All The Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for compensating for optical loss, said apparatus comprising:
a plurality of optical fibers joined to define a plurality of output ports and a fiber junction; and
a signal amplification device positioned between the fiber junction and each of the plurality of output ports to communicate with said plurality of optical fibers.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said signal amplification device comprises a semiconductor optical amplifier.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said signal amplification device comprises a plurality of semiconductor optical amplifiers.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an active fiber region including a dopant residing within said optical fibers between the fiber junction and each output port, and wherein said signal amplification device comprises at least one light source coupled to the active fiber region to emit light into the active fiber region at a wavelength and power sufficient to excite the dopant.
5. An apparatus for compensating for optical loss, said apparatus comprising:
a plurality of optical fibers joined to form an input port, a coupled region, a fiber junction, and a plurality of output ports; and
a signal amplification device positioned between the fiber junction and each of the plurality of output ports to communicate with said plurality of optical fibers such that an optical signal passing between the fiber junction and each of the output ports is amplified.
6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said signal amplification device comprises a semiconductor optical amplifier.
7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said signal amplification device comprises a plurality of semiconductor optical amplifiers.
8. The apparatus of claim 5 further comprising an active fiber region including a dopant residing within said optical fibers between the fiber junction and each output port, and wherein said signal amplification device comprises at least one light source coupled to the active fiber region to emit light into the active fiber region at a wavelength and power sufficient to excite the dopant.
9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein one of said active fiber regions comprises erbium and wherein the other of said active fiber regions comprises a dopant other than erbium.
10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said at least one light source comprises a plurality of LEDs.
11. A method of compensating for optical loss, said method comprising the steps of:
receiving an optical signal through an input port of an optical splitter, said optical splitter comprising a fiber junction, a first output port, and a second output port;
dividing the optical signal at the fiber junction such that a first portion of the optical signal is directed toward the first output port and a second signal portion is directed toward the second output port; and
amplifying the first and second signal portions of the optical signal with a signal amplification device positioned between the fiber junction and each output port while the signal portions are traveling between the fiber junction and the output ports.
12. The method of claim 11 wherein said signal amplification device comprises a semiconductor optical amplifier and wherein said amplifying step includes the step of boosting the first and second signal portions via stimulated emission.
13. The method of claim 11 wherein said signal amplification device comprises a LED and wherein said optical splitter further comprises a dopant containing active fiber region between the fiber junction and each output port, said amplifying step comprising the step of emitting light from said LED into the active fiber region at a wavelength and power sufficient to excite the dopant as the first and second signal portions are passed through the active fiber regions.
14. A process of manufacturing an optical signal loss compensating device, said process comprising the steps of:
joining at least two optical fibers to form a coupled region, a fiber junction, and a plurality of output ports; and
positioning a signal amplification device between each output port and the fiber junction.
15. The process of claim 14 further comprising the step of radially splicing said at least two optical fibers between said fiber junction and said plurality of output ports prior to said positioning step.
16. The process of claim 15 wherein said signal amplification device comprises a semiconductor optical amplifier and wherein said positioning step comprises placing the semiconductor optical amplifier between the spliced ends of said at least two optical fibers.
17. A device made by the process of claim 14.
18. The process of claim 14 wherein said at least two optical fibers each comprise an active fiber region, and wherein said signal amplification device comprises a LED, said positioning step comprising the step of mounting the LED adjacent the active fiber region.
19. The process of claim 18 wherein said LED comprises a plurality of LEDs, said positioning step comprising the step of mounting said plurality of LEDs adjacent the active fiber region.
20. A loss compensating optical communication system comprising:
a transmitter;
a receiver;
a transmission line positioned between and cooperating with said transmitter and said receiver to carry an optical signal from said transmitter to said receiver; and
a loss compensating optical splitter communicating with said transmission line and comprising a plurality of optical fibers joined to define a fiber junction and a plurality of output ports, said splitter further including a signal amplification device positioned between the junction and each output port to provide a source of amplification to the optical signal carried through the plurality of fibers.

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 force balance accelerometer comprising:
a housing;
a magnet producing a magnetic field within the housing;
a spring supporting a coil within the magnetic field, the coil having first and second terminals, with the first terminal connected to a common;
an operational amplifier having a first amplifier input, a second amplifier input, and an amplifier output, the first amplifier input being coupled to the second terminal of the coil and a first feedback path, and the second amplifier input being coupled to a reference impedance and a second feedback path, the reference impedance having a reactive component of impedance.
2. The force balance accelerometer of claim 1 wherein the coil has a complex impedance of a direct current resistance plus a reactance, and the reactive component of the reference impedance substantially matches the reactance of the complex impedance of the coil.
3. The force balance accelerometer of claim 2 wherein the reference impedance has a resistive component substantially matching the direct current resistance of the coil.
4. The force balance accelerometer of claim 3 wherein the reference impedance comprises a second coil.
5. The force balance accelerometer of claim 4 wherein the second coil has a temperature coefficient of impedance substantially equivalent to that of the coil.
6. The force balance accelerometer of claim 3 wherein the reference impedance comprises a second coil and a resistor.
7. The force balance accelerometer of claim 3 wherein the first feedback path includes a first resistor, the second feedback path includes a second resistor, and the first and second resistor have substantially equivalent resistances.
8. The force balance accelerometer of claim 7 wherein the first feedback path and the second feedback path each have an associated transfer function, the magnitudes of which are less than unity over a predefined bandwidth of frequencies.
9. The force balance accelerometer of claim 8 wherein the resistances of the first and second resistors are substantially greater than the impedances of the coil and the reference impedance over the predefined bandwidth of frequencies.
10. A force balance accelerometer comprising:
a single coil geophone having two terminals;
a force actuator coupled to at least one of the two terminals, the force actuator having a single amplifier stage and including a reference impedance comprising a reference coil having a reactive component coupled to the single amplifier stage.
11. The force balance accelerometer of claim 10 wherein the reference impedance comprises the reference coil and a reference resistor.
12. The force balance accelerometer of claim 11 wherein the reference coil and the reference resistor are connected in series.
13. The force balance accelerometer of claim 12 wherein the reference coil and the reference resistor have substantially similar variations in impedance with temperature.
14. A force balance accelerometer comprising:
a housing;
means for providing a magnetic field in the housing;
a coil movably supported in the magnetic field;
means for generating a current coupled to the coil, the means for generating a current including means for comparing a reference voltage generated across a reference impedance to a voltage generated across the coil, the reference impedance including a reference coil having a reactive component.

1. A vehicle mirror with a mirror glass and an organic light emitting display, formed by two substrates and an OLED layer, characterized in that the mirror glass (1) also forms one of the substrates of the OLED display (7).
2. The vehicle mirror as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the OLED display (7) extends over the entire surface of the mirror glass (1).
3. The vehicle mirror as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the mirror glass (1) forms the back substrate.
4. The vehicle mirror as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the mirror glass forms a semitransparent mirror (10) and also the front substrate (9) of the OLED display (7).
5. The vehicle mirror as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the OLED display (7) is nontransparent in the inoperative state.
6. The vehicle mirror as claimed in at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is designed as a dynamic vehicle mirror that reflects only when the OLED display (7) is operated.
7. The vehicle mirror as claimed in at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is designed as a dielectric vehicle mirror that reflects only selected wavelengths.
8. The vehicle mirror as claimed in at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that its OLED display (7) is designed in combination with a sensitive element to represent an overtaking vehicle situated in the blind spot.
9. The vehicle mirror as claimed in at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the OLED display (7) is designed to represent the distance of a vehicle driving in front.
10. The vehicle mirror as claimed in at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that its OLED display (7) is designed in combination with a sensitive element to represent information related to the content of the reflection information.

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 for simulating a fluid flow that includes a laminar to turbulent boundary layer transition on a computer, the method comprising:
performing a first calculation for a laminar boundary layer flow;
performing a second calculation for a turbulent boundary layer flow;
comparing a result from at least one of the first and second boundary layer calculations to a criterion;
selecting, for at least some of multiple elements representing at least one of a surface and a fluid near the surface, the results of the first calculation for a laminar boundary layer flow or the results of the second calculation for a turbulent boundary layer flow based on a result of the comparison; and
simulating activity of a fluid in a volume, the activity of the fluid in the volume being simulated so as to model movement of elements within the volume, the simulation being based in part on the selected results for the multiple elements.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein:
performing the first calculation for the laminar boundary layer flow comprises calculating a wall momentum flux tensor property for the laminar flow;
performing the second calculation for the turbulent boundary layer flow comprises calculating a wall momentum flux tensor property for the turbulent flow; and
selecting, for the at least some of multiple elements the results of the first boundary layer calculation or the results of the second calculation for a turbulent boundary layer flow comprises selecting the laminar wall momentum flux tensor property or the turbulent wall momentum flux tensor property.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the laminar-to-turbulent transition for the boundary layer comprises:
determining, for each of multiple facets on the surface, a first measure based on the first boundary layer calculation and a second measure based on the second boundary layer calculation; and
classifying the flow for at least some of the multiple facets as laminar or turbulent by comparing at least one of the first and second measures to the criterion.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein selecting, for at least some of the multiple facets on the surface, the results of the first calculation for the laminar boundary layer flow or the results of the second calculation for the turbulent boundary layer flow comprises:
for facets classified as laminar, selecting a wall momentum flux tensor property for the laminar flow; and
for facets classified as turbulent, selecting a wall momentum flux tensor property for the turbulent flow.
5. The method of claim 3, wherein:
the result of the first boundary layer calculation comprises a measure of laminar wall momentum flux tensor;
the result of the second boundary layer calculation comprises a measure of turbulent wall momentum flux tensor; and
the comparison comprises a measure of turbulence intensity.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein:
performing a first boundary layer calculation comprises calculating, for each of multiple facets on the surface, a measure of laminar wall momentum flux tensor and performing the second boundary layer calculation comprises calculating, for each of multiple facets on the surface, a measure of turbulent wall momentum flux tensor using the second boundary layer calculation;
comparing the result from at least one of the first and second boundary layer calculations to the criterion comprises comparing, for each of the multiple facets on the surface, a calculated measure of turbulence intensity and the measure of turbulent wall momentum flux tensor; and
selecting the results of the first boundary layer calculation or the results of the second boundary layer comprises selecting, for at least some of the multiple facets on the surface, one of the calculated turbulent wall momentum flux tensor property and laminar wall momentum flux tensor property based on the comparison of the measure of turbulence intensity and the measure of turbulent wall momentum flux tensor.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein:
comparing, for each of the multiple facets on the surface, the measure of turbulence intensity and the measure of turbulent wall momentum flux tensor comprises determining if the measure of turbulence intensity is greater than the measure of wall momentum flux tensor; and
selecting, for at least some of the multiple facets on the surface, one of the calculated turbulent wall momentum flux tensor and laminar wall momentum flux tensor comprises, for a particular facet, selecting the turbulent wall momentum flux tensor if the measure of turbulence intensity is greater than the measure of turbulent wall momentum flux tensor and selecting the measure of laminar wall momentum flux tensor if the measure of turbulence intensity is less than the measure of turbulent wall momentum flux tensor.
8. The method of claim 6, wherein calculating the measure of local turbulence intensity comprises calculating a value of local turbulent kinetic energy.
9. The method of claim 6, wherein, for a given near-wall fluid velocity the measure of turbulent wall momentum flux tensor is greater than the measure of laminar wall momentum flux tensor.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein simulating activity of the fluid in the volume comprises:
performing interaction operations on the state vectors, the interaction operations modeling interactions between elements of different momentum states according to a model; and
performing first move operations of the set of state vectors to reflect movement of elements to new voxels in the volume according to the model.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the second boundary layer calculation comprises a calculation to determine a measure of turbulent wall momentum flux tensor based on a velocity profile and a distance from the wall.
12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
selecting, for at least some of the multiple facets on the surface, a value that is based on a weighted average of the results of the first calculation for the laminar boundary layer flow and the results of the second calculation for the turbulent boundary layer flow.
13. The method of claim 3, further comprising:
selecting, for at least some of the multiple facets on the surface, a wall momentum flux tensor property that is based on a combination of the turbulent wall momentum flux tensor property and laminar wall momentum flux tensor property.
14. The method of claim 1, wherein the second boundary layer calculation comprises a calculation to determine a measure of turbulent wall momentum flux tensor based on local turbulent kinetic energy and a local fluid velocity.
15. The method of claim 1, wherein the voxel size in a region adjacent to the surface is similar to a voxel size at regions spaced apart from the surface.
16. The method of claim 1, wherein the voxel size in a region adjacent to the surface is the same as a voxel size at regions spaced apart from the surface.
17. A computer program product tangibly embodied in a computer readable medium, the computer program product including instructions that, when executed, simulate a physical process fluid flow that includes a laminar to turbulent boundary layer transition, the computer program product configured to cause a computer to:
perform a first calculation for a laminar boundary layer flow;
perform a second calculation for a turbulent boundary layer flow;
compare a result from at least one of the first and second boundary layer calculations to a criterion;
select, for at least some of multiple elements representing at least one of a surface and a fluid near the surface, the results of the first calculation for a laminar boundary layer flow or the results of the second calculation for a turbulent boundary layer flow based on a result of the comparison; and
simulate activity of a fluid in a volume, the activity of the fluid in the volume being simulated so as to model movement of elements within the volume, the simulation being based in part on the selected results for the multiple elements.
18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein:
the instructions to perform the first calculation for the laminar boundary layer flow comprise instructions to calculate a wall momentum flux tensor property for the laminar flow;
the instructions to perform the second calculation for the turbulent boundary layer flow comprise instructions to calculate a wall momentum flux tensor property for the turbulent flow; and
the instructions to select the results of the first boundary layer calculation or the results of the second calculation for a turbulent boundary layer flow comprise instructions to select the laminar wall momentum flux tensor property or the turbulent wall momentum flux tensor property.
19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the instructions to determine the laminar-to-turbulent transition for the boundary layer comprise instructions to:
determine, for each of multiple facets on the surface, a first measure based on the first boundary layer calculation and a second measure based on the second boundary layer calculation; and
classify the flow for at least some of the multiple facets as laminar or turbulent by comparing at least one of the first and second measures to the criterion.
20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the instructions for selecting, for at least some of the multiple facets on the surface, the results of the first calculation for the laminar boundary layer flow or the results of the second calculation for the turbulent boundary layer flow comprise:
for facets classified as laminar, instructions to select a wall momentum flux tensor property for the laminar flow; and
for facets classified as turbulent, instructions to select a wall momentum flux tensor property for the turbulent flow.
21. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein:
the result of the first boundary layer calculation comprises a measure of laminar wall momentum flux tensor property;
the result of the second boundary layer calculation comprises a measure of turbulent wall momentum flux tensor property; and
the criterion comprises a measure of turbulence intensity.
22. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein:
the instruction to perform the first boundary layer calculation comprise instructions to calculate, for each of multiple facets on the surface, a measure of laminar wall momentum flux tensor and perform the second boundary layer calculation comprises instructions to calculate, for each of multiple facets on the surface, a measure of turbulent wall momentum flux tensor using the second boundary layer calculation; and
the instructions to compare the result from at least one of the first and second boundary layer calculations to the criterion comprise instructions to compare, for each of the multiple facets on the surface, a calculated measure of turbulence intensity and the measure of turbulent wall momentum flux tensor; and
the instructions to select the results of the first boundary layer calculation or the results of the second boundary layer comprise instructions to select, for at least some of the multiple facets on the surface, one of the calculated turbulent wall momentum flux tensor and laminar wall momentum flux tensor properties based on the comparison of the measure of turbulence intensity and the measure of turbulent wall momentum flux tensor.
23. A computer system for simulating a physical process fluid flow, the system being configured to:
perform a first calculation for a laminar boundary layer flow;
perform a second calculation for a turbulent boundary layer flow;
compare a result from at least one of the first and second boundary layer calculations to a criterion;
select, for at least some of multiple elements representing at least one of a surface and a fluid near the surface, the results of the first calculation for a laminar boundary layer flow or the results of the second calculation for a turbulent boundary layer flow based on a result of the comparison; and
simulate activity of a fluid in a volume, the activity of the fluid in the volume being simulated so as to model movement of elements within the volume, the simulation being based in part on the selected results for the multiple elements.
24. The system of claim 23, wherein:
the configurations to perform the first calculation for the laminar boundary layer flow comprise configurations to calculate a wall momentum flux tensor property for the laminar flow;
the configurations to perform the second calculation for the turbulent boundary layer flow comprise configurations to calculate a wall momentum flux tensor property for the turbulent flow; and
the configurations to select the results of the first boundary layer calculation or the results of the second calculation for a turbulent boundary layer flow comprise configurations to select the laminar wall momentum flux tensor property or the turbulent wall momentum flux tensor property.
25. The system of claim 23, wherein the configurations to determine the laminar-to-turbulent transition for the boundary layer comprise configurations to:
determine, for each of multiple facets on the surface, a first measure based on the first boundary layer calculation and a second measure based on the second boundary layer calculation; and
classify the flow for at least some of the multiple facets as laminar or turbulent by comparing at least one of the first and second measures to the criterion.
26. The system of claim 25, wherein the configurations for selecting, for at least some of the multiple facets on the surface, the results of the first calculation for the laminar boundary layer flow or the results of the second calculation for the turbulent boundary layer flow comprise configurations to:
for facets classified as laminar, instructions to select a wall momentum flux tensor property value for the laminar flow; and
for facets classified as turbulent, instructions to select a wall momentum flux tensor property for the turbulent flow.
27. The system of claim 25, wherein:
the result of the first boundary layer calculation comprises a measure of laminar wall momentum flux tensor;
the result of the second boundary layer calculation comprises a measure of wall momentum flux tensor; and
the comparison comprises a measure of turbulence intensity.
28. The system of claim 23, wherein:
the configurations to perform the first boundary layer calculation comprise configurations to calculate, for each of multiple facets on the surface, a measure of laminar wall momentum flux tensor and the configuration to perform the second boundary layer calculation comprises configurations to calculate, for each of multiple facets on the surface, a measure of turbulent wall momentum flux tensor using the second boundary layer calculation; and
the configurations to compare the result from at least one of the first and second boundary layer calculations to the criterion comprise configurations to compare, for each of the multiple facets on the surface, a calculated measure of turbulence intensity and the measure of turbulent wall momentum flux tensor; and
the configurations to select the results of the first boundary layer calculation or the results of the second boundary layer comprise configurations to:

select, for at least some of the multiple facets on the surface, one of the calculated turbulent wall momentum flux tensor and laminar wall momentum flux tensor properties based on the comparison of the measure of turbulence intensity and the measure of wall momentum flux tensor.