Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods for reducing stress on a blood vessel are disclosed herein. A damping device (100) configured in accordance with embodiments of the present technology can include an anchoring member (104) coupled to a flexible, compliant damping member (102) including a generally tubular sidewall having an outer surface (115), an inner surface (113) defining a lumen configured to direct blood flow, a first end portion (106) and a second end portion (108), and a damping region (120) between the first and second end portions (106, 108). The inner and outer surfaces (113, 115) of the damping member (102) can be spaced apart by a distance that is greater at the damping region (120) than at either of the first or second end portions (106, 108).

Abstract: The application describes systems for deriving haptic and audio drive signals from an input signal received via a single channel such as an audio channel.

Abstract: An automated fiber optic patch-panel/cross-connect system comprised of a stacked arrangement of multiple replaceable modules, including a first multiplicity of fiber modules, each with a second multiplicity of reconfigurable internal fiber connectors; a common robot module shared among fiber modules, wherein any connector within a fiber module in the system can be moved to any other connector of any other fiber module in the system; a power management module that distributes electrical power to the fiber modules and the robot module; and a server module that generates commands that are placed on communication bus to activate robot and fiber modules. The modules are physically separated and spatially arranged to be serviced replaced without interrupting fiber connections previously established in the system.

Abstract: A device (15, 50, 55, 60, 100, 200) for altering blood flow characteristics in a vessel (20), the device (15, 50, 55, 60, 100, 200) comprising: a cuff (10) configured to be surgically positioned around a portion of the vessel (20); a first pad (40) located on an internal wall of the cuff (10), wherein the pad (40): locally reduces a cross-sectional area of a passageway (25) extending through the cuff (10) and/or defines a passageway (25) within the cuff (10) which is non-linear.

Abstract: Refractory anchoring devices include a main body and a mounting feature for mounting to a thermal vessel. The main body has the shape of two end-to-end Y's forming a central segment, two branch segments extending from each end of the central segment, and an extension segment extending from each of the four branch segments, to collectively form four unenclosed cell openings that are each semi-hexagonal in shape. Some embodiments include four reinforcement segments with each one extending into a respective cell opening, four voids with each one extending through respective adjacent branch and extension segments, an underbody gap formed under the central segment for refractory interlinking between cell openings, and/or a single stud-welding stud for the mounting feature.

Abstract: Refractory anchoring devices include a main body and a mounting feature for mounting to a thermal vessel. The main body has the shape of two end-to-end Y's forming a central segment, two branch segments extending from each end of the central segment, and an extension segment extending from each of the four branch segments, to collectively form four unenclosed cell openings that are each semi-hexagonal in shape. Some embodiments include four reinforcement segments with each one extending into a respective cell opening, four voids with each one extending through respective adjacent branch and extension segments, an underbody gap formed under the central segment for refractory interlinking between cell openings, and/or a single stud-welding stud for the mounting feature.

Abstract: Seal integrity indicators for sterilization containers are provided. For example, a seal indicator may indicate whether the container is sufficiently sealed to prevent an ingress of contaminants into the container. If the container is sufficiently sealed, the seal indicator is visible, but if not, the seal indicator is not visible. Thus, the seal indicator undergoes a change in state when the sterilization container transitions from unsealed to sealed, or vice versa, such that a user may ascertain whether the container is properly sealed to maintain the container's sterility. An exemplary seal indicator includes an invertible projection formed with the container gasket that is not visible from outside the container until inverted, due to force applied by the lid, to extend through an opening in the container body. Closure mechanisms for sterilization containers also are provided.

Abstract: A device and methods for cleaning an end of a fiber optic cable including a cleaning cartridge system for dispensing and usage monitoring of fiber end face cleaning fabric. The cleaning cartridge system includes a spool of cleaning fabric; an actuator that drives a fabric advance roller; a pressure sensor that detects when a fiber end face is in contact with fabric and outputs a contact-indicating signal; an internal control circuit that drives the actuator to advance the cleaning fabric in time-relation to the contact-indicating signal; and an external controller that determines proper advance of the cleaning fabric and consumption of the cleaning fabric over time. Methods of maintaining low loss physical fiber-optic connections in an automated cross-connect system use the cleaning device and methods.

Abstract: A multi-modal diagnostic test reading apparatus, comprising: a diagnostic test assembly receiving component; at least one image sensor; a plurality of light sources having respective different spectral properties; and a controller; wherein the controller is configured to: (i) control operation of the light sources and the at least one image sensor to acquire a plurality of images, each of the acquired images representing at least a corresponding portion of the diagnostic test assembly as illuminated by a corresponding one of the light sources; and (ii) process the acquired images to determine a diagnostic test result of the diagnostic test, the diagnostic test result being dependent upon the processed images representing illumination by respective ones of the light sources having respective different spectral properties.

Abstract: High-resolution optical backscatter system and method to discover the end-to-end physical topology of complex, interconnected fiber optic network, and to automatically monitor and troubleshoot its performance. Each passive cable element has unique, substantially unchanging optical backscatter signature based on microscopic random imperfections of the glass core along the length of the optical fiber, measurable along the length of the optical fiber using an optical reflection meter. The resulting signature is a two dimensional array of data points (or trace) corresponding to the optical backreflection signal strength as a function of length. When multiple cables are interconnected to produce a link, the corresponding traces of the multiple cables are concatenated to produce a composite trace for the entire link. The composite trace is compared to the traces of individual cables and the series of cables comprising the link and the serial relationship in which they are interconnected is thereby determined.

Abstract: Driver circuitry for driving an electromechanical load with a drive output signal, the driver circuitry comprising: a first control loop operable to control the drive output signal based on a drive input signal; and a second control loop operable to control the drive output signal based on a current flowing through and/or a voltage induced across the electromechanical load, wherein the second control loop is configured to have a lower latency than the first control loop, and to control the drive output signal to compensate for an impedance of the electromechanical load.

Abstract: A mobile robot system for automated operation of a data center or telecommunications office, includes a moveable robotic platform with a multiplicity of tools integrated therein to operate on a network element within a bay, with integrated RFID (radio-frequency identification) tags and visual alignment markers attached to fiber optic connectors and ports of the network elements. The mobile robot system positions a robot probe arm with an RFID probe for proximity detection to identify a cable and associated fiber optic connector based on a unique RF identifier of a tag on the fiber optic connector. The robot probe arm has a connector gripper to engage and unplug the associated fiber optic connector.

Abstract: Applications of robotics applied to patch-panels and cross-connects to improve operational processes within data centers and communications networks. Systems and architectures to perform frequent, accurate and low-cost reconfigurations and measurements of the physical network are described, thereby eliminating labor and time delays when completing routine tasks such physical network provisioning and reconfiguration.

Abstract: A highly scalable and modular automated optical cross connect switch devices which exhibit low loss and scalability to high port counts. A device for the programmable interconnection of large numbers of optical fibers (100s-1000s) is provided, whereby a two-dimensional array of fiber optic connections is mapped in an ordered and rule-based fashion into a one-dimensional array with tensioned fiber optic circuit elements tracing substantially straight lines there between. Fiber optic elements are terminated in a stacked arrangement of flexible fiber optic circuit elements with a capacity to retain excess fiber lengths while maintaining an adequate bend radius. The combination of these elements partitions the switch volume into multiple independent, non-interfering zones, which retain their independence for arbitrary and unlimited numbers of reconfigurations.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are employed to install fiber optic cables in a data center facility using one or more cable dispensing robots that dispense fiber optic cable that is pre-spooled on a cable cartridge, by programmatically unspooling the cable from the cable cartridge and paying the cable out along a potentially transverse oscillatory path (e.g. sinusoidal curve) as the robot moves down a cable tray network that is arranged adjacent and above large numbers of equipment bays. A controller accesses a database which stores the state of the cables within the cable tray network. The database further stores information regarding availability of cable cartridges of standard cable lengths, which are potentially stored within a cable cassette loading/unloading system. The controller receives instructions on where and how to spatially deploy a fiber optic interconnect cable within the tray network of the data center facility.

Abstract: A large scale, non-blocking fiber optic cross-connect system consists of multiple stages, including a central multifiber per connection system. The number of ports of this cross-connect system scales to over 10,000, in an incremental, modular, field expandable approach. Two separate arrays of “edge” cross-connect systems using KBS methodology are positioned on opposite sides of a central core cross-connect system, wherein the core system is comprised of switchable blocks of multi-fiber trunk lines, each terminated in a single connector that is reconfigurable by robotic means. The trunk lines between edge cross-connects are controlled by a trunk line management system to provision/deprovision blocks of multiple connections at a time in a “core” cross-connect circuit block between edge cross-connects. The core system is configured to controllably interconnect the physically separate edge cross-connect systems which concurrently direct data along selected paths to and from the central core circuit block.

Abstract: Embodiments described herein relate to methods and apparatuses for configuring a plurality of virtual buttons on a device. For example, each of the plurality of virtual buttons may be activated or deactivated based on a mode of operation of the device. By activating and deactivating different combinations of the plurality of virtual buttons depending on the mode of operation of the device, the inadvertent engagement of virtual buttons which would otherwise not be used in that mode of operation may be avoided.

Abstract: A mobile robot system for automated operation of a data center or telecommunications office, includes a moveable robotic platform with a multiplicity of tools integrated therein, to operate on a network element within a bay, with integrated RFID (radio-frequency identification) tags and visual alignment markers attached to fiber optic connectors and ports of the network elements. The mobile robot system positions a robot probe arm with an RFID probe for proximity detection to identify a cable and associated fiber optic connector based on a unique RF identifier of a tag on the fiber optic connector. The robot probe arm has a connector gripper to engage and unplug the associated fiber optic connector.

Abstract: A large scale, non-blocking fiber optic cross-connect system consists of multiple stages, including a central multifiber per connection system. The number of ports of this cross-connect system scales to over 10,000, in an incremental, modular, field expandable approach. Two separate arrays of “edge” cross-connect systems using KBS methodology are positioned on opposite sides of a central core cross-connect system, wherein the core system is comprised of switchable blocks of multi-fiber trunk lines, each terminated in a single connector that is reconfigurable by robotic means. The trunk lines between edge cross-connects are controlled by a trunk line management system to provision/deprovision blocks of multiple connections at a time in a “core” cross-connect circuit block between edge cross- connects. The core system is configured to controllably interconnect the physically separate edge cross-connect systems which concurrently direct data along selected paths to and from the central core circuit block.

Abstract: Refractory anchoring devices include a main body and a mounting feature for mounting to a thermal vessel. The main body has the shape of two end-to-end Y's forming a central segment, branch segments extending from ends of the central segment, and extension segments extending from the branch segments, to collectively form four unenclosed cell openings that are semi-hexagonally shaped. Some embodiments include reinforcement segments extending into respective cell openings, voids extending through respective adjacent branch and extension segments, an underbody gap under the central segment, a single stud-welding stud for the mounting feature, and/or a collar-and-stud connection between the anchor main body and a stud-welding stud of the mounting feature. Refractory anchoring systems and methods include an array of the refractory anchoring devices arranged and mounted so that the unenclosed semi-hexagonal cell openings of adjacent anchoring devices cooperatively form substantially hexagonal cells.