Abstract: A backlight is disclosed and includes a visible light transmissive body primarily propagating light by TIR with a light input surface and a light output surface and a light guide portion and a light input portion. The light guide portion has a light reflection surface and a light emission surface. The light input portion has opposing side surfaces that are not parallel. One of the opposing surfaces is co-planar with either the light emission surface or the light reflection surface. A light source is disposed adjacent to the light input surface. The light source emits light into the light input portion. A reflective layer is disposed adjacent to or on the opposing side surfaces.

Abstract: A backlight may include a light guide and a light input. The light guide may have a light reflection surface and a light emission surface. The light input may include a diverging wedge having a narrow end and opposing side surfaces extending to the narrow end. A light source well may be formed in the light input, and a light source may be disposed within the light source well. An encapsulant may be disposed about the light source, within the light source well. A specularly reflective film or layer may be disposed adjacent to but not in intimate contact with the opposing side surfaces and may reflect more than 80% of visible light incident on the multilayer polymeric mirror film.

Abstract: A multi-zone capacitive force sensing apparatus/method is disclosed. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes one or more capacitors each having an upper conductive surface and a lower conductive surface substantially parallel to the upper conductive surface, a housing with a top plate and a bottom plate to encompass the capacitors, and a sensor in the housing to generate a measurement based on a change in a distance between the upper conductive surface and the lower conductive surface of each of the capacitors when a contact zone of the top plate associated with the each of the plurality of capacitors is deflected by a force applied on the contact zone. The apparatus may also include a comparison module associated with the sensor to generate a signal indicating unevenness of a force applied on the top plate when there is any significant difference between measurements of the capacitors.

Abstract: Illumination assemblies include a substrate having a first and second electrically conductive layer separated by an electrically insulating layer. The insulating layer includes a polymer material loaded with thermally conductive particles. At least a portion of the thermally conductive particles simultaneously contact both the first and second electrically conductive layers. A plurality of light sources such as LEDs or other miniature light sources are preferably disposed on the first conductive layer.

Abstract: Cylindrical capacitance force sensing device/method is disclosed. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a capacitor having two parallel conductive surfaces, a cylindrical housing with a cover plate to encompass the capacitor, and a sensor in the cylindrical housing to generate a measurement based on a change in a distance between the two conductive surfaces when the cover plate is deflected by a load applied on the cover plate. In another embodiment, a method may include applying a load on top of a housing which encompasses a capacitive sensor having two parallel conductive surfaces to produce a deflection of a cover plate of the housing, automatically generating a measurement from the capacitive sensor when a distance between the two parallel conductive surfaces is charged due to the deflection of the cover plate, and decreasing an error in the measurement via stabilizing to a mounting surface.

Abstract: A medical system for finding and displaying the location of electrodes within the body. The electrodes may be used to measure the voltage on the heart wall and display this as an activation map on a geometry representing the heart chamber.

Abstract: An illumination system including a light source, light guides coupled to the light source, each including an input surface and an output surface, emissive material positioned to receive light from at least one light guide, and a first interference reflector positioned between the emissive material and the output surfaces of the light guides is disclosed. The light source emits light having a first optical characteristic. The emissive material emits light having a second optical characteristic when illuminated with light having the first optical characteristic. The first interference reflector substantially transmits light having the first optical characteristic and substantially reflects light having the second optical characteristic.

Abstract: An illumination system including a light source, light guides coupled to the light source, each including an input surface and an output surface, emissive material positioned to receive light from at least one light guide, and an interference reflector positioned such that the emissive material is between the output surfaces of the light guides and the interference reflector is disclosed. The light source emits light having a first optical characteristic. The emissive material emits light having a second optical characteristic when illuminated with light having the first optical characteristic. The interference reflector substantially transmits light having the second optical characteristic and substantially reflects light having the first optical characteristic.

Abstract: An illumination system includes a plurality of radiation generating sources, such as LED dies. A corresponding plurality of optical waveguides is also provided, with each waveguide having a first and a second end, with each first end being in optical communication with the corresponding LED die. An array of corresponding passive optical elements is interposed between the plurality of LED dies and the corresponding first ends of the plurality of optical waveguides. The illumination system provides for substantially high light coupling efficiency and an incoherent light output that can appear to the human observer as arising from a single point of light. In addition, the light can be output remotely at one or more locations and in one or more directions.

Abstract: The apparatus of the present invention provides a compact dual-pump assembly for an automotive transmission. The dual-pump assembly preferably includes a housing having a valve assembly mounted thereto. The valve assembly includes a shuttle valve disposed in fluid communication with a pressure regulating valve. An on-axis pump is mounted to the housing in fluid communication with the shuttle valve and the pressure regulating valve. An off-axis pump in fluid communication with the shuttle valve is mounted to the housing in close proximity to the on-axis pump such that the dual-pump assembly is compact.

Abstract: A semiconductor optical device is encapsulated by disposing the semiconductor optical device in a cavity defined by a cavity wall. The cavity wall is coated with a coating material having a first surface energy. An encapsulant having a second surface energy is introduced into the cavity adjacent to the light emitting semiconductor. The encapsulant is solidified to form an outer surface having a shape that is a function of the first surface energy and the second surface energy.

Abstract: A dynamic-content web crawler is disclosed. These New Crawlers (NCs) are located at points between the server and user, and monitor content from said points, for example by proxying the web traffic or sniffing the traffic as it goes by. Web page content is recursively parsed into subcomponents. Sub-components are fingerpinted with a cyclic redundancy check code or other loss-full compression in order to be able to detect recurrence of the sub-component in subsequent pages. Those sub-components which persist in the web traffic, as measured by the frequency NCs (6) are defined as having substantive content of interest to data-mining applications. Where a substantive content sub-component is added to or removed from a web page, then this change is significant and is sent to a duplication filter (11) so that if multiple NCs (6) detect a change in a web page only one announcement of the changed URL will be broadcast to data-mining applications (8).

Abstract: A method and apparatus for a compact dual transmission filter design is provided. More precisely, a single filter housing is adapted to accommodate a primary filter and an auxiliary filter in fluid communication with a primary pump and auxiliary pump, respectively. The single filter housing having two filters disposed therein is more compact than a conventional design incorporating a separate filter housing for each filter.

Abstract: Fly fishing lines and methods for manufacturing fly fishing lines entail the use of polymer microspheres within the fly line coating to produce lines with very low specific gravities. The fly lines have single or multiple coatings. In fly lines having multiple coatings, the inner coating includes polymer microspheres and the outer coating include either polymer microspheres or glass microspheres.

Abstract: An illumination assembly including a thermally conductive substrate, a patterned conductive layer proximate a major surface of the thermally conductive substrate, a dielectric layer positioned between the patterned conductive layer and the major surface of the substrate, and at least one LED including a post that is attached to the thermally conductive substrate such that at least a portion of the post is embedded in the thermally conductive substrate is disclosed. The at least one LED can be thermally connected to the thermally conductive substrate through the post and electrically connected to the patterned conductive layer. The dielectric layer can be reflective.

Abstract: An illumination assembly including a thermally conductive substrate, a patterned conductive layer proximate a major surface of the thermally conductive substrate, a dielectric layer positioned between the patterned conductive layer and the major surface of the substrate, and at least one LED including a post that is attached to the major surface of the thermally conductive substrate is disclosed. The at least one LED can be thermally connected to the thermally conductive substrate through the post and electrically connected to the patterned conductive layer. The dielectric layer can be reflective.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a composition for etching a polycarbonate film comprising an alkali metal salt and an amine solubilizer. Also disclosed is a method for etching polycarbonate films with the etchant and an article containing the etched film. The article is useful for, e.g., flexible circuits and carrier tapes.

Abstract: An illumination assembly includes a heat dissipating member having a plurality of circuitized strips disposed thereon a spaced relationship. Each circuitized strip includes an electrically insulative substrate having at least one circuit trace on a first side of the substrate and an electrically and thermally conductive layer on a second side of the substrate, such that the at least one circuit trace is electrically insulated from the second side of the substrate. The circuitized strips have a plurality of vias extending from the first side to the second side of the substrate. A plurality of LEDs are disposed in the plurality of vias, such that each LEDs is disposed on the electrically and thermally conductive layer on the second side of the substrate and electrically connected to the at least one circuit trace on the first side of the substrate.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an electrical space switch matrix having m input ports and n output ports, the switch matrix comprising (m.n)/(i.j) switch blocks, each having i input ports and j output ports, where i is less than m and j is less than n; and a plurality of input elements and a plurality of output elements, the plurality of input elements and plurality of output elements being arranged so as to connect the switch blocks to the input and output ports of the switch matrix. In an embodiment of the invention, the input and output elements can be power splitters and power combiners respectively and are arranged so as to include crossover connection paths therebetween, with the result that crossover of connection paths is distributed between the power dividing/combining function and the switching function.

Abstract: A dual clutch engine coupling damper includes a slipping ECCC clutch in series with a plurality of damper springs, and a bypass clutch in parallel with the damper springs. The ECCC is adapted for use when the vehicle engine is running and the bypass clutch is adapted for use when the vehicle engine is being started. The dual clutch engine coupling damper incorporates a single pressure plate design adapted to actuate both the ECCC clutch and the bypass clutch. The single pressure plate design is compact and minimizes axial space requirements for the apparatus. Additionally, the components of the present invention are primarily stamped parts which may be produced in an inexpensive and efficient manner.