Abstract: This invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for detecting the amount of displacement of an object by the use of two periodic signals having a predetermined phase difference therebetween which are outputted in conformity with the displacement of the object. The apparatus has means for detecting the two periodic signals, means for calculating the ratio between the two periodic signals, and means for obtaining the amount of displacement of the object from the value of the ratio by reference to prestored data.

Abstract: An information system comprises an information network and a station apparatus capable of receiving information from the network and sending a command to the network. An isolator comprises a first diplex filter having an input/output (I/O) port coupled to the network for passing signals with frequencies in first and second non-overlapping ranges. An output port is provided for signals with frequencies in the first range, and an input port is provided for signals with frequencies in the second range. A second diplex filter has an I/O port coupled to the station apparatus for passing signals with frequencies in both the first and second ranges. An input port is provided for signals with frequencies in the first range, and an output port is provided for signals with frequencies in the second range. A first circuit having a bandwidth including the first range provides a first signal path between the output port of the first diplex filter and the input port of the second diplex filter.

Abstract: The present invention concerns systems in which a plurality of device can be monitored. More particularly the invention concerns a monitoring system particularly though not exclusively for light dimmers in which requests for data are inserted into the gaps of periodic firing signals so as to trigger responses. Examples include dimming systems for use in theaters and in television and film studios.

Abstract: A coordinate input device is provided to contribute to improvements in a mechanical mouse, opto-mechanical mouse and the like which are used to control cursor movements in the visual display unit of a computer system. The device comprises a position sensor and a pressure sensor. The position sensor detects a two-dimensional position of the device, which is moved on a flat surface or the like by a person, so as to produce two-dimensional coordinates. The pressure sensor detects a pressing force applied to the device by the person. Hence, the two-dimensional coordinates and the pressing force detected are used as parameters which control a cursor or a graphic image displayed on the screen of the visual display unit. The pressure sensor comprises an air-pressure sensor which detects a change of air pressure caused by the pressing force applied to the device. In addition, the pressure sensor can be replaced by a grip sensor which detects a gripping force applied to the device by the person.

Abstract: A method of determining a pitch arrangement of a tire, to design and develop a tire efficiently. An initial value of the pitch arrangement is determined corresponding to a set value. A model of a noise pulse generated in each pitch of the tire, the objective function representing a physical amount for evaluating noise performance of the tire, a design variable for determining the pitch arrangement, and a constraint for constraining the pitch arrangement are determined for the initial value, and the pitch arrangement whose objective function converges and is minimized is determined while satisfying a constraint by varying a design variable. A pitch ratio whose value of the objective function is minimized is determined by fluctuating of the pitch ratio while the first and the last pitch ratio are fixed among determined pitch arrangements. The pitch arrangement and the pitch ratio whose value of the objective functions are minimized are selected among the pitch arrangements for a hundred initial values.

Abstract: An automated electrophoresis apparatus defining an enclosure that receive a sample gel containing sample material. A voltage is applied to the sample gel and the material migrates through the sample gel. A CCD camera is used to periodically obtain digital images of the sample gel wherein bands of migrated sample material appear in the images. The apparatus includes a computer that determines the location of starting wells in the sample gel that contain sample material and the computer uses this information to define regions of the sample gel where electrophoretic migration will occur. The computer then obtains an integrated intensity value of each of the rows within the region which provides an indication of the location and intensity of the bands of migrated sample material.

Abstract: An automatic gain control technique integrates samples of an incoming analog signal a controlled amount of time so that the magnitudes of the samples lie within the desired input window of an analog-to-digital converter or other signal processing device. The values of the samples are then determined from a combination of the output of the signal processing device and their integration time. This is utilized in a system for determining the temperature of a surface of an object, without contacting the surface, by measuring the level of its infra-red radiation emission. A particular application of the system is to measure the temperature of a semiconductor wafer within a processing chamber while forming integrated circuits on it. The measuring system is configured on a single printed circuit board with an extra height metal heat sink structure to which a cooling unit is mounted.

Abstract: An apparatus for identifying surfaces, comprising a point digitizing apparatus for obtaining data points of a surface to be located and an apparatus, such as a memory device, for storing a mathematical model of a model surface. A microprocessor control unit registers the mathematical model and the obtained data points, wherein the microprocessor control unit accomplishes the registration by (i) determining a data point set comprising various points from the obtained data points, (ii) finding a set of closest points comprising, for each point of the data point set, a closest point on the first mathematical model, (iii) registering the data point set to the set of closest points to obtain a registered point set, (iv) computing a mean square distance of points of the registered point set to the closest point set, (v) comparing the mean square distance to a predetermined threshold and (vi) if the mean square distance is above a threshold, (vi.i) redefining the data point set as the registered point set and (vi.

Abstract: A performance evaluation method for use in a karaoke apparatus evaluates a singing performance of a karaoke singer by measuring differences between the karaoke singer's vocal rendition and an accompanying music produced by an audiovisual device. Digitized voice signals and their corresponding digitized accompaniment signals are produced by sampling simultaneously the karaoke singer's vocal rendition and the accompanying music, respectively. Then, a difference between a digitized voice signal and its corresponding digitized accompaniment signal and a trend of differences are calculated and used to generate a performance score.

Abstract: A method is provided for process monitoring by statistical measurement of level-of-defectives performance in manufacturing and other processes. Statistical performance data functions of mean-value shift and deviation ratio are plotted on an isogrammetric chart for off-line analysis or, alternatively, are entered into a computer that has been programmed with the isogrammetric format. The resultant information revels the probable process yield and is useful to certify quality of performance in direct terms of level of defectives being produced. The method is particularly useful for high-yield processes where statistical sampling and inspection methods tend to miss the relatively few defectives and statistical process control (SPC) criteria appear to indicate that a manufacturing process is "in control".

Abstract: A device supplies operands to "n+1" operators, disposed in a systolic architecture, each processing sequences of "n+1" operations, including "n+1" ante-registers associated with the operators and designed to store, during a current processing of "m+1" sequences, the first "n+1" operands of a next operation of "m+1" sequences of operations.

Abstract: A method for locating a frame position in an MPEG data stream within a computer system is disclosed. MPEG standard is a set of defined algorithms and techniques for the compression and decompression of moving pictures (video) and sound (audio), and the formation of a multiplexed data stream that includes the compressed video and audio data plus any associated ancillary service data. Although the MPEG standard is extremely flexible, there is a fundamental deficiency associated with the packet-oriented nature of the MPEG format, and that is there being no information about the position of each video frame encoded in the data stream. Even though such information can be deduced from the byte-rate, but because the calculation of a frame position depends on a constant byte-rate, a problem may still arise when the byte-rate is non-existent, incorrectly encoded, or constantly changed due to the presence of several packs with varying rates.

Abstract: Calibration curve data is collected by measuring transmitted light intensities of a treating solvent while solvent temperature is varied. Also measured are a standard transmitted light intensity (transmitted light intensity of a standard treating solution prepared at a predetermined concentration and temperature) and a reference transmitted light intensity (transmitted light intensity of the solvent). Estimated transmitted light intensity of the solvent when its temperature is the same as that of the standard treating solution, is derived from the temperature of the standard treating solution and the calibration curve data stored. A correction factor is computed from a ratio between the reference transmitted light intensity and estimated transmitted light intensity. Then, transmittance of the standard treating solution (standard transmittance) is computed from the standard transmitted light intensity, reference transmitted light intensity and a correction factor.

Abstract: A particle image in a sample is formed at an imaging position by an objective lens of a microscope, projected on the image picking up plane of a TV camera via a projection lens and is subjected to photo-electric conversion. Image signals from the TV camera are supplied to an image memory via an A/D converter as well as to an image processing control unit. Image signals outputted from the image memory are supplied to a characteristic picking out unit and there a plurality of characteristics of the particle concerned are picked out. The picked-out characteristics are supplied to the classification unit and there classification of the sediment components is perfumed via a neural network with a learning capability. Accordingly, the classification unit performs provisionally an automatic classification of the objective sediment components by making use of the inputted characteristic parameters.

Abstract: A method of determining or predicting a value P.sub.x of a property (e.g. octane number) of a material X or a property of a product of a process from said material or yield of said process, which method comprises measuring the absorption D.sub.ix of said material at more than one wavelength in the region 600-2600 nm, comparing the said absorptions or a derivative thereof with absorptions D.sub.im or the derivatives thereof at the same wavelength for a number of standards S in a bank for which the said property or yield P is known, and choosing from the bank at least one standard S.sub.m with property P.sub.m said standard having the smallest average value of the absolute difference at each wavelength i between the absorption D.sub.i x (or derivative thereof) for the material and the absorption D.sub.i m (or derivative thereof) for the standard S.sub.m to obtain the P.sub.x, with averaging of said properties or yields P.sub.m when more than one standard S.sub.m is chosen.

Abstract: The invention concerns an apparatus for digitally measuring the thicknesses of sheets passing between a roller (5) fixed in position and a sensor roller (6) biased toward the fixed roller (5), said apparatus comprising a transducer (2) with at least one input winding, one output winding and with an element (17) sensitive to the position of the sensor roller (6), the transducer input being fed from an oscillator (1). A digital processing unit (4) is connected to the output of the transducer (2) and, on the basis of two measurements, one in the absence of a sheet and the other in the presence of a sheet, issues a digital value of the sheet thickness obtained from the subtraction of the said two measurements.

Abstract: In a method of and system for acquiring and digitizing an object through a transparent wall the system for acquiring and digitizing sections of objects includes a plurality of sensors carried by a common cradle. The sensors include a laser source emitting a lamellar beam forming a laser plane and two cameras observing the object. The various laser planes are coplanar and form a single measurement laser plane. Devices are provided for calculating and synchronizing the observed images. The support for the object to be measured has a non-plane surface. A preliminary phase includes calibration of the measuring space and acquisition and digitization of the surfaces of the transparent wall. Applications include acquiring and digitizing the shape of the human foot or a rubber seal for automobile doors when subjected to compression loads.

Abstract: A method for characterizing the degree of similarity between phase space representations of trajectories of different dynamical systems. This method provides a computationally efficient technique for comparing different dynamical systems, or different dynamics exhibited by the same system. A first trajectory is designated as a template against which other trajectories are compared. A test trajectory is characterized by providing a measure based on determining the smallest distance between each point of the test trajectory to the template and then determining the largest of these smallest distances. The similarity of the two trajectories is quantified by establishing a lattice or grid for the phase space. For each lattice point, the distance, as given by a metric defined for the space, is calculated to the nearest point of the template trajectory. The minimum distance is retained and associated in a memory for each lattice point.

Abstract: A blood component collection system with optimization capabilities. In one embodiment, process parameters are derived from an input/configured predetermined blood component yield and which is based upon the maximization of at least one process parameter. Thereafter, the blood component collection procedure is performed with these derived process control parameters. In another embodiment, process parameters are derived from an input total procedure time from a maximized value for at least one of the other process control parameters so as to maximize blood component yield in this fixed time. Thereafter, the blood component collection procedure is performed with these derived parameters.

Abstract: A new, improved method is disclosed for reliably and accurately predicting and adjusting vapor-liquid split ratios to branches of a piping network incorporating a plurality of impacting tee junctions for a wide range of two-phase steam or gas-liquid conditions representative of field distribution systems. The vapor velocity and liquid volume fraction of the two-phase entering an impacting tee junction are computed from measured pressure, quality and rate of a two-phase fluid entering the impacting tee junction. The velocities of the vapor split to each branch tee junction are computed from measured or computed vapor mass flow rates. The liquid volume fraction of the two-phase fluid exiting a branch or arm of the tee junction is then computed as a function of inlet vapor velocity and liquid volume fraction and from the vapor velocity exiting the branch or arm using an empirical correlation equation.