Ncr Corporation

International Business Machines Corporation

Jds Uniphase Corporation

At&t Global Information Solutions Company

Ncr Corporation Information Solutions Company

Jds Uniphase Corporaton

Stephen J Ames

Donald Alexander Collins, Jr

Rex A Aleshire

Daniel B Seevers

Christopher Keith White

Jeffrey P Treptau

Clint Lee Schow

Steven John Baumgartner

Charles K Wike, Jr

Yeming Gu

Hong Tang

Michael A Spencer

Michael William Marlowe

Douglas A Baehl

Steven H Voldman

Duanfeng He

Michael Anthony Sorna

Salvatore Nicholas Storino

Steven John Zier

Joseph M Lindacher

William Martin Belknap

Andrew B Nye, Iii

Michael A Kapp

Kenneth Paul Jackson

Bart Owen McCoy

Deborah Ann Detwiler

Eugene E Distad

Roy Kearns Ball

Michael Joseph Connell, Iii

David Houggy

An apparatus and method is provided for sensing which faults have occurred in a laser control system, as well as trapping and identifying the first fault occurrence. The apparatus includes an integrated circuit in which a mask register is set by means of a micro-controller or a host system to select which fault sources are to be recorded. A status bit register in which the fault indications are stored can also be interrogated by the micro-controller or a host system. A settable first fault status register determines whether every fault or only the first fault gets recorded.

Fault sensor for a laser driver circuit

A data receiver, which could be an optical transceiver, a modem, a router hub, is capable of detecting the transmission rate of incoming data. The data is converted to electrical waves appropriate for passive or active bandpass filtering. The frequencies at which the waves are filtered are determined from a plurality of known possible transmission rates and are chosen as having the most detectable difference in the power spectra. By implementing a filter at the corresponding frequency(ies), data having that (those) frequency(ies) will be transmitted. A signal detector then can receive a signal transmitted through the filter and determine the corresponding data rate. It is further contemplated that the multiple frequencies can be filtered by using stages of filters and signal detectors for different frequencies or by filters and detectors capable of multiple frequency operation.

Detection of data transmission rates using passing frequency-selective filtering

An apparatus, program product and method enable a host system to read a signal or signals that are proportional to the output power and/or the bias of a laser in a fiber optic link connected to that host system without breaking that link. By reading one or more of these signals and being aware of the laser characteristics, the &ldquo;health&rdquo; of the laser is known and the integrity of the link is maintained. Consequently, the host system has a predictive tool which is able identify substandard lasers and replace them before a serious, and potentially costly, data disruption occurs.

Laser diode monitoring via current mirroring

An apparatus, circuit arrangement and method enable a host system to read a signal that is proportional to the peak-to-peak optical power incident on a transceiver at one end of a fiber optic link without breaking that link. By reading this signal and being aware of the characteristics of the laser, the &ldquo;health&rdquo; of the laser is known and the integrity of the link is maintained. Consequently, the host system has a predictive tool that is able identify substandard lasers so that such lasers can be replaced before serious, and potentially costly, data disruptions occur.

Integrated fiber optic receiver power meter

A flex cable has a number of conductive wirings for electrically coupling electrical leads of an electrical component to a wiring board. The flex cable has a conductive tab for electrically coupling one of the conductive wirings to one of the leads. The flex cable is bendable to form an essentially horizontal portion and an essentially vertical portion. The conductive tab is disposed at a transition between the horizontal portion and the vertical portion.

Enhanced flex cable

An optical transceiver with a transimpedance amplifier generates a dynamic common mode voltage of the peak-to-peak output current of the photodetector for use as an in-situ optical power meter. Peak-to-peak voltage signal are imposed on the common mode voltage so optical power measurements are obtained using preexisting electrical contacts. An nfet and a capacitor of the transimpedance amplifier smooths the peak-to-peak voltage to create the control signal for the common mode voltage. The common mode current is mirrored into a bank of pfets at the output stage to create a current sink. Depending upon the potential of the common mode voltage, more or less current will be drawn from the peak-to-peak voltage signals output from a final differential amplifier stage of the transimpedance amplifier.

Optical power meter derived from common-mode voltage of optical transimpedance amplifier

Microprocessor-controlled equipment, such as cash register/inventory control systems, sometimes require in-field modification of programs which run on the microprocessors. Under the invention, such modified programs are downloaded to the equipment, via a commercially available paging service, through a satellite link. When owners of the equipment receive the new programs, they update old programs, as appropriate.

Satellite control of electronic memory devices

ESD (Electrostatic Discharge) robust current mirror circuits incorporate circuitry for decoupling the gate when the chip is unpowered. Additional protection is provided by a second element which provides de-biasing to prevent Vgs from being established. A third element can be added between the gate and the ground potential on the current mirror gate node to prevent the gate of the current mirror from rising too high and allows the current to be discharged through the element instead of the current mirror.

Modified current mirror circuit for BiCMOS application

A produce data collector and produce recognition system which illuminates a produce item with substantially uniform light to enhance the accuracy of collected produce data and subsequent identification of the produce item as part of a transaction in a transaction establishment. The produce data collector includes a light source for illuminating the produce item with substantially uniform light during the transaction, a light separating element for splitting light collected from the produce item into a plurality of different light portions having different wavelengths, a detector for converting energy in the plurality of light portions into a plurality of electrical signals, and control circuitry which digitizes the plurality of electrical signals to produce a digital spectrum from the produce item which contains information to identify the produce item for the purpose of determining its unit price.

Linear variable filter spectrometer

Produce data collector and produce recognition system

A transaction processing system which includes a produce recognition server for identifying produce items. The produce recognition system further includes a checkout system including a transaction processing terminal, a bar code reader which sends item identification information associated with bar-coded items and with the produce items to the transaction processing terminal, a produce data collector coupled to the bar code reader, and a computer coupled between the bar code reader and the produce recognition server for relaying produce data to the produce recognition server and produce identification information to the bar code reader.

Transaction processing system including a networked produce recognition system

A modular bar code scanner and scale assembly which does not use wire cables to connect a bar code scanner to a scale. The assembly includes a bar code scanner including a first printed circuit board having a connector, and a scale including a second printed circuit board having a connector which directly couples to the connector of the first printed circuit board when the scanner is coupled to the scale.

Modular bar code scanner and scale assembly

A multiple depth of field optical scanner which produces a plurality of scan beams having different focal distances. The optical scanner includes a laser beam having a centerline, a mirrored spinner having a plurality of facets with different curvatures, a detector, and a microcontroller. The optical scanner may additionally include a deflector mirror for changing the direction of the laser beam, collecting optics for equalizing the optical coupling of the reflected light across the field of view of the facets, a distance selection circuit for instructing the microcontroller within the scanner to decode bar code information from a predetermined range of focal distances and an amplification circuit for amplifying the electrical signals from the detector enough to produce other electrical signals having substantially equal amplitudes. The microcontroller may also include the feature of reducing laser power when the scan beams focus more than a predetermined distance from the centerline of the laser beam.

Multiple depth of field laser optical scanner

An apparatus for sensing different attenuation windows within an optical scanner which adjusts the power level of a laser to a maximum safe power level. The apparatus includes an attenuation sensor which senses the amount of attenuation of the laser beam by a first attenuation window, and a laser power adjuster which changes the laser power level to an optimal but safe level based upon the sensed amount of attenuation of the laser beam. The apparatus may also include a detection circuit having a threshold detection level which is capable of being adjusted based upon the laser power level.

Growing community of inventors

Lawrenceville, GA, United States of America

Stephen J Ames