US08972226B2
The present invention provides a method for analyzing growth of void of resin in a porous material which comprising the steps of inputting data of the shape of a porous material filled with a resin material, and dividing the shape of the porous material into three-dimensional solid elements; inputting physical properties of the porous material, and boundary conditions including a pressure that is applied to the porous material; obtaining a resin-density distribution in the porous material through fluid analysis using a database obtained by experimentally measuring in advance a temporal change in a volume of gas generated from the resin material and porous material during heating, changes in a compressive force and compressive displacement respectively occurring when the porous material impregnated with the resin is compressed, and a change in a flow resistance of the resin; and comprehensively grasping production, growth, and distribution of voids deriving from gas generation.
US08972225B2
A method of constructing an optimized network simulation environment according to the present invention includes the steps of identifying communication equipment models for relaying a message to/from real equipments out of communication equipment models within a network model, as major models, calculating the order of abstraction priority for major models, performing batch-mode abstraction for non-major models, driving a simulation, determining whether a difference between a simulation execution time and an actual time spent is within an allowable delay value, performing adaptive abstraction for the major models, and evaluating a result of the simulation. If the method according to the present invention is used, a real-time simulation having fidelity and reliability for the function and operation of real equipments can be guaranteed.
US08972221B2
A computer implemented method of estimating at least one solar irradiance component, the method comprising: obtaining a sensor measurement from an instrument to provide a measured global horizontal irradiance (GHImeasured), wherein the measured global horizontal irradiance (GHImeasured) consists of at least an estimated diffuse horizontal irradiance (DHIestimated) and an estimated direct normal irradiance (DNIestimated); providing at least one modeled component, wherein at least one of the modeled components is a modeled global horizontal irradiance based on an atmospheric model (GHI model); calculating an irradiance estimate modifier (IMOD) in a computing device according to the measured global horizontal irradiance (GHImeasured) and the modeled global horizontal irradiance (GHI model); and providing at least one estimated solar irradiance component by a computing device according to the irradiance estimate modifier (IMOD) and at least one modeled component.
US08972214B2
A touch panel or screen has a serpentine transmission line fabricated on a substrate, e.g., printed circuit board, LCD, plasma or LED screen, etc., and has a constant impedance. Touches to the touch panel will cause changes of impedance of the transmission line at the locations of the touches. Time domain reflectometry (TDR) is used for determining the locations of the changes of impedance of the transmission line by accurately measuring the return pulse times at the source of a plurality of pulses, and then converting the return pulse times to X-Y coordinates of the touch panel or screen.
US08972211B2
A system for monitoring usage of electrical power by a structure can include: (a) a current sensor unit configured to be coupled to a portion of a surface of a panel, the current sensor unit having: (a) at least one magnetic field sensor configured to detect a magnetic field generated by one or more main electrical power lines; and (b) a processing unit configured to run on a processor. The current sensor unit can be configured to produce an output signal based on the magnetic field detected by the at least one magnetic field sensor. The processing unit further can be configured to receive the output signal from the current sensor unit and process the output signal to determine one or more parameters related to the usage of the electrical power by the first load in the structure. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US08972210B2
A power management module electrically coupled between an AC/DC switching power supply and an electronic apparatus comprises a memory device, voltage and current detecting units, a writing unit, and an alarm signal generation unit. The memory device generates an output data to the electronic apparatus. The voltage and current detecting units detect voltages and currents of the output terminals of the switching power supply, respectively. The writing unit writes a new input data and the voltage and current data to the memory. The alarm signal generation unit generates an alarm signal to the electronic apparatus according to the data stored in the memory device and according to the operation condition of the switching power supply.
US08972194B2
In some aspects of the invention, a computer-implemented method of obtaining sigma values from pulsed neutron capture decay curve is disclosed. The method can include selecting spectra collected by pulsed neutron instrument disposed down a borehole traversing a rock formation, the spectra including capture interactions and inelastic interactions; and modeling the selected spectra using a nonlinear model to obtain sigma values relating to one or more reservoir properties.
US08972188B2
An end-user can input a correction to a map error, directly on the device. The device is then able to use the correction without external processing of the correction. Hence, it is no longer necessary for an end-user to simply report errors to the map vendor over a web link, then wait for that map vendor to verify the error, update its maps and finally supply the end-user with updates—a cycle that can take months and sometimes years to complete. Instead, the navigation device can use the correction immediately. End-users can also share corrections with other end-users and also with a shared remote server that aggregates, validates and distributes correction.
US08972184B2
An apparatus and method for determining an orbit of a geostationary satellite is provided. The orbit of the geostationary satellite may be determined using at least one pseudo-range of the geostationary satellite calculated based on an orbit and a position of at least one global positioning system (GPS) satellite, position information of the geostationary satellite, and an angle between the geostationary satellite and each GPS satellite.
US08972183B2
A map display apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus acquires present position information indicating a present position, and determines a route from the present position to a destination. The apparatus displays a map on a display screen based on map information acquired from a storage medium storing the map information, and displays the route in a form of a line on the map while switching a manner of displaying the route between multiple display modes including a first display mode and a second display mode. In the first display mode, the route is displayed to have a first transparency and a first width. In the second display mode, the route is displayed to have a second transparency more transparent than the first transparency and a second width larger than the first width.
US08972182B1
Among other things, positioning a magnetic instrument on a pedestrian; positioning an inertial instrument on a foot of a pedestrian; receiving positioning signals at the pedestrian; aligning the inertial instrument based in part on the received positioning signals; calibrating the magnetic instrument using the inertial instrument; and tracking the pedestrian using the calibrated magnetic instrument and the inertial instrument.
US08972165B2
Systems, methods, and computer program products are provided for identifying a serviceable address that is associated with a street network connection point and a parcel drop-off point. For example, in one embodiment, the serviceable address may be associated with a street network connection point that is part of a digital map. The serviceable address may also be associated with a parcel drop-off point that includes parcel drop-off point information, such as a parcel drop-off point geo coordinate associated with the parcel drop-off point and street network connection point geo coordinate associated with the street network connection point.
US08972164B2
A collaborative control method for tracking Lagrangian coherent structures (LCSs) and manifolds on flows employs at least three autonomous sensors each equipped with a local flow sensor for sensing flow in a designated fluid medium, e.g. water or air. A first flow sensor is a tracking sensor while the other sensors are herding sensors for controlling and determining the actions of the tracking sensor. The tracking sensor is positioned with respect to the herding sensors in the fluid medium such that the herding sensors maintain a straddle formation across a boundary; obtaining a local fluid flow velocity measurement from each sensor. A global fluid flow structure is predicted based on the local flow velocity measurements. In a water medium, mobile autonomous underwater flow sensors may be deployed with each tethered to a watersurface craft.
US08972161B1
Described herein are devices, systems, and methods for managing the power consumption of an automotive vehicle, and thereby for optimizing the power consumption of the vehicle. The devices and systems for managing the power consumption of the vehicle typically include power management logic that can calculate an applied power for the vehicle engine based on information provided from the external environment of the vehicle, the operational status of the vehicle, one or more command inputs from a driver, and one or more operational parameters of the vehicle.
US08972155B2
A start control device includes a compression self-ignition engine, fuel injection valve, piston stop position detector, starter motor, and controller for stopping the engine when an automatic stop condition is satisfied, and thereafter, when a restart condition is satisfied and a compression-stroke-in-stop cylinder piston stop position is within a stop position range on a bottom dead center side, restarting the engine by injecting fuel into the compression-stroke-in-stop cylinder while applying torque to the engine. In restarting the engine, when the restart condition is not based on driver request, when the compression-stroke-in-stop cylinder piston stop position is within the stop position range, the controller restarts the engine, injecting fuel into an intake-stroke-in-stop cylinder on an intake stroke, when the cylinder reaches the compression stroke. When the restart condition is based on driver request, the controller restarts the engine, injecting fuel into the compression-stroke-in-stop cylinder.
US08972152B2
Methods and systems are provided for controlling the automatic shutdown of an idling vehicle engine. When the vehicle is parked in an enclosed space, the idling engine may be automatically shutdown, while when the vehicle is parked in an open space, the automatic shutdown may be delayed based on an ambient temperature. In this way, the vehicle cabin may be maintained at a temperature that provides enhanced driver comfort while allowing wasteful engine idling to be reduced.
US08972150B2
An engine control system for an auto-stop/start vehicle includes a mode control module and an actuator control module. The mode control module selectively initiates an engine startup event when an engine startup command is generated. The actuator control module cranks an engine during the engine startup event, provides fuel to a first cylinder of the engine while the engine is being cranked, and selectively disables fuel to a second cylinder of the engine while the engine is being cranked. The second cylinder is after the first cylinder in a firing order.
US08972145B2
Systems and methods for predicting traffic signal information are provided. An exemplary method includes obtaining data from a plurality of types of sources and analyzing the data to predict states of a plurality of traffic signals. The data include crowdsourced data. The predictive traffic signal information may be used to adjust an operation of an on-board system of a vehicle.
US08972138B2
A method for controlling a vehicle's speed by adopting a desired speed vset for the vehicle; determining a horizon for the intended itinerary made up of route segments, effecting the following during each of a number of simulation cycles (s) each comprising a number N of simulation steps conducted at a predetermined frequency f: first predicting the vehicle's speed vpred—cc along the horizon with conventional cruise control when vset is presented as reference speed, comparing the predicted vehicle speed vpred—cc in a range vmin to vmax, making a second prediction of the vehicle's speed vpred—Tnew along the horizon based on the vehicle's engine torque T; determining a reference value for how the vehicle's speed is to be influenced on the basis of at least one of the comparisons and the predicted vehicle speed vpred—Tnew; controlling the vehicle by the reference value. A module for the foregoing controls a vehicle's speed.
US08972123B2
A combination tractor and baler is provided to automate tractor stopping and baler wrapping while incorporating operator interaction to improve the efficiency of the tractor and baler combination in operation. Automated control systems and manual operator devices are utilized to improve the timing of the tractor stop and baler wrapping time sequences. Various methods to improve efficiency, including methods to synchronize tractor stop with wrapping activation are provided.
US08972112B2
A steering control method is provided. The method includes determining a dynamic load on a steering system based on a dynamic model; and controlling the steering system based on the dynamic load.
US08972105B2
A method, program and system to establish tire monitoring of an auxiliary vehicle (2) from a main vehicle (1) is described. The main vehicle (1) detects tire monitor identities of tire monitors (6) of the auxiliary vehicle (2) by the main vehicle. The main vehicle (1) determines whether the auxiliary vehicle tire monitor identities are associated with an identified auxiliary vehicle. If the auxiliary vehicle tire monitor identities are associated with an identified auxiliary vehicle, tire monitoring for the auxiliary vehicle (2) is established on the basis of monitoring values stored for the identified auxiliary vehicle.
US08972103B2
An automotive vehicle mapping system is disclosed. The mapping system includes an on-vehicle electronic storage device, a GPS receiver, and an electronic controller. The electronic controller is configured to receive GPS data from the GPS receiver indicative of a current location of the vehicle. The electronic controller is also configured to store the GPS data on the electronic storage device if the location of the vehicle is outside of a location envelope.
US08972099B2
A method for monitoring a subsystem of a subject vehicle includes, in an off-board environment, executing a controller-based scheme. The scheme includes determining a plurality of residuals based upon expected and observed states of parameters associated with operation of the subsystem, determining a subsystem operating signature based upon the residuals, employing the subsystem operating signature to isolate a subsystem fault, and communicating the subsystem fault to an on-board controller of the subject vehicle.
US08972097B2
A handheld, portable device is used to facilitate inspection of vehicles, by generating an electronic vehicle inspection record that can be used by fleet operators to provide evidence of complying with required vehicle inspections. When the vehicle inspection record is generated, route identification data is added to the inspection record. The route identification data defines which of a plurality of predefined routes the vehicle has serviced, or will service, during a time period proximate the inspection of the vehicle. Fleet operators can thus use archived inspection records as evidence of compliance with inspection requirements, and to document what route a vehicle serviced at a particular time.
US08972096B2
A method and device for detecting the blocking of a bleed valve (4) of a gasoline vapor filter (3) for a vehicle internal combustion engine (1), the method includes a step of controlling the maintenance of the internal combustion engine at a constant non-idle speed during a start or pre-stop phase, and at least one sequence of the following steps when maintaining the constant speed of the internal combustion engine: a step of changing the state of the bleed valve (4), a step of measuring at least one operating parameter of the internal combustion engine associated with the mixture fed into the engine, a step of comparing the values of the parameter measured before and after the change of state of the bleed valve and of determining if the variation of the parameter is greater than a pre-determined threshold.
US08972094B2
An information collection device transmits a position information request command for requesting transmission of position information of a dump truck at a predetermined point in time via a second wireless communication device and determines a state of at least one of the dump truck, a relay that relays communication from a first wireless communication device included in the dump truck to the second wireless communication device, and a travel route of the dump truck based on a response to the position information request command.
US08972089B2
A hybrid vehicle having a controller controls output torque of an engine and output torque of a generator motor so as to apply requested torque to a drive shaft. The controller performs engine intermittent operation to stop operation of the engine when a given engine operation stop condition is satisfied, and start the engine when a given engine start condition is satisfied. The controller makes an in-cylinder injection valve abnormality determination while causing a total amount of fuel to be injected from an in-cylinder injection valve, and makes a port injection valve abnormality determination while causing the total amount of fuel to be injected from a port injection valve. If at least one of abnormality determinations concerning the in-cylinder injection valve and the port injection valve has not been made, the engine is operated so that the load of the engine falls within a predetermined range.
US08972075B2
The invention relates to a method for controlling the temperature of a glow plug (1), wherein a setpoint temperature (Tset) is used to determine a setpoint value (Rset) of a temperature-dependent electric variable and an effective voltage (Ueff) which is generated by pulse width modulation is applied to the glow plug (1) and is used as correcting variable. According to the invention, it is provided that a mathematical model (4) is used to calculate an expected value (Re) of the electric variable, the electric variable is measured, a first error signal e1(t) is generated by evaluating the calculated value (Re), a value calculated from the effective voltage (Ueff) and the error signal (e1(t)) is used as the input variable of the mathematical model (4), wherein the mathematical model (4) uses the input variable to calculate an output variable (X) which defines the expected value (Re) of the electric variable, and wherein the output variable (X) of the mathematical model (4) is used to calculate a corrected value for the effective voltage (Ueff) and the effective voltage (Ueff) is changed to the corrected value.
US08972072B2
Automatically accesses, from a database, the rate of power consumption of each object on a displayed list and automatically calculating the power consumption of each object over a planned period time of use of the object. Then, during actual use, the actual power consumption of each object on the list is automatically tracked over the planned period of time of use and the difference between the planned and actual power consumption of each object on the list is automatically calculated. The difference for each object on the list is displayed so that the user may take action interactively.
US08972071B2
A computing device for use with a demand response system is provided. The computing device includes a communication interface for receiving customer data of a plurality of customers, wherein the customer data includes a participation history and historical consumption values for each customer for participating in at least one demand response event. A processor is coupled to the communication interface and is programmed to select at least one customer from the plurality of customers by considering the participation history and the historical consumption values for each of the customers. The processor is also programmed to estimate a future reduction in energy consumption for the customer based on the customer data and to determine whether the estimated future reduction in energy consumption is substantially accurate.
US08972068B2
During operation of at least one power generator (EE) in a power supply network, a reactive power transfer between the two upper voltage levels (1, 2) is sensed at a first transformer (T1) connecting these levels, and the voltage at a first network connection point (5) at the lowest voltage level (3) is ascertained. The amount of a reactive power demand served by the power generator (EE) is calculated as a function of the ascertained voltage value in order to maintain the voltage ascertained at the lowest voltage level (3) within a predefinable voltage range, wherein a means (WR) of the power generator (EE) is activated for a reactive power draw or a reactive power delivery, based on the calculated reactive power demand.
US08972066B2
The disclosed subject matter relates to an integrated decision support “cockpit” or control center for displaying, analyzing, and/or responding to, various events and contingencies that can occur within an electrical grid.
US08972061B2
A mobile floor cleaning robot includes a robot body supported by a drive system configured to maneuver the robot over a floor surface. The robot also includes a cleaning system supported by the robot body, an imaging sensor disposed on the robot body, and a controller in communicates with the drive system and the imaging sensor. The controller receives a sequence of images of the floor surface; each image has an array of pixels. For each image, the controller segments the image into color blobs by color quantizing pixels of the image, determines a spatial distribution of each color of the image based on corresponding pixel locations; and for each image color, identifies areas of the image having a threshold spatial distribution for that color. The controller then tracks a location of the color blobs with respect to the imaging sensor across the sequence of images.
US08972051B2
A multi-pocket step-drawer is disclosed that includes a dispensing drawer and a control module. The dispensing drawer has a body comprising at least one fixed wall forming at least two open-top compartments that are arranged along an axis parallel to the front-to-back axis and a ladder fixedly coupled to the body. The ladder has a plurality of cross arms arranged along an axis parallel to the front-to-back axis. The control module includes a housing and a latching element coupled to the housing and disposed proximate to the ladder. The latching element has a first position wherein the latching element engages one of the plurality of cross-arms so as to prevent the dispensing drawer from moving toward the front and a second position wherein the latching element allows the dispensing element to move toward the front.
US08972041B2
Described herein is a package delivery kiosk (PDK) including an integrated robotic package lifting assembly and shelving system. The system includes a PDK, associated front end and back end package delivery management systems, including portals for the consumer, retailer, common carrier, sender, and recipient, a package inventory management system, integrated retailer access, and a real and automated retailer bidding system. The shelving system has shelves with receiving apertures and dividers configured to fit into the receiving apertures, where the dividers each have a receiving slot. A package retrieving apparatus includes a base, a vertical support interconnected with the base, and a package picker module. The package picker module is oriented to move up and down on the vertical support. The package picker module includes grippers configured to surround and grip the object. A kiosk includes a kiosk body having a package delivery slot and an interface slot.
US08972039B1
A stitchwork status checking apparatus includes a stitchwork data receiver unit that receives stitchwork data on a stitchwork pattern selected and currently stitched by a sewing machine, a converter unit that converts the received stitchwork data into a unique code, a status data receiver unit that receives a unique code converted based on the stitchwork data currently stitched by the sewing machine, and a code comparator unit that compares a code converted by the converter unit with a code received by the status data receiver unit. The stitchwork data receiver unit receives the stitchwork data through a transmission protocol that surely transmits data to a transmission destination. The status data receiver unit receives the code through a transmission protocol that transmits data to a transmission destination within a short time.
US08972038B2
An information processing device includes a processor and a memory. The memory is configured to store computer-readable instructions. The instructions instruct the information processing device to execute steps including randomly arranging a plurality of embroidery patterns within a coordinate area set in an embroidery frame that is moved in two directions.
US08972030B2
Method of operation of a control device for a home-automation appliance, wherein the method comprises at least one step of selecting a possible control command from among a plurality of predefined control commands, that may be sent by the control device and at least one step of displaying the command selected by this control device.
US08972020B2
Presented herein is a shapeable coil cable for use in connection with an implantable medical device comprising first and second external components. The shapeable coil cable is a conformable and non-resilient member that is sufficiently pliable to accept a configuration set by a user and sufficiently rigid to retain the configuration set by the user.
US08972012B2
An implantable medical pulse generator is disclosed herein. The pulse generator is for administering electrotherapy via an implantable medical lead having a lead connector end on a proximal end of the lead. The pulse generator includes a can and a header coupled to the can. The header includes a first lead connector end receiving receptacle and a retainer configured to secure the lead connector end within the first receptacle. The retainer includes a member and a first collar, which is coaxially aligned with the first receptacle. The first collar includes an inner circumferential surface and a gap in the inner circumferential surface. The inner circumferential surface extends generally continuous and unbroken between a first face of the gap and a second face of the gap. The member is configured such that acting on the member causes a gap distance between the first face of the gap and second face of the gap to decrease, thereby reducing an inner circumferential diameter of the first collar.
US08972007B2
An implantable pacing device for delivering ventricular pacing may be configured to intermittently and variably reduce the AV delay interval used in an atrial triggered pacing mode in a manner that simulates exercise. The device may be programmed to intermittently switch to and from a variably shortened AV delay mode according to defined entry and exit conditions.
US08972005B2
A subthreshold lead impedance technique is described for an implantable medical device. The lead impedance technique may be applicable to a subcutaneous implantable cardioversion defibrillator device and utilizes an output circuit of the device coupled between a first diode and a second diode to define a current path through two electrodes coupled to the output circuit. The second diode is further coupled to a switch to provide a current pathway from the first diode to circuit ground. A control circuit is coupled to the output circuit, the first diode, the second diode, and the switch to bias a leg of the output circuit in a conducting state while biasing the other legs of the output circuit in a non-conducting state.
US08971992B2
A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus includes a collection unit which applies a uniform static magnetic field to a subject and also applies a radio-frequency magnetic field and a gradient magnetic field to the subject in accordance with a predetermined pulse sequence to collect a magnetic resonance signal from the subject, a imaging unit which images the subject based on the magnetic resonance signal collected by the collection unit, a detection unit which detects a respiratory level of the subject, an informing unit which informs the subject of whether the detected respiratory level falls within an allowable range, and a unit which controls the collection unit and the imaging unit in such a manner that the magnetic resonance signal for imaging is collected and the subject is imaged based on the thus collected magnetic resonance signal for imaging when the detected respiratory level falls within the allowable range.
US08971984B2
This invention relates generally to an index map comprising both pressure and perfusion information from a diabetic patient foot for the purpose of treatment. The index map may also be a map of perfusion and/or metabolism of the tissue (reflecting oxygen delivery and oxygen extraction), obtained by thermal imaging, hyperspectral imaging, or duplex ultrasound, MRA, CT or laser Doppler imaging. This information aids treatment in prevention of diabetic foot ulceration and amputation and in treatment of tissue compromise to prevent tissue loss in other body regions.
US08971977B2
A superconducting memory cell includes a magnetic Josephson junction (MJJ) with a ferromagnetic material, having at least two switchable states of magnetization. The binary state of the MJJ manifests itself as a pulse appearing, or not appearing, on the output. A superconducting memory includes an array of memory cells. Each memory cell includes a comparator with at least one MJJ. Selected X and Y-directional write lines in their combination are capable of switching the magnetization of the MJJ. A superconducting device includes a first and a second junction in a stacked configuration. The first junction has an insulating layer barrier, and the second junction has an insulating layer sandwiched in-between two ferromagnetic layers as barrier. An electrical signal inputted across the first junction is amplified across the second junction.
US08971966B2
A user interface screen includes names stores in a mobile unit device's address book. In order for a user to send an instant message, the user selects a create message display screen, enters a text message using the mobile unit device's keypad, and then selects a recipient (an instant message name) from the address book user interface screen. The instant message routing server checks availability of recipients (instant message names in the stored instant message name list) and sends the results back to the mobile unit device. In a display area, recipients are indicated as signed on the instant message system, or as being signed off the instant message system.
US08971964B2
A communication device 1 (transceivers 400) transmits a training signal from its own transmitting antenna while performing beam scanning, and a communication device 2 (transceivers 500) receives this training signal in a state where a quasi-omni pattern is generated in its own receiving antenna. Further, the device 1 transmits a training signal in a state where a quasi-omni pattern is generated in the transmitting antenna, and the device 2 receives this training signal by the receiving antenna while performing beam scanning. The device 1 and 2 detects, from respective reception results, transmitting-antenna-setting candidates of the device 1 and receiving-antenna-setting candidates of the device 2, and determines antenna-setting pairs (combinations of antenna-setting candidates). The above-described processes are also performed for a receiving antenna of the device 1 and a transmitting antenna of the device 2. The device 1 and 2 communicates by using the obtained antenna-setting pairs. In this way, when radio communication is performed by using beam forming, the time necessary for finding and setting a beam direction is reduced, thereby reducing the transmission-disconnected time.
US08971950B2
The embodiments herein relate to a method in a base station for adjusting transmission power in a communications network. The base station determines a first number m; P of historical transmit power control, TPC, commands based on a signal power and an interference level. The base station determines a second number 2k; n+Q of current TPC commands based on the first number m; P of historical TPC commands, or based on the first number m; P of historical TPC commands and a third number n−K of signal power and interference level pairs. The base station transmits a sequence of TPC commands comprising the first number of historical TPC commands and the second number of current TPC commands to the user equipment to adjust the user equipment's transmission power.
US08971947B2
The present invention relates to a method for transmitting and receiving control information for group communications in a wireless communication system. According to one aspect of the present invention, a control information transmission method for group communication in a wireless communication system comprises the steps of, a base station: receiving a group communication request from one or more terminals; determining a plurality of terminals which will perform the group communication; allocating resources which are to be used for performing the group communication; and transmitting information on the plurality of terminals and resource allocation information on the resources which are to be used, to the one or more terminals among the plurality of terminals.
US08971941B2
A method and apparatus for optimizing transmission performance of a mobile terminal by adjusting a matching value of the transmitter of the mobile terminal based on the allocation information from the network are provided. The transmission performance optimization method of a mobile terminal according to the present invention includes acquiring allocation information from a network, searching for a group of information matching the allocation information from a predetermined mapping table, generating a control signal for adjusting a match value according to the group, and adjusting the matching value of a transmitter of the mobile terminal by changing impedance according to the control signal.
US08971935B2
Methods for appending additional device, location, and/or presence information to a mobile-originated short message are taught herein. One such method for appending additional device information includes receiving a MO short message at a message center. The MO short message includes a content request. Message center sends a query to a subscriber directory for device information corresponding to the device of the requesting subscriber. The subscriber directory searches for the device information and generates a response to be sent to the message center, the response including the device information. The subscriber directory sends the response to the message center, which appends the device information to the MO short message. The message center then sends the short message to the destination, for example, a content provider. Methods for appending location and/or presence information are also taught.
US08971932B2
An apparatus, system or method for use of encrypted or confidential location or position, time, and unique identifier information (LPTI Information) comprising mobile device encoded unique identifiers (UIs), to register the presence of one or more persons in a retail or service store or outlet, vehicle, financial, educational, governmental, transportation, shipping, cargo, residential, vacation, travel, power generation or distribution, water or food supply or storage, or data storage location or position, for use in identifying potential suspects, conspirators, participants or witnesses for criminal, regulated, tort, or prohibited activity for use by law enforcement or a court, and which information is kept encrypted until authorized access is granted to law enforcement or a court by issuance or a warrant or other appropriate legal authorization.
US08971931B1
A system and method for operating an electronic device in a limited radio mode are provided. The system determines a location of an electronic device. The system also identifies one or more components of the electronic device enabled to provide radio data communication services. The system, for each of the identified one or more components, determines if a respective radio data communication service provided by the component is an authorized service at a determined location of the electronic device and selectively disables the component if the respective data communication service is not an authorized service.
US08971924B2
A system and method of locating “friends” having mobile devices connected to a network and associated with a user account is disclosed. The method includes sending a request to a mobile device, the mobile device determining its present geographic location and responding to the requestor with this information. This information may be in the form of a coordinate location such as a GPS location or it may be in the form of a name that the mobile device owner assigned to a particular area (e.g., “home”). Having this location information, a user is able to view the location of the friend that is associated with the mobile device.
US08971923B2
Methods of and systems for measuring beacon stability of wireless access points are provided. A method of determining a measure of likelihood that a designated wireless device exhibits at least one pathological characteristic includes determining a set of reference points associated with a designated wireless device, and retrieving attributes of the reference points, attributes associated with other wireless devices related to the designated wireless device, and/or statistical information. The statistical information includes a temporal distribution of detection of signals of reference points, a spatial distribution of the reference points, and/or a cardinality of the set or a subset of the reference points. The method further includes determining a measure of likelihood that the designated wireless device exhibits at least one pathological characteristic based on attributes of the reference points, attributes associated with the reception of signals, and/or the statistical information.
US08971921B2
A method utilized in a wireless communication system having a mobile device and a plurality of base stations includes obtaining a geometric matrix according to a plurality of relative distances between the mobile device and the plurality of base stations, obtaining a weighted matrix according to the mobile device and the plurality of base stations, obtaining a weighted geometric dilution of precision according to the weighted matrix and the geometric matrix, so as to obtain a weighted geometric dilution of precision closed form, and choosing a plurality of selected base stations from the plurality of base stations according to the weighted geometric dilution of precision closed form to position the mobile device.
US08971920B2
Techniques disclosed herein provide for enhanced LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) Reliable Transport where the receiver of an LPP message sends a non-piggybacked acknowledgement. An example method for executing on a mobile device a protocol session with a location server includes sending a first protocol session message associated with a first protocol session to the location server, entering a wait-for-acknowledgement state in which uplink transmissions from the mobile device to the location server are suspended while waiting for an acknowledgement from the location server in response to the first protocol session message, receiving a second protocol session message associated with a second protocol session which is not an acknowledgement to the first protocol session message but includes information requested in the first protocol session message; exiting the wait-for-acknowledgement state responsive to receiving the second protocol session message; and performing an action using the information received in the second protocol session message.
US08971917B2
A location-based radio system including a storage database and a computing device coupled with the storage database. The computing device includes an application that determines a location of a listener computing device that is accessing a radio station and plays audio content associated with one or more locations on the listener computing device if the location of the listener computing device corresponds to the one or more locations associated with the audio content.
US08971913B2
Methods and apparatuses for position determination and other operations. In one embodiment of the present invention, a mobile station uses wireless signals from a plurality of wireless networks (e.g., with different air interfaces and/or operated by different service providers) for position determination (e.g., for data communication, for obtaining time and/or frequency information, for range measurement, for sector or altitude estimation). In one embodiment of the present invention, mobile stations are used to harvest statistical data about wireless access points (e.g., the locations of mobile stations that have received signals from the wireless access points, such as from cellular base stations, wireless local area network access points, repeaters for positioning signals, or other wireless communication transmitters) and to derive location information (e.g., position and coverage area of the wireless access points) for the wireless networks from the collected statistical data.
US08971910B2
A network element for supporting communication within at least one cell of a cellular communication network comprises a signal processing module arranged to identify when a first cell supported by the network element is in a capacity state, and in response thereto, indicate the first cell as being in a restricted access state within system information broadcast within the first cell and valid for wireless communication units in a connected mode state. The signal processing module is further arranged, upon receipt of a connection request message from a wireless communication unit within the first cell, to determine whether the first cell is in a capacity state, and, in response to determining that the first cell is in a capacity state, to cause the wireless communication unit from which the connection request message was received to enter a connected mode state.
US08971903B2
Techniques to manage communications resources for a mobile device are described. An apparatus may comprise a mobile computing device having a radio arranged to communicate information over a wireless link, a link classifier arranged to generate a class parameter for the wireless link based on signal quality measurements of the wireless link, and a data service manager arranged to receive a data service request from an application, determine whether the application may communicate information over the wireless link based on the class parameter for the wireless link, and generate a control directive for the application granting or denying the data service request. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08971900B2
Provided is an information processing method including an extraction procedure of extracting another communication service provider other than a first communication service provider based on a result of a comparison of a congestion degree of a base station related to the first communication service provider with a congestion degree of each of base stations related to one or a plurality of communication service providers other than the first communication service provider, and an exchange control procedure of performing control to transfer the first access right from the first wireless terminal device to a second wireless terminal device having a second access right to access a base station related to the other extracted communication service provider, and to transfer the second access right from the second wireless terminal device to the first wireless terminal device.
US08971895B2
A device acquires load information representing a load of radio communication performed between a base station and a plurality of communication terminals performing radio communication with the base station by using a radio resource allocated by the base station. The device sets in response to the acquired load information, from a first radio resource range and a second radio resource range, a radio resource range that the base station can allocate to an edge communication terminal whose channel quality is less than a predetermined threshold.
US08971894B2
A method for network reselection by a wireless communication device is provided. The wireless communication device can have an established connection to a first network. The method can include measuring a signal strength and a signal-to-noise ratio of the first network. The method can further include determining that the signal strength satisfies a signal strength threshold. The method can additionally include comparing the signal-to-noise ratio to a signal-to-noise ratio threshold. The method can also include disconnecting from the first network and reselecting to a second network in an instance in which the signal-to-noise ratio does not satisfy the signal-to-noise ratio threshold even though the signal strength satisfies the signal strength threshold.
US08971893B2
A system that incorporates the subject disclosure may include, for example, accessing configuration information, monitoring for radio resource control connection requests being transmitted from the wireless communication device to a first server of a first cell of a network, determining whether failed radio resource control connection requests satisfy a cell barring threshold based on the monitoring and based on the configuration information, and responsive to a determination that the cell barring threshold has been satisfied, causing the wireless communication device to perform cell selection for a second cell of the network and to perform cell barring of the first cell. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US08971889B2
A method for supporting a handover on the basis of the distance from an intermediate access point to a user equipment includes receiving uplink message set information of the user equipment from a serving base station of the user equipment; receiving the uplink message transmitted by predetermined transmitting power from the user equipment, and detecting the user equipment which has sent the uplink message on the basis of the uplink message set information; determining the receiving power by which said uplink message is received; calculating the distance between the intermediate access point and the detected user equipment by using said predetermined transmitting power and said receiving power; and performing a subsequent handover based on the distance calculated in the previous step.
US08971871B2
A radio base station that forms a cell by transmitting a radio wave and that communicates with a mobile terminal existing in the cell, the radio base station includes a reception unit configured to receive information including cell information relating to a state of a peripheral cell of the radio base station, the information being transmitted from the mobile terminal, and a calculation processing device configured to detect an abnormality relating to another radio base station corresponding to the peripheral cell based on the cell information.
US08971867B2
A remote control method is provided. The method is adapted to a first terminal apparatus, and the first terminal apparatus corresponds to a first phone number. The remote control method includes the following steps. A second terminal apparatus is connected to a telecommunication server, wherein the telecommunication server corresponds to a telecommunication service provider who provides the first phone number a telecommunication service. A call diversion service is activated on the telecommunication server through the second terminal apparatus in order to divert a telecommunication signal which is to be forwarded to the first phone number to a second phone number.
US08971864B2
A system and method for using a wireless browser to send local information from a wireless handset to a Web server. A service request received from a handset user includes the type of local information needed to carry out the request as well as the URL address of the server. The handset confirms that the input is not a telephone number to be dialed. If the input is a telephone number, the browser is terminated and the number is dialed. Otherwise, the browser acquires the local information needed to carry out the request from the handset. The local information is appended to the URL address, which is extracted from the user input, and the browser is instructed to navigate to the URL address to provide the local information to the server.
US08971862B2
A location based service configured to route local advertising for streamed media and media blocking based on a location of the recipient. The method include detecting a location of a mobile user and routing streaming media of a local affiliate to a mobile device of the mobile user based on the detected location of the mobile user.
US08971839B2
An in-vehicle system (IVS) captures data such as location data and in an emergency automatically places a call to an emergency call taker or PSAP via a wireless telecommunications network. After a voice call session is established, the IVS system transmits a predetermined control signal through the voice channel. The control signal directs the call taker system to prepare to receive data. Preferably, the control signal comprises at least one audio frequency tone. This may be done without human intervention. In this way, emergency information is transmitted accurately and with minimum delay. After transmission of essential information, the IVS system may switch on audio connections for live human voice conversation.
US08971834B2
Third-order intermodulation products (IM3) are attenuated in RF receivers by providing a typical main signal path and a parallel auxiliary signal path in which the IM3 products are accentuated, and the output from the main signal path is adaptively filtered to attenuate the IM3 products. In one embodiment, a multirate filter bank (MRFB) with asymmetric analysis and synthesis sections is used to detect and isolate the IM3 products. In another embodiment an analog nonlinear term generator is placed at the front of the auxiliary signal path. The analog nonlinear term generator takes advantage of the nonlinearities of a differential MOSFET circuit and a multiplier to extract the IM3 products in the RF input signal. The outputs of the main signal path and the auxiliary signal path are inputs to a complex least mean squares filter to attenuate the IM3 products in the resulting signal.
US08971833B2
Electronic devices such as portable computers may contain circuits that generate radio-frequency noise. The radio-frequency noise may interfere with the operation of sensitive circuitry such as wireless communications circuitry. The circuits that generate the radio-frequency noise may include differential signal drivers that drive signals onto communications lines such as lines in a bus or output interface. A control circuit may power the drivers at an adjustable driver voltage bias level. The amount of noise that is generated by the drivers may vary as a function of the voltage bias level and may produce different amounts of noise at different wireless frequencies. Computer lid position and other factors may also influence the amount of interference that is generated. The control circuit may determine the current operating state of the device and may make voltage bias level adjustments that minimize interference between the drivers and the wireless circuitry.
US08971827B2
A module for an active antenna system for receiving and transmitting radio signals sealed in a housing. It comprises a power connector placed at the outside of the housing for supplying the module with supply power; at least one micro radio for receiving/sending digital radio signals having a digital down-converter/a digital up-converter and a control signal converter. The micro radio converts the digital radio signals to analog RF (radio frequency) signals and vice versa and is connected to the internal bus. At least one antenna element is connected to the micro radio and an internal data bus for the exchange of digital radio data and control data is connected to micro radio and hub. By placing two or more modules next to each other on a frame these modules form an active antenna system.
US08971825B2
One embodiment of the present invention provides a synthesizer. The synthesizer includes one or more tunable oscillators, a frequency-dividing circuit coupled to the tunable oscillators, and a multiplexer coupled to the frequency-dividing circuit. The frequency-dividing circuit includes a number of frequency dividers, and is configured to generate a number of frequency-dividing outputs. At least one frequency-dividing output has a different frequency division factor. The multiplexer is configured to select a frequency-dividing output.
US08971820B2
A data communication emulating unit (18) in a user terminal (10) or a proxy device monitors communication between an application unit (16) in the user terminal and a proxy unit of the proxy device, which communication employs requests (REQ) and responses (RES) based on a data communication protocol. The data communication emulating unit then determines a communication pattern of the monitored communication, evaluates if the communication is efficient or not based on the communication pattern and changes communication strategy if the communication pattern is found to be inefficient. Change in strategy is performed through disrupting communication between the application unit and the proxy unit using the data communication protocol and instead ensuring that communication between the proxy unit and application unit is performed based on a signalling protocol via a signalling communication unit (20).
US08971809B2
Disclosed is a dummy touch screen system. The dummy touch screen system includes a host mobile terminal and a dummy touch screen. Here, the host mobile terminal includes a first touch screen unit having a first touch panel and a first display, a first application module driven by receiving a first touch signal generated by a touch of the first touch panel, a first display module receiving a first image signal output by a drive of the first application module, a first image communication module receiving a second image signal output by the drive of the first application module, and a first human interface device (HID) module transmitting a touch signal transmitted from the outside to the first application module. The dummy touch screen includes a second image communication module receiving the second image signal, a second display module receiving the second image signal from the second image communication module, a second touch screen unit having a second display displaying a second image display signal output by a drive of the second display module, and a second HID module receiving a second touch signal generated by a touch of the second touch panel.
US08971808B2
A multi mode wireless device can communicate with cellular and non-cellular networks. The device has first and second processors in communication with each other. In one arrangement, the first processor provides control processing for physical layer 1 processing for both the cellular and the non-cellular radio communications in parallel, and the second processor provides processing for data link layer 2 for both the cellular and the non-cellular radio communications in parallel, and the device can communicate with the cellular and non-cellular networks simultaneously. In another arrangement, the first processor provides control processing for physical layer 1 processing for both the cellular and the non-cellular radio communications in parallel, and the second processor provides processing for data link layer 2 and all layers above layer 2 in the device for both the cellular and the non-cellular radio communications in parallel.
US08971806B2
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a scalable wireless bus for intra-chip and inter-chip communication. The scalable wireless bus includes a plurality of wireless-enabled components (WECs). In an embodiment, the scalable wireless bus may have at least one of the number of links among WECs and the capacity of said links adapted based on one or more factors. For example, the number of links and the capacity of the links may be adapted according to one or more of, among other factors, expected activity level over the wireless bus, desired power consumption, delay, and interference levels.
US08971798B2
A method, apparatus, and computer program for authenticating a newly activated local area base station in a cellular network is presented. The newly activated local area base station, associated with a sub-cell located within a coverage area of a wide area base station of a cellular telecommunication system, is paired with the wide area base station on the basis of information enabling identification of the wide area base station and originating from the local area base station. Then, transfer of a radio communication identifier to the local area base station is arranged over a wired connection.
US08971795B2
A display generating device includes a display screen generator generating a display screen showing connection status between each wireless communication device in a wireless network in which a plurality of the wireless communication devices operate in an autonomous and distributed manner, and a detector detecting an operation of changing connection status performed by a user via the display screen generated by the display screen generator, wherein, when the operation of changing connection status is detected by the detector, the display generating device performs a change process of reflecting the content of the operation of changing connection status.
US08971791B2
A method of distributing media content using mobile communication devices including providing media access cards which promote selected media content to users of such devices whereby a user may access a web server associated with the media access cards and download application software enabling access to selected media content via a mobile device, the media access cards including a machine readable identification number code that identifies media content associated with the card whereby the application software facilitates reading and transmitting the code to a web server via the mobile device, receiving the identification number with the web server and using the identification number to locate a table value in a database wherein a plurality of media access cards identification numbers are associated with a media content table value, using the table value to identify media codes associated with the selected content server which transmits media to the mobile device.
US08971786B2
In a ticket printer, an end of a paper sensor has an optic emitter and receiver arranged one after the other in the paper advancement direction and operationally connected together via a signal guide. The emitter and the receiver are arranged on one side of the path of the paper whereas the signal guide is arranged on the opposite side.
US08971779B2
A fixing device includes a support supporting a nip formation assembly that presses against an opposed rotary body via an endless belt to form a fixing nip between the endless belt and the opposed rotary body. The support includes a base contacting the nip formation assembly. An upstream projection projects from the base in a pressurization direction of the opposed rotary body at a position on the base corresponding to or upstream from an upstream edge of the fixing nip in a recording medium conveyance direction. A downstream projection projects from the base in the pressurization direction of the opposed rotary body at a position on the base corresponding to or downstream from a downstream edge of the fixing nip in the recording medium conveyance direction. The downstream projection is spaced apart from the upstream projection in the recording medium conveyance direction.
US08971777B2
A fixing device includes: a cylinder member that rotates in a circumferential direction thereof; a circulating member that circularly moves in a circumferential direction thereof and is pressed against the cylinder member; a heat source that heats a recording medium holding an unfixed toner image and nipped between the cylinder member and the circulating member; and a pressing member provided inside the circulating member, and including a nip forming portion that presses the circulating member against the cylinder member to form a nip region therebetween, and a thrusting portion that thrusts, upstream of the nip forming portion in a moving direction of the circulating member, and from inside the circulating member toward the cylinder member, the circulating member before being pressed against the cylinder member such that the thrust is greater in end portions of the circulating member than in a central portion of the circulating member.
US08971776B2
A fixing device for thermally fixing a developing agent image to a sheet includes: a flexible tubular member having an inner peripheral surface and circularly moving in a moving direction while the developing agent image is thermally fixed; a heater; a nip member being in sliding contact with the tubular member; a backup member nipping the tubular member in cooperation with the nip member; a stay covering the heater and supporting the nip member; an electric component positioned opposite to the heater with respect to the stay; and a frame supporting the electric component. The frame includes: an isolating portion interposed between the tubular member and the electric component for isolating the electric component from the tubular member; and a guide portion guiding the inner peripheral surface of the tubular member while the flexible tubular member is moving in the moving direction.
US08971775B2
A fixing device for thermally fixing a developing agent image to a sheet includes: a flexible tubular member having an inner peripheral surface defining an internal space; a heater; a nip member being in sliding contact with the inner peripheral surface of the flexible tubular member and having an electrically conductive surface; a stay supporting the nip member and being electrically conductive and electrically connected to the electrically conductive surface; a backup member nipping the flexible tubular member in cooperation with the nip member; a supporting member supporting the nip member and the stay, the supporting member being movable relative to the backup member; and a first grounding member disposed to be in contact with the stay for grounding the stay, the first grounding member being supported to the supporting member such that the first grounding member is integrally movable with the supporting member.
US08971774B2
A fuser includes a first roller that includes a first elastic layer, a belt member provided on, and rotates around, the first roller, a second roller that includes a second elastic layer and that forms a nip part by pressing, through the belt member, the first roller, and a heating member that heats the belt member. A thickness of the second elastic layer of the second roller is less than a thickness of the first elastic layer of the first roller.
US08971769B2
A development device can include a developer containing part containing developer, a carrier to carry developer that is supplied from the developer containing part to a development range, a partition dividing the developer containing part into a supply part and a circulation part beneath the supply part to collect developer from the carrier, a first transport member in the supply part of the developer containing part to supply developer from the supply part to the carrier, and a second transport member in the circulation part to transport developer in the circulation part in an axial direction of the carrier. The device can also include a removable seal member, which seals a supplied-developer and/or a collected-developer communicating area.
US08971766B2
The present invention provides an electrophotographic member capable of more definitely suppressing occurrence of a C set image. The electrophotographic member has a surface layer including a modified polysiloxane having a structure represented by the following formula (1). In the formula (1), G represents a bivalent group having an ethylene oxide chain represented by (—O—C2H4—) and L represents polysiloxane having at least a SiO4/2(Q) unit or a SiO3/2(T) unit.
US08971763B2
An image heating apparatus comprising an endless belt for heating a toner image on a recording material; a holding member for holding the endless belt at an inside of the endless belt; a temperature sensor, provided inside the endless belt, for detecting a temperature of the endless belt; and a moving mechanism moved the temperature sensor between a first position for detecting the temperature of the endless belt and a second position for permitting the endless belt to be taken out of the holding member substantially along a longitudinal direction of the holding member.
US08971756B2
An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming portion; an image forming portion supporting frame having opposing first and second side surfaces; first and second frame supporting portions provided, in contact to a disposition surface of the apparatus, close to the first side surface; a third frame supporting portion provided, in contact to the disposition surface, close to the second side surface; and an auxiliary leg adjustable to a height where it does not contact the disposition surface and a height where it contacts the disposition surface. The auxiliary leg is provided in a side which is away from the third supporting portion in a direction of change of the center of gravity by mounting of the optional unit to the image forming apparatus.
US08971755B2
A remanufactured laser printer toner cartridge, and methods, having an added primary charge roller cleaning roller assembly. In an exemplary embodiment, the cleaning roller assembly engages the bare ends the primary charge roller shafts; installation of the cleaning roller assembly into the cartridge is accomplished by reinstalling the primary charge roller, with the assembly, into the cartridge's primary charge roller shaft saddles. The cleaning roller may be adapted to rotate through contact with the primary charge roller.
US08971745B2
An image forming apparatus includes first and second image-forming portions and an intermediate transporting portion. A control unit checks fixing units in the image-forming portions and determines whether or not the fixing unit in the first image-forming portion is a fixing unit for an envelope. If not, the control unit controls a manipulation and display unit to display guidance for urging a user to exchange the first fixing unit. If so, the control unit determines whether or not too fixing unit in the second image-forming portion is a fixing unit for an envelope. If not, the control portion controls a manipulation and display unit to display a guidance for urging a user to exchange the second fixing unit. If both of fixing units in the first and second image-forming portions are fixing units for the envelope, the control unit allows an envelope mode control operation.
US08971741B2
An image forming device includes each of developing devices including an image carrying part, a charging part that charges the image carrying part, a developing part on which a developing voltage is applied and which attaches developer to the image carrying part to develop the electrostatic latent image, and a control part that controls each of the developing devices. The developers are a white developer and other color developers, one of the developing devices using the white developer being defined the white developing device, the others using the other color developers being defined the non-white developing devices, and a developing potential difference of the white developing device is smaller than other developing potential differences of the non-white developing devices, the developing potential difference being defined between the developing voltage and potential of the image carrying part of the each developing device.
US08971739B2
A pattern detection sensor includes a light emitting element for specular reflection, a light emitting element for diffuse reflection light, and a light receiving element. When turning on the light emitting element for specular reflection to emit light, a light source switching unit keeps off the light emitting element for diffuse reflection light. When turning on the light emitting element for diffuse reflection light to emit light, the light source switching unit keeps off the light emitting element for specular reflection. An offset detection unit detects a difference between a detection timing by specular reflection light and another detection timing by diffuse reflection light as an offset value (mutual detection error).
US08971738B2
There is provided a recording medium imaging device capable of properly selecting pixels used for determining the kind of the recording medium from the captured surface image to remove pixels from which the surface property of the recording medium cannot be properly determined because the pixels extremely high in light quantity are affected by some sort of dirt or scratches in determining the kind of a recording medium. This allows the determination of kind of the recording medium based on the normally captured surface image to reduce the decrease in accuracy in determining the kind of the recording medium.
US08971734B2
An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable member which is provided on and rotatable about a rotation shaft in a detachably mountable developing unit containing a developer and has flexibility so that it is flexed depending on a resistance of the developer; an electroconductive member to be detected which is provided on the rotatable member; a detecting electrode provided in a neighborhood of an outer wall surface of a bottom of the developing unit; a converting portion for detecting an electrostatic capacity between the member to be detected and the detecting electrode and for converting the electrostatic capacity into an electric signal; a measuring portion for measuring a time duration in which the electric signal converted by the converting portion exceeds a predetermined threshold; and a discriminating portion for discriminating an amount of the developer on the basis of the time duration measured by the measuring portion.
US08971733B2
An image forming unit includes an image forming part forming an image, and a developer containing part containing a developer, removably installed to the image forming part, and supplying the developer to the image forming part. The image forming part includes a first memory part storing first usage information indicating usage information of the image forming part and second usage information indicating usage information of the developer in the image forming part.
US08971724B2
A characteristic compensation method includes obtaining compensation information when degradation of a transmission characteristic of an optical transmission path of a received light signal is compensated for by using digital signal processing with respect to an electric signal obtained by photoelectrically converting the light signal, calculating an compensation value for a characteristic compensation device that optically compensates for degradation of the transmission characteristic to start characteristic compensation, based on the compensation information with respect to the light signal, setting the compensation value in the characteristic compensation device, and switching a state in which compensation is done using the digital signal processing to a state in which compensation is done using the characteristic compensation device after the setting of the compensation value is completed.
US08971721B2
A method for bidirectional optical communication comprising the steps of:—at a first optical line terminal, directly modulating a laser source to generate a downstream optical signal which has an optical power spectrum comprising two peaks having a frequency separation and a non zero power difference at generation;—propagating said downstream optical signal at a distance along an optical line comprising at least a first optical fiber propagating said downstream optical signal to a second optical line terminal;—at the second optical line terminal: power splitting said downstream optical signal to generate a first and a second power portion of said downstream optical signal, spatially separated; passive filtering said first power portion of said downstream optical signal so as to increase in absolute value a respective power difference of said two peaks, so as to obtain a filtered optical signal which is thereafter detected; and amplitude modulating the second power portion of the downstream optical signal so as to obtain an upstream optical signal having a second amplitude modulation;—propagating back along said optical line the upstream optical signal to the first optical line terminal;—at said first optical line terminal, detecting said upstream optical signal; wherein the method further comprises the step of passive filtering said downstream optical signal and/or said second power portion of the downstream optical signal and/or said upstream optical signal, so as to lower, in absolute value, a respective non zero power difference of said two peaks.
US08971713B2
In some embodiments, an identification and communication system described herein comprises one or more query units and one or more response units, wherein at least one query unit comprises a query beam source operable to emit a query beam and at least one response unit comprises at least one detector comprising an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) comprising an amplifier operable to amplify the query beam. In some embodiments, a system comprises one or more query units and one or more response units, wherein at least one response unit comprises at least one detector capable of detecting incident radiation having a power of about 100 pW or less. In some embodiments, a system comprises at least one component of a response unit disposed in a first housing mounted to a weapon and at least one component of a query unit disposed in a second housing mounted to the weapon.
US08971712B2
Certain implementations of the disclosed technology may include systems, methods, and apparatus for carrier-embedded optical radio-over-fiber (RoF) communications. Example embodiments of the method may include modulating a baseband signal with and an intermediate frequency (IF) and a radio frequency (RF) carrier signal to produce a RF modulated optical signal, transmitting the RF modulated optical signal to a remote access point with an optical fiber, and detecting the transmitted RF modulated optical signal. The method may also include receiving a RF uplink signal and mixing a harmonic of the RF carrier signal with the received RF uplink signal to down-convert the received RF uplink signal to an IF uplink signal. The method may include modulating a second optical source with the IF uplink signal to produce an IF uplink optical signal, transmitting the IF uplink optical signal via an optical fiber, and detecting the IF uplink optical signal.
US08971707B2
Use in LAN cable applications, as materials for the coating of the primary cable and for the external jacket, of TFE thermoprocessable perfluoropolymers comprising perfluoroalkylvinylethers in the following amounts, expressed as percent by weight on the total of the monomers: a) 0-5.5% of perfluoromethylvinylether (PMVE); b) 0.4-4.5% of perfluoroethylvinylether (PEVE) and/or perfluoropropylvinylether (PPVE); when a) is present, then a)+b) ranges from 1.5% to 5.5% by weight on the total of the monomers; optionally c) 0-6% of hexafluoropropene (HFP); the TFE amount being the complement to 100% by weight.
US08971705B2
A method and system for transient and switching stabilization of a fiber optic transport system. One or more data-bearing channels are coupled to an optical fiber. The data-bearing channels are distributed among a plurality of frequency sub-bands. A set of control channels is also coupled to the optical fiber. Each control channel includes a pair of signals at separate frequencies. There is at least one control channel in each of the plurality of frequency sub-bands. The pair of signals of a control channel are cross-polarized. Optical power in at least one of the plurality of sub-bands is measured. Responsive to the measured optical power, the optical power of a control channel is adjusted to maintain a substantially constant power of a sub-band that contains the adjusted control channel.
US08971700B2
A bidirectional monitor module includes a 2×2 optical coupler configured to output input light that is input from a first port to a second port and drop the input light input from the first port to a third port and also output input light that is input from the second port to the first port and drop the input light input from the second port to a fourth port; an optical output unit configured to output one of light that is dropped and output from the third port and light that is dropped and output from the fourth port; and a monitor unit configured to monitor optical power of the light output from the optical output unit.
US08971699B2
An optical network failure recovery method for a passive optical network is provided. The method includes steps of: obtaining at least one round-trip delay value according to an equalization delay value of at least one optical network unit with respect to an operating optical line terminal; sorting the round-trip delay values in an increasing order and obtaining a minimum round-trip delay value; obtaining at least one difference between the minimum round-trip delay value and the round-trip delay value of each of the optical network units; and adjusting a start time and a stop time in a bandwidth map for a ranging response message replied by each of the optical network units according to the at least one difference.
US08971698B2
A viewfinder for attaching to a device having image-capturing capability has a structure for supporting an eyepiece, an engagement interface implemented on the structure to engage a complementary portion of a device having image-capture capability in a specific direction, and at least one eyepiece attached to the structure, such that the eyepiece has an axis proceeding in the specific direction with the viewfinder engaged to the device having image-capture capability.
US08971694B2
An on demand tankless water heater system that is capable of quickly delivering water within a desired temperature range. The tankless water heater provides a hybrid heating method that contains a primary heating system and a secondary heating system disposed in a buffer tank that cooperate to facilitate control of output water temperature during water usage. A pressure differential switch detects low flow demand and allows the secondary heating system to provide immediate heating to the water. This secondary heating system provides a faster temperature response and fine tuning of output water temperature.
US08971693B2
Methods, computer readable media, and apparatuses for switching streams in response to detecting a start trigger are presented. A program's start trigger indicating that the program is upcoming may be detected on a first stream, and in response to detecting the start trigger on the first stream, a second stream containing the program may be switched to. The program may be a video program. Segment triggers may be detected and may be used to selectively record and/or delete segments of the program according to a priority scheme. Multiple start triggers may be detected at decreasing time intervals. The existence of a recording conflict may be determined based on a program's start trigger and a user may be alerted of the recording conflict.
US08971687B2
An image displaying apparatus, an image editing apparatus, an image editing system, an image displaying method and an image editing method are disclosed. The image displaying apparatus includes an image processing unit which captures a still image, a communication module which communicates with an external device, and a control unit which controls an edited image to be displayed.
US08971680B2
A method is provided for controlling the collimation of light from a backlight top surface. A backlight device includes a first waveguide and a transparent top film overlying the first waveguide top surface. A plurality of bubble structures is formed in the top film bottom surface, having a refractive index less than a first waveguide medium. A plurality of lenses overlies the top film top surface, where each lens is aligned overlying a corresponding gap (W) between bubble structures. The method forms a maximum angle (α) of light propagation through the first waveguide medium. In response to the values W and H (bubble structure height), light, having the maximum angle (α) of light propagation, is reflected off the bubble structure sides, through total internal reflection, into the top film. The method collimates in a vertical direction, orthogonal to the horizontal direction, light exiting the top film through the lenses.
US08971675B2
An interferometric modulator array is formed with connectors and/or an encapsulation layer with electrical connections. The encapsulation layer hermetically seals the array. Circuitry may also be formed over the array.
US08971671B2
A tunable Radio Frequency (RF) filter device includes a tunable optical source generating an optical carrier signal, and a modulator coupled to the tunable optical source and modulating the optical carrier signal with an RF input signal. The tunable RF filter device may include first and second optical waveguide paths coupled to the modulator and having first and second dispersion slopes of opposite sign from each other, one or more of the first and second optical waveguide paths comprising an optical splitter and combiner pair therein, and an optical-to-electrical converter coupled to the first and second optical waveguide paths and generating an RF output signal with a frequency notch therein based upon the tunable optical source.
US08971670B2
A system includes preparing respective proof reading tools for performing carpet proof reading and side-by-side proof reading of text data, recording a log of time to perform proof reading operations by using the first and second proof reading tools. The method further includes estimating, based on times stored in a log, times to perform proof reading of a character using 1) the first proof reading tool followed by using the second proof reading tool, and 2) the second proof reading tool. The method further includes determining for each character value, based on the estimated times, to use the first proof reading tool along with using the second proof reading tool and determining, or to use the second proof reading tool without using the first proof reading tool.
US08971668B2
Each of multiple images is analyzed to determine how the colors of the pixels of the image are distributed throughout the color space of the image. Different covariance based characteristics of the image are determined that identify a direction, as well as magnitude in each direction, of the distribution of colors of the image pixels. These different covariance based characteristics that are determined for an image can be saved as associated with the image, allowing the characteristics to be accessed and used as a basis for searching the images to identify particular types of images. These different covariance based characteristics can also be used to order the images identified by a search.
US08971666B2
A fisheye correction with perspective distortion reduction method used for saving memory space and reducing perspective distortion includes a coordinate transformation function, a fisheye distorted image and a fisheye corrected image, the fisheye corrected image includes a plurality of pixels, for each pixel of the plurality of pixels, orderly calculating a coordinate value in the fisheye distorted image, and according to the coordinate value, calculating a pixel value of the fisheye corrected image via an interpolation method, wherein the coordinate transformation function includes a fisheye correction coordinate transformation, a perspective distortion reduction coordinate transformation and an image crop and scale coordinate transformation.
US08971661B2
Methods are disclosed relating to the production of camouflage that include steps such as harvesting a set of objects that have a diversity of color from the environment, placing the set of objects within a scene, capturing a set of images of the scene, adjusting color in the set of images, assembling a composite image, printing the composite image, making color adjustments and reprinting the composite image.
US08971656B2
The present disclosure provides an encoding/decoding method using a tree structure. The encoding method for encoding image information includes: grouping predetermined areas having the image information into a plurality of groups, and generating a node value of each layer up to an uppermost layer by determining a minimum value or a maximum value of information to be encoded within grouped areas as information on the grouped areas; and encoding a difference value between the node value of each layer and a node value of an upper layer or a difference value between the node value of each layer and a value determined based on a preset criterion. Accordingly, the encoding efficiency and in turn the video compression efficiency are improved by using the tree structure in the encoding of various pieces of image information and the decoding of the resultant encoded data.
US08971655B2
An encoding method for encoding of images and corresponding decoding method is disclosed, as well as an encoder and a decoder. The encoding method comprises creating, in an encoder, a residual block from an original block and a prediction block which is an approximation of the original block, wherein the created residual block comprises residual block elements. The en-coding method further comprises re-ordering, in the encoder, the residual block elements within the residual block; and applying, in the encoder, a transform to the re-ordered residual block. By re-ordering the residual block elements prior to applying a transform, an improved efficiency of the encoding may be obtained.
US08971643B2
A method and system are described for preparing a batch of data sets for a batch processing using a predetermined correlation encoding operation. The batch of data sets may be analyzed to determine a plurality of correlation parameters representing degrees of correlation between member data sets of said batch of data sets. The correlation parameters may be used to generate an optimized correlation dependency graph of the member sets. The optimized correlation dependency graph may be used for performing the predetermined correlation encoding operation. By optimizing the correlation dependencies between data sets for subsequent processing, e.g. data compression, of the data sets, the advantages of correlation encoding may be used, even for data sets which appear a priori to be unordered and only weakly correlated.
US08971623B2
Some embodiments provide several on-image tools of image editing application for applying effects to an image. Some on-image tools are visible to the user and are overlaid on the image. Some on-image tools are not visible. The tools are for receiving a selection of a location of the image and for applying effects to at least an area of the image that does not include the location of the image.
US08971614B2
A computer system may elicit from a human observer ground truth data useful in automatically detecting one or more features in images. The elicitation may include presenting an image to a human observer that has a visual indicator in an image, the visual indicator indicating having a location and orientation with respect to the image; asking the human observer to judge whether a particular image feature is present in the image at the location and orientation indicated by the visual indicator; receiving input from the human observer indicative of whether the particular image feature is present at the location and orientation indicated by the visual indicator; storing the input received from the human observer as part of the human-labeled ground truth data; and repeating the process described above one or more times in connection with a visual indicator that has a different location or orientation with respect to the image or that uses a different image. The stored human-labeled ground truth data may have a content that is useful in automatically detecting one or more features in other images.
US08971613B2
Disclosed is an image processing learning device with which face direction estimation processing and face detection processing can be executed simultaneously and with high precision without incurring significant costs. The image processing learning device comprises: a face direction identification unit, a position estimation unit, a face identification unit, a first update quantity calculation unit, a second update quantity calculation unit, and a parameter update unit.
US08971612B2
Learning image processing tasks from scene reconstructions is described where the tasks may include but are not limited to: image de-noising, image in-painting, optical flow detection, interest point detection. In various embodiments training data is generated from a 2 or higher dimensional reconstruction of a scene and from empirical images of the same scene. In an example a machine learning system learns at least one parameter of a function for performing the image processing task by using the training data. In an example, the machine learning system comprises a random decision forest. In an example, the scene reconstruction is obtained by moving an image capture apparatus in an environment where the image capture apparatus has an associated dense reconstruction and camera tracking system.
US08971607B2
In order to execute a high-resolution reconstructible distance-driven back projection process and to generate a high-resolution tomographic image, an X-ray CT apparatus 1 determines the presence/absence of opposing data corresponding to each piece of target data on the basis of scanning conditions, and calculates a phase range where opposing data is present (Step 21). The X-ray CT apparatus 1 performs high-resolution conversion of a zero-insertion method on a phase range where opposing data is present, and performs high-resolution conversion using a data interpolation method on a phase range where no opposing data is present, thereby creating double sampled high-resolution projection data, and calculates a view weight (Step 22). The X-ray CT apparatus 1 performs a distance-driven high-resolution back projection process using high-resolution projection data and generates a reconstructed image (Step 23).
US08971600B2
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is provided for displaying a color map on which a difference in blood flow dynamics is reflected. Setting a test subject who is administered a contrast agent is assumed as an imaging target, and a probe transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from the target for contrast imaging. Image data is constructed based on signals received by the probe and a time-intensity curve is generated from intensity values of the image data. According to the time-intensity curve, a value of a predetermined parameter is calculated for producing a distribution image of blood flow dynamics. The distribution image (color map) of the blood flow dynamics is produced from the parameter value. The color map is a two-dimensional or a three-dimensional image being color-coded according to the parameter value. At least one of the followings may be used as the parameter; a contrast agent inflow start time, a balanced intensity arrival time, a contrast agent disappearance start time, a contrast agent duration, a preset threshold arrival time, an intensity increase rate, an intensity decrease rate, intensity of balanced state, and a total flow amount.
US08971597B2
Robotic devices, systems, and methods for use in telesurgical therapies through minimally invasive apertures make use of joint-based data throughout much of the robotic kinematic chain, but selectively rely on information from an image capture device to determine location and orientation along the linkage adjacent a pivotal center at which a shaft of the robotic surgical tool enters the patient. A bias offset may be applied to a pose (including both an orientation and a location) at the pivotal center to enhance accuracy. The bias offset may be applied as a simple rigid transformation from the image-based pivotal center pose to a joint-based pivotal center pose.
US08971596B2
A method for searching a database comprising data related to a plurality of fingerprints. Two or more feature points in an image of an unknown fingerprint are identified. A plurality of properties are generated. The plurality of properties are based on the two or more feature points. A number comprising a plurality of digits, e.g. binary digits, is assigned to each of the plurality of properties. In a subsequent step, a numeric representation of said fingerprint is generated based on the assigned numbers. The numeric representation is generated by interleaving the plurality of digits, such that the digits of the numeric representation are arranged in an interleaved or intertwined manner within the numeric representation. The numeric representation is used as a search argument when searching the database. The invention also relates to an apparatus and computer program product.
US08971595B2
A method for searching a database comprising data related to a plurality of fingerprints. Two or more feature points in an image of an unknown fingerprint are identified. A plurality of properties are generated. The plurality of properties are based on the two or more feature points. A number comprising a plurality of digits, e.g. binary digits, is assigned to each of the plurality of properties. In a subsequent step, a numeric representation of said fingerprint is generated based on the assigned numbers. The numeric representation is generated by interleaving the plurality of digits, such that the digits of the numeric representation are arranged in an interleaved or intertwined manner within the numeric representation. The numeric representation is used as a search argument when searching the database. The invention also relates to an apparatus and computer program product.
US08971589B2
A method for determining feature point locations in an image performs a first search in a predetermined first search area to search for locations of plural feature points in the image, corrects the locations of the plural feature points based on a geometric layout relationship among the plural feature points searched for, sets a second search area based on the corrected location of each of the feature points, and performs a second search in the second search area to search for the location of each of the feature points. Then, the method determines reliability of the location of each feature point searched for by the second search and selects one of the corrected location and the location searched for by the second search, as a location of the feature point.
US08971587B2
In various embodiments, methods, systems, and computer program products for processing digital images captured by a mobile device are disclosed. Myriad features enable and/or facilitate processing of such digital images using a mobile device that would otherwise be technically impossible or impractical, and furthermore address unique challenges presented by images captured using a camera rather than a traditional flat-bed scanner, paper-feed scanner, or multifunction peripheral. Particularly advantageous features include robustly detecting edges of one or more documents depicted in the digital image data, and defining/locating document pages at least partially on this basis. The statistical approaches employed enable robust yet computationally efficient techniques to accomplish page detection, and associated functions, using hardware typically included in mobile devices and within practical (especially temporal) limits imposed by device manufacturers, users, associated and/or downstream computational and/or business processes.
US08971583B2
A distance measurement apparatus and a distance measurement method are provided. The apparatus includes a line-shaped laser transmitter, an image sensing device and a processing unit. The line-shaped laser transmitter transmits a line-shaped laser, and the image sensing device senses the line-shaped laser to output a line-shaped laser image. The processing unit receives the line-shaped laser image, and segments the line-shaped laser image into several sub-line-shaped laser images. The processing unit further calculates a vertical position for a laser line in each sub-line-shaped laser image, and outputs each distance information according to the corresponding sub-line-shaped laser image and a transformation relation.
US08971578B2
There is provided a driving support apparatus. A recognition controller determines whether an object detected by processing a captured image by an object detection unit is a smoke-like object or not in a smoke-like object determination unit. When the detected object is determined to be the smoke-like object, the recognition controller checks a range distribution in a region of the smoke-like object, adds the result as attribute information of “density”, and transmits the resultant to a controller. The controller decides in a support operation level decision unit whether a pre-crash brake control can be executed or not and an intensity of an operation based on the attribute information of the smoke-like object. Thus, even if the smoke-like object is detected, an appropriate driving support process according to the condition can be executed.
US08971577B2
A monitoring device has a detection target person storage part in which a feature of a face of each detection target person is stored, an image processor that processes images captured with a plurality of imaging devices having different imaging areas, and detects the image in which the detection target person stored in the detection target person storage part is captured, a detection information storage part in which detection information is stored, the detection information including the detection target person, imaging area, and imaging date and time with respect to the image in which the detection target person detected by the image processor is captured, and a reliability calculator that calculates a degree of detection reliability in the image processor based on a time-space rationality, the time-space rationality being determined from a plurality of pieces of detection information on each detection target person.
US08971563B2
A docking station includes a main body, a supporting arm projecting from the main body, and a rotating member rotatably coupled to the supporting arm and retaining the electronic device. The rotating member is capable of rotating from a first position to a second position different from the first position, when the rotating member rotates to the first position, the electronic device is supported in a first orientation, and when the rotating member rotates to the second position, the electronic device is supported in a second orientation.
US08971560B2
A speaker assembly comprises a portable device receiver and leg, allowing users to enjoy hands free viewing or listening experience. The sound system can be configured to provide an enhanced listening experience via at least one of a virtual surround system, a speaker driver, one or more speakers, adjustable control functions, and retained or increased acoustic power.
US08971556B2
Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media are provided for remotely controlling a hearing device. A hearing device configured to communicate with a control device transmits status data, including settings, to the control device. The control device displays the status data in an interface configured to receive input specifying new settings, upon which a command is sent to the hearing device to change the current setting. The control device can automatically change the settings based on a determined current environment to be a stored program optimized to the current environment. The current environment can be determined based on the location of the hearing device or another device connected to the control device. Quick mode allows settings to be viewed and changed quickly by displaying multiple related settings as one and overriding interface buttons. Remote listen mode receives audio data from a microphone and transmit it to the hearing device.
US08971554B2
A hearing aid comprising a first sensor for sensing a first parameter indicative of a use situation of the hearing aid, wherein the hearing aid is adapted to change into a high power mode or a low power mode in response to the a first control signal from the first sensor. A second sensor for sensing a second parameter indicative of a use situation of the hearing aid may also be used as well.
US08971547B2
A loudspeaker array and methods for generating sound in an arc pattern. The loudspeaker array includes a plurality of loudspeakers. A delay network is included, the delay network having a plurality of stages. Each stage has a stage input and a stage output. The stage output of each stage is coupled to the stage input of a next stage. Each stage output is also connected to at least one of the plurality of loudspeakers. The stage input of the first stage is coupled to an audio signal input. Each stage is configured to add an electrical delay of the audio signal at each subsequent stage. The electrical delay is adjusted such that the plurality of loudspeakers generates sound in a desired radiation pattern.
US08971546B2
Systems, methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture to control audio playback devices are disclosed. An example audio playback device includes an audio output device to generate audio signals based on a signal source, a device interface to receive a first message from a first audio information source, and a source selector to change the signal source from a second audio information source to the first audio information source based on the first message.
US08971541B2
A method and apparatus are provided for generating a personalized radio channel playlist by simultaneously buffering tracks from multiple received channels from one or more source streams and selectively playing back tracks from the buffered channels. Navigation tools permit users to skip buffered songs in their playlist (e.g., skip forward and backward). Users can specify favorite channels for building personal playlists, or multiple default playlist channels can be provided (e.g., by genre). Thumbs up/down buttons on the radio receiver permit entering a song or artist being played back into a favorites list that is used to search all channels for matches or a banned list used to block songs from future playlists. A matched channel carrying the favorite can be added to a playlist. Segments on the playlist can be played back in full or truncated to facilitate preview of playlist segments.
US08971532B1
Systems and methods for content-protecting video codecs are described. At least one embodiment of the invention comprises a system for protecting video content comprising computer memory comprising a stored set of instructions for processing video data; and at least one microprocessor configured to process the video data according to the stored set of instructions, the stored set of instructions requiring identification of data to be removed, at least a portion of which is essential to obtaining a visually acceptable reproduction of video, the stored set of instructions being further configured to replace removed data with data-hiding values, wherein the visually acceptable reproduction of video cannot be generated without a key that enables recovery of enough of the removed data from the data-hiding values that replaced the removed data.
US08971530B2
Embodiments of an invention for cryptographic key generation using a stored input value and a stored count value have been described. In one embodiment, a processor includes non-volatile storage storing an input value and a count value, and logic to generate a cryptographic key based on the stored input value and the stored count value.
US08971521B2
A system for assuring agent connection for outbound calls placed in an automated outbound calling campaign includes an outbound dialing server, a digital data repository coupled to the outbound dialing server, the data repository storing outbound dialing records for automated outbound dialing, and software executing on the outbound dialing server from a non-transitory physical medium, the software providing a first function for determining for a specific outbound dialing record if the connection to a live agent must be an assured connection, a second function for dialing and engaging an agent via an internal call for reservation of the agent, and a third function for bridging the call connections forged between the system and the agent and the system and the outbound party upon answer of the outbound call.
US08971518B1
Systems and methods for providing customer service are provided herein. The systems and methods provide techniques for providing a communication center comprising a plurality of representatives, receiving a request for communication from a first party, determining an available representative from the plurality of representatives and a representative available time period for the request for communication, preventing the available representative from communicating with a second party during the representative available time period, providing the first party with communication information, and connecting the first party to the available representative during the representative available time period.
US08971515B2
A system and a method for streaming audio data to a plurality of callers in a telecommunication system have been disclosed. The system facilitates streaming of audio data to a plurality of callers by establishing a single connection with an audio data publisher. The system receives the audio data from the audio data publisher over the internet or a similar network and streams the audio data to a plurality of callers over a telecommunication network. The audio data can be streamed to a caller as a ring-back tone of a callee.
US08971513B2
A device receives information associated with a calling party, validates the calling party for an originating locator service based on the calling party information, and sends an instruction to play an announcement requesting information associated with a called party. The device also receives the called party information from the calling party in response to the announcement, and retrieves called party destination information based on the called party information. The device then sends an instruction to originate a sequence of calls to the called party based on the called party destination information.
US08971508B2
A subscriber to a universal point of contact service designates a preferred point of contact at which a communication initiator, such as a telephone caller, can contact the subscriber. Such an initiator desiring to contact the subscriber uses the subscriber's email address to establish a communication session with a device associated with the subscriber's preferred point of contact. The subscriber's email address is input to an initiating device, preferably a telephone or facsimile machine, using an entry device capable of entering an email address. A requestor unit, receiving the email address, locates a repository of the subscriber's point of contact information, and requests that information. The repository sends the point of contact information the subscriber has designated as preferred, and the requestor unit uses that information to control a telephone switch to establish a communication session between the initiating device and the subscriber's preferred point of contact device.
US08971507B2
A facsimile server includes: a communication section configured to receive a transmit file containing meta-information relating to a phone number and transmit information from an external device, a facsimile image generating section configured to convert the transmit information into a facsimile image, a phone number processing section configured to obtain the phone number from the meta-information, and a FAX modem processing section configured to connect to a public switched telephone network according to the phone number obtained by the phone number processing section and transmit the facsimile image to the public switched telephone network.
US08971506B2
A method for providing confirmation of a request for a target communicated using text messaging includes receiving, by a sending system, a request for a target. The method further includes selecting, by the sending system, a telephone number from a list of telephone numbers, wherein a mapping is created between the request, the selected telephone number, the target, and a target contact. Additionally, the method includes sending, by the sending system to the target contact using the selected telephone number, a text message indicating the request for the target. Moreover, the method includes receiving a reply message from the target contact using the selected telephone number, and determining that the reply message comprises a reply to the request for the target by comparing the target contact and the selected telephone number for the reply message to the mapping.
US08971502B2
Disclosed are systems and techniques for identifying VoIP phone connector locations whereby an emergency call request can be specifically located on a VoIP phone network. This system addresses prior-art shortcomings in which the location information is attempted to be tracked with identification information stored in VoIP phones, or in which databases of location information are created relative to MAC addresses of component pieces of the VoIP phone network (such as the VoIP phones themselves, data switches, or LAN routers) in that the VoIP phone connectors are fixedly mounted in buildings and their locations can be more reliably fixed and maintained. Further described are methods for establishing databases of location and/or caller information associated with these VoIP phone connectors. Still further described are VoIP phone server embodiments that enable the location and/or caller information to be determined according to the associated VoIP phone connectors and for that information to be transmitted both to public safety access points and to campus security networks, and for emergency calls to be bridged both to public safety access points and to campus security networks.
US08971499B1
A method and apparatus of processing a customer call is disclosed. The customer call may be initiated for an interactive voice response (IVR) type call system. One example method may include processing an interactive voice response (IVR) customer call. The method may include receiving customer call input to IVR call menu prompts, evaluating customer call interactions with the IVR call menu prompts, and calculating at least one usability score of the customer's interactions with the IVR call menu prompts. The method may also include displaying the results of the at least one usability scores on a user interface.
US08971496B2
An X-ray waveguide showing a small propagation loss and having a waveguide mode with its phase controlled is provided. The X-ray waveguide including: a core for guiding an X-ray in a wavelength band that a real part of the refractive index of a material is 1 or less; and a cladding for confining the X-ray in the core, in which: the X-ray is confined in the core by total reflection at a interface between the core and the cladding; in the core multiple materials having different real parts of the refractive index are periodically arranged; and a waveguide mode of the X-ray waveguide is such that the number of antinodes or nodes of an electric field intensity distribution or a magnetic field intensity distribution of the X-ray coincides with the number of periods of the periodic structure in a direction perpendicular to a waveguiding direction of the X-ray in the core.
US08971494B2
Besides normal pixels, a plurality detection pixels are arranged in an imaging surface of an FPD. In preliminary imaging, X-rays are emitted to an imaged body portion of a patient. The detection pixels receive the X-rays passed through the body portion, and output AEC detection signals. If an integral value of the AEC detection signals has reached a threshold value, X-ray emission is stopped and the preliminary imaging is completed. A main exposure condition determination unit determines a main irradiation time, being an irradiation time with the X-rays during the main imaging, based on an irradiation time with the X-rays during the preliminary imaging and the integral value of the AEC detection signals. The main imaging is performed using the main irradiation time. The normal pixels continue a charge accumulation operation over the preliminary imaging and the main imaging to produce an X-ray image for use in diagnosis.
US08971489B2
A method of multileaf collimator (MLC) leaf positioning in tracking-based adaptive radiotherapy is provided. The method includes determining a radiotherapy beam pattern by transforming a treatment beam plan into radiotherapy beam coordinates, determining a dose discrepancy between the radiotherapy beam pattern and a deliverable MLC aperture, where the dose discrepancy includes a sum of an overdose cost and an underdose cost to a treatment volume, and minimizing the dose discrepancy, where the dose discrepancy minimization provides a determined deliverable MLC aperture for the radiotherapy beam.
US08971486B2
Methods and systems for x-ray inspection are provided. The system can include a source of radiant energy configured so that the radiant energy traverses a scanning volume. The system can further include a filter between the source and the scanning volume, a conveying apparatus configured to impart relative motion between an exposure-limited subject and the scanning volume, a conveyance monitor configured to generate conveyance data reflecting a conveyance state of the exposure-limited subject, a radiant energy sensing apparatus configured to sense radiant energy from the source and to generate source radiant energy data, and a dose controller configured to acquire conveyance data, source radiant energy data, and a signal related to subject dose data, and to generate a measure that a portion of the exposure-limited subject has acquired a dose of radiant energy above a dose threshold.
US08971472B2
A signal processing circuit includes a PLL circuit configured to lock to a frequency contained in an input signal, a signal generating circuit configured to detect a direct-current component of a signal that is obtained by shifting frequencies of the input signal by a displacement equal to the locked frequency, and to generate a signal that has an amplitude responsive to the detected direct-current component and that has the same frequency and phase as a signal component of the locked frequency of the input signal, and a subtraction circuit configured to subtract the signal generated by the signal generating circuit from the input signal.
US08971468B1
The methods and apparatus disclosed herein provide an operative system for increasing the resolution of serial DRUs based on interleaved free running oversamplers. In particular, this system uses incoming data to measure and to compensate the skew between two or more free running oversamplers (e.g., SerDes), without the need for any hardware design requirement relating to the precision of the relative skew of the oversamplers.
US08971465B2
A receiver receives a repeating or periodic signal and, based on the signal, estimates a carrier frequency offset for the receiver. Based on the signal and the estimated carrier offset, an I/Q mismatch for the receiver is estimated and compensation for the estimated I/Q mismatch is performed. After compensating for the estimated receiver I/Q mismatch, the carrier frequency offset is re-estimated.
US08971459B1
A receiver including a plurality of receiver pathways. The plurality of receiver pathways are configured to receive, via respective receive antennas, a radio frequency signal transmitted over a communication channel and generate a plurality of respective baseband signals corresponding to the radio frequency signal. A channel estimator is configured to generate an estimate of the channel based on the plurality of respective baseband signals. A demodulator is configured to generate, based on the plurality of respective baseband signals and the estimate of the channel, channel state information corresponding to the communication channel, perform maximum ratio combining on the plurality of respective baseband signals using the channel state information, and generate, based on the estimate of the channel, a plurality of demodulated symbols that incorporate the channel state information. A decoder is configured to perform decoding on the plurality of demodulated symbols to generate respective decoded symbols.
US08971453B1
A digital receiver includes a radio frequency analog front end, a digital processing unit, a plurality of cascaded amplifier stages configured to receive output of the radio frequency analog front end, a first analog to digital converter configured to convert an analog signal output from the plurality of cascaded amplifier stages into a digital signal output to the digital processing unit, a first received signal strength indicator unit configured to receive outputs of each of the plurality of cascaded amplifier stages and output signal to the digital processing unit, a second received signal strength indicator unit configured to receive output of at least one amplifier stage in the plurality of cascaded amplifier stages, and a received signal strength indicator detection unit configured to activate and to deactivate digital units according to a comparison of output from the second received signal strength indicator unit to a predetermined threshold.
US08971447B1
A data signal delay system may include a delay unit and a phase interpolation unit. The delay unit may include multiple delay elements that each have an element delay. The delay unit may be configured to generate multiple delay signals by delaying a data signal using the delay elements such that each of the delay signals has a different delay. The phase interpolation unit may be coupled to the delay unit and may include a mixer. The mixer may be configured to mix two of the delay signals based on mixing weights selected for the two delay signals to generate a final delayed data signal that is the data signal delayed by a final delay. The mixing weights may be selected based on the final delay.
US08971443B2
Techniques are presented to reduce the number of antennas used for a transmission for a given antenna configuration and data rate. At a wireless communication device having a plurality of antennas and capable of sending a transmission via one or more of the plurality of antennas, a determination is made of a data rate and antenna configuration to be used for a transmission. A comparison is made between a total transmit power for a minimum number of antennas for the data rate to be used for the transmission and a total transmit power associated with the antenna configuration for the transmission. When the total transmit power for a minimum number of antennas for the data rate is greater than the total transmit power associated with the antenna configuration for the transmission, the transmission is sent with the minimum number of antennas.
US08971433B2
A projection code is applied to encode symbols as weighted arithmetic sums of approximately random subsets of binary source bits. Pairs of the symbols are combined to form constellation points, which are sequentially mapped through a constellation to modulate a data signal.
US08971431B1
A method for channel estimation of a signal, comprises the steps: estimating a channel response for pilot carriers of the signal; and estimating a channel response for non-pilot carriers of the signal as a function of the channel response for the pilot carriers of the signal and channel estimation coefficients for the pilot carriers, wherein a symbol of the signal is decoded as a function of the estimated channel response for the non-pilot carriers, and wherein certain ones of the channel estimation coefficients are updated as a function of the decoded symbol.
US08971416B2
A multi-format video decoder includes an entropy decoding device that generates entropy decoded (EDC) data from an encoded video signal. A multi-format video decoding device includes a memory module that stores format configuration data corresponding to a plurality of video coding formats. A plurality of vector processor units generate a decoded video signal from the EDC data, wherein at least one of the plurality of vector processors include a vector function module that generates vector function data based on a vector function of a first input vector and a second input vector. A selection module selects each element of a vector output as one of: a corresponding element of the vector function data, and a corresponding element of a third input vector.
US08971414B2
A video encoder encodes the video stream frame by frame. An encoding process generally includes receiving a video frame, subdividing the video frame into uniform pixel blocks, comparing a selected pixel block with the corresponding pixel block in a previous decoded video frame to determine which blocks have changed, copying changed pixel blocks into a contiguous memory block, and adding a preamble block, compressing the blocks. This process may be repeated for each frame using a different size pixel block to determine and select a pixel block size that results in the smallest encoded frame.
US08971412B2
This disclosure describes various interpolation techniques performed by an encoder and a decoder during the motion compensation process of video coding. In one example, an encoder interpolates pixel values of reference video data based on a plurality of different pre-defined interpolation filters. In this example, the decoder receives a syntax element that identifies an interpolation filter, and interpolates pixel values of reference video data based on the interpolation filter identified by the syntax element. In another example, a method of interpolating predictive video data includes generating half-pixel values based on integer pixel values, rounding the half-pixel values to generate half-pixel interpolated values, storing the half-pixel values as non-rounded versions of the half-pixel values, and generating quarter-pixel values based on the non-rounded versions of the half-pixel values and the integer pixel values.
US08971409B2
An encoding apparatus having a direct mode as a prediction mode, when a pixel with opposite parity from a top field to a bottom field, for example, is referred to for obtaining a reference vector in the direct mode, performs correction by adding or subtracting a value corresponding to a half pixel to or from a value of the obtained reference vector. The encoding apparatus, when a pixel with opposite parity is referred to for obtaining a first and a second direct vector by temporally scaling the corrected reference vector, performs correction by adding or subtracting a value corresponding to a half pixel to or from values of the obtained direct vectors.
US08971407B2
A method to quickly determine whether a macroblock in H.264 or other similar standards should be encoded in skip mode in a SIMD processor environment is provided. The method exploits the fact that the processor provides enough register space to store N=4 4×4 set of 8 bits data. By performing 4 consecutive reads of 16 linear aligned values into 16 SIMD register variables each capable of storing 16 values, the entire data set for operating can be stored within the processors SIMD register variables and can be operated upon, without any memory related latency.
US08971403B1
An image encoding device and corresponding decoding device are disclosed for achieving a high rate of compression. The encoding device includes an image conversion module that converts the direction of the images using right-left symmetry mode convention or up-down symmetry mode conversion. Encoding modules are used to encode both the unconverted and converted images. A mode selector module compares the quantity of codes in the encoded unconverted images and the quantity of codes in the encoded converted images, and selects codes that are smaller in the quantity of codes for output.
US08971385B2
A method and arrangement are disclosed for acquiring a spread spectrum signal produced by means of transmitter-end spreading of a bit sequence using a spread code signal, which provide for the reception of the spread spectrum signal; provision of a receiver-end spread code signal which corresponds to the transmitter-end spread code signal; performance of polyphase correlations for respective different code phases which give rise to polyphase correlation results which are each associated with different code phases; filtration using at least two of the code phases; determination of an extreme value in the filtered polyphase correlation results, and determination of the code phase which is associated with the extreme value.
US08971379B2
Apparatus for generating and encoding data onto chirp signals, said apparatus including a chirp generator configured to generate a chirp; a cyclic frequency offset modulator configured to set the cyclic frequency offset of the chirp to a cyclic frequency offset selected from a plurality of predetermined cyclic frequency offsets; and a phase modulator configured to modulate the chirp onto a signal to form a chirp signal symbol at a phase offset selected from a plurality of predetermined phase offsets.
US08971378B2
A wireless communication device including an integrated processing circuit and a first memory is provided. The integrated processing circuit includes a processing unit capable of processing a wireless communication signal and a radio frequency (RF) unit capable of performing a conversion between a radio frequency (RF) signal and a baseband signal, wherein the wireless communication signal is one of the RF signal and the baseband signal. The first memory is coupled to the integrated processing circuit. The first memory is capable of storing data used by the processing unit, wherein the integrated processing circuit and the first memory are packaged in a single semiconductor package.
US08971377B2
A communications node includes data defining a division of a communications channel into a plurality of contiguous sub-bands each having N frequency resources, data defining an initial allocation of the frequency resources, a resource determination module operable to apply a frequency shift to the initially allocated frequency resources in accordance with a frequency hopping sequence to determine frequency resources to use for communicating information according to the following: y={x+a(t)N} mod NRB where NRB is the total number of frequency resources in the transmission band; N is the number of contiguous frequency resources in each sub-band; x is the initially allocated frequency resource; y is the frequency hopped resource; t is a time counter; a(t) is the frequency hopping shift applied at time point t, and is an integer value from the set {0, 1, . . . , S−1}; and S is the number of sub-bands; and a transceiver.
US08971373B2
Nanolaser for generating coherent electromagnetic radiation, comprising at least one nanoparticle of metal, preferably silver, or semiconductor, at least one exciting element, preferably a quantum dot, for exciting plasmon resonance of the at least one nanoparticle, wherein the at least one nanoparticle and the at least one exciting element are embedded in a matrix of Photonic or Polaritonic Band-gap (PGB)-material, preferably Silica Carbide (SiC).
US08971370B1
An optical device includes a gallium and nitrogen containing substrate comprising a surface region configured in a (20-2-1) orientation, a (30-3-1) orientation, or a (30-31) orientation, within +/−10 degrees toward c-plane and/or a-plane from the orientation. Optical devices having quantum well regions overly the surface region are also disclosed.
US08971369B2
A quantum cascade laser structure having a plurality of cascades each of which comprises a number of alternately arranged quantum wells and barriers of different thicknesses and heights, wherein at least one of the quantum wells and at least one of the barriers is under mechanical strain and the quantum wells and the barriers are coordinated such that the existing mechanical strains are largely compensated within one cascade, wherein each of the barriers comprise one or more barrier layers, wherein each cascade comprises a thinnest quantum well, a lowest barrier, a thickest quantum well, a highest barrier, and the highest barrier is followed by alternately arranged quantum wells and barriers.
US08971366B2
Output power of a laser beam emitted by a laser in an electro-optical reader is regulated by storing a killswitch byte in non-volatile memory, and by checking whether the killswitch byte is in a default state or a kill state prior to performing reading. A controller detects a fault condition and responsively changes the killswitch byte to the kill state, in order to permanently deenergize the laser and to maintain the laser permanently deenergized after the killswitch byte has been changed to the kill state.
US08971361B2
Processing of incoherent electromagnetic radiation is described, said incoming incoherent electromagnetic radiation comprising radiation in a first wavelength interval. An arrangement comprises a focusing arrangement for focusing the incoming incoherent electromagnetic radiation, a first cavity configured to comprise an intra cavity laser beam, a nonlinear crystal arranged in the first cavity such that it is capable of receiving the focused incoherent electromagnetic radiation and, in dependence on the spatial overlap between the focused incoherent electromagnetic radiation and the intra-cavity laser beam, by interaction with the intra-cavity laser beam provide processed electromagnetic radiation, said processed electromagnetic radiation comprising radiation in a second wavelength interval. In other words, such an arrangement is capable of enabling imaging, e.g. by utilizing a detector that is sensitive in the second wavelength interval, a source of radiation that emits incoherently in a first wavelength interval.
US08971344B2
In one embodiment, a method includes receiving at a protocol translator a first message from a first endpoint to a second endpoint. The first message includes a list of media capabilities of the first endpoint. The method also includes transmitting from the protocol translator a second message to the second endpoint including a media capabilities request header and receiving at the protocol translator a response message from the second endpoint. The response message includes a response header including a list of the media capabilities of the second endpoint.
US08971343B2
In a network implemented using packet-switching and circuit-switching mythologies, a short message is sent from a first device to a second device in a packet-switched domain or in a circuit-switched domain of the network. If an initial transmission attempt of the short message in the packet-switched domain is rejected due to a network-related cause, the short message is resent from the first device to the second device in the circuit-switched domain. If an initial transmission attempt of the short message in the circuit-switched domain is rejected due to a network-related cause, the short message is resent from the first device to the second device in the packet-switched domain or is directly aborted.
US08971337B2
A packet relay device determines a port to be placed on standby in a link aggregation, determines whether there is an active port among ports belonging to redundant network interfaces, and, if a network interface has no active port, places the network interface on standby. The packet relay device monitors whether a failure has occurred in an active network interface and, if a failure is detected, activates a standby network interface and places the failed network interface on standby.
US08971335B2
Traffic paths based on common devices available in a network are optimized, controlled, manipulated and created. The new paths used to optimize are not limited to the original OSI layer and/or original networks. Thus, various kinds of users/computers/devices, working in the same or in different abstraction layer networks, are combined into one collective virtual network providing the ability to compute and utilize the best (optimal) traffic path for each flow at each given time. The traffic path can be constructed especially for each flow. All or most devices and layer networks are combined in a collective virtual network when computing and constructing an optimized path for a flow. Thus, there is no need to add additional headers to a flow thereby eliminating the addition of overhead to the flow.
US08971333B2
The disclosure claims a bandwidth adjustment method and system for Optical channel Data Unit flexible (ODUflex) based on a Generic Framing Procedure (GFP), wherein, the method includes that: (501) a source end sends a bandwidth adjustment control frame which contains bandwidth adjustment parameters; (503) a plurality of intermediate nodes forward the bandwidth adjustment control frame to a sink end via an ODUflex link, during the forwarding process, the plurality of intermediate nodes determine that resource thereof can satisfy the bandwidth adjustment parameters, and then reserve the bandwidth adjustment resource; (505) after receiving the bandwidth adjustment control frame, the sink end feeds back an adjustment acknowledgment frame which contains adjustment acknowledgment information to the source end via the plurality of intermediate nodes; (507) the plurality of intermediate nodes use the reserved bandwidth adjustment resource to implement adjustment for the bandwidth of the ODUflex link according to the adjustment acknowledgement information of the adjustment acknowledgment frame. The disclosure realizes the bandwidth adjustment for the ODUflex without interrupting an existing service by increasing an Optical channel Payload Unit (OPU) overhead for the bandwidth adjustment in the ODUflex (GFP) frame.
US08971325B1
Exemplary embodiments of a system and method enable application of policy using Layer 2 fields for a data frame, simplified data structures, or both. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a policy may be based upon a destination address (DA), a source address (SA), or a virtual local area network identification (VID) associated with a data frame.
US08971322B2
Systems and methods according to these exemplary embodiments provide for methods and systems for interworking between an Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) and a MAC address Multiple Registration Protocol (MMRP). For example, an IGMP join or leave message which is received at node (700) is translated (702) into an equivalent MMRP message for forwarding into an MMRP portion of a network (704).
US08971320B2
The invention provides a control layer for an Optical Burst Switch (OBS) system, said system comprising at least one stage configured with a closed optical burst switch addressing scheme and one or more ports for sending or receiving data packets. The control layer comprises a control addressing scheme independent of the closed optical addressing scheme and means to provide interconnectivity for each port with every other port. In one embodiment there is provided a closed optical burst switch ring network. The control layer encapsulates or maps the optical data at a port into an independent packet format and passes the independent packet format into a queuing system for transmission by the optical burst switch ring network to a destination port.
US08971317B2
Embodiments of the present disclosure disclose a method for controlling data stream switch and a relevant equipment. The method includes: obtaining bandwidth demand information of a data stream; calculating a BWM according to the bandwidth demand information, the physical bandwidth of at least one ingress port and at least one egress port of the data stream, and TDM service bandwidth information; performing sequencing on entries of the BWM, to obtain a bandwidth sequencing information table; performing cell even sequencing processing on the data stream according to the bandwidth sequencing information table, to obtain a cell table; and controlling, sending of cells of the data stream according to the cell table. Through the solutions provided, processing complexity may be effectively reduced, the problem of scale limitation on a bufferless switch structure is solved, and meanwhile, a delay jitter during switch processing is also decreased.
US08971310B2
A mobile station having a Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol client sends a message proposing a frame packing and frame repeating parameter set (1001). The called client may either accept the proposal or offer a revision (1003). If accepted the VoIP call is established (1009). If a revised proposal is received, it is determined whether the parameters are acceptable (1005). If not the call is declined (1007). If acceptable the call may proceed (1011). Both clients may then monitor network conditions (1013) and propose revisions to the parameters as conditions change. In this way, the VoIP application layer compensates for physical and Medium Access Control (MAC) layer inefficiencies in transporting the small frames used for audio data transfer for VoIP.
US08971307B2
A demodulator can include an ingress exciser configured to remove ingress noise from a burst mode digital input signal that is above a predetermined threshold and resides within a narrowband. An adaptive equalizer can be configured to adaptively equalize an estimate of the signal provided from the ingress exciser and to provide an adaptively equalized signal. An ingress predictor can be configured to subtract an estimate of remaining predicted ingress noise from the adaptively equalized signal to provide a resultant signal that is substantially free of the ingress noise.
US08971304B2
Providing wireless transmission, where in a first transmission mode, transmitting a plurality of frames using a first interframe spacing interval. When in a second transmission mode, transmitting the plurality of frames using a second interframe spacing interval, wherein the second interframe spacing is less than the first interframe spacing.
US08971297B2
A processing unit generates the timing information on the timing with which each of radio apparatuses is to synchronize in communications between the radio apparatuses when each of radio apparatuses broadcasts a signal. A modem unit, an RF unit and an antenna broadcast the generated timing information. The processing unit further generates the cycle information on a broadcast cycle in which each radio apparatus broadcasts the signal in communication between the radio apparatuses. The modem unit, the RF unit and the antenna broadcast the cycle information together with the timing information.
US08971292B2
A method for wireless communication comprises switching an uplink (UL) from a source cell to a target cell; and receiving an uplink transmit power control (TPC-UL) command from the source cell, wherein the TPC-UL command is generated by the target cell.
US08971280B2
A wireless device receives a control command causing the wireless device to transmit a random access preamble on a random access channel of a first cell. The wireless device transmits, overlapping in time with transmission of the random access preamble, an uplink packet on a first subframe of the first cell. Transmission power of the uplink packet is calculated considering a maximum allowable transmission power in the first subframe of the first cell and the transmission power of the random access preamble.
US08971272B2
The present description relates to a method of using a terminal to adaptively feed back channel information relating to multi-cell cooperative communication includes: measuring an average signal-to-noise ratio of a virtual multi-antenna channel between a terminal and at least one cell to transmit same to a base station; receiving, from a base station, a number of allowable feedback bits determined on the basis of the average signal-to-noise ratio and cooperative communication information; selecting a codebook from a plurality of predetermined codebooks on the basis of the number of allowable feedback bits and the cooperative communication information; and quantizing channel information on a virtual multi-antenna channel using the selected codebook, and transmitting feedback information including the quantized channel information to a base station. The codebook may be selected to transmit the feedback information using the entire number of allowable feedback bits.
US08971267B2
The present invention discloses a method and an apparatus for compressing and decompressing an IP data packet. The method includes: performing, by a first device, compression processing on IP data in an IP data packet according to a first compression algorithm; and encapsulating, by the first device, the IP data after the compression processing into a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) data packet, where header information of the PDCP data packet includes identifier information, where the identifier information is used to indicate the first compression algorithm or indicate that the IP data is compressed.
US08971262B2
The invention is related to an apparatus including a receiver configured to receive communications from a control node of the macro cell in which the apparatus is located, the communications including system information about operation and maintenance support services the control node is able to provide and/or identity information of the control node; and a generator configured to generate messages including identity information of the apparatus, radio environment information, status information on connections to a core network and/or information on capabilities of the apparatus.
US08971258B2
A Mutual Aid QoS Function (MAQF) performs a method for determining policy for user equipment (UE) providing mutual aid in a mutual aid enterprise operating area of a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system. The method includes: receiving an indication that a UE is assigned to provide mutual aid in a mutual aid enterprise operating area, wherein the UE has a home enterprise operating area that is different than the mutual aid enterprise operating area; detecting that the UE has entered the mutual aid enterprise operating area; selecting a set of mutual aid policy rules for the UE while the UE is providing mutual aid in the mutual aid enterprise operating area.
US08971257B2
Systems and methodologies are described that facilitates communicating Physical Control Format Indicator Channel (PCFICH) information to a user equipment (UE) in which the PCFICH information is specific to a particular component carrier. The PCFICH information for each component carrier can be communicated via an anchor component carrier in order to reduce decoding each PCFICH information for each component carrier. In particular, the PCFICH information can be decoded for an anchor component carrier and PCFICH information for additional carriers can be included in a Multi-Carrier (MC) grant of the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH).
US08971249B2
An application execution unit executes an application, and a communication ID acquisition unit acquires a communication identifier set for the application. When a packet generation unit generates a packet including a communication identifier and data, a transmission unit transmits the packet in an IBSS identified by an SSID stored in a SSID storing unit. When a reception unit receives a packet from another terminal device, a determination unit determines whether the communication identifier acquired by the communication ID acquisition unit matches a communication identifier included in the received packet. When the determination unit determines that the acquired communication identifier matches the communication identifier included in the received packet, a data supply unit provides data included in the received packet to the application.
US08971246B2
A packet radio network provides a facility for communicating internet packets to and/or from a mobile user equipment. In response to a packet data protocol activation request message requesting a common packet data protocol context, the serving support node is operable in combination with the gateway support node to establish a common packet data protocol context in association with a common packet communications bearer. The common packet data protocol context is established to communicate internet protocol packets via the common packet communications bearer. The common packet communications bearer is shared with at least one other communications session and is formed by the gateway support node and the serving support node using a common tunnelling protocol bearer. Therefore a packet radio network is provided which can provide a common communications bearer which can be shared between different communications sessions.
US08971233B2
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for user terminal and bearer identification that reduces the overhead for LTE relaying (layer 2 and layer 3), which will save radio resources on the backhaul link. Reduction in overhead is achieved by providing a more efficient mechanism for user terminal and bearer identification as compared to using GTP-u and associated UDP/IP headers.
US08971228B2
The present invention applies to the field of communications, and provides a method for configuring parameters, a base station and a user equipment. In a method, a user equipment (UE) obtains discontinuous reception (DRX) parameters from a base station. The DRX parameters are obtained when a service type of the UE is a sparse packet service. The UE performs DRX control according to the DRX parameters.
US08971219B2
An integrated duplexer based on electrical balance is described. The duplexer module includes a hybrid transformer. The hybrid transformer includes a primary coil and a secondary coil. The primary coil is coupled between an output of a power amplifier and an antenna. The secondary coil is coupled between an input of a low noise amplifier and ground. The duplexer also includes a balancing impedance that is coupled between the primary coil and the secondary coil.
US08971218B2
Systems and methods are disclosed for returning RF components which exhibit a mismatch with a coupled load. A tuning circuit may be coupled to a signal path of the RF component, wherein the tuning circuit includes a plurality of loads, a switching element associated with each load, wherein each switching element brings the associated load into and out of the signal path, a control line for each switching element, and a phase stage configured to introduce a phase shift, such as 90°, between a first subset of the loads and a second subset of the loads. The disclosure also includes routines for establishing optimum settings for the tuning circuit.
US08971215B2
Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method and related network node including one or more of the following: receiving, at the network device from an entity, a request for a serving device assigned to a subscriber; attempting to locate an assignment record associated with the subscriber; in response to locating the assignment record associated with the subscriber, identifying an assigned serving device of the multiple serving devices indicated by the assignment record as being assigned to the subscriber; and transmitting a response to the entity, wherein the response identifies the assigned serving device.
US08971212B2
A method for discovering resources includes identifying one or more geographically fixed transceivers with which a mobile device is in communication and through which the mobile device can communicate with other devices. A resource geographically associated with the identified one or more transceivers is identified. Identification occurs without regard to a signal strength or strengths experienced between the mobile device and the one or more transceivers. The mobile device is caused to display data corresponding to the identified resource.
US08971189B2
Methods and devices for logically segmenting an LSP so that OAM DTUs may be used to determine the performance and/or the status of LSP segments. To segment a previously determined LSP, a dedicated subpath (a logical LSP) within that predetermined LSP is defined between two LSRs that are capable of processing OAM DTUs. The source node (source LSR) establishes a logical LSP between itself and the destination node (destination LSR) using an LDP. In doing this, the logical LSP traverses a specific path and transits through specific nodes in that path. The source node then transmits an OAM DTU or any other specialized DTU to the destination node using a label specifically associated with the logical LSP that was established. The characteristic of the specific path traversed by the logical LSP can thus be determined by when, how, and if the specialized DTU is received by the destination node.
US08971188B2
In one embodiment, a device, such as a network management server, determines a traffic matrix of a mesh network, where the traffic matrix indicates an amount of traffic per type of traffic transitioning between the mesh network and a global computer network via one or more current root devices. One or more optimized root devices may then be selected for corresponding directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) based on the amount of traffic and type of traffic. As such, a DAG formation request may be transmitted to the selected root devices, carrying a characteristic for a corresponding DAG to form by the respective selected root devices that indicates which one or more types of traffic correspond to the corresponding DAG.
US08971186B2
A method and system is provided for efficiently controlling data packet routing through a switching element which has a first plurality of input ports and a second plurality of output ports. The method and system are configured for detecting issuance of a first congestion indicator from an output port of the switching element which is related to a first routing request received from a first input port. Reassertion of the first routing request is then carried out after a first time period. Similarly, the method and system are configured for detecting issuance of a second congestion indicator from the output port of the switching element, which is related to a second routing request from a second input port. Reassertion of the second routing request is then carried out after a second time period. In addition, the first and second time periods are set up so that reassertions of the first and second connection requests occur substantially simultaneously.
US08971184B2
Methods, systems, and apparatus used to determine whether to discard a network packet based upon the latency exhibited by an associated a network packet queue. Network devices can include a queue management module operable to identify a latency metric in network packet queues and determine whether the latency metric renders the network packet queue eligible for discarding packets based upon, for example, a latency policy.
US08971181B2
Techniques to support operation in a compressed mode and/or a continuous packet connectivity (CPC) mode are described. In an aspect, a user equipment (UE) may obtain an assignment of enabled subframes for the CPC mode and an assignment of transmission gaps for the compressed mode. The transmission gaps may be aligned with idle times between the enabled subframes. The UE may exchange data during enabled subframes not overlapping the transmission gaps and may skip data exchanges during enabled subframes overlapping the transmission gaps. The UE may make cell measurements during the transmission gaps. In another aspect, the UE may obtain enabled subframes and skipped subframes, exchange data during enabled subframes not corresponding to the skipped subframes, and skip data exchanges during the skipped subframes. In yet another aspect, the UE may receive orders on a shared control channel to quickly enable and disable the compressed mode.
US08971167B1
A physical layer (PHY) data unit is generated for transmission via a communication channel in accordance with a transmission configuration. The transmission configuration corresponds to at least one of (i) one or more particular numbers of spatial streams, and (ii) one or more particular channel bandwidths. A number of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols to be included in a payload of the PHY data unit is determined based on (i) determining the number of OFDM symbols according to a first technique when using a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) from a set of MCSs allowed for the transmission configuration, and (ii) determining the number of OFDM symbols according to a second technique when using an MCS excluded from the set of MCSs allowed for the transmission configuration.
US08971162B1
Provided is an optical disc device including: an optical pickup which includes an objective lens and a receiver unit which receives light reflected off an optical disc; a signal processing unit which generates a main push-pull signal and sub push-pull signals from signals from the receiver unit, and obtains a signal obtained by subtracting the main push-pull signal from the sub push-pull signal multiplied K times, to generate a tracking-error signal; and a control unit which performs a midpoint servo process, an offset process of adding an offset value to a lens-error signal indicating displacement of the objective lens, a stabilization awaiting process of waiting for oscillation of the optical disc to stabilize, a measurement process of measuring the tracking-error signal, and a K value adjusting process of adjusting a value of K in response to a result of the measurement process.
US08971149B2
Computing device, computer instructions and method for simultaneously denoizing and attenuating multiples in seismic data recorded with seismic receivers. The method includes receiving the seismic data, wherein the seismic data includes a pressure P component and a vertical Z component; separating the seismic data into up-going U wave-fields and down-going D wave-fields; calculating an up-down deconvolution R based on the up-going U and the down-going D wave-fields; generating a multiple model M based on the up-down deconvolution R; and adaptively subtracting the multiple model M from the pressure P component to obtain a corrected pressure Pfree component from which simultaneously the noise and the multiples were removed. A multiple is a wave-field that propagates from a source to a receiver and experiences more than one reflection.
US08971147B2
A memory having an array of multi-gate memory cells and a word line driver circuit coupled to a sector of memory cells of the array. In at least one mode of operation, the word line driver circuit is controllable to place an associated control gate word line coupled to the control gate word line driver and coupled to the sector in a floating state during a read operation where the sector is a non selected sector.
US08971143B2
Such a device is disclosed that includes a control circuit outputting a first clock signal having a first clock cycle in response to a first command signal and outputting a second clock signal having a second clock cycle in response to a second command signal, a first circuit controlled based on the first clock signal, and a second circuit controlled based on the second clock signal.
US08971137B2
In accordance with some embodiments, instead of providing replacement rows, an area within a fuse array may be reserved for storing addresses of bits that are defective. Then these bits can be readily repaired by simply reading the stored state of identified defective bit, and inverting the stored state of the identified defective bit to get the correct output.
US08971134B2
Memory controllers, memory devices and methods are provided in which test data is transmitted and signal parameters are varied. The transmitted test data is read, and based on a comparison between transmitted test data and read test data a transmitter impedance is adjusted.
US08971133B1
A memory device having an array of memory cells connected to a core voltage level, and access circuitry used to perform a write operation in order to write data into a plurality of addressed memory cells. At least one bit line associated with at least each column in the array containing an addressed memory cell is precharged to the peripheral voltage level prior to the write operation being performed. Word line driver circuitry is then configured to assert a word line signal at the core voltage level on the word line associated with the row of the array containing the addressed memory cells. Write multiplexing driver circuitry asserts a mux control signal to write multiplexing circuitry which then couples the bit line of each addressed memory cell to the write driver circuitry in dependence on the mux control signal identifying which column contains the addressed memory cells.
US08971130B2
In a memory cell array, a plurality of memory cells connected to a plurality of word lines and a plurality of bit lines are arranged in a matrix. A control circuit controls the potentials of said plurality of word lines and said plurality of bit lines. In an erase operation, the control circuit erases an n number of memory cells (n is a natural number equal to or larger than 2) of said plurality of memory cells at the same time using a first erase voltage, carries out a verify operation using a first verify level, finds the number of cells k (k≦n) exceeding the first verify level, determines a second erase voltage according to the number k, and carries out an erase operation again using the second erase voltage.
US08971125B2
Memory devices and methods of erasing the memory devices are disclosed. One such method includes performing an erase cycle of an erase operation on a plurality of memory cells, where performing the erase cycle of the erase operation includes selecting an erase verify voltage to be applied during the erase cycle from a plurality of erase verify voltages based on where in the erase operation the erase cycle occurs.
US08971108B2
A semiconductor memory device includes a first semiconductor chip including a first pad group configured to input/output first data and a second pad group configured to input/output second data; and a second semiconductor chip in a stack with the first semiconductor chip and configured to be electrically connected to the first semiconductor chip by at least one chip through via, wherein the second semiconductor chip includes a first unit bank group including at least one first upper bank group and at least one first lower bank group, a second unit bank group including at least one second upper bank group and at least one second lower bank group, and a data path selector configured to electrically connect one among the first and second upper bank groups and the first and second lower bank groups with the chip through via.
US08971092B2
A memory cell array includes first wiring lines, and second wiring lines, the first and second wiring lines intersecting, and memory cells disposed in the intersections of the first and second wiring lines, the memory cells including a variable resistance element. A control circuit controls voltages of selected first and second wiring lines. The first wiring lines are arranged at a first pitch in a first direction perpendicular to a substrate and extend in a second direction parallel to the substrate. The second wiring lines are arranged at a second pitch in the second direction and extend in the first direction. The control circuit is configured to change voltages applied to a selected first wiring line according to the positions of the selected first wiring lines in the first direction.
US08971086B2
A method of forming capacitorless DRAM over localized silicon-on-insulator comprises the following steps: A silicon substrate is provided, and an array of silicon studs is defined within the silicon substrate. An insulator layer is defined atop at least a portion of the silicon substrate, and between the silicon studs. A silicon-over-insulator layer is defined surrounding the silicon studs atop the insulator layer, and a capacitorless DRAM is formed within and above the silicon-over-insulator layer.
US08971071B2
The present invention provides a safe circuit that can prevent an arm short, when a half-bridge circuit is configured by using a normally-on switching element, and the half-bridge circuit is used as a driver circuit or an inverter circuit. In a driver circuit configured by a half-bridge circuit in which one of input and output terminals of a first switching element 14 is connected to a first power-supply voltage V1 on a high-voltage side, and the first switching element 14 and a second switching element 15 are connected in series, a normally-off third switching element 16 is inserted between the second switching element 15 and a second power-supply voltage V2 on a low voltage side. The third switching element 16 is turned off, when an operating voltage VH or VL supplied from control-circuit power supplies 13a and 13b is insufficient for the operation of a control circuit 11.
US08971070B2
An interface arrangement for coupling between an AC system and a DC system. The arrangement includes a converter for conversion between AC and DC and having a DC side with a first and a second terminal for connection to the DC system and an AC side with a group of terminals for being coupled to the AC system, a transformer having a primary side with a first set of primary windings for being coupled to the AC system and a secondary side with a second set of secondary windings coupled to the converter, where the transformer is equipped with a third set of auxiliary windings and a short-circuiting device is connected between the third set of auxiliary windings and ground.
US08971062B2
System and method for regulating a power converter. The system includes a first signal generator configured to receive at least an input signal and generate at least a first output signal associated with demagnetization and a second output signal associated with sampling. Additionally, the system includes a sampling component configured to receive at least the input signal and the second output signal, sample the input signal based on at least information associated with the second output signal, and generate at least a third output signal associated with one or more sampled magnitudes. Moreover, the system includes an error amplifier configured to receive at least the third output signal and a first threshold voltage and generate at least a fourth output signal with a capacitor, the capacitor being coupled to the error amplifier.
US08971061B2
The present invention provides an off time control method and switching regulator using it. The current flowing through a switch is compared with a current threshold, and the switch is turned off if the current flowing through the switch is larger than the current threshold. The off time of the switch is determined by the load. The current threshold is variable at light load to prevent generating the audible noise and improve the whole efficiency.
US08971053B2
A wiring board includes a first substrate having a penetrating hole penetrating through the first substrate, a built-up layer formed on a surface of the first substrate and including interlayer resin insulation layers and wiring layers, the built-up layer having an opening portion communicated with the penetrating hole of the first substrate and opened to the outermost surface of the built-up layer, an interposer accommodated in the opening portion of the built-up layer and including a second substrate and a wiring layer formed on the second substrate, the wiring layer of the interposer including conductive circuits for being connected to semiconductor elements, a filler filling the opening portion such that the interposer is held in the opening portion of the built-up layer, and mounting pads formed on the first substrate and positioned to mount the semiconductor elements. The mounting pads are positioned to form a matrix on the first substrate.
US08971045B1
A module is electrically connectable to a computer system. The module includes an edge connector with a plurality of electrical contacts electrically connectable to the computer system, at least one layer of thermally conductive material thermally coupled to the edge connector, and first and second printed circuit boards each having a plurality of integrated circuit components that are electrically coupled to the edge connector and thermally coupled to the at least one layer of thermally conductive material. The at least one layer of thermally conductive material are disposed between the first and second printed circuit boards.
US08971042B2
A computer system is provided. The computer system includes a housing, a mainboard, a first heat source, a second heat source and a flow field modulator. An inlet and an outlet are formed on the housing. The mainboard is disposed in the housing. The first heat source is located on a first location of the mainboard. The second heat source is located on a second location of the mainboard. The flow field modulator is disposed on the mainboard including a control unit, a piezoelectric element and a guiding sheet. The control unit is electrically connected to the mainboard. The piezoelectric element is electrically connected to the control unit. The guiding sheet is connected to the piezoelectric element.
US08971032B2
A device includes: a housing having a first component and a second component coupled to one another by a pivot member and movable relative to one another between an open position in which the first component and the second component are in the same plane and a folded position; a first slider slidably received in the first component and a second slider slidably received in the second component, the first slider and the second slider being movable toward the pivot member when the first component and the second component move from the open position to the folded position; and a flexible membrane coupled to the first slider, the second slider and the pivot member; wherein, in the folded position, the flexible membrane is located between the first component and the second component.
US08971028B2
A portable computing device is disclosed. The portable computing device can take many forms such as a laptop computer, a tablet computer, and so on. The portable computing device can include a single piece housing and a display module. The display module can include a protective top glass cover that is bonded to a plastic display frame and surrounded by a seal frame. The display module can also include a display panel and its associated circuitry suspended from the display frame below the protective glass cover. The display module is coupled to the single piece housing using mounting clips in a manner that allows the display module to move relative to the single piece housing during an impact event. The plastic display frame can include inserts that provide structural support near openings in the single piece housing.
US08971009B2
Embodiments of an apparatus for controlling a temperature of an electrostatic chuck in a process chamber are provided herein. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes an electrostatic chuck disposed in a process chamber, the electrostatic chuck including a ceramic plate having a substrate supporting surface, and a cooling assembly including a plurality of cooling plates disposed below the electrostatic chuck to adjust the cooling capacity of the electrostatic chuck. In some embodiments, the plurality of cooling plates includes an inner cooling plate configured to control a temperature of a center portion of the electrostatic chuck, and an outer cooling plate configured to control a temperature of an outer portion of the electrostatic chuck. In some embodiments, the plurality of cooling plates includes an upper cooling plate that contacts a bottom surface of the electrostatic chuck, and a lower cooling plate which contacts a bottom surface of the upper cooling plate.
US08971007B2
A system for conditioning the three-phase alternating current electric power, including a first phase, a second phase, a third phase, and a neutral line, supplied to a load includes a plurality of first surge arresters, a plurality of second surge arresters, a plurality of third surge arresters, a three-phase surge suppressor, and a plurality of capacitors. The surge arresters minimize the amount by which the voltage between two phases and the neutral line exceeds a rated value. The three-phase surge suppressor minimizes the amount by which the voltage between the three phases and the neutral line exceeds a rated value. The capacitors minimize the amount by which the voltage between two phases falls below a rated value.
US08971005B2
The present invention provides an over temperature protection circuit. The over temperature protection circuit includes a reference circuit and a hysteretic comparator. The reference circuit is used for generating a reference voltage and a changeable voltage. The changeable voltage is varied by temperature. The hysteretic comparator compares the reference voltage with the changeable voltage to output a power down signal.
US08970999B2
Provided are a driver circuit which suppresses damage of a semiconductor element due to ESD in a manufacturing process, a method of manufacturing the driver circuit. Further provided are a driver circuit provided with a protection circuit with low leakage current, and a method of manufacturing the driver circuit. By providing a protection circuit in a driver circuit to be electrically connected to a semiconductor element in the driver circuit, and by forming, at the same time, a transistor which serves as the semiconductor element in the driver circuit and a transistor included in the protection circuit in the driver circuit, damage of the semiconductor element due to ESD is suppressed in the process of manufacturing the driver circuit. Further, by using an oxide semiconductor film for the transistor included in the protection circuit in the driver circuit, leakage current in the protection circuit is reduced.
US08970953B2
An identification medium is provided in which latent image having plural colors can be observed even when the identification medium is spaced away from a polarization filter. A cholesteric liquid crystal layer is provided as a specific polarization light reflection layer which reflects light having a specific polarized condition. An optical anisotropic layer having an optical anisotropy is provided at an upper position overlapping with the specific polarization light reflection layer. An image A fanned by an area having an optical anisotropy different from that of surroundings is formed at the optical anisotropic layer. When the identification medium is directly viewed, the influence of the optical anisotropy cannot be seen. When the identification medium is observed via a circular polarization filter, the image can be seen to have a specific color by the influence of the optical anisotropy.
US08970944B2
Improved production of entangled photon pairs (biphotons) via spontaneous parametric down conversion (SPDC) is provided. In one aspect, forward-wave SPDC is performed in a monolithic resonator (resonant for both signal and idler) having a double pass pump geometry to provide a spectrally bright source of biphotons. In another aspect, backward-wave SPDC is performed in a resonator (resonant for both signal and idler) to provide a spectrally bright source of biphotons. For either of these approaches, the biphotons can be made to have polarization entanglement by using quasi phasematching (QPM) with two QPM periods simultaneously.
US08970929B2
An image reading apparatus includes a housing, a tray, a conveyer, an image reader, a position detector, and a controller. The housing has a first introduction opening, a first discharge opening, a second introduction opening, and a second discharge opening. The tray is configured to connect to the housing movably between an open position and a close position relative to the housing. The tray is configured to cover the first introduction opening and to expose the second introduction opening and the second discharge opening at the close position. The conveyer is configured to convey the second medium from the second introduction opening to the second discharge opening. The conveyer is provided in the housing. The controller is configured to drive the conveyer when the tray is located at the close position.
US08970926B2
A document reading apparatus includes a conveyance unit for conveying a document and a reading unit for reading an image of a document. In the document reading apparatus, the reading unit includes a platen glass. The conveyance unit allows a cleaning member of a cleaning roller to start contact with the front end in a conveyance direction of a document, on the platen glass, upstream in the conveyance direction from a reading position.
US08970912B2
An image forming apparatus includes: a holding unit configured to hold image processing coefficients, each of which representing a relationship between an input density and an output density of an image signal output to an image forming unit; and an updating unit configured to update an image processing coefficient based on the relationship between densities of measurement images and densities of image signals for forming the measurement images. The updating unit is further configured to, when a maximum value of an output density of the image processing coefficients is smaller than a maximum value of the density of the image signal, form at least one first measurement image in accordance with an image signal indicating a density higher than the maximum value of the output density of the image processing coefficients.
US08970911B2
By using different conversion patterns from input gradation values to output gradation values for each coordinate inside a continuous region with a predetermined area, an image processing circuit is for halftoning which approximately expresses a number of gradations which is higher than the number of gradations which are output for each dot is optimized for each type of apparatus while being shared between types of devices where the number of gradations in the output gradation values is different. There is an image processing apparatus where the number of indexes is relatively high in a case which corresponds to a low gradation level which is a halftone level where the number of gradations in the corresponding output gradation values is relatively low.
US08970910B2
As set forth herein, computer-implemented methods and systems facilitate watermarking documents and/or images using 2nd generation stochastic halftoning. The watermark is used to spatially vary the gray level at which a frequency modulation-to-amplitude modulation transition occurs. The encoding algorithm uses as inputs a contone image and a watermark. The visibility of the watermark is controlled by the magnitude of the difference between the AM-to-FM transition threshold values.
US08970909B2
An image forming apparatus of this invention determines a correction amount for each image signal so as to correct banding as periodic density unevenness in a sub scanning direction, corrects each pixel value of an n-bit image signal in accordance with the correction amount, generates the first corrected image signal, and quantizes, for each pixel, the first corrected image signal into a second corrected image signal of m bits smaller than n bits. This image forming apparatus diffuses, in a main scanning direction, quantization errors at the time of quantization of the first corrected image signal into the second corrected image signal so as to cancel the quantization errors within a predetermined region including a plurality of continuous pixels on a main scanning line.
US08970907B2
When a differential page image is created by comparing a target inspection page image and an inspection page image, differential page image attribute information which is an inspection result is created by acquiring attribute information of an image region of the target inspection page image and an image region of the inspection page image corresponding to the differential page image, from target inspection page image data and inspection page image data.
US08970895B2
An image forming apparatus acquires front and back images to be formed on paper and divides the front and back images of paper into a first image formed a part of the front image, a second image formed of the remaining part of the front image and a part of the back image, and a third image formed of the remaining part of the back image. The image forming apparatus forms the first and second images on the paper folded at the first position, and forms the third image on the paper folded at the second position. The image forming apparatus forms the first to third images such that the part of the front image and the remaining part of the front image constitute the front image and the part of the back image and the remaining part of the back image constitute the back image when the paper is unfolded.
US08970883B2
An image forming apparatus having a file-format conversion function and a method thereof. The image forming apparatus is capable of performing a data communication with an external memory device. The image forming apparatus includes an interface unit to receive a first file from the external memory device and to transmit a second file to the external memory device, and a file converter to convert a format of the first file from a first format into a second format according to information on the first and second files. Thus, the format of the received file can be converted in the image forming apparatus in a simple and speed way.
US08970874B2
When displaying an access history, information input from a user's mobile terminal is displayed and catches the eye of many and unspecified persons. In an information processing apparatus according to the present invention, when displaying a plurality of job histories stored, if at least some of pieces of information of the history of a job requested by a mobile terminal is set to non-display, control is performed not to display, out of the plurality of job histories displayed, the at least some of the pieces of information of the history of the job requested by the mobile terminal.
US08970873B2
A system and method are provided for routing print requests and managing internal printer resource data on an internal network with global printer resource data stored on an external network. Print requests are received for printer resources and it is determined whether the request may be served with printer resource data stored on the internal network. If the printer resource data is invalid or stale, then printer resource data is requested from the global server and the internal printer resource data is updated. The print request is then routed to the appropriate printer resource based on location information in the printer resource data associated with the requested printer resource. Network client devices may also be configured to connect to a print traffic server when connected to an internal network, and to the global server otherwise.
US08970870B2
Delivery of scan services of a networked scanning device over a device service port interfaced to the network. An extended XML schema is comprised of an extension to a baseline XML schema which defines baseline functions exposed by the scanning device via the device service port together with baseline parameters for such functions. The extension defines an additional parameter for a predesignated one of the plural baseline functions. A scan job is created by transmission of a request to create a scan job over the device service port. A request for scanner functionality defined by the predesignated function is transmitted to the scanning device via the device service port, with a non-null value specifying a device command for the additional parameter. Data responsive to execution of the device command by the scanning device is transmitted to the client via the device service port.
US08970858B2
An operator guidance system includes a detection unit, a control unit, and an operation indicator. The detection unit is disposed in an image forming apparatus to output a combination of detection signals, and includes one or more media sensors, and one or more opening sensors. The one or more media sensors are disposed along a media conveyance path to output a media detection signal. The one or more opening sensors are disposed adjacent to an openable structure to output an opening detection signal. The control unit is connected to the detection unit to determine guidance to be provided to an operator based on the combination of detection signals, and includes a memory and a controller. The operation indicator is connected to the control unit to indicate the identified operation to the operator.
US08970850B2
Methods of performing surface profilometry are provided. A low coherence light beam is scanned relative to a sample surface. The intensity of interference fringes generated by the interference of a sample beam and a reference beam are recorded by an image sensor. Variations of light intensity around each pixel are calculated in terms of variance or standard derivation. The peak position of variance on a particular location along vertical scan direction is identified as the scan position corresponding to zero optical path difference between the reference and measuring beams. A topography map (height map) may be generated using the relative scanning position where zero optical path difference occurs at each location on sample surface.
US08970844B2
A signal amplifier is provided via a triple Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) apparatus for determining intensity distribution at either a first port or a second port by a photon from a source. The first and second ports correspond to respective first and second directions. The MZI apparatus includes four beam-splitters disposed co-linearly in parallel between the source and the ports, six parallel mirrors, and first and second path projectors. Three of these mirrors are displaced along the first direction from the beam-splitters, while the remaining mirrors are displaced along the second direction. The path projectors conduct weak measurement of a photon occupation number and are disposed between the second beam-splitter and an adjacent downstream mirror. The output port is disposed beyond the fourth beam-splitter in the first direction. The intensity distribution at the output port is positive in response to one of the first measurement being positive and the second measurement being negative.
US08970840B2
Particles of a flow of aerosol are collected and analyzed by passing them through a housing having an inlet area, an outlet area, and a collection and analysis area interconnecting the inlet and outlet areas. A collection electrode has a tip disposed in the collection and analysis area and particles are collected thereon. After collection, the particles are ablated and atomic emissions are collected for analysis of the particles.
US08970834B2
A method is disclosed for calibrating a sensor cluster located at an inside of a windshield of a motor vehicle and arranged such that the pitch thereof is adjustable. The sensor cluster may include a narrow beam sensor and an imaging sensor, both of which are directed forward of the motor vehicle. An angle gamma (γ) between center directions of the narrow beam sensor and the imaging sensor has been pre-calibrated and stored in at least one memory unit. The method may include calibrating at least one of the narrow beam sensor and the imaging sensor with respect to a geometrical travel axis of the vehicle, recording a measure epsilon (ε) corresponding to an angle between the center direction of the imaging sensor and a reference provided by a fixed vehicle structural part, and storing the recorded measure epsilon (ε) in the at least one memory unit.
US08970824B2
A rangefinder for measuring a distance of an object includes a case, in which a refractor, a measuring light source, a light receiver, a receiving lens, a reference light source, and a reflector are provided. The measuring light source emits measuring light to the refractor, and the refractor refracts the measuring light to the object. The measuring light reflected by the object emits to the light receiver through the receiving lens. The reference light emits reference light to the reflector, and the reflector reflects the reference light to the light receiver. The refractor and the reflector may be turned for calibration.
US08970820B2
A carrier apparatus positions a chuck member above a wafer mounted on a fine movement stage, relatively moves the chuck member and the fine movement stage in a vertical direction, makes the chuck member approach a position which is a predetermined distance away from the upper surface of the wafer, makes the chuck member hold the wafer from above in a non-contact manner, and makes the chuck member holding the wafer and the fine movement stage move apart within a predetermined plane after making the chuck member holding the wafer and the fine movement stage move apart in the vertical direction. Further, the carrier apparatus loads the wafer held in a non-contact manner from above by the chuck member on the fine movement stage.
US08970811B2
An optical film for reducing color shift in an LCD is disposed in front of a liquid crystal panel of the LCD. The optical film includes a background layer, a plurality of engraved lens sections formed in the background layer such that the engraved lens sections are spaced apart from each other, and packed portions, each of the packed portions being disposed inside a respective one of the engraved lens sections. The refractive index of the packed portions is different from that of the background layer. The packed portions are partially packed inside the engraved lens sections. The refractive index of the packed portions is greater than that of the background layer. The background layer and the packed portions are made of transparent polymer resin.
US08970802B2
The present invention discloses a display device which is configured with a liquid crystal display panel and a backlight module. The backlight module includes at least an optical film and a mainframe structure which includes a plastic frame and a backboard integrally with the plastic frame. The backboard includes an integral bottom to support the optical films of the backlight module, and a first sidewall. Wherein the plastic frame is integrally formed with a carrying portion, a second sidewall, and a supporting portion, wherein the carrying portion is used to position optical films, and also support the liquid crystal display panel, wherein to receiving slot is defined between the second sidewall and the supporting main portion such that the first sidewall is received therein, wherein the supporting portion includes an integrally formed main portion interconnected to the carrying portion and a positioning block which prevent the plastic frame from transversal movement with respect to the backboard together with the bottom of the backboard. The present invention readily increases the stability and firmness of the plastic frame.
US08970798B2
A display device includes: a first substrate; a second substrate on the first substrate and facing the first substrate, the second substrate having a first electrode on a surface thereof; a third substrate on the second substrate and facing the second substrate, the third substrate having a second electrode on a surface thereof, the second electrode facing the first electrode and configured to form an electric field between the first electrode and the second electrode; a barrier layer interposed between the second substrate and the third substrate, the barrier layer configured to selectively control transmission and blockage of light in regions thereof corresponding to each of a plurality of pixels; and a first polarizing plate on the third substrate and configured to transmit a portion of light passing through the barrier layer, the portion of light having a first phase, the barrier layer including electrochromic elements.
US08970792B2
A remote controller applied to a display device includes a wireless communication element, a voice receiving and transmitting element and a control unit. The wireless communication element is utilized for performing a wireless communication with a set-up box of the display device. The control unit is coupled to the wireless communication element and the voice receiving and transmitting element, and is utilized for controlling a voice communication between the wireless communication element and the set-up box. When the remote controller does not need to have the voice communication and any other communication with the set-up box, the control unit disables the wireless communication element to make the wireless communication element be unable to receive and process any information from the set-up box.
US08970781B2
Disclosed is a camera module including a substrate which is provided with an electrode pad and an image sensor; a housing which is stacked on the substrate and of which an upper portion is opened so that light is incident to the image sensor; a MEMS actuator which is installed at the housing and has an electrode terminal at one side thereof, and a conductive pattern which is formed at the housing, wherein a lower end of the conductive pattern is connected with the electrode pad of the substrate, and an upper end thereof is connected with the electrode terminal of the MEMS actuator, whereby it is possible to improve electrical reliability between the electrode terminal of the MEMS actuator and the electrode pad of the substrate and facilely form the electrical connection therebetween, thereby reducing the number of processes.
US08970780B2
A camera module includes an image sensor, a number of metal balls, and a cover glass. The image sensor includes an active surface and a number of pads. The active surface includes an imaging zone and a non-imaging zone surrounding the imaging zone. The imaging zone is configured to sense incident light and to convert the incident light into corresponding electric signals. The pads are formed on the non-imaging zone. The metal balls are stacked on three of the pads, which are not linear. The numbers of the metal balls on each of the three pads are equal to each other such that heights of the metal balls on each of the three pads are substantially equal to each other. The cover glass is positioned on the metal balls.
US08970779B2
According to an aspect of the present invention, the camera body can switch the present version, which is an original version, to specifications of an older version. Thus, even if the present versions of the camera body and the interchangeable lens doe not have compatibility, if an old version has compatibility, a minimum operation can be ensured by the specifications of the old version without updating the firmware, although the functions may have possibility of being restricted.
US08970778B2
A camera support apparatus for supporting a video camera comprises a drive train device (1), a first inductive position sensor (23), (14) attached to a rotational output device (11) of the drive train device (10), and a second inductive position sensor (2), (3) attached to a rotational input device (4) which is operably connected to the drive train device (1), whereby the inductance sensed by the first position sensor (23), (14) is indicative of the rotational displacement of the rotational output device (11) and the inductance sensed by the second position sensor (2), (3) is indicative of the rotational displacement of the rotational input device (4).
US08970773B2
An image capture apparatus comprises an image sensor which photo-electrically converts an object image formed by an imaging lens, the image sensor including a first pixel group having a first light-receiving area, and a second pixel group which is discretely arranged in the first pixel group and configured by dividing a light-receiving area substantially equal in area to the first light-receiving area into a second light-receiving area and a third light-receiving area different in area from the second light-receiving area, and control means for integrally controlling the second light-receiving area of the second pixel group and the first light-receiving area of the first pixel group.
US08970772B2
A digital photographing apparatus includes an exchangeable lens and a body unit to which the exchangeable lens is installed. The exchangeable lens includes a plurality of actuators and a storage unit that stores power consumption information related to driving of the plurality of actuators. The body unit includes an actuator controller that controls the driving of the plurality of actuators based on the power consumption information. Accordingly, the plurality of actuators included in the exchangeable lens may be stably controlled.
US08970769B2
A solid-state imaging apparatus comprising a substrate having a first face and a second face opposing each other, and in which photoelectric conversion portions are formed, an optical system including microlenses provided on a side of the first face, and light absorbing portions provided on a side of the second face, wherein the apparatus has pixels of first type for detecting light of a first wavelength and second type for detecting light of a second wavelength shorter than the first wavelength, and the apparatus further comprises a first portion between the substrate and the light absorbing portion for each first type pixel, and a second portion between the substrate and the light absorbing portion for each second type pixel, and the first portion has a reflectance higher than that of the second portion for the light of the first wavelength.
US08970766B2
An imaging device includes an image data interface unit that outputs the first image data according to a pixel signal from a solid-state imaging device, an image data reading unit that reads image data from a storage unit and outputs the read image data as second image data, an image synthesizing unit that outputs third image data in which the first image data is synthesized with the second image data, an evaluation value generating unit that generates an evaluation value based on image data, a first image data selecting unit that inputs selected image data to the evaluation value generating unit, an image data writing unit that stores input image data in the storage unit via the data bus, a second image data selecting unit that inputs selected image data to the image data writing unit, and a display unit that displays an image corresponding to the third image data.
US08970761B2
A device and method are provided that retrieves a plurality of thumbnails corresponding to a plurality of images captured by the digital camera and rotates each thumbnail of the plurality of thumbnails into an upright position. The method and device also crops each thumbnail of the plurality of thumbnails to a uniform size which is an overlap of a portrait and landscape image and displays each thumbnail of the plurality of thumbnails having the uniform size such that the plurality of thumbnails has a uniform appearance while the digital camera is in a review mode.
US08970760B2
A portable terminal having a touch screen and a method for processing an image therein are provided. The portable terminal includes a camera unit for photographing an image, a touch screen for displaying the photographed image, a controller for generating, if a substantially continuous drawing motion is detected on the touch screen, a partial area in the displayed image according to the drawing motion, and a memory unit for storing the partial area of the displayed image. Accordingly, the portable terminal may more easily perform image photographing and editing, thereby increasing user convenience.
US08970753B2
A solid-state imaging device includes: a pixel section wherein pixels including photoelectric conversion devices are arranged in a matrix; and a pixel driving section including a row selection circuit which controls the pixels to perform an electronic shutter operation and readout of the pixel section. The row selection circuit has a function of selecting a readout row from which a signal is read out and a shutter row on which reset is performed by discharging charge accumulated in the photoelectric conversion devices, in accordance with address and control signals. The row selection circuit can set, in accordance with the address and control signals, in the pixels of the selected row, at least a readout state, a discharge state where a smaller amount of the charge accumulated in the photoelectric conversion devices than the reset is discharged, an electronic shutter state, and a charge state where the charge is accumulated in the photoelectric conversion devices.
US08970750B2
An image outputting apparatus includes a header production section for producing a header including header information formed from first and second frame information regarding whether pixel data included in a payload are of first and last lines of one frame, respectively, first line information regarding whether or not the pixel data included in the payload are valid, and second line information regarding a line number of a line formed from the pixel data included in the payload, and an error detection code for use for detection of an error of the header information. A packet production section produces a packet which includes, in the payload thereof, pixel data for one line which configure an image obtained by imaging by an imaging section and to which the header is added. An outputting section outputs the produced packet to an image processing apparatus.
US08970741B2
An imaging apparatus includes a condenser lens optical system and a solid-state imaging device so that a pencil of incident light rays passing through the condenser lens optical system and then incident on the solid-state imaging device can be converged in a conical shape with a result that an image of the pencil of incident light rays can be formed on one point of a light receiving surface of the solid-state imaging device due to light condensing effect of the condenser lens optical system, and the imaging apparatus further includes a correcting portion which performs image quality correction on a taken image signal outputted from the solid-state imaging device in accordance with set correction quantities; and each of the correction quantities is defined in accordance with an image height direction angle width and an incidence angle as defined herein.
US08970734B2
An imaging apparatus includes: an imaging device acquiring a captured image on a subject; a display section; setting means for setting whether to make effective a temporary recording mode in which the captured image is temporarily recorded in a first storage section; if the temporary recording mode is effective, display control means for playback displaying the captured image recorded in the first storage section from when the temporary recording mode has been effective on the display section in response to an instruction operation of a user; and recording control means for recording an image specified by the user from the playback-displayed captured images in a second storage section as an image to be saved.
US08970727B2
Disclosed herein is an image processing apparatus including a synthesizing processing section configured to synthesize a plurality of images taken at different exposure times wherein, in processing to synthesize the taken images, the synthesizing processing section acquires a taken-image blending ratio varying in accordance with components selected from the taken images and carries out a blending process on a blend area in which pixels of the taken images are to be blended by applying the blending ratio to the blend area.
US08970724B2
This disclosure is directed to a method and apparatus for generating marker and comb indicia in an optical environment using a Mach-Zehnder (M-Z) modulator. High speed recording devices are configured to record image or other data defining a high speed event. To calibrate and establish time reference, the markers or combs are indicia which serve as timing pulses (markers) or a constant-frequency train of optical pulses (comb) to be imaged on a streak camera for accurate time based calibration and time reference. The system includes a camera, an optic signal generator which provides an optic signal to an M-Z modulator and biasing and modulation signal generators configured to provide input to the M-Z modulator. An optical reference signal is provided to the M-Z modulator. The M-Z modulator modulates the reference signal to a higher frequency optical signal which is output through a fiber coupled link to the streak camera.
US08970716B2
Suppression of a flicker and appreciated AF accuracy are both taken into account in a program diagram for AF for determining shooting conditions for capturing an image for executing an auto-focus detection process in a moving image/still image continuous shooting mode for recording a still image and moving images of a predetermined period just before the still image capturing. Specifically, in a sector of low luminance in which ISO sensitivity is not a minimum value, a shutter speed that can suppress the flicker is set, and then the ISO sensitivity is reduced to the minimum value to allow obtaining a moving image with the suppression of the flicker.
US08970714B2
An image processing apparatus and method relate to an imaging process which is applied to image data captured by an image capturing apparatus such as a multi-eye camera, multi-view camera, and the like. The image processing apparatus and method generates synthetic image data which focused on a curved focus surface by compositing multi-view image data captured from multi-viewpoints.
US08970712B2
When sensing an image using an image sensor driven by the rolling shutter method, a shake of an image sensing apparatus in the exposure period of the image sensor is detected, and the temporal characteristic of the detected shake is obtained. For the temporal characteristic of the shake, the frequency distribution of the distortion amount of an object image that is generated in the image owing to the shake is analyzed. For at least the center frequency, the temporal characteristic of the shake is compensated for to eliminate a phase shift generated when the temporal characteristic of the shake is obtained. An object image distortion arising from the shake for each line of the image sensor is corrected using a correction amount calculated from the compensated temporal characteristic of the shake.
US08970711B2
An imaging apparatus includes an imaging unit configured to capture an image by using a rolling shutter method, a movement detection unit configured to detect a movement amount of the imaging apparatus relative to an object, an in-focus detection unit configured to detect an in-focus degree to the object, a distortion correction unit configured to correct a distortion in the image generated due to the rolling shutter method by changing a reading position of each line in the image, and a control unit configured to determine a correction amount of the distortion generated due to the rolling shutter method from the movement amount detected by the movement detection unit and the in-focus degree detected by the in-focus detection unit.
US08970695B2
An image processing device includes: a detecting section configured to detect a plurality of objects by type from one input image; a generating section configured to generate image data on each of the objects detected by the detecting section as images of respective different picture frames by types of the objects; and a processing section configured to subject the images of the different picture frames, the images of the different picture frames being generated by the generating section, to processing according to one of a setting and a request.
US08970693B1
Structured light patterns are projected onto an object and images of the structured light interacting with the surface of the object are acquired, as well as grayscale information. Edges within the structured light patterns are detected and depth sample points on the edges are used to determine distance to those sample points. The grayscale information is used to construct surface normals. From these normals relative surface contours such as curves or slopes may be determined. A model of a surface of the object is generated using the distances and the contours.
US08970690B2
Method for determining the pose of a camera with respect to at least one object of a real environment for use in authoring/augmented reality application that includes generating a first image by the camera capturing a real object of a real environment, generating first orientation data from at least one orientation sensor associated with the camera or from an algorithm which analysis the first image for finding and determining features which are indicative of an orientation of the camera, allocating a distance of the camera to the real object, generating distance data indicative of the allocated distance, determining the pose of the camera with respect to a coordinate system related to the real object of the real environment using the distance data and the first orientation data. May be performed with reduced processing requirements and/or higher processing speed, in mobile device such as mobile phones having display, camera and orientation sensor.
US08970684B2
A controller for a display device includes a formatter and a processor. The formatter generates a predetermined arrangement of left and right image data included in a three-dimensional (3D) video signal. The processor controls operation of one or more backlight lamps of a display device based on the predetermined arrangement of left and right image data and a detected temperature.
US08970681B2
A method of controlling a view of a stereoscopic image and a stereoscopic image display using the same are disclosed. The method of controlling a view of a stereoscopic image includes: detecting a position information of a viewer from an output of a sensor; changing parameters for rendering a viewing angle and a depth information according to the position information; generating a left-eye image and a right-eye image in which a viewing angle and a depth information are changed in accordance with the parameters; and displaying the left-eye image and the right-eye image on a stereoscopic image display.
US08970676B2
A structured light system based on a fast, linear array light modulator and an anamorphic optical system captures three-dimensional shape information at high rates and has strong resistance to interference from ambient light. A structured light system having a modulated light source offers improved signal to noise ratios. A wand permits single point detection of patterns in structured light systems.
US08970675B2
A system of the present disclosure comprises a shooting system and a playback system. The shooting system includes first and second shooting sections and a disparity calculating section that generates a differential image representing a difference between first and second images that have been shot by the first and second shooting sections, respectively. The playback system includes an image generating section that generates, based on the differential image and the first image, a third image that has as high a resolution as the first image and that forms, along with the first image, a 3D image. The image generating section generates, based on the first image and the differential image, a depth map representing the amount of parallax between the first and second images, and generates the third image based on the first image and the depth map.
US08970673B2
Provided is a system and method for scanning a target area, including capturing images from onboard a platform for use in producing one or more stereoscopic views. A first set of at least two image sequences of at least two images each, covering the target area or a subsection thereof is captured. As the platform continues to move forward, at least one other set of images covering the same target area or subsection thereof is captured. At least one captured image from each of at least two of the sets may be used in producing a stereoscopic view.
US08970672B2
Systems and methods of 3D image processing are disclosed. In a particular embodiment, a three-dimensional (3D) media player is configured to receive input data including at least a first image corresponding to a scene and a second image corresponding to the scene and to provide output data to a 3D display device. The 3D media player is responsive to user input including at least one of a zoom command and a pan command. The 3D media player includes a convergence control module configured to determine a convergence point of a 3D rendering of the scene responsive to the user input.
US08970671B2
Embodiments of the present invention relate a nondiffracting beam detection module for generating three-dimensional image data that has a surface layer having a first surface and a light transmissive region, a microaxicon, and a light detector. The microaxicon receives light through the light transmissive region from outside the first surface and generates one or more detection nondiffracting beams based on the received light. The light detector receives the nondiffracting beams and generates three-dimensional image data associated with an object located outside the first surface based on the one or more detection nondiffracting beams received. In some cases, the light detector can localize a three-dimensional position on the object associated with each detection nondiffracting beam received. In other cases, the light detector can determine perspective projections based on the detection nondiffracting beams received and generates the three-dimensional image data, using tomography, based on the determined perspective projections.
US08970668B2
A method performed by one or more computing devices includes receiving, by a data center and from a user device via a public network connection, a selection of high-definition three-dimensional (HD3D) content and sending, by the data center and to the user device, a link to a content delivery system to provide the selected HD3D content. The method also includes receiving, by the content delivery system and from the user device, a streaming request for the selected HD3D content; reserving, by the content delivery system, bandwidth, for the selected HD3D content, within a managed network; and sending, by the content delivery system and to the user device, a streaming Internet protocol (IP) address for providing the selected HD3D content over the managed network.
US08970662B2
Methods, systems and devices are provided for managing electronic communications on a communication device including receiving an incoming call indication from an originating device. The methods, system and devices may include transmitting a delay indication in response to determining the delayed call acceptance is warranted and receiving a first message segment and subsequently a second message segment from the originating device. Additionally, they may include outputting at least one of the first message segment and the second message segment in response to determining whether to output at least one of the first message segment and the second message segment. Further, they may include transmitting a playback status including a series of status indications reflecting an updated output progress of the first message segment at a recipient device in response to determining the first message segment should be output.
US08970652B2
A camera having communication ability can switch a mode between a communication mode and a shooting mode. The camera combines features of a communication device and a digital camera. The camera comprises a communication device, an imaging device, and a switching device. The switching device switched the communication mode to the shooting mode responsive to completion of communication.
US08970636B2
A system and method for compensating for average brightness dependency (ABD) differences between displays with and without average brightness dependency (ABD) includes color correcting source picture content on a reference display to output color corrected picture content. In addition, an ABD simulation process uses the color corrected picture content to simulate the display of content on the reference display. Subsequently, a compensation process receives the color corrected picture content and information from the simulation process and applies an ABD compensation characteristic to the color corrected picture content for correctly displaying the source picture content on a display with different ABD characteristics than the reference display.
US08970635B2
The present disclosure is related to the liquid crystal display device and the driving method for selectively controlling the average picture level. The liquid crystal display device of the present disclosure comprises: a brightness extractor separating a brightness and a color difference information from an input image; an user interface receiving a limit APL; an APL restrictor calculating an average APL of the input image based on the brightness from the brightness extractor, modulating the brightness of the input image such that the average APL is restricted lower than the limit APL when the average APL of input image is higher than the limit APL, and converting the modulated brightness and the color difference information into a RGB data; and a driving circuit representing the RGB data from the APL restrictor on a liquid crystal display panel.
US08970633B2
Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with controlling zooming and panning on a handheld computing device (e.g., personal digital assistant (PDA)) are described. A PDA may include a touch sensor that can generate both rotational and flick signals. A PDA may display images at different zoom levels. When “zoomed in”, less than an entire image may be displayed. Therefore a PDA may pan to different viewable image portions. An example system includes a receive logic to receive a rotational signal from the touch sensor. The rotational signal has a direction that indicates a desired zoom level change. The example system includes a control logic to change the zoom level in response to the rotational signal and to control the PDA to display the image in accordance with the updated zoom level.
US08970626B2
A system, method, and computer program product are provided for performing path tracing. In use, one or more matte objects are identified in a scene. Additionally, one or more synthetic objects are identified in the scene. Further, path tracing is performed within the scene, where the path tracing accounts for interactions between one or more of the matte objects and one or more of the synthetic objects.
US08970625B2
Tracking objects presented within a stereo three-dimensional (3D) scene. The user control device may include one or more visually indicated points for at least one tracking sensor to track. The user control device may also include other position determining devices, for example, an accelerometer and/or gyroscope. Precise 3D coordinates of the stylus may be determined based on location information from the tracking sensor(s) and additional information from the other position determining devices. A stereo 3D scene may be updated to reflect the determined coordinates.
US08970621B2
When two objects have overlapping without the intervention of another object, it is determined that the two objects are in contact with each other. Then, a second object, which reaches a state having overlapping with a first object and then reaches a state having overlapping again via a state without any overlapping during movement of the first object, is detected. When it is determined that the first and second objects are in contact with each other before and after the state without any overlapping, an information processing apparatus interchanges a hierarchical relation in Z-orders of the first and second objects.
US08970619B2
Many computing services incorporate large mosaics of geo-located images. For example, a user may access and interact with a digital image map comprising thousands of digital images mosaiced together. It may be advantageous to parallelize mosaic creation by splitting the mosaic into tiles, and processing the tiles independently from one another. Unfortunately, visual artifacts between image boundaries may result because of the independent processing. Accordingly, one or more systems and/or techniques for generating a substantially seamless mosaic tile are disclosed herein. A mosaic tile comprising one or more intersecting images may be received. Pair-wise image segmentation may be executed upon pairs of intersecting images within the mosaic tile to generate seam lines between the pair of intersecting images. The seam lines are used to compose the mosaic tile. A constrained alpha-expansion algorithm is executed upon hole regions within the composed mosaic to generate a substantially seamless mosaic.
US08970617B2
The display device includes a timing controller, a data driving unit, a gate driving unit, and a display panel. The timing controller divides m-bit image data (m is a natural number) received from the outside into n different image data for each viewpoint (n is 2 or larger natural number), and generates an output frame composed of a plurality of 3-dimensional image data including the n image data for each viewpoint. Then, the output frame is dithered so that the image data for each viewpoint expresses m-bit gradation with l bit, and image data for each viewpoint included in the output frame are outputted as output image signals.
US08970606B2
An information processing apparatus includes a first graphics chip having a first drawing processing capacity and being capable of producing a first image signal; a second graphics chip having a second drawing processing capacity higher than the first drawing processing capacity and being capable of producing a second image signal; an output changeover section capable of selectively outputting one of the first or second image signals; an inputting section configured to input a user operation to select one of the first graphics chip or the second graphics chip; and a control section configured to control the output of the output changeover section in response to the inputted user operation.
US08970603B2
Exemplary techniques for recovering from a graphics processor reset are herein disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, a 3D graphics service manager 404 can detect that a graphics processing unit reset and can restart a rendering process configured to render 3D graphics for a virtual machine and cause a graphics buffer to be established between the rendering process and the virtual machine. In addition to the foregoing, other aspects are described in the detailed description, claims, and figures.
US08970593B2
Relational data can be visualized in a map representation. A plurality of vertices and edges are determined based on a set of data identifying objects (i.e., vertices) and relationships (i.e., edges). The vertices and edges are embedded in a planar graph and a Voronoi diagram is generated based at least the plurality of vertices within a set of bounding-points located at least a distance away from the vertices of the map. A bounding-box is associated with each of the vertices, and a set of points generated along each bounding-box. The Voronoi diagram is generated based on the vertices and the set of points of each bounding-box. Each resulting Voronoi cell associated with a common vertex is merged to form a plurality of common cells (i.e., map). The size of each bounding-box can correlate to the importance of its associated vertex, and the points along the bounding-box can be randomly perturbed.
US08970589B2
A near-touch interface is provided that utilizes stereo cameras and a series of targeted structured light tessellations, emanating from the screen as a light source and incident on objects in the field-of-view. After radial distortion from a series of wide-angle lenses is mitigated, a surface-based spatio-temporal stereo algorithm is utilized to estimate initial depth values. Once these values are calculated, a subsequent refinement step may be applied in which light source tessellations are used to flash a structure onto targeted components of the scene, where initial near-interaction disparity values have been calculated. The combination of a spherical stereo algorithm, and smoothing with structured light source tessellations, provides for a very reliable and fast near-field depth engine, and resolves issues that are associated with depth estimates for embedded solutions of this approach.
US08970588B1
The efficiency of shading and rendering processes can be improved through implementing object oriented programming for shading program languages. Computer graphics data representing a geometric model in a scene are determined and assigned to object oriented classes and subclasses and are subsequently sorted and grouped into several (e.g., two or more) groups based on the classification information. Once the computer graphics data are assigned in a class and/or subclasses and grouped, a shader interpreter implements SIMD operators on each group of data values.
US08970586B2
A clairvoyance method for 3D scene is disclosed, including the steps of acquiring parameters associated with a clairvoyance camera and parameters associated with a clairvoyance viewport; determining a 3D scene to be rendered according to the parameters associated with the clairvoyance camera; rendering the determined 3D scene to obtain a 2D image presented in the clairvoyance viewport; and composing the 2D image presented in the clairvoyance viewport and a 2D image presented in a general scene viewport. With the method of the present invention, the covered 3D scene can be made clairvoyant to be viewed in a user-controllable way, and further an object can be selected in the clairvoyant 3D scene for manipulation, without manipulating the covering object. Thus, one or more embodiments of the present invention have advantages of simple and easy operation and high efficiency.
US08970582B2
Stereoscopic image display devices and methods of driving the same. The display device is configurable to display 2D images in a 2D mode and multi-view images in a 3D mode, and includes an optical plate configured to pass through images in the 2D mode, and separate images in the 3D mode; a user detector configured to detect the number of users, and output detection data including the number of the users; a view mode controller configured to calculate the optimum number of views according to the number of the users, and select a view mode based on the number of the optimum views; and a multi-view images converter configured to output image data in the 2D mode without conversion, and convert the image data into multi-view image data for separation according to the number of the views in the selected view mode.
US08970573B2
A display driver maps a selection code (a digital signal) to a reference voltage which is then used to produce a particular intensity of the radiation emitted from a pixel on a display screen (e.g., a LCD display). This mapping may be performed by one or more DACs in the display driver. However, instead of transmitting all of the different possible reference voltages to the DACs, only a subset of the reference voltages are transmitted. Each DAC may include an interpolator circuit that uses the received reference voltages to interpolate the reference voltages that were not transmitted. In this manner, the display driver may still provide the same number of unique reference voltages to a display screen while transmitting fewer reference voltages along the driver's optical channel.
US08970571B1
An apparatus includes a light source, a display array, a light relay, a photodetector, control circuitry, and measurement circuitry. The light source is for providing lamp light during an ON-time of the light source. The display array is positioned to receive and selectively manipulate the lamp light. The light relay is positioned to receive the image light from the display array. The photodetector is optically coupled to receive light. Control circuitry is coupled to the light source for cycling the light source and coupled to the measurement circuitry for coordinating light measurements of the photodetector.
US08970568B2
A display device is disclosed. A display panel displays a first image according to a first output image. A timing controller includes a receiving unit, a compression unit, a decompression unit and a processing unit. The receiving unit receives a first input image and a second input image and outputs a first processed image and a second processed image. The first input image is the same as the first processed image. The second input image is the same as the second processed image. The compression unit generates a first compressed image according to the first processed image. The receiving unit stores the first compressed image. The decompression unit processes the stored first compressed image to generate a first decompressed image. The processing unit processes the second processed image and the first decompressed image to generate the first output image.
US08970567B2
An organic light emitting display includes first scan lines, data lines, and first emission control lines at an active region for displaying an image, second scan lines and second emission control lines at a blank region where no image is displayed, pixels coupled to the first scan lines, the data lines, and the first emission control lines in the active region, a dimming controller for controlling brightness of the pixels, and an emission control line driver for supplying emission control signals to the first and second emission control lines corresponding to control of the dimming controller so that a light-emitting area including ones of the pixels is uniform in the active region.
US08970566B2
An image display apparatus for displaying an image produced by image signals on a display section includes: a plurality of input terminals for receiving each of the image signals supplied from a plurality of input sources; an input selector for selecting a predetermined input terminal from the plural input terminals; a judging section for determining whether the image signals have been inputted to the input terminal selected by the input selector; an operating section which receives requirement of search processing for determining whether the image signals have been inputted to each of the plural input terminals; an image signal correcting section which generates image signals for producing a source search screen indicating search status for each of the input source names corresponding to the input terminals; and a control section for displaying an image of the source search screen produced by the image signals at least on the display section.
US08970560B2
A writing instrument includes a cylindrical barrel and an end cover having a robust structure and attached to the cylindrical barrel. The end cover includes a cylindrical base attached to a rear end portion of the cylindrical barrel, a cover body fitted around an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical base, a stopper ring fitted around an outer peripheral surface of at least a fitted portion between the cylindrical base and the cover body, and a cooperation structure for enhancing a holding force which is exerted on the cover body by the cylindrical base and the stopper ring and for joining the cylindrical base, the cover body, and the stopper ring together to form a joined unit which includes the cylindrical base, the cover body and the stopper ring.
US08970557B2
The present invention provides a method and device for position detection. For detection of a touch position, a segment of surface acoustic wave (SAW) is provided multiple times to be propagated on a SAW touch panel, and the multiple SAW segments are received by the SAW touch panel. In addition, during or after reception, partial output electrical signals are provided based on different portions of each received SAW segment to construct a complete output electrical signal.
US08970554B2
An assembly includes a display panel having four corners, an optical sensing frame having at least three optical modules mounted adjacent a surface of the display panel, where the optical modules are located at the corners of the display panel and optical reflectors extending substantially along an entire length of each of four sides of the display panel, an optical sensing frame controller driving the optical sensing frame, and a display panel controller on a single circuit board with the optical sensing frame controller.
US08970552B2
A method and device for position detection are disclosed. A self-capacitance detection can be performed by a sensing device. According to the result of the self-capacitance detection, a first mutual-capacitance detection can be performed for determining one or more first 1-D positions. According to the result of the first mutual-capacitance detection, a second mutual-capacitance detection can be performed for determining one or more second 1-D positions corresponding to each first 1-D position. One or more 2-D positions can be provided according to the one or more second 1-D positions corresponding to each first 1-D position. Besides, during the self-capacitance detection, the first mutual-capacitance detection, and the second mutual-capacitance detection, a touch related sensing information corresponding to a touch that covers a wide area can be neglected for palm rejection.
US08970550B2
A touch panel that includes a first substrate, a touch sensing layer, a compensation pattern layer, a second substrate, and a first optical adhesive layer is provided. The touch sensing layer includes a plurality of electrode sets arranged in parallel, and each of the electrode sets includes a scan electrode and a plurality of sensing electrodes. An orthogonal projection of the touch sensing layer on the first substrate is not overlapped with an orthogonal projection of the compensation pattern layer on the first substrate. The compensation pattern layer and the touch sensing layer are located between the first substrate and the second substrate. The first optical adhesive layer is located between the first substrate and the second substrate. A touch display is also provided.
US08970549B2
Disclosed herein are a touch screen and a method for driving the same. The touch screen includes: a switching unit including a plurality of switches connected to traces of driving lines and sensing lines of the touch screen, respectively; a sensing unit sensing capacitance and electromagnetic resonance (EMR) according to a switching operation of the switching unit; and a main controlling unit controlling the switching operation of the switching unit according to an operation mode of the touch screen. Therefore, it is possible to improve sensitivity of sensing without increasing a bezel region of the touch screen. In addition, the EMR and the capacitance may be sensed using the same trace structure, and an antenna pattern may be formed and operated as an antenna.
US08970548B2
A touch display includes a display panel, a plurality of sensing electrodes and a driving circuit module. The display panel includes a plurality of pixels. The plurality of sensing electrodes are stacked with the display panel and are used for detecting a touch input and generating a sensing signal in response to the touch input. The driving circuit module is electrically coupled to the display panel and the plurality of sensing electrodes, for controlling the pixels of the display panel according to an image data, and generating a touch signal for indicating whether the touch display is touched or not in response to the image data and the sensing signal.
US08970547B2
Embodiments of the invention generally provide an input device with display screens that periodically update (refresh) the screen by selectively driving electrodes corresponding to pixels in a display line, while also using the display screen as a touch area for capacitive sensing. To do this, the input device uses common electrodes for both updating the display and performing capacitive sensing, and interleaves periods of capacitive sensing between periods of updating the display lines (and pixels) based on a display frame. To avoid noise and mitigate interference during capacitive sensing, the input device may switch which windows of time in a display frame are used as capacitive sensing periods based on measurements of interference.
US08970538B2
The present invention provides a touch sensor system which is capable of removing a hand-placing signal while mounting normal application software on a host device. A touch sensor system (1) includes a hand-placing removing process section (2) which detects a hand-placing region on a basis of strengths of capacitance signals, each strength being indicative of a change in capacitance and which replaces values of capacitance signals corresponding to respective capacitors provided in the detected hand-placing region with a nil value indicative of a state where not touch input is made.
US08970537B1
Embodiments described herein include a display device having a capacitive sensing device, a processing system and a method for detecting presence of an input object using a capacitive sensing device, all of which include a grid electrode for improved absolute sensing. Other embodiments include a display device having a capacitive sensing device, a processing system and a method for detecting presence of an input object using a capacitive sensing device, wherein the capacitive sensing device includes a matrix of discrete sensor electrodes.
US08970535B2
Electronic apparatus (100) includes a display device (1), a detecting device (20) which detects an input, a state change detecting section (31), and a control section. The control section controls the detecting device (20) so that the detecting device (20) carries out the detection more times during a non-scanning period in a case where a state change causing an improvement in detection accuracy is detected and so that the detecting device (20) carries out the detection fewer times during the non-scanning period in a case where the state change causing a deterioration in detection accuracy is detected. With the configuration, it is possible to improve detection accuracy of the detecting device while reducing electric power consumption.
US08970525B1
In response to detecting a predetermined pressure change between two consecutive contacts on a trackpad of a computing device, the two consecutive contacts are ignored. In response to detecting a predetermined pressure change of a single contact on the trackpad, the single contact is ignored. After detecting a new contact on the trackpad after a predetermined period of time without any contact on the trackpad, any movement tied to a predetermined amount of increasing pressure on the trackpad for the new contact is temporarily discarded, for a preset amount of time.
US08970520B2
A display device includes: a first substrate having a light extraction plane; a plurality of first electrodes; an organic electroluminescence layer; a second electrode; a second substrate; a sensing electrode allowing an object to be detected; and a driving electrode forming a capacitance with the sensing electrode and allowing the object to be detected. The first electrodes, the organic electroluminescence layer, the second electrode, and the second substrate are provided in this order on the first substrate. The sensing electrode and the driving electrode are provided, in this order from a first substrate side, between the first substrate and the second substrate.
US08970515B2
Presently described are articles such as antennas, EMI shields, and touch screen sensors as well as patterned substrates having overlaid micropatterns with low visibility. Also described are methods of determining the visibility of a patterned substrate. In one embodiment, a patterned substrate is described comprising a visible light transparent substrate; and at least two overlaid electrically conductive mesh micropatterns, wherein each mesh has a repeating cell geometry and the combination of overlaid micropatterns has a spatial contrast threshold at a distance of 30000 units of greater than −35 decibels.
US08970512B2
A touch screen display device is described that includes a display panel, a display driver, a sensor circuit and a combination unit. The display panel has a plurality of display elements arranged between a first and a second electrode layer. The display driver is arranged for providing display signals comprising a common display signal and an input control signal to the display panel. The sensor circuit is arranged for providing a probe signal and a shield signal mutually having the same phase and frequency and for generating a touch signal in response to the output signal received from the first electrode layer. The combination unit provides a drive signal to the first electrode layer derived from the common display signal and the probe signal, and further provides an output control signal for the display panel from the input control signal and the shield signal.
US08970509B2
A touch panel includes a plurality of first sensors disposed on a substrate, the plurality of first sensors including a plurality of first electrodes spaced from one another in a first direction and a first connection pattern to connect two adjacent first electrodes, the plurality of first sensors arranged in a second direction crossing the first direction; a plurality of second sensors disposed on the substrate, the plurality of second sensors including a plurality of second electrodes spaced from one another in the second direction and a second connection pattern composed of a metal to connect two adjacent second electrodes, the plurality of second sensors arranged in the first direction; and at least one metal pattern connected to the first connection pattern, wherein the at least one metal pattern overlaps the first connection pattern.
US08970504B2
The formation of improved reliability conductive traces in touch sensor panels that are less prone to failures due to environmental effects is disclosed. Conductive traces, which can be formed from a stackup of metal layers or a single metal layer, can be protected with an additional photoimageable passivation layer of a material such as an organic polymer. This photoimageable coating can be patterned so that it does not appear in the visible area of the touch sensor panel, with much finer tolerances than conventional passivation layers to help keep product dimensions to a minimum.
US08970496B2
A device connectable to a computer is disclosed. The device comprises a selector defining a pathway and a plurality of positions along the pathway, the selector having a terminal displaceable along the pathway and positionable at one of the plurality of positions, the pathway being substantially straight, each of the plurality of positions having a process associated therewith. The device further comprises a sensor being operable for generating instruction signals. More specifically, the instruction signals are communicable to the computing device for executing thereon the process associated with one of the plurality of positions along the pathway whereat the terminal is positioned.
US08970495B1
A computing system that includes a color sequential display (CSD) and an eye-tracking device may determine motion of an eye with respect to the CSD, while displaying temporally sequential color sub-frames of a video display image on CSD. Based on the determined motion, the computing system may determine an expected change in position of the eye with respect to the CSD over a time interval from a first temporally sequential color sub-frame to a second temporally sequential color sub-frame that follows the first temporally sequential color sub-frame. Then, based on the determined expected change in position, the computing system may compensate for the determined motion of the eye by adjusting a display position on the CSD of the second temporally sequential color sub-frame with respect to a display position on the CSD of the first temporally sequential color sub-frame. A head-mounted display is an example of such a computing system.
US08970482B2
Embodiments of the technology involve apparatus and methods for control of displaying of images. In an example, an apparatus may include an image display, a sensor to detect posture of the image display and a processor to control sequentially displaying images of a group of images on the image display based on changes in the detected posture. The processor may control a display of a posture indicator on the image display such that the indicator may represent a relation between a change in the detected posture and an image of the group of images. Optionally, the indicator may be represented by a tilt meter. Moreover, in some embodiments, the sensor may be implemented with a gyroscopic sensor.
US08970476B2
Methods, apparatus, and computer readable medium for creating and/or editing images are disclosed. An electronic tablet device may include a display, touch sensor, a motion sensor, controller and speaker. The motion sensor may generate input signals indicative of a spatial movement of the electronic tablet device. The controller may receive the input signals and generate output signals that move a drawing tool across a canvas of the display based on the spatial movement of the electronic device. The output signals may further update the canvas to reflect an effect of moving the drawing tool across the canvas per the tilting movement.
US08970456B2
An OLED display having a first pixel, a second pixel, and a third pixel arranged in a matrix format including: a substrate; gate lines formed on the substrate; data lines crossing the gate lines in the insulated manner; a plurality of driving power lines formed on the substrate and including a first driving power line transmitting a driving voltage to the first pixel, second driving power line transmitting a driving voltage to the second pixel, and a third driving power line transmitting a driving voltage to the third pixel; a switching thin film transistor connected with the gate lines and the data lines; a driving transistor connected with the switching thin film transistor and the driving power lines; a first electrode connected with the driving transistor; an organic light emitting member formed on the first electrode; and a second electrode formed on the organic light emitting member.
US08970452B2
A wearable computing device or a head-mounted display (HMD) may be configured to track the gaze axis of an eye of the wearer. In particular, the device may be configured to observe movement of a wearer's pupil and, based on the movement, determine inputs to a user interface. For example, using eye gaze detection, the HMD may change a tracking rate of a displayed virtual image based on where the user is looking. Gazing at the center of the HMD field of view may, for instance, allow for fine movements of the virtual display. Gazing near an edge of the HMD field of view may provide coarser movements.
US08970451B2
A visual guidance system includes an image display to present an image overlaid on a windshield in front of a driver of a vehicle, a processor to output image information on a virtual line to display visual guidance to the image display, and a steering input detector to detect a steering input. The processor presents an attention attracting indication about an object outside of the vehicle in synchronization with the virtual line in such a manner that the virtual line extends from above the driver along a course of the vehicle seen within the windshield, and a pointing end of the virtual line is overlaid on a road surface on the course seen within the windshield. The processor outputs image information for changing the attention attracting indication to be less conspicuous than the virtual line in accordance with a steering input signal given by the steering input detector.
US08970447B2
A helical antenna operable to be stowed on and deployed from a cubesat. The antenna includes two helical elements wound in opposite directions and defining an antenna column, where one of the helical elements is a conductive antenna element. The antenna also includes a plurality of circumferentially disposed vertical stiffeners extending along a length of the column and being coupled to the helical elements at each location where the vertical stiffeners and the helical elements cross. The helical elements and the vertical stiffeners are formed of a flexible material, such as a fiber glass, so that the antenna can be collapsed and stowed into a relatively small space. To position the antenna in the stowed configuration, the vertical stiffeners are folded on each other in a radial direction, and then the folded antenna is rolled in an axial direction from one end of the column to the other end.
US08970441B2
Provided is an antenna apparatus which employs a small number of antenna devices and is intended to obtain a desired pattern without adjusting amplitude level and phase of each antenna device. The antenna apparatus includes a first ridge horn antenna, and a second ridge horn antenna spaced apart from the first ridge horn antenna by a determined distance. Here, a multi-beam pattern is generated using a third-order mode beam pattern of a synthetic beam obtained by synthesizing beams respectively radiated from the first and second ridge horn antennas. Accordingly, the antenna apparatus can be simplified, and a desired multi-beam pattern can be obtained without adjusting signal level and phase of each antenna device. Also, by employing the ridge horn antennas as array devices, the antenna apparatus can be used in a wide frequency band.
US08970437B2
An electronic device includes: a circuit substrate; and an antenna element installed on the circuit substrate, wherein the antenna element is installed at a position apart from an end of the circuit substrate by a given offset so that distribution variation of irradiation characteristics of the antenna element within a horizontal surface is reduced both in cases where the electronic device in which the antenna element is installed is set in portrait orientation and in landscape orientation.
US08970430B2
An auxiliary positioning method, applied to a portable electronic device operative in a wireless communication network system and a satellite positioning system, for determining current position information of the potable electronic device, includes steps of receiving a plurality of current signals from at least one base station in the wireless communication network system to generate current signal information; accessing at least one track record related to the current signal information from a track record database, wherein the track record database includes a plurality of track records which record respective position information and signal information of base stations corresponding to the position information; and calculating the current position information according to the at least one track record.
US08970429B2
Aspects of the present invention relate to a system (10) and a method for tracking one or more targets by a radar using a multiple hypothesis tracking (MHT) algorithm, the method including operating the radar to transmit a radar beam from a first location toward the one or more targets, operating the radar to receive a plurality of return signals at the first location from the one or more targets, and to generate a plurality of observations for a single radar dwell respectively corresponding to the plurality of return signals, and processing the plurality of observations in accordance with the MHT algorithm for at least two passes such that more than one of the plurality of observations are associated with a single track of the one or more targets.
US08970424B2
A radar level gauge system for determining a filling level in a tank. The radar level gauge system comprises a transceiver, a horn antenna having a first opening connected to the transceiver and a second opening facing a surface of the product in the tank, and processing circuitry connected to the transceiver for determining the filling level based on an electromagnetic surface reflection signal. The horn antenna is configured in such a way that an electrical distance from the first opening to the second opening, along a path defined by an intersection between a wall of the horn antenna and a half-plane starting from and extending in parallel with a cone axis of the horn antenna, is different for different orientations of the half-plane with respect to the cone axis. Hereby, disturbance from an antenna reflection signal can be reduced, which provides for improved measurement of high filling levels.
US08970420B2
Representative implementations of devices and techniques provide bipolar time-to-digital conversion. For example, either a positive time duration or a negative time duration may be converted to a digital representation by a linear time-to-digital converter (TDC). A set of logic functions may be applied to the input of the TDC to provide start and/or stop signals for the TDC. Further, a correction component may be applied to an input or an output of the TDC to compensate for a delay offset of the TDC.
US08970418B1
The present disclosure discloses a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) design which is suitable for providing a high output power high-speed DAC, e.g., in radio frequency applications. The DAC design utilizes a parallel DAC structure, e.g., having 8 parallel DACs and an aggregate current output, to provide a high and programmable current output (in some implementations, up to 512 mA or more). The parallel DAC structure alleviates the design problems which exist in trying to output a high amount of current using a single DAC. The DAC design further utilizes a hybrid structure which integrates the signal chain for a more reliable system. In some embodiments, the hybrid structure uses a CMOS process for the current sources and switches and a GaAs cascode stage for combining the outputs to optimally leverage the advantages of both technologies. The result is a highly efficient DAC (with peak output power programmable up to 29 dBm or more).
US08970401B2
A collision avoidance system for deciding whether an autonomous avoidance maneuver should be performed in order to avoid a mid-air collision between a host aerial vehicle equipped with the system and an intruding aerial vehicle. At least one electro-optical sensor captures consecutive images of an intruding vehicle such that the vehicle manifests itself as a target point in the images. An image processor estimates the azimuth angle, elevation angle and a first time-to-collision estimate of the time to collision between the host vehicle and the intruding vehicle. The first time-to-collision estimate is estimated based on scale change in the target point between at least two of said consecutive images. A tracking filter is arranged to estimate a second time-to-collision estimate using the azimuth angle, the elevation angle and the first time-to-collision estimate estimated by the image processor as input parameters. A collision avoidance module is arranged to decide whether or not an avoidance maneuver should be performed based on any of at least one parameter, of which at least one is indicative of said second time-to-collision estimate.
US08970400B2
A mass notification push application and a civic-communication application combined into one with the primary purpose of allowing up-to-the-minute UAV aerial imagery as selected by drone ground-based commanders to be automatically transmitted to subscribed end-users via the current OS mobile operating systems for smartphones, iPads, laptops, and web-enabled devices in a manner comprised of separate technologies such as voice (voice to text, voice recognition), video stills (embedded with personalized iconographic identifiers), and with a secondary purpose of allowing the notified recipients to engage others by allowing the retransmitting of received messages along with (or without) registered user annotations so as to create a civil communications hub for wider, real-time dissemination of ongoing situational awareness data.
US08970398B2
Disclosed is a parking assistance device such that it is easy to understand the process for aligning the vehicle with the guidance completion position of each stage of parking, specifically the parking start position, the steering wheel reversal position and the intended parking position. Specifically disclosed is a parking assistance device wherein a control device (11) switches to a first parking guidance indicator (45A) during first parking guidance for guiding the vehicle to the parking start position, switches to a second parking guidance indicator (45B) during second parking guidance for guiding the vehicle to the steering wheel reversal start position, and switches to a third parking guidance indicator (45C) during third parking guidance for guiding the vehicle to the final parking position.
US08970394B2
Embodiments of the invention provide systems and methods for the reporting of status changes, such as but not limited to power outages and/or power restorations, throughout a smart grid system. Through the use of location-based reporting period selection and/or status change report aggregation, embodiments may provide efficient reporting processes that timely and accurately report status change information from the point(s) of the change to a back-end system via an access point.
US08970385B1
A water alarm is disclosed. The water alarm may include a housing, circuit board, power source, sound generator, and a plurality of conductors. The housing may define an interior and an exterior and comprise a bottom portion and a top portion. The circuit board may be contained within the interior of the housing. The power source may be electrically connected to deliver electrical power to the circuit board. The sound generator and plurality of conductors may be electrically connected to the circuit board. Each conductor of the plurality of conductors may be electrically conductive. Each may also be and insert molded within the bottom portion to extend from the interior to the exterior.
US08970383B2
An electronic warning device with scent dispersion mechanism is disclosed, which comprises: an electronic element; and at least two scent sources, featured with different vaporization temperatures while being disposed simultaneously on the electronic element. In an embodiment, there are two scent sources, i.e. a first scent source that can be vaporized at a first vaporization temperature, and a second scent source that can be vaporized at a second vaporization temperature, whereas the second vaporization temperature is higher than the first vaporization temperature. Thereby, operationally, when the temperature of the electronic element that is operating normally and reaches the first vaporization temperature, the first scent source is vaporized, but when the electronic element is operating abnormally for causing the temperature of the electronic element to be raised to a temperature higher than the second vaporization temperature, the second scent source is vaporized to be detected by users as a warning signal.
US08970382B2
A passive security system and personal equipment on vessels is for man over board situations. The personal equipment, prepared for being worn by a crewmember of the vessel, includes a first module (2) integrated into a belt (4); a life jacket (5) folded inside of the first module (2) and attached thereto by at least one strap (6); a second module (8) placed in the interior of the first module (2), connected to the life jacket (5) and configured to inflate the life jacket (5) when it detects a man over board situation. The first module (2) has on its rear part one flap (3) configured to be opened by the life jacket (5) inflating action, allowing the passage thereof to the exterior of the first module (2). It is used as a passive security element for “man over board” situations, to allow an immediate detection of the situation and a fast rescue.
US08970381B2
System and method for coordinated health monitoring, emergency response, and medical record delivery
A computer-based system for providing coordinated health monitoring, emergency response, and medical record delivery. The system can include computing devices configured to process emergency-related indicators and data. The system can also include monitoring devices communicatively linked to the computing devices. The monitoring devices can be configured to monitor a particular area for the emergency-related indicators and data, wherein the monitoring devices detect speech, sounds, images and other detectable emergency-related indicators. The monitoring devices can also be configured to transmit the emergency-related indicators and data to the computing devices. Furthermore, the system can include a module linked to the monitoring devices and configured to execute on the computing devices. The module can analyze the transmitted emergency-related indicators and data to determine whether there is an emergency, communicate with a monitoring service to validate that an emergency exists, and provide access to patient records to authorized personnel, when an emergency exists.
US08970379B2
Methods and apparatus to visualize locations of radio frequency identification (RFID) tagged items are described. One example method includes receiving a request from a portable electronic device to access product information associated with an individual radio frequency identification (RFID) tagged item, determining a location of the product information in a database, transmitting the located product information to the portable electronic device for display thereon, receiving modified product information associated with the individual RFID tagged item from the portable electronic device, and storing the modified product information to the location of the product information in the database.
US08970378B2
Microstrip patch antenna (46), feed structure (48), and matching circuit (50) designs for an RFID tag (10). A balanced feed design using balanced feeds coupled by a shorting stub (56) to create a virtual short between the two feeds so as to eliminate the need for physically connecting the substrate to the ground plane. A dual feed structure design using a four-terminal IC can be connected to two antennas (46a,46b) resonating at different frequencies so as to provide directional and polarization diversity. A combined near-field/far-field design using a microstrip antenna providing electromagnetic coupling for far-field operation, and a looping matching circuit providing inductive coupling for near-field operation. A dual-antenna design using first and second microstrip antennas providing directional diversity when affixed to a cylindrical or conical object, and a protective superstrate (66). An annular antenna (46c) design for application to the top of a metal cylinder around a stem.
US08970374B2
A system for detecting intrusion across a surface, comprising a plurality of light sources projecting an array of illuminating beams along different optical paths in the surface and a detector array system directed such that it detects along a plurality of fields of view in the surface, illumination reflected from the illuminating beams. A signal processing system detects changes along the array of fields of view, in the reflected illumination level detected by the detector system. An increase greater than a predefined level in the reflected illumination level from any field of view provides an indication of an intrusion across the surveilled surface along that field of view, at the crossing point of the direction of that field of view with the optical path whose illuminating beam generated the increase in reflected illumination from that field of view.
US08970368B2
Techniques are provided that enable a wireless security system that is designed to detect and receive wireless transmissions in one protocol, to use sensor-transmitters that operate in a different protocol. The techniques involve, generally, the use of an integration device, and in some implementations, first enrolling sensor-transmitters of a first protocol into the integration device, along with device type information for the sensor-transmitters. Thereafter, during system operation, transmissions with message packets in the first message packet protocol are received by the integration device, recognized as having been previously enrolled, and a message packet in a second message packet protocol that includes device type information is then formulated and transmitted by the integration device, for receipt by a system control device for the wireless security system. In some scenarios, an enrollment process need not be done in the integration device, and the integration device is utilized in the communication process.
US08970367B2
A system and method provides updated personnel count information for offshore locations for daily use and use during emergencies that is coordinated with a cloud database. The system allows persons not at an offshore rig or installation to monitor the presence, excuse, or absence of personnel at fixed mustering stations and moveable mustering stations such as lifeboats and the launch status of particular lifeboats. The system provides simplified touch screen information that is intuitively available to obtain user profiles for persons missing, present and excused from being present at mustering stations as well as participation in drills or emergency situations.
US08970364B2
An adaptor for remote coupling a security system to a monitoring center is described. The adaptor includes both a wireless connection to an alarm panel and a remote wireless interface. The wireless connection to the alarm panel is configured such that the adaptor appears to the alarm panel as a control pad. The adaptor communicates with a central station using the remote wireless interface and is operable to translate messages between the alarm panel and the central station into an appropriate protocol.
US08970361B2
A wrong operation detection device is disclosed for monitoring whether or not a calibration start for determining an initial deflation index is issued in a tire pressure unadjusted state after a deflation warning in a tire pressure monitoring system for detection of deflation of a tire. The device includes comparison means for comparing a first deflation index serving as a deflation index at any time point in a period from issue of the deflation warning to vehicle stop after the issue of the warning, with a second deflation index serving as a deflation index obtained after the calibration start; detection means for detection of wrong operation of a reset button based on a comparison result by the comparison means; and warning means for issuing a warning when the detection means detects the wrong operation.
US08970352B2
Implementing remote garage door opener functions includes providing, via a computer processor, a graphical user interface on a display device and prompting a user via the graphical user interface to program a garage door opener unit that is in communicative range of a transceiver. The functions also include receiving a response, from the user via an input control of the display device, indicating an acceptance by the user to program the garage door opener unit. Upon determining via the transceiver that the garage door opener unit is in programming mode, the functions include transmitting a request to the transceiver over a vehicle network to initiate synchronization between the vehicle and the garage door opener unit and receiving, from the garage door opener unit upon completion of the synchronization, an acknowledgement of successful synchronization.
US08970350B2
Methods, apparatus, and products for maintaining RFID information for virtual machines are disclosed that include establishing a virtual machine on a host computer, the host computer capable of supporting a plurality of virtual machines, the host computer comprising one or more RFID transponders; determining RFID information for the virtual machine; storing, in a specified one of the RFID transponders, the determined RFID information for the virtual machine; and upon request from an RFID reader, transmitting the stored RFID information as output from the specified RFID transponder to the requesting RFID reader.
US08970344B2
Disclosed are apparatus and corresponding methodologies for data control in an electronic access control system. A plurality of electronic locks are connected to a central server over a network such as an 802.11 WiFi wireless network that may be used to provide data updates and management for the individual electronic locks. To address power management problems associated with electronic locks having the capability to communicate over an 802.11 WiFi network, the present disclosure provides method and apparatus for selectively powering on and off an 802.11 WiFi communications module integrated into the electronic lock to conserve power resources. An electronic access control system is disclosed which allows efficient data exchange between a central server and a plurality of electronic locks using a database structure, and which allows for multiple simultaneous database manipulations in a cost effective manner.
US08970341B2
Disclosed is an electric vehicle, a battery charging station, and an electric vehicle battery exchange reservation system including the same. The electric vehicle includes a power level detection unit adapted to detect a power level of a battery mounted on the electric vehicle; a communication unit adapted to communicate with a battery charging station; and a control unit adapted to determine a battery charging station, in which the battery of the electric vehicle is to be exchanged, based on the power level of the battery and a route of travel of the electric vehicle and transmit a battery exchange reservation command to the determined battery charging station. Based on the battery power level of the electric vehicle, a battery charging station existing along the route of travel is requested to provide battery information, and battery exchange is reserved accordingly, so that batteries can be exchanged more efficiently and conveniently.
US08970323B2
Implementations are presented herein that include an antenna switch that includes a plurality of ports. A bandstop filter is coupled to at least one of the plurality of ports of the antenna switch and the bandstop filter is configured to attenuate a disturbing frequency. A transistor is configured to receive a control signal and to switch on the bandstop filter responsive to the control signal.
US08970317B2
A contactless connector includes a transmitter having a first transmit integrated circuit generating a first signal and a second transmit integrated circuit generating a second signal. A first pick-up antenna is adjacent the first transmit integrated circuit and conveys the first signal along a first transmission line to a first propagation antenna. A second pick-up antenna is adjacent the second transmit integrated circuit and conveys the second signal along a second transmission line to a second propagation antenna. The first and second propagation antennas transmit the first and second signals to a propagation path at different and separable polarizations to allow duplex communication with the propagation path.
US08970310B2
As provided herein, in some embodiments, monolithic oscillators with low phase noise, large swing voltages, wide tuning, and high frequency characteristics are obtained by a monolithic integrated circuit having an oscillator core configured to generate a first output signal, and one or more tuning units operatively coupled to the oscillator core. In some embodiments, the oscillator core is a push-push oscillator core having a bipolar junction transistor, and each of the tuning units uses a FET transistor to present a selectable capacitance. In some embodiments, the tuning units have high-voltage and high-frequency capabilities. In some embodiments, the tuning units use MEMS switches to selectively connect capacitances to the oscillator core. In some embodiments, the oscillator core generates a second signal that has twice the frequency of the first frequency.
US08970305B1
An amplifier circuit including an amplifier, a first feedback path, and a second feedback path. The amplifier is configured to amplify an input signal in accordance with a gain. The first feedback path includes a first capacitance, and responsive to the input signal being within in a first frequency range, the first feedback path configured to provide feedback from the output of the amplifier to an inverting input of the amplifier. The second feedback path includes a first resistance connected in series with a second capacitance, and responsive to the input signal being within in a second frequency range, the second feedback path is configured to provide feedback from the output of the amplifier to the inverting input of the amplifier. The second frequency range is less than the first frequency range, and the gain of the amplifier levels off according to a value of the second capacitance.
US08970303B2
Biasing methods and devices for amplifiers are described. The described methods generate bias voltages proportional to the amplifier output voltage to control stress voltages across transistors used within the amplifier.
US08970301B2
Low power low noise input bias current compensation for an amplifier input stage is provided by recycling the tail current of the differential pair transistors. A local amplifier regulates the tail current and buffers the base current of the tail current transistor, which is mirrored back to the input transistors to provide input bias current compensation.
US08970300B2
Improved preamplifier circuits for converting single-ended input current signals to differential output voltage signals, including first and second transimpedance amplifiers with input transistors operating according to bias currents from a biasing circuit, output transistors and adjustable feedback impedances modified using an automatic gain control circuit, as well as a reference circuit controlling the bias currents according to an on-board reference current and the single-ended input or the differential output voltage signals from the transimpedance amplifiers.
US08970290B2
An example circuit includes a capacitance circuit, a regulator circuit, and a slew rate control circuit. The capacitance circuit is coupled between a first node and a second node. The regulator circuit is coupled to the capacitance circuit to regulate a supply voltage across the capacitance circuit with a charge current during a normal operation mode of the circuit. The slew rate control circuit is coupled to the capacitance circuit and the regulator circuit. The slew rate control circuit is coupled to lower a slew rate of a change in voltage over change in time between the first and second nodes during a power up mode of the circuit. The slew rate control circuit includes a transistor coupled between the first and second nodes to shunt excess current from the charge current.
US08970286B2
A semiconductor switching device for switching high voltage and high current. The semiconductor switching device includes a control-triggered stage and one or more auto-triggered stages. The control-triggered stage includes a plurality of semiconductor switches, a breakover switch, a control switch, a turn-off circuit, and a capacitor. The control-triggered stage is connected in series to the one or more auto-triggered stages. Each auto-triggered stage includes a plurality of semiconductor switches connected in parallel, a breakover switch, and a capacitor. The control switch provides for selective turn-on of the control-triggered stage. When the control-triggered stage turns on, the capacitor of the control-triggered stage discharges into the gates of the plurality of semiconductor switches of the next highest stage to turn it on. Each auto-triggered stage turns on in a cascade fashion as the capacitor of the adjacent lower stage discharges or as the breakover switches of the auto-triggered stages turn on.
US08970283B2
There is disclosed a switching arrangement comprising a switch with a plurality of individually controllable elementary switches connected in parallel between a first supply rail and a second supply rail. Each of the elementary switches can be in either one of a closed state and an open state independently of the others. A controller is adapted to dynamically control the closing or opening of the elementary switches, depending on the intensity of a current flowing through the switch. The number of elementary switches in the closed state is variable. The higher is the intensity of the current, the higher the number of elementary switches in the closed state. Thus, the impedance of the switch decreases when the current increases, and vice versa, and the voltage drop across the switch may be kept substantially constant.
US08970279B2
There is provided a radio frequency switch circuit including a first switch circuit unit connected between a first node connected to a first signal port and a common node connected to a common port, and operated according to a first control signal, a second switch circuit unit connected between a second node connected to a second signal port and the common node and operated according to a second control signal having a phase opposite to that of the first control signal, a first shunt circuit unit connected between the second node and a common source node and operated according to the first control signal, a second shunt circuit unit connected between the first node and the common source node, and a source voltage generating unit generating a source voltage, wherein the source voltage is lower than a high level of the first control signal and higher than a ground potential.
US08970275B1
An integrated circuit that equalizes delay across process corners. A delay equalizer circuit is used to adjust and maintain a relatively constant delay across different process corners. The delay equalizer circuit includes a process monitor and a delay compensator circuit coupled to the process monitor. The process monitor may output a compensating bias voltage for a pMOS transistor and a compensating bias voltage for an nMOS transistor. The compensating bias voltages may be used to regulate and maintain a relatively constant delay through the delay compensator circuit across varying process corners.
US08970266B2
Disclosed is a semiconductor device that suppresses stress-induced resistance value changes. The semiconductor device includes a resistance correction circuit. The resistance correction circuit includes a first resistor whose stress-resistance value relationship is a first relationship, a second resistor whose stress-resistance value relationship is a second relationship, and a correction section that controls the resistance value of a correction target resistor. The correction section detects the difference between the resistance value of the first resistor and the resistance value of the second resistor and corrects, in accordance with the result of detection, the resistance value of the correction target resistor.
US08970259B2
Aspects of the invention include a constant current source that generates a constant current, apart from a constant current circuit, and a temperature detection zener diode (a temperature detection element). The input side of the constant current source can be connected to a power source. The output side of the constant current source can be connected to the anode of the temperature detection diode. The anode of the temperature detection zener diode can also be connected to one end of a resistor provided in the constant current circuit. Further, the cathode of the temperature detection zener diode can be connected to a GND. Further, the temperature detection zener diode can be incorporated in the same semiconductor substrate as a semiconductor substrate into which an IGBT is built.
US08970253B2
A programmable logic device that includes a storage device having smaller area and lower power consumption is provided. The programmable logic device includes a logic block including a storage device. The storage device includes a plurality of groups each including at least a first switch, a transistor that is turned on or off in accordance with a signal including configuration data input to a gate of the transistor through the first switch, and a second switch controlling the electrical connection between a first wiring and a second wiring together with the transistor when the second switch is turned on or off in accordance with the potential of the first wiring. In the logic block, the relationship between the logic level of a signal input and the logic level of a signal output is determined in accordance with the potential of the second wiring.
US08970246B2
An assembly and circuit structure for measuring current through an integrated circuit (IC) module device is disclosed. The circuit structure includes a power supply, at least one IC module device, at least one amplifier, and a resistive washer. The power supply can be configured to generate direct or alternating current. The at least one IC module device having a pair of terminals can be configured to receive the generated current. The at least one amplifier can be configured to measure the amount of current that flows through the IC module device. The at least one amplifier may be electrically coupled to a resistor. Also, a resistive washer may be configured to oppose current flow through the at least one IC module so as to redirect current to flow through the resistor.
US08970238B2
A probe module for testing an electronic device comprises at least two contacts, each contact including a first end portion extending in a first direction along a first line, a second end portion extending linearly in a second direction opposite from the first direction and along a second line, and a third curved portion extending between the first end portion and the second end portion. The first line is spaced apart from and in parallel with the second line, and the at least two contacts are spaced apart from each other in a direction perpendicular to the first line and the second line. Methods for making such a probe module are also taught.
US08970236B2
An internal voltage generating circuit is utilized to perform a TDBI (Test During Burn-in) operation for a semiconductor device. The internal voltage generating circuit produces an internal voltage at a high voltage level, as an internal voltage, in not only a standby section but also in an active section in response to a test operation signal activated in a test operation. Accordingly, dropping of the internal voltage in the standby section of the test operation and failure due to open or short circuiting are prevented. As a result, reliability of the semiconductor chip, by preventing the generation of latch-up caused by breakdown of internal circuits, is assured.
US08970234B2
A method and apparatus for temperature sensor calibration is disclosed. In one embodiment, an integrated circuit (IC) is tested at a first known temperature corresponding to a first temperature threshold. During the test, a first temperature reading is obtained from a temperature sensor. A first offset is calculated by determining the difference between the first known temperature and the first temperature reading. The first offset is recorded in a storage unit for later use during operation of the IC. During operation, the first offset may be added to temperature readings obtained from a temperature sensing unit to produce an adjusted temperature value. The adjusted temperature value may be compared to one or more temperature thresholds. Based on the comparisons, a power management unit may perform power control actions.
US08970231B2
A capacitive sensor assembly for a motor vehicle for detecting seat occupancy is provided. The capacitive sensor assembly includes a capacitive sensor element which has at least one first electrical conductor element, and an electrical heating element which has at least one electrically operated heating conductor and which is interspaced from the first electrical conductor element. The first electrical conductor element is designed as an external conductor surrounding the heating conductor.
US08970230B2
An embodiment of an integrated circuit device may comprise an integrated circuit package, a sensor element attached within the integrated circuit package, a capacitance sensor coupled with the sensor element and situated within the integrated circuit package, wherein the capacitance sensor is configured to measure a capacitance of the sensor element, and an output pin positioned at the exterior of the integrated circuit package, wherein the output pin is configured to carry a signal based on the measured capacitance of the sensor element.
US08970228B2
A radial clearance measurement system is provided. The radial clearance measurement system comprises a radial clearance sensor that is relatively insensitive to axial movement of an object rotating relative to the radial clearance sensor. In one embodiment, the radial clearance sensor includes an electrode having a relatively constant overlap area over the range of axial movement of the object.
US08970225B2
A circuit for exciting at least one DC sensor is provided in which the circuit has a digital regulation controller connected to a main system and to a regulation loop. The main system has a DAC connected to the sensor via a non-inverted amplified path and via an inverted amplified path in order to send sensor excitation signals including a DC component in differential mode. The regulation system includes an ADC connected to the amplified paths. The circuit includes a monitoring system that is connected to the controller in parallel with the converter in order to send signals as a function of an AC component of the signals taken from the amplified paths. The digital controller is arranged to inject a sinewave in common mode into the excitation signals and to analyze signals output by the monitoring system and signals output by the ADC.
US08970217B1
Signals of interest in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems comprise narrowband, circularly polarized (CP) radio-frequency magnetic fields from rotating atomic nuclei. Background “body noise” may comprise broadband, linearly polarized (LP) magnetic fields from thermally-activated eddy currents, and may exceed the signal in a band of interest, limiting the imaging resolution and requiring excessive averaging times. Noise may be selectively detected and substantially suppressed, while enhancing the signal of interest, using appropriate digital time-domain algorithms. At least two quadrature receiving antennas may be employed to distinguish and separate the LP noise from the CP signal. At least one broadband receiver may be used to identify and localize fast noise sources and to digitally filter the representation of their radio-frequency magnetic fields in the signal. Selective body noise reduction may allow enhanced signal-to-noise ratio of the system, leading to improved imaging resolution and shorter scan time.
US08970211B1
An apparatus is disclosed for magnetically sensing and computing and displaying cable distance, and computing and displaying other user-selectable information in a pipe inspection system. At least two permanent magnets are mounted in spaced apart fashion, on either a frame, or a rotatable member supported on the frame for rotation about an axis. A magnetic sensor is mounted on the other one of the rotatable member or frame on which the magnets are not mounted, so that either the magnets rotate around the magnetic sensor or the magnetic sensor rotates between the permanent magnets. The magnetic sensor generates signals representing changes in at least two axes in a composite magnetic field generated by the permanent magnets.
US08970208B2
A measurement system includes a rotating member configured to transfer mechanical energy to a point of use. The member has at a surface thereof one or more circumferentially oriented bands of magnetizable material. Each band has a magnetic pattern comprised of a plurality of transitions magnetically recorded in the magnetizable material of that band. A magnetic-field sensor is disposed sufficiently near each band of magnetizable material to sense a magnetic pattern recorded in that band as the member rotates. Each magnetic-field sensor generates signals in response to the magnetic pattern sensed by that magnetic-field sensor. Processing electronics is in communication with each magnetic-field sensor to receive the signals generated by that magnetic-field sensor while the member rotates and to dynamically compute from the signals a measurement associated with a performance of the rotating member.
US08970202B2
A shift sensor includes a movable member, four movable contacts, seven fixed contacts, and two power supply terminals. Each of the movable contacts is fixed to the movable member and pivoted to a position corresponding to a shift position. Each of the fixed contacts outputs a shift signal when it is brought into conduction with a power supply terminal by coming into contact with any of the movable contacts. The fixed contacts are arranged such that the number of shift signals that differ between shift positions is three or more, between the shift positions of P, R, N, D, and B, except for between the D and B positions.
US08970195B2
A method is provided for controlling turn-on of phases of a multiphase regulator. According to the method, there are tested the conditions necessary for the turn-on of a phase to be turned-on indicated by a first cell of the phase register, and in response to a positive result a corresponding ramp signal is reset. There is then tested the conditions necessary for the turn-on of a phase successive to the phase to be turned on according to the list of priorities of the phase register, and corresponding ramp signals are reset if there is a positive result. In response to no positive results of testing conditions necessary for the turn-on of all phases successive to the phase to be turned on, there is reset a ramp signal corresponding to a phase successive to a last turned on phase indicated by a last cell of the phase register.
US08970192B2
A buck converter comprising a controller arranged to monitor an output voltage of the converter, the controller comprising: a comparator arranged to compare an output voltage at an output of the buck converter with a reference voltage, and a modification circuit within the comparator or connected to a modification signal input of the comparator and arranged to produce a correction signal to modify the operation of the comparator; and an output.
US08970182B2
A battery cell charger for rapidly charging a lithium ion battery cell (or string of series-parallel connected cells) having a maximum battery cell voltage the battery cell charging system including: a circuit for charging the battery cell using an adjustable voltage charging-profile to apply a charging voltage and a charging current to the battery cell wherein the adjustable voltage charging-profile includes: a first charging stage with a constant first stage charging current and an increasing battery cell voltage with the first stage charging current provided until the first stage charging voltage is about equal to a first stage complete voltage less than the maximum battery cell voltage; one or more intermediate charging stages, each intermediate stage selected from the group consisting of one or more of an intermediate constant voltage stage that provides a decreasing charging current, an intermediate constant current stage that produces an increasing battery cell voltage, and combinations thereof; and a final charging stage with a constant final stage charging voltage about equal to an intermediate stage complete voltage and a decreasing final stage charging current with the final stage charging voltage provided until the final stage charging current reaches a desired charge complete level.
US08970180B2
Exemplary embodiments are directed to wireless power transmission scheduling. A method may include scheduling for transmission of wireless power to one or more chargeable devices of the plurality of chargeable devices positioned within a charging region of a wireless charger based on at least one attribute associated with at least one of the wireless charger and at least one chargeable device of the plurality of chargeable devices.
US08970176B2
Systems and methods are provided for creating and operating a Direct Current (DC) micro-grid. A DC micro-grid may include power generators, energy storage devices, and loads coupled to a common DC bus. Power electronics devices may couple the power generators, energy storage devices, and loads to the common DC bus and provide power transfer.
US08970173B2
A method of setting the operational mode of an electric vehicle is provided, where the operational mode is selected from a plurality of operational modes that include at least a Battery Life mode and a Standard mode, wherein the Battery Life mode is configured to select operating and charging parameters that emphasize battery health and battery life over vehicle range and/or vehicle performance. The system includes a thermal management system for maintaining the vehicle's battery pack to within any of a plurality of temperature ranges, and a charging system for charging the vehicle's battery pack to any of a plurality of minimum and maximum SOC levels and at any of a plurality of charging rates.
US08970171B2
The present application is directed to a power dissipation apparatus including a conductive trace formed on a substrate and to methods of using the power dissipation apparatus. The power dissipation apparatus may be used to dissipate heat generated from electrical current passed through the conductive trace of the power dissipation apparatus. The current may be provided from, for example, a battery conditioner.
US08970170B2
Included are embodiments of an ambulatory infusion device. Some embodiments include an energy storage for storing electrical energy utilized for powering the ambulatory infusion device. The energy storage may serve as a primary power source of the ambulatory infusion device. Also included is a dosing unit with an electrically powered actuator and an electronic controller, where the electronic controller controls operation of the electrically powered actuator. Some embodiments also include a testing unit for testing the energy storage. The testing unit may be configured to repeatedly carry out a test during operation of the ambulatory infusion device. Additionally, the test may include determining a control variable, the control variable being indicative of a capability of the energy storage for further powering the ambulatory infusion device.
US08970165B2
A determination circuit includes a first detecting unit that detects whether first and second power-supply terminals are connected based on a voltage at the second power-supply terminal of a coupling unit that includes the second power-supply terminal connectable to the first power-supply terminal of a device including first and second terminals, and third and fourth terminals connectable respectively to the first and the second terminals. The determination circuit also includes a voltage applying unit that applies first and second voltages to the third and fourth terminals respectively, a second detecting unit that detects that the first and the second terminals are connected to the third and the fourth terminals, respectively, and a discrimination unit that discriminates a type of the device based on voltages at the third and the fourth terminals connected to the first and second terminals, respectively.
US08970162B2
System and method are provided for transferring electrical energy among multiple electrical energy storage devices via multiple differential power buses and capacitive load switched-mode power supplies. The switched-mode power supplies transfer the electrical energy between the load capacitors and the differential power buses to which the electrical energy storage devices (e.g., rechargeable batteries and/or capacitors connected in parallel or series or combinations of both) are electrically connected via bus switches. As a result, electrical energy is efficiently transferred and distributed among the electrical energy storage devices.
US08970153B2
An apparatus for controlling a speed of a motor, includes: a first duty change detection unit detecting a change in duty of a PWM signal supplied from the outside; a speed conversion unit converting a speed indication (command) having the PWM signal into an actual speed value (RPM value) based on the change in duty detected by the first duty change detection unit; a speed control unit generating a new speed indication value to be applied to a motor and determining the duty value of PWM signal based on the new speed indication value; a second duty change detection unit detecting the change in the duty value of PWM signal determined by the speed control unit; and a PWM generation unit generating the PWM signal actually applied to the motor based on the change in the duty value detected by the second duty change detection unit.
US08970151B2
Back-emf for a motor is measured by measuring a voltage across the input terminals for a two terminal input actuator or motor when a high frequency driver having a recirculation phase for the motor applies an instantaneous high frequency zero voltage during normal operation of the driver. By a further approach, current across the two terminal input is measured such that the measurement can be taken when the current crosses a given threshold near zero.
US08970145B2
A controller for a conventional synchronous motor is configured to produce desired output characteristics. The controller generates a drive current for based on a current command, has a motor correcting section and a gain adjusting section which output a compensated current command based on the current command according to a compensating transfer function for cancelling a first transfer function showing a first torque response characteristic of the synchronous motor and replacing it with a second transfer function showing a second torque response characteristic, and a current controller which generates a drive current corresponding to the compensated current command.
US08970140B2
Provided is an apparatus for controlling speed in induction motor in which tension command and friction loss compensation are used to calculate a torque limit relative to an output of a speed controller, which is then used to limit the speed of the induction motor, whereby a tension sensor and a position sensor are not used in the continuous processing line to improve performance of the vector control type induction motor.
US08970139B2
A motor drive device has: a power supply line to which a power supply voltage is applied; a ground line to which a ground voltage is applied; and a first motor driver that, when the power supply voltage is normal, rotates an N-phase first motor (where N is an integer of 2 or more) by using the supply voltage and, when the power supply voltage is abnormal, generates a rectified voltage from phase voltages of different phases appearing while the first motor is idling to regenerate the rectified voltage to the power supply line. The first motor driver, when generating the rectified voltage, synchronously rectifies the phase voltages of the different phases according to the results of their comparison with the rectified voltage and the ground voltage. The first motor driver is structured so as to rectify the phase voltages of the different phases synchronously in accordance with results of comparison between the phase voltages of the difference phases, the rectified voltage, and the ground voltage.
US08970135B2
An LED lamp is provided in which the output light intensity of the LEDs in the LED lamp is adjusted based on the input voltage to the LED lamp. A dimmer control unit detects a type of dimmer switch during a configuration process. Using the detected dimmer type, the dimmer control unit generates control signals appropriate for the detected dimmer type to provide regulated current to the LEDs and to achieve the desired dimming effect. The LED lamp can be a direct replacement of conventional incandescent lamps in typical wiring configurations found in residential and commercial building lighting applications that use conventional dimmer switches.
US08970134B2
Systems and methods for preventing or otherwise reducing cyclic light output caused by failure modes are disclosed, which shut off a power supply to a lighting system susceptible to output cycling (also known as flashing, flickering, or strobing) in a non-latching fashion. A power supply and/or driver system includes a processor and memory arrangement configured to track failures and prevent cyclical behavior when detected. The processor can be implemented, for example, with an existing microcontroller already present in the power supply, or as a dedicated processor. Once a failure mode that exhibits cyclic behavior above a certain frequency is detected, the power supply can be turned off or otherwise prevented from attempting to source power to the lighting system.
US08970127B2
A lighting circuit according to embodiments includes: a self-hold element connected in series to an AC power source that generates power for lighting an illumination load, together with the illumination load, the self-hold element being configured to control supply of the power provided by the AC power source to the illumination load by the self-hold element being turned on/off; a noise prevention circuit connected in parallel to the self-hold element; and a damping circuit configured to connect a damping resistance to the noise prevention circuit parallely only for a predetermined period from turning-on of the self-hold element, thereby preventing the self-hold element from being repeatedly turned on/off during a period in which the self-hold element is on under normal conditions, due to a transient during power supply.
US08970119B2
An LED backlight includes a light emitting unit, a driver, a current divider, and a power supply unit. The lighting unit includes a plurality of LEDs connected in series. The driver is connected in series with the LEDs and configured to control driving of the light emitting unit. The current divider is connected in parallel to the driver of a series circuit including the light emitting unit and the driver. The power supply unit is configured to apply a voltage to the series circuit.
US08970109B2
Provided is a metal halide lamp having a ceramics arc tube, wherein a rated power is 35 to 100 W and a color temperature is 2800 to 3700 K, wherein halogen additives as light emission materials are included in the arc tube, wherein the halogen additives consists of (1) cerium (Ce); (2) sodium (Na); (3) calcium (Ca); (4) thallium (Tl); and (5) rare earth metal comprising at least one of dysprosium (Dy), thulium (Tm), and holmium (Ho), and the halogen additives are iodide compounds, wherein, for respective composition ratios of the halogen additives for (1) to (4), cerium iodide is 1.5 mol % to 3.0 mol %; sodium iodide is 45 mol % to 90 mol %; calcium iodide is 5 mol % to 15 mol %; and thallium iodide is 2 mol % to 7 mol %.
US08970107B2
A flat panel display apparatus includes a panel including an image region on which an image is realized, a window covering the panel, a black matrix formed in the window along a side edge of the image region, and a resin layer that is ultraviolet (UV) curable and that bonds the panel and the window. The black matrix includes a black ink part for blocking UV rays, and a diffusion ink part for transmitting UV rays. In the flat panel display apparatus, the resin layer for window bonding is sufficiently cured in all regions, including a region thereof under the black matrix, so that a bonding defect in the window due to insufficient curing of the resin layer is significantly decreased.
US08970102B2
An organic light emitting device display includes a substrate, an organic light emitting diode array on the substrate, an encapsulation substrate on the organic light emitting diode array, and an internal filler between the organic light emitting diode array and the encapsulation substrate, the internal filler including a cross-linked silicone polymer.
US08970096B2
Disclosed herein is a spark plug comprising an insulative sleeve having a central axial bore and an exterior surface and a center electrode extending through the central axial bore of the insulative sleeve. The insulating sleeve is positioned within, and secured to, a metal shell that serves as a mounting platform and interface to an internal combustion engine. The metal sleeve also supports a ground electrode that is positioned in a spaced relationship relative to the center electrode so as to generate a spark gap. The insulating sleeve includes a shaped tip portion that resides in a recessed end portion of the metal shell. A coating is disposed on the exterior surface of the shaped tip portion of the insulative sleeve. The coating comprises a metal oxide, a noble metal, late transition metal, or a combination comprising two or more of the foregoing metals.
US08970091B2
A vibration-type driving apparatus includes a vibration member, to which an electrical-mechanical energy conversion element is fixed and which is vibrated when a driving voltage is applied to the electrical-mechanical energy conversion element; and a moving member that comes into contact with the vibration member and rotates relative to the vibration member in accordance with the vibration. The moving member includes a body portion and a contacting portion with a friction surface that comes into frictional contact with the vibration member and, in an area extending from a rotation axis in a radial direction, a line connecting a centroid of a shape of the moving member to an arbitrary point of the contacting portion of the moving member is parallel to a direction of the vibration trajectory of the vibration member.
US08970088B2
A thermionic converter for converting thermal energy to electrical energy includes an emitter and a collector. The emitter emits thermionic electrons upon receipt of heat from a heat source. The emitter is made of a first semiconductor material to which a first semiconductor impurity is doped with a first concentration. The collector is spaced and opposite to the emitter to receive the thermionic electrons emitted from the emitter so that the thermal energy is converted to electrical energy. The collector is made of a second semiconductor material to which a second semiconductor impurity is doped with a second concentration less than the first concentration.
US08970086B2
A stator core for a motor is disclosed, the stator core including at least one cylindrical stator core body formed in one body by using a metallic mold so that a plurality of teeth is protruded to a same direction each at a predetermined gap, and both distal ends of the stator core body are coupled through a bending process for each horizontal predetermined section about a center of the teeth, and a fixing unit provided at both distal ends of stator core body to fix the stator core body in a cylindrical shape.
US08970076B2
A first cooling air passage is formed to let first cooling air generated by a cooling fan in from a radially outside of an inverter apparatus to cool a heat sink and out through exhaust holes provided on an outer peripheral side of a rear bracket by passing an inner periphery of the rear bracket. Also, a second cooling air passage is formed to let second cooling air generated by the cooling fan into a hollow portion of the inverter apparatus from an axially rear of a rotation shaft to cool a brush holder and a magnetic pole position detection sensor and out through the exhaust holes by passing the inner periphery of the rear bracket. Hence, cooling performance for the magnetic pole position detection sensor and the brush holder may be enhanced and an axial dimension may be reduced.
US08970074B2
A system for cooling an electric motor, the electric motor including a stator disposed about a rotor, wherein cooling system includes a rotor assembly including a shaft with a shaft channel extending through the center of the shaft and radial channels extending radially from the shaft channel; a rotor with profiled rotor ends; and two guides, each coupled to a rotor end, that guides fluid from the shaft exterior to the rotor end. The system may additionally include interior channels that traverse through the rotor interior, wherein the interior channels fluidly couple the radial channels to a guide-rotor end pair. The system may also include stator cooling mechanisms, including cooling channels within the motor casing proximal to stator exterior surface and dispensing mechanisms that dispense working fluid to the stator coils.
US08970073B2
A cooling structure for a rotary electric machine uses coolant to cool coil end portions that protrude outward, one from each end surface of a stator core, in a stator that includes a stator core and coils that are wound in a circumferential direction of the stator core. This cooling structure includes a lead side cover member that covers a lead side coil end portion to which a lead wire that supplies electricity to the coils is connected, and forms a first coolant chamber within which coolant is stored; and a non-lead side cover member that covers a non-lead side coil end portion positioned opposite the lead side coil end portion in the axial direction, and forms a second coolant chamber within which coolant is stored. A coolant communicating path is provided that communicates the first and second coolant chambers in a manner that enables coolant to flow therebetween.
US08970067B2
An embodiment hybrid dc/dc converter comprises a first power source and a low power converter coupled to the first power source. The low power converter generates an output connected in series with the first power source. The hybrid dc/dc converter further comprises a selection network coupled to the first power source and the output of the low power converter and a main unregulated power converter coupled to the selection network. By controlling the voltage across the output of the low power converter, the hybrid dc/dc converter can achieve high efficiency through the unregulated power converter.
US08970058B2
For reducing a storage capacity of a storage battery system and an installation cost at a constant-output control type of wind power plant, a wind power generation control device sets as a planned generation power value PT: an average wind generated power value PA, when a current battery charging rate SOC of the storage battery system is within the range of the upper and lower limit values of the targeted battery charging rate range SOCT (S12); a value obtained by multiplying a positive constant greater than 1 to the said PA, when the current battery charging rate SOC is above the upper limit value of the said SOCT (S14): and a value obtained by multiplying a positive constant less than 1 to the said PA, when the current battery charging rate SOC is below the lower limit value of the said SOCT (S15).
US08970057B2
According to an embodiment, a method of operating a wind turbine comprising a DC-to-AC voltage converter is provided, the wind turbine being connectable to a grid via the DC-to-AC voltage converter, the method comprising: determining a line voltage of a power line connecting the DC-to-AC voltage converter to the grid; if the determined line voltage exceeds a predefined voltage threshold value, injecting reactive current into the power line, wherein the amount of reactive current injected is chosen such that an output voltage of the DC-to-AC voltage converter is kept within a predetermined voltage range.
US08970054B2
The energy harvesting mechanism solves the problem of running out of battery life in remote or inconvenient locations. This invention has been designed to harvest energy from the heel strike phase of walking. The invention involves a mechanism to convert linear to rotational motion, followed by a gear train and electric generator. Harvested energy is stored in a battery to power users' electronic devices.
US08970052B2
In a semiconductor device of the present invention, a second semiconductor chip is stacked on a first semiconductor chip having a plurality of bonding pads in its central region, with a bonding layer interposed therebetween. A plurality of wires respectively connected to the plurality of bonding pads of the first semiconductor chip are led out to the outside over a peripheral edge of the first semiconductor chip by passing through a space between the first and second semiconductor chips. A retaining member for retaining at least a subset of the plurality of wires is provided in a region on the first semiconductor chip including a middle point between the bonding pads and the peripheral edge of the first semiconductor chip by using a material different from the bonding layer so that the subset of the wires is positioned generally at a center of the spacing between the first semiconductor chip and the second semiconductor chip.
US08970036B2
Provided is a stress-relieving, second-level interconnect structure that is low-cost and accommodates thermal coefficient of expansion (TCE) mismatch between low-TCE packages and printed circuit boards (PCBs). The interconnect structure comprises at least a first pad, a supporting pillar, and a solder bump, wherein the first pad and supporting pillar are operative to absorb substantially all plastic strain, thereby enhancing compliance between the two electronic components.
US08970032B2
The chip module includes a semiconductor chip having a first contact element on a first main face and a second contact element on a second main face. The semiconductor chip is arranged on a corner in such a way that the first main face of the semiconductor chip faces the carrier. One or more electrical connectors are connected to the carrier and include end faces located in a plane above a plane of the second main face of the semiconductor chip.
US08970016B2
A semiconductor device including a p or p+ doped portion and an n or n+ doped portion separated from the p or p+ doped portion by a semiconductor drift portion. The device further includes at least one termination portion provided adjacent to the drift portion. The at least one termination portion comprises a Super Junction structure.
US08970013B2
A semiconductor light-receiving element includes: a light-receiving portion that is provided on a semi-insulating substrate and has a mesa shape in which semiconductor layers are laminated; a lamination structure of insulating films that is provided on a part of a side face of the light-receiving portion and has a structure in which a first insulating film comprised of a silicon nitride film, a second insulating film comprised of a silicon oxynitride film and a third insulating film comprised of a silicon nitride film are laminated in contact with each other; and a resin film that is provided adjacent to the light-receiving portion, the resin film being sandwiched in or between any of the first insulating film, the second insulating film and the third insulating film.
US08970012B2
A semiconductor device is provided, including a semiconductor substrate that includes a semiconductor; an electrode layer formed above a first surface side inside the semiconductor substrate; a conductor layer formed above the electrode layer and above the first surface of the semiconductor substrate; a hole formed through the semiconductor substrate from a second surface of the semiconductor substrate to the conductor layer; and a wiring layer that is electrically connected to the electrode layer via the conductor layer at an end portion of the vertical hole, and that extends to the second surface of the semiconductor substrate, the wiring layer being physically separated from the electrode layer by an insulating layer disposed therebetween.
US08970007B2
A semiconductor device includes: a substrate in which a product region and scribe regions are defined; a 1st insulation film formed above the substrate; a metal film in the 1st insulation film, disposed within the scribe regions in such a manner as to surround the product region; a 2nd insulation film formed on the 1st insulation film and the metal film; a 1st groove disposed more inside than the metal film in such a manner as to surround the product region, and reaching from a top surface of the 2nd insulation film to a position deeper than a top surface of the metal film; and a 2nd groove disposed more outside than the metal film in such a manner as to surround the metal film, and reaching from the top surface of the 2nd insulation film to a position deeper than the top surface of the metal film.
US08970002B2
A metal oxide metal (MOM) capacitor includes an outer conducting structure defined in a plurality of metal layers and a plurality of via layers of an integrated circuit including first opposing side walls, second opposing side walls, a cavity with first and second openings, and openings in the first opposing side walls. An inner conducting structure is defined in the plurality of metal layers and the plurality of via layers of the integrated circuit. The inner conducting structure is arranged in the cavity of the outer conducting structure and includes a body, and conducting extensions that extend from the body through the openings in the first opposing side walls. Oxide is arranged between the outer conducting structure and the inner conducting structure.
US08969996B2
A semiconductor device with buried word line structures and methods of forming the semiconductor device are provided. The semiconductor device includes a plurality of insulating line patterns extending in a direction in a substrate, a plurality of word lines alternately with ones of the plurality of insulating line patterns, the plurality of word lines extending in the direction and comprising a metal, a plurality of first doped regions on respective ones of the plurality of the word lines and between two adjacent ones of the plurality of insulating line patterns, an interlayer insulating film on the plurality of insulating line patterns and the plurality of first doped regions, the interlayer insulating film including a plurality of openings exposing upper surfaces of ones of the plurality of first doped regions and a plurality of second doped regions contacting respective ones of the plurality of first doped regions within the openings.
US08969993B2
A wide gap semiconductor device includes a substrate and a Schottky electrode. The substrate formed of a wide gap semiconductor material has a main face, and includes a first-conductivity-type region and a second-conductivity-type region. The Schottky electrode is arranged adjoining the main face of the substrate. At the substrate, there is foamed a trench having a side face continuous with the main face and a bottom continuous with the side face. The Schottky electrode adjoins the first-conductivity-type region at the side face of the trench and the main face, and adjoins the second-conductivity-type region at the bottom of the trench. The side face of the trench is inclined relative to the main face of the substrate.
US08969984B2
A magnetic tunnel junction device includes a Synthetic Anti-Ferromagnetic (SAF) layer, a first free layer, and second free layer. The magnetic tunnel junction device further includes a spacer layer between the first and second free layers. The first free layer is magneto-statically coupled to the second free layer. A thickness of the spacer layer is at least 4 Angstroms.
US08969972B2
A semiconductor structure comprising an SRAM/inverter cell and a method for forming the same are provided, wherein the SRAM/inverter cell has an improved write margin. The SRAM/inverter cell includes a pull-up PMOS device comprising a gate dielectric over the semiconductor substrate, a gate electrode on the gate dielectric wherein the gate electrode comprises a p-type impurity and an n-type impurity, and a stressor formed in a source/drain region. The device drive current of the pull-up PMOS device is reduced due to the counter-doping of the gate electrode.
US08969968B2
An ESD protection structure and a semiconductor device having an ESD protection structure with the ESD protection structure including a patterned conductive ESD protection layer. The ESD protection layer is patterned to have a first portion of a substantially closed ring shape having an outer contour line and an inner contour line parallel with each other. The outer and the inner contour lines are waved lines. The first portion further has a midline between and parallel with the outer and the inner contour lines. The midline is a waved line having a substantially constant curvature at each point of the midline. Therefore the ESD protection layer has a substantially uniform curvature and an increased perimeter which advantageously improve the breakdown voltage and the current handling capacity of the ESD protection structure.
US08969959B2
There are provided a semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing the same. The semiconductor device includes a body layer of a first conductivity type; an active layer of a second conductivity type, contacting an upper portion of the body layer; and a field limiting ring of a first conductivity type, formed in an upper portion of the active layer.
US08969955B2
A device includes a trench extending into a semiconductor region and having a first conductivity type, and a conductive field plate in the trench. A first dielectric layer separates a bottom and sidewalls of the field plate from the semiconductor region. A main gate is disposed in the trench and overlapping the field plate. A second dielectric layer is disposed between and separating the main gate and the field plate from each other. A Doped Drain (DD) region of the first conductivity type is under the second dielectric layer and having an edge portion overlapping the DD region. A body region includes a first portion at a same level as a portion of the main gate, and a second portion contacting the DD region, wherein the body region is of a second conductivity type opposite the first conductivity type. A MOS-containing device is at a surface of the semiconductor region.
US08969952B2
A semiconductor power device includes an epitaxial layer grown on a semiconductor substrate; an ion well with a junction depth in the epitaxial layer; a gate trench with a depth deeper than the junction depth in the ion well; a gate oxide layer in the gate trench; a gate embedded the gate trench; and a pocket doping region in the epitaxial layer. The pocket doping region is adjacent to and covers at least a corner of the gate trench.
US08969948B2
A non-volatile memory device and a method for forming the non-volatile memory device are disclosed. During fabrication of the memory device, a tungsten salicide is utilized as an etch-stop layer in place of a conventionally used aluminum oxide to form channel pillars having a high aspect ratio. Use of the tungsten salicide is useful for eliminating an undesired etch-stop recess and an undesired floating gate that is formed when an Al oxide etch-stop layer is conventionally used.
US08969942B2
In a non-volatile semiconductor memory device and a method for manufacturing the device, each memory cell and its select Tr have the same gate insulating film as a Vcc Tr. Further, the gate electrodes of a Vpp Tr and Vcc Tr are realized by the use of a first polysilicon layer. A material such as salicide or a metal, which differs from second polysilicon (which forms a control gate layer), may be provided on the first polysilicon layer. With the above features, a non-volatile semiconductor memory device can be manufactured by reduced steps and be operated at high speed in a reliable manner.
US08969936B2
Provided are a semiconductor device and a method of fabricating the same. The semiconductor device may include a substrate including first and second junction regions, a word line buried in the substrate, a bit line provided over the word line to cross the word line, a first contact provided between the substrate and the bit line and electrically connected to the first junction region, and a second contact provided between the bit lines and electrically connected to the second junction region. An overlapping area of a lower portion of the second contact may be greater than an overlapping area of an upper portion of the second contact with respect to the second junction region.
US08969930B2
A gate stack structure comprises an isolation dielectric layer formed on and embedded into a gate. A sidewall spacer covers opposite side faces of the isolation dielectric layer, and the isolation dielectric layer located on an active region is thicker than the isolation dielectric layer located on a connection region. A method for manufacturing the gate stack structure comprises removing part of the gate in thickness, the thickness of the removed part of the gate on the active region is greater than the thickness of the removed part of the gate on the connection region so as to expose opposite inner walls of the sidewall spacer; forming an isolation dielectric layer on the gate to cover the exposed inner walls. There is also provided a semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing the same. The methods can reduce the possibility of short-circuit occurring between the gate and the second contact hole and can be compatible with the dual-contact-hole process.
US08969927B2
Embodiments of a gate contact for a semiconductor device and methods of fabrication thereof are disclosed. In one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes a semiconductor structure and a dielectric layer on a surface of the semiconductor structure, where the dielectric layer has an opening that exposes an area of the semiconductor structure. A gate contact for the semiconductor device is formed on the exposed area of the semiconductor structure through the opening in the dielectric layer. The gate contact includes a proximal end on a portion of the exposed area of the semiconductor structure, a distal end opposite the proximal end, and sidewalls that each extend between the proximal end and the distal end of the gate contact. For each sidewall of the gate contact, an air region separates the sidewall and the distal end of the gate contact from the dielectric layer.
US08969924B2
Various aspects of the invention are directed to memory circuits and their implementation. According to an example embodiment, an apparatus includes a channel region between raised source and drain regions which are configured and arranged with respective bandgap offsets relative to the channel region to confine carriers in the channel region. The apparatus also includes front and back gates respectively separated from the channel region by gate dielectrics. The raised source and drain regions have respective portions laterally adjacent the front gate and adjacent the channel region. Carriers are stored in the channel region via application of voltage(s) to the front and back gates, and relative to bias(es) at the source and drain regions.
US08969922B2
A semiconductor device and method for fabricating a semiconductor device is disclosed. An exemplary semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate including a first device disposed in a first device region, the first device including a first gate structure, first gate spacers formed on the sidewalls of the first gate structure, and first source and drain features and a second device disposed in a second device region, the second device including a second gate structure, second gate spacers formed on the sidewalls of the second gate structure, and second source and drain features. The semiconductor device further includes a contact etch stop layer (CESL) disposed on the first and second gate spacers and interconnect structures disposed on the first and second source and drain features. The interconnect structures are in electrical contact with the first and second source and drain features and in contact with the CESL.
US08969911B2
Photo detector consisting of tunneling field-effect transistors and the manufacturing method thereof
The present invention belongs to the technical field of optical interconnection and relates to a photo detector, in particular to a photo detector consisting of tunneling field-effect transistors.
US08969907B2
A flip-chip light emitting diode comprises a transparent base-plate, at least a first electrical semi-conductive layer, a light emitting layer, a second electrical semi-conductive layer, at least a first ohmic contact, a second ohmic contact and a third ohmic contact are installed above the transparent base-plate. The at least first ohmic contact is electrically connected to the third ohmic contact through a connection passage. A first electrode area is formed above the second electrical semi-conductive layer. The second ohmic contact is disposed above the transparent base-plate and adjacent to a side of the first ohmic contact. A second electrode area is formed on the second ohmic contact.
US08969903B2
An optical element includes a phosphor layer containing a phosphor which is excited by light of a first wavelength and radiates light of a second wavelength different from the first wavelength, a first optical member provided on a first surface of the phosphor layer and configured to concentrate light in the phosphor layer, and a second optical member provided on the first surface of the phosphor layer or the same side to which the first surface faces, or on a second surface opposite to the first surface, and configured to convert light radiated from the phosphor layer into parallel light.
US08969902B2
Disclosed are a semiconductor light emitting device. The semiconductor light emitting device comprises a light emitting structure comprising a III-V group compound semiconductor, a reflective layer comprising mediums, which are different from each other and alternately stacked under the light emitting structure, and a second electrode layer under the reflective layer.
US08969899B2
A method and system for manufacturing a light conversion structure for a light emitting diode (LED) is disclosed. The method includes forming a transparent, thermally insulating cover over an LED chip. The method also includes dispensing a conversion material onto the cover to form a conversion coating on the cover, and encapsulating the LED, the silicone cover, and the conversion coating within an encapsulant. Additional covers and conversion coatings can be added.
US08969898B2
In a method for producing a semiconductor light emitting device: a semiconductor lamination of first and second semiconductor layers having different conductive types is formed; a portion of the semiconductor lamination is removed to expose an area of a surface of the first semiconductor layer; a conductor layer connecting the first and second semiconductor layers is formed; a first electrode is formed on the exposed areas of the first semiconductor layer and a second electrode is formed on an upper surface of the second semiconductor layer; a barrier layer covering at least one of the first and second electrodes is formed; and a connection part in the conductor layer connecting the first and second semiconductor layers is removed.
US08969891B2
According to one embodiment, a nitride semiconductor device includes a foundation layer and a functional layer. The foundation layer is formed on an Al-containing nitride semiconductor layer formed on a silicon substrate. The foundation layer has a thickness not less than 1 micrometer and including GaN. The functional layer is provided on the foundation layer. The functional layer includes a first semiconductor layer. The first semiconductor layer has an impurity concentration higher than an impurity concentration in the foundation layer and includes GaN of a first conductivity type.
US08969876B2
An array substrate includes first and second lines on a substrate and formed of a metallic material; a gate electrode connected to the first line; a gate insulating layer on the first and second lines and the gate electrode and including a groove exposing the substrate and positioned between the first and second lines; a semiconductor layer on the gate insulating layer and corresponding to the gate electrode; a data line crossing the first and second lines and on the gate insulating layer; a source electrode connected to the data line; a drain electrode spaced apart from the source electrode; a passivation layer on the data line, the source electrode and the drain electrode and including an opening, the opening exposing the gate insulating layer and the drain electrode; and a pixel electrode positioned on the gate insulating layer and in the opening and contacting the drain electrode.
US08969863B2
Provided is a light-emitting element in which an adverse effect by halides in an EL layer is suppressed and which can be provided with low cost. The light-emitting element including at least two layers between an anode and a light-emitting layer. One of the two layers which is closer to the anode has higher concentration of halides and halogen elements than the other layer closer to the light-emitting layer.
US08969861B2
The method of manufacturing an organic electroluminescence display device includes the steps of: forming an organic compound layer on a first electrode; forming a sacrificial layer soluble in a polar solvent on the organic compound layer; forming an intermediate layer formed of a water-soluble polymer on the sacrificial layer; patterning the sacrificial layer, the intermediate layer, and the organic compound layer; removing the intermediate layer and a layer formed thereon; and removing the sacrificial layer, in which the step of removing the sacrificial layer includes a step of performing a contacting step of bringing the sacrificial layer and the polar solvent into contact with each other a plurality of times.
US08969857B2
There is provided a polarizer for organic light emitting diodes (OLED) having improved brightness. The polarizer, which comprises a linear polarizer and a ¼ retardation plate, comprises a reflective polarizer film disposed between the linear polarizer and the ¼ retardation plate and transmitting a polarized light horizontal to the transmission axis of the linear polarizer while reflecting a polarized light vertical to the transmission axis of the linear polarizer. The polarizer may be useful to highly improve the brightness of the OLED device when the polarizer is used in the OLED device.
US08969844B1
Provided are resistive random access memory (ReRAM) cells and methods of fabricating thereof. The methods may include forming a first layer on a substrate, where the first layer is operable as a bottom electrode. The methods may also include forming a second layer, where the second layer includes a resistive portion and a resistive switching portion. The resistive portion may be configured to determine, at least in part, an electrical resistivity of the resistive switching nonvolatile memory element. The resistive portion may have a substantially constant resistance. The resistive portion may include, at least in part, a conductive silicon oxide. The resistive switching portion may be configured to switch between a first resistive state and a second resistive state. The resistive switching portion may include, at least in part, silicon oxide. The methods may also include forming a third layer, where the third layer is operable as a top electrode.
US08969840B2
Systems (and methods therefor) for generating EUV radiation that comprise an arrangement producing a laser beam directed to an irradiation region and a droplet source. The droplet source includes a fluid exiting an orifice and a sub-system having an electro-actuatable element producing a disturbance in the fluid. The electro-actuatable element is driven by a first waveform to produce droplets for irradiation to generate the EUV radiation, the droplets produced by the first waveform having differing initial velocities causing at least some adjacent droplets to coalesce as the droplets travel to the irradiation region, and a second waveform, different from the first waveform, to dislodge contaminants from the orifice.
US08969829B2
A target object for aligning a multi-modality imaging system includes a body having a cavity therein, a first imaging source being disposed within the cavity, the first imaging source including a body having a cavity defined therein and an emission responsive material disposed within the first imaging source cavity, the first imaging source having a first shape, and a second imaging source being disposed within the cavity, the second imaging source including a body having a cavity defined therein and a magnetic resonance responsive material disposed within the second imaging source cavity, the second imaging source having a second shape that is different than the first shape. A method of aligning a multi-modality imaging system is also provided.
US08969824B2
Li-containing scintillator compositions, as well as related structures and methods are described. Radiation detection systems and methods are described which include a Cs2LiLn Halide scintillator composition.
US08969811B2
A device to detect thermal radiation has a membrane and at least two detector elements that are respectively set up to transduce thermal radiation into an electrical signal and are mounted situated next to one another on the membrane, wherein at least one heat dissipation path is provided on the side of the membrane facing towards the detector elements and/or on the side of the membrane facing away from the detector elements, which heat dissipation path has a higher heat conductivity than the membrane and is connected with the detector elements in a heat-conductive manner via the membrane so that heat can be discharged from the detector elements with the heat dissipation path, whereby the response time of the detector elements is short; and wherein at least one heat barrier that has a lower heat conductivity than the membrane and extends between the detector elements is provided integrated into the membrane, such that a heat conduction in the membrane from the one detector element to the other detector element is prevented by the heat barrier; whereby the crosstalk of the detector elements is low.
US08969806B2
A drug inspection device and method for distinguishing tablets that have different amounts of active pharmaceutical ingredients and are indistinguishable in appearance. The device focuses on a tablet packaging process for tablets containing different amounts of active pharmaceutical ingredients, every row or every pocket, having housed therein a plurality of tablets, is used for conveyance. A beam having near-infrared light irradiates the tablets, a spectroscope receives reflected light, a near-infrared imaging unit captures a spectrum obtained through dispersion of the reflected light by the spectroscope and generates image data, and a control unit processes the image data and performs an operation for distinguishing the types of tablets. The control unit controls the near-infrared imaging unit to perform image capture at least once on the tablets included in the one row, to compute average spectrum data per tablet, and to distinguish the type of tablet based on the average spectrum data.
US08969799B2
A mass spectrometer is disclosed comprising a time of flight mass analyzer. The time of flight mass analyzer comprises an ion guide comprising a plurality of electrodes which are interconnected by a series of resistors forming a potential divider. Ions are confined radially within the ion guide by the application of a two-phase RF voltage to the electrodes. A single phase additional RF voltage is applied across the potential divider so that an inhomogeneous pseudo-potential force is maintained along the length of the ion guide.
US08969791B2
In an MS unit, both an intensity of an ion having the highest intensity among the ions originating from a compound as the target of quantitative determination and an intensity of an isotopic ion are measured. A saturation detector determines whether or not digital data produced by an A/D converter from ion-intensity signals have reached a saturation level. A data selection controller selects the ion-intensity data showing the highest intensity when the signal is not saturated or the intensity data of the isotopic ion when the saturation has occurred or is probable to occur. When the latter data is selected, an ion intensity converter converts the intensity data into values corresponding to the intensity data of the highest-intensity ion by multiplying the intensity data by a factor calculated from a known isotopic abundance ratio.
US08969782B2
A signal sampling circuit includes: a signal output unit configured to output a level signal to an output node in response to a control signal; a signal sampling unit coupled to the output node and configured to sample the level signal in a sampling period; a first current sinking unit configured to sink a constant current from the output node; and a second current sinking unit configured to sink a current from the output node after a time point where the control signal is deactivated.
US08969780B2
A CMOS image sensor having one or more pixels, e.g. in an array, whereby each of the pixels having two or more sub-pixel elements for generating charge according to incident light intensity as well as a common charge sensitive device such as an amplifier coupled to two or more sub-pixel elements of a respective pixel. Charges generated by the two or more sub-pixel elements are added and integrated over respective integration time periods, to provide a signal representing the integrated charges. The circuit can be configured so that the two or more sub-pixel elements have different integration time periods. By combining charges at the charge sensitive device rather than combining outputs of multiple such devices, the amount of read noise can be reduced.
US08969775B2
A pixel cell for use in a high dynamic range image sensor includes a photodiode disposed in semiconductor material to accumulate charge in response to light incident upon the photodiode. A transfer transistor is disposed in the semiconductor material and is coupled between a floating diffusion and the photodiode. A first amplifier transistor is disposed in the semiconductor material having a gate terminal coupled to the floating diffusion and a source terminal coupled to generate a first output signal of the pixel cell. A second amplifier transistor is disposed in the semiconductor material having a gate terminal coupled to the floating diffusion and a source terminal coupled to generate a second output signal of the pixel cell.
US08969773B2
An imaging device including: plural pixels each including a photodetector; plural reading circuits associated with the plural photodetectors, each reading circuit including a first MOS transistor charging/discharging a photodetector and a second MOS transistor converting charges to be output by the photodetector into voltage; an electronic processing circuit configured to process the voltages outputted by the reading circuits; a first substrate on which are formed the pixels and the reading circuits, and a second substrate, distinct from the first substrate, on which is formed the electronic processing circuit, the second substrate being linked electrically to the first substrate by an electrical interconnection forming an electrical link between the reading circuits and the electronic processing circuit.
US08969760B2
A system for manufacturing an airfoil includes a laser beam and a first fluid column surrounding the laser beam to create a confined laser beam directed at the airfoil. A gas flowing inside the airfoil disrupts the first fluid column inside the airfoil. A method for manufacturing an airfoil includes confining a laser beam inside a first fluid column to create a confined laser beam and directing the confined laser beam at a surface of the airfoil. The method further includes creating a hole through the surface of the airfoil with the confined laser beam, flowing a gas inside the airfoil, and disrupting the first fluid column with the gas flowing inside the airfoil.
US08969752B2
The present invention provides a laser processing method comprising the steps of attaching a protective tape 25 to a front face 3 of a wafer 1a, irradiating a substrate 15 with laser light L while employing a rear face of the wafer 1a as a laser light entrance surface and locating a light-converging point P within the substrate 15 so as to form a molten processed region 13 due to multiphoton absorption, causing the molten processed region 13 to form a cutting start region 8 inside by a predetermined distance from the laser light entrance surface along a line 5 along which the object is intended to be cut in the wafer 1a, attaching an expandable tape 23 to the rear face 21 of the wafer 1a, and expanding the expandable tape 23 so as to separate a plurality of chip parts 24 produced upon cutting the wafer 1a from the cutting start region 8 acting as a start point from each other.
US08969750B2
The invention relates to a compensation cylinder unit that acts as a drive for the electrode arms of a welding device. The unit comprises a cylinder and at least two pressure chambers, which are sub-divided by a piston assembly and which can be alternately supplied with a pressurized medium by means of a valve assembly for controlling the drive displacement. According to the invention, the valve assembly comprises a proportional valve which can be controlled by a control unit, first in accordance with harmonized path signals that represent the position of the piston assembly and then by pressure signals that respectively represent the pressure in the pressure chambers, in such a way that the difference between the pressures that prevail in the pressure chambers in a predeterminable position of the piston assembly assumes a constant value that represents the weight compensation force of at least one electrode arm.
US08969747B2
A tilt switch includes an insulated housing with two housing halves cooperatively defining an accommodation chamber and a plurality of positioning grooves formed in a surface of at least one housing half around the accommodation chamber. A plurality of conductive terminals are sandwiched between the housing halves. Each conductive terminal has a plate member positioned in a respective positioning groove, and a contact portion extending into the accommodation chamber. A conductive body is disposed in the accommodation chamber and is movable between a closed circuit state that bridges the contact portions of at least two conductive terminals and an open circuit state that does not bridge the contact portions of any two conductive terminals.
US08969745B2
One or more sensors mounted on a railcar sense the effect of weight of the railcar and transmit the data, for example via a communication link, to a user for storage and feedback where needed. In one embodiment the sensors are mounted on one or more rail trucks that carry the car body.
US08969742B2
A cable gland including a screw sleeve which can be inserted into a wall or a pipe coupling is provided. A union nut interacts with the screw sleeve, and a clamping insert is acted on by the union nut and is adapted to be pressed against a cable which is to be retained by tightening the union nut. The cable has a reinforcement and a clamping device for clamping a portion of the reinforcement is provided in the cable gland. The clamping device partially engages in the screw sleeve in an axial direction in a use position and is acted on by the union nut outside the screw sleeve. A portion of the clamping device engages in the screw sleeve and acts in an interlocking manner on an inner face of the screw sleeve in the rotation direction in the use position.
US08969736B2
A cover insulating layer is formed on a base insulating layer. One of write wiring traces includes first to third lines, and the other write wiring trace includes fourth to sixth lines. The one and other write wiring traces constitute a signal line pair, the second and fifth lines are arranged on an upper surface of the cover insulating layer, and the third and sixth lines are arranged on an upper surface of the base insulating layer. At least parts of the second and fifth lines are respectively opposed to the sixth and third lines with the cover insulating layer sandwiched therebetween. The second and third lines are electrically connected to the first line, and the fifth and sixth lines are electrically connected to the fourth line. The fourth line is electrically connected to at least one of the fifth and sixth lines through a jumper wiring on a lower surface of the base insulating layer.
US08969735B2
A flexible metal interconnect structure for transmitting signals between IC devices in flexible electronic devices is formed between two compliant flexible material layers that are laminated together form a multi-layer flexible substrate. The interconnect structure is formed by two rows of spaced-apart conductive pads (metal islands) attached to the inside (facing) surfaces of the flexible material layers. Compliant micro-contact elements such as micro-springs provide sliding metal pressure contacts that maintain electrical connections between the islands during stretching of the composite sheet. Specifically, at least two micro-contact elements are attached to each metal island in one of the rows, with one element in sliding pressure contact with an associated first metal island in the opposing row and the second element in sliding pressure contact with an associated second metal island. The islands and sliding contacts can be patterned into high density traces that accommodate large strains.
US08969723B2
The invention provides an electric junction box with an enhanced thermal insulation between neighboring part-receiving chambers without causing excessive increase in the size of a case. In order to attain the objective, there is provided an electric junction box, which includes a case provided with a case body, a lower cover coupled to the lower end of the case body, and first and second upper covers and coupled to the upper end of the case body. The case includes neighboring first and second part-receiving chambers and. A through-hole is located between the first and second part-receiving chambers and extends from an upper end of the case to a lower end of the case. The through-hole has an enlarging portion, which is disposed at a lower end thereof and has increasing cross-sectional area as approaching to the lower end of the through-hole.
US08969722B2
A coaxial cable, including an inner conductor and an outer conductor surrounding the inner conductor and a thermally responsive material positioned between the outer conductor and the inner conductor. The outer conductor is in a generally concentric relationship to the inner conductor and the inner and outer conductors are adapted to connect to an energy source. A thermal change in the thermally responsive material alters the generally concentric relationship between the outer conductor and the inner conductor.
US08969715B2
The invention provides a luminescent optical device (10) having an optical waveguide (200). The luminescent optical device (10) further has a photo-luminescent structure (100) on or inside the optical waveguide (200). The photo-luminescent structure (100) comprises a plurality of photo-luminescent domains (110) containing photo-luminescent material (120). The photo-luminescent material (120) is capable of emitting emission light upon excitation by excitation light. The photo-luminescent domains (110) are arranged to emit, upon excitation by excitation light, at least part of the emission light into the optical waveguide layer (200). The luminescent optical device (10) further may comprise a lens structure (300) on the optical waveguide (200). The lens structure (300) comprises a plurality of lenses (310), arranged to capture incident light provided from an external light source, in particular the sun, and to concentrate the incident light onto the plurality of photo-luminescent domains (110) as excitation light for excitation of the photo-luminescent material (120).
US08969712B2
A multijunction solar cell including an upper first solar subcell having a first band gap; a second solar subcell adjacent to the first solar subcell and having a second band gap smaller than the first band gap; a graded interlayer adjacent to the second solar subcell, the graded interlayer having a third band gap greater than the second band gap; and a third solar subcell adjacent to the graded interlayer, the third subcell having a fourth band gap smaller than the second band gap such that the third subcell is lattice mismatched with respect to the second subcell. A lower fourth solar subcell is provided adjacent to the third subcell and lattice matched thereto, the lower fourth subcell having a fifth band gap smaller than the fourth band gap.
US08969709B2
The present invention provides a process for using a thick-film conductive paste composition to form an electrode on a silicon semiconductor device, e.g, a photovoltaic cell, containing a lightly doped emitter. The thick-film paste comprises a source of an electrically conductive metal and a Pb—Te-based oxide dispersed in an organic medium. Also provided are devices made by the process and a photovoltaic cell comprising a lightly doped emitter and an electrode formed from the thick-film conductive paste composition.
US08969703B2
Inexpensive, lightweight, flexible heating and cooling panels with highly distributed thermoelectric elements are provided. A thermoelectric “string” is described that may be woven or assembled into a variety of insulating panels such as seat cushions, mattresses, pillows, blankets, ceiling tiles, office partitions, under-desk panels, electronic enclosures, building walls, refrigerator walls, and heat conversion panels. The string contains spaced thermoelectric elements which are thermally and electrically connected to lengths of braided, meshed, stranded, foamed, or otherwise expandable and compressible conductor. The elements and a portion of compacted conductor are mounted within the insulating panel On the outsides of the panel, the conductor is expanded to provide a very large surface area of contact with air or other medium for heat absorption on the cold side and for heat dissipation on the hot side.
US08969701B1
A magnetic pickup for a stringed musical instrument with a secondary magnetic source that modifies the primary magnetic field distribution of the pickup. The secondary source comprises at least one permanent magnet and may further comprise a ferromagnetic loss component. A method for retrofitting and changing the tone of a pickup by attaching one or more secondary magnetic sources to the pickup.
US08969690B1
A violin knee-rest comprising a support with a connecting member attached. A rigid having an elongated opening member is attached to the connecting member. A sliding member is attached to a screw with a U shaped head and a screw thread. The sliding member is configured to slide across the rigid member through the first elongated opening. The sliding member having an elongated opening is configured to be fastened at a desired location on the sliding member by a first wing nut and a first washer arrangement. The violin receiving member has a first end which is threaded. The violin receiving member has a second end which is concave shaped to hold a base of the violin. The receiving member is configured to slide across the second elongated opening of the sliding member. The violin receiving member is configured to be fastened at a desired location on the sliding member.
US08969689B2
The invention relates to the wheat cultivar designated WB6121. Provided by the invention are the seeds, plants and derivatives of the wheat cultivar WB6121. Also provided by the invention are tissue cultures of the wheat cultivar WB6121 and the plants regenerated therefrom. Still further provided by the invention are methods for producing wheat plants by crossing the wheat cultivar WB6121 with itself or another wheat cultivar and plants produced by such methods.
US08969687B2
The invention relates to the wheat cultivar designated WB9112. Provided by the invention are the seeds, plants and derivatives of the wheat cultivar WB9112. Also provided by the invention are tissue cultures of the wheat cultivar WB9112 and the plants regenerated therefrom. Still further provided by the invention are methods for producing wheat plants by crossing the wheat cultivar WB9112 with itself or another wheat cultivar and plants produced by such methods.
US08969681B2
According to the invention, there is provided seed and plants of the hybrid corn variety designated CH217116. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of the variety CH217116, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing a corn plant of variety CH217116 with itself or with another corn plant, such as a plant of another variety. The invention further relates to genetic complements of plants of variety CH217116.
US08969680B2
According to the invention, there is provided seed and plants of the corn variety designated CV888836. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of the variety CV888836, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing a corn plant of variety CV888836 with itself or with another corn plant, such as a plant of another variety. The invention further relates to corn seeds and plants produced by crossing plants of variety CV888836 with plants of another variety, such as another inbred line. The invention further relates to the inbred and hybrid genetic complements of plants of variety CV888836.
US08969679B2
According to the invention, there is provided seed and plants of the corn variety designated CV705149. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of the variety CV705149, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing a corn plant of variety CV705149 with itself or with another corn plant, such as a plant of another variety. The invention further relates to corn seeds and plants produced by crossing plants of variety CV705149 with plants of another variety, such as another inbred line. The invention further relates to the inbred and hybrid genetic complements of plants of variety CV705149.
US08969670B2
The invention relates to the sorghum variety designated GSV370669. Provided by the invention are the seeds, plants and derivatives of the sorghum variety GSV370669. Also provided by the invention are tissue cultures of the sorghum variety GSV370669 and the plants regenerated therefrom. Still further provided by the invention are methods for producing sorghum plants by crossing the sorghum variety GSV370669 with itself or another sorghum variety and plants produced by such methods.
US08969667B2
The invention relates to the novel cotton variety designated 10R008B2R2. Provided by the invention are the seeds, plants, plant parts and derivatives of the cotton variety 10R008B2R2. Also provided by the invention are methods of using cotton variety 10R008B2R2 and products derived therefrom. Still further provided by the invention are methods for producing cotton plants by crossing the cotton variety 10R008B2R2 with itself or another cotton variety and plants and seeds produced by such methods.
US08969662B2
A soybean cultivar designated XB47J13 is disclosed. The invention relates to the seeds of soybean cultivar XB47J13, to the plants of soybean cultivar XB47J13, to the plant parts of soybean cultivar XB47J13, and to methods for producing progeny of soybean cultivar XB47J13. The invention also relates to methods for producing a soybean plant containing in its genetic material one or more transgenes and to the transgenic soybean plants and plant parts produced by those methods. The invention also relates to soybean cultivars or breeding cultivars, and plant parts derived from soybean cultivar XB47J13. The invention also relates to methods for producing other soybean cultivars, lines, or plant parts derived from soybean cultivar XB47J13, and to the soybean plants, varieties, and their parts derived from use of those methods. The invention further relates to hybrid soybean seeds, plants, and plant parts produced by crossing cultivar XB47J13 with another soybean cultivar.
