Abstract: A belt tension sensor includes an armature that is displaced in relation to belt tension and an optical sensing mechanism that detects armature displacement as a measure of belt tension. In a first mechanization, a lens element is mounted on the armature for movement therewith, and light emitted by a light source passes through the lens element before impinging on a light responsive element; the lens element variably diffuses the emitted light in relation to the belt tension, and the light impinging on the light responsive element provides a measure of the belt tension. In a second mechanization, the armature includes a protuberance that abuts and variably collapses a compressible optical waveguide to vary its optical transmissivity in relation to the armature displacement, and the optical transmissivity of the optical waveguide provides a measure of the belt tension.

Abstract: A child seat adapted for use in a vehicle, the child seat comprising: a base portion; a carrier portion configured to be removably secured to the base portion; a restraint system component; a sensor for providing a signal indicative of a state of the restraint system component; an electronic control unit secured to either the carrier portion or the base portion, the electronic control unit being operably coupled to the restraint system component to receive the signal, the electronic control unit being capable of processing the signal to provide an output indicative of the state of the restraint system component; and an electrical connector for providing electrical connection between the sensor and the electronic control unit.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing a side airbag device for use in a vehicle, comprising: an inflatable cushion for deployment from an unexpanded state to an expanded state. The inflatable cushion is positioned behind a headliner of the vehicle in an un-inflated state and the inflatable cushion is configured to traverse a side of the vehicle when it is inflated. The inflatable cushion also comprising a deploying edge that defines a portion of a periphery of the inflated cushion, wherein the inflatable cushion is folded in a manner that causes the deploying edge to deploy as a first leading edge as said inflatable cushion is inflated to an expanded state by an inflator wherein the deploying edge is the first portion of the inflatable cushion to expand around the headliner.

Abstract: A seat belt device for adjusting the tension of a seat belt webbing drawn across a user's body when the seat belt is in a latched condition, the seat belt device comprising: a housing defining a receiving area configured to slidably receive the seat belt webbing therethrough; a clamp member slidably mounted to the housing, the clamp member being configured for movement between a first position and a second position, wherein a clamping surface of the clamp member urges a portion of the seat belt webbing against an engagement portion of the housing when the clamp member is in the first position, the engagement portion being included in the receiving area; and a biasing member being configured to urge the clamp surface toward the engagement portion.

Abstract: A receiving device and method for operating a communication system are provided. The receiving device receives at least one Doppler channel estimate for at least one transmitter and a spatial covariance matrix of a corrupting environment. The Doppler channel estimates are used to create a Null Doppler spatial covariance matrix. A total Doppler spatial covariance matrix is created as a sum of the spatial covariance matrix of the corrupting environment, plus the Doppler spatial covariance matrix. A combining weight for at least one transmitter and at least one Doppler channel is created from the total Doppler spatial covariance and the at least one Doppler channel for the at least one transmitter.

Abstract: A receiving device and method for operating a communication system are provided. The receiving device receives a plurality of time-domain Doppler channel estimates for at least one transmitter, a plurality of Doppler sinusoids, and a spatial covariance matrix of a corrupting environment. A Doppler spatial covariance matrix is created as a function of the time-domain Doppler channel estimates and the Doppler sinusoids. A total Doppler spatial covariance matrix is created as a function of the spatial covariance matrix of the corrupting environment and the Doppler spatial covariance matrix. A Doppler steering vector is created for at least one transmitter as a function of the Doppler channel estimates and the Doppler sinusoids. A combining weight for the at least one transmitter is then created as a function of the total Doppler spatial covariance matrix and the Doppler steering vector for at least one transmitter.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a microelectronic assembly to have aligned conductive regions and dielectric regions with desirable processing and dimensional characteristics. The invention is particularly useful for producing integral capacitors, with the desired processing and dimensional characteristics achieved with the invention yielding predictable electrical characteristics for the capacitors. The method generally entails providing a substrate with a first conductive layer, forming a dielectric layer on the first conductive layer, and then forming a second conductive layer on the dielectric layer. A first region of the second conductive layer is then removed to expose a first region of the dielectric layer, which in turn is removed to expose a first region of the first conductive layer that is also removed.

Abstract: A method for producing a pinhole-free dielectric film comprising applying a photopolymer to a first dielectric surface of a dielectric film having pinholes, exposing a second and opposing surface to an amount of radiation effective to polymerize the photopolymer exposed by the pinholes, and removing unpolymerized photopolymer.

Abstract: An energy coupler (10) includes a movably adjustable energy coupling sleeve (16), and a coupling transmission line (18) operatively coupled to the movably adjustable energy coupling sleeve (16) to provide adjustable coefficient coupling with a transmission line (14), such as a coaxial transmission line. In one embodiment, the movably adjustable energy coupling sleeve (16) is configured to rotatably move to provide selectable energy coupling with the coaxial transmission line (14).

Abstract: A component alignment and transfer apparatus is disclosed which includes an accumulator for accumulating and aligning a plurality of components and a transfer head for transferring the accumulated and aligned components from the accumulator to a collection receptacle. The transfer head includes a scissor mechanism having a plurality of sections, with each section including a pair of scissor arms intersecting at a pivot point and a suction pickup. The plurality of sections are pivotally connected to form an elongated transfer head movable between a first position having a first spacing between suction pickups and a second position having a second spacing between suction pickups. An actuator is connected to move the suction pickups between the first position and the second position.

Abstract: A method (20) for automatically focusing an optical instrument (1) having a lens (10) with only two focus positions. The method comprises acquiring a first image (21) when the lens (10) is in a first position (15) and thereafter processing pixel light intensities (22) of part of the image to provide a focus detection value indicative of image blurr. A threshold test (23) is then effected and if the focus detection value is outside a desired range the lens (10) is automatically moved to a second position (16).

Abstract: The present invention includes a method (700, 800, 900, 1200), client device (700, 800, 1000), server (900, 1100) and article of manufacture (700, 800, 900, 1000, 1100) for compressing/decompressing a current universal resource identifier URI using an immediately previous URI. The method for compressing the URI includes the steps of: partitioning the immediately previous URI and the current URI into a predetermined number of components; and comparing each component of the current URI with each corresponding component of the immediately previous URI from left-to-right LR and from right-to-left RL and encoding the current URI using concatenated compression indicators in accordance with counts of LR-matched characters, RL matched characters and uncompressed characters, wherein an escape byte is added to an end of the uncompressed characters when a last uncompressed character has a most significant bit set to one.

Abstract: A ridged reflector (10) permits operation of an optical display device (12) in ambient light, which may be supplemented by artificial back-lighting. The ridged reflector (10) for use in an optical display (12) includes a transparent polymeric layer (70) having a ridged surface (32). The ridged surface (32) includes a series of ridges (36). Each of the ridges (36) has a first face (42) and a second face (44) preferably intersecting the first face (42). A reflective layer (68) overlies the first face (42) of each of the ridges (36). The second face 44 (44) is generally light-transmissive and substantially free of a reflective layer (68). The ridged surface (32) has an opposite surface (34) opposite the ridged surface (32). The second face (44) of each of said ridges (36) allows optical communication with the opposite surface (34) for optional back-lighting of the optical display device.

Abstract: A self-contained remotely interrogated biomedical sensor (10) includes an on-board regenerative power source (52/54), data processing capability (42) and data transmission capability (42). The sensor (10) is adapted to be secured to a subject and interrogated remotely using radio-frequency technology. The present invention is applicable for use with any sensing device (76) that is capable of providing a signal in response to being placed in thermal, electrical, chemical, acoustical or otherwise in contact with the subject.

Abstract: A ridged reflector (10) for use in an optical display (12) comprises a polymeric layer (70) having a ridged surface (32) and an opposite surface (34) opposite the ridged surface (32). The ridged surface (32) includes a series of ridges (36). Each of said ridges (36) has a first face (42) and a second face (44) intersecting the first face (42). The first face (42) is oriented at a first angle (56) relative to a plane parallel to the opposite surface (34). A reflective metallic layer (68) overlies at least the first faces (42) of the polymeric layer (70). The first angle (56) is adapted to reflect and biasedly focus light obliquely intercepting the first face (56) into a radiation pattern about a normal axis (38) extending orthogonally from the opposite surface (34). The first face (42) may be curved to tailor a shape of the radiation pattern.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a printed circuit board with a polymer thick-film (PTF) resistor whose dimensions can be defined with improved precision by providing a circuit board construction having a planar surface where the resistor is to be deposited. To achieve the desired board construction, the interconnect for the resistor is pattern plated using a permanent photodielectric layer as a plating mask instead of a sacrificial plating resist. The interconnect can be patterned before or after the PTF resistor ink is printed. The x and z dimensions (width and thickness, respectively) of the resistor are determined by the deposition process, while the y dimension (electrical length) is accurately determined by copper terminations.

Abstract: A first group of bits (100, 102, 106), e.g., header symbols/bits, are interleaved to form a first group of interleaved bits. A second group of bits (104), e.g., data symbols/bits, are interleaved to form a second group of interleaved bits. The first and second groups of interleaved bits are mapped to an information burst (114). The first and second groups of interleaved bits may be mapped to the information burst relative to a group of known symbols (116) forming a training sequence. A disadvantaged bit location, i.e., a bit location within the mapping having a relative high probability of incurring a bit error, is identified and an advantaged bit location, i.e., a bit location within the mapping having a relatively low probability of incurring a bit error, is identified.

Abstract: A device (400), method (1200), phone (400) and basestation (400) for providing scalar measurement-based predistortion for linearization in a radio frequency RF power amplifier, includes: a polynomial predistortion unit (406), coupled to receive an input baseband signal and polynomial coefficient weights, for predistorting the baseband signal to provide a predistorted baseband signal in accordance with the polynomial coefficient weights; an RF modulator (402), coupled to the polynomial predistortion unit (406) and to an RF generator (403), for modulating the predistorted baseband signal to provide an RF signal; an RF power amplifier (401), coupled to the RF modulator (402) and to a power supply (408), for amplifying the RF signal to provide an amplified RF signal, a scalar cost function generator (405), coupled to receive the amplified RF signal, for computing a scalar cost function; and a coefficient update unit (407), coupled to receive the scalar out-of-band-energy cost function, for tuning the polynomial c

Abstract: The present invention provides a two-phase thermosyphon (100) that includes a sealed housing (105). The housing (105) includes a first outer surface, a second outer surface opposite the first outer surface, a first inner surface, and a second inner surface. The housing (105) is preferably formed of a first housing piece and a second housing piece that are attached in such a way as to form a sealed housing. A porous structural material (101) is disposed within the housing (105). A plurality of slots (103) are disposed within the porous structural material (101). The slots (103) preferably run substantially perpendicular to the general direction of vapor flow through the porous structural material (101) and provide increased heat dissipation in the two-phase thermosyphon (100).

Abstract: A device (400), method (1200), phone (400) and base station (400) provide predistortion for linearization in a radio frequency RF power amplifier. The method includes the steps of: A) predistorting (1201) a baseband signal to provide a predistorted baseband signal in accordance with real-time polynomial coefficients; B) modulating (1202) the predistorted baseband signal to provide an RF signal; C) amplifying (1203) the RF signal to provide an amplified RF signal; D) demodulating (1204) the amplified RF signal to provide a demodulated baseband signal; and E) estimating (1205) the real-time polynomial coefficients to provide a linear amplified RF signal.