Abstract: A system for automatic spreading resistance profiling of wafer specimens. The system comprises a positioning stage for positioning the specimens for contact by probe tips and alternately a probe conditioning fixture or a sample calibration fixture. The system further comprises a programmed computer for controlling the positioning stage to effect automatic specimen profiling, probe tip conditioning, and calibration.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for fast response and distortion measurement of a signal transfer device. A computer processor generates a multitone test signal of predetermined duration and stores it in a memory. The test signal is read out, converted to analog form, if necessary, and applied to the input of a device under test. The output produced by the device under test in response to the test signal is acquired and digitized, if necessary, and a Fast Fourier Transform is performed on the acquired data to determine its spectral characteristics. Frequency response, harmonic distortion, intermodulation distortion, phase distortion, wow and flutter and other signal transfer characteristics are measured by the CPU by analysis of the output signal.

Abstract: Optical Doppler tomography permits imaging of fluid flow velocity in highly scattering media. The tomography system combines Doppler velocimetry with high spatial resolution of partially coherent optical interferometry to measure fluid flow velocity at discrete spatial locations. Noninvasive in vivo imaging of blood flow dynamics and tissue structures with high spatial resolutions of the order of 2 to 10 microns is achieved in biological systems. The backscattered interference signals derived from the interferometer may be analyzed either through power spectrum determination to obtain the position and velocity of each particle in the fluid flow sample at each pixel, or the interference spectral density may be analyzed at each frequency in the spectrum to obtain the positions and velocities of the particles in a cross-section to which the interference spectral density corresponds.

Abstract: A method employed in a condition monitoring unit (CMU) for monitoring a circuit breaker or interrupter to obtain a substantially undistorted version of a waveform suffering from saturation distortion comprises employing a current transformer (CT) to measure a current waveform. The output of the CT is prone to be a partially distorted waveform. The invention is generic in the sense that it does not require parameters associated with the CT characteristics or with the burden impedance on the secondary side of the CT. A digital representation of the partially distorted waveform is obtained, and then undistorted portions of the partially distorted waveform are identified by comparing the amplitude of the partially distorted waveform within a sliding window to a pair of boundary values and identifying as undistorted those portions having an amplitude between the boundary values. Next, distorted portions of the waveform are separated from the undistorted portions, thereby yielding a data record with holes.

Abstract: A tanning system (14) is disclosed which allows a single centrally located control unit (10) to control a number of remote tanning beds. Each tanning bed is provided with a remote unit (12) associated with the tanning bed. Communication occurs between the control unit (10) and the remote unit (12) through a common AC power wiring structure (22) extending therebetween. The system can use CEBus, X10 or another suitable system for communicating through the AC wiring structure. The operator has control of the operating time of each tanning bed while the customer has control of when the tanning operation begins.

Abstract: A sensor detects the presence or the absence of an obstacle by radiating a laser beam to the outside of a casing through a light projecting mirror and by letting the reflected light from an obstacle enter a light receiving element through a light receiving mirror. A light projecting window with a light projecting mirror positioned and a light receiving window with a light receiving mirror are positioned in the casing with a space therebetween to prevent reflected light from directly entering the light projecting window. The mirrors are attached to a rotation shaft of a motor, or rotation shafts of motors, synchronously rotatable provided between both mirrors. The optical axis of light radiated to the outside of the casing is set to face in a higher direction than horizontal to radiate in a cone-shaped form.

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: Spectral values are calculated from sampling values of the network voltage or current using the discrete Fourier transformation. Of these values, only those that are greater than a predefined threshold value (SW) are transmitted or stored. The missing spectral values are assumed to be equal to zero to reconstruct the sampling values. In general only those spectral values are transmitted or stored that pertain to a fault and its previous and subsequent history of a few seconds.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for providing a filtered signal which indicates of a flow of fluid to a fluid pressure communication conduit, the flow being dependent upon the pressure of fluid in a chamber. The pressure in the chamber is controlled by one or more pressure adjusting valves. The invention provides for receiving into a data processing module one or more valve signals indicating open states of the pressure adjusting valve or valves, and also a flowrate signal from a flowrate sensor, which represents the real instantaneous flowrate, and it is this signal which needs to be filtered to remove transients. The invention provides for choosing between a first processing mode and a second processing mode for the flowrate signal. The first processing mode is used when the second processing mode is not in effect, and when neither of the valve signals indicates an open valve. The second processing mode is activated a valve signal indicates an open valve.

Abstract: A method for predicting the accuracy of a water meter includes measuring a plurality of characteristics of each water meter of a plurality of installed water meters, one of the characteristics being water meter accuracy. A regression model is determined that relates water meter accuracy to the one or more other characteristics by performing a linear regression of measurements of the other water meter characteristics against measurements of water meter accuracy.

Abstract: Data processing system for calculating the flowrate of air from a pressurized reservoir to an air pressure communication line. A pressure sensor is connected to the reservoir to provide an analog signal indicating pressure, which is converted into a digital pressure signal. The system also has a sensor connected to pressure ports upstream and downstream of an orifice, located between the reservoir and the air pressure communication line. This provides an analog differential pressure signal which is converted into a digital differential pressure signal, which is processed to obtain a first digital flowrate signal. This is combined with the digital pressure signal to obtain a flowrate correction value, from which a revised flowrate value is obtained. This revised flowrate value may be sent to an operator of the system, to a control system, or to an alarm system.

Abstract: The invention detects the loft time and/or speed of a vehicle, such as a sporting vehicle, during activities of moving and jumping. A loft sensor detects when the vehicle leaves the ground and when the vehicle returns to the ground. A microprocessor subsystem converts the sensed information to determine a loft time. A display shows the recorded loft time to a user of the system. In addition, a speed sensor can detect the vehicle's speed for selective display to the user. The invention is particularly well-suited to sporting activities such as snowboarding where users loft into the air on ski jumps and catch "air" time but have no quantitative measure of the actual time lapse in the air. Therefore, users in skiing can use invention to record, store, and playback selected information relating to their sporting day, including the total amount of "air" time for the day and information such as dead time, i.e., time not spent on the slopes.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system which calculates vehicle speeds from distance pulses utilizing vehicle acceleration. More particularly, the present invention calculates vehicle speed through a system comprising a speed input task and a speed output task. The speed input task generates a speed value and an acceleration value from a pulse train delivered by a distance sensor or electronic transmission. The acceleration, deceleration or steady state of the motor vehicle is determined in the input task through use of the distance sensor tolerance. The output task drives the speedometer according to the new speed value from the input task if a new speed value has been generated since the last execution of the output task. If no new speed value has been generated since the last execution of the output task, the output task drives the speedometer according to the acceleration value. Thus, the output task is executed periodically regardless of the sequence of pulses received in the input task.

Abstract: A circuit for compensating variables in a measurement transmitter. Within the transmitter, a sensor senses a primary process variable such as differential pressure and a converter digitizes the sensed process variable. The sensor senses pressures within a span of pressures values. A memory inside the transmitter stores at least two membership functions, each membership function having a non-zero value over a predetermined region of the process variable span and a substantially zero value over the remainder of the span. The memory also stores a set of compensation formulas, each formula corresponding to a membership function. A selection circuit in the transmitter selects those membership functions which have a non-zero value at the digitized process variable and a correction circuit provides at least one correction value, each correction value calculated from a compensation formula corresponding to a selected membership function.

Abstract: A data collection system (20) is described which includes a hand-held data collector (22) for connecting to a computer processing station (PC) (24) which has software which provides a grouping of machines, from which data is to be collected, which are not ordered in a predetermined or measurement sequence. The grouped information is downloaded from the PC (24) to the data collector (22) and, once in the data collector, the user lists or rearranges the grouping as desired using the keys of the data collector to specify a desired sequence in the field. This means that the user is able to create the sequence of measurements"live", that is on tour or during the route.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for revising a field in computer program code. One method includes analyzing program code lines for the presence of the field and, if present, selectively revising the field from the first value range to a second value range. The field has a storage attribute of n bits, where n is at least eight bits; with the first value range being inclusively between zero and 99, and the second value range being inclusively between zero and 2.sup.n -1. The method can further include inserting an extended field representative of a base value into the program code, with the field being encoded as an offset value relative to the extended field. The method also can include creating a program code executable on a computer from the revised computer program code.

Abstract: A method and structure of power balancing is capable of simultaneously minimizing maximum power while also reducing the step load of any electronic system, subsystem, or device having one or more functional units or resources that are not in constant use and that are therefore capable of being selectively powered-down or powered-up.

Abstract: During dozing operation, the amount of earth (i.e., load factor) accumulated on the front face of a blade is automatically detected independently of the operator's perception and, based on the detection, the dozing operation is automatically shifted from digging to carrying. The load factor is calculated by obtaining a horizontal reaction force and a vertical reaction force exerted on the blade during digging and by calculating the ratio of the vertical reaction force to the horizontal reaction force. When the load factor reaches a specified value, the blade is automatically controlled to incline backward to hold the earth.

Abstract: The tension in an optical fiber being drawn from a preform is monitored by sensing its motion transverse to the drawing direction and analysing the sensed motion using an autoregressive time-series model to provide a power spectrum. One of the peaks of the spectrum is identified as associated with the fundamental natural frequency of the drawn fiber and the frequency of that peak is used in a calculation of the tension of the fiber.

Abstract: A distributed object application builder apparatus filters an object definition to determine both information needed (plugs) and provided (sockets) by an object. Each part (a run-time instance of an object) in the builder has plugs and sockets interconnected to other parts to define a distributed object application program. At run time, actual instances of objects are substituted for the parts. A method of determining the plugs of an identified part retrieves the interface (object definition) corresponding to the part. Once retrieved, the plugs of the part are identified by determining the object-valued attributes of the retrieved interface, by determining the operations from the retrieved interface that require one object-valued argument, and by retrieving the factory argument list from the factory method for the object. These attributes and arguments constitute the plugs of the part. Sockets of a part are determined similarly.