International Business Machines Corporation

Michael Cracraft

Matteo Cocchini

John G Torok

Khaalid P J McMillan

Sungjun Chun

Arushi Shahani

William Louis Brodsky

Wiren Dale Becker

Jason Frederick Cantin

Samuel R Connor

William Vincent Huott

Gary A Tressler

Adam J McPadden

Anuwat Saetow

David D Cadigan

Faezeh Gholami

Jayapreetha Natesan

Vahe A Minassian

Joseph Paul Kuczynski

Jonathan W Jackson

Zachary Thomas Dreiss

Steven Louis Makow

A device, a method, and an article of manufacture are disclosed. The device includes a first optical fiber, a second optical fiber, an electrochromic component positioned between tips of the optical fibers, and a voltage source connected to the electrochromic component. The method includes providing an electrochromic component, providing optical fibers and a voltage source, and assembling an optical switch that includes the electrochromic component, the optical fibers, and the voltage source. The voltage source is connected to the electrochromic component. The article of manufacture includes an optical switch with a voltage source connected to an electrochromic component positioned between optical fiber tips.

Electrochromic optical switch

Techniques for data scanning and removal for a removable storage device are described herein. An aspect includes a removable storage device comprising an embedded processor configured to boot from an embedded read-only memory (ROM) of the removable storage device. Another aspect includes scanning an internal storage of the removable storage device to identify a first file in the internal storage that matches removal criteria defined in the embedded ROM. Another aspect includes removing the identified first file from the internal storage of the removable storage device.

Data scanning and removal for removable storage device

A fiber-optic switching system is provided which includes an optical fiber switch having first and second optical fiber portions and an electrically-controlled actuator. The first and second optical fiber portions are spaced apart with a gap between the portions that is sized to allow for light signal coupling between the optical fiber portions in a signal-passing state of the switch. The electrically-controlled actuator is coupled to transition the switch between the signal-passing state, where the light signal is allowed to pass between the optical fiber portions, and a signal-non-passing state, where the light signal is prevented from passing between the optical fiber portions. The electrically-controlled actuator includes an electroactive material exhibiting a physical change with change in an applied electrical field, where the physical change facilitates transitioning the optical fiber switch between the signal-passing and the signal-non-passing states.

Electrically-controlled fiber-optic switching system

A multi-layer circuit board includes a first layer including a first trace, a second layer connected to the first layer and including a second trace, and a stubless interconnect positioned through the first layer and the second layer. The stubless interconnect includes a body that is electrically insulative, and a bridge trace that is electrically conductive and connected to the body, the bridge trace extending from the first trace to the second trace to electrically connect the first trace and the second trace.

Insertable stubless interconnect

Embodiments of the inventive subject matter include determining a plurality of potential full resolution locations for a particle representation for a second iteration of a particle swarm optimization, wherein the particle representation is associated with both a first full resolution location and a first reduced resolution location for a first iteration of the particle swarm optimization that has not yet completed and the second iteration is later than the first iteration. Embodiments further include determining that the plurality of full resolution locations reduces to a second reduced resolution location for the second iteration. Embodiments further include submitting the second reduced resolution location for fitness calculation prior to the first iteration completing.

Accelerating particle-swarm algorithms

An apparatus and method for detecting transient voltage at an electrical component of a circuit board is provided. The apparatus including a circuit including a comparator and a latch, wherein a first input of the comparator is electrically coupled to the electrical component, and the comparator receives a threshold voltage at a second input, where the comparator outputs either a high signal or a low signal in response to both the first input and the second input, and an output of the comparator is electrically coupled to an input of the latch such that the latch outputs a high signal in response to receiving a high signal from the comparator, and an indicator electrically coupled to an output of the latch, and where the apparatus is mounted non-permanently to the circuit board to provide a non-permanent electrical coupling between the comparator and the electrical component.

Removable transient voltage detector

An apparatus includes a carrier base and one or more contact elements coupled to a portion of the carrier base. The one or more contact elements are configured to sense an electrical signal flowing through at least one electrical component in a circuitry under test. The first contact element of the one or more contact elements comprises a power sense conductor extending from a bottom surface of the first contact element toward a top surface of the first contact element and a ground conductor electrically isolated from the power sense conductor.

Portable electrical noise probe structure

One aspect is a method that includes identifying a substantially uniform distribution of signal vias for a multi-layer circuit board based on a design file defining a layout. A signal via pitch is determined as a center-to-center distance between a neighboring pair of signal vias. The signal via pitch is compared to a target minimum drilling distance. A ground via is identified proximate the neighboring pair of the signal vias. Based determining that the signal via pitch of the neighboring pair is less than the target minimum drilling distance, at least one of the signal vias is positioned closer to the ground via such that after the positioning, the signal via pitch of the neighboring pair meets or exceeds the target minimum drilling distance. The design file is modified to include the positioning of the signal vias and is transmitted over a network to support circuit board manufacturing operations.

Signal via positioning in a multi-layer circuit board

An apparatus and method may detect and reduce noise on data busses by adjusting the phase of the input/output (I/O) signals in a controlled, predictable manner. The control may allow a maximum data rate to be achieved. In one embodiment, an algorithm used to determine phase change data may be handled by a feedback loop and may be dynamically adjusted. The system may detect noise on rails and critical signals for logging in call home data. The system may maintain a database of settings as a function of a workload. The system may be used in the field as the workload changes to determine that a signal has reached a first threshold. In response to determining that the signal has reached the first threshold, an alert is initiated. A system may determine that the signal has reached a second threshold. In response to determining that the signal has reached the second threshold, the signal may be coupled to logic circuitry.

Mitigation of side effects of simultaneous switching of input/output (I/O data signals

An apparatus includes a cassette. The cassette includes a carriage. The carriage is retained internally to the cassette. The apparatus further includes a booklet assembly. The booklet assembly includes a cable connector. The cable connector is affixed internally to the booklet assembly. The cassette is configured for insertion into the booklet assembly. The apparatus further includes a cable assembly. The cable assembly is configured for insertion into the cable connector. The carriage is configured for retaining the cable assembly. In an aspect, a method of using the apparatus includes preloading the cable assembly into the carriage, inserting the cassette into the booklet assembly, and configuring the carriage such that the cable assembly is inserted into the cable connector and retained in an inserted position by the carriage.

Growing community of inventors

Poughkeepsie, NY, United States of America

Michael Cracraft