Abstract: An optical device for providing a visual warning indication is disclosed. The optical device includes a high intensity localized light source such as a laser diode and a diffuser for modifying a beam intensity distribution of the emitted light from the high intensity localized light source to generate diffused light. The device further includes a collimator for collimating the diffused light from the diffuser to provide collimated light for emission from an output aperture to provide the visual warning indication. The beam intensity distribution of the emitted light is modified by the diffuser to generate a substantially uniform intensity distribution of the collimated light over the entire output aperture.

Abstract: Some embodiments relate to an energy conversion device, comprising: a casing; an electromagnetic (EM) transducer disposed at one side of the casing; a round magnet disposed in the casing and free to move relative to the casing and the EM transducer in at least two degrees of freedom; and a ferromagnetic object fixed relative to the casing at an opposite side of the casing to the EM transducer and arranged to attract the magnet toward a rest position within the casing. The EM transducer is positioned so that movement of the magnet relative to the EM transducer varies the magnetic field through the EM transducer, thereby generating electrical potential across at least a part of the EM transducer.

Abstract: A positioning system comprising a mounting assembly arranged to move a positioning device via a magnetic coupling interaction between the mounting assembly and the positioning device. The positioning device is configured to limit the spread of flux away from the device.

Abstract: Some embodiments relate to an energy conversion device comprising: a casing; a magnet disposed in the casing: an object in the casing attracted to the magnet and free to move relative to the magnet in at least two degrees of freedom; and at least one transducer element positioned to be affected by changes in a magnetic field of the magnet; wherein movement of the object relative to the magnet varies the magnetic field through the at least one transducer element, thereby generating electrical potential across a part of the at least one transducer element. In some embodiments, the transducer element may comprise a magnetostrictive piezoelectric (MP) element and the electrical potential may be generated across a piezoelectric part of the MP element. Alternatively, the transducer element may comprise an electromagnetic (EM) coil element.

Abstract: This invention relates to the veracity of information displayed to a user of a computer, and information provided to a computer by human input devices such as mice and keyboards. A digital video guard (DVG) device is a peripheral that is retrofitted to commodity computer devices. The DVG resides in-line with a digital display and enables secure end-to-end interactions between a user and a displayed (usually remote) application. In-band signalling within the digital video stream is used to carry encrypted information from a local or remote source, over untrusted network infrastructure through the digital video guard device to a user. The DVG decrypts and verifies the integrity of the digital video. The integrity of the displayed information is indicated by a trusted LED on the DVG hardware. Portions of the video signal may be designated as trusted, if the received data has been encrypted, signed, or labelled as trustworthy.

Abstract: This invention relates to the veracity of information displayed to a user of a computer, and information provided to a computer by human input devices such as mice and keyboards. A digital video guard (DVG) device is a peripheral that is retrofitted to commodity computer devices. The DVG resides in-line with a digital display and enables secure end-to-end interactions between a user and a displayed (usually remote) application. In-band signalling within the digital video stream is used to carry encrypted information from a local or remote source, over untrusted network infrastructure through the digital video guard device to a user. The DVG decrypts and verifies the integrity of the digital video. The integrity of the displayed information is indicated by a trusted LED on the DVG hardware. Portions of the video signal may be designated as trusted, if the received data has been encrypted, signed, or labelled as trustworthy.

Abstract: The present invention provides a delivery device for use in the control of a target animal species, the delivery device including: (a) a core containing a control agent for the target animal species, and (b) an impermeable coating enclosing the core, the coating being selected to provide exposure of the core in the gastrointestinal tract of the target animal species; wherein the coating of the delivery device has a hardness such that the coating is not readily breached upon mastication by a target or non-target animal species and further wherein the delivery device will not pass through a Tyler 5 mesh.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a clamp that can be used for repairing a rupture in a pipe. The clamp includes a wrapping assembly comprising strapping that at least partially extends about the pipe, an adjustment device that is suitably in form of a claps for adjusting the effective length of the strapping about the pipe and a tensioning device that is suitably in the form an over center lever mechanism that is operable to place the wrapping assembly under different tensions.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and system for fibre positioning in wide-field astronomy. In one form the method and system of the present invention relate to anchoring fibre end points adjacent or against the field plate of a telescope. In one embodiment the positioning system for anchoring a fibre end point at a location on a telescope field plate collocated with a telescope focal plane, the positioning system comprising a piezoelectric positioning device for positioning the fibre end point, the positioning device comprising a chamber having an opening, the opening lying against the field plate in use defining a substantially enclosed volume inside the chamber, a pump for reducing pressure inside the enclosed volume; and a path connecting the pump and the enclosed volume so that, in use, the pump effects a reduction in pressure in the chamber thereby anchoring the fibre end point on the field plate.

Abstract: A sensor for monitoring a structure or material. The sensor has a continuous elongate conducting member embedded in an insulating material and a conductivity or resistance meter. The insulating material has one or more gaps that expose the conducting member without allowing direct contact between the insulating material and the structure or material when the sensor is placed against the structure or material. The meter is arranged to monitor conductivity or resistance between the conducting member and the structure or material being monitored, and/or between two regions of the conducting member.

Abstract: This invention relates to utilizing image compression and reconstruction algorithms for transmission and reception of data that can be represented as a numerical matrix or a sequence of numerical matrices in bandwidth limited channels. The method and algorithms described herein may reduce data size to such an extent that data that was considered too large to be practically transmitted in a useful time frame can be transmitted in real or near real time. The algorithms can be applied to data communications for a variety of sensor, electronic and information systems.

Abstract: Some embodiments relate to an apparatus for metallic particulate detection. The apparatus comprises: an entry stage defining an input chamber to receive an element having particulate matter thereon; a sensor defining a passage in fluid communication with the input chamber to receive the particulate matter from the input chamber and to detect the particles in the particulate matter; a vented recovery stage defining a recovery chamber to receive and capture at least some of the particulate matter passing through the passage; and at least one air outlet positioned in the input chamber to direct pressurised air from the at least one air outlet to impinge on the element to remove the particulate matter from the element.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a system for monitoring the health of mechanical and structure components of a machine. For example, the present invention is capable of monitoring the operational integrity of critical components of critical components of an aircraft such as the gearbox of a helicopter. The present invention is based on the principle of detecting a traceable substance when the substance is released from the component being monitored in the event of predetermined condition being satisfied, such as exceeding the operational temperature of the component, or a fault in the component occurring, such as a crack being formed.

Abstract: A portable environmental monitoring instrument comprising: a housing comprising a main body and a cap; a display mounted to the housing; a processing circuit disposed within the main body, the processing circuit electrically connected to the display; a light sensor mounted to the housing and electrically connected to the processing circuit; a humidity sensor electrically connected to the processing circuit; and a probe member extending from the main body and exposed to the environment by opening the cap, the probe member carrying a temperature sensor at a distal end thereof and part of an electrical connection between the temperature sensor and the processing circuit, the processing circuit arranged to process signals received from the light sensor, the humidity sensor and the temperature sensor to obtain an environmental measure indicative of the affect of the environment and control the display to display data indicative of the environmental measure.

Abstract: An optical device for providing a visual warning indication is disclosed. The optical device includes a high intensity localised light source such as a laser diode and a diffuser for modifying a beam intensity distribution of the emitted light from the high intensity localised light source to generate diffused light. The device further includes a collimator for collimating the diffused light from the diffuser to provide collimated light for emission from an output aperture to provide the visual warning indication. The beam intensity distribution of the emitted light is modified by the diffuser to generate a substantially uniform intensity distribution of the collimated light over the entire output aperture.

Abstract: A device (10) for sensing an acoustic signal is described. The device includes a flexible portion (14) including a laser active region (13) whose emitted wavelength varies according to a mechanical force acting on the flexible portion (14) and a flexible support member (24) operable to flex or bend according to the acoustic signal. The flexible portion (14) is coupled with the support member (24) so as to cause the flexible portion to flex or bend in accordance with the support member (24) thereby changing the emitted wavelength of the laser active region (13) of the flexible portion (14).

Abstract: The present disclosure provides an optical detector for detecting radiation. The optical detector includes an optical light guide that incorporates a sensing region. The sensing region includes a sensing material that emits luminescence light when the sensing material is exposed to suitable ionizing radiation and accrues trapped charge which is released and produces optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) when the sensing material is optically stimulated. The optical detector also includes a light source for optically stimulating the sensing material and a light detector for detecting the OSL. The optical light guide is arranged to guide light through the sensing region and between the sensing region and the luminescence light detector.

Abstract: A hydrophone (10) for immersion in a liquid body defining a depth-dependent static pressure and a dynamic pressure. The hydrophone (10) includes a pressure-bearing element (11) for exposure to the liquid body; a motion sensor (13) spaced apart from the pressure bearing element (11); and a dilatant coupling material (14) disposed intermediate the pressure-bearing element (11) and the motion sensor (13) so as to mechanically transmit movements substantially corresponding to the dynamic pressure from the pressure-bearing element (11) to the motion sensor (13). The dilatant coupling material (14) does not transmit movements to the motion sensor (13) that substantially correspond to the depth-dependent static pressure.

Abstract: An event handling system to schedule and translate semantic deductions form Intelligent Agents and sensors into events capable of being made observable by a Recipient system such as monitor that provides a particular view of virtual objects and events is disclosed. The event handling system also encapsulates the system's notion of time. In fact, a human observer can shift the system along the temporal axis (up to the present) in order to replay events, or undertake analyses as a result of speeded-up or slowed-down notions of system time. The event handling system receives events from Clients/Sources via connections through the event handling system Input Portals, and uses Shared Memory as its form of inter-process communication with the Monitors. The event handling system makes events available for a recipient observation sub-system to read and provide their particular view. There can be many Clients and Recipient systems connected to the event handling system at the same time.

Abstract: There are provided method and system for deinterleaving signals. The method comprises: (a) recording plural signal reception events, wherein each signal reception event is associated with a received signal at a receiver, and represented by a space-time coordinate having a space component based on a location of the receiver and a time component based on an arrival time of the received signal; (b) selecting a subset of signal reception events from the recorded signal reception events, wherein the number of signal reception events in the subset is based on the dimension of the space component; and (c) determining whether the signal reception events in the selected subset satisfy a predetermined condition, and if the determination is in the affirmative, associating the signal reception events in the selected subset with an emission of an emitter.