiting other receptors to those growth factors. The compounds include interferons, particularly type I interferons, pirfenidone, heparin, heparin-like polyaromatic anionic compounds, heparin-sulfate-based compounds, secreted or soluble FGF receptors, and/or RGD-peptide. The angiogenic growth factors to which response is blocked include basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), FGF receptors (FGFR), acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF), transforming growth factor &bgr; (TGF-&bgr;), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), heparin binding epidermal growth factor (HBEGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) and/or prolactin.

Abstract: A field controller for use in a distributed control system including an area controller and at least one field controller. The field controller manages at least one controlled device in an industrial process operation. The field controller comprises a processor module segment through which it can control a selected number of devices, and it may also include one or more expansion module segments to enable it to control a larger number of controlled devices. The processor module segment includes a processor module and at least one local interface module for interfacing to a controlled device, and the expansion module segment includes interface modules for interfacing to other controlled devices. In the processor module segment, the processor module and said local interface module are interconnected by a bus segment, which is also connected to an upstream off-module connector.

Abstract: Machine vision methods for segmenting an image include the steps of generating a first image of the background of an object, generating a second image of the object and background, and subtracting the second image from the first image. The methods are characterized in that the second image is generated such that subtraction of it from the first image emphasizes the object with respect to the background.

Abstract: The invention provides boundary-based machine vision methods and systems for comparing a pattern to an image. These contemplate the steps of finding boundary points in the image and comparing those points with boundary points in the pattern to identify “matches,” i.e., boundary points in the image that match boundary points in the pattern, “extras,” i.e., boundary points in the image which do not match boundary points in the pattern, and “missing,” i.e., boundary points in the pattern that do not match boundary points in the image. Quantitative and/or qualitative information about matching, extra or missing points can be generated, including the differences between the locations, angles and contrasts of each boundary point in the image and the corresponding boundary point in the pattern.

Abstract: Novel methods for generating a projection of an image according to the invention concurrently rotate, scale, translate, skew, shear, or otherwise transform the image via a sequence of two one-dimensional transformations. A first intermediate image is generated via affine transformation of the source along a first axis. The intermediate image is then subjected to affine transformation along a second axis, e.g., perpendicular to the first. A projection of the resultant image is generated along a selected one of the first or second axes by summing pixel intensities in corresponding rows (or columns) or by summing counts of pixels whose intensities are above or below a threshold.

Abstract: A field controller for use in a distributed control system including an area controller and at least one field controller. The field controller manages at least one controlled device in an industrial process operation. The field controller comprises a processor module segment through which it can control a selected number of devices, and it may also include one or more expansion module segments to enable it to control a larger number of controlled devices. The processor module segment includes a processor module and at least one local interface module for interfacing to a controlled device, and the expansion module segment includes interface modules for interfacing to other controlled devices. In the processor module segment, the processor module and said local interface module are interconnected by a bus segment, which is also connected to an upstream off-module connector.

Abstract: A method is provided for determining a calibration relationship between a reference frame of motion of an object and a reference frame of a camera that generates images of the object. The method includes the steps of coupling a target to an object and placing the object at each of plural locations and orientations that are known with respect to the motion reference frame of the object. The location of the target(s) with respect to the object need not be known. An image of the object and target is generated while the object is at each of those locations/orientations. From each those images, the method determines the location/orientation of the target with respect to the reference frame of the camera.

Abstract: Improved ISDN interface apparatus and methods permit dual mode access to an on-board memory. A first memory controller is provided that responds to addresses in a first address range to read, write or otherwise access data in an “on-board” memory a first memory access mode. A second memory controller is provided that responds to addresses in a second address range to access data in that memory in a second memory access mode. Multiplexing circuitry selectively applies control signals from the first or second memory controllers to the memory, thereby, causing it to read, write or otherwise access data according to the first or second modes. The aforementioned first and second modes can constitute differing memory access modes. Thus, for example, first mode is a single-beat memory access mode, according to one practice of the invention. The second mode can comprise, on the other hand, for example, a burst mode.

Abstract: Machine vision methods for inspection of semiconductor die lead frames include the steps of generating a first image of the lead frame, generating a second image of the lead frame and any defect thereon, and subtracting the second image from the first image. The methods are characterized in that the second image is generated such that subtraction of it from the first image emphasizes the defect with respect to the lead frame.

Abstract: The invention provides machine vision systems and methods for morphological transformation of a source image, e.g., with non-uniform offsets. According to these, pixels from selected “neighborhoods,” or regions, of the source image are rearranged, or unfolded, into respective columns of an intermediate image. For each column in the intermediate image, the method identifies a pixel intensity value of selected rank. Once the pixel intensity value of selected rank is identified for each column, it is retained in a transformation image, e.g., at a location corresponding to center of the respective neighborhood. The foregoing steps are repeated, e.g., along strips or bands, for each neighborhood in the source image.