Abstract: An active control of an unwanted noise signal at a listening site radiated by a noise source uses a reference signal that has an amplitude and/or frequency such that it is masked for a human listener at the listening site by the unwanted noise signal and/or a wanted signal present at the listening site in order to adapt for the time-varying secondary path in a real time manner such that a user doesn't feel disturbed by an additional artificial noise source.

Abstract: A method is provided for measuring mobility spectrum of ions in an ion mobility spectrometer having an ion source, a modulator, an ion drift region and an ion detector disposed at the end of the ion drift region. The method includes the steps of modulating an ion current from the ion source, and measuring the mobility spectrum, where a predistortion of the continuous modulation function substantially compensates for a distortion created by the modulator. The ion current is modulated with the modulator by varying an instantaneous frequency of a continuous modulation function across a frequency range. The mobility spectrum is measured by correlating the ion current measured at the detector and the modulation function.

Abstract: An amplifier (V) for an integrated circuit amplifier circuit (IC) having a switched capacitor circuit (Cs, Cf) includes a capacitor for frequency compensation (CC1) that is connected in parallel to an amplifier stage (V2). This amplifier is advantageous because at least one second capacitor for frequency compensation (CC2) is selectively connected in parallel to the first capacitor for frequency compensation (CC1) via a switch controlled by a capacitor switching signal (clk).

Abstract: A system for estimating the background noise in a loudspeaker-room-microphone system is presented herein where the loudspeaker is supplied with a source signal and the microphone picks up the source signal distorted by the room and provides a distorted signal. The system comprises an adaptive filter receiving the source signal and the distorted signal, and providing an error signal, a post filter connected downstream of the adaptive filter and a smoothing filter arrangement connected downstream of the adaptive filter. The smoothing filter arrangement includes a spectral domain smoothing filter that provides a spectral domain estimated-noise signal, and a time domain smoothing filter that provides a time domain estimated-noise signal.

Abstract: An audio enhancement system for compensating for ambient noise in a listening environment, comprises an audio system that produces an electrical sound signal and generates a sound output from the electrical sound signal. A sensor (e.g., a microphone) senses a total sound signal representative of the total sound level in the listening environment, including the sound output from the audio system and the ambient noise within the listening environment. A processing unit responsive to the total sound signal and the electrical sound signal extracts from the total sound signal an ambient noise signal representative of the ambient noise in the listening environment. A controller responsive to the ambient noise signal performs a linear predictive coding (LPC) analysis and generates a control signal, which is input to an equalizer to adjust the sound output of the audio system in order to compensate for the ambient noise level.

Abstract: According to the present invention, an annular face seal arrangement for a gas turbine engine is provided that includes a mounting ring, a mounting member, a rotor, and a stator. The mounting ring has a width extending between a first axial end and a second axial end. The mounting member has a clamp portion and a biasing portion. The clamp portion extends axially between a first clamping surface and a second clamping surface. The biasing portion includes a first segment and a second segment. The second segment has a width and a rotor contact surface. The rotor has a rotor seal surface and a clamp portion having a width. The stator has a stator seal surface that is aligned with the rotor seal surface. The mounting ring is disposed radially inside of the rotor and radially inside of at least part of the biasing portion, and is disposed in contact with the second clamping surface of the clamp portion. The rotor contact surface of the biasing portion is disposed in contact with the rotor.

Abstract: A method for enumerating cellular elements and particulates within a biologic fluid sample is provided.

Abstract: An automatic sound system equalizer adjusts a sound system to a target sound, where the sound system includes at least two groups of loudspeakers supplied with electrical sound signals to be converted into acoustical sound signals. The equalizer sequentially supplies each group with the respective electrical sound signal; sequentially assesses the deviation of the acoustical sound signal from the target sound for each group of loudspeakers, and adjusts at least two groups of loudspeakers to a relatively small, preferably minimum deviation from the target sound by equalizing the respective electrical sound signals supplied to the groups of loudspeakers.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for automated tuning of a sound system, the sound system comprising delay lines, equalizing filters, and at least two loudspeakers, the method comprising the steps of reproducing a useful sound signal through the loudspeakers, measuring sound pressure values at at least one location, providing a target transfer function for tuning the delay lines and the equalizing filters of the sound system, the target transfer function representing a desired transfer characteristics of the sound system, adjusting the delay of the delay lines, and adjusting amplitude responses of the equalizing filters such, that the actual transfer characteristics of the sound system approximates the target function.

Abstract: A switched mode amplifier includes a voltage source, a switched amplifier, a controller and a feedback unit. The switched amplifier sources or sinks a current to or from a load. The load and the current define a voltage over the load. The controller generates control signals for the switched amplifier in response to an input signal and a feedback signal. The feedback unit is connected to the controller and the load, and generates the feedback signal from the voltage over the load.

Abstract: An auger conveyor is provided that includes a housing, at least one first mounting bracket, at least one second mounting bracket, an auger screw and one or more auger support assemblies. The first mounting bracket has a first landing and the second mounting bracket has a second landing. The first and second mounting brackets are attached to the housing at positions diametrically opposite one another. The auger screw has a rotational axis. The one or more auger support assemblies each have a lateral member connected to a bushing assembly. The auger screw is rotatably mounted relative to the bushing assembly. First and second ends of the lateral member each have a geometry adapted to slidably engage with the first landing and the second landing, respectively. The auger screw and the one or more auger support assemblies are adapted to be received within and removed from the housing as an assembled unit, by insertion/removal through the first end of the housing.

Abstract: A speaker assembly arrangement for a vehicle is provided that includes a speaker unit including a speaker cabinet defining a first volume and a body part of a vehicle including a hollow member defining a second volume. The speaker cabinet is acoustically coupled to the hollow member by a press-fit coupling having a press-fit direction and mounted on the body part by at least one fastener having a fastening direction substantially perpendicular to the press-fit direction. The body part comprises a first guide arranged and configured to slidably engage with a second guide arranged on the speaker cabinet so that force on the speaker cabinet in the fastening direction is at least in part redirected to the press-fit direction by the slidable engagement of the first guide and the second guide.

Abstract: A method for determining the hematocrit of a blood sample is provided that includes the steps of: 1) depositing the sample into an analysis chamber adapted to quiescently hold the sample for analysis, the chamber defined by the interior surfaces of first and second panels and a height extending there between, wherein both panels are transparent, and the height is such that at least some of the red blood cells within the sample contact both interior surfaces of the panels and one or more lacunae within the quiescent sample extend between the interior surfaces; 2) imaging at least a portion of the quiescent sample, which sample portion contains the red blood cells and one or more lacunae to determine an optical density of the imaged portion of the sample on a per image unit basis; 3) selecting and averaging the optical density values of the image units aligned with the red blood cells contacting the interior surfaces, and assigning an upper boundary value of 100% to the average optical density value of those im

Abstract: A method for measuring the thickness of a pipe wall is provided. The method includes the steps of: 1) emitting ultrasonic signals into the pipe wall at one or more frequencies below 1 MHz and receiving reflected ultrasonic signals, and providing a sensor signal representative of the received reflected signals, including a first received reflected signal and a second received reflected signal; 2) providing a first model signal representative of the first received reflected signal and a second model signal representative of the second received reflected signal; 3) correlating the received reflected signals to the model signals, including varying a time delay between the model signals, until the model signals separated by the time delay substantially agree with the received reflected signals; and 4) determining the thickness of the pipe wall using the time delay.

Abstract: A system for enhancing the sound signal produced by an audio system in a listening environment by compensating for ambient noise in the listening environment is provided. The system receives an electrical sound signal and generates a sound output therefrom. A total sound signal is sensed representative of the total sound level in the environment, where the total sound level includes both the sound output from the audio system and the ambient noise within the environment. The system extracts an ambient noise signal representative of the ambient noise in the environment from the total sound signal in response to the total sound signal and to a reference signal derived from the electrical sound signal. The system extracts the ambient noise signal using an adaptive filter with an adaptive step size. The system generates a control signal in response to the ambient noise signal and adjusts the sound output of the audio system to compensate for the ambient noise level in response to the control signal.

Abstract: In order to suppress as much noise as possible in a hands-free device in a motor vehicle, for example, two microphones (M1, M2) are spaced a certain distance apart, the output signals (MS1, MS2) of which are added in an adder (AD) and subtracted in a subtracter (SU). The sum signal (S) of the adder (AD) undergoes a Fourier transform in a first Fourier transformer (F1), and the difference signal (D) of the subtracter (SU) undergoes a Fourier transform in a second Fourier transformer (F2). From the two Fourier transforms R(f) and D(f), a speech pause detector (P) detects speech pauses, during which a third arithmetic unit (R) calculates the transfer function HT of an adaptive transformation filter (TF). The transfer function of a spectral subtraction filter (SF), at the input of which the Fourier transform R(f) of the sum signal (S) is applied, is generated from the spectral power density Srr of the sum signal (S) and from the interference power density Snn generated by the adaptive transformation filter (TF).

Abstract: A lead screw nut support arrangement includes a wall having a width and a through hole that passes through the wall. A support bushing passes through the through hole in the axial direction, leaving an amount of play, and having a length greater than the thickness of the wall. The support bushing is supported in the through hole movably in the axial direction. A lead screw nut is also included whose end face adjoins a first end face of the support bushing on the inner side of the wall. The support arrangement also includes a mount that braces a second end face of the support bushing against the lead screw nut such that the lead screw nut is elastically loaded in the direction away from the wall.

Abstract: Mass spectrometry with lasers generates ions from analyte molecules by matrix assisted laser desorption for a variety of different mass spectrometric analysis procedures. The mass spectrometers with laser systems supply laser light pulses having at least two different pulse durations, and mass spectrometric measuring techniques use the laser light pulses of different durations. The duration of the laser light pulses allows the characteristics of the ionization of the analyte molecules, particularly the occurrence of the ISD (in-source decay) and PSD (post-source decay) types of fragmentation, whose fragment ion spectra supply different kinds of information, to be adapted to the analytic procedure.

Abstract: A turbine disk includes a rotor and a plurality of turbine blades, each comprising a root at a proximal end secured to the rotor and a tip having a shroud at a distal end. The shroud includes a inner diameter surface, an outer diameter surface and a segmented sidewall surface separating the inner and outer diameter surfaces. The shrouds of adjacent turbine blades are separated by a tip shroud damper, and which includes a retention rail that cooperates with the outer diameter surface to maintain a positional relationship of the damper, a inner flange that engages the segmented sidewall surface, and a web that separates the retention rail and the inner flange. The tip shroud damper reduces the vibratory responses of modes involving axial and radial shroud motion to prevent high cycle fatigue (HCT).

Abstract: A door leaf includes a stiff, light structural part that maintains fed-in vibrational energy and, by flexural waves, propagates this energy in at least one active surface perpendicular to its thickness to distribute resonance mode vibration components over at least one surface, which has specified, preferred locations or sites within it for transducer devices, which are affixed on the structural part at one of the locations or sites to set the structural part into vibration and to allow it to resonate, thus creating an acoustic radiator that delivers an acoustic output signal when it vibrates in resonance, the front and/or the rear cover panel of the door leaf being part of the stiff, light structural component. The transducer(s) is/are situated between the cover panels.