Abstract: The present invention relates to a garbage collector that uses an LRU algorithm to free memory from an XML DOM tree active in an application cache. According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, a threshold for the amount of memory permitted to reside in an application cache is set. Then, a garbage collector removes entries from the cache until it falls below the threshold. In one or more embodiments, a node table is used. When nodes are added to the XML DOM tree in the application cache the node table is updated. When the threshold for the amount of memory permitted to reside in the application cache is exceeded, the garbage collector applies an LRU algorithm uses the node table to determine which nodes to remove from the application cache. In one embodiment, the LRU algorithm scans the node table to determine the least recently used node in the table by examining time stamp entries in the table.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an implementation of a battery State of Charge (SOC) estimator for any battery type. It addresses the problems associated with the existing implementations such as high error uncertainty, limited application (i.e. only one battery type) and susceptibility to temperature changes. Embodiments of the present invention use Kalman filter or Extended Kalman filter for a battery model that has SOC as an internal system state. Having an SOC internal state allows the invention to provide an uncertainty associated with its SOC estimation. One embodiment does not take battery temperature as a parameter in its SOC estimation. Another embodiment uses battery temperature as a parameter to adjust its SOC estimation to keep the accuracy of the SOC estimation from being affected by changing temperature. One embodiment allows different modeling parameters during battery operation to accommodate highly dynamic batteries used in Hybrid Electric Vehicles and Electric Vehicles.

Abstract: Apparatus, methods and computer program products are disclosed that allows a thread-unaware routine that accesses an operation-dependent temporary data structure to be shared by multiple threads in a multi-threaded computing environment. The programmer for an operation provides three routines—a pre-processing routine, a operation routine, and a post-processing routine. The pre-processing routine allocates the operation-dependent temporary data structure. The operation routine accesses the operation-dependent temporary data structure to perform its operation for each thread that invokes the operation routine. The post-processing routine deallocates the operation-dependent temporary data structure when it is no longer needed.

Abstract: The invention provides a method of operating a cache memory so that operation is optimized. Instead of fetching data immediately upon a cache miss, the present invention continues with subsequent cache accesses. Decoupled from cache access, cache misses are fetched to cache. During operation, for each request in a sequence of data requests, it is determined if the requested data can be found in cache memory. If the data is not found in the cache, the next request in the sequence is processed without first retrieving the data pending from the earlier request. A miss list is generated for each of the requests in the sequence of requests whose data is not found in the cache. The data that is associated with the requests in the miss list is obtained from DRAM and used to satisfy the requests. Some cache lines may have one or more pending hits to data associated with the cache line. Those requests are kept in a pending hits list and processed in order as required.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for efficient electronics positioning and connection systems. In one embodiment of the present invention, electronic components are inserted into a connection rack from the front such that connections face the front side of the connection rack. In another embodiment of the present invention, electronic components are inserted into a connection rack from a side such that connections face the front side of the connection rack. In one embodiment, a connection rack is positioned with the back side against a wall. In another embodiment two connection racks are positioned such that the back side of a first connection rack is against the back side of a second connection rack. In one embodiment, a power supply is positioned near the top of the connection rack. A common power line couples the power supply to the electronic components. Thus, the need for heat-producing power supplies in each component is eliminated.

Abstract: A receiver of a radio frequency signal having a pseudo-random noise (PRN) code, and techniques of processing such a signal that are especially adapted for ranging applications. A signal corresponding to the PRN code is locally generated and used for decoding the received signal in a manner to reduce ranging errors that can result when multipath (delayed) versions of the radio frequency signal are also present. A significant application of the receiver and signal processing techniques of the present invention is in a Global Positioning System (GPS), wherein a number of such signals from several satellites are simultaneously received and processed in order to obtain information of the position, movement, or the like, of the receiver. A delay locked loop (DLL) correlator, provided in each of the receiver's multiple processing channels, locks onto a line of sight signal from one of the satellites with the effect of any multipath signal(s) being significantly reduced.

Abstract: A user interface component. One or more embodiments provide a framework to develop a graphical user interface (GUI) for applications and to present information to a user. The framework provides a common look, feel, and usage with a layout that may follow a designated style guide. Aspects of a business (e.g., customers, vendors, or invoices) are created in the form of business objects. An editor that provides the ability to display and modify attributes of each business object (e.g., the address, name and phone number may be attributes of a customer object) is created. A set of commands that implement the changes made in an editor and that are executed upon execution of an event (such as the selection of a button on a display, e.g., a “save” button) are also defined. One or more embodiments of the invention provide for the defining of information relating to a GUI's menu bar, tool bar, and action bar. Such user interface information may be provided in a properties file.

Abstract: The present invention supports drag and drop components of an emulated environment within a host environment. The look and feel of an environment's drag and drop functionality is emulated in a host environment. A drag window is created from the emulated environment's drag image. Modifier keys of the host environment are mapped to those used in the emulated environment. Windows are registered for drag and drop in the emulated environment's registered windows database. The host environment's drag and drop database is updated to identify the registered windows of the emulated environment.

Abstract: A standard platform independent messaging environment for use with devices is provided. The environment provides programming and operational building blocks that can be used to interface with existing data providing capabilities to identify, respond to, and report errors and failover conditions. Customizable decision logic is used to provide more sophisticated response and reporting capabilities, even though the basic device hardware and operation is not redesigned.

Abstract: The present invention is a method for solder joint integrity assessment. The invention comprises collecting data from one or more solder joint strain tests and characterizing the solder joint data integrity using a force-deflection graph. A force-deflection graph characterizes the response force of a solder joint to applied strain as a function of time. One embodiment of the invention uses the slope of the graph to characterize the integrity of the solder joint. Another embodiment uses the area below the graph to characterize the integrity of the solder joint. To generate the force-deflection graph, the invention applies one or more tests to the solder joint. In one embodiment, a shear test is applied to the solder joint. In another embodiment, a cold pull test is applied to the solder joint. In another embodiment, a hot pull test is applied to the solder joint.

Abstract: The invention provides for cache organization of texture information and a method and apparatus for accessing cached texture information and an index for cached information. Texels are represented in two dimensions and stored in groups referred to as tiles. Cache is configured to contain multiple tiles of texture image data, each tile being stored as a line in the cache. A cache line can be multidimensional (e.g., two or three or more dimensions) and may be viewed as an identifiable storage element in the cache. Memory may consist of a plurality of cache lines. Direct mapped cache may be utilized wherein each DRAM location maps to a single cache line. A tag table contains the tag information for all tiles currently stored in cache. A portion of the texel information may be utilized as an index assigned to a specific cache line. Another portion of the tag information identifies the tile currently stored in cache.

Abstract: The same “look and feel” of environment applications is given to non-environment, or foreign, applications. Like environment applications, a non-environment application is docked, launched and run in the environment. There is no need to modify a foreign application to run in the environment. When a foreign application is docked, a wrapper application is associated with the foreign application. The wrapper application launches the foreign application, awaits a notification regarding a change in status for the foreign application, and communicates with the environment's docking application regarding the status of the foreign application. The same menu that is created for environment applications is created for the foreign application that allows a user to manipulate the foreign application's windows and execution. The dock tile associated with the foreign application is modified to reflect changes in the status of the application.