What is claimed is:
1. A method for forming a hydrogel string comprising the steps:
providing a delivery device having a gelation chamber;
providing a prepolymer composition that will form a hydrogel when brought into contact with a gelation initiator;
contacting the prepolymer with the gelation initiator in the gelation chamber so that it form a hydrogel in the gelation chamber; and
extruding the hydrogel from the delivery device as a hydrogel string.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the delivery device is a catheter.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the delivery device is a multilumen catheter.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the delivery device is a catheter having at least two lumens and a gelation chamber at the distal end.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the catheter is a coaxial catheter having an inner catheter and an outer catheter and the method further comprises the step of step of sliding the inner catheter within the outer catheter to increase or decrease the length of the gelation chamber.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the prepolymer composition comprises at least two solutions that will form a hydrogel when combined in the gelation chamber.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the hydrogel is extruded as prepolymer composition is moved into the gelation chamber.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the delivery device is a coaxial dual lumen catheter and the inner catheter is slidable within the outer catheter so that the degree of formation of the hydrogel string as it exits the gelation chamber can be altered as the inner catheter is slid towards the distal end of the gelation chamber.
9. A hydrogel string formed by the method of claim 1.
10. A hydrogel string formed by the method of claim 5.
11. A hydrogel string formed by the method of claim 6.
12. A hydrogel string formed by the method of claim 8.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method of optical character recognition of identifying information on a workpiece, the method comprising:
(a) positioning the identifying information of the workpiece adjacent a reader;
(b) searching for and identifying a beginning of the identifying information;
(c) locating edges of the workpiece in an image thereof;
(d) determining a dimension of the workpiece;
(e) confirming a light intensity of the image;
(f) finding a first character of the identifying information;
(g) using geometric shapes as a basis for identifying the first character; and then
(h) sequentially repeating step (g) for any additional characters in the identifying information until the identifying information is confirmed.
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein every character in the identifying information is identified.
3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising providing access to a workpiece database including identifying information; and
comparing at least one of the identified characters in the identifying information to the workpiece database.
4. A method according to claim 3, further comprising checking characters for all possible characters that could be in each position based on the workpiece database.
5. A method according to claim 3, further comprising identifying fewer than all of the characters in the identifying information when a unique component of the identifying information is confirmed.
6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the identifying information is identified character by character, and step (f) is restricted to an area surrounding the first character.
7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising defining a character width based on a width of the first character, and limiting subsequent character searches to the character width.
8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the identifying information comprises a string of characters.
9. A method according to claim 1, wherein step (b) comprises searching for and identifying an XY location of the beginning of the identifying information.
10. A method according to claim 1, wherein step (c) comprises using edge detection techniques to locate edges of the workpiece in the image thereof.
11. A method according to claim 1, wherein step (d) comprises determining a diameter of a wire comprising the workpiece.
12. A system for matching a harness of conductors with apertures in a connector, the system comprising:
a harness having a plurality of conductors, each of the conductors having a label;
a connector having a plurality of apertures for receiving the conductors;
a computer having a visual display for displaying information to a user;
a data base coupled to the computer, the data base having information regarding the conductors and the connector;
an optical character recognition (OCR) system coupled to the computer for reading the labels associated with the conductors; and
a light array coupled to the computer and connectable to the connector, the light array having a plurality of light conductors for illuminating individual ones of the apertures in the connector in response to commands from the computer in order to designate to the user the aperture in which each conductor should be located.
13. A system according to claim 12, wherein the OCR system comprises a reader head having a camera, a camera processor, a light control, a computer including a frame grabber, and software for processing images of the conductors and their labels and communicating information to the user.
14. A system according to claim 13, wherein the reader head comprises a slot for receiving a conductor, a pair of mirrors mounted adjacent the slot for reflecting images of the received conductor, and LEDs for illuminating the received conductor.
15. A system according to claim 14, wherein the OCR system displays an image of the received conductor composed from the received conductor and the two reflected images.
16. A system according to claim 12, further comprising an inputoutput expander circuit coupled between the computer and the light array, the inputoutput expander circuit having a communication cable extending to the computer, and a light cable extending to the light array.
17. A system according to claim 12, wherein the light array back-lights a selected one of the apertures in the connector for the user to indicate the aperture in which a selected one of the conductors should be inserted.
18. A system according to claim 12, wherein the visual display of the computer graphically illustrates a selected one of the apertures in the connector to indicate the aperture in which a selected one of the conductors should be inserted.
19. A system according to claim 12, wherein the light array comprises a cover plate, an array of LEDs mounted to a circuit board on the cover plate, a separation plate mounted to the cover plate over the array of LEDs, a light rod guide plate mounted to the separation plate, a mating connector for coupling with the connector and having a plurality of apertures, a light rod extending between each of the apertures in the mating connector and each of the LEDs, and a covering for integrating components of the light array.
20. A method of matching a harness of conductors with apertures in a connector, the method comprising:
(a) providing a harness having a plurality of conductors, and a connector having a plurality of apertures for receiving the conductors;
(b) reading information from one of the conductors with OCR and inputting the information related to said one of the conductors into a computer;
(c) displaying information on the computer;
(d) illuminating a corresponding one of the apertures in the connector via a command from the computer;
(e) inserting said one of the conductors into said corresponding one of the apertures; and then
(f) repeating steps (b) through (e) for another one of the conductors until all of the conductors are terminated in the connector.
21. A method according to claim 20, wherein step (b) comprises
positioning the conductor information adjacent a reader;
searching for and identifying a beginning of the conductor information;
locating edges of the conductor in an image thereof;
determining a diameter of the conductor;
confirming a light intensity of the image;
finding a first character of the conductor information;
using geometric shapes as a basis for identifying the first character; and then
sequentially repeating the using geometric shapes step for any additional characters in the conductor information until the conductor information is confirmed.
22. A method according to claim 20, wherein every character in the conductor information is identified.
23. A method according to claim 1, further comprising providing access to a conductor database including the conductor information; and
comparing at least one of the identified characters in the conductor information to the conductor database.
24. A method according to claim 23, further comprising checking characters for all possible characters that could be in each position based on the conductor database.
25. A method according to claim 23, further comprising identifying fewer than all of the characters in the conductor information when a unique component of the conductor information is confirmed.
26. A method according to claim 21, wherein the conductor information is identified character by character, and a search for a character is restricted to an area surrounding the first character.
27. A method according to claim 21, further comprising defining a character width based on a width of the first character, and limiting subsequent character searches to the character width.
28. A method according to claim 21, further comprising searching for and identifying an XY location of the beginning of the conductor information.