Abstract: A bearing assembly includes: an axial rotatable structure including a cylindrical rotor assembly (including a motor rotor and a plurality of magnetic bearing rotors); a cylindrical stationary shaft; rotating element bearings mechanically coupling the rotatable structure and the stationary shaft; and a cylindrical stator assembly including a motor stator and a plurality of magnetic bearing stators. The magnetic bearing stators and the magnetic bearing rotors forming magnetic bearings magnetically coupling the rotor and stator assemblies. Command feedforward of electrical current can be provided to at least some of the bearings to achieve appropriate radial forces for respective operating trajectories.

Abstract: A compact bearingless machine drive system includes: a first rotor segment; a first stator segment with the first stator segment including a drive winding and a first control winding; a second rotor segment; a second stator segment with the second stator segment including the drive winding and a second control winding; and a rotor shaft. The first and second rotor segments are attached to the rotor shaft. A common end ring is coupled between the first and second rotor segments. A drive inverter controls the drive winding to generate torque, and first and second control inverters control the first and second control windings to generate radial forces on the first and second rotor segments.

Abstract: An ATM routing switch for bidirectional transmission of at least two types of cell, one type accepting variable bit rate of transmission and a second type accepting some loss of cells in transmission, includes first reserve buffer capacity for cells of the first type, a second reserve buffer capacity for cells of said second type and control circuitry for generating a flow control signal (FCT) if a predetermined threshold for the first buffer capacity is reached by input of cells of said first type, and discarding input cells of said second type if a predetermined threshold for said second buffer capacity has been reached by input of cells of said second type.

Abstract: An ATM routing switch has a plurality of input and output ports and a buffer for holding a plurality of ATM cells, the cells being held in the buffer as a plurality of queues (F0-F7), each formed as a chained list of addresses with front and back pointers identifying ends of each queue.

Abstract: A compact bearingless machine drive system includes: a first rotor segment; a first stator segment with the first stator segment including a drive winding and a first control winding; a second rotor segment; a second stator segment with the second stator segment including the drive winding and a second control winding; and a rotor shaft. The first and second rotor segments are attached to the rotor shaft. A common end ring is coupled between the first and second rotor segments. A drive inverter controls the drive winding to generate torque, and first and second control inverters control the first and second control windings to generate radial forces on the first and second rotor segments.

Abstract: A network of ATM routing switches transmits digital signal cells of a first type requiring integrity of transmission and a second type accepting some loss in transmission, each switch has buffer circuitry. a plurality of output ports each having a plurality of queues of cells awaiting output, each output port having control circuitry to provide in an output frame control bits indicating the type of cell, a path identifier and the existence of flow congestion at the routing switch which it outputting the frame, thereby inhibiting transmission of further frames to that location until a frame is received from that location indicating that the congestion is cleared.

Abstract: An ATM routing switch for bidirectional transmission of digital signal cells some requiring integrity of transmission while others accept some loss of cells in transmission, has a plurality of output ports each handling a plurality of cell queues and control circuitry for decoding control bits in each input cell to determine which output port is to be used, which queue is required and whether flow congestions exists at the source of the input cell.

Abstract: An optical network in which data signals are encoded with a wavelength corresponding to the address of the signals includes at least one point therein, a data routing switch (1) which comprises: a wavelength comparator (3) for example a Brag grating or a notch filter that will receive data signals and has associated therewith a characteristic wavelength so that it will send the data signal along a gate enabling line (5) or not in accordance with the relationship between the data signals encoding wavelength and the characteristic wavelength of the comparator, and a gate (7) which transmits or blocks the data signal in response to the presence or absence of the data signal in the gate enabling line and a number of data routing switches having different characteristic wavelengths so that routing of the data is determined by which switch characteristic wavelength matches the data encoding wavelength.

Abstract: An optical line system comprises: (1) an optical fiber that includes a plurality of reflectors, for example Bragg gratings, located at different positions along the optical fiber; and (2) a monitoring arrangement located in the region of one end of the optical fiber for monitoring the system by an optical reflectometry method in which light is reflected by the reflectors. The system is characterized in that at least two of the reflectors have reflectivities that differ from one another, the reflector that is more distant from the monitoring arrangement having a higher reflectivity than the Bragg grating that is nearer to the monitoring arrangement. Preferably the reflectivities of the reflectors increases as the distance from the monitoring arrangement increase, the reflectivities preferably having the relationship (1) R.sub.n-1 -(2T.sup.2 R.sub.n+1)-(1+4T.sub.2 R.sub.n)1/2/2T.sup.2 R.sub.n where: R.sub.n is the reflectivity of the n th relector from the monitoring arrangement, R.sub.

Abstract: Amine compounds of general formula (I), ##STR1## wherein: each R.sup.1 independently represents an alkyl group; each R.sup.2 independently represents an alkyl group; each group X independently represents a polyalkylene polyol moiety wherein hydroxyl groups of the polyol moiety are optionally alkylated but not including a group X which includes an ethyleneoxy or di(ethyleneoxy) moiety; n and m independently represent 1, 2 or 3; and each Q is independently selected from hydrogen or halogen atoms, and alkyl, acyl, nitro, cyano, alkoxy, hydroxy, amino, alkylamino, sulphinyl, alkylsulphinyl, sulphonyl, alkylsulphonyl, sulphonate, amido, alkylamido, alkoxycarbonyl, halocarbonyl and haloalkyl groups, processes for their preparation and intermediate compounds are described. Compounds of general formula (I) are useful as radiation curing agents in polymerisation processes.

Abstract: A control system for a voltage converter includes: a power comparator for comparing a power signal on input terminals of the converter with a commanded power signal and producing a power comparison signal; a power regulator for transforming the power comparison signal to a commanded current signal; a current comparator for comparing the commanded current signal with a measured current signal on output terminals of the converter and producing a current comparison signal; a current regulator for transforming the current comparison signal to a pulse width modulator (PWM) duty cycle command signal; and a PWM for using the PWM duty cycle command signal to control electrical switches of the converter.

Abstract: A flue gas probe that performs the sample conditioning functions of particulate and water removal at the point of sampling, i.e. within the flue or chimney. Particulate matter is removed by a porous ceramic filter positioned at one end of the probe. A polymeric drying element is also provided in order to remove water vapor from the sample by means of perevaporation.

Abstract: A fuel cell sensor (10) comprises a main body (11) in which are mounted working electrodes (12), counter electrodes (13) and respective contacts (14 to 17). The working electrodes (12) are mounted facing each other to define a sample space between them. The electrodes (12) are electrically interconnected in parallel as are the two counter electrodes (13). This arrangement makes it possible to provide a very large working electrode surface area for a small volume sample space (22).

Abstract: A method for estimating rotor shaft velocity includes adding two counter rotating signal components to a fundamental motor control signal to provide a combined control signal; sensing at least one motor phase signal; determining an extracted portion of the motor phase signal representative of the two counter rotating signal components; and using the extracted portion to estimate rotor shaft velocity. The step of adding two counter rotating signal components may include either adding a single phase signal in a reference frame synchronous to the fundamental motor control signal or adding two separate signals.

Abstract: A method and system are disclosed for integrating multimedia presentations into an object oriented user interface which includes multiple polymorphic objects which each have associated encapsulated data and functionality. Multiple separate user selectable data views are defined for each object which provide different views of the data associated with an object. Selection by a user of an audio or video data view for an object results in the provision of a multimedia presentation by automatically coupling audio or video data to an appropriate device. Audio data may be directly associated with an object or derived in response to selection of an audio data view, by means of a text-to-speech process, or other similar technique. Encapsulating multimedia data within an object integrates multimedia presentation capability within an object without requiring separate audio or video objects which must be manipulated by the user.

Abstract: Apparatus (2) for verifying the performance of optical fibre measurement equipment, comprising a housing (4), a length of optical fibre (6) in a main storage compartment (8), a first compartment (10) containing a first end (12) of the optical fibre (6) that is in the main storage compartment (8), and a second compartment (14) containing a second end (16) of the optical fibre (6) that is in the main storage compartment (8), the optical fibre (6) being stored under substantially zero tension, the first end (12) of the optical fibre (6) being a source end of the optical fibre (6), and the second end (16) of the optical fibre (6) being a detector end of the optical fibre (6).

Abstract: By providing spool supporting plates which are moveably positionable relative to each other, a universal product bearing spool support system is attained. Preferably, the support plates also incorporate a plurality of aligned shaft receiving holes, thereby enabling the support system to accommodate spools of alternate diameters, as well as spools of any length. Furthermore, spool rotation control means are provided along with a universal securement system for mounting the spool support system in any desired location.