Abstract: An integrated circuit with programmable output drive/program pins includes a plurality of output pads (30) which are each operable to interface with a separate and dedicated output driver (38). The output driver (38) is operable to drive an LED output device (14) in an operating mode. In a program mode, the driver (38) is disabled and a program buffer (40) enabled. At the same time, the LED output device (14) is disabled such that no impedance is presented to the output pad (30) due to operation of the LED output device (14). A programming resistor (18) is disposed between the pad (30) and one of three program reference voltages. A first program state is represented when the resistor (18) is tied to ground, a second program state is represented when the resistor (18) is tied to an open circuit and a third program state is represented when the resistor (18) is tied to a positive voltage.

Abstract: A method for forming a spatial light modulator (SLM) comprises forming a substrate (10) underneath a layer of Ferro-Electric crystal material (14) with a plurality of mirrored elements (12) disposed on the surface thereof. The process involves forming a layer of low stress oxide on the surface of the substrate over control pads or conductive strips (24) which are connected to underlying control elements. Openings (30) are formed in the oxide, followed by a formation of a conformal layer of aluminum (32). This is etched to form plugs (36) and then the substrate is subjected to a chemical/mechanical planarization step. This involves polishing the substrate to provide an optically flat surface. Thereafter, a layer of aluminum is then disposed on the surface of the substrate, patterned and etched to form the mirrored elements (12).

Abstract: A neural network system is provided that models the system in a system model (12) with the output thereof providing a predicted output. This predicted output is modified or controlled by an output control (14). Input data is processed in a data preprocess step (10) to reconcile the data for input to the system model (12). Additionally, the error resulted from the reconciliation is input to an uncertainty model to predict the uncertainty in the predicted output. This is input to a decision processor (20) which is utilized to control the output control (14). The output control (14) is controlled to either vary the predicted output or to inhibit the predicted output whenever the output of the uncertainty model (18) exceeds a predetermined decision threshold, input by a decision threshold block (22).

Abstract: A portable evaporative cooling unit (10) is disclosed. A housing (12) has a front opening (46) and a rear opening (20). Air-permeable water absorption media (22) are disposed across the rear opening (20) of the housing (12). An electric motor driven fan (42) having fan blades (44) is disposed in the front opening (46) of the housing (12) for drawing air through the water absorption media (22). A supply conduit (94) connects a water pump (52) to an elongated horizontal spray bar (64) disposed above the water absorption media (22). The spray bar (64) extends substantially the width of the water absorption media (22) and has a plurality of spaced holes (72) in its upper surface for distributing water. A foam sleeve (68) is disposed around the entire length of the spray bar (64). The foam sleeve (68) absorbs water expelled from the plurality of holes (72) and distributes the water onto the water absorption media (22).

Abstract: A realtime clock integrated circuit includes a memory (30) that has a plurality of addressable locations therein. The memory (30) has two portions, a lower portion and an upper portion. The lower portion is addressed by the seven least significant bits which are extracted from an input address bus (50). The seven address bits are latched in an address latch (54) for input to the address input of the memory (30). An eighth most significant address bit is received from an external line (64), which is attached to a separate bus on a personal computer other than that of the bus (50). The eighth most significant bit is latched in an address latch (62) for presentation to the most significant bit of the address input memory (30). When this most significant bit is high, the upper portion of the memory (30) is accessed.

Abstract: A temperature compensated current source for driving a multi-vibrator (19) includes a voltage generator (10) that outputs a voltage that is proportional to absolute temperature (PTAT) and a resistor (12) for setting the current output by the voltage generator (10). The temperature coefficient of the resistor (12) is chosen such that any variations in the current supplied by the voltage generator (10) are compensated for to result in a current that has substantially no temperature variation. This current is mirrored to a current source (18) for driving the multi-vibrator (19). The voltage across the resistor (12)is a function of temperature, with the current being a function of the value of the resistor (12). The temperature coefficient of the resistor (12) is substantially equal to the temperature coefficient of the voltage generator (10) to yield a temperature coefficient of substantially 0 ppm/.degree.C. for the current.

Abstract: A restaurant management system (10) is provided. The restaurant management system (10) includes an inventory system (64). Also included are a supplier (54) and a user (52). Orders are sent from the user (52) to the supplier (54). The orders have associated therewith time information. Each item in the order has associated therewith an inherent minimum time until the order may be delivered. Also included is a remuneration system (60) to collect money in response to the receipt of an order. An alarm system (300) having a plurality of threshold alarms with each of the threshold alarms associated with a predetermined duration of time from the receipt of the order is also provided.

Abstract: A battery detect circuit (32) is provided that is operable to dispose a sense resistor (50) in series with the battery to determine whether the charge is being provided to the battery or being extracted from the battery. The voltage across the sensor resistor (50) is sensed by a voltage/frequency converter (52). The voltage/frequency converter (52) is a differential structure comprised of two integrator structures (102) and (104) that are operable to utilize a switched capacitor configuration to drive comparators on the output thereof. Each of the integrator structures (102) and (104) has associated therewith passive elements and active elements. The integrators (102) and (104) have associated therewith integration capacitors (147) and (149). Additionally, there are two operational amplifiers (143) and (145) that provide the active components of each of the integrators (102) and (104).

Abstract: A security system is provided wherein a portable locator (10) is disposed on a protected person and, with the use of an alarm switch (88), an individual can set the locator (10) to continuously transmit an alarm signal. This alarm signal is comprised of a pseudonoise (PN) code ORed with data and transmitted over a carrier frequency. This carrier frequency is then transmitted to a plurality of fixed receivers (14). The fixed receivers (14) note the time of arrival and then determine via this time of arrival the approximate location of the locator (10). During this time, the locator (10) operates in a high power mode that is sufficient to reach each of the receivers (14). This occurs for a short time and then the locator (10) goes into a low power mode to conserve the battery. During this low power mode, a portable monitor (62) is provided that has two receivers (66) and (68). Two antennas (70) and (72) are associated therewith. The system operates on an angle of arrival method.

Abstract: A multiple print engine system includes a plurality of print engine modules (10) that are arranged in a parallel configuration. Each of the print engine modules (PEMs) is a dedicated print engine having an associated photoconductor drum (44) and a transfer drum (42). Paper is pulled from an associated paper bin (78) or (80) and passed through the transfer nip (46) between the two drums (44) and (42). The printed copy, either made by a monochrome process or a multipass color process, is then passed through a fuser (74) to a print buffer (16) which has an associated print buffer path (104). The paper is maintained in the print buffer until it is selected by the output combiner (20). The output combiner (20) extracts the paper from the print buffer (16) at a faster rate than it was processed by the associated one of the print engines (10). The images are distributed to the various print engines by an image distributor (30) which determines which image is associated with which engine.

Abstract: A buried electrode drum (48) includes a rigid core (10) over which a controlled durometer layer (12) is disposed. On the surface of the controlled durometer layer (12) is disposed a buried electrode layer (14), having electrodes (16) disposed therein along the longitudinal axis of the drum (48). The electrode layer (14) is covered by a controlled resistivity layer (18). The controlled resistivity layer (18) is operable to be contacted on the surface thereof by an electrode (24) to allow a voltage to be transferred to the underlying electrodes (16) and therefrom along the longitudinal axis of the drum (48). Various electrodes can be disposed about the peripheral edge of the drum (48) to allow any pattern to be formed on the surface of the drum (48).

Abstract: An air floated cutting apparatus is provided having a housing configured to define a cup-shaped centrifuge chamber along an inner peripheral wall of the housing for centrifuging cuttings. An impeller is located in the housing to force air outwardly along an interior wall of the housing to pressurize the interior of the housing. The air moves outwardly and downwardly along the interior wall in a top portion of the housing and then inwardly and downwardly along the interior wall in a bottom portion of the housing toward a support surface beneath the housing. The lowermost portion of the interior housing wall is angled downwardly less than 30 degrees with respect to a horizontal axis for directing air inwardly and downwardly at a predetermined angle. In one embodiment the interior housing wall defines the centrifuge chamber in the presence of the downward air flow. In another embodiment, means is provided for defining a centrifuge chamber separate from an air pressure chamber in which air flows downwardly.

Abstract: A disk-based holographic storage media includes a disk fabricated from a holographic storage media. A plurality of holographic storage regions are defined within the storage media such that pages of holographic data can be stored therein in the form of an interference grating. A Read/Write head is provided for containing the optics necessary to read information from the holographic storage region and write information thereto. The Read/Write head moves along the radial direction of the disk with the disk stepped by a motor to discrete angular positions, comprising the address of the storage region along with radial positioning of the Read/Write head. Each of the storage regions is diamond-shaped and oriented such that the apexes thereof are oriented along a common radial column line. Adjacent columns have the storage regions disposed in alternating rows or tracks. This allows for a higher packing density.

Abstract: An electromagnetic shutter (40) is comprised of two poles, a south pole (42) and a north pole (44) that are disposed above the surface of a delivery roller element (32). The delivery roller element (32) rotates about a fixed magnet (30) that has various poles. The south pole (42) of the electromagnetic shutter (40) is aligned proximate to the one of the north poles of the magnet (30). When the electromagnetic shutter (40) is activated with the windings (48) and (50) or winding (48) only, the shutter will form a magnetic dam (79) of toner particles which will effectively prevent passage of the toner particles thereby.

Abstract: An interactive voice communication terminal (10) provides alpha and numeric characters transmitted from a DTMF generator (36) to access a database by interfacing with the mouthpiece (24) of a telephone handset (26) via a transducer (22). A keypad (14) is operable to allow selection of one of multiple characters associated with alpha characters and numeric characters. A table of DTMF strings associated with each key is stored in a memory (34). In response to depression of a key on the keypad (14), a centralized controller (32) controls the DTMF generator (36) to output the sequence associated with the depressed key that was stored in the memory (34) to transducer (22) via a driver (38). The tables in the memory (34) can be a combination of DTMF sequences for alpha characters and single number sequences for numerical sequences or they can be fixed-length sequences for all numerical and alpha characters.

Abstract: A plant (72) is operable to receive control inputs c(t) and provide an output y(t). The plant (72) has associated therewith state variables s(t) that are not variable. A control network (74) is provided that accurately models the plant (72). The output of the control network (74) provides a predicted output which is combined with a desired output to generate an error. This error is back propagated through an inverse control network (76), which is the inverse of the control network (74) to generate a control error signal that is input to a distributed control system (73) to vary the control inputs to the plant (72) in order to change the output y(t) to meet the desired output. The control network (74) is comprised of a first network NET 1 that is operable to store a representation of the dependency of the control variables on the state variables. The predicted result is subtracted from the actual state variable input and stored as a residual in a residual layer (102).

Abstract: The present invention comprises an apparatus for obtaining potable water from the ambient air. A compressor (16) is provided for compressing a refrigerant. A condenser (18) is provided for condensing the refrigerant received from the compressor (16). An evaporator coil (14) is provided for receiving at one end thereof compressed refrigerant from the condenser (18) and being disposed in a water tank (12). The evaporator (14) is operable for evaporating refrigerant and thereby cooling the potable water (13) in the water tank (12). Drip coils (28) are provided for condensing the potable water from the ambient air with the cooled potable water (13) from the water tank passing through the drip coils (28) before returning to the water tank (12). A fan (20) is provided for blowing ambient air about the drip coils(28) and the condenser (18).