Abstract: A fuel measuring system includes a package adapted for mounting to a fuel storage vessel. The package includes an electro-statically shielded enclosure. A processor element is disposed in the enclosure and is adapted for coupling to a fuel sensor disposed in the storage vessel. A communication interface is provided for coupling data through the enclosure between the processor and a processor external to the package through a dielectric transmission media passing through the enclosure. A power supply for the processor element disposed in the enclosure, such power supply being adapted to generate power for the processing element in response to input energy. An energy interface is provided for coupling the input energy from a source external to the enclosure through dielectric transmission media passing through the enclosure.

Abstract: A method and related apparatus and software of detecting anomalies in a stream of data values. The method comprises the steps of: receiving a data value on the stream of data; calculating a new weighted average responsive to the received data value, a previously stored weighted average associated with the stream of data, and a decay rate in the range of 0 to 1; and calculating a new measure of deviation from the new weighted average responsive to the new weighted average, the data value, a previously stored measure of deviation associated with the stream of data, and the decay rate.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer software are provided whereby to associate a readily user-interpretable reason with an output of a supervised training data classifier. Reasons are associated with one or more members of a sequence of training vectors and subsequently associated, in operation, with a given classifier input by comparing the classifier input vector with training sequence vectors. A measure of confidence in the selected reasons is derived by comparing the classifier input vector with the corresponding training inputs with which the selected reasons were associated and calculating a measure of their closeness.

Abstract: In order to create a diffraction grating in an optical fiber with a predetermined pattern of the refractive index, an ultraviolet radiation beam (3) is scanned (5, 8) along a phosensitive portion (F′) of the fiber through a phase mask (9) and, during the scan, the beam intensity (4) and the mask-fiber distance (10) are controlled moment by moment in such a way as to obtain the desired patterns of the mean value and of the envelope of the refractive index, respectively.

Abstract: A communication system and method for continuous phase modulation providing for transmission of a phase-modulated carrier having a phaseform representative of concurrently transmitted symbols. The phaseform of the phase-modulated signal is a sum of shift bi-orthogonal functions, each term in that sum being weighted by one of the overlapping symbols. The communication system and method provide full-response demodulation for the recovery of a particular symbol from among the concurrently transmitted symbols by selecting a receiving filter function shift bi-orthogonal to the transmitter filter function corresponding to the particular symbol. The communication system and method then provide for nulling, by integration over a time interval during which the particular symbol is transmitted, those transmitter filter functions that do not correspond to the particular symbol. This results in the separation of the particular symbol from the other concurrently transmitted symbols.

Abstract: A method and apparatus to convert geographic information to a binary representation, or bingeo. The geographic information can be converted to a bingeo for a selected reference or coordinate system, and with respect to a reference within the selected coordinate system. The coordinate system location to bingeo conversion can be hierarchical or iterative and can include segmenting the coordinate system or segments thereof. The iterative algorithm can include identifying a segment including the specified location, and segmenting the identified segment. During an iteration, segments can be assigned a binary code that can be incorporated into the bingeo. Successive segmentation iterations can be performed to provide increased precision. In one embodiment, a precision of 0.16 inches squared can be attained. Two bingeos can be compared, in the simplest form, using a bitwise logical XOR.

Abstract: A length of oxynitride optical fiber is exposed to actinic radiation that is modulated by an interference technique to form a pattern of refractive index variations that functions as a reflective grating.

Abstract: A method and system comprising providing a plurality of control signals, the control signals having one or more on periods that do not coincide with the on periods of the other control signals and a first frequency at which the one or more on periods are repeated, the method and system also including driving a plurality of process measurement transducers in response to the control signals by selectively coupling the transducers to ground, and capturing the output of the process measurement transducers within the one or more on periods of the control signals.

Abstract: The invention provides systems and methods for continuous back up of data stored on a computer network. To this end the systems of the invention include a synchronization process that replicates selected source data files data stored on the network and to create a corresponding set of replicated data files, called the target data files, that are stored on a back up server. This synchronization process builds a baseline data structure of target data files. IN parallel to this synchronization process, the system includes a dynamic replication process that includes a plurality of agents, each of which monitors a portion of the source data files to detect and capture, at the byte-level, changes to the source data files.

Abstract: A self-validating output module in a control system includes a current detector and an operating component having at least two states. When the operating component is in the first state, current is directed away from a current detector and toward a load. When it is in its second state, current is directed toward the current detector and away from the load. The presence or absence of current on the current detector is thus a status signal indicative of whether or not current is being supplied to the load. This status signal is then made available to a controller.

Abstract: Disclosed is a tunable optical filter which may be used in telecommunications systems. The filter comprises a single mode optical waveguide containing a grating. The resonance wavelength of the filter is changed by changing the boundary condition at the interface between the cladding layer and an additional layer applied to the outer cladding layer surface. This boundary condition is changed by changing the refractive index of the additional layer. Means for changing the refractive index of the additional layer include establishing a structural resonance in the additional layer, or forming the additional layer from electro-optic or piezoelectric materials.

Abstract: The invention provides a sensor with a reference electrode and a flowing electrolyte which is particularly useful for measuring the ion concentration of a process solution. The invention includes a sensor having a pressurized reservoir which provides flow of an electrolyte, a non-metallic solution ground and a resistance temperature device bonded to a non-metallic solution ground. The invention provides sensors with greater accuracy and stability by minimizing or eliminating ingress of contaminants from a process solution through the external junction of the sensor.

Abstract: The invention provides systems and methods for continuous back up of data stored on a computer network. To this end the systems of the invention include a synchronization process that replicates selected source data files data stored on the network and to create a corresponding set of replicated data files, called the target data files, that are stored on a back up server. This synchronization process builds a baseline data structure of target data files. In parallel to this synchronization process, the system includes a dynamic replication process that includes a plurality of agents, each of which monitors a portion of the source data files to detect and capture, at the byte-level, changes to the source data files.

Abstract: According to the principles of the invention, there is provided a system that identifies spurious noise values in an input signal and replaces them with substitute values representative of the spurious-noise-free signal. The system is activated when the signal deviation exceeds a predetermined threshold, otherwise passing the signal unchanged. The substituted representative values are determined based on historical signal data, preferably a moving average with a fixed window. There is further provided a maximum glitch width which prevents inadvertent suppression of a true step in the input signal, and a relaxation time which prevents consecutive filter activations from unduly masking the input signal.

Abstract: A method for adaptively scheduling maintenance of a sensor (14) infers the need for maintenance of that sensor on the basis of an error signal indicative of a difference between a measurement signal generated by that sensor and an independently obtained reference signal that is correlated with the measurement signal (16). Although the reference signal is not identical to the measurement signal, the correlation between these two signals assures that when the sensor is functioning, the two signal will track each other over time. The method includes the step of generating this error signal and then monitoring that error signal to detect a triggering event indicative of a mismatch between the reference signal and the measurement signal. This mismatch is indicative of a probability that there exists a malfunction in the sensor. The value of this probability depends on the choice of the triggering event.

Abstract: A graphical user interface (GUI) is described which enables hierarchically structured information to be presented and analysed by a user quickly and easily. In one example, the GUI is for a fraud management system and the information is about “alarms”. Each alarm is an indicator of potential fraud and several types of alarm are presented, where the type of an alarm depends on the method of obtaining that alarm. The types of alarm are arranged in a hierarchical structure and a representation of the hierarchical structure is displayed on a display screen. A user is able to select one or more parts of the hierarchical structure in order to display information about all the alarms of the selected types and subtypes. This enables the user to quickly and easily view required information without the need to make many user actions and selections. The representation of the hierarchical structure may be tailored by the user. This is done by collapsing or expanding parts of the hierarchical representation.

Abstract: Device for adding/dropping optical signals into/from an optical transmission path, including input means for at least two optical signals with distinct wavelengths, comprising spectral selection means for sending at least a first signal to a first optical path and at least a second signal to a second optical path, at least a wavelength selective switching means along at least one of said first and second optical paths, for adding and dropping at least one optical signal having a predetermined wavelength selected from the optical signal wavelengths.

Abstract: An optical device comprises an optical waveguide component, a housing for the optical waveguide component, and a connecting portion that attaches the optical waveguide component to the housing while substantially completely isolating the optical waveguide component from force imposed on the connecting portion due to a dimensional change of the housing caused by a variation in ambient conditions.

Abstract: The invention provides a sensor with a reference electrode and a flowing electrolyte which is particularly useful for measuring the ion concentration of a process solution. The invention includes a sensor having a pressurized reservoir which provides flow of an electrolyte, a non-metallic solution ground and a resistance temperature device bonded to a non-metallic solution ground. The invention provides sensors with greater accuracy and stability by minimizing or eliminating ingress of contaminants from a process solution through the external junction of the sensor.

Abstract: A lifetime-prediction system generates an estimate of the remaining lifetime of a system component on the basis of the amount of time and the extent to which a measured-variable signal generated by the system component exceeds a stress threshold. The accumulation of measured-variable signals and the estimation of the remaining lifetime are performed locally to the system component, thereby reducing data traffic between the system component and a centralized processor and ensuring portability of the system component.