Abstract: An aircraft wing system and method comprising: an aircraft wing including upper and lower surfaces, and a leading edge between the upper and lower surfaces; a fairing coupled to the leading edge; and actuation means configured to move the fairing relative to the aircraft wing between a stowed position, a first deployed position, and a second deployed position. The stowed position is when the fairing is in contact with the aircraft wing and serves as a continuation of the aircraft wing. The first deployed position is when the fairing is in contact with the aircraft wing and located below the stowed position. The second deployed position is when the fairing is spaced apart from the leading edge to create a gap between the fairing and the leading edge.

Abstract: A blade monitoring system and method for a turbine assembly comprising rotating blades (14), the system comprising at least one sensor (10, 12) for transmitting a signal towards said rotating blades and detecting a time-varying return signal therefrom, and one or more processors (20) configured to calculate the time derivative of said return signal, generate a phase variation signal for said time derivative, determine minima points within said phase variation signal and measure said signal at said minima points so as to identify data representative of respective minimum path lengths, each said minimum path length corresponding to the returned signal as each respective blade passes said sensor, and generate, using said minimum path lengths, a time series of data representing the returned signal from individual blades as they pass the sensor.

Abstract: A machine is on a first side of a plate. A cable, a bundle of cables, a pipe carrying a fluid to or from the machine, a conduit, or any combination of these, passes along or through the plate. The plate is susceptible to vibrations arising from operation of the machine. An active vibration suppressor is mounted on the cable(s), pipe, or conduit, and a controller is configured to control the active vibration suppressor to suppress vibrations of the plate.

Abstract: A data transfer system includes a set of switch and/or router devices (104B, 104E, 104F), each said device in the set being a layer 1, 2 and/or 3 device of OSI seven-layer model and being configured, in use, to transfer data, directly or indirectly, between a plurality of computing devices (102A, 102B). Each said switch or router device in the set is configured to provide a virtual partition (VP), wherein only data designated as virtual partition data is transferrable to another said device in the set via the virtual partition.

Abstract: An image processing method and apparatus for determining depth in an original image captured by a light field image capture device, in which a light field analysis algorithm is applied a plurality of times to the original image, changing the focus setting each time, so as to generate a respective plurality of scene images focused at different depths; edge detection is performed in respect of each of the scene images to generate a respective plurality of edge detected images; area identification is performed in respect of each edge detected image to generate a respective plurality of area identification images indicative of areas of respective edge detected images in which edges have been detected; and the area identification images are applied to respective scene images so as to extract from the scene images respective image segments corresponding to the areas in which edges have been detected.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of determining a velocity of a vessel, comprising the steps of: detecting objects in the vicinity of the vessel; selecting an object having a velocity relative to the vessel which is below a predefined threshold; and determining the velocity of the vessel to be opposite to the velocity of the object. Also disclosed is an apparatus arranged to perform the method.

Abstract: A binocular display device comprising two ocular assemblies (1A, 1B) to be worn by a user concurrently with one respective ocular assembly at each eye. Each ocular assembly comprises an outer optical part having a positive optical strength (2A, 2B), an inner optical part (4A, 4B) having a negative optical strength and a transparent slab waveguide display part (3A, 3B) in between them. Substantially collimated display light is output from the waveguide for display, and external light of an external scene is transmitted through the waveguide from the outer optical part for viewing concurrently with the display light. The inner optical part imposes a divergence on the received display light to generate a virtual focal point (f) substantially common to each ocular assembly. In use, an image conveyed by the display light is superimposed on the external scene as a three-dimensional (3D) image when viewed through the binocular display device.

Abstract: An optical surface roughness measurement-enabling arrangement and method are disclosed for enabling measurement of the surface roughness of a material. The arrangement comprises an optical radiation source for generating a beam of collimated radiation along a first axis for illuminating the surface of the material with the radiation directed along the first axis, a refractive optical element optically alignable with the beam of radiation for refracting the beam along a second axis which is non-parallel with the first axis, for illuminating the surface of the material with the radiation directed along the second axis and a detector which is arranged to detect the radiation, incident upon the surface along the first axis and second axis, which becomes reflected off the surface of the material. An optical surface roughness measuring arrangement and method are also disclosed for providing a measurement value of the surface roughness.

Abstract: Disclosed is a liquid storage system comprising a tank for containing a liquid, said tank enclosing a liquid storage space, and a plurality of spaced apart protrusions extending from an internal surface of the tank into the liquid storage space. The protrusions are resistant to deformation and deflection caused by shockwaves within a liquid in the tank resulting from impact of a projectile with the tank, for example, the protrusions may be rigid and be polygonal prisms in shape.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for use in an ad hoc network, comprising: a node transmitting an extended allowable hold time value to a further node; the node changing its transmission behavior such that the further node stops receiving transmission from the node for an extended period, for example by pausing transmission at least in the direction of the further node; and the further node treating the link to the node as intact during the extended allowable hold time. The transmitting of the extended allowable hold time value may be performed earlier than a next routine transmission of routine allowable hold time value would have been sent. The method may further comprise the node being instructed to maintain topology information for an extended time.

Abstract: An inceptor apparatus (10) for controlling a vehicle, in particular an aircraft comprises a control stick (15) for operation by a user and a user feedback generator (28) coupled to the control stick and configured to receive signals from a vehicle condition indicator (40) remote from the inceptor apparatus. The apparatus also has a first vehicle condition sensor (54,56) dedicated to the operation of the inceptor apparatus. In a first mode of operation, the user feedback generator (28) is operable to generate tactile feedback to the user via the control stick in dependence upon signals received from the vehicle condition indicator (40). In a second mode of operation, in the event that no signal is received from the vehicle condition indicator (40), the user feedback generator (28) is operable to generate tactile feedback to the user via the control stick in dependence upon signals received from the first vehicle condition sensor (54,56).

Abstract: The invention relates to a construction method for improved tracer ammunition production. There is provided a method of forming a component for a round, said method comprising the step of causing said component to be drawn through at least one floating die.

Abstract: A method for controlling a digital display device and a digital display system implementing the method are provided in which a required luminance level for a pixel is controlled according to a store provided for each pixel, the contents of which indicate the number of discrete display update periods during an image refresh period for the pixel for which the pixel is to be illuminated to achieve the required luminance level, the content being read at each update period and the content determining whether the pixel is to be illuminated for that update period, the content being updated at each update period for which the pixel is illuminated to indicate that the number of update cycles for which the pixel is to be illuminated is thereby reduced by one and wherein the content of the store may be updated at any update cycle in response to changes in required pixel luminance level indicated by received image data.

Abstract: A method of assisting failure diagnosis in a system includes obtaining data including a probabilistic Bayesian Network describing a set of failures, a set of symptoms and probabilities of at least some of the symptoms being associated with at least some of the failures in a system. A cost value representing a cost associated with learning of a presence or absence of the symptom is obtained for at least some of the symptoms, as well as a plurality of information values, e.g. values representing measures of information gained by learning of the presence or absence of the symptom in relation to a respective plurality of the failures, associated with the symptom. The method then computes an information-for-cost value for the symptom based on the cost value and the plurality of information values.

Abstract: A fiber-radio communication network includes a base station (300) and wireless access nodes (100) coupled by fiber optic cables (125). The base station (300) includes a switch module (320) arranged to switch Ethernet signals on a local area network, and a media converter rack module (310) comprising media converter units MC1-MC6 arranged to convert between a baseband Ethernet signal carried by the fiber optic cables (125) and an Ethernet digital signal for the switch. The wireless access node (100) comprises a media converter module (120) which converts between a baseband Ethernet signal carried by the fiber optic cables and an Ethernet digital signal; and a wireless access point module (110) comprising a local modem which converts between the Ethernet digital signal received over the fiber optic cables and a wireless transmission in a 60 GHz range for wireless communication with a client terminal (400) in the vicinity of the wireless access node (100).

Abstract: A sensor (1) and a method of manufacturing the sensor (1), the sensor (1) including a number of metallic strips (5,6,7) mounted on a non-conducting substrate (4) and a module (3) for forming electrical connections to the strips (5,6,7) whereby to enable communication between the strips (5,6,7) and monitoring equipment for the sensor (4), the module including a number of wire connections (16), the method including the steps of encapsulating the wire connections within a flexible chemical and heat resistant sealing compound, and subsequently, encapsulating the flexible sealing compound within a second sealing compound (34) by an injection molding process.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for producing an object (2) comprising providing a digital model (14) of the object (2) that is to be produced; using the digital model, identifying one or more parts (8) of the object (2) that satisfy certain criteria; for each identified part (8), adjusting, in the digital model (14), the thickness of that part (8) to satisfy further criteria, thereby producing an updated model; performing a first production process to produce the part or parts (4, 6) of the object (2) that do not satisfy the criteria, thereby producing an initial object (17); performing an Additive Manufacturing process to add, to the initial object (17), the one or more identified parts (8), thereby producing the object (2). The initial object (17) and identified parts (8) are made of the same material. The first production process is different to the Additive Manufacturing process.

Abstract: An optical method of displaying an expanded color image comprising extracting from input light bearing said colored image a first spectral portion and a second spectral portion such that together the two portions contain sufficient information for the image to be displayed in substantially its original colors, separately expanding the two spectral portions each in two dimensions and recombining the expanded spectral portions to display the expanded color image.

Abstract: A liquid storage system comprising: a tank for containing a liquid, the tank enclosing a liquid storage space; multiple layers of a fabric material; and attachment means attaching the multiple layers of the fabric material to an internal surface of the tank. The attachment means may comprise a non-permeable envelope attached to the internal surface of the tank. The multiple layers of the fabric material may be enclosed in the envelope such that the multiple layers of a fabric are isolated from a fluid in the tank. The envelope may contain a fluid (e.g. air) in addition to the multiple layers of the fabric material.

Abstract: An optical component for a display apparatus comprises an optical waveguide part (11) arranged to guide light therealong between surface parts thereof by internal reflection, an input part (13) arranged to receive light and direct the received light into the optical waveguide part, and an output part comprising a partially transmissive angularly reflective optical coating (25) arranged upon a surface part of the optical waveguide part. The output part is optically coupled to the input part by the optical waveguide part to receive guided light and to transmit some but not all of said guided light out from the optical waveguide part. The angularly reflective optical coating extends along a dimension of the optical waveguide part to expand the guided light in said dimension along the output part by repeated partial transmission thereof for output.