Abstract: The present invention enables the detection of light using an APD that has high gain and/or a wide range of operating temperature. A first APD is biased with a voltage bias that is controlled based on the breakdown voltage of a second APD, which is thermally coupled with the first APD. Changes in the breakdown voltage of the second APD due to aging, temperature chances, and the like, are reflective of changes in the breakdown voltage of the first APD. As a result, the first APD can be operated with greater stability and reliability at high gain and over larger temperature excursions than APDs known in the prior art.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for controlling a vibration isolation system, and an active vibration isolation system for vibration-isolated support of lithographic devices, wafer handling systems, and/or scanning microscopes. For this purpose the following are provided: a number of vibration transducers for supplying sensor signals which are representative of vibrations; a number of actuators for vibration compensation which may be controlled by supplying actuator control signals; a control device which is designed for processing the supplied sensor signals to form the actuator control signals, wherein the vibration transducers have at least one geophone sensor as a first acceleration sensor for detecting vibrations in a first frequency range, and at least one second acceleration sensor, which is different from the first acceleration sensor, for detecting vibrations in a second frequency range which extends the first frequency range.

Abstract: A full-tensor, gravity gradient measuring system is disclosed that is based on atom interferometry. Each axis in the three-axis measuring system is served by a different gravity gradiometer, where each gradiometer comprises three pairs of atom interferometric (AI) accelerometers. The accelerometers in each pair are mounted on opposite sides of the gradiometer's rotation axis from each other. The three AI accelerometer pairs are step-rotated, instead of being continuously rotated, thereby providing enhanced signal-to-noise performance. The three gradiometers in the overall measuring system are mounted orthogonally with respect to one another on a local-level platform, in order to achieve a full-tensor measuring system. The measuring system can be step-rotated as an overall unit around an axis perpendicular to a local level reference.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for multi-shot, liquid-resin-molding of continuous-fiber composite articles is disclosed. The process involves the step-wise fabrication of an article wherein continuity of the fibers is maintained between the multiple workpieces of the finished composite article.

Abstract: A method for identifying and quantifying one or more analytes included in a sample comprising a background solvent is disclosed. The present invention enables in-situ calibration and removal of the spectral signature of the background solvent from a composite spectrum so that the spectral features associated with the analyte(s) can be more easily and precisely identified. Further, the method enables estimation of the concentration of the analyte(s) by normalizing the spectrum based on the path length of the infrared radiation through the sample.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer-readable storage medium for outsourcing telecom billing are disclosed for issuing one or more first billing statements and one or more second billing statements from a first telecom network; and transmitting at least the one or more first billing statements to a second telecom network. The one or more first billing statements may reflect one or more charges from the first telecom network to the second telecom network, and the one or more second billing statements may reflect one or more charges from the second telecom network to one or more customers thereof. The one or more charges of the first and second billing statements may reflect the same service(s).

Abstract: A method and apparatus for maintaining constant compaction pressure in a vertically oriented resin transfer molding apparatus.

Abstract: A dry fabric seal for use with tooling for liquid resin molding processes and a method for creating the seal are disclosed. In the illustrative embodiment, the seal comprises an annular resin reservoir, a level of resin within the reservoir, a device for controlling the resin level, and a perforated pressure plate that forms one wall of the reservoir. The seal is created by controlling the level of resin between the tooling (e.g., the inner and outer molds, etc.) so that air cannot leak in (for vacuum processes) or out (for pressurized processes) between the fibers in the fabric near the top of the molds.

Abstract: A passive optical network is disclosed that enables burst mode operation without some of the disadvantages for doing so in the prior art. An embodiment of the present invention comprises a receiver that receives optical signals from transmitters of a plurality of optical network units. For each transmission from an optical network unit, the receiver provides an output signal based on a comparison of the optical signal and a reference voltage that is specific to that optical network unit. A digital-to-analog converter generates the reference voltage in a data rate-independent manner based on information provided to it from the control plane.

Abstract: An oscillatory measurement system is disclosed that includes a visual recorder for detecting irregularities such as bubbles in a fluid to be measured. Techniques are provided for scanning the recorder across the oscillatory tube.

Abstract: A method and system for reducing, in a centralized train control system, the portion of a centralized server application that is considered vital while not reducing the overall vitality of the system.

Abstract: A screwless connection terminal with a contact element to which a conductor is to be electrically connected, the contact element comprising a connecting section and a contact surface, with a clamp spring by means of which the conductor is to be clamped to the contact surface of the contact element, wherein the clamp spring has a clamping leg, an abutting leg and a tensioning leg, wherein a clamp opening is formed in the clamping leg, through which clamp opening, the conductor is to be led, wherein the abutting leg of the clamp spring abuts on the contact element, and the tensioning leg of the clamp spring connects the abutting leg to the clamping leg, wherein the clamping leg further comprises a conductor clamp extension with a clamping face which is aligned substantially parallel to the contact surface of the contact element.

Abstract: In order to provide a decorative coating (9) which exhibits improved temperature resistance and strength on glass and glass-ceramic and which also has no strength-reducing effect on the substrate (3), or at least no longer has any substantially strength-reducing effect on the substrate, the invention envisions a process for producing glass or glass-ceramic articles having a decorative layer in which at least one decorative pigment (13) is mixed with a sol-gel binder (11), and the pigment mixed with the sol-gel binder is cured on the glass or glass-ceramic substrate of the article by annealing, to form a decorative layer having a porous ceramiclike structure.

Abstract: This invention relates to reed switches, and more particularly to micro-miniaturized reed switches and batch microfabrication techniques used to fabricate micro-miniaturized reed switches. The present invention can provide miniaturized reed switches with more consistent operating parameters, and that can be produced more efficiently than conventional reed switches. The present invention can also provide methods of making miniaturized reed switches using microfabrication techniques. The present invention can use lithographic-based fabrication to enable monolithic construction of a reed switch. Microlithography can repeatedly form micrometer dimensions with tight tolerances over large arrays of devices which, if the patterns are translated into materials appropriate for electromechanical devices, can provide for repeatable and consistent electromechanical operation.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for production of packaged electronic, in particular optoelectronic, components in a composite wafer, in which the packaging is carried out by fitting microframe structures of a cover substrate composed of glass, and the composite wafer is broken up along trenches which are produced in the cover substrate, and to packaged electronic components which can be produced using this method, comprising a composite of a mount substrate and a cover substrate, with at least one functional element and at least one bonding element, which makes contact with the functional element, being arranged on the mount substrate, with the cover substrate being a microstructured glass which is arranged on the mount substrate, and forms a cavity above the functional element, and with the bonding elements being located outside the cavity.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method and apparatus for generating, in an envelope tracking modulator of a mobile radio transmission apparatus, a pulse width modulated, PWM, signal representing a time-varying signal, the method comprising, for each time cycle: a) generating a rising ramp from a first voltage level to a second voltage level; b) generating a falling ramp from the second voltage level to the first voltage level; c) detecting a rising slope of the time-varying signal crossing the falling ramp and responsive thereto if the PWM signal is at the first voltage level, transitioning the PWM signal to the second voltage signal; d) detecting a falling slope of the time-varying signal crossing the rising ramp, and responsive thereto if the PWM signal is at the second voltage level, transitioning the PWM signal to the first voltage signal.

Abstract: A method for estimating whether or not a wireless terminal is in a zone is described. The method is based on the following observation: when a wireless terminal is at a particular location, the values of the traits of the ambient electromagnetic signals that vary with location represent a “fingerprint” or “signature” for that location. This enables the location of a wireless terminal to be estimated by comparing the observed values of the traits of the ambient electromagnetic signals with the fingerprint for each potential location for the wireless terminal.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and system for secure transmission of process data to be transmitted cyclically in a cyclical data transmission to be performed protocol-specifically via a transmission channel between a user functioning as a master and at least one user functioning as a slave that are connected to the transmission channel. Within a transmission protocol frame, a time slot that can always accommodate the same number of bits independently of the data to be transmitted is assigned to each slave during a data transmission cycle. For safety-relevant process data that is to be transmitted during a data transmission cycle from a slave to at least one additional user, or that is to be transmitted during a data transmission cycle from a user to at least one slave, additional first protection data for recognizing error-free transmission of this safety-relevant process data is generated and transmitted in each case.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an electrical connector with a first and a second sub-assembly. The first sub-assembly comprises a contact area for receiving a conductor end and for establishing an electrical contact with the received conductor end. The first sub-assembly further comprises a clamping device for clamping the conductor in the contact area. The second sub-assembly comprises a hollow body with a hollow space for receiving the contact area. The first and the second sub-assemblies are made as one piece and are configured to release the clamping device in the open state for manually clamping the conductor end, and to electrically insulate the contact area including the clamping device in the closed state.

Abstract: A technique for generating good system decompositions is disclosed. The illustrative embodiment uses evolutionary programming in combination with a fitness function to generate a system decomposition that has a low degree of coupling and a high degree of coherence. A system is represented by an object-oriented specification using the Unified Modeling Language (UML); the UML specification is then represented by an eXtended Markup Language (XML) document, and the contents of the document are transformed into a nested-list data structure that resembles source code in a functional programming language such as Common LISP. The nested-list data structure and an appropriate fitness function are input to an evolutionary programming engine that operates on the nested-list data structure as though it were a source code program, and generates an output source code program. A system decomposition is then derived from the output source code program.