Abstract: Radio frequency (RF)-enabled latches and related components, assemblies, systems, and methods are disclosed that affect control of mating and/or demating of components. In one embodiment, a component is provided that includes a body configured to be mated to a second component to establish a connection. A latch is disposed in the body and configured to either affect demating of the body from the second component or mating of the body to the second component, when the latch is not actuated. A transponder disposed in the body can be configured to actuate the latch to either affect demating of the body from the second component or mating of the body to the second component. The transponder can also be configured to actuate the latch based on the identification information of the second transponder received through the communication connection or lack of receiving identification information from a second transponder or reader.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for fabricating glass bump standoff structures of precise height, the method comprising providing oversized glass bumps on a glass substrate, providing a heat source to heat the bumps, positioning a substrate to be aligned on the oversized bumps, and reducing the height of the oversized bumps by a combination of manipulations comprising (1) softening the bumps by heating the bumps and (2) applying pressure to the substrate to be aligned.

Abstract: Methods, systems and computer program products for identifying components of an unknown mixture using spectral analysis techniques. The method includes comparing the spectrum of the unknown mixture with the spectra of library compounds to obtain candidate mixture combinations. A model is generated for each of the candidate mixture combinations based on a modeling metric. A residual spectrum is computed corresponding to each of the candidate mixture combinations by removing the spectrum of each of the compounds of the candidate mixture combination from the spectrum of the unknown mixture. One or more potential compounds are identified by comparing the residual spectrum with the spectrum of library compounds. The potential compounds are added to the candidate mixture combinations to generate an updated list of the candidate mixture combinations. The search algorithm repeats the steps described above on the updated candidate mixture combinations, until a first termination condition is satisfied.

Abstract: An optical-fiber-network (OFN) radio-frequency identification (RFID) system for deploying and/or maintaining and/or provisioning service and/or locating faults in an OFN. The system includes a plurality of OFN components, and at least one RFID tag that includes RFID tag data that has at least one property of the OFN component associated with the RFID tag. The RFID tag data is written to and read from the RFID tags using one or more mobile RFID readers either prior to, during or after deploying the OFN components. An OFN-component-data database unit is used to store and process the RFID tag data and is automatically updated by the one or more mobile RFID readers. This allows for different maps of the OFN to be made, such as an inventory map and a maintenance map, and for the maps to be automatically updated. The OFN-RFID system allows for mobile automated operations and management of OFN components by service personnel, and provides for faster and more accurate OFN system deployment and maintenance.

Abstract: Components having one or more sensors adapted to provide sensor data relating to a condition(s) of the component are disclosed. The component is adapted to communicate with another mating component to associate sensor data with identity information of the mating component. The sensor and identity information can be communicated remotely including via radio-frequency communications employing RF identification devices (RFIDs). Location of the mating component can be determined using the identity information of the mating component. In this manner, the sensor data can be associated with the location of the mating component using the identity information in a “component-to-component” configuration to provide location-specific sensor data.

Abstract: A reactor is provided comprising a reactor substrate and upper and lower manifold structures. The upper manifold structure and the lower manifold structure each comprise at least one flow directing cavity that reverses a flow direction of a fluid flowing through the relatively short open-ended channels of the substrate between the upper and lower manifold structures. The flow directing cavities of the upper and lower manifold structures are configured to direct fluid from the inlet region of the upper manifold structure to the outlet region of the lower manifold structure in an additional serpentine path defined by the flow direction reversals introduced by the upper and lower manifold structures. Additional embodiments are disclosed and claimed.

Abstract: A honeycomb extrusion body has multiple cells extending along a common direction from a first end of the body to a second end of the body. The cells are separated by cell walls, and the body has at least one fluid path defined within a plurality of said cells. The fluid path includes one or more apertures, through respective cell walls between cells of one or more respective pairs of said plurality of cells. Each aperture has an aperture width measured perpendicular to the common direction of 90% or less of a cell wall width of the respective cell wall measured perpendicular to the common direction. Optionally one or more of the plurality of cells has at least two cell walls each having an aperture at the same position in the common direction. As a further option, these apertures may be offset from the respective centers of their respective walls in the same rotational direction about a central axis of the cell.

Abstract: A honeycomb extrusion body (20) is provided having multiple cells (22) extending along a common direction from a first end (26) of the body to a second end (28) and separated by cell walls, the body having at least one fluid path (32) defined within a plurality of said cells, the fluid path having including at least one direction—reversing bend (14) at which the path on entering the bend includes two or more separate cells (22A) and at which the path on leaving the bend includes only one cell (22B). The body desirably includes first and second input ports, the first fluid input port being in fluid communication with one of the two or more separate cells and the second fluid input port being in fluid communication with another of the two or more separate cells.

Abstract: An optical connector for optically connecting at least one light source to at least one light receiver is disclosed. The optical connector includes first and second connector members respectively having first and second positive-power lens elements with respective first and second planar lens surfaces. The lens elements are arranged in their respective connector members such that when the two connector members are operably mated, the first and second lenses form an optical system where the first and second planar lens surfaces are spaced apart in opposition with a narrow gap in between, and are non-perpendicular to the optical system axis. The lenses may be conventional uniform-refractive-index lenses having a convex surface or may be gradient-index lenses having two planar surfaces. The optical connector is tolerant to contamination that can find its way into the narrow gap.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for plugging selected cells of a honeycomb monolith so as to form a fluidic reactor, the method comprising contacting selected cells of a honeycomb monolith with a melted or softened plug material, the material comprising at least one sinterable particulate and a binder, the binder comprising at least one thermo-setting component and at least one UV-radiation curable polymer, the contacting performed such that a portion of the material remains in contact with the selected cells and plugs the selected cells; cooling the melted or softened plug material such that the thermo-setting component sets; after cooling, irradiating the portion of the material so as to at least partially cure the radiation curable polymer; and after irradiating, sintering the portion of the material so as to remove the binder and so as to sinter the at least one sinterable particulate. A method of preventing bubble formation during the contacting process is also disclosed.

Abstract: Radio frequency identification (RFID)-equipped communication components are disclosed. The communication components can include fiber optic components, such as fiber optic connectors and fiber optic adapters as examples. An RFID-equipped circuit is provided in the communication components to communicate information. In order that the electrical circuit be provided in the communication component without altering the communication component connection type, the circuit may be disposed in at least one recessed area of the communication component housing. In this manner, the communication component maintains its connection type such that it is compatible with a complementary communication component connection type for backwards compatibility while also being RFID-equipped.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of performing a reaction involving a gaseous reactant stream and a falling film liquid reactant stream by providing a reactor comprising a first multicellular extruded body oriented with its cells extending in parallel in a vertically downward direction from a first end of the body to a second end, the body having a first plurality of cells open at both ends of the body and a second plurality of said cells closed at one or both ends of the body, the second plurality of cells being arranged in one or more groups of contiguous cells and cooperating to define at least in part at least one fluidic passage extending through the body; and further flowing a liquid reactant film down inner surfaces of the first plurality of cells while flowing a gaseous reactant stream up or down the centers of the first plurality of cells while flowing a first heat exchange fluid through the at least one fluidic passage. Various alternative devices for performing the method are also disclosed.

Abstract: Disclosed is a reactor for reacting fluids such as fluids in continuous flow, the reactor including a multicellular extruded body having cells extending in parallel in a direction from a first end of the body to a second end, the body having a first plurality of cells open at both ends of the body and a second plurality of said cells closed at one or both ends of the body, the second plurality being contiguous cells and cooperating to define at least in part a fluidic passage extending at least partly through the body. The fluidic passage desirably has a serpentine path back and forth along cells of the second plurality of cells, and the passage connects laterally from cell to cell, within cells of the second plurality, at or near the ends of the body.

Abstract: A fluid distribution or fluid extraction structure for honeycomb-substrate based falling film reactors is provided, the structure comprising a one or two-piece non-porous honeycomb substrate having a plurality of cells extending in parallel in a common direction from a first end of the substrate to a second and divided by cell walls, and a plurality of lateral channels extending along a channel direction perpendicular to the common direction, the channels defined by the absence of cell walls or the breach of cell walls along the channel direction, the channels being closed or sealed to fluid passage in the common direction but open to the exterior of the structure through one or more ports in a side of the structure, the channels being in fluid communication with the plurality of cells via holes or slots extending through respective cell walls, the holes or slots having a width and a length, the width being equal to or less than the length, and the width at widest being less than 150 ?m.

Abstract: A reactor formed within a honeycomb monolith is disclosed, the monolith having a plurality of parallel cells and comprising one or more process fluid paths lying within closed cells of the monolith and extending laterally from cell to cell, the monolith having porous walls that are coated with a non-porous coating in at least a first zone along the one or more process fluid paths and that remain porous in at least a second zone along the one or more process fluid paths, the porous walls in the second zone adapted to allow permeate in a respective process fluid path to pass through the porous walls.

Abstract: Disclosed is a device for processing fluids, the device comprising an extruded body having multiple elongated cells therein, the body having a first fluidic passage therethrough defined principally within at least some of said cells, the first fluidic passage having a longitudinally serpentine path back and forth along the at least some of said cells.

Abstract: Protocols, systems, and methods are disclosed for two or more RFID tags to communicate with each other and a device using direct connections. A disclosed system includes a first RFID tag, a second RFID tag, and a device. The first and second RFID tags are configured to mate to each other and directly exchange information. The second RFID tag is further configured to directly exchange information with the device such that information received directly at the second RFID tag from the first RFID tag may then be directly exchanged with the device. The first RFID tag may send a first tag identification directly from the first RFID tag to the second RFID tag. The second RFID tag may then send a first acknowledgement to the first RFID tag if the first tag identification was correctly received by the second RFID tag.

Abstract: Protocols, systems, and methods are disclosed for two or more RFID tags to communicate with each other using direct connections, wherein the two or more RFID tags are configured to mate and directly exchange identification information. A disclosed method includes detecting that a first RFID tag is connected to a second RFID tag. A first message comprising a first tag identification is sent directly from the first RFID tag to the second RFID tag, and the first RFID tag receives a first acknowledgement from the second RFID tag if the first tag identification was correctly received. A second message comprising a second tag identification may be sent directly from the second RFID tag to the first RFID tag and a second acknowledgement may be received from the first RFID tag if the second tag identification was correctly received.

Abstract: Protocols, systems, and methods are disclosed for at least one RFID tag and a device, to communicate with each other using direct connections, wherein the at least one RFID tag and the device are configured to mate and directly exchange identification information. A message comprising a tag identification may be sent directly from the RFID tag to the device, and the RFID tag may receive a first acknowledgement from the device if the first tag identification was correctly received. A connection may be detected between the RFID tag and the device prior to directly exchanging information. The exchange of information may include sending data from the device to the RFID tag.

Abstract: Radio frequency identification (RFID)-equipped communication components are disclosed. The communication components can include fiber optic components, such as fiber optic connectors and fiber optic adapters as examples. An RFID-equipped circuit is provided in the communication components to communicate information. In order that the electrical circuit be provided in the communication component without altering the communication component connection type, the circuit may be disposed in at least one recessed area of the communication component housing. In this manner, the communication component maintains its connection type such that it is compatible with a complementary communication component connection type for backwards compatibility while also being RFID-equipped.