Abstract: The present invention relates to an ultrasound beam quality test apparatus and methods of use. In this regard, fetal heart rate (FHR) transducer is placed for test and interconnected with fetal monitors. Phantoms of different heights can be placed on the FHR transducer. A computer system includes a beam control circuit. A plurality of hydrophone piezo-electric crystal (PZT) discs are placed on top of the phantom and interconnected with the beam control circuit. The computer system analyzes the ultrasound beam quality, of the FHR transducer, as it passes through the phantom. The beam control circuit can also control the oscillating motion of a metal plate to simulate a fetal heart beat by way of a linear actuator. The FHR transducer registered heartbeat, by way of the fetal monitor, is then compared to the simulated fetal heart beat to determine if the FHR transducer is working correctly.

Abstract: A computer-aided design system includes a display device, a memory storing a plurality of response surface models, and a processor configured to: (a) display a graphical user interface that includes a model of a vehicle frame; (b) display a section configuration panel that includes one or more section dimension values for one or more section dimensions of a first section member of the plurality of section members; (c) retrieve a first response surface model based on values of the one or more section dimensions for the first section member; (d) determine one or more predicted values associated with the first section member based on the values of the section dimensions, the predicted values include one or more predicted crash resistances for the section member; and (e) display the predicted values, thereby allowing the user to evaluate the predicted values for suitability in vehicle design.

Abstract: A method and device is provided that uses historical process data for an industrial process run by an industrial process control and automation system having processing equipment and identified by tag names. The tag names and process data are stored in a database, and a processor and a memory implement a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) tag system, that identifies primary and secondary KPIs from the list of tag names and data values stored in the database and extracts a set of KPI tags from the primary and secondary KPIs storing the extracted KPI tags in the memory. In another embodiment the KPI tag system imports all of the Human Machine Interface (HMI) display files used in the industrial process and identifies the display file tag names and links to other HMI display files. Using an asset model of the process plant and the links to the other HMI displays, the Level 1 HMI displays are identified and KPI tag system generates and stores the KPI tags for the identified Level 1 HMI displays.

Abstract: A method, electronic device and system are provided for collecting information associated with operational changes made by plant operators. Episodes of operational changes are identified that include a triggering event and the operational changes performed are reviewed and compared to standard operating data or historical data. The operational changes that differ from such standard operating data or historical data are classified as inadvertent operations based upon a set of pre-determined characteristics. Training may follow to avoid recurrence of such inadvertent operations in the future.

Abstract: A method includes monitoring an industrial process for an occurrence of a particular process abnormality and in response to finding the occurrence of the particular process abnormality, monitoring a control action response provided by a particular process operator. A determination is made as to whether the control action response provided by the particular process operator meets a benchmark control action response. When the control action response provided by the particular process operator does not meet the benchmark control action response, a simulation profile is created that when entered into a process simulator that is configured to simulate the industrial process, recreates the occurrence of the particular process abnormality in the process simulator to allow the particular process operator to practice providing control action responses in response to the particular process abnormality.

Abstract: A method, electronic device and system are provided for collecting information associated with operational changes made by plant operators. Episodes of operational changes are identified that include a triggering event and the operational changes performed are reviewed and compared to standard operating data or historical data. The operational changes that differ from such standard operating data or historical data are classified as inadvertent operations based upon a set of pre-determined characteristics. Training may follow to avoid recurrence of such inadvertent operations in the future.

Abstract: A packet processor or packet processing pipeline may implement programmatic selection of load balancing output for forwarding paths. Programmatic selection for load balancing among forwarding paths may be enabled or disabled at one or more stages. If programmatic selection is enabled when network packets are received, a programmatically identified path may be provided as the selected path of a load balancing scheme at a stage. Forwarding of the packet may then be performed according to the selected path.

Abstract: An apparatus, method, and non-transitory machine-readable medium provide for accurate automatic determination of alarm-operator action linkage for operator assessment and alarm guidance using custom graphics and control charts. The apparatus includes a memory and a processor operably connected to the memory. The processor receives process control system data regarding a field device in an industrial process control and automation system; extracts information from the process control system data; generates a tuple based on the extracted information; and performs a rectifying operation in the industrial process control and automation system based on the generated tuple of the field device.

Abstract: A method includes receiving one or more operating conditions from one or more field devices of one or more industrial plants in response to receiving one or more alarm signals. The method also includes determining one or more industrial plant states based on the one or more operating conditions. The method further includes identifying one or more historical alarm episodes stored in one or more data stores based on the one or more industrial plant states. In addition, the method includes identifying one or more recommended historical alarm episodes of the one or more historical alarm episodes based on one or more benchmark metrics of the one or more historical alarm episodes. The method also includes generating the one or more recommended historical alarm episodes for display on a user interface.

Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatus and computer readable medium is disclosed for extending the Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF) in the network using embedded source identifiers in the packets. An example apparatus may include ports, memory and processing logic. The memory may include VRF routing tables corresponding to respective VRF domains and a list of media access control (MAC) addresses, wherein each MAC address in the list is linked to one of the respective VRF routing tables. The processing logic may be configured to receive an ingress packet at a port, identify a matching MAC address in the list that matches a source identifier of the ingress packet, and process the ingress packet according to the respective VRF domain associated with the matching MAC address that matches the source identifier.

Abstract: An apparatus, method, and non-transitory machine-readable medium provide for accurate automatic determination of alarm-operator action linkage for operator assessment and alarm guidance using custom graphics and control charts. The apparatus includes a memory and a processor operably connected to the memory. The processor receives process control system data regarding a field device in an industrial process control and automation system; extracts information from the process control system data; generates a tuple based on the extracted information; and performs a rectifying operation in the industrial process control and automation system based on the generated tuple of the field device.

Abstract: A method, an electronic device and computer readable medium is provided. The method includes information associated with operational changes by personnel that operate an industrial plant. The method also includes identifying episodes of the operational changes, wherein each episode includes a triggering event and operational changes. The method also includes generating a causal pairing matrix that categorizes the identified episodes into a plurality of groupings, based on the triggering event of each of the at least two episodes being similar. The method further includes analyzing the at least two episodes to identify one of the at least two episodes as a bench mark episode, within each group. The method also includes comparing each of the at least two episodes to the identified bench mark episode to rank the at least two episodes, within each of the groups. The method further includes generating a report for the plurality of groupings.

Abstract: A field device firewall includes a processor that runs a cyber-protection algorithm, and a memory storing a list of device types, requests and commands. The field device firewall is adapted for use in a communications network between a field network communication interface coupled to a field device and a process controller. The field device firewall does not support any native communications with the field device and also lacks an IP address. The cyber-protection algorithm implements comparing information in a received packet to the stored list, allowing transmission of the received packet to the field device if the comparing determines the information is on the stored list, and blocking transmission of the received packet to the field device if the comparing determines the information is not on the stored list.

Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatus and computer readable medium is disclosed for extending the Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF) in the network using embedded source identifiers in the packets. An example apparatus may include ports, memory and processing logic. The memory may include VRF routing tables corresponding to respective VRF domains and a list of media access control (MAC) addresses, wherein each MAC address in the list is linked to one of the respective VRF routing tables. The processing logic may be configured to receive an ingress packet at a port, identify a matching MAC address in the list that matches a source identifier of the ingress packet, and process the ingress packet according to the respective VRF domain associated with the matching MAC address that matches the source identifier.

Abstract: A field device firewall includes a processor that runs a cyber-protection algorithm, and a memory storing a list of device types, requests and commands. The field device firewall is adapted for use in a communications network between a field network communication interface coupled to a field device and a process controller. The field device firewall does not support any native communications with the field device and also lacks an IP address. The cyber-protection algorithm implements comparing information in a received packet to the stored list, allowing transmission of the received packet to the field device if the comparing determines the information is on the stored list, and blocking transmission of the received packet to the field. device if the comparing determines the information is not on the stored list.

Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatus and computer readable medium are disclosed for extending Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF) for a network. An example apparatus includes ports, memory and processing logic. The memory includes VRF routing tables corresponding to respective VRF domains. The memory may also include a list of media access control (MAC) addresses, wherein each MAC address in the list is linked to one of the respective VRF domains. The processing logic may be coupled to access the memory and coupled to the ports. The processing logic may be configured to receive an ingress packet at a port of the apparatus, identify a VRF domain that the ingress packet belongs to, process the ingress packet according to the VRF domain, and optionally generate an egress packet, by embedding/writing a MAC address in the egress packet that acts as a source identifier for the respective VRF domain.

Abstract: An apparatus includes at least one processing device configured to generate a three-dimensional (3D) virtual object corresponding to an industrial asset and map data to the 3D virtual object to generate a virtual representation of the industrial asset. The apparatus also includes a display configured to display the virtual representation. The at least one processing device may be configured to generate the 3D virtual object using at least one image of the industrial asset. The at least one processing device may be configured to generate the virtual representation identifying multiple sub-components of the industrial asset and to map the data to different sub-components of the industrial asset.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to the selective provision of interference canceled signal streams to demodulating fingers in a communication receiver. According to the present invention, potential interferer signal paths are identified. Signal streams having one or more potential interferer signals removed or canceled are created, and a correlation is performed to determine whether the strength of a desired signal path increased as a result. If the correlation indicates that the strength of a desired signal path was increased by the signal cancellation, the interference canceled signal stream is provided to the demodulation finger assigned to track the desired signal path. If the correlation determines that the strength of the desired signal path did not increase as a result of performing interference cancellation, the raw or a different interference canceled signal stream is provided to the demodulation finger.

Abstract: A system and method for wireless device synchronization is provided. A default connection is established between a first wireless device and a second wireless using default connection values. Unique address information is exchanged over the default connection. A unique connection is established between the first wireless device and the second wireless device.

Abstract: Disclosed is a knitted article, and a method of producing such an article, having at least one PTFE fiber with oriented fibrils forming multiple fiber cross-over points wherein PTFE fiber is self-bonded in at least one of the cross-over points.