Abstract: A compressor for waveforms having at least two waveform states separates the waveform samples into waveform state sample vectors for each waveform state. Waveform state encoders encode the waveform state sample vectors separately to provide compressed waveform data. The waveform state encoder selects waveform state pattern vector and associated codes to represent the waveform state sample vectors. The differences between samples of the waveform state sample vector and waveform state pattern vector are calculated and encoded. Encoding can be lossless or lossy. The waveform state pattern vectors and other parameters for compression are determined during a training period. The waveform state encoders detect features in the waveform state sample vectors and waveform state pattern vectors that are useful for common oscilloscope measurements. Typical waveform states include level states and edge states.

Abstract: Methods of fabricating compound semiconductor devices are described.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for provisioning or updating software over a network. In one embodiment, the network comprises a cable network, and each particular client device (e.g., set-top box) on the network is identified by an address or other unique descriptor. A version association file stored on a server or downloaded to the device maps particular application versions to one or more addresses corresponding to individual client devices. When the version association file is modified or created, the server transmits an upgrade message over the network (optionally along with the current version association file). Upon receiving an upgrade message, a set-top box accesses the version association file, and compares a designated application version to that of the application currently in use. If the designated version is not present on the set-top, the box will terminate any old version of the application currently running and download and install the designated version.

Abstract: A method of prefetching data in a microprocessor includes identifying a data stream associated with a process and determining a depth associated with the data stream based upon prefetch factors including the number of currently concurrent data streams and data consumption rates associated with the concurrent data streams. Data prefetch requests are allocated with the data stream to reflect the determined depth of the data stream. Allocating data prefetch requests may include allocating prefetch requests for a number of cache lines away from the cache line currently being referenced, wherein the number of cache lines is equal to the determined depth. The method may include, responsive to determining the depth associated with a data stream, configuring prefetch hardware to reflect the determined depth for the identified data stream. Prefetch control bits in an instruction executed by the processor control the prefetch hardware configuration.

Abstract: An illuminating blind system comprising a plurality of slats, wherein each slat is associated with a light emitting source associated with a controller. When activated by the controller, visual patterns are created on the surfaces of the slats, based on the arrangement of the light emitting sources in relation to the position of the slats. The controller further comprises a clock to set automatic activation times for the plurality of light emitting sources. The light emitting sources are capable of producing single or multiple colors and a variety of brightness levels.

Abstract: A controller for an adjustable-frequency oscillator includes a first counter supplied with a stop-count value to count adjustable-frequency oscillator cycles divided by the ratio of desired frequency to reference oscillator frequency, to produce a stop signal when the first counter reaches the stop-count value. A second counter counts cycles of a reference oscillator starting from an initial number related to the stop-count value. The second counter stops counting and produces an end-count when the second counter receives the stop signal from the first counter. A resonant tank circuit includes a bank of capacitors with switches to select resonant tank circuit capacitors. The switches are selectively controlled using the end-count in the second counter. The stop-count value is set for the first counter so that the end count number in the second counter using a ones-complement binary format can be used to iteratively set the switches with minimal digital computation.

Abstract: A fully integrated, secure, portable, automated inventory control and tracking system for facilities storing mission-critical military equipment and supplies includes a terminal, database, and one or more reader/scanners. Software authenticates personnel requesting or returning mission-critical military equipment or supplies based on a machine-readable identifier on each individuals' badge, performs inventory control including check out and check in of the equipment and supplies based on machine-readable identifiers on the equipment, tracks calibration and maintenance requirements for the equipment, generates reports and forms, facilitates inventories, and manages the security of the facility by tracking periodic changes in facility access controls. The entire life cycle of the equipment is managed, including its history, maintenance, calibration, modification, and repair.

Abstract: A method and processor for performing on-demand scratch register reallocation by dynamically adjusting the number of scratch registers from within the pool of rename registers includes initially allocating from a set of physical registers one or more architected registers and a pool of one or more rename registers and allocating from the pool of rename registers an initial number of scratch registers for storing microcode operands. In response to detecting that a fetched instruction requires an additional scratch register beyond the initial number, a selected physical register is reallocated from among the pool of rename registers as the additional scratch register, and a flag is set to indicate the rename register is allocated as the additional scratch register. In response to determining that the additional scratch register is no longer needed, the additional scratch register is deallocated and the flag is reset, such that the selected physical register returns to the pool of rename registers.

Abstract: A digital sigma-delta modulator requiring minimal die area and dissipating minimal power is formed with a plurality of integration stages coupled in tandem between an input node and an output node. The bit width of signals in the integration stages is progressively reduced from the first to the last integration stage without compromising modulator accuracy. A quantizer between the last integration stage and the output node provides the final reduction of signal bit width. The gain of the modulator feedforward and feedback paths are integer powers of two to further simplify the digital computation. In an exemplary implementation, three integration stages to form a third-order modulator are coupled in tandem between the input node and the output node. The gains of feedback and feedforward paths in one preferred embodiment are unity, and in some embodiments, one feedforward path has gain of 0.5.

Abstract: A method of prefetching data in a microprocessor includes identifying a data stream associated with a process and determining a depth associated with the data stream based upon prefetch factors including the number of currently concurrent data streams and data consumption rates associated with the concurrent data streams. Data prefetch requests are allocated with the data stream to reflect the determined depth of the data stream. Allocating data prefetch requests may include allocating prefetch requests for a number of cache lines away from the cache line currently being referenced, wherein the number of cache lines is equal to the determined depth. The method may include, responsive to determining the depth associated with a data stream, configuring prefetch hardware to reflect the determined depth for the identified data stream. Prefetch control bits in an instruction executed by the processor control the prefetch hardware configuration.

Abstract: In a microprocessor having a load/store unit and prefetch hardware, the prefetch hardware includes a prefetch queue containing entries indicative of allocated data streams. A prefetch engine receives an address associated with a store instruction executed by the load/store unit. The prefetch engine determines whether to allocate an entry in the prefetch queue corresponding to the store instruction by comparing entries in the queue to a window of addresses encompassing multiple cache blocks, where the window of addresses is derived from the received address. The prefetch engine compares entries in the prefetch queue to a window of 2M contiguous cache blocks. The prefetch engine suppresses allocation of a new entry when any entry in the prefetch queue is within the address window. The prefetch engine further suppresses allocation of a new entry when the data address of the store instruction is equal to an address in a border area of the address window.

Abstract: An enhancement that reduces the digital interface rate of analog-to-digital (A/D) and digital-to-analog (D/A) converters through the use of compression and decompression is described. The present invention improves A/D converters by compressing the sampled version of the A/D converter's analog input signal in real time, thereby significantly decreasing the required bit rate of the A/D converter's digital interface. Similarly, the present invention improves D/A converters by decreasing the required bit rate of the D/A converter's digital interface. D/A converters enhanced by the present invention include a decompressor that decompresses the D/A converter's compressed digital input in real time, prior to conversion to an analog output signal. The present invention's simplicity and its ability to be implemented using multiple compression and decompression elements allow its use in A/D and D/A converters with arbitrarily high sampling rates.

Abstract: An enhancement that improves the performance of test and measurement equipment such as digital oscilloscopes and arbitrary waveform generators through the use of compression and decompression is described. The present invention is particularly effective for compressing and decompressing high-speed, bandlimited analog signals that are not appropriately or cannot effectively be compressed by prior art speech, audio, image, and video compression algorithms due to various limitations of such prior art compression solutions. The present invention improves digital oscilloscopes by compressing the sampled version of an analog waveform under observation in real time, allowing a significantly longer duration of the waveform to be stored in the oscilloscope's capture memory, when compared with the duration of the same signal's uncompressed waveform stored in the same memory.

Abstract: This disclosure describes a method to generate large numbers of spot beams for multiple-beam satellite systems using smaller apertures. This is done by dividing the basic spot beam that has 3 to 4 dB of gain drop within the beam into a number of smaller 1-dB sub-beams. This has the effect of reducing the required peak gain for the antenna by 2-3 dB, thus reducing its size by as much as 50%. The frequency band allocated to the basic beam will be divided among the sub-beams. However, the frequency re-use among the basic beams can be maintained. Frequency allocations have to be coordinated among all beams. This concept is especially applicable to phased arrays using digital beam formers. The DBF complexity is a function of the number of array elements, and is less dependent on the number of beams. Reducing the array size, and consequently reducing the number of elements helps in reducing the complexity, power and mass of the DBF.

Abstract: A national or international plurality of interacting, media-connected buildings, providing automated office support processes to individual and aggregate office user customers. Process services are coordinated between building elements via the inter-networking feature that uses the facilities of the public Internet. These distributed services are adaptable and personalized to meet the changing needs of individual office users. Service personalization is continuously maintained in a consistent state throughout the entire global network of buildings, providing individual office users with identical service personalization in all office buildings.

Abstract: An apparatus for purifying a hydrogen feed stream, comprising a hydrogen diffusion membrane, a first feed line for supplying a hydrogen feed stream and a second feed line for supplying a purge gas, is disclosed. A flow-restricting device is located in the second feed line. Apparatus for purging a hydrogen purification apparatus, methods for purifying a hydrogen stream and methods for purging a hydrogen purification apparatus are also disclosed.

Abstract: A control system for a work machine having a hydraulic actuator is provided. An input device generates a movement signal to control the movement of the hydraulic actuator. A sensor senses a parameter indicative of a magnitude of a force exerted by the hydraulic actuator. A first controller controls the motion of the hydraulic actuator and has a first receiver that receives the movement signal and a first transmitter that transmits a force signal including an indication of the force exerted by the hydraulic actuator. A second controller is operatively connected to the input device and has a second transmitter that transmits the movement signal and a second receiver that receives the force signal. A force generator exerts a feedback force on the input device. The magnitude of the feedback force is related to the magnitude of the force.

Abstract: An apparatus for purifying a hydrogen feed stream, comprising a hydrogen diffusion membrane, a first feed line for supplying a hydrogen feed stream and a second feed line for supplying a purge gas, is disclosed. A flow-restricting device is located in the second feed line. Apparatus for purging a hydrogen purification apparatus, methods for purifying a hydrogen stream and methods for purging a hydrogen purification apparatus are also disclosed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed that allow a user to transfer relatively large files, such as full motion video, over a dedicated link with improved efficiency. Relatively cost effective high-speed TCP/IP links are available. However latency issues with TCP/IP prevents their use for transferring large files, especially full motion video for viewing in real time. The present method and apparatus establishes a multi-channel pipeline within the high-speed link from a source node to a target node. A desired file resident on a server of source node is first parsed into chunks of predetermined size appended with a sequence number and placed into circular buffer. The circular buffer is emptied into a next available channel in the multi-channel pipeline established in the high-speed link. The TCP/IP socket channels transfer chunks from the source node to the target node and acknowledge each chunk and then allow circular buffer to transfer the next available chunk.

Abstract: A multiple element color-corrected doubly telecentric lens and imaging system useful for imaging multiwell plates is described. The lens contains a biconvex field lens element L1, a positive meniscus lens element L2, concave toward the incident light side, a double-Gauss lens element group, a positive meniscus lens element L10, convex toward the incident light, a positive meniscus lens element L11, convex toward the incident light, and a plano concave field flattener lens element L12, concave toward the incident light side. The lens is very sensitive, and can be used to image scintillation proximity assays in multiwell plates.