Abstract: A continuous protective garment provides a matrix of cells each containing a cube-like protective element. Continuous layers of fabric bonded along intersecting lines provides an individual cell for each of plural protective elements sandwiched between the fabric layers. An outer rigid protective surface of each protective element absorbs externally applied forces, while a middle cushioning layer provides dispersion and buffering of such externally applied forces. An innermost layer of a fluid-resistant material helps prevent perspiration from being absorbed, while a ventilation hole through the center of each protective element provides air circulation without compromising protective qualities. A substantially continuous array of cells containing the protective elements provides comprehensive surface coverage over the torso and arms of the wearer.

Abstract: Presented is a sensor system for the detection of thermal radiation, with a substrate (15) and several sensor elements (10) on the substrate (15), in which case at least one self-test device (53) is provided in order to generate heat which can be used for the heating of one or more sensor elements (10). The sensor elements (10) can be heated according to a typical time pattern during the self-testing process. Also presented is an advantageous process for the manufacture of the sensor system as well as an advantageous configuration of the total system, including signal processing.

Abstract: A fiber optic device for changing direction along a fiber optic path is provided using an asymmetrical miniature bend. The fiber optic device with the miniature bend is particularly suitable for components in which one of the fiber portions lies close to a surface, such as a single sided splitter. A method of forming such an asymmetrical miniature bend in optical fibers is also provided. In one embodiment to form the asymmetrical bend, entering and exiting fiber portions are offset along parallel axes prior to bending an intermediate portion. In another embodiment, the intermediate portion is heated at a location that is offset from a bending axis.

Abstract: A socket for a BGA package is provided which is of relatively simple construction and which provides reliable and efficient interconnection of a BGA package and a printed circuit board. The socket comprises a contact assembly having an array of resilient conductive columns having respective contact ends, the columns being mounted on a thin insulative sheet. The contact assembly is supported on a frame of insulating material and which has alignment posts for alignment of the contact assembly to the frame and for alignment of the frame and mounted contact assembly to an associated circuit board. The frame also includes latch elements for retaining the contact assembly on the frame. The socket is mounted onto a printed circuit board which has an array of contact areas corresponding to the array of resilient contacts of the socket.

Abstract: Symmetric flow control in a buffered repeater having responsiveness to flow control frames. An Ethernet full duplex buffered repeater according to the present invention includes an internal arbitration mechanism allowing receive FIFOs of respective receive ports to transmit data over a local bus to remaining transmit ports in round-robin fashion. The transmit ports take the transmitted data off the local bus and transmit it over the respective link. Each transmit port monitors the capacity of an associated transmit FIFO, and when the available capacity falls below that required to store a maximum size frame, asserts an open collector output signal monitored by each of the ports. No port initiates transmission of a packet over the local bus when this signal is asserted. Rather than one of the transmit ports risking being unable to store a complete frame once transmission has begun, the local bus is suspended before the next frame is put on the local bus.

Abstract: A radio frequency (RF) plasma thruster for use in electric propulsion for spacecraft. The thruster operates by heating plasma in a magnetic field, which then flows out along magnetic field lines, producing axial thrust. The present invention greatly increases the efficiency of the RF plasma thruster compared to previous thrusters of this type, while retaining the advantages of RF plasma thrusters over other types of electric and chemical propulsion systems. The present invention utilizes a lower hybrid wave for heating of the electrons, rather than electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) heating. The lower hybrid wave is used because it creates high-density plasmas and the antennas used to couple RF energy to the plasma are relatively simple to construct. This allows much better efficiency because no hot electron population is created to siphon off much of the RF power applied to the plasma.

Abstract: A helical turbine assembly capable of providing high speed unidirectional rotation under a multidirectional ultra low-head fluid flow is disclosed. The assembly comprises an array of helical turbine units or modules arranged, vertically or horizontally, to harness, for example, water or wind power. Each turbine unit or module comprises a plurality of helical blades having an airfoil profile. The modules for wind power may be mounted to rotatable shafts supported by lightweight structures anchored by guy wires to the ground. The helical turbine can also provide ship propulsion by utilizing the power of ocean waves. In a further embodiment, a cylindrical distributor is provided in the helical turbine to channel the fluid flow to the blades of the turbine, thereby increasing efficiency and power output. The helical turbine with distributor may be used to lift or lower a body either being submerged into a fast stream or dragged in the fluid.

Abstract: A system to allow track-guided vehicles to avoid collisions with one another in straight track and curved track situations utilizing vehicle mounted devices and without the need for additional active traffic control devices. The system includes track-guided vehicles equipped with a plurality of selective sensors on the front and identifying reflective elements on the rear. Reflective strips mounted on the inner face of curved track allow the selective sensors to detect targets around curves. Retroreflective sensors coupled with corner cube reflective material are a preferred set of sensor and target implementations. The placement of the sensors and reflective elements is specified such that a calibrated system limits the range of the system and is easily maintained.

Abstract: The material comprises fiber reinforcement made of fibers that are essentially constituted by silicon carbide, and an interphase layer between the fibers of the reinforcement and the matrix. The reinforcing fibers are long fibers containing less than 5% atomic residual oxygen and they have a modulus greater than 250 GPa, and the interphase layer is strongly bonded to the fibers and to the matrix such that the shear breaking strengths within the interphase layer and at the fiber-interphase bonds and at the interphase-matrix bonds are greater than the shear breaking strengths encountered within the matrix.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method of characterising liquids employ liquid sensors of different types of technology, in order to generate characterisation data from the whole of the output signals originating from these sensors when they are soaked in a sample of the liquid. The set of sensors may comprise: lipid sensors, quartz microbalances, ion-selective electrodes, biosensors, chemical microelectrodes or even, in certain particular applications, fiber optic based-sensors. The output signals originating from the different sensors are normalized with respect to values which are determined in a prior standardization operation during which the sensors were soaked in at least one sample reference liquid.

Abstract: A system for downloading a software image to a SONET network element which eliminates the need for a separate overhead channel for this purpose. The system conveys the software image using the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) over the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), over the Internet Protocol (IP), using ATM. The disclosed system enables ATM cells carrying the software image to be received over a SONET ring connected to the device. The disclosed system uses permanent virtual circuits (PVCs) between network elements over which the software image may be transported. In a first embodiment, the PVCs form a star of logical connections with remote network elements to which software image files may be downloaded from a “gateway” network element. The gateway network element is a network element communicative with a central management station, which provides data to be downloaded to the remote network elements.

Abstract: An artificial foot and ankle is provided having a keel component, an ankle component, and a central bumper component interposed between the keel component and the ankle component. The ankle component has a lower surface with a radius of curvature greater than the radius of curvature of an upper surface of the keel component in both a sagittal plane and a frontal plane. The curvature of the central bumper component corresponds to the curvature of the keel component. A holding assembly holds the keel component, the ankle component, and the central bumper component together, with the ankle component capable of rolling motion relative to the keel component in both the sagittal plane and the frontal plane. A dorsiflexion stop assembly may also be provided to control the amount of dorsiflexion.

Abstract: A system and method for determining a MAC layer address of a network interface on a remote device, based on an IP address associated with the same network interface on the remote device. The disclosed system identifies an internetworking device, for example a router, that is attached to the remote subnet to which the network interface of the remote device is attached. The system identifies the network interface of the router that is attached to the remote subnet, and obtains the MAC address of that network interface from an address resolution protocol (ARP) cache associated with it. The system transmits a series of request packets having an IP destination address equal to the provided IP address of the remote device, each including a time to live value, indicating a maximum number of network hops over which each particular packet may be forwarded. The time to live values of the request packets result in each successive request packet being forwarded one hop further along the path to the remote device.

Abstract: A system for providing help contents to a client system on behalf of a web enabled embedded system. A help file is loaded onto a server system, and the location of the server system is communicated to the embedded system. A client system requests a page of data stored in the embedded system. In response to the client system request, the embedded system forms a data page including one or more instructions for displaying a help button. The data page includes one or more instructions associating the help file on the server system with the help button. The embedded system transmits the data page to the client system. The client system then processes the data page to form a view on a display device. In response to assertion of the help button, the client system retrieves the help file from the server system and processes the help file. In an example embodiment, a configuration dialog box is displayed on the client system.

Abstract: A continuous pusher furnace includes a product carrier assembly forming a traveling gas barrier. The product carrier assembly comprises a pusher plate disposed to receive product thereon and a gas barrier extending upwardly from the pusher plate. The perimeter of the gas barrier is sized and configured to fit within a vestibule between heating chambers in the furnace with a clearance gap with the vestibule selected to increase a gas flow velocity through the vestibule sufficient to overcome a gas diffusion velocity through the vestibule in a direction opposite to the gas flow. In this manner, gas is unable to diffuse into an upstream heating chamber. In an alternative embodiment, an exhaust outlet may also be provided in the vestibule or chamber to exhaust gas from upstream and downstream heating chambers from the furnace.

Abstract: A device for repairing a tire fault by injecting repair liquid into the faulty tire, said liquid being present in a compressible liquid storage volume (100). Said volume (100) is sealed in such a way that it is watertight at at least one first sealing point (60) to be opened and is located in a pressurized container (56). Said pressurized container is subjected to the pressure of a pressurized gas from a pressurized gas source (28) in a compression chamber which becomes larger as it is affected by the pressurized gas. When the first sealing point (60) is opened, the volume (100) delivers repair liquid to the tire (12) through the opened first sealing point (60) be extracted from the volume.

Abstract: The present invention provides: fiber preforms sheathed in a boron nitride coating, said coating (generated on said previously-prepared fiber preforms) having a structure that is original: microporous and granular; thermostructural composite materials in which the reinforcing fabric is constituted by said fiber preforms; and methods of preparing said fiber preforms and said thermostructural composite materials, respectively. The composites of the invention have their fiber preforms, based on fibers (F), sheathed in an original interphase (IBN) and embedded in the densification matrix (M).

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide in vivo analytical methods that allow for diagnosis and management of therapy for diseases involving discrete biochemical pathways. In the method of the invention, a labelled tracer probe, a specifically designed substrate of a “gateway” enzyme, an enzyme marking a regulatory point in a discrete biochemical pathway, is administered to a subject; a labelled product of the action of the enzyme is measured; and the appearance and concentration of the product are related to the disease condition of interest. Determination of the rate of substrate-product conversion of the gateway enzyme allows for the analysis to be made. The method involves administering a defined amount of a labelled “metaprobe” substrate of the gateway enzyme to a subject, at a site that provides access to a desired pool of the gateway enzyme in the subject, and measuring the amount of the chosen labelled product.