Abstract: A method for damping an optical fiber on a bias optical phase modulator having two optical fiber leads comprises the steps of securing the bias phase modulator, applying a silicone or acrylate type of substance to an outward facing surface of the fiber wound on the bias phase modulator means, applying the silicone or acrylate type of substance on the two optical fiber leads for at least 0.5 inch (1.28 cm.) along each lead which is apart from the place where the optical fiber wound on the bias phase modulator, frequently brushing or smoothing out the applied silicone or acrylate type of substance until the substance beings to set, and drying the substance on the optical fiber until the substance is cured. The applied damping material significantly reduces an amplitude of a frequency caused by mechanical vibrations in a rotation sensor.

Abstract: An adaptive recovery method for a setback thermostat using the intersection of the space temperature with a sloped recovery temperature line which approximates the change in temperature as a function of time during recovery of the temperature controlled space from a setback temperature, to determine the time at which recovery to the occupancy temperature should begin. The thermostat starts recovery when the current space temperature crosses the recovery temperature line. A useful feature of the apparatus and method which implement the invention, computes and constantly updates the slope of the temperature recovery line. The update of the temperature recovery line slope is based on miss time, i.e.

Abstract: This invention relates to fault-tolerant real-time clock capable of withstanding n-faults, including Byzantine faults. In particular, the instant invention produces redundant clock signals which have low skew with respect to each other, operate with extremely high accuracy, and can be constructed without use of analog electric components, with the exception of oscillators. The present fault tolerant clock is composed of three types of electrical subcircuits coupled together: oscillators/counters, sequential edge voters, and regular voters. Each of these subcircuits can be duplicated and coupled appropriately as needed to form a clock mechanism tolerant of any number of faults in the clock circuitry while maintaining an extremely precise timing mechanism suitable for accurately integrating and differentiating signals with respect to time.

Abstract: A monolithically constructed infrared, tunable Fabry-Perot cavity filter-detector for spectroscopic detection of particular substances having an absorption line in the wavelength range from 2 to 12 microns. The filter-detector has a hermetically sealed Fabry-Perot cavity that has a mirror which has an adjustable distance relative to another mirror of the cavity. The former mirror is adjusted by piezoelectric film on the mirror support or with piezoelectric stacks or wall supporting the mirror. There may be electrodes situated near the mirrors for capacitive sensing of the distance between the mirrors. Light to be filtered and detected comes in through a window wafer which may have diffractive or refractive microlenses, plus an optional spatial filter. After passing through the window wafer, the light is filtered by the tunable mirrors of the Fabry-Perot cavity. The portion of the light that is passed by the cavity is detected by an infrared microbolometer or a CCD array.

Abstract: A smart fastener having corrosion detection features. Within the fastener is a corrosion detecting array that receives an electrolyte that corrodes sacrificial materials formed on electrodes of the corrosion detecting array. The materials are the same as those materials which are secured, fastened, or attached by the fastener. There is parallel corrosion of the sacrificial materials and the attached materials since the electrolyte which is channeled via capillary tubes into the corrosion detecting array is the same electrolyte that is in the environment of the fastened materials. Other electrodes sense various properties of the electrolyte. Information sensed by the corrosion sensing electrodes of the array is in the form of very small electrical signals which are amplified and stored in an analog storage memory. A clock and addressing device time stamps and address the signals.

Abstract: At least one microbeam situated on a substrate, having a resonant frequency dependent on the strain on the microbeam which may be affected by the bending of the substrate. The beam or beams have sense and drive electrodes proximate to the beam or beams and form capacitors with a beam being the other electrode. The capacitance varies as the beam moves in vibration. The sense electrode is connected to an input of a transistor, such as the gate or base, and the drive electrode is connected to an output of the transistor. The transistor has a load impedance with a capacitive component to aid in the sustaining of vibration of the beam at a resonant frequency. A high ohm resistor is connected between the gate and the drain of the transistor to appropriately bias the gate. The bending of the substrate may be caused by a magnitude of a physical stimulus being measured. However, the bending of the substrate is not utilized nor desired in the filter and temperature sensing configurations of the invention.

Abstract: A three-dimensional interconnect package is provided for monolithic microwave/millimeterwave integrated circuits. A mating substrate for receiving an MMIC has transmission lines disposed over its surfaces. The mating substrate mounted substantially vertical in a base substrate which also has transmission lines for carrying microwave/millimeterwave signals. The transmission lines on both substrates are put in electrical contact and microwave/millimeterwave signals are transmitted between the substrates with a minimum of signal loss or reflection.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a control solution development environment coupled to a runtime environment constructed to insulate the control solution designer as well as the developed control applications from both the hardware and the operating system. This insulation frees the designer from having to deal with a tangle of control and operating system commands and considerations. The runtime environment manages the details of the process system resource and task allocation to implement the control strategies. Since the runtime environment insulates the developed control applications from changes in operating systems and hardware, applications developed to run in this environment are both reusable and portable. The runtime environment is scaleable, fault-tolerant, allows dynamic reconfiguration of the system, integration of diverse sensors and actuators and enables distributed control strategies.

Abstract: A thermal isolation microstructure fabricated by a process which allows the ultra thinning of support legs for the microdetector.

Abstract: A light coupler comprises a light source and a light conductor coupled together by a housing. The housing is permanently deformed to increase light coupling between the light source and the light conductor.

Abstract: A display apparatus for displaying video information received from a plurality of memory devices. Each memory device is organized as 2.sup.x rows by 2.sup.y columns of memory locations and a plurality of bits deep, where x and y are integers. The display apparatus includes a display having a plurality of display devices wherein each display device includes a plurality of pixels. The plurality of pixels of at least one of the display devices is organized as 2.sup.n rows by 2.sup.m columns of pixels as a function of the memory device organization, where n and m are integers. The display apparatus further includes apparatus for receiving the video information from the plurality of memory devices and driving at least a portion of the plurality of pixels of each display device in parallel.

Abstract: A modulating optical element having ports wherein either port can output or receive light signals. An electrooptic effect is applied to the optical element to allow the light signals to pass or not pass through the optical element. Due to the electrooptic effect in preventing signals from passing through the optic element, light signals radiate out of the optical element and are absorbed by the substrate of the optical element assembly. Rather than being lost, the energy from the light signal is converted to current which may be used for other purposes in the modulator system, such as bias stabilization.

Abstract: Measuring devices employing resonant strain gauges, e.g. pressure transducers or accelerometers, are compensated for variation in temperature by employing a secondary resonant microbeam in combination with the primary microbeam of the strain gauge. The secondary microbeam is mounted in cantilever fashion, with one end of the elongate polysilicon beam fixed to a silicon substrate, while the remainder of the beam is free to oscillate relative to the substrate. An oscillating drive voltage is supplied to a drive electrode mounted on the beam and a substantially uniform electrical field is maintained in the region about the beam. The frequency of oscillation is controlled by a piezo resistor formed on the beam and used for detecting instantaneous beam position relative to the substrate. The cantilevered microbeam is free from the effects of residual or induced strain. Therefore, its natural resonant frequency depends upon temperature, as beam modulus of elasticity and density change with temperature.

Abstract: A high performance transport layer checksum calculation unit and method is described for use in computer data communications systems which provides simultaneous general purpose data movement and checksum calculations. Data must be copied from the main memory of a computer in order to be transmitted and often a checksum must be calculated on the data for error detection purposes. The invention involves performing both of these tasks simultaneously thus requiring only one scan of the data memory. The checksum calculation method improves throughput capacity via a unique hardware architecture supporting delayed checksumming of packet segments. A net improvement for packets larger than a certain size is achieved via partial addition during DMA controlled memory access allowing improved average cycle time per data packet segment.

Abstract: A piezoelectric fiber optic phase modulator having a mount at a nodal point of the vibratory system of the modulator. The modulator is excited with an electric field applied in a direction parallel to the axis of the modulator or perpendicular to the radial direction of movement of the modulator. In contrast to the mere hollow cylinder modulator of the related art, the modulator of this invention has a web or center structure integral with the inside surface of the cylinder. The modulator here has a rugged mount, low absorption vibration and negligible harmonics at the mount for efficient and high Q functioning, and has rugged electrical connections for dependable operation.

Abstract: The invention relates to a problem-state monitoring system which includes an automated reasoning technique for providing moment-by-moment advice concerning the operation of a process. The reasoning technique involves the representation of states a problem can attain during the problem solving process which provides greater flexibility for the monitoring and advisory functions.

Abstract: A method of determining thermophysical or thermochemical parameters of a fuel gas is disclosed which has wide application both as to applicable fuels and applicable parameters. A relationship has been discovered that allows the determination of many parameters based on a basic relationship with the characteristic specific heat and thermal conductivity at a reference condition of the fuel gas and the rate of change of these characteristics at the reference conditions.

Abstract: A controller based on a neural network whose output is responsive to input signals that represent user or designer defined control system parameters which may include process parameters, control parameters and/or disturbance parameters. The neural network can be "trained" to mimic an existing controller which may or not receive inputs of control system parameters. The trained neural network controller may have advantages of faster execution and reduced code size. The neural network can also be trained to result in a nonlinear controller that is more powerful than an existing controller.

Abstract: A vertical cavity surface emitting laser source having an integrated power monitor at the non-emitting end of the source.

Abstract: A proton exchange polarizer with a spatial filter positioned to reduce cross coupling of unguided radiation. A photoconductor substrate is fabricated from LiNbO.sub.3 or LiTaO.sub.3. The substrate has a spatial filter located at a primary reflection point on a bottom of the substrate so as to block unguided TM mode light from reaching the output of the substrate. The spatial filter is fabricated by physical or chemical methods such as saw cutting, diamond machining, etching, micro-machining, laser-machining and/or damaging the surface of the substrate. The unguided TM mode light is attenuated by blockage or interruption of the transmissive region.