Abstract: Software components such as objects, applications and computational blocks are linked through a data flow manager and an interface that facilitate data exchange between the components. The interface defines a communication protocol. Components that comply with the protocol can share data, even if such components are associated with unrelated applications. Non-compliant components can be paired with translation objects or controlled by scripts to allow such non-compliant components to be linked to compliant components for data sharing. The data flow manager controls data exchange by determining which components are prepared to share data, and then prompting only prepared components to share data. Data exchange is executed in discrete steps.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for drawing a flexible cover over an upwardly open container body having an upper edge. The apparatus includes a flexible cover of a size to substantially cover the open container body and fixed at one end of the container body by a cover support for retraction and extension over the open container body. A pair of arms is each pivotally mounted at a fixed end to the container body. Each arm has a free end opposite the fixed end attached to an edge of the flexible cover and configured such that movement of the arms causes movement of the cover over the open container body. Each arm has a hollow, longitudinally extending, tabular member having at least one and preferably two stiffening fins extending longitudinally along substantially the length of the tubular member. The fins are integrally formed with and attached to the tubular member, preferably as an extrusion of an aluminum material to form a single, unitary body.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for extending PHY addressing in a telecommunications device beyond the number of PHYS that may be directly addressed over a bidirectional serial management control bus using a management bus protocol employing a predetermined number of address bits for PHY addressing. A plurality of serial bidirectional management control buses are provided and plural PHYS are coupled to each of the buses. A control processor is employed in conjunction with control logic to select one of the plurality of management control buses as the active bus at any one time to permit communication between the processor and a selected PHY on the respective bus. State machines within the programmable array logic are employed to selectively enable buffers within the control logic to allow the processor to write information to a PHY on a selected control bus or alternatively, to allow the processor to read information from a PHY on a selected control bus.

Abstract: A semiconductor wafer pod payload platform is operable for rotation in response to linear movement of the platform by a cam assembly having rollers adapted to engage a cam surface. The payload platform is rotatably attached to a shuttle platform adapted for movement along linear rails. The shuttle platform is supported by shuttle glides adapted to move along the linear rails. A cam follower assembly is connected to the payload platform through a shaft extending through the shuttle platform and operable to rotate the payload platform. A cam surface substantially parallel to the linear rails is adapted to engage rollers on the cam follower assembly. Linear movement of the shuttle platform causes the rollers on the cam follower assembly to engage the cam surface and dispose the cam follower assembly so as to rotate the payload platform via rotation of the shaft.

Abstract: The invention concerns an acoustic igniter for igniting a mixture of rocket fuels in a liquid propellant rocket engine combustion chamber comprising a cylindrical precombustion chamber (101) including a cylindrical wall (111) and first and second end walls (112, 113), a rocket fuel injection nozzle (103) emerging into the precombustion chamber (101) through the first end wall (112) via an orifice of diameter dn, a rocket fuel injector (104) arranged inside said nozzle (103) along the axis thereof, at least an outlet orifice (102) of minimum diameter df provided in the cylindrical wall (111), an acoustic resonator (105) defining a cavity opening into the precombustion chamber (101) opposite the nozzle (103), through the second end wall (113), via an orifice (151) of diameter dr. The acoustic resonator (105) is enclosed by a housing (106) which defines around the acoustic resonator (105) a closed auxiliary chamber (160) which communicates only with the precombustion chamber (101) by at least one conduit (107).

Abstract: Apparatus for informing a driver of a first vehicle that his headlights are blinding the driver of another vehicle, the apparatus including a dynamic retroreflector mounted on the other vehicle and arranged such that light from the headlights of the first vehicle is reflected by the dynamic retroreflector to the eyes of the driver of the first vehicle.

Abstract: The invention relates to a packing system for unit loads which can be stacked in a plurality of adjacent piles or piles stacked on top of each other to form a substantially stable pile consisting of at least two stacked layers of unit loads. The invention is characterized in that spacers are provided between at least two successive stacked layers so that both stacked layers are vertically interspaced; at least one device is provided on top of and below the stack to protect at least partially the external contour of the unit loads located in the top and lower stack position; at least one fixing device encompassing the other periphery of the stack is included so that it encompasses the stack in such a way that the unit loads in a stack position are pressed against the unit loads in a directly and vertically adjacent stack position; and the fixing device extends over the protection device.

Abstract: An electrical interconnect comprising a non-conductive substrate having respective opposite surfaces and a plurality of apertures formed therein extending between the respective opposite surfaces, and a corresponding plurality of elastic conductive interconnect elements located within the plurality of apertures, in which each elastic conductive interconnect element extends between the respective opposite surfaces of the substrate. Each elastic conductive interconnect element is formed of a non-conductive elastic material having a quantity of conductive flakes and a quantity of conductive powder granules interspersed therein. The interconnect elements can be integrally molded in the substrate or separately formed and inserted in the substrate.

Abstract: A roof cladding panel is profiled in its longitudinal direction and stepped in its transverse direction and comprises two straight side edges (4, 5) which are connectable to adjacent panels, a lower edge (2) which is generally wave-shaped and connectable to an adjacent panel, and an upper edge (3) which preferably is straight and connectable to an adjacent panel. Two diagonally opposite corners (8, 9) of the panel are obliquely cut, and an upper cut corner of one panel is adapted to be matchingly assembled with a lower cut corner of another panel in a four-corner joint including also non-cut corners of a third and a fourth roof cladding panel.

Abstract: A high-temperature conveyor furnace with a low friction conveyor travel surface is provided. The furnace includes a muffle defining a heating chamber, hearth plates providing a hearth surface within the heating chamber, and a conveyor belt to convey product through the heating chamber. The conveyor belt is formed of a first material, such as a nickel-chrome alloy. A plurality of low-friction inserts are supported by the hearth plates, preferably in openings in the hearth plates, to provide a surface upraised from the hearth surface upon which the conveyor belt travels. The inserts are formed of a second material, such as an electronics grade ceramic, that is different from the first material of the conveyor, which minimizes friction between the inserts and the belt. The low-friction surface is particularly suitable for high temperature, low dewpoint furnace applications, such as stainless steel brazing.

Abstract: A system for digital image recognition which combines sparse correlation with image pyramiding to reduce the number of pixels used in correlation provides effective recognition of a reference image template without exhaustive correlation of all pixels in the reference image template. An optimal sparse pixel set is selected from the pixels of the reference image template by correlating the reference image template against a search image scene which is to be searched. Such a sparse pixel set includes those pixels which are optimal in defining the correlation sensitive features of the reference image template. By terminating the accumulation of sparse pixels at an optimal point, performance is maximized without compromising accuracy of recognition. The resultant optimal sparse pixel set is then correlated against the pixels in the search image scene through a series of transformations to find a match of the reference image template within the search image scene.

Abstract: A method and system for pruning slow multicast group members in a multicast group that includes a sending node and member nodes. The sending node and selected ones of the other nodes comprise repair heads of a repair tree. Each repair head has at least one child. Each of the member nodes generates a slowness metric. Each member node repair head aggregates its own slowness metric with the slowness metrics of their respective children in the tree along with a subtree flag that indicates whether the respective slowness metric is due to the reporting node or a node downstream of the reporting node. The member node repair heads propagates the largest of the aggregated slowness metrics upstream along with a subtree flag associated with the propagated slowness metric. Via this process the sending node receives the largest slowness metrics generated in respective branches of the repair tree along with corresponding subtree flags associated with the respective metrics.

Abstract: An ultracapacitor power supply for an electric vehicle is provided which employs an ultracapacitor as the primary power source and a battery as a supplemental power source. This vehicle is particularly effective in power-rail system having gaps in the power-rail or in non-power rail systems having recharging stations positioned along the track The ultracapacitor recharges quickly upon vehicle passage over a live power rail or entry into a recharging station. Optimum performance is achieved when the capacitor is allowed to fully recharge. The battery need only provide power when the ultracapacitor has been discharged or during acceleration or other periods of peak power consumption, thereby reducing the number of battery recharges required during any given operational period.

Abstract: A method of creating plastically deformed devices which have a three dimensional aspect. Micromechanical structures are created from a material which is plastically deformable and then a section of the structure is bent to an out-of-plane position and can be maintained there without being supported by other mechanical devices such as latches or hinges. The bending of the structures may be done mechanically, by electrostatic forces or by magnetic forces. The bending can also be done in a batch mode where a plurality of devices are bent at the same time as part of the same process. Fuses can be utilized to allow only a predetermined number of devices to be bent in batch mode. The fuses are later blown, thereby providing a plurality of devices which are relatively parallel to the substrate as well as a plurality of devices which are generally out-of-plane with respect to the substrate.

Abstract: A method and modem for communicating serial input data over a transmission link. Serial input data is partitioned into parallel data elements prior to rotation by an invertible linear mapping. Resulting frames of parallel signal elements sequentially modulate a carrier, which is then transmitted over the link. After receipt of the modulated carrier from the link, the signal is demodulated and assembled into frames of parallel signal elements which are de-rotated by an inverse linear mapping. Thresholding the result of the inverse mapping recovers the parallel data elements, which are then re-assembled into serial output data. The linear mapping employs: 1) commuting rotation matrices for convolutionally rotating data vectors into signal vectors and vice-versa; 2) filter bank polyphase rotation matrices; or 3) computationally efficient multi-rate wavelet filter banks. Transmitter pre-emphasis places most of the information in lower baseband frequencies; complimentary de-emphasis occurs in the receiver.