US08176342B2
Some embodiments of the present invention provide a system that measures a power efficiency of a computer system. During operation, the system collects telemetry data from a set of sensors within the computer system. Next, the system determines a power consumption of the computer system from the telemetry data and determines a number of input/output operations per second (IOPS) for the computer system from the telemetry data. Finally, the system computes an IOPS per watt metric from the power consumption and the number of IOPS.
US08176336B1
A software trusted platform module (sTPM) operates in a hypervisor, receives trust assurances from specialized hardware, and extends this trust such that the hypervisor performs trust attestation. The hypervisor receives a startup sequence validation from a TPM, or Trusted Platform Module. The TPM performs bus monitoring during a boot sequence of the computer system, records the startup sequence from the bus, and performs a hash on the sequence. The TPM performs an authentication exchange with the hypervisor such that the hypervisor authenticates the attestation of the computer system from the TPM, and the hypervisor, now delegated with trust assurances from the TPM, provides assurances to users via an authentication chain. The ATCB then performs the attestation of the computer system according to the attestation protocol much faster than the TPM. In this manner, the hypervisor operates as a software delegate of the TPM for providing user assurances of trust.
US08176330B2
A tamper-resistant certification device receives a certified digital time stamp from a trusted third party, resets a time function and produces a time stamp receipt in an on-line mode; The tamper-resistant certification device receives a digital file from a mobile computing device, and produces a certified digitally signed digital file including a copy of the digital file, time stamp receipt and temporal offset in an off-line mode to evidence the content of the digital file within a defined tolerance of a day and/or time. A processor may be portioned into tamper and non-tamper resistant portions.
US08176329B2
A scanned image disclosure apparatus has a disclosure unit that encrypts and discloses to a disclosure destination a scanned image by using a public key or a private key relating to a public key certificate that has been verified to be valid, a re-verification unit that judges whether or not re-verification of the validity of the public key certificate is necessary during execution for the disclosure unit and performs re-verification if it is judged to be necessary, a termination unit that terminates the execution for the disclosure unit if the public key certificate was judged to be invalid by the re-verification unit.
US08176328B2
A method for authenticating an operator of an AP includes: registering the operator's identity with a CA, by providing the operator's identification information and public key; creating a certificate including the foregoing; signing the certificate with the CA's private key; provisioning the AP with the signed certificate; provisioning a client with the CA's public key; sending a request from the client to the AP; generating a signature with the operator's private key; returning a reply to the client, including the AP provisioned certificate signed with the generated signature; using the client provisioned CA's public key to obtain the operator's public key from the certificate received in the reply; and, using the operator's public key obtained from the certificate received in the reply to verify the signature generated with the operator's private key and used by the AP to sign the certificate received in the reply.
US08176327B2
A method includes sending a first authentication challenge from an authenticator to an access terminal, and receiving, at the authenticator, a first return message from the access terminal that includes an identifier of the access terminal and a response to the first challenge. A second authentication challenge is sent from the authenticator to the access terminal, in which the second authentication challenge is determined by an authentication server based in part on the identifier of the access terminal previously received along with the response to the first challenge. The authenticator receives a second return message from the access terminal that includes a response to the second authentication challenge.
US08176325B2
A port based peer access control method, comprises the steps of: 1) enabling the authentication control entity; 2) two authentication control entities authenticating each other; 3) setting the status of the controlled port. The method may further comprise the steps of enabling the authentication server entity, two authentication subsystems negotiating the key. By modifying the asymmetry of background technique, the invention has advantages of peer control, distinguishable authentication control entity, good scalability, good security, simple key negotiation process, relatively complete system, high flexibility, thus the invention can satisfy the requirements of central management as well as resolve the technical issues of the prior network access control method, including complex process, poor security, poor scalability, so it provides essential guarantee for secure network access.
US08176319B2
A data storage architecture for networked access by clients includes a file server capable of communication with the clients via the network, physical storage organized as a plurality of logical volumes, and an encryption device in communication with both the file server and the physical storage. The encryption device is operable in response to signaling from the file server to cause encryption of data being moved into the physical storage, and decryption of data being retrieved from storage. Two logical paths are provided for I/O operations. A first path is reserved for use by a first type of requestor, such as file owners. Data retrieved via the first path is decrypted by the encryption device, and Writes via the first path are allowed. A second path is employed for others than the owners, e.g., administrators. Data retrieved via the second path is not decrypted by the encryption device, and attempted Writes via the second first path are denied. Metadata may be delivered in-the-clear via both paths in response to a Read so that legitimate management tasks can be performed.
US08176316B2
A validation server using HSM, which reduces required process time from receiving a validation request to responding with a validation result, and comprises a first software cryptographic module 142 and a second software cryptographic module 143 on a validation server 130 whose HSM is coupled with an I/F part 148. According to the validation server, load states of HSM, the first software cryptographic module 142 and the second software cryptographic module 143 are monitored by a cryptographic module monitor unit 141, and when cryptographic calculations in a validation process of certificates are conducted, the cryptographic calculations are executed by using the least loaded cryptographic module selected at a cryptographic module selector unit 140.
US08176308B2
A method for booting a computer system under a low temperature state is disclosed. When a trigger signal of a pressed power button on the computer system is detected, a hard disk temperature will be obtained via a temperature sensor to determine whether the hard disk temperature is less than a first predetermined temperature. If the hard disk temperature is less than the first predetermined temperature, a heater is activated to heat the hard disk and a low temperature event will be set. Next, if the hard disk temperature has reached or is greater than the second predetermined temperature, the computer system will be under activation. Then before a loading component of the computer system is activated, the low temperature event will be read. Therefore, output loading of the loading component is decreased to activate an system component of the computer system with a low loading state.
US08176304B2
An I/O device having function level reset functionality includes a host interface that may include a master reset unit, a plurality of client interfaces, each corresponding to one or more functions, and a plurality of hardware resources. Each hardware resource may be associated with a respective function. In response to receiving a reset request to reset a specific function, the master reset unit may provide to each client interface, a request signal corresponding to the reset request, and a signal identifying the specific function. Each client interface having an association with the specific function may initiate a reset operation of the associated hardware resources, and also provide a client reset done signal for the specific function to the master reset unit in response to completion of the reset operations of the hardware resources. The master reset unit provides a reset done signal for the specific function to the host interface.
US08176303B2
During a boot process of a data processing device having a master bootstrap processor device and multiple slave processor devices, memory associated with the master bootstrap processor is not accessible. Accordingly, the master bootstrap processor communicates configuration information to a slave processor by writing configuration information to a register associated with the slave processor. The slave processor communicates an acknowledgment to the master bootstrap processor in response to reading the configuration information.
US08176297B2
A digital signal processor (DSP) includes an instruction buffer queue (IBQ) with multiple lines, as well as a modifiable fetch advance parameter to specify a fetch advance setting for the IBQ. The DSP also has a control flow module. In response to execution of a program in the DSP, the control flow module may automatically determine whether a branch has been predicted for the program, or for a portion of the program. The control flow module may automatically reduce the fetch advance parameter in response to determining that a branch has been predicted for the program. Also, the control flow module may automatically increase the fetch advance setting in response to determining that no branch has been predicted for a portion of the program. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08176288B2
An integrated memory controller (IMC) preferably sits on the main CPU bus or a high speed system peripheral bus and couples to system memory. The IMC may use a lossless data compression and decompression scheme for improved performance. The IMC may also include microcode for specific decompression of particular data formats such as digital video and digital audio. Compressed data may be decompressed in the IMC and stored into system memory or saved in the system memory in compressed format. Internal memory mapping may allow for formal definition spaces which may define the format of the data and the data type to be read or written. Software overrides may be placed in applications software in systems that desire to control data decompression at the software application level.
US08176282B2
A system and method are provided for managing cache memory in a computer system. A cache controller portions a cache memory into a plurality of partitions, where each partition includes a plurality of physical cache addresses. Then, the method accepts a memory access message from the processor. The memory access message includes an address in physical memory and a domain identification (ID). A determination is made if the address in physical memory is cacheable. If cacheable, the domain ID is cross-referenced to a cache partition identified by partition bits. An index is derived from the physical memory address, and a partition index is created by combining the partition bits with the index. A processor is granted access (read or write) to an address in cache defined by partition index.
US08176278B2
Provided is information processing apparatus, information processing method and a record medium, which can prevent occurrence of manipulation, in a case of accessing a memory, without consuming the access band of the memory. A main-processing unit, a sub-processing unit and a memory for loading a program are provided and process limit information stored in the memory is stored in storing means. The sub-processing unit judges whether a program to be executed is manipulated or not, and loads a program to be executed in the memory in case that the program is not manipulated. The sub-processing unit refers to the process limit information before execution of a program, and not permits execution of the program of the main-processing unit in case that a process by the main-processing unit for information stored in the memory accords with a process included in the process limit information.
US08176273B2
A backing-up apparatus, upon receiving an instruction to execute backing up, allocates a storage area to store a snapshot to be produced to each time point indicated by the instruction. When the original data is updated after the time point indicated by the instruction, it is checked that the original data corresponding to the place to which the updating has been executed at a time point immediately before the time point indicated by the instruction is stored in the storage area allocated as the storage area to store the latest snapshot produced for the immediately previous time point. When it has been confirmed that the original data is not stored, the original data immediately before the updating corresponding to the place to which the updating has been executed is stored in only the storage area to store the latest snapshot.
US08176272B2
A backup method that uses snapshot delta views to create backups of a data collection is provided. The method comprises taking a first snapshot of the data collection, in response to determining that a previous snapshot used to create a backup does not exist; creating a backup of the data collection using the first snapshot, in response to determining that the previous snapshot does not exist; recording that the first snapshot was used as a source for the creation of a backup; and taking a second snapshot of the data collection, in response to determining that the previous snapshot that was used as a source for a backup does exist.
US08176255B2
A system comprises a processor core and a cache coupled to the core and comprising at least one cache way dedicated to the core, where the cache way comprises multiple cache lines. The system also comprises a cache controller coupled to the cache. Upon receiving a data request from the core, the cache controller determines whether the cache has a predetermined amount of invalid cache lines. If the cache does not have the predetermined amount of invalid cache lines, the cache controller is adapted to allocate space in the cache for new data, where the space is allocable in the at least one cache way dedicated to the core.
US08176250B2
A computer system comprising a processor, a memory, and a memory controller coupled to the processor and the memory is provided. The memory controller comprises a first cache and a cache control. The cache control is configured to cause a portion of the memory to be copied into the first cache. The cache control is configured to cause first information to be provided from the first cache to the processor in response to receiving a read transaction from the processor that includes an address in the portion of memory during testing of the portion.
US08176241B2
In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, a system and method for optimizing DRAM refreshes in a multi-channel memory controller are provided. In a particular embodiment, the method includes receiving, at a router in a light modulation system, a signal from one of a plurality of channels operable to read or write to a plurality of DRAM banks, the signal indicating that the channel does not need to access the plurality of DRAM banks during predetermined time period. The method also includes indicating the receipt of the signal to a refresh channel including a plurality of counters, wherein each counter is operable to track refreshes of a respective one of the plurality of DRAM banks. The method further includes receiving, from the refresh channel, an indication of one of the plurality of DRAM banks to refresh in response to the receipt of the signal, and refreshing the indicated DRAM bank.
US08176238B2
A flash module has raw-NAND flash memory chips accessed over a physical-block address (PBA) bus by a NVM controller. The NVM controller is on the flash module or on a system board for a solid-state disk (SSD). The NVM controller converts logical block addresses (LBA) to physical block addresses (PBA). Data striping and interleaving among multiple channels of the flash modules is controlled at a high level by a smart storage transaction manager, while further interleaving and remapping within a channel may be performed by the NVM controllers. A SDRAM buffer is used by a smart storage switch to cache host data before writing to flash memory. A Q-R pointer table stores quotients and remainders of division of the host address. The remainder points to a location of the host data in the SDRAM. A command queue stores Q, R for host commands.
US08176236B2
Access to flash memories is controlled so that efficiency of data writing and effective utilization of storage area go together. In the access control, priority order, for physical blocks each storing effective data, is managed so that a position of a physical block in the assignment order becomes higher according as assignment of a logical block to the physical block is performed more recently. When assigning a logical block to a free physical block, a determination is made whether a position of a previous physical block is higher than a predetermined position in the priority order. The previous physical block is a physical block, then, corresponding to the same logical block as the free physical block. When the determination is negative, effective data stored in the previous physical block is transferred to the free physical block.
US08176233B1
A buffer pool for a database application is maintained in a volatile main memory component. A control portion that corresponds to a block of application data residing on a non-volatile, asymmetric memory component and that includes a reference to a location of the block of application data on the non-volatile, asymmetric memory component is added to the buffer pool maintained in the volatile main memory component. The control portion from the buffer pool maintained in the volatile main memory component that corresponds to the block of application data is accessed and the location of the block of application data on the non-volatile, asymmetric memory component is identified. Based on identifying the location of the block of application data on the non-volatile, asymmetric memory component, the database application is enabled to access the block of application data directly from the non-volatile, asymmetric memory component.
US08176224B2
An electronic device includes a communication bus having a physical layer for interacting with a peripheral device. The physical layer is configured to be adjacent to a link layer on the peripheral device. The electronic device further includes a connector at a junction of the physical layer and the link layer. Communication through the communication bus is maintained through the physical layer when the link layer of the peripheral device is disconnected from the physical layer at the connector.
US08176221B2
A DMA controller achieving real-time control of a DMA transfer relating to periodically operated peripheral devices at a low cost and with low power consumption. A typical embodiment of the invention is a DMA controller having: a counter for counting time; a counter comparator comparing a value of the counter and a counter value indicating an expected time of a DMA transfer; a peripheral device read unit reading a register of the peripheral device to acquire a state of a peripheral device by; and a state comparator comparing a value of the register read by the peripheral device read unit and a start condition of the DMA transfer, in which, with being triggered by establishment of a comparison result by the counter comparator, in accordance with a specified order, a processing of updating the counter value indicating the expected time of a DMA transfer to a value indicating a next expected time, a read of the register of the peripheral device by the peripheral device read unit, a comparison by the state comparator, and a DMA transfer on the condition that the comparison result by the state comparator is established are executed.
US08176220B2
A system includes multiple nodes coupled using a network of processor buses. The multiple nodes include a first processor node, including one or more processing cores and main memory, and a flash memory node coupled to the first processor node via a first processor bus of the network of processor buses. The flash memory node includes a flash memory including flash pages, a first memory including a cache partition for storing cached flash pages for the flash pages in the flash memory and a control partition for storing cache control data and contexts of requests to access the flash pages, and a logic module including a direct memory access (DMA) register and configured to receive a first request from the first processor node via the first processor bus to access the flash pages.
US08176210B2
A method of invoking a set of services corresponding to a plug-in application installed on an image handling device. The method including launching a host application of the image handling device, accessing a configuration file of the image handling device, the configuration file including an identification of at least one plug-in and a corresponding set of services, launching the identified at least one plug-in, the plug-in providing the corresponding set of service in an integral fashion to the host application and presenting a unified graphical interface including host application services and the corresponding set of service of the plug-in.
US08176209B2
A data communication system is provided. The data communication system includes a main processor, and at least one sub-processor or at least one peripheral device connected with the main processor according to a serial peripheral interface (SPI) method and performing an operation corresponding to a command transferred from the main processor. The connection according to the SPI method is made by one or more bus lines including a master in slave out (MISO) line and master out slave in (MOSI) line, a slave select (SS) line, an interrupt line, and a clock transfer line.
US08176204B2
The present disclosure describes a system and method for multi-host extension of a single-host device comprising a network switch fabric that comprises a rooted hierarchical bus, a first compute node coupled to the network switch fabric, and an input/output (I/O) node coupled to the network switch fabric, the I/O node comprising a network switch fabric interface and a real single-host device. The network switch fabric interface creates a first virtual device mapped to the real single-host device. The first virtual device allows the first compute node to access the real single-host device.
US08176200B2
The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for distributed aggregation on an overlay network. Embodiments of the invention utilize tiers of nodes that are cascaded in a layered system. Each tier reduces the size of data by orders of magnitude through pre-aggregation. Thus, high volume streams of messages can be reduced to lower volume streams at large scales, such as, for example, the Internet. No central coordination is used; thus there is no central point of failure or bottleneck. When a node fails, other nodes in the same tier as the failing node automatically take over the responsibilities of the failed node.
US08176199B2
A content delivery system includes a client and a server, the client requesting deliveries of content from the server which transforms the content into layered-encoded data for transmission to the client over a network. The client includes: an inputting device inputting a time limit within which the content is to be delivered; a requesting device requesting a delivery of the content from the server within the time limit; and a receiving device receiving layered-encoded data constituting the content of which the delivery has been requested by the requesting device and which is transmitted from the server. The server includes: an acquiring device acquiring the time limit; a determining device determining the layered-encoded data constituting the content which can be transmitted to the client within the time limit, the determination being based on the time limit, on a bandwidth applicable to the client, and on size information about the layered-encoded data constituting the content which can be transmitted; and a transmitting device transmitting to the client the layered-encoded data determined by the determining device.
US08176198B2
A system and method are provided for determining whether a transaction between a subscriber and a merchant website requires downloading and/or streaming digital objects. In response to a determination that the transaction does require downloading and/or streaming of digital objects, a subscriber is provided with various options for delaying such downloading and/or streaming in return for incentives of varying value.
US08176189B2
A peer-to-peer platform that may provide mechanisms through which peers may discover each other, communicate with each other, and cooperate with each other to form peer groups is described. The peer-to-peer platform may comprise several layers including a peer-to-peer platform layer, a peer-to-peer services layer, and a peer-to-peer applications layer. At the highest abstraction level, the peer-to-peer platform may be viewed as a set of protocols. Each protocol may be defined by one or more messages exchanged among participants of the protocol. In one embodiment, the peer-to-peer platform may include, but is not limited to, one or more of a peer discovery protocol, a peer resolver protocol, a peer information protocol, a peer membership protocol, a pipe binding protocol, and an endpoint routing protocol. To underpin this set of protocols, the peer-to-peer platform may define a number of concepts including peer, peer group, advertisement, message, pipe, and endpoint.
US08176185B2
A method of communicating with a remote site on a network by establishing different user personas respectively associated with different remote sites on the network, each user persona containing one or more attributes used in accessing the remote sites, and then accessing a specific one of the remote sites using the attributes in a specific one of the user personas that is associated with the specific remote site. The specific remote site can be associated with the specific user persona by a universal resource locator (URL), e.g., for web sites on the Internet, and the accessing is automatically performed in response to matching of the URL of the specific remote site to the URL associated with the specific user persona. A default persona can be used for any remote site having no specifically associated user persona.
US08176184B2
The invention is directed to a instant messaging method and communication system comprising one or more network elements, wherein a connection from one to another network element can be established using a protocol which allows the sending of one or more messages from the one to the another network element as part of one or more protocol words. The protocol includes a protocol portion allowing a network element to specify whether or not the message is to be stored in case it cannot be promptly delivered to the another network element. The protocol portion preferably is part of the protocol header. The protocol may be a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), and the message can be contained in an Invite request sent from the sending equipment to the receiving equipment.
US08176178B2
A method for tracking machines on a network of computers. The method includes determining one or more assertions to be monitored by a first web site which is coupled to a network of computers. The method monitors traffic flowing to the web site through the network of computers and identifies the one or more assertions from the traffic coupled to the network of computers to determine a malicious host coupled to the network of computers. The method includes associating a first IP address and first hardware finger print to the assertions of the malicious host and storing information associated with the malicious host in one or more memories of a database. The method also includes identifying an unknown host from a second web site, determining a second IP address and second hardware finger print with the unknown host, and determining if the unknown host is the malicious host.
US08176172B2
A service model, integrated system, and method for enabling a service provider to deliver an integrated web hosting and content distribution service offering, which affords assured operational performance service levels, regardless of whether the customer's web site is served by the service provider's hosting center, the service provider's content distribution network (CDN), by a third party web host, or by a third party CDN. A monitoring system of the primary service provider receives detailed capacity and health statistics from any CDN under the operational control of the primary service provider, receives aggregate capacity and health statistics from other CDNs not under the operational control of the primary service provider. A redirection system then decides to which web host, content distribution network, or combination thereof, user requests for content are directed in order that operational performance service levels are maintained.
US08176158B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide methods and systems for automated change audit of an enterprise's IT infrastructure, including independent detection of changes, reconciliation of detected changes and independent reporting, to effectuate a triad of controls on managing changes within the IT infrastructure, preventive controls, detective controls and corrective controls.
US08176153B2
In one embodiment, a system preparation application may be executed on a source storage device to prepare a reference system for image creation. The reference system may include at least one application for customization. The image of the prepared reference may be automatically deployed to a target storage device. The target storage device may be associated with a virtual server. Customization data may be written to the target storage device.
US08176150B2
A system which enables a secure network boot to address customer services offerings. The customer service offerings can include on-demand diagnostics to system reinstallation as well as automatic entitlement validation and service installation. Such a system enables a method of network booting that can be secure from beginning to end, is routable in any network configuration that supports Internet routing, avoids traditional infrastructure requirements thereby making the infrastructure more accessible, is extensible to address scaling requirements, is extensible to EFI technology and can be used on existing BIOS option-ROM implementations, provides a better (i.e., simpler, more secure) customer experience for network boot services, provides a multi-stage architecture that allows numerous service offerings to be obtained once entitlement is validated, and provides for both In-Band (OS operational and booted) and Out-of-Band (OS not operational or not installed) access to remote service capabilities.
US08176148B2
Exemplary embodiments include methods and systems for identifying information associated with a remote user system and/or a wireless system, determining the compatibility of the remote user system and a wireless system, formulating one or more configuration plans for the remote user system and/or a wireless system and automatically implementing one or more configuration plans to establish a wireless network.
US08176144B2
The present disclosure relates to a digital media files and technique for pseudo real time indexing of digital media files. The technique includes capturing at least one digital media file using a network enabled image capture device, connecting the network enabled image capture device to an indexing server over a network and transferring the at least one captured digital media file to the indexing server. The technique further includes indexing the at least one captured digital media file for producing indexed data associated with the at least one captured digital media file, transferring the indexed data associated with the at least one captured digital media file to the network enabled image capture device, and updating the at least one digital media file on the network enabled image capture device with the indexed data.
US08176132B2
A device for transmitting a message for reception by another device, comprising: a processor for adding location information to the message, before transmission, wherein the location information identifies an area within which the message is to be hosted for reception by the other device; and a transmitter for transmitting the message, with the location information.
US08176128B1
Methods, data structures, and systems are provided for encoding communication data. The methods allow an application to compose communication data in any language and using any characters it wishes. One method constructs a Bitmask Table that includes Bitmask Character Values for each character represented in a national character where the Bitmask Character Value represents which National Character Set among a group of National Character Sets can be used to encode communication data containing a particular character, with adjustments for characters represented in East-Asian Chinese, Japanese, and Korean (CJK) languages. Another method encodes the communication data, by utilizing the Bitmask Table, in a format that conforms to data communication standards and interoperates with most third party recipient clients worldwide.
US08176124B2
A video game development system for enhancing communications between development tools and video game platforms or running games. The system includes a communications hub module running on a computer or server and communicatively linked with first and second video game platforms to allow the communications hub module to forward messages to and receive messages from the game platforms. Memory accessible by the communications hub module stores communication data sets or libraries controlling communications with the game platforms. A video game development tool is provided in the system and is communicatively linked with the communications hub module. The development tool transmits messages formatted based on a client-side communications library defining communications with the hub module. The hub module receives the transmitted messages, generates game platform messages from the received messages based on the platform communication libraries, and forwards the game platform messages to the first and second video game platforms.
US08176121B2
A method for synchronizing content delivery to a plurality of delivery devices of a user. A communications network and a system are also provided. The delivery devices include at least one computer connected to internet and at least one mobile device. The method comprises retrieving profile data concerning the plurality of delivery devices of the user; sending an invitation to deliver content to the plurality of delivery devices of the user; receiving at least two responses to the invitation, for each response received: identifying a responding delivery device of the plurality of delivery devices from which the response is received using the profile data; retrieving a platform type of the responding delivery device accepting the invitation; and retrieving and providing a delivery version of the content in a delivery format acceptable for the platform of the responding delivery device. In one embodiment, the method further comprises tracking usage of the content by the user on each the responding delivery device.
US08176113B2
A rich media file is a self-contained file, including both the information to be viewed by a user and the viewer that displays the information to the user. The information can be formatted however the client likes: for example, the information can be split across several pages, and can include text and still and animated images. There can also be web links to pages on a network, and e-mail forms to simplify sending an e-mail message to the client. The rich media file can include viewing limitations, so that only the proper password can unlock the file, or that the rich media file will automatically expire after a specified condition occurs. The rich media file also assists the user in obtaining the latest version of the rich media file, by offering to retrieve a newer version for the user.
US08176111B1
An improved method and apparatus for performing floating-point division is disclosed. In a particular embodiment, fractional operands are pre-scaled and an estimate of a reciprocal of the pre-scaled fractional divisor is obtained from a lookup table using a portion of the bits of the pre-scaled fractional divisor. This value is used to scale the fractional operands and a multiply-add operation is used based on principles of series expansion to compute a final result with an acceptable degree of accuracy.
US08176107B2
A method is provided for decimating a digital signal by a factor of M and matching it to a desired channel bandwidth. The method applies the digital signal input samples to a (M-1) stage tapped delay line, downsamples the input samples and the output samples of each tapped delay line stage by a factor of M, and applies each of the M downsampled sample value streams to M allpass IIR filters, respectively. The M allpass IIR filtered sample streams are then summed and scaled by a factor of 1/M. The result can then be filtered by a digital channel filter.
US08176101B2
A system, computer implemented method, and computer readable storage medium is provided which enables customers of an establishment to collaboratively reject a media file that is currently playing and/or pending to be played within that establishment by entering data into a personal wireless portable computing device on their person, for example a cellular telephone. Upon entering a rejection request, and where necessary an establishment identifier, a message is sent over a wireless link to a media server which performs a series of logical tests to determine if the media file is actually terminated prior to full completion of play. In this way, a plurality of separate customers may use their portable computing devices to collaboratively reject specific musical media file selections that are currently playing or currently pending for play within a particular physical establishment.
US08176097B2
Maintaining data coherency within related multi-perspective user interfaces via session-less queries
A contextual data server can provide a contextual data response for a contextual data request. A contextual data response can include at least client-requested data for the contextual data request and contextual differences data. The context-enhanced multi-perspective user interface can present the client-requested data received from the contextual data server in at least two related data viewing areas. Synchronization of the client-requested data presented in the at least two related viewing areas can be maintained using a presentation context, which is a part of the context-enhanced multi-perspective user interface that is not visually rendered.
US08176096B2
A data visualization interactivity architecture may be provided. The architecture may allow the creation of a data visualization, such as a chart, and may expose an interactive feature on the visualization. The architecture may provide integration with multiple rendering platforms. When a user selects the exposed feature, the architecture may translate the selection into a common format and modify the data visualization according to layout rules independent of the rendering platform.
US08176090B2
An information delivering apparatus is disclosed. The information delivering apparatus includes a condition information obtaining section which obtains delivering destination information, a conforming information extracting section which extracts new document information stored in an information database based on the delivering destination information obtained by the condition information obtaining section in a profile information generating process which determines whether the new document information stored in the information database is to be delivered to the delivering destination, an information analyzing section which analyzes contents of the newly stored document in the information database and forms characteristic information of the newly stored document, a profile storing section which stores the characteristic information by its being related to the delivering destination information, and a new information delivering section which delivers the newly stored document information which is determined to be delivered to the delivering destination.
US08176089B1
A method and system for efficient processing of structured documents is provided. The method includes creating fragments of the structured document. The method also includes creating an ordered list including a plurality of descriptors pointing to the structured document fragments. Further, the method includes modifying the ordered list for manipulating of the structured document. The system includes one or more message blocks. The system also includes a message control block for pointing to the one or more message blocks. Further, the system includes one or more data blocks and a plurality of binary tokens for pointing to the one or more data blocks. Moreover, the system includes a plurality of ordered lists of descriptors.
US08176088B2
A system, an article, and a computer program product for estimating a cardinality value for a set of data values. In one embodiment, the system includes means for initializing a data structure for representing an array of counts; means for obtaining a data value from said set of data values; means for transforming said data value into a transformed string; means for modifying said data structure with said transformed string; means for obtaining a summary statistic value from said modified data structure, wherein the summary statistic value is based on the array of counts; and means for generating said estimated cardinality value using said summary statistic value.
US08176087B2
Data is stored and data objects are indexed by an index having a tree configuration and the tree is traversed to identify the location of a data object. Data objects are analyzed to assess the extent to which a second data object is related to a first data object, and locations of related data objects within the tree are clustered so as to minimize tree traversal when accessing data objects considered to be related.
US08176085B2
Modular forest automata (MFA) provide a unified description of partially-ordered regular tree patterns. MFAs provide simple methods for determinization, sub-typing, intersection, and complementation of these patterns. MFAs support high-performance pattern analysis and matching. Modular forest transducers, in conjunction with modular forest automata, enable compilers to place semantic actions on any state transition while supporting efficient transformation of labeled, directed graphs.
US08176084B2
A method for storing data, comprises representing the data as a tree structure, calculating a structure ID for the tree structure, the structure ID being a representation of the tree structure and independent of node names and node values of the tree structure, and storing a mapping of the structure ID to the tree structure.
US08176083B2
This disclosure relates to computer implemented methods, systems, and software for automatically preparing data from a data object used in an enterprise software application. Updates can be received for first and second data objects, the data objects each including hierarchical data with at least one node. The data objects can be associated with a service-oriented enterprise software application. A mapping, from the first data object to a first structured data element, can be identified using a first mapping agent. A mapping, from the second data object to a second structured data element, can be identified using a first mapping agent. In some instances, data can be loaded from at least one of the first or second data objects using the first mapping agent. Loading data from the data object can be based on the mapping from the data object to the respective structured data element.
US08176077B2
Systems, methods, and software for identifying location based rules related to a network connected device are described. A network connected device may transmit a set of data identifying the location of the device and an identifier unique to the device to a server. The server may also receive an action request, wherein the action request is associated with the identifier. The server may select a rule in a database to address the action request, the rule applicable to the identifier and location of the device. Various embodiments related to financial card transactions, access to financial information, emergency services contact, and electronic message filtering are also addressed.
US08176066B2
The present invention describes a system and method of managing digital content received from content providers and for facilitating access to the digital content to many subscribers. The method includes receiving from the content providers incoming feed files where each feed file contains information describing the content. The method determines if the feed files are approved by applying a template to the feed files and also receives request files from the subscribers where each request file contains search criteria. The method provides one or more answer files in response to the request files where each answer file identifies feed files that meet the search criteria of a corresponding request file. The answer files are used to access or permit access to digital content on the web. In addition, a graphical user interface is described to manage, edit, promote and delete the feed files provided to the system.
US08176061B2
A method for tracking digital assets stored on digital asset storage media including detecting availability of a reference asset storage medium containing digital assets at a first time; determining a reference medium identifier and digital asset identifiers; storing renditions of the digital assets in a cached storage area; and storing an association between the reference asset storage medium the reference medium identifier, the digital asset identifiers and the renditions of the digital assets in a database in a persistent storage area. The method further includes, at a second later time, detecting the availability of a candidate asset storage medium, determining a candidate medium identifier that uniquely identifies the candidate asset storage medium, and comparing the candidate medium identifier to the reference medium identifier to determine whether the candidate asset storage medium is the same as the reference asset storage medium.
US08176053B2
A hybrid database can receive a hybrid query for an object having a real world analog. A feature of a set of feature records can be determined that corresponds to the object. Feature-level attribute values of the feature can be extracted from the feature records. A volumetric envelope forming an outer boundary of the feature in a volumetric storage space of the hybrid database can be determined. A set of uniquely indexed voxels can be determined. Each voxel can be a volumetric unit of the volumetric storage space that represent the volume contained by the volumetric envelope. Voxel-level semantic values can be extracted from the set of uniquely indexed voxels from voxel records. Extracted voxel-level semantic values and extracted feature-level attribute values can be combined to generate a hybrid result. The hybrid result can be conveyed to a requestor from which the hybrid query was received.
US08176023B2
Portions of a B-tree index in a database are locked for concurrency control. In one example, hierarchical lock modes are provided that permit locking a key, a gap between the key and the next key, and a combination of the key and the gap. In another example, key range locking may be applied to the B-tree index using locks on separator keys of index nodes. In another example, key range locking may be applied to the B-tree index using locks on key prefixes.
US08176009B2
A method of updating an original version of content to a new version of content, in a non-volatile memory storage device, the method includes: providing a non-volatile content memory storage area arranged to accommodate a full version of content; providing an auxiliary memory area; performing, while at least part of the content memory storage area is not being updated, at least one pre-update operation corresponding to at least one in-place update operation applicable, in an in-place update, on the part of the content memory storage area; storing, while at least part of the content memory storage area is not being updated, at least one result of the performed at least one pre-update operation, on the auxiliary memory area; and performing an in-place update of the at least part of the content memory storage area utilizing the at least one result stored on the auxiliary memory area.
US08176004B2
Provided are systems and methods for Web-based intelligent paperless document management where users can collect, store, and share all document from various locations. The system requires security sign-up for the user account and it automatically classifies the incoming documents received by the inbox. The present invention automatically indexes and places documents in the repository which does not require user interaction, barcodes or separators. The system also provides the capability of prearranging access levels according to functions of multiple users.
US08175994B2
A system and method are disclosed for automatically performing remediation operations on a plurality of information handling system (IHS) resources. Survey information related to a user of IHS resources is collected and processed to generate survey information. IHS resources used by the user are determined and associated configuration and operational information is collected and processed to generate imported information. The survey information and the imported information are then processed to generate state analysis information, which is then compared to a plurality of health baseline information. The results of the comparison operations are used to determine individual IHS resources not conforming to predetermined health baseline parameters. If an individual IHS resource does not conform to the predetermined health baseline parameters, then a remediation operation is automatically performed on the individual IHS resource.
US08175993B2
An instruction target object which is located outside a predetermined area of a virtual space is detected at an interval of the unit time, and a substitute icon associated with the instruction target object is displayed in a screen. Next, after it is detected that a first operation has been performed on the substitute icon from the operation data, it is detected that a second operation has also been performed. Based on the pointed position in the screen when the second operation was detected, the instruction target object associated with the substitute icon processed by the first operation is caused to perform a predetermined motion.
US08175991B2
A system and method for optimizing enterprise applications driven by business processes is provided. The system includes a data repository, an extractor to perform real time extraction of process life cycle information from business solutions integrating heterogeneous independent business applications, the extractor storing the extracted information in the data repository, an analyzer to identify usage patterns in the extracted information, and an optimizer to optimize the extracted information and to create exportable output usable by external tools. The analyzer can employ user-defined algorithms and/or rules to identify the usage patterns. The optimizer can use process simulation mechanism, what-if analysis, data stored in the data repository, data stored in a rule repository, and user input data, in any combination, to optimize the extracted information.
US08175987B2
A method, and computer program product for computing a change plan are presented. A model of a current configuration is identified, the model including modeled system assets and modeled tasks. A request to change the current configuration to a new configuration is received. The request to change the current configuration to generate a plurality of valid strategies to be used in a genetic programming parse tree corresponding to modeled assets and modeled tasks of said model is applied to the model. The request to change the current configuration is applied to at least one of said valid strategies to generate a plurality of potential change plans. The change plans are evolved according to genetic programming principles to a preferred change plan.
US08175975B2
IMS networks and methods are disclosed for authorizing financial transactions. Credit card information, debit card information, and other purchasing data may be consolidated into an IMS device for conducting financial transactions, such as the purchasing of items from a merchant. Before a financial transaction can be completed, an IMS device transmits transaction data for the financial transaction to the IMS network. The IMS network then processes predefined purchasing rules to determine whether or not the financial transaction is authorized. If the financial transaction is authorized, then the IMS network transmits a confirmation message to the IMS device indicating that the financial transaction is authorized. If the financial transaction is not authorized, then the IMS network transmits a cancel message to the IMS device indicating that the financial transaction is not authorized.
US08175973B2
A system loads, authenticates and uses a virtual smart card for payment of goods and/or services purchased on-line over the Internet. An online purchase and load (OPAL) server includes a virtual smart card data base that has a record of information for each smart card that it represents for a user at the behest of an issuer. The server includes a smart card emulator that emulates a smart card by using the card data base and a hardware security module. The emulator interacts with a pseudo card reader module in the server that imitates a physical card reader. The server also includes a client code module that interacts with the pseudo card reader and a remote payment or load server. A pass-through client terminal presents a user interface and passes information between the OPAL server and a merchant server, and between the OPAL server and a bank server. The Internet provides the routing functionality between the client terminal and the various servers. A merchant advertises goods on a web site. A user uses the client terminal to purchase goods and/or services from the remote merchant server. The payment server processes, confirms and replies to the merchant server. The payment server is also used to authenticate the holder of a virtual card who wishes to redeem loyalty points from a merchant. To load value, the client terminal requests a load from a user account at the bank server. The load server processes, confirms and replies to the bank server.
US08175971B1
Apparatus and methods for providing to a bank customer a guaranteed retirement distribution based on a retail bank product. An electronic processing module may be used to identify a value of an asset in a retail banking product and calculate a guaranteed distribution payment amount. The guaranteed distribution payment amount may be based on the asset value. An electronic transmitter may be used to provide to an insurance carrier a data object having an attribute that corresponds to the asset value. A new guaranteed distribution amount may replace a previous guaranteed distribution amount. The new guaranteed distribution amount may be based on a new value of the asset. The asset may be retained in the retail banking product and the insurance carrier may issue a policy that guarantees the distribution payment to the customer.
US08175967B2
Embodiments of the invention include a method and system for effectuating an electronic payment between a payor and a payee using an Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) network. The method is implemented by a system having multiple processors. The payor may hold a payor account at a payor institution and the payee may have a payee account at a payee institution. The method includes generating a payment authorization identifying the payee institution, the payee account, and an amount of the payment and transmitting the payment authorization to the payor institution. The method further includes debiting the payor account by the amount of the payment; transmitting from the payor institution to the payee institution through the EFT network an EFT credit message representing a credit in the amount of the payment; and crediting the payee account in the amount of the payment in response to the receipt of the EFT credit message.
US08175959B2
A method for executing a trade is provided that includes communicating financial information to a handheld device via a network, the financial information being associated with a trade that can be initiated by the handheld device. The handheld device is connected to the network via a Push to Trade™ protocol. The method also includes executing the trade on behalf of the end user.
US08175956B2
A system and method for buying and selling securities based on volatility and liquidity rather than other fundamentals is demonstrated. The method involves: providing at least one decision model to buy and sell a security; inputting real-time data into the decision model; and automatically generating an order and executing transactions to buy and sell the security based in response to the decision model. The method continues in buying and selling the security based in response to decision model until the method is stopped.
US08175953B1
A prepaid messaging solution using open networking standards (e.g., TCP/IP) to support pre-payment of Internet messaging services. The disclosed prepaid architectures/methods determine if a subscriber has sufficient account balance to deliver a short message, prior to message delivery. A message may be prevented from being delivered (at the source end or destination end) if a subscriber account has insufficient funds. A prepaid tariff engine supports remote interaction with the SMSC and web chat servers to apply real-time billing for each message. A service provider may define subscriber rates and/or tariffing plans to apply real-time billing for sending/receiving messages. Message billing may be based upon, e.g., rate per message, message count, character count, Time of Day, Day of Week, message type, and/or mobile location. The prepaid short messaging service preferably supports internet access to subscriber's account balances and status maintained in the prepaid short messaging database of the prepaid messaging server.
US08175941B2
A method and system for developing and applying market data scenarios in which market data is received from a market data distribution platform, stored, changed with respect to a specific asset included in the market data and the altered market data transmitted to a client application that processes the altered market data as if it were transmitted directly from the platform. The system may include a recording module for receiving a stream of market data from the platform, an interface module for specifying changes to the replayed stream to form a stream of altered market data and a client application interface for transmitting a stream of altered market data to a client application. The stream of altered market data mimics the market data stream such that the stream of altered market data can be processed as if it were market data from the market data distribution platform.
US08175929B2
Generic information provided by printed and online catalogs may be supplemented or replaced by information that is customized for and/or related to the consumer, enabling a third party to more fully understand the purchase decision and thus offer more informed feedback. A party accessing a merchant system may be provided electronic access to consumer customized nonverbal information by, e.g., collecting an electronic version of consumer-customized nonverbal information at a merchant site, and displaying the electronic version of the consumer-customized nonverbal information for a party accessing the merchant system.
US08175926B1
A method and system are described for event and service inventory management. One embodiment comprises: in response to a user request for tickets to an event, searching a database for available tickets of a set of tickets purchased prior in time; displaying to a user information about booked but unused tickets; and, in response to identifying unused tickets, allowing the user to book the available event tickets, without the user having received separate authorization to obtain tickets to the event.
US08175923B2
A system and method for accelerating customer sales transactions in a retail store. A customer checkout accelerator provides a customer user interface initiate a request for a preapproval amount for a sales transaction before reaching the point of sale for completion of the purchase transaction. A card reader integrated into the customer checkout accelerator reads a customer payment card number when the payment card is swiped through the reader. A customer checkout accelerator server module resident on a store controller server determines a preapproval amount for the sales action and transmits the request to an external card services system for payment approval. The customer checkout accelerator also provides the ability to purchase additional promotional items in the checkout lane with this process integrated into the payment preapproval process. Once payment approval is obtained from the external card services system, an entry is placed in a preapproval database associated with the customer checkout accelerator server module on the store controller server. The server module forwards the approval notification to the point of sales terminal where it is placed in a preapproval cache for use in completing the actual sale transaction.
US08175917B2
A food preparation predicting system and method in one embodiment includes a detector for obtaining customer information, a memory including program instructions for obtaining customer information from the detector, associating the customer information with stored customer specific preference information, generating a pseudo-order based upon the associated preference information, generating food preparation information based upon the pseudo-order, and displaying the food preparation information, and a processor operably connected to the camera and the memory for executing the program instructions.
US08175913B2
An apparatus 10, and system 70 may be embodied as an article 70 or method implementing transactions between a central or “core” application 72, a fulfillment application 96 at a venue, and a wireless communication application 84, 86 hosted on a computing device 10, such as a cell phone, of an attendee at an event at that venue. Customers may sign up online, through a various types of web applications 88 or dedicated applications 92, to receive information, such as menus, catalogs, or the like of available products to be at the event. The core application 72 may manage a database 74 of records of customers, products, and fulfillment locations. The core application 72 may send to fulfillment applications 96 hosted by other computers 12 at fulfillment locations instructions to dispatch “runners” to deliver products to seat locations of customers who may order products (e.g., food, merchandise, etc.) over cell phones or other internet-connected, wireless computer devices 12 at a venue.
US08175898B1
The invention relates to methods and systems for creating and utilizing a modular multi-coverage insurance product. The modular multi-coverage insurance product includes a set of modular state-pre-approved insurance coverages corresponding to a plurality of insurable liabilities.
US08175895B2
A remote command center for providing services to geographically dispersed hospitalized patients. A datastore accessible to the remote command center receives patient data from geographically dispersed hospitalized patients. Monitored data elements of geographically dispersed hospitalized patients are also received at the remote command center and stored in the datastore. A smart alert module generates and applies patient specific rules to selected data elements. If a patient-specific rule for a hospitalized patient has been contravened, an alert is issued from the remote command center. A patient care module displays selected data elements of the hospitalized patients at the remote command center. A decision support module applies decision support algorithms to selected data elements of a hospitalized patient and to user input to provide patient care advice. Patient care advice comprises a diagnosis, a method of treatment, and a laboratory protocol. The decision support module may also write orders for medication, laboratory protocols and surgical procedures.
US08175894B2
A radiation report system includes a storage unit for storing a plurality of records including an exposure dose, an examination protocol, an examination part, a patient's age and a patient's weight with regard to the plurality of radiation examinations using a plurality of radiation diagnosis apparatuses. The plurality of records stored in the storage unit is classified into a plurality of groups based on the examination protocol, the examination part or patient information. An exposure report is created for each group based on the plurality of records stored in the storage unit. The data of the exposure report is served with a client side terminal.
US08175886B2
A comprehensive system and method for telematics including the following features individually or in sub-combinations: vehicle user interfaces, telecommunications, speech recognition, digital commerce and vehicle parking, digital signal processing, wireless transmission of digitized voice input, navigational assistance for motorists, data communication to vehicles, mobile client-server communication, extending coverage and bandwidth of wireless communication services, and noise reduction.
US08175883B2
According to the present invention, a method for integrating processes with a multi-faceted human centered interface is provided. The interface is facilitated to implement a hands free, voice driven environment to control processes and applications. A natural language model is used to parse voice initiated commands and data, and to route those voice initiated inputs to the required applications or processes. The use of an intelligent context based parser allows the system to intelligently determine what processes are required to complete a task which is initiated using natural language. A single window environment provides an interface which is comfortable to the user by preventing the occurrence of distracting windows from appearing. The single window has a plurality of facets which allow distinct viewing areas. Each facet has an independent process routing its outputs thereto. As other processes are activated, each facet can reshape itself to bring a new process into one of the viewing areas. All activated processes are executed simultaneously to provide true multitasking.
US08175880B2
An image processing apparatus comprises an image data input portion that inputs image data and a text data input portion that inputs text data. The text data inputted by the text data input portion is converted into voice data by a voice data converter, and this obtained voice data and the image data inputted by the image data input portion are connected to each other by a connector, and then a file including the voice data and the image data connected to each other is created.
US08175878B1
Systems, methods, and apparatuses, including computer program products, are provided for representing language models. In some implementations, a computer-implemented method is provided. The method includes generating a compact language model including receiving a collection of n-grams from the corpus, each n-gram of the collection having a corresponding first probability of occurring in the corpus and generating a trie representing the collection of n-grams. The method also includes using the language model to identify a second probability of a particular string of words occurring.
US08175861B2
A machining simulation apparatus is arranged in a machine tool having a tool holding mechanism, a workpiece holding mechanism, a drive mechanism and a numerical controller, and provided with: an actual CCD camera for imaging a tool held by the tool holding mechanism and the workpiece holding mechanism not holding a workpiece to generate actual image data; a model data update processing section for generating model data relating to when moving the holding mechanisms based on the operation command received from the numerical controller and the model data of the holding mechanisms, tool and workpiece; a virtual image generation processing section for generating virtual image data of the tool and workpiece based on the generated model data; and a rendering processing section for generating composite image data by superimposing the virtual image on the actual image, and displaying the composite image data on a screen display device.
US08175856B2
A method for generating a gauging curve for a hollow body containing a liquid. The curve including a set of measurement points for a liquid level inside the hollow body, and the curve approaching an optimum gauging curve. The method includes, for several different partial filling volumes of the hollow body, calculating an average center of mass of a corresponding free liquid surface for various inclinations of the hollow body, in terms of both amplitude and direction. The method further includes generating a gauging curve that passes substantially through each of the average centers of mass.
US08175853B2
Systems and methods for combined matrix-vector and matrix-transpose vector multiply for block sparse matrices. Exemplary embodiments include a method of updating a simulation of physical objects in an interactive computer, including generating a set of representations of objects in the interactive computer environment, partitioning the set of representations into a plurality of subsets such that objects in any given set interact only with other objects in that set, generating a vector b describing an expected position of each object at the end of a time interval h, applying a biconjugate gradient algorithm to solve A*Δv=b for the vector Δv of position and velocity changes to be applied to each object wherein the q=Ap and qt=AT(pt) calculations are combined so that A only has to be read once, integrating the updated motion vectors to determine a next state of the simulated objects, and converting the simulated objects to a visual.
US08175851B1
A preferred estimate of a given parameter is made by processing a set of data points representing estimates of the given parameter, such as the angle of arrival of a target signal. The process includes the steps of: (a) obtaining a set of data points representing estimates of a given parameter; (b) using a computer to process said data points with an unsupervised clustering algorithm to select data points for use in making a preferred estimate of the given parameter; and (c) using the selected data points to make a preferred estimate of the given parameter.
US08175844B2
Implementations of the present disclosure provide for determining an encoding type of data. Implementations include receiving a data set from a computer-readable storage medium, decoding the data set using a first encoding type to provide a first plurality of numbers, generating a first distribution based on the first plurality of numbers, decoding the data set using a second encoding type to provide a second plurality of numbers, and generating a second distribution based on the second plurality of numbers. An actual encoding type of the data set is determined based on the first distribution, the second distribution and an expected distribution, and the data set is processed based on the actual encoding type.
US08175843B2
Computer-implemented methods for statistical analysis and summarization of a stability study on a pharmaceutical product using of a macro integrated into statistical analysis software. The method includes inputting and summarizing data observed for a stability study on a pharmaceutical product, statistically analyzing the data, including using at least one regression function to characterize the time-response relationship of at least one stability response variable, to estimate a shelf life of the pharmaceutical product or confirm the shelf life of an existing pharmaceutical product, and providing standardized output data and graphical presentations of observed stability response data. Also, a computer loaded with a general statistical analysis software and a macro integrated with the software such that the computer is capable of performing these computer-implemented methods using the software and macro.
US08175842B2
A method for measuring the profile of a component in the region of an edge of the component comprises the following steps: determining the position of an edge point of the component; defining a center line for the component in the region of the edge; and measuring at least one dimension of the component with reference to the center line.
US08175836B2
A method of estimating airflow for a characterized blower system including a motor. The method includes running the motor, estimating a torque and a speed of the running motor, and assuming a starting airflow estimate. Torque is calculated based on the estimated speed and the estimated airflow. A torque error is calculated as a function of the calculated torque and the estimated torque. Estimated airflow is revised based on the calculated torque error. The method also includes repeating the calculating and revising steps using the revised estimated airflow until the torque error is within a predetermined acceptable range.
US08175829B2
A signal analyzer includes a divergence detector for detecting periodic interference in a signal, an information detector for detecting a random event in the signal, and output circuitry for providing compensation for the periodic interference and the random event.
US08175828B2
Provided is an evaluation apparatus that evaluates a characteristic of a propagation apparatus propagating a signal, comprising an output signal measuring section that measures a probability density function expressing a probability density distribution of jitter of an output signal passed by the propagation apparatus; an isolating section that isolates at least one of a random component of a jitter component and a deterministic component of the jitter component in the jitter of the output signal, from the probability density function of the jitter of the output signal; and an evaluating section that evaluates the characteristic of the propagation apparatus based on the jitter component isolated by the isolating section.
US08175819B2
A tire inspection device generates an analyzing wavelet for wavelet transformation correlating time, corresponding to tire surface position, and frequency, based on a frequency representing a characteristic portion of a predetermined tire surface structure. After this, the tire inspection device generates and stores an integer numeric filter from the created analyzing wavelet, detects the tire surface structure, carries out wavelet transformation on a signal obtained by the detection by using the numeric filter as the analyzing wavelet, and outputs the transformation result as the characteristic information representing the characteristic portion.
US08175814B2
A synthetic microfluidic microvasculature network and associated methods mimic the structure, fluid flow characteristics, and physiological behavior of physiological microvasculature networks. Computational methods for simulating flow and particle adherence in synthetic and physiological microvascular systems and methods for determining parameters influencing particle adhesion and drug delivery are described with applications in the optimization of drug delivery and microvascular treatments and in describing disease mechanisms that affect the microvasculature.
US08175813B2
The present invention is drawn to methods for designing synthetic nucleotide sequences encoding polypeptides of interest. The methods involve organizing a database of sequences as a set of N-length oligomer sequences and compiling a list of probability scores for each N-length sequence. The probability scores are used to substitute one or more higher-scoring sequences into the parent nucleotide sequence to generate an optimized sequence. The nucleotide sequence of interest may be further optimized by removing either or both of unintended open reading frames or undesired short DNA elements, and/or substituting oligomer sequences to achieve a specific G:C content. These methods may be used for optimizing expression of heterologous genes in any organism, particularly in plants. The method generates synthetic sequences with a composition similar to that of a target database. These synthetic sequences may be used, for example, for regulating pesticidal activity or herbicide resistance in organisms, particularly plants or plant cells.
US08175806B2
To improve recognition accuracy of a traveling direction of a vehicle by accurately detecting a marking on a road surface which is photographed by a camera while a road environment where a vehicle travels is changing. A car navigation system 100 detects an image of a light-irradiated portion which is unnecessary for the recognition of a road marking, in an image behind a vehicle captured by a camera 6 mounted on the vehicle, clips out image areas in a predetermined shape excluding the detected image area, and sequentially stores the clipped images in a storage unit 7b. Then, the new clipped image and the clipped image already stored in the storage unit 7b are combined, and an image of a road marking is detected and recognized from the composite image.
US08175804B2
A navigation program is prepared for a navigation apparatus so as to be used in several different destination regions. When installing a navigation program, which is stored in a portable storage medium, into a memory device of a navigation apparatus, it is determined that a destination region of a navigation program currently recorded in the memory device is different from that of the portable storage medium. In such cases, not only the navigation program but also point registration information and contents data currently recorded in the memory device are erased; the navigation program is acquired from the portable storage medium and recorded in the memory device. Furthermore, user's setting information recorded in the memory device is erased while returning setting contents of the various functions to default states.
US08175803B2
A graphic user interface method and apparatus for a navigation system graphically shows parking information which vary depending on conditions such as time ranges or days, etc. The method includes the steps of: examining a location specified by a user for retrieving data associated with the specified location from data storage medium; displaying a screen of parking information graphic interface upon request by the user; and examining whether there is a time-related parking restriction on the specified location and retrieving the time-related parking information if any. The parking information graphic interface illustrates a map image, a time table of a day, a time range indicator on the time table, and a text message regarding the time-related parking restriction, thereby graphically displaying the parking information on the specified location.
US08175802B2
Adaptive route guidance can include analyzing route progressions associated with one or more routes based on multiple user preferences. The adaptive route guidance can provide one or more preferred routes based on the user preferences including those derived from historical selection or use, which can be presented to a user for navigation purposes.
US08175801B2
A method and apparatus for link promotion for a navigation system allows expansion of search in a lower layer to determine an optimum climbing point to an upper layer to search an optimum route. The link promotion procedure includes the steps of determining whether an upper link exists for a lower link, setting the upper link as a promoted link if such an upper link exists even if a climbing node point does not exist that connect the lower link and the upper link, and comparing a candidate normal route and a promoted route to find an optimum route.
US08175796B1
A method involves transmitting a first signal to a device, the first signal comprising vehicle identification data and vehicle operational data, receiving a second signal from the device, the second signal comprising road and lane information and vehicle information vectors of other vehicles transiting the road in range of the device, and determining a collision risk based upon the received second signal. The method involves the range-limited communication of vehicle information vectors among a network of devices. The method may include transmitting an operational signal to a vehicle controller, wherein the operation of a vehicle, such as speed, braking, and steering, is altered by the vehicle controller based upon the received operational signal. The method may involve, if the determined collision risk exceeds a predetermined threshold, the transmission of a warning signal by a vehicle computer to a vehicle operator via a warning device controlled by a vehicle controller.
US08175794B1
A system and method of selecting and presenting geolocated views. Views may encompass various types of visual and audio information. In one aspect, a server receives a request for information associated with a geographic location. The server identifies a feature at the location. The server uses the identified feature to determine a category of views. The server also selects a view which is associated with the determined category of views and with the geographic location of the request.
US08175790B2
A machine (100) has an internal combustion engine (104) operating in response to a control signal provided by an engine governor (216). The engine (104) provides a torque output to a machine system providing a machine function. An electronic controller (214) determines a current operating state of the engine (104) and a torque utilization of the machine system, and compares the current operating state of the engine (104) with the torque utilization in an engine droop function (302). A change to an engine speed (308) setting of the engine (104) is instructed in response to a change in the torque signal. Such change is to increase the engine speed (308) setting when the torque utilization is increasing, and to decrease the engine speed (308) setting when the torque utilization is decreasing.
US08175766B2
A throttle control system is provided for generating a throttle control signal in an electric vehicle. The throttle control system includes: a throttle position sensor operable to detect a throttle twist input by an operator and to responsively generate a throttle twist input signal; a controller operatively coupled to the throttle position sensor for receiving the throttle twist input signal and responsively generating a throttle control signal; and a feedback circuit operatively coupled to the controller for receiving the throttle control signal and outputting a corresponding feedback signal to the controller; wherein the controller compares the feedback signal and the throttle control signal to detect an error condition in the throttle control signal, and when an error condition is detected, determines a responsive action corresponding to the severity of the error condition.
US08175765B2
To perform control of movement of a marine vessel traveling through water during a seismic survey operation, input information relating to factors that affect a speed of the marine vessel is received. The speed of the marine vessel is adjusted in response to the received information relating to the factors that affect the speed of the marine vessel.
US08175758B2
The present invention relates to a method and to a device for controlling and adjusting the ground clearance (h) of an aircraft (1) provided with at least one undercarriage (30), said undercarriage (30) being provided with a damper-actuator (2) for performing a damping function and a function of retracting said undercarriage (30). The method is remarkable in that control means (10) automatically activate adjustment means (11, 12) for adjusting the length of said damper-actuator (2) so as to maintain said ground clearance (h) at a predetermined value.
US08175757B2
A temperature control system and methods that remove dust or debris from inside an electrical equipment chassis are provided. One or more fans are placed in or near the exterior of the chassis. The fans are operated either in reverse, forward, pulsing, or reverse pulsing modes to create turbulent air flow through the chassis. The change in air flow pattern helps dislodge dust and particles. Once airborne, the fans can exhaust the dust and particles. Further, some embodiments provide vanes or other elements to further direct air flow. The temperature control system can be used in any electrical equipment that is ventilated with fans. The temperature control system provides the advantage of a low cost and efficient method for ensuring that dust does not accumulate on components within an enclosure.
US08175756B2
A method implemented in a computer infrastructure having computer executable code having programming instructions tangibly embodied on a computer readable storage medium. The programming instructions are operable to detect an occurrence of at least one of a geoboundary event, a radio frequency identification (RFID) event; and a local area network (LAN) event. Additionally, the programming instructions are operable to adjust one or more power consumption settings of an environment based on the occurrence.
US08175743B2
A measurement system that includes an industrial machine and an interferometer can detect when abnormality has occurred in measurement targeted at a reflector attached to a movable body, for example, in a case where the movable body has moved too close to the interferometer. A judging section of the interferometer judges that there is abnormality in measurement targeted at the reflector on the basis of a received-light signal. Upon such an abnormality judgment, a stop command outputting section of the interferometer outputs a stop command to the industrial machine. A stopping section of the industrial machine stops the driving operation of a moving mechanism upon receiving an input of the stop command, thereby stopping the movement of the movable body. The measurement system makes it possible to prevent the industrial machine, which includes the movable body and the moving mechanism, from colliding with the interferometer.
US08175741B2
A method comprises steps of: providing a textile coordinate system defined by a horizontal axis and a vertical axis; creating a panel comprising a plurality of panel points and lines defined on the textile coordinate system on the pattern-making window; adding a plurality of pattern-making layers associated with the panel to the pattern-making window; visualizing the panel and at least one of the plurality of pattern-making layers on the pattern making window; editing the panel by applying geometrical operations to the panel points and lines and the pattern-making points and lines; and storing the plurality of panel points and lines, the plurality of pattern-making points and lines, and time stamp of last modification to the panel in a pattern-making computer file.
US08175733B2
A method, and corresponding computer program product and system, defines and uses marker points within a modeled manufacturing process routing that includes multiple sequenced operations. The method includes receiving user input that defines one or more marker points within the modeled manufacturing process routing and between sequential ones of the operations. The marker points define a user-defined point within a manufacturing process and include one of multiple defined types that each define a different use to be made by the marker point. The method also includes detecting if any marker points of a specified one of the defined types have been defined in the manufacturing process routing. If a marker point having the specified one of the defined types is detected, a predefined computing function is executed that uses the detected marker point.
US08175727B2
A portable audio device suitable for reproducing MPEG encoded data includes a plurality of inputs, one or more memory chips, a display, an audio output, one or more processors, and a battery. The plurality of inputs includes a forward input, a reverse input, and a play control input. The one or more memory chips store compressed digitized audio data. The one or more processors are responsive to selection of at least one of the plurality of inputs to reproduce select rows of compressed digitized audio data stored in the data in an audio format and to provide information to the display.
US08175724B2
In one embodiment, the present invention provides a cardiac lead device including a fixation mechanism slidably attached to the lead such that when the fixation mechanism is expanded in to contact with a body lumen, the lead may be moved relative to the fixation mechanism if desired. Such lead movement may be limited by complimentary structure on the lead body and the fixation mechanism that prevents the lead from moving unless sufficient force is applied to the lead.
US08175719B2
Disclosed herein are methods and circuitry for monitoring and adjusting a compliance voltage in an implantable stimulator devices to an optimal value that is sufficiently high to allow for proper circuit performance (i.e., sufficient current output), but low enough that power is not needlessly wasted via excessive voltage drops across the current output circuitry. The algorithm measures output voltages across the current source and sink circuitry during at least periods of actual stimulation when both the current sources and sinks are operable, and adjusts the compliance voltage so as to reduce these output voltages to within guard band values preferably indicative for operation in transistor saturation. The output voltages can additionally be monitored during periods between stimulation pulses to improve the accuracy of the measurement, and is further beneficial in that such additional measurements are not perceptible to the patient.
US08175713B1
A device for providing electric stimulation for treatment of medical and non-medical conditions connected with blood circulation in legs. The device includes means for generating a shaped electrical impulse according to a pre-stored timing pattern. A means for conditioning the shaped impulse is coupled to said generating means and means for applying the conditioned shaped impulse to a user for causing a deep and painless contraction of a user's calf muscles, which in turn activate blood circulation and improve venous return from legs.
US08175702B2
A method for extinguishing a cardiac arrhythmia utilizes destructive interference of the passing of the reentry wave tip of an anatomical reentry through a depolarized region created by a relatively low voltage electric field in such a way as to effectively unpin the anatomical reentry. Preferably, the relatively low voltage electric field is defined by at least one unpinning shock(s) that are lower than an expected lower limit of vulnerability as established, for example, by a defibrillation threshold test. By understanding the physics of the electric field distribution between cardiac cells, the method permits the delivery of an electric field sufficient to unpin the core of the anatomical reentry, whether the precise or estimated location of the reentry is known or unknown and without the risk of inducting ventricular fibrillation. A number of embodiments for performing the method are disclosed.
US08175699B2
An apparatus is disclosed for punctually stimulating nerve endings located in the region of the ears, said nerve endings extending to brain stem nuclei. The apparatus (1) has a support (2) which is to be positioned in the region of the neck or the upper arm of a patient, and which is provided with at least some of the electrically active structural components (4, 7, 13) of the apparatus (1) arranged for forming a therapeutic current, and which furthermore accommodates feed batteries (3) that deliver at least part of the operating power for the apparatus.
US08175698B2
Cells that are in the process division are vulnerable to damage by AC electric fields that have specific frequency and field strength characteristics. The selective destruction of rapidly dividing cells can therefore be accomplished by imposing an AC electric field in a target region for extended periods of time. Some of the cells that divide while the field is applied will be damaged, but the cells that do not divide will not be harmed. This selectively damages rapidly dividing cells like bacteria, but does not harm normal cells that are not dividing. Since the vulnerability of the dividing cells is strongly related to the alignment between the long axis of the dividing cells and the lines of force of the electric field, improved results can be obtained when the field is sequentially imposed in different directions.
US08175689B2
A method of measuring a characteristic of a skin, including varying an air pressure in a chamber positioned adjacent to a skin, in which the chamber has an opening that exposes the skin to changes in the air pressure in the chamber. A plurality of measurements of surface profiles of the skin are made over a period of time as the surface profile of the skin varies in response to changes in the air pressure.
US08175687B2
Disclosed herein is a light source device for fluorescence diagnosis and photodynamic therapy comprising: a plurality of light source means having a wavelength range different from each other and providing selected light; a light path coupling means coupling light emitted from the light source means to the incident direction of a light guide; a filtering means selectively transmitting the emitted light based on the wavelength; and a switching device that is directed to an opening/closing means, established at a long distance to be controlled by a remote control device and selecting the kinds of light sources of the light source means to change the modes of the light. Accordingly, the device simplifies the configuration by excluding elements causing errors in the process of fluorescence diagnosis in the diagnostic region. Moreover, the light source device for fluorescence diagnosis and photodynamic therapy couples the light emitted from a combined light source to provide a sufficient light strength in the visible light region, thus improving the illumination quality to increase the accuracy of the diagnosis and further improving the therapeutic efficiency.
US08175682B2
An imaging transducer assembly is combined with a sensor of a medical positioning system, forming a transducer/sensor assembly. In one embodiment, the sensor includes a coil proximally coupled with the imaging transducer. A cable having first and second wires are proximally coupled to the coil. A non-conductive potting layer is wrapped around the coil. Traces are formed in the non-conductive potting layer that are used to electrically couple the imaging transducer with the first and second wires of the cable.
US08175671B2
A sensor may be adapted to reduce motion artifacts by mitigating the effects of the tissue moving within the sensor. A sensor is provided with an elastomeric sensor body adapted to accommodate patient motion. Further, a sensor is provided in which the sensor cable is arranged to mitigate its pressure on a patient's tissue.
US08175670B2
A method and system for measuring a physiological parameter, comprising collecting a first absorbance at a first wavelength, chosen to be primarily absorbed by water; collecting a second absorbance at a second wavelength, chosen to be primarily absorbed by hemoglobin; and combining the first signal and the second signal to generate a combined plethysmograph signal which is proportionate lower in noise caused by motion-related interference.
US08175669B2
In an apparatus for measuring an oxygen saturation in blood, a plurality of light emitters irradiate a living tissue with a plurality of light beams having different wavelengths. A light receiver receives the light beams reflected from or transmitted through the living tissue to generate pulse wave signals in accordance with pulsations of the blood in the living tissue. A separator separates each of the pulse wave signals into a plurality of amplitude signals each of which is associated with one frequency, thereby generating pairs of amplitude signals each of which is associated with one of a plurality of frequencies. A first processor calculates a ratio between the amplitude signals in each of the pairs of the amplitude signals. A selector selects one of the pairs of the amplitude signals. A second processor calculates the oxygen saturation from the ratio of the selected pair of the amplitude signals.
US08175668B1
An intravenous implantable optical sensor assesses the relative absorbance of multiple wavelengths of light in order to determine oxygen saturation. The calculation of oxygen saturation is enhanced by use of a function of hematocrit which is derived from the relative absorbance of light of an isobestic wavelength along two different length paths through the blood. The use of the hematocrit-dependent term and multiple wavelengths of light to calculate oxygen saturation provides results that are less susceptible to noise and variation in hematocrit and thus provides a more accurate measure of oxygen saturation over a wider range of conditions than previously possible. The optical sensor may form part of an implantable system which performs the calculation of oxygen saturation and uses the results for a diagnostic or therapeutic purpose.
US08175665B2
Methods and systems for calculating body fluid metrics are provided. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present technique, there is provided a method for calculating body fluid metrics by acquiring an absorbance spectrum of a subject's tissue over a range of near-infrared light, performing a multi-linear regression of the absorbance spectrum of the subject's tissue in relation to absorbance spectra of tissue constituents, and calculating body fluid metrics based on the results of the multi-linear regression. A system is provided having a sensor for emitting the light into the subject's tissue and detecting reflected, scattered, or transmitted light, a spectrometer for processing the detected light and generating the absorbance spectrum of the subject's tissue, memory for storing absorbance spectra of the tissue constituents and a multi-linear regression model, and a processor for performing the multi-linear regression and calculating the body fluid metrics.
US08175657B2
When an in-vehicle handsfree apparatus establishes concurrent connection with a cellular phone via a Bluetooth interface device with respect to a phone book access profile (PBAP) for realizing a phone book data transfer as well as a handsfree profile (HFP) for realizing a handsfree phone call and a message access profile (MAP) for realizing a mail transfer, the in-vehicle apparatus is configured to start a connection process of PBAP without inserting the connection process of MAP, after the completing of the connection process of HFP.
US08175649B2
A method and system suitable for supporting wireless medical telemetry services (MTS) on a Distributed Antenna System (DAS). A DAS can provide wireless services including voice and data services using the same equipment. WMTS systems can include one or more active antenna units controlled by the MTS access point. The DAS includes control channels for transferring the MTS control and status information between the MTS access point and the antenna. The control channels can be transferred over a separate cable, or transferred using one or more intermediate frequency signals transferred over existing cables DAS between the MTS access point and the antenna. The control channels can be used to configure and control and receive status from the managed components of the DAS including active antennas, control the amplifiers used to process TDD signals, and control the switching of the diversity antenna systems.
US08175644B1
A method is provided to enable a user to operate a computing device to share data with another device. An event may be detected, where the event indicates the intent of the user to share content to the other device while already using a first computing device. Once the event is detected, information may be received on the second computing device. This information may be used to initiate an application on the other computing device.
US08175643B1
A method for switching use between a first computing device and a second computing device is provided. The method may be performed by the first computing device. An event is detected while a first application is operated on the first computing device. In response to detecting the event, data corresponding to the first application is automatically transmitted to the second computing device, and a second application is automatically initiated on the second computing device. The second application has a functionality that is equivalent to the functionality of the first application on the first computing device and utilizes the data transmitted from the first device in performing one or more operations.
US08175641B2
A push-to-talk (PTT) switch with biasing to a first center position in which in which the PTT function of neither one of up to two audio devices is engaged, also having a first operated position to which the switch may be moved by hand operation to cause the PTT function of the first one of the two audio devices to be engaged, and further having a second operated position to which the switch may be moved by hand operation to cause the PTT function of the second one of the two audio devices to be engaged.
US08175639B2
It is the main object of this invention to provide a ubiquitous and multi-functional low power handheld mobile personal computing device which will function as a computing device the size of a PDA with large 17 inches or larger projection screen supporting various wireless local or WAN broadband communication links for data communication means such as Internet browsing, email access, file transfer, downloading, gaming, streaming, and VoIP applications. It will also function as a Portable Media Player for video and audio playback applications displaying a large, high resolution focus free and resizable projection image on any flat surface. Additionally it will function as a Mobile phone providing all of the voice communication functionalities of 3G and 4G mobile telephony systems.
US08175632B2
A system for establishing and maintaining communications across disparate networks comprises a satellite dish and control unit comprising a network management server and a satellite data conversion component. The control unit may further comprise an application server and a satellite dish alignment component. The system may further comprise at least one access point and a plurality of wireless routers. In certain embodiments, the system is relatively easy to deploy and can even be used when traditional network infrastructure is unavailable.
US08175624B2
A management system for managing a short message service (SMS) aggregation platform and providing advertising content to mobile communication device customers is provided. The management system comprises a carrier connection interface, a messaging application program interface (API), user and sponsor databases, and logic. The carrier connection interface is configured to receive a mobile originated (MO) communication from at least one short message service center (SMSC). The API is configured to receive a MO communication from the carrier connection interface. The user database communicates with the messaging API and includes opt-in destination addresses defining an opt-in user list. The sponsor database also communicates with the messaging API. The sponsor database includes at least one sponsor account. At least one opt-in destination address in the opt-in user list and at least one sponsor communication is associated with each of the at least one sponsor accounts. The logic is configured to compare the destination address of the MO communication with the opt-in destination addresses in the opt-in user list. A mobile terminated (MT) communication, comprising at least one sponsor communication, is generated and transmitted when the destination address of the mobile originated communication matches a destination address in the opt-in user list.
US08175623B2
A mobile domain platform for subscribers (e.g. businesses, institutions, advertising agencies, partners, providers, individuals, and enterprises) to offer a text message based campaign to new or potential customers (users). A subscriber can create a mobile domain by selecting and registering at least one available keyword with a mobile domain platform for the subsequent processing of text messages sent to the platform which include one or more of the registered keywords. Also, the subscriber can register one or more keywords as a root for a mobile domain such that subsequent text messages sent to the mobile domain platform that include additional alphanumeric strings of text (root keyword plus one or more combinations of other predetermined keywords) can be automatically processed to enable one or more different actions. A mobile domain keyword is generally composed of one or more alphanumeric characters, and can be any one of a word, phrase, abbreviation, or character.
US08175622B2
A system, method, and computer product are provided for facilitating mobile communication corresponding to Multiple MSISDNs associated with Multiple IMSIs of a subscriber. The system includes a Signaling Gateway (SG) coupled to a first network. The SG receives one or more association messages from a subscriber for associating a first IMSI, corresponding to the first network, with one or more other IMSIs, corresponding to one or more VPMN networks. The first and other IMSIs are associated with the subscriber using at least one SIM. The SG associates MSISDNs corresponding to the associated IMSIs. Further, the SG facilitates mobile communication corresponding to any associated IMSI and the corresponding associated MSISDN, irrespective of the IMSI being activated in the SIM.
US08175621B2
A communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus comprises a radio transceiver module, a first subscriber identity card, a second subscriber identity card and a processor. The processor is coupled to the radio transceiver module, the first subscriber identity card and the second subscriber identity card, determines a first paging parameter for the first subscriber identity card, obtains second paging parameters from a second cell belonging to a second wireless network for the second subscriber identity card, determines one from the obtained second paging parameters with consideration of the determined first paging parameter, and transmits the determined second paging parameter via the radio transceiver module to the second wireless network through the second cell, thereby enabling the second cell to broadcast paging messages periodically by a time period based on the determined second paging parameter.
US08175615B2
The location of a mobile terminal may be determined in response to signals received from a plurality of RFIDs. Information from a plurality of RFIDs for determining a location of a mobile terminal is received by the mobile terminal. The mobile terminal may maintain an in-range list that comprises all the RFIDs in which the mobile terminal is currently within their coverage range. The location of the mobile terminal is calculated in response to the received information for determining a location by calculating the common coverage area of the RFIDs in the in-range list.
US08175607B2
A cell planning tool capable of determining the correctness of stored parameters regarding a cell site configuration, e.g., regarding the height of an antenna section or the output power. The correctness of the parameters is determined by importing a number of in-situ signal strength-measurements from measuring points located within the coverage area of said cell site and predicting the signal-strength at each of said measuring points, using said stored parameters. Thereafter, the difference between the imported and the corresponding predicted signal-strength is calculated for each measuring point, and a value indicating the correctness of the stored parameters is estimated, based on said calculated signal-strength differences.
US08175602B2
A disclosed user apparatus is for use in a mobile communication system including a macrocell and a closed cell wherein unspecified users are allowed to access the macrocell and specified users are allowed to access the closed cell. The user apparatus includes a measurement unit configured to measure quality of a signal provided from a camped cell in an idle state at a predefined cycle, a cell search unit configured to measure quality of a signal provided from a neighbor cell at a predefined cell search cycle, and a cell reselection unit configured to reselect a cell depending on the cell search result. A frequency of the macrocell is at least partially identical to a frequency of the closed cell. If the user apparatus resides in the macrocell and a predefined reselection criterion is satisfied, the closed cell adjacent to the camped cell is reselected as a standby cell. The predefined reselection criterion corresponds to a state where the quality of the signal provided from the closed cell has been higher than or equal to the quality of the signal provided from the camped cell by a predefined threshold for more than a predefined reselection duration.
US08175590B2
System for preventing unintended activation of a medical device by a portable remote control console
A network system prevents portable wireless remote control consoles from unintended activation of a medical device by determining if the console is located in a working space within a medical care room. Transceiver locator devices determine the position of the remote control consoles and send information to room control units indicating when a console is within the desired working space. The room control unit receives signals from the remote control console in the working space to control medical devices. The room control unit can also determine which of multiple remote control consoles within the working space is permitted to operate the medical devices. Each room control unit can send a presence output to the remote control console to enable use thereof. The remote control console can have an orientation sensor or a grip detector to prevent unintended operation thereof.
US08175587B2
A method for obtaining service when in a no-coverage area of a radiotelephone communication system includes a first step of storing information regarding a last known available communication system. This can be accomplished through the communication system when loss of service is imminent or through independent means after service is lost. A next step includes reporting the information about the last known available communication system to a user of the radiotelephone. A next step includes using the information to obtain service from the last known available communication system. For example, a user could use timing information to backtrack their steps or use location information to obtain service.
US08175577B1
A security zone monitoring system in cooperation with a wireless communication system may control access to the wireless communication system by mobile communication devices while near or within a security zone. The wireless communication system may include a security communication system which may receive communications from the security zone monitoring system indicating the identity of each mobile communication device which has been detected and whether the mobile communication device is near or within the security zone. The wireless communication system may include a security information processing system which may disrupt access to the wireless communication system by each mobile communication device in ways which differ depending on whether a communication from the security zone monitoring system indicates that the mobile communication device is near or within the security zone.
US08175574B1
Methods and systems for selecting one or more charging profiles for a mobile data service session are disclosed. A method includes identifying one or more available sources of charging profiles that each provide a charging profile for a mobile data service user and selecting a charging profile to be used for at least a portion of the mobile data service session based on selection criteria that ranks the available sources of charging profiles. Access is provided to the selected charging profile for use in billing the mobile data service user.
US08175572B2
The system includes a rescue requester device including an urgent rescue key for a requester's urgent situation, a communication company server configured to receive an urgent situation from the rescue requester device and establish a call between the rescue requester device and a rescuer device, and when the urgent situation is transferred from the rescuer device to a security server, switch the call to a call between the rescue requester device and the security server and transmits a telephone number of the rescue requester and short message information to the rescuer device, a rescuer device configured to inform the urgent situation based on the telephone number of the rescue requester device and the short message information, and a security server configured to connect the rescue requester device and a secondary emergency contact point one-sidedly through the communication company server.
US08175566B2
A device with multiple multi-mode low-noise amplifiers (LNAs), each with common operating modes and separate operating frequency bands, are coupled to shared degenerative inductors for common operating modes. Common load inductors are coupled to the multi-mode LNA outputs to reduce the number of load inductors required. The multi-mode LNAs have parallel transistor gain stages and form part of an integrated circuit (IC) for use in a wireless communication receiver. Each multi-mode LNA has the capability to switch between at least one higher linearity transistor gain stage and at least one lower linearity transistor gain stage for different operating modes. Multiple lower linearity transistor gain stages for different multi-mode LNAs may be merged into a single lower linearity transistor gain stage shared among multiple multi-mode LNAs through multiple RF switches between a set of common RF inputs and common inputs and common input matching networks.
US08175562B2
An apparatus including automatic gain control (AGC) includes at least one variable gain amplifier (VGA) operative to receive an input signal and to generate an amplified signal. A gain of the VGA is controlled as a function of at least a first control signal. The apparatus further includes an AGC circuit coupled to the VGA and being operative to generate the first control signal. The AGC circuit has a bandwidth that is controlled as a function of at least the amplified signal and a second control signal, the second control signal being indicative of a motion of the apparatus.
US08175560B2
Method and system for tuning a tunable antenna uses a comparison between a signal response at two different tuning frequencies to determine how or if the tuning needs to be further adjusted. With the approach, the method and system arrive at a frequency shift that is centered about the desired antenna frequency, which point there is no net change in the signal response. In a further aspect, a frequency to which a tuned antenna is tuned is shifted to verify whether the antenna is still in tune. Modifications to minimize disturbance of the output received signal that would otherwise be caused by the frequency shifting are contemplated.
US08175557B2
An integrated circuit radio receiver includes radio frequency (“RF”) front-end circuitry to receive a wireless signal and to produce digital data. The integrated circuit radio receiver includes a baseband processor is operable to process the digital data, in which the baseband processor is operable to produce a format designation based on the digital data. The baseband processor includes a plurality of digital filtering logic in which each of the digital filtering logic includes a level of digital filtering. The baseband processor further includes logic operable to select between each digital filtering logic of the plurality of digital filtering logic based upon the format designation, and to process the digital data with the selected level of digital filtering.
US08175555B2
An apparatus and method for supplying power to the peripheral circuits of a transmitter circuit, especially an HDMI transmitter circuit, is disclosed. In an HDMI transmitter the termination resistors of the output driver are part of the receiver. DC power for the driver is supplied through these termination resistors. In prior art implementations of circuits this power, supplied by the receiver circuit, is wasted in the DC set-up circuit of the differential line driver. In various embodiments, this wasted power may be recovered from the remote termination to power selected peripheral circuits of the transmitter. The use of this wasted power may reduce the total system power consumption.
US08175542B2
A wireless transceiver includes a phased array of antennas, that transmit an outbound RF signal containing outbound data to remote transceivers and that receives an inbound RF signal containing inbound data from the remote RF transceivers, wherein the phased array of antennas is configurable based on a control signal. An antenna configuration controller generates the control signal to configure the phased array of antennas to hop among a plurality of radiation patterns based on a hopping sequence. An RF transceiver section generates the outbound RF signal based on the outbound data and that generates the inbound data based on the inbound RF signal. In one configuration, a switching section selectively couples a selected antenna of the phased array of antennas to the RF transceiver section, based on the control signal. In another configuration, the RF transceiver section includes an RF section for each antenna of the phased array of antennas.
US08175530B2
A method and wireless device (102) dynamically adapt a physical entertainment experience for a user of an entertainment system. At least one communication device (106) associated with an entertainment device (120) is situated in close proximity to the entertainment device (120). At least one user profile (114) is wirelessly transmitted from the wireless device (102) via the at least one communication device (106) to a controller (104) associated with the entertainment device (120). The user profile (114) includes at least a set of preferences associated with at least one sensory effect available at the entertainment device (120). The controller (104) uses the set of preferences to dynamically adapt a behavior of the entertainment device (120) with respect to the at least one sensory effect for at least one user associated with the wireless device (102).
US08175527B2
A portable apparatus of the present invention functions as a transmitter and/or a receiver in electric field communication in which communication is performed through a human body by converting an information signal into an electric field signal; is substantially hexahedron-shaped and provided with sides and an display surface allowing information to be viewed; and includes an outer electrode for electric field communication provided on the display surface and a human-body-side electrode for electric field communication provided on at least one of the sides.
US08175524B2
According to one embodiment, an information processing apparatus includes an antenna element, a first wireless communication module including a printed circuit board and a wireless communication circuit which is provided on the printed circuit board, and a second wireless communication module. A diplexer is provided on the printed circuit board of the first wireless communication module, and includes a first terminal which is connected to the antenna element via a first antenna connector provided on the printed circuit board and a first cable, a second terminal which is connected to the wireless communication circuit via a wiring pattern on the printed circuit board, and a third terminal which is connected to a second antenna connector provided on the printed circuit board. The second wireless communication module is connected to the second antenna connector via a second cable.
US08175505B2
An image forming apparatus includes a pattern forming unit which forms a light amount adjustment pattern on an image carrier belt, a light amount control unit which controls the amount of light irradiating the image carrier belt and pattern, a detection sensor which detects reflected light amounts from the image carrier belt and pattern with respect to the irradiating light amount and stores the detection results in a storage unit, a calculation unit which calculates the correspondence between the irradiating light amount and the reflected light amounts from the image carrier belt and pattern on the basis of the detection results and stores the calculation results in the storage unit, and a light amount decision unit which decides, on the basis of the calculation results, a light amount at which the difference between the reflected light amounts from the image carrier belt and pattern exhibits a value set in advance.
US08175501B2
A development roller, including a development sleeve disposed near a photo conductive drum, a magnetic roller disposed in the development sleeve, and a supplying device configured to supply a developer including a toner and a magnetic carrier to the photo conductive drum uniformly, the development sleeve having an outer surface on which the developer including the toner and the magnetic carrier is adsorbed by a magnetic force of the magnetic roller.
US08175499B2
An image forming apparatus includes a first image forming unit for forming a color developer image using color developer; a second image forming unit for forming a transparent developer image using transparent developer; a transfer unit for transferring the transparent developer image and the color developer image to a medium; a fixing unit for fixing the transparent developer image and the color developer image; and a control unit for controlling the first image forming unit and the second image forming unit according to a gloss printing operation when the gloss printing operation is selected.
US08175497B2
Provided is an image forming apparatus including: a rotatable image carrier; a protective agent supplying unit supplying a protective agent to the image carrier; a first charging unit charging the image carrier to the same polarity as a regular charging polarity of a toner; a second charging unit charging the protective agent supplied to the image carrier to the opposite polarity to the regular charging polarity of the toner; an exposure unit forming an electrostatic latent image on the image carrier; a development unit developing the electrostatic latent image of the image carrier; and a transfer unit transferring the image of the image carrier, wherein the second charging unit is disposed between the protective agent supplying unit and the development unit.
US08175481B2
An image-forming device, such as a laser printer, includes a sheet-feed section, an image-forming section, a thermal fixing section and a control section. The sheet-feed section is configured to feed a recording sheet to a conveyance path. The image-forming section is disposed along the conveyance path and configured to form a toner image on the recording sheet. The thermal fixing section is disposed downstream of the image-forming section in a direction of sheet feeding and configured to fix the toner image on the recording sheet with a predetermined temperature. The control section is configured to control the temperature of the thermal fixing section, to detect a sheet-feed error in the sheet-feed section and to output an error signal indicative of the error occurring. The control section may further be configured to change the temperature of the thermal fixing section in response to the error signal.
US08175473B2
A charging device includes: a charging member; a charging power source that applies a charging voltage to the charging member; a temperature dependence storage unit that stores preset temperature dependence; a humidity dependence storage unit that stores preset humidity dependence; an ambient temperature detecting unit that detects an ambient temperature in the vicinity of the charging member; an ambient humidity detecting unit that detects an ambient humidity in the vicinity of the charging member; and a charging voltage control unit that applies the charging voltage to the charging member according to (i) a constant current value that is determined according to the temperature dependence as corresponding to the detected ambient temperature or (ii) a constant current value that is determined according to the humidity dependence as corresponding to the detected ambient temperature and the detected ambient humidity.
US08175464B2
Dispersion compensation is provided in an optical transmission system. An optical line couples first and second transceivers, and a plurality of amplifiers coupled to the optical line are spaced throughout the optical line with variable span distances. A plurality of dispersion compensation modules include a coarse granularity fiber, a connector, and a fine granularity fiber. A memory is associated with the dispersion compensators to provide information related to the value of the dispersion compensation.
US08175460B2
A firmware control method for the optimized use of a single A/D converter to measure multiple analog signals with asymmetric requirements on sampling rate including a lookup table design procedure and an acquisition algorithm. Since diagnostic analog parameter values require differing sampling rates to be effectively measured, the schedule for converting those values to digital value should correspond to the associated sampling rate. The present invention involves the creation and subsequent implementation of a scheduling table based on the required sampling rates of the operational parameters to be converted.
US08175456B2
Provided is a burst scheduling method in an Optical Burst Switching (OBS) system in which a plurality of nodes are connected through a mesh-type network. When a TDB which has used many network resources via a plurality of nodes and an SHG burst generated in a previous node, among bursts including BCPs transmitted from the previous node, compete in a current node so as to occupy a specific output channel, scheduling is performed to cause the TDB to have a higher priority than the SHG burst such that the corresponding output channel is occupied. Therefore, it is possible to minimize a burst loss in a network node, thereby enhancing the overall system performance.
US08175447B2
The image pickup apparatus includes an image pickup element including first pixels for photoelectrically converting an object image formed by a light flux from an image taking optical system and second pixels for photoelectrically converting optical images formed by light fluxes divided form the light flux from the image taking optical system, and a controller performing focus detection based on a phase difference of the optical images, control of an aperture stop included in the image taking optical system and an image capturing operation for generating a captured image by using signals obtained from the first pixels. The controller increases, when an image capturing aperture size of the aperture stop is smaller than a focus detecting aperture size in a case of performing the focus detection between the image capturing operations in continuous image capturing, the aperture size to the focus detecting aperture size in the focus detection.
US08175442B2
A program recording completion system automatically completes an incomplete program recording of a program. A recording application creates a program recording completion event corresponding to the incomplete program recording which includes program information to automatically complete the incomplete program recording. The recording application can initiate recording a re-broadcast of the program to create a complete program recording, or the recording application can record a segment of a re-broadcast of the program and combine the program segment with the incomplete program recording to create a complete program recording.
US08175426B2
An optical fiber switch which may include first and second angled optical fibers having respective first and second end faces. Each of the first and second angled optical fibers may include a core having a core index of refraction, and a cladding surrounding the core and having a cladding index of refraction different than the core index of refraction. The optical fiber switch may further include a first index matching elastomeric solid layer having a proximal face coupled to the first end face and a distal face opposite the proximal face to be repeatably optically coupled to the second end face. The first index matching elastomeric solid layer may have an index of refraction profile matching an index of refraction of the core and the cladding. The optical fiber switch may also include at least one actuator for relatively moving the first and second angled optical fibers between a coupled position and an uncoupled position.
US08175424B2
To provide an electrical and optical hybrid board that has on one surface an optical waveguide and on the other surface an electrical interconnect pattern or the like, in which the core pattern and electrical interconnect pattern or the like are positioned in place with high accuracy, and a method of manufacturing the same. The method includes: preparing laminate 4 of core layer 21 and clad layer 20 on an electrical wiring board; forming alignment mark 12 and electrical interconnect pattern 13 or electrical joint at the same time on a surface of the electrical wiring board opposite to a surface where laminate 4 is formed, alignment mark 12 used for forming a core pattern of optical waveguide, the electrical joint used for connection with an external device; and forming a core pattern of optical waveguide on the basis of alignment mark 12 without using a photomask.
US08175423B2
A fiber optic probe assembly which incorporate a series of graduated shaped and nestable members, e.g. cylindrical annular members which enable uniform and repetitive construction and assembly of the probes resulting in a high degree of quality control.
US08175422B2
In an optical modulator, a first electrode portion having a plurality of first electrodes is provided on the upper surface of a base part having a periodically-poled structure and a second electrode portion is provided on the lower surface thereof, and voltage is applied in one direction between the first electrode portion and the second electrode portion, to thereby cause a periodic change of the refractive index in a polarization-part array direction in the periodically-poled structure and diffract light which enters the base part. This allows reduction in the voltage applied between the first electrode portion and the second electrode portion, and it is thereby possible to form a desired electric field inside the periodically-poled structure while achieving a high-density channel arrangement. By reducing the voltage, the rate of the optical modulation performed by the optical modulator can be increased.
US08175410B2
An illumination normalizing apparatus and a method are disclosed. The illumination normalizing apparatus measures a discontinuity of each pixel of an input image, the discontinuity including a spatial gradient and a local inhomogeneity, produces a weight of each pixel from the discontinuity by using a transfer function, produces an estimated illumination by repeating a convolution operation on each weight, and subtracts the estimated illumination from the input image.
US08175405B1
The disclosed technology provides a system and a method for adaptive MPEG noise reduction. In particular, the disclosed technology provides a system and a method for reducing blocking artifacts and mosquito noise in an MPEG video signal. An overall MPEG noise detector may be used to determine the presence of noise in one or more frames of a video signal. When a sufficient amount of noise is detected in the one or more frames of the video signal, portions of the video signal that contain noise may be located and filtered to reduce the amount of noise present in the video signal.
US08175403B1
A system (and a method) are disclosed for optimizing lossless data compression in digital images systems iteratively. The system includes a backward reference module and an entropy encoder. The backward reference module comprises three sub-modules: a backward reference selection module, a backward reference statistics measurement module and a backward reference selection control module. The backward reference selection module initially selects backward references that have shorter backward distances. The statistics measurement module analyzes the backward references of input data. The backward reference selection module updates the backward references based on the statistics of previously generated backward references at subsequent selection iterations. The backward reference selection control module controls the number of selection iterations needed for optimized data compression performance.
US08175398B2
A method of encoding video signals into a single video signal includes extracting background images from corresponding video signals, encoding the video signals into a single video signal, the single video signal containing information for reconstructing the video signals, and replacing frames of the single video signal with the background images.
US08175396B2
A method and apparatus for encoding and decoding multi-view images. The multi-view image encoding method selects a block corresponding to a current block from another picture having a view-point which is different from a view-point of a current picture to which the current block belongs, on the basis of a global disparity vector representing a global disparity between the current picture and the other picture; and encodes the current block on the basis of block information of a block from among the selected block and blocks adjacent to the selected block. Accordingly, multi-view images can be encoded in consideration of the individual differences between the appearances of objects as well as global disparities between view-points.
US08175386B2
An image acquiring apparatus includes: an image sensor which senses light reflected from an object to be read, and which detects an analog pixel value corresponding to the sensed reflected light; and a compensator which compensates the analog pixel value in its analog form for removing a background of the object contemporaneously as the object is being read in line(s).
US08175381B2
An image processing apparatus performs conversion and a first compression on upper bits in image data, thereby generating a first compressed data set, and performs a second compression on lower bits in the image data, thereby generating second compressed data. The image processing apparatus then performs a first decompression on the first compressed data set, thereby generating a first uncompressed data set, and performs a second decompression on the second compressed data, thereby generating second uncompressed data. Finally, the image processing apparatus interpolates the first uncompressed data set based on the second uncompressed data.
US08175380B2
Disclosed are an apparatus and a method for text recognition capability using a camera provided in a mobile communication terminal. Image pre-processing discriminates a text color and a text-background color in an input image, and unifies regions except the text into the text-background color, so that a text region and a background region surrounding the text region can be precisely separated. The image pre-processing method is adaptive to a photographing environment, whereby stable text recognition capability can be expected even if the photographing environment is variously changed.
US08175378B2
Method and system for noise management for spatial processing in digital image/video capture systems
A computer-implemented method for noise management in a digital image system measures noise levels of pixel data. The noise levels are adjusted with at least one of an intensity gain setting, a spatial gain setting, and a global gain setting to calculate noise adaptive thresholds for use during spatial processing of the pixel data.
US08175377B2
A method and system for automatically training a document imaging classification and extraction system that switches between a manual mode and an automatic mode based on constant monitoring. A specialized sub-system monitors and records a user interaction with the classification system during the initial manual mode and, in parallel, develops and tests a user configuration with respect to an automated processing engine. The system is capable of being shifted to the automatic mode if a desired acceptability threshold is attained and the document can then be processed automatically. Furthermore, a user can interact with the classification system if the automatic mode fails. Information concerning exception handling can be entered into a training database for continual refinement of the classification and extraction system.
US08175375B2
A method of compression of videotelephony images characterized by: creating (10) a learning base containing images; centering the learning base about zero; determining component images by principal component analysis (12); and keeping a number of significant principal components (14).
US08175368B2
The systems and methods described herein provide for fast and accurate image segmentation through the application of a multi-stage classifier to an image data set. An image processing system is provided having a processor configured to apply a multi-stage classifier to the image data set to identify a distinctive region. The multi-stage classifier can include two or more component classifiers. The first component classifier can have a sensitivity level configured to identify one or more target regions in the image data set and the second component classifier can have a specificity level configured to confirm the presence of the distinctive region in any identified target regions. Also provided is a classification array having multiple multi-stage classifiers for identification and confirmation of more than one distinctive region or for the application of different classification configurations to the image data set to identify a specific distinctive region.
US08175356B2
For the reconstruction of the coronary arteries from rotational coronary angiography data, a crucial point is the selection of the optimal cardiac phase for data reconstruction. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an automatic approach for deriving optimal reconstruction windows is provided by fully automatically selecting the optimal cardiac phase on the basis of a delayed acquisition protocol where at least one heart phase needs to be acquired in a static projection geometry.
US08175354B2
Methods and systems for separating a 3D liver object are disclosed. A 3D liver object and selected associated vascular and other anatomic structures are displayed in a 3D space which is rendered on a 2D display screen. One or more 3D separating surfaces are placed in the 3D space based on anatomic structural landmarks that are segmented automatically or interactively, where each of the 3D separating surfaces intersects with the 3D liver object at a corresponding 3D pose. The 3D liver object into at least two sub-segments based on the 3D separating surfaces, which can be individually and independently adjusted directly in the 3D space, in real-time, and interactively by a user based on 3D and/or 2D information related to the 3D liver object, and the selected associated vascular and other anatomic structures.
US08175352B2
A method and system for automated magnetic resonance (MR) scan prescription is disclosed. A 3D MR scout image is obtained by an initial MR scan. The location of an optic nerve in the scout image is determined by registering a template image to the scout image using a hierarchical series of rigid registrations. The hierarchical series of rigid registrations utilizes a coarse to fine scheme to register regions in the template image to the scout image, starting with the whole template image and finishing with the optic nerve. A diagnostic MR scan is then aligned based on the location of the optic nerve in the scout image, and the diagnostic scan is performed resulting in a high quality diagnostic 3D MR image.
US08175348B2
Various level set techniques can be used to automatically segment the colon wall, including identifying the colon wall outer boundary. A speed image can be used during level set processing. For example, the speed image can be generated via inverting the gradient perpendicular to the segmented inner boundary of the colon wall. The techniques can be useful for determining wall thickness, which can be used to classify polyp candidates, diagnose diseases of the colon, and the like.
US08175343B2
An imaging device supports the taking of an image with a suitable composition without requiring user operation. The imaging device detects, using a face detection circuit, face regions of faces in an image input from the image input unit. When a plurality of face regions have been detected, the imaging device, using the selection unit, judges, for each of the detected face regions, whether a face region overlaps with any of the first through fourth judgment frames that are defined by two types of golden ratios. When it judges that the face region overlaps with any of the first through fourth judgment frames, the imaging device assigns to the face regions, and selects a face region corresponding to the largest weight as the main object.
US08175334B2
A vehicle environment recognition apparatus includes stereo-image taking means for outputting a reference image of the surroundings of a subject vehicle, stereo matching means for correlating a parallax with each pixel block in the reference image by stereo matching, preceding-vehicle detecting means for detecting a preceding vehicle from the reference image on the basis of the parallax or the like, and smear determining means for searching a pixel column vertically extending in the reference image for brightnesses of pixels, the pixel column including a pixel block having a parallax less than or equal to a long-distance parallax threshold value corresponding to the long distance including infinity, and determining that a smear occurs when a ratio of the number of pixels having brightnesses more than or equal to a predetermined brightness to the total number of pixels in the pixel column is more than or equal to a predetermined ratio.
US08175323B2
In an image processing apparatus for creating synthetic image information by embedding sub-information in an invisible state in main image information in a visible state, attention pixels in the main image information are set, a specific pixel block is created by assigning a first specific pixel to the attention pixel of a first color and a second specific pixel to the attention pixel of a second color, first key information is selected for a first value of the sub-information constituted by binary information and second key information is selected for a second value, color difference modulation processing is performed on the selected key information based on a predetermined color difference amount, and the color-difference-modulated key information is superposed on the specific pixel block to thereby create the synthetic image information in which the sub-information in an invisible state is embedded in the main image information.
US08175322B2
A digital camera comprising a watermark-adding device, which comprises a device for obtaining the signal values of digital signals, a bits dividing device, an altered regions initializing device, an eigenvalue calculating device, an encrypting device and a watermark embedding device. The bits dividing device divides the data recording each pixel point of the digital image, on the basis of bit, into bits for calculating the eigenvalue of the image, bits for hiding the watermark and bits for locating altered regions. The altered regions initializing device can set all the data of the bits for locating altered regions to 0 or 1. The eigenvalue calculating device can calculate the eigenvalue of digital signals. The encryption device encrypts the calculated eigenvalue. The watermark embedding device embeds the eigenvalue information in the digital signals.
US08175320B2
A coaxial loudspeaker for reproducing an electrical sound signal is provided. The loudspeaker has a magnetic driver assembly with a first annular slot and an opposed, coaxial second annular slot, each establishing a permanent magnetic field therein from a single magnet. Independently driven first and second voice coils are positioned within the respective one of the first and second annular slots, each being connected to a transducer element.
US08175317B2
An audio reproducing apparatus is disclosed. The audio reproducing apparatus includes a plurality of speaker units and a directivity controlling section. The radiation surfaces of the plurality of speaker units outwardly face. The directivity controlling section controls directivities of the plurality of speaker units so as to form one or a plurality of low sensitivity regions.
US08175315B2
A headphone set has at least one speaker unit and a housing that encloses the speaker unit. The housing has an elastic protruding portion having a cavity therein. A sound-emitting portion is formed as protruding from a vibrating zone of the speaker unit.
US08175314B1
A tactical microphone support system to attach a tactical microphone to a law enforcement uniform and keep it supported in place, particularly when a law enforcement officer is being physically active, such as, for example, while pursuing a suspect. Preferably, the tactical microphone support attaches to at least one button on a law enforcement shirt. The tactical microphone support provides for center, right or left handed attachment.
US08175312B1
The present invention essentially comprises a horn separated into a plurality of sections, wherein the horn is supported by a mounting bracket that may be both rotatable and pivotable and wherein the horn is made of two portions wherein the general middle is used as the attachment point to a bracket while both ends are also supported by the bracket.
US08175307B2
Transient interfering sounds are to have a less disturbing effect in hearing devices. For this purpose, it is provided that an envelope curve of an input signal of a hearing device, particularly of a hearing aid, is detected. The slope and/or the height of edges of the envelope curve is continuously determined. The output signal of the hearing device is then attenuated in dependence on the slope and/or height of the respective edge determined. Transient sounds of high level are thus transmitted only in an attenuated manner by the hearing device.
US08175306B2
A method of wireless communication between hearing aid devices of a hearing prosthesis. A first device selects a frequency channel for bidirectional wireless communication from a predefined series of frequency channels. A second device transmits a command signal repeatedly over the series of frequency channels until it transmits the command signal over the frequency channel selected by the first device. Subsequent commands send by the second device to the first device are initially transmitted over the selected frequency channel.
US08175301B2
A loudspeaker driver that includes a suspended diaphragm and at least one voice coil disposed lateral to the suspended diaphragm, suspended in a magnetic field and coupled to the diaphragm.
US08175299B2
A condenser microphone mountable on a main PCB includes a cylinder-shaped case having opened and closed sides; a first metal ring inserted into the case; a disk-shaped back plate having a sound hole to be connected electrically to the case through the first metal ring; a spacer; an insulating ring to provide electrical insulation and mechanical support. A diaphragm is inserted into the insulating ring and faces the back plate while interposing the spacer between the diaphragm and the back plate. A second metal ring is connected electrically to the diaphragm and mechanically supports the diaphragm, and a PCB is mounted and forms with a sound hole. The PCB is connected to the back plate through the second metal ring and the case, and the PCB includes connection terminals.
US08175294B2
An electrostatic loudspeaker includes a front stator, first and second substantially conductive diaphragms, a center stator and a back stator. The front stator is connected to a safe reference potential such as earth ground. The first diaphragm, the center stator and the back stator are connected to individual positive, non equal DC bias voltages, referenced to the front stator. The second diaphragm is connected to a negative DC bias voltage. A high voltage audio signal, which is referenced to the front stator, is superimposed to the bias voltage of the center stator. The electrostatic loudspeaker can be driven by a single ended audio source. The electrostatic loudspeaker further features an improved electrical safety level.
US08175293B2
An apparatus comprising: a first member including a plurality of portions separated from one another by electrical insulator material; a second member configured to form capacitors with the plurality of portions of the first member; and wherein one of the first member and the second member are configured to vibrate in response to sound waves, and a first portion of the plurality of portions is configured to provide a first output signal representative of the sound waves and a second portion of the plurality of portions is configured to provide a second output signal representative of the sound waves.
US08175290B2
A feedback reduction system adaptively processes a microphone signal. An adaptive feedback suppression filter circuit processes the microphone signal, and an adaptive feedback compensation filter circuit further processes the microphone signal. The adaptive feedback suppression filter circuit processes the signal based upon output from the adaptive filter compensation filter circuit.
US08175286B2
The invention relates to simulation of sound fields in enclosures, for instance for application in listening tests, where test subjects assess the sound quality or other sound perception characteristics of the sound field. According to a specific embodiment, the system comprises a binaural synthesis portion which synthesizes sound for instance from a sound-reproduction equipment based on measured impulse responses of an actual room stored in a data base (31) and a binaural recording portion comprising a data base 32 for storing binaural recordings of other sound signals made in the room. Data from these databases are mixed (41) and reproduced by means of a headphone (39) provided with a head tracker (42) for tracking the movements of the listener's head. The invention furthermore comprises the use of cross-fading functions (36, 37) to enable the dynamic listening conditions, where the movements of the listener's head are taken into account during the simulation process.
US08175282B2
Method of evaluating perception intensity of an audio input signal (IS) comprising the steps of receiving the audio input signal (IS), estimating a time variant distribution function (TVDF) on the basis of said audio input signal (IS) or a derivative thereof, determining the perception intensity as at least one perception intensity estimate (PIE) on the basis of said estimated time variant distribution function (TVDF). According to the invention perception intensity has been obtained on the basis of a time variant distribution function. Thereby, an advantageous universal and flexible determination of perception intensity is obtained. The universal applicability is basically obtained due to the fact that a distribution function may match and describe audio input signal of very different nature. Thus, according to the invention even speech, music and noise may be evaluated on the basis of a distribution function.
US08175274B2
An apparatus for measuring a range based on a chaotic ultra wideband (UWB) wireless communication technology is disclosed. The Apparatus includes a chaotic signal generating/modulating unit, a transceiving unit, a detecting unit, a transform unit, a comparison unit, and a range measurement unit. The transform unit converts the analog voltage signal from the detecting unit into digital signals based on a first sampling period. The comparison unit compares the analog voltage signal from the detecting unit with a predetermined threshold value and to output a comparison signal. The range measurement unit is configured to calculate a time point corresponding to a leading edge, which is a moment when initial data of a packet payload arrive, by using the digital signals based on the threshold value and by using the comparison signal, and to perform a range measurement calculation based on the time point corresponding to the leading edge.
US08175273B2
In quantum cryptography communication, a sequence of signals in the form of quantum states randomly selected from a plurality of quantum states each having a different phase modulation angle is transmitted from a data transmitting apparatus. In a data receiving apparatus, if the sequence of samples is received, a plurality of bases corresponding to a plurality of different phase modulation angles are randomly selected, and a homodyne detection process is performed using the selected bases. Information indicating the bases used in the homodyne detection process is sent to the transmitting apparatus. In the data transmitting apparatus, depending on the bases used in the receiving apparatus, bit values are assigned to the plurality of different quantum states selected by the transmitting apparatus, and information indicating the assigned bit values is sent to the data receiving apparatus.
US08175261B2
An echo canceller comprises foreground and background filters. The background filter locates and confirms peaks, defines active regions centered about the confirmed peaks and updates coefficients of the foreground filter when the background filter is more effective than the foreground filter. A method for improved adaptive echo cancellation comprises configuring a foreground filter, calculating an echo-return loss responsive to the foreground filter, identifying the location of one or more peaks repetitively in a block of data in a background filter, confirming one or more identified peaks over a defined number of blocks before defining an active region equally about the identified peaks in the background filter, filtering the sparse impulse response responsive to the active regions, calculating an echo-return loss responsive to the background filter, and updating the foreground filter when the background filter includes a more effective set of filter coefficients.
US08175259B2
An improved handheld electronic device and an associated method provide an improved call log that presents information relating to logged phone calls in a collapsed manner, meaning that for each phone number having a call stored in the memory of the device, only the most recent in time call is listed on the call log. An improved handheld electronic device and an associated method also provide a call history for any phone call from the improved call log that is selected by the user. The call history includes a listing of all of the calls stored by the device that are associated with the selected call log call.
US08175243B2
A teleconferencing system is provided comprising a telephony interface for answering telephony events routed thereto from a router or switch, and one or more signal processing mechanisms coupled to the telephony interface and locatable by the system. The system includes a characteristic of allowing a user to initiate a teleconference to occur on the system, the pending teleconference unbeknown to the system until a first telephony event representing a teleconference participant for the pending teleconference is received at the telephony interface.
US08175236B2
Providing for inter-working between SMS network architectures and IMS network architectures in a mobile environment is described herein. By way of example, a next generation (NG) short message service center (SMSC) is provided that can receive SMS messages in mobile application protocol (MAP) and convert such messages to IMS protocol. In addition, the NG SMSC can also receive IMS data and convert the IMS data to an SMS MAP message. The NG SMSC can reference an IMS or an SMS location registry to determine a location of the target device, and convert from IMS to SMS MAP, and vice versa, as suitable. Accordingly, the NG SMSC can provide an efficient interface between legacy SMS and NG IMS network components while preserving legacy protocols associated with such networks.
US08175228B2
Systems, methods and computer products for Internet Protocol Television message waiting indication. Exemplary embodiments include a method for providing messages to an Internet-Protocol-enabled device, the method including receiving a communication that a message to a recipient party has been deposited in a message infrastructure, mapping a recipient party message address to an Internet Protocol-enabled device address of the recipient party, retrieving sending party identification information and sending a message waiting indication to the Internet Protocol-enabled device address.
US08175224B2
Methods and systems for providing electronic notifications are described. A server is configured to serve an interface, such as a Web page, to a terminal that requests from a user a first set of user contacts to be used to provide notifications to the user by a telephonic notification system in response to a notification process initiated by an organization associated with the user. The interface further requests a first set of priorities corresponding to the first set of user contacts, wherein the notification system will attempt to provide notifications to the first set user contracts in an order based at least in part on the first set of priorities. A database is configured to store the first set of user contacts and the first set of priorities. A voice interface circuit is configured to transmit a voice notification to at least one of the first set of user contacts.
US08175223B2
A problem detection and repair system receives a trouble indication indicating a problem with a network. The trouble indication may be the result of automated monitoring of the network, or a user of communication services contacting an operator of the network to report trouble. Communication services may include telephone service, television service, Internet service, and other services delivered via a network. The trouble indication may be paired with the user's account, and one or more status determinations may be made prior to handing the user to a support person. Based on the results of the status determinations, problems may be detected, and repairs automatically attempted. If needed, the user may be forwarded to a support person along with the results of the status determinations and any attempted repairs.
US08175219B2
A system for multi-mode breast x-ray imaging which comprises a compression arm assembly for compressing and immobilizing a breast for x-ray imaging, an x-ray tube assembly, and an x-ray image receptor is provided. The system is configured for a plurality of imaging protocols and modes.
US08175215B2
A shift register includes multiple cascade-connected stages. Each stage generates an output signal in response to a clock signal and a first control signal. Each stage includes a pull-up module, a pull-up driving module, a first pull-down module, a second pull-down module, and a third pull-down module. The pull-up module is used for providing the output signal based on the clock signal. The pull-up driving module turns on the pull-up module in response to a first control signal. The first pull-down module adjusts voltage level on the first node to a first supply voltage in response to a second control signal. The second pull-down module adjusts voltage level on the output end to a second supply voltage in response to the second control signal. The third pull-down module adjusts voltage level on the second node to a third supply voltage in response to a third control signal.
US08175208B2
A method of reducing d.c. offset comprises comparing the a first variable signal with a second variable signal, producing a control signal in dependence upon the comparison, providing the control signal to a charge pump for generation of a feedback signal, and varying the first signal and/or the second signal in dependence upon the feedback signal thereby reducing any difference between the d.c. level of the first signal and the d.c. level of the second signal.
US08175201B2
Various embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for performing adaptive equalization. For example, various embodiments of the present invention provide methods for adaptive equalization that include providing a data processing system with an equalizer circuit (210) and a target filter circuit (265). The equalizer circuit performs equalization based at least in part on an equalizer coefficient (215). The methods further include generating an error (285) based upon a first output from the equalizer circuit and a second output from the target filter circuit. An inter-symbol interference component (295) is extracted from the error (285) and used to calculate an equalizer gradient (226). Based at least in part on the equalizer gradient (226), the equalizer coefficient (215) is calculated.
US08175200B2
A hybrid channel estimator for a wireless communication system receiver includes both correlation based and least squares based channel estimators. The correlation estimator is used when signal quality is low or noise is colored. The least squares estimator is used when signal quality is high or noise is white. An interference suppression filter improves signal quality by suppressing interference in a received signal. Generally, correlation channel estimation is performed initially, when signal quality is low and noise is colored, and interference suppression filtering is performed to increase signal quality by removing certain portion of interference and whitening the overall impairment spectrum. These may be done iteratively. When the signal quality improves, least squares channel estimation is performed, which may also be iterative. The training sequence and noise may be whitened prior to performing least squares channel estimation, which is the final operation before channel estimates are forwarded to a demodulator.
US08175199B2
A wireless receiver realizes multi-band and multi-mode operations while reducing power consumption of a local oscillator. The receiver includes the local oscillator for discontinuously changing a band of a local oscillation signal corresponding to a frequency band of an RF signal to be received and outputting the local oscillation signal, a frequency converter for converting the RF signal into an IF signal by using the local oscillation signal, and a demodulator for demodulating the IF signal. The local oscillator detects a frequency variation range of the local oscillation signal, obtains a frequency equivalent to an integral multiple of a symbol rate from the frequency variation range, and outputs the local oscillation signal having a local oscillatory frequency, causing a center frequency of a channel to be received, which channel is included in the intermediate frequency signal, to be equivalent to the integral multiple of the symbol rate.
US08175195B2
The invention relates to method and device for detecting propagation paths in pulse transmission, wherein a received signal comprises pulses on each time symbol. After synchronizing a pulse-based reception, the inventive method consists (A) in determining the arrival times of pulses of the same current time symbol, (B) in generating a path hypotheses by assigning an initial score to each dated pulse, (C) in determining the arrival times of pulses of the time symbol following the current symbol, (D) in relatively comparing the arrival times of pulses of the following time symbol with the arrival times of the path hypotheses and (E) in updating scores according to the relative comparison results. Said path detecting method is suitable for pulse information transmission, in particular in UWB.
US08175193B2
An apparatus for recovering carrier wave in digital broadcasting receiver and a method therefore are disclosed which are capable of easily detecting and correcting frequency offsets of carrier wave without recourse to a pilot signal in a digital broadcasting receiver receiving a broadcasting signal of vestigial sideband (VSB) modulation system, thereby recovering the carrier wave, wherein, to this end, a complex sine wave whose central frequency is 1/n the symbol frequency is multiplied to generate a real component and imaginary Offset Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (OQAM) signals to calculate a phase error value from the real and imaginary component OQAM signals, to generate a complex sine wave compensating the calculated phase error value, to multiply the complex sine wave by the complex signal outputted from the phase splitter and to convert the complex signal to a baseband signal whose frequency offset is corrected.
US08175180B2
A pre-encoding apparatus and a pre-decoding apparatus are provided. The pre-encoding apparatus adopts a cascade structure constituted by a plurality of pre-encoding units and a plurality of interleavers for pre-encoding, and the pre-decoding apparatus adopts a cascade structure constituted by a plurality of pre-decoding units and a plurality of de-interleavers for pre-decoding. Therefore, the pre-decoding apparatus is featured with a lower error rate. Also, each of the pre-decoding units can be alternatively composed of a plurality of low dimensional pre-decoders so that a computation complexity of the pre-decoding apparatus can be reduced accordingly.
US08175169B2
Methods are described for configuring a quantizer to achieve improved end-to-end distortion performance when transmitting encoded source data over a noisy channel. The codebook and partitioning are selected using an iterative process of determining an updated codebook and an updated partition space, where the updated codebook is based, in part, on the average symbol error probability of the channel. Complete knowledge of the transitional probabilities of the channel is not required. Variants of the iterative process are described.
US08175163B2
Embodiments include systems and methods for interpolating frames. In one embodiment, a system and method provides reduced halo and consequently a higher degree of accuracy/fidelity. In one embodiment, a method of video frame interpolation includes receiving first motion data based on a first video frame and a second video frame, receiving second motion data based on the second video frame and a third video frame, and estimating a block of an interpolated frame based on the second motion data and the first motion data. In one embodiment, the estimating comprises selectively using the second motion data based on the first motion data.
US08175158B2
Aspects of the present invention are related to systems and methods for predicting a prediction parameter which may be used in the prediction of high dynamic range image elements from low dynamic range image data.
US08175153B2
The method realizes a motion compensated temporal filtering (MCTF), the temporal filtering being replaced by an intra mode coding to obtain at least one low (L) or high (H) frequency picture if the current picture has a level of correlation with a lower previous picture at a threshold, the low frequency pictures obtained (L) being thus scaled to be adapted, at the energy level, to the pictures obtained by motion compensated temporal filtering, and comprises, at the end of analysis: a selection of the pictures obtained by intra coding of a picture of a low decomposition level with the additional condition, for the high frequency pictures, that this picture is derived itself from an intra coding. a calibration of the picture selected by carrying out at least one reverse step of the scaling step. The applications relate to video compression with temporal prediction.
US08175152B2
A moving picture coding apparatus divides each frame of a moving picture into parts and assigns the parts to different coding units, which compressively code their respective parts. The coding process includes motion compensation with respect to a reference frame. Each coding unit has its own reference frame memory. To generate reference frame data, each coding unit receives, decodes, and decompresses the coded data generated by at least one other coding unit, as well as decompressing the data it has coded itself. Consequently, only ordinary coded data have to be passed between different coding units, which saves bandwidth and eliminates the need for special coding hardware and development and testing tools.
US08175150B1
An apparatus comprising a first circuit, a second circuit and a third circuit. The first circuit may be configured to determine one or more signal characteristics in a portion of an input video signal. The second circuit may be configured to select a multiplier value from a plurality of multiplier values in response to the signal characteristics. The third circuit may be configured to generate an encoded bitstream in response to (i) the input video signal and (ii) the selected multiplier value.
US08175147B1
Video encoding (such as H.263, MPEG-4, H.264/AVC) modifies TMN5-type rate control frame skipping and quantization parameter updating according to buffer fullness levels with I-frame initial quantization parameter values depend upon quantization parameter value of prior P-frames but also has within I-frame prediction and parameter increase to avoid excessive bits. And variable input frame rate is accommodated by adjusting buffer fullness measures. The quantization also applies to image compression.
US08175144B2
A method and apparatus for cached adaptive transforms for compressing data streams, computing similarity, and recognizing patterns have been disclosed.In one embodiment of the invention an encoder and decoder begin with a baseline transform. As data is transferred an algorithm is arranged so that the encoder and decoder adapt toward a superior basis than the baseline, with a corresponding reduction in the encoding bit rate. That is the algorithm adapts to the incoming data stream and can use a custom basis. We deliberately avoid having to send the custom basis itself (when possible), because sending the basis vectors consumes precious bandwidth and may defeat the goal of compression. The encoder and decoder can bootstrap themselves into using one or more better bases.In one embodiment of the invention there is no beginning baseline transform shared between the encoder and the decoder.
US08175143B1
A method, and circuitry, for choosing the correct equalization curve in adaptive equalization uses a feedback loop in which the incoming high-speed serial data are digitized and deserialized for use in the remainder of the device, and also are used by an adaptive state machine to both extract the reference levels for digitization and to control the equalization curve. Detection of the reference level and selection of the equalization curve may be performed at a different rates to avoid interfering with one another. The state machine preferably is programmable. This is useful in any device, but is particularly well-suited for a programmable device, such as a PLD or other programmable integrated circuit device, where conditions may vary according a user logic design.
US08175128B2
A semiconductor laser element is provided which includes a first semiconductor layer, an active layer having a current injection region, a second semiconductor layer, a third semiconductor layer, and an electrode for injecting a current into the active layer. In the semiconductor laser element, the first semiconductor layer, the active layer, the second semiconductor layer, and the third semiconductor layer are laminated in that order on a substrate, the first semiconductor layer has a current constriction layer which constricts the current injection region of the active layer, the third semiconductor layer is formed on an upper surface of the second semiconductor layer in a region corresponding to the current injection region of the active layer, and the electrode is formed on the upper surface of the second semiconductor layer in a region other than that of the third semiconductor layer.
US08175127B2
The present invention generally relates to the operation of optical network equipment such as optical amplifiers. In one aspect, a method of operating an optical amplifier is provided such that output of the optical amplifier avoids the effects of operating an optical gain medium in a non-linear (kink) region of an L-I curve. The method generally includes operating an optical gain medium in a fully off state or fully on state above the kink region with a PWM signal. In another aspect, the effects of the kink region may be compensated for by utilizing a lookup table. A sample of the optical power of an amplified optical signal may be used to select an entry in the lookup table that compensates for non-linearities in the kink region. In yet a further aspect, a lookup table may be used to control a pulse modulator to compensate for non-linearites in the kink region of the L-I curve.
US08175118B2
A method of generating a data unit preamble includes generating a first field associated with at least one of packet synchronization information or frame boundary indication, and generating a second field associated with channel estimation, including generating a first channel estimation sequence (CES) symbol and generating a second CES symbol, so that at least one of 1) a sequence in the first field serves as a cyclic prefix of the first CES symbol, 2) a beginning portion of the second CES symbol serves as a cyclic postfix of the first CES symbol, or 3) an ending portion of the first CES symbol serves as a cyclic prefix of the second CES symbol.
US08175117B2
A method and system for determining a wait time (tw) to be used between successive transmissions of packets of a content to achieve a selected target bandwidth BT for the transmission. The wait time between successive packets of a content being transmitted is determined as a function of the selected target bandwidth (BT) to be achieved during the transmission and the size (P) of the packets based on the algorithm t w = P B T The invention provides bandwidth control at the source (the sending device) without relying on network Quality of Service (QoS) facilities.
US08175107B1
A method for routing data on a fat-tree network using network switches includes assigning a customized MAC address to each host device in the network. The customized MAC address has a set of bits for each level in the fat-tree network, each set of bits corresponding to a division of the network in which the host device is located. Each switch applies a MAC subnet mask to a destination MAC address of each received packet and performs at least one hashing function on the masked destination MAC address to determine a forwarding port for the packet.
US08175105B2
A system pushes documents to one or more wireless data devices. The system receives a push request from a user to push a specified document to one or more identified wireless data devices. The system then constructs a wireless gateway server request for each identified wireless data device, and the document is subsequently pushed to the devices.
US08175102B2
A neighbor discovery method and apparatus for performing network-transparent neighbor discovery in a heterogeneous network environment is provided. A neighbor discovery method for a multi-mode mobile node includes determining a type of a network, with which a mobile node is in communication, in response to a detection of a request for sending a neighbor solicitation message, retrieving, if the network type identifies a self-processing network, information about the network from a database, determining whether a tentative address contained in the neighbor solicitation message is already in use by another node with reference to the information about the network, and generating, when the tentative address is already in use, a neighbor advertisement message.
US08175101B2
In one aspect, a method to multicast in a network includes determining using a processor a least amount of relay nodes for use in multicasting a message to nodes in the network by using a neighbor matrix of a source node used in Node Activation Multiple Access (NAMA) scheduling. The method may include designating a one-hop neighbor that exclusively accesses the two-hop neighbor of the source node as a relay node. The method may also include designating a one-hop neighbor of the source node with accessibility to a maximum number of two-hop neighbors of the source node as a relay node.
US08175098B2
A system and method for managing a route cache to reduce the risk of disruption from denial of service attacks. All traffic arriving on a front interface from local (on-link) nodes (e.g., neighbor nodes) can be treated normally. However, for packets arriving from remote (off-link) sources addressed to a given destination IP address, a single, shared route cache entry can be used. The source-address field in this entry can be zeroed-out since it will not be used for traffic coming from any one source. Similarly, for all packets going to off-link destinations through the front-interface, another single shared route cache entry can be created and used. The destination-address field in this entry can be zeroed out since it will not be used for traffic going to any one destination.
US08175093B2
Network operating methods provide a first packet switch configured to send a plurality of packets from the first packet switch to a second packet switch via a network path traversing one or more intermediate packet switches, access data describing at least one performance characteristic of the network path, and based on the data, modify a rate at which the first packet switch sends the plurality of packets to the second packet switch via the path. Network management methods receive data describing at least one performance characteristic of a network path having a first endpoint on a first packet switch, a second endpoint on a second packet switch, the network path traversing one or more intermediate packet switches and, based on the received data, instruct the first packet switch to modify a rate at which the first packet switch sends packets to the second packet switch via the network path.
US08175090B2
Transmission techniques are provided that improve service continuity and reduce interruptions in delivery of content that can be caused by transitions that occur when the User Equipment (UE) moves from one cell to the other, or when the delivery of content changes from a Point-to-Point (PTP) connection to a Point-to-Multipoint (PTM) connection in the same serving cell, and vice-versa. Such transmission techniques enable seamless delivery of content across cell borders and/or between different transmission schemes such as Point-to-Multipoint (PTM) and Point-to-Point (PTP). Mechanisms for adjusting different streams and for recovering content from each data block during such transitions are also provided so that data is not lost during a transition. In addition, mechanisms for realigning data during decoding at a receiving terminal are also provided.
US08175087B2
Method and system for serially sending data signals captured from multiple sources through a single unidirectional isolation component. Data signals from respective multiple sources are captured in parallel. Such captured data signals are stored in respective storages. The stored data signals are transferred, in serial, from the storages to a single unidirectional isolation component. Multiple concurrent processes for parallel data signal capture and serial data signal transfer via a single unidirectional isolation component are implemented so that the sampling effect on a first of the multiple processes is minimized.
US08175084B2
The present invention provides a data device to speech service bridge. The bridge allows packet-based devices, such as, for example, the PDA and 2.5/3G cellular phone, to access voice services.
US08175075B2
In one embodiment, whether packet loss of link layer packets at a receiver has exceeded a lost threshold is detected. Feedback is sent to a transmitter indicating that a header compressor, for compressing higher layer packets at the transmitter, should send a less compressed header if the packet loss of the link layer packets has exceeded the lost threshold. The higher layer packets are at a higher layer than the link layer and are formed by the link layer packets.
US08175074B2
A system and method for specifying the quality of service in a transmission of data packets between a service entity and a user equipment is provided. A plurality of service classes relating to the quality of service are preconfigured and a selected service class is selected. A first transmission context, associated with a first set of attributes, is established between a core network node and the user equipment. A second transmission context, associated with a second set of attributes, is established between an access node and the user equipment. The selected service class is specified by a third set of attributes, which is forwarded to the core network node and the access node. The third set of attributes is used to determine the first set of attributes and/or the second set of attributes.
US08175073B1
A system and method allows devices to send and receive packets while using power to do so in a manner that responds to events, such as receipt or other identification of different parameters that control how packets are sent and received.
US08175068B2
A System, method and computer readable medium for determining an active code set comprises determining code detection statistics for corresponding spread code indices, sorting the determined code detection statistics and the corresponding spread code indices according to amplitudes of the code detection statistics, and determining an active code set based on the sorted code detection statistics and the corresponding sorted spread code indices.
US08175053B2
A mobile application gateway configured to interconnect mobile communication devices on a cellular network with an enterprise network is provided. The mobile application gateway includes a voice and data signaling gateway configured to provide routing functionalities, service functionalities and admission control. A gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) is configured to establish a secure data session between one or more of the mobile communication devices and the enterprise network by establishing a GPRS tunneling protocol (GTP) tunnel between a carrier-hosted serving GPRS support node (SGSN) and the GGSN.
US08175051B2
A system and method of a hybrid scheme of DL link adaptation in a network having mobile stations (MSs) in communication with a base station (BS). The system may include a mode decision module associated with the base station. The mode decision module may include one or more processors configured to select a first mode configuration for use during transmission of a first communication from the base station. The BS may receive first feedback information associated with the first communication, where the first feedback information includes a first mode recommendation and first channel information. Based on the first feedback information, the BS may generate a BS-derived mode configuration based on the first channel information and compare the first mode recommendation and the BS-derived mode configuration. Based on the comparison, the BS may determine a second mode configuration to use to configure a second communication.
US08175048B2
A multi-hop wireless communication system which synchronizes a time signal generated by a timer device included in each of the wireless terminals and sets a different active timing to a wireless terminal connected to each of a plurality of multi-hop routes. The wireless terminal monitors the time signal of the timer device included in the wireless terminal and activates wireless communication of the wireless terminal when it is detected that the time signal matches an active timing set in the wireless terminal.
US08175032B2
Systems and methods for allocating radio frequency resources are provided. The radio frequency resources are allocated to a mobile station in time or frequency alignment based on signal quality measures. In an orthogonal frequency division multiple access system, the allocated radio frequency resources include one or more tones and one or more symbols.
US08175028B2
A method for determining isolation status of the RF repeater is provided. A modem in the repeater registers with a base transceiver station (BTS). Uplink output levels of a donor RF transceiver are calibrated and stored in the modem. The modem is synchronized to a BTS transmission received at the donor RF transceiver and the synchronization information is provided to a server RF transceiver of the repeater. Isolation detection and measurement can then be performed between donor transmit antenna and receive server antenna of the RF repeater and the automatic gain control parameter of donor RF transceiver and server RF transceiver are adjusted based upon the isolation detection and measurement value. The isolation and detection can be implemented in a co-processor coupled to the donor and server transceivers.
US08175026B2
A method of allocating resources in a mesh-connected communication network comprising a plurality of terminals, and a limited quantity of communication resources for allocation between said terminals, comprises: a request phase in which a plurality of terminals calculate their requirements for resources and issue the same as requests; a distribution phase in which the requests are distributed to all other requesting terminals over the mesh; and a calculation phase in which each requesting terminal uses all available requests and calculates resource allocation over the mesh. Thus each requesting terminal determines the resource allocation.
US08175017B2
A method of operation (300) of a wireless communication system (100) includes: a client node sending (301) to the infrastructure node a message indicating that it intends to enter an unassociated state and a message requesting (303) the infrastructure node to store for the client node data of at least one multicast or broadcast transmission to be sent by the infrastructure node while the client node is in an unattached state; the client node entering (317) an unattached state and missing (319) at least one multicast or broadcast transmission while in the unattached state; the infrastructure node storing (323) for the client node while the client node is in the unattached state the data of the at least one missed multicast or broadcast transmission; and the infrastructure node sending (331) the stored data to the client node when the client node is in an associated state.
US08175009B2
In one embodiment, a network device receives on a first port a first spanning tree protocol (STP) control message including a first path-tracking field corresponding to a given spanning tree instance in a network. The first path-tracking field includes a value based on one or more other network devices that have propagated the first STP control message. The network device receives on a second port a second STP control message including a second path-tracking field corresponding to the given spanning tree instance. The second path-tracking field includes a value based on one or more other network devices that have propagated the second STP control message. The network device utilizes the values from the first path-tracking field and the second path-tracking field to select a root port for the given spanning tree instance.
US08175008B1
A device may include a maintenance association endpoint configured to select a maintenance association endpoint identifier, transmit the maintenance association endpoint identifier to one or more other maintenance association endpoints, and automatically assign the maintenance association endpoint identifier to the maintenance association endpoint if it is determined that the maintenance association endpoint identifier is available based on a conflict message received from one of the one more other maintenance association endpoints.
US08175004B2
An apparatus and method for gathering and reporting interference signal information between Relay Stations (RSs) in a multi-hop relay Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) communication system are provided. The method includes receiving, from the RS, scanning information of neighboring Base Stations (BSs) and neighboring RSs, computing the resource allocation to be used by the RS by using the received scanning information, and transmitting information on the computed resource allocation to the RS. Accordingly, there is an advantage in that wireless resources can be reused to the maximum extent, and data transmission efficiency can be maximized.
US08175002B2
There is provided a method of managing power utilization for use by a first communication system having a first communication mode and a second communication mode, for communication over a PHY connection through a cable connecting the two systems. The method comprises establishing the PHY connection with the second communication system, detecting interoperability of the two systems in the first communication mode, determining a length of the cable connecting the first communication system to the second communication system, selecting a mode based on the length of the cable, if the detecting detects interoperability of the first communication system and the second communication system in the first communication mode, selecting the second communication mode as the mode, if the detecting does not detect interoperability of the first communication system and the second communication system in the first communication mode, communicating data using the PHY connection through the cable in the mode.
US08174995B2
In accordance an aspect, a method for a wireless communication system, determining a location in time of a sub-frame when SFN transmission for data will occur, determining a first transmission pattern and a second transmission pattern for reference signals, wherein the transmission patterns indicate the symbols and tones of a sub-frame to use for reference signals, selecting for use, between the first transmission pattern and second transmission pattern for reference signals depending on whether SFN data will be transmitted in the sub-frame, and broadcasting information about the selected transmission pattern prior to use thereof.
US08174993B2
A method, system and device are disclosed for compensating or tuning one or more communication pathways between an external network and an information handling system. In one aspect, one or more inductive devices may be coupled to one or more transmission lines coupling a physical layer transceiver (PHY) to one of a plurality of external network communication ports via a board-mounted communication switch. Selection and placement, such as serial placement, of the one or more inductive devices depends, at least in part, upon one or more electrical characteristics of the transmission lines, the PHY, the communication switch and requirements of the external network.
US08174984B2
A computer readable medium comprising software instructions for managing resources on a host, wherein the software instructions comprise functionality to: configure a classifier located on a NIC, to forward packets addressed to a first destination address to a first HRR mapped to a first VNIC, wherein packets addressed to the first destination address are associated with a first PFC lane; configure the classifier to forward packets addressed to a second destination address to a second HRR, wherein packets addressed to the second destination address are associated with a second PFC lane; and transmit, by the first VNIC, a pause frame associated with the first PFC lane to a switch operatively connected to the physical NIC, wherein the switch, in response to receiving the pause frame, stores packets associated with the first PFC lane in a buffer without transmitting the packets.
US08174980B2
The subject matter described herein includes methods and systems for dynamically rate limiting slowpath processing of exception packets. According to one embodiment, a method includes monitoring processing resources in a packet forwarding device used for performing slowpath processing of exception packets at the packet forwarding device. It is determined whether usage of the processing resources used for slowpath processing exceeds a first threshold and, in response to determining that the processing resources exceed the first threshold, rate limiting the slowpath processing of the exception packets.
US08174979B2
According to the invention, in order to control the access of traffic streams (VS) to the communications network (KN), an available capacity (VK), placed at the disposal of an access node (ZK) for transferring traffic streams (VS) to said communications network (KN), is determined from an access node (ZK) of the communications network (KN), taking into account the total transfer capacity (G) of the communications network (KN). The available capacity (VS) is notably redetermined whenever the routing information (RI) of the access node (ZK) is modified. An access control of this type guarantees the quality of service required in a connectionless communications network.
US08174970B2
A method of operating a data network may include establishing a data path through the data network between a routing gateway for a subscriber of the data network and a service provider providing a data service. Moreover, the data service may be provided for use at the routing gateway over the data path during a data session. A request may be received from the service provider wherein the request defines a data flow characteristic for the data path between the routing gateway and the service provider providing the data service during the data session. The data flow characteristic may then be transmitted to a node along the data path between the routing gateway and the service provider for enforcement of the data flow characteristic for the data path at the node. More particularly, the data session may be a point-to-point protocol data session. Related methods, data networks, data service providers, routing gateways, and computer program products are also discussed.
US08174963B2
A data relay apparatus that recovers a failure in a network that shares a part of a plurality of rings and avoids occurrence of a loop path by providing a block in each of the rings includes a failure-notification-packet transmitting unit that transmits, when a failure is detected in a shared portion of a ring, a failure notification packet to a predetermined redundancy-providing ring; and a block setting unit that sets a block that blocks a main signal by passing through a control packet at a port where the failure is detected.
US08174961B2
The present invention relates to a switch controlling apparatus. The switch controlling apparatus controls a main switch by using a first signal that corresponds to a current flowing to the main switch. The switch controlling apparatus includes a PWM controller for generating a control signal to control turning on/off of the main switch by using the first signal and a clock signal, and a TSD unit for changing the control signal corresponding to heat generated from the main switch. The TSD unit changes a response speed for the heat of the main switch by using the clock signal and the control signal.
US08174957B2
There is provided a method for placing reference signals in a wireless communication system. The method includes preparing a plurality of sub-frames for a plurality of antennas, placing a reference signal for one sub-frame and placing a reference signal for another sub-frame not to overlap with the reference signal for one sub-frame, wherein the reference signal for one sub-frame and the reference signal for another sub-frame are successively placed on contiguous OFDM symbols or on the contiguous sub-carriers. Channel estimation or data demodulation can be prevented from performance degradation.
US08174941B2
When a focus error signal (FE signal) is detected with an astigmatic method, a track crossing component leaks into the FE signal. Another detection method for the FE signal would reduce the leaking signal, but is not applicable when the light use efficiency decreases. An optical crosstalk correction amount determination unit (1000) determines a correction amount to correct an output of a tracking error detection unit (120) based on optical crosstalk from a TE signal to an FE signal occurring in reflection light from an optical disc (102) when a spot crosses a track. An output of the tracking error detection unit (120) is multiplied by the determined correction amount, and added to an output of the focus error detection unit (118). A focus control unit (138) executes focus control based on the addition result. This effectively reduces a TE signal component that leaks into the FE signal due to optical crosstalk.
US08174940B2
An optical disc apparatus, for executing recording or reproducing onto/from a multilayered optical disc having “N” pieces of recording layers (N≧3, “N” is an integer), from a first layer to a Nth layer, including a light emitting portion configured to emit a laser beam, a light receiving portion, a correcting portion configured to correct a tilt of the optical disc or an aberration of the laser beam, an adjusting portion, a detecting portion, and a selecting portion configured to select “A” pieces of recording layers (A
US08174938B2
An optical disc device includes a position detector which detects a position of the pickup in accordance with a output signal from the first light receiver of a position sensor which receives light from a encoder board, a rotation position detector which detects a rotation position of the disc in accordance a output signal from the second light receiver which receives a reflected light or a transmitted light of the light irradiated onto the variable area of the disc, and a controller which controls a recording dot marks on a label surface of the disc by driving a feed motor to move the pickup based on the rotation position detected by the rotation position detector and the position detected by the position detector and driving the pickup to control a intensity of the laser light in accordance with the rotation position detected by the rotation position detector.
US08174936B2
A timepiece includes a movement and a current-time ringing mechanism that includes: an hour cam (40) for providing information on the hour of the current time to an hour sampler, quarter cam (28) for providing information on the quarters of the current time to a quarter sampler, a minute cam (22) for providing information on the minutes of the current time to a minute sampler, wherein the cams are adapted to be driven by the movement, the quarter cam (28) and the minute cam (22) being pivotally mounted and being free relative to each other, and the minute cam (22) including a snail including a single row of 60/N stages and being adapted to be driven by the movement at N revolutions per hour.
US08174933B1
A computer-implemented method is executable by a first computing device to perform functions including retrieving, from the first computing device, sound information for the first computing device; receiving sound information from one or more second computing devices located in an area within a communication range of first computing device; generating a characterization of the sound information from (i) the first computing device, and (ii) the one or more second computing devices; and determining, based on the characterization, an attribute of one or more third computing devices.
US08174926B2
A first weighted integral operator is applied to dual-sensor data to extrapolate the dual-sensor data to a first position above an acquisition surface, generating extrapolated data. A second weighted integral operator is applied to the extrapolated data to extrapolate the extrapolated data to a second position, generating wavefield separated data. One of the integral operators is applied to a scaled combination of the dual sensor data.
US08174916B2
A bit line precharge circuit includes a precharge signal generation unit configured to generate first and second precharge signals that are enabled at different timing points by receiving a bit line equalizing signal; a first precharge unit configured to connect a pair of bit lines to each other in response to the first precharge signal and supply a bit line precharge voltage to the pair of bit lines; and a second precharge unit configured to supply the bit line precharge voltage to the bit line in response to the second precharge signal.
US08174903B2
A method of operating a nonvolatile memory device, including a memory cell array, which further includes a drain select transistor, a memory cell string, and a source select transistor coupled between a bit line and a source line, where the method includes precharging the bit line, setting the memory cell string in a ground voltage state, coupling the memory cell string and the bit line together and supplying a read voltage or a verification voltage to a selected memory cell of the memory cell string, and coupling the memory cell string and the source line together in order to change a voltage level of the bit line in response to a threshold voltage of the selected memory cell.
US08174902B2
A method, device and system are provided for programming a flash memory device, the method including executing a bit line setup operation, and executing a channel pre-charge operation simultaneously with the bit line setup operation, the channel pre-charge operation including applying a channel pre-charge voltage to all word lines; and the device including a voltage generator disposed for providing each of a program voltage, a read voltage, a pass voltage, and a channel pre-charge voltage, a high-voltage switch connected to the voltage generator and disposed for switchably providing one of the program voltage, read voltage, pass voltage, or channel pre-charge voltage, and control logic connected to the high-voltage switch and disposed for simultaneously executing a bit line setup operation and a channel pre-charge operation, the channel pre-charge operation comprising controlling the high-voltage switch to apply the channel pre-charge voltage to both selected and unselected word lines of the device.
US08174898B2
A data sensing method for sensing data stored in first and second memory cells includes the steps of: setting a first voltage according to a bit-line voltage corresponding to the first memory cell in response to an enabled level of a first clock signal; providing the first voltage as a sensing voltage in response to a disabled level of the first clock signal; comparing the sensing voltage with a reference voltage to generate a first output voltage; setting a second voltage according to a bit-line voltage corresponding to the second memory cell in response to an enabled level of a second clock signal, a phase difference between the first and second clock signals being 180 degrees; providing the second voltage as the sensing voltage in response to a disabled level of the second clock signal; and comparing the sensing voltage with the reference voltage to generate a second output voltage.
US08174897B2
Methods for programming a memory device and memory devices are provided. According to at least one such method, a selected memory cell is programmed by a series of programming pulses. The series of programming pulses are configured in sets of programming pulses where each set has the same quantity of pulses and each programming pulse in the set has substantially the same amplitude (i.e., programming voltage). The amplitude of the programming pulses of subsequent sets is increased by a step voltage from the previous amplitude.
US08174896B2
A nonvolatile memory device comprises a page buffer unit, a counter, a program pulse application number storage unit, and a program start voltage setting unit. The page buffer is configured to output a 1-bit pass signal when a cell programmed to exceed a reference voltage, from among target program cells included in a single page, exists. The counter is configured to count a number of program pulses applied to determine a program pulse application number. The program pulse application number storage unit is configured to store a number of program pulses applied until the 1-bit pass signal is received during a program operation for a first page. The program start voltage setting unit is configured to set a program start voltage for a second page based on the stored program pulse application number.
US08174894B2
A program method of a flash memory device includes inputting a first data and a second data to a page buffer coupled to memory cells including an even page and an odd page, pre-programming a first memory cell of the odd page using the first data, programming a second memory cell of the even page using the second data, and programming the pre-programmed first memory cell using the first data.
US08174892B2
A method of reading sequential pages of flash memory from alternating memory blocks comprises loading data from a first page into a first primary data cache and a second page into a second primary data cache simultaneously, the first and second pages loaded from different blocks of flash memory. Data from the first primary data cache is stored in a first secondary data cache, and data from the second primary data cache is stored in a second secondary data cache. Data is sequentially provided from the first and second secondary data caches by a multiplexer coupled to the first and second data caches.
US08174885B2
The present invention provides a novel read method of twin MONOS metal bit or diffusion bit structure for high-speed application. In a first embodiment of the present invention, the alternative control gates are set at the same voltage. In a second embodiment of the present invention, all the control gates are set at the operational voltage from the beginning. In both embodiments, the bit line and word gate are used to address the selected memory cell.teh
US08174875B2
An integrated circuit memory device may include an integrated circuit substrate, and a multi-bit memory cell on the integrated circuit substrate. The multi-bit memory cell may be configured to store a first bit of data by changing a first characteristic of the multi-bit memory cell and to store a second bit of data by changing a second characteristic of the multi-bit memory cell. Moreover, the first and second characteristics may be different. Related methods are also discussed.
US08174862B2
A fuse circuit or a redundancy circuit is capable of detecting a fuse with a crack. The fuse circuit includes a fuse block configured to drive an output node through a current path including a fuse in response to a fuse enable signal, and a voltage detection block configured to detect a voltage level of the output node based on a critical voltage adjusted according to a test mode signal, thereby generating a fuse condition signal.
US08174857B1
A method for data readout includes storing two or more candidate sets of read thresholds for reading from a memory device that includes a plurality of analog memory cells. A group of the memory cells from which data is to be read is identified. An order is defined among the candidate sets of the read thresholds responsively to a criterion defined over the group of the memory cells. Data readout from the group of the memory cells is attempted by iterating over the candidate sets according to the order, until the data is read successfully.
US08174852B2
A switching circuit for use in a power converter in one aspect includes a first and second active switch and a first and second passive switch. The first active switch can be coupled to a first terminal of a primary winding of a transformer. The second active switch can be coupled to a second terminal of the primary winding of the transformer. The output capacitance of the first active switch is greater than the output capacitance of the second active switch. The first passive switch can be coupled to the second active switch and to the second terminal of the primary winding. The second passive switch can be coupled to the first active switch and to the first terminal of the primary winding. The reverse recovery time of the first passive switch is greater than the reverse recovery time of the second passive switch.
US08174843B2
A power source terminal and a ground terminal for a semiconductor integrated circuit are connected to a conductor pattern through a capacitor. The conductor pattern is connected, through a filter, to a plane conductor connected to neither a ground plane nor a power source plane. Thus, a common mode noise arising from between the power source and the ground is caused to flow into the plane conductor. This reduces the common mode noise flowing in the ground and the power source of the printed wiring board, which relatively act as antennas.
US08174841B2
An array of contact pads on a semiconductor structure has a pitch less than twice an overlay tolerance of a bonding process employed to vertically stack semiconductor structures. A set of contact pads within the area of overlay variation for a matching contact pin may be electrically connected to an array of programmable contacts such that one programmable contact is connected to each contact pad within the area of overlay variation. One contact pad may be provided with a plurality of programmable contacts. The variability of contacts between contact pins and contact pads is accommodated by connecting or disconnecting programmable contacts after the stacking of semiconductor structures. Since the pitch of the array of contact pins may be less than twice the overlay variation of the bonding process, a high density of interconnections is provided in the vertically stacked structure.
US08174831B2
A heating circuit and an electronics assembly for use in a vehicle includes an external housing having outer walls and an internal wall dividing the external housing into an electronics cavity and a non-electronics cavity. A heat generating electronics assembly is located in the electronics cavity adjacent to the internal wall. A control electronics assembly is located in the electronics cavity adjacent to the heat generating electronics assembly, with the control electronics portion controlling the heat generating electronics assembly; and an internal heat shield extending between and shielding the control electronics assembly from the heat generating electronics assembly, with the internal heat shield being made of a thermally conductive material and having a contact portion attached to the internal wall, whereby heat absorbed by the internal heat shield transmitted to the internal wall.
US08174815B2
In a method for manufacturing a monolithic ceramic electronic component, when an inner conductor is formed by printing an electrically conductive paste, a smear may be generated in an opening of the inner conductor at a side of the opening near to a position from which printing is started in a printing direction. The smear may cause an unwanted contact between the inner conductor and a via conductor, which is a conductor extending through the opening and having a potential different from that of the inner conductor, and cause a short-circuit. The inner conductor is printed in such a manner that the center of each of the via conductors is deviated from the center of the opening in the direction in which the electrically conductive paste is printed. With this structure, even if the smear is generated in the opening, the probability that the inner conductor contact the via conductor and cause a short-circuit is minimized.
US08174814B2
An ionizer includes positive and negative wire electrodes each formed of a conductive wire with a circular cross section. The wire electrodes are arranged in parallel with each other, each having circumferential surfaces serving as a discharge surface on which a corona discharge occurs upon application of positive and negative high voltages for discharging positive and negative ions.
US08174812B2
A transfer switch apparatus has first, second, and third electrical terminals extending outwardly from a housing. A first vacuum bottle is positioned in the housing and has a pair of contactors therein. A second vacuum bottle is positioned in the housing and has a pair of contactors therein. A mechanical linkage is movable between a first position and a second position. The first position electrically connects the first electrical terminal to the second electrical terminal. The second position electrically connects the third electrical terminal to the second electrical terminal. The first vacuum bottle and the second vacuum bottle are longitudinally aligned. The mechanical linkage is interposed between the first and second vacuum bottles.
US08174805B2
A residual current device for an AC electricity supply comprises a housing (10) and a first load conductor (L) inside the housing connected in series between the supply and a load and including a set of contacts (18) by which an electrical connection between the supply and the load may be made or broken. A current transformer is disposed inside the housing and has a toroidal core (TI) the first load conductor passing through the core and forming one primary winding of the current transformer. At least one further load conductor (N) outside the housing passes through the core (T) via an opening (32) in the housing and forms a further primary winding of the current transformer. A secondary winding (W) on the core produces an output in response to a residual current, and a circuit (RCC) inside the housing is responsive to the output on the secondary winding to open the contacts if the residual current is above a predetermined level.
US08174802B2
A switching regulator is disclosed. In the switching regulator, when a power source voltage is lowered to a first predetermined value due to an overcurrent, a voltage boost operation is temporarily stopped, and a delay timer of a delay circuit is not reset. When the overcurrent is detected again due to a rise of the power source voltage after temporarily stopping the voltage boost operation, the delay timer of the delay circuit continues to count the delay period. The voltage boost operation is completely stopped by receiving a signal output from the delay circuit when the delay timer completes the counting after passing a predetermined delay period.
US08174801B2
A high voltage direct current (HVDC) power distribution system comprises at least one power bus; at least one load conductor; and a hybrid contactor for interconnecting the at least one power bus and the at least one load conductor and through which inductive energy passes upon disconnection of the at least one load conductor from the at least one power bus. A first portion of the inductive energy passes through the hybrid contactor as an arc. A second portion of the inductive energy passes through the hybrid contactor as resistively dissipated heat.
US08174799B2
Embodiments of the present invention help to provide a single element type differential magnetoresistive magnetic head capable of achieving high resolution and high manufacturing stability. According to one embodiment, a magnetoresistive layered film is formed by stacking an underlayer film, an antiferromagnetic film, a ferromagnetic pinned layer, a non-magnetic intermediate layer, a soft magnetic free layer, a long distance antiparallel coupling layered film, and a differential soft magnetic free layer. The long distance antiparallel coupling layered film exchange-couples the soft magnetic free layer and the differential soft magnetic free layer in an antiparallel state with a distance of about 3 nanometers through 20 nanometers. By manufacturing the single element type differential magnetoresistive magnetic head using the magnetoresistive layered film, it becomes possible to achieve the high resolution and the high manufacturing stability without spoiling the GMR effect.
US08174782B2
A system in one embodiment includes a disk; a reservoir having a selectively openable cover; a lubricant in the reservoir; and a sensor for detecting an event or condition that triggers opening of the cover. A method in another embodiment includes determining that a trigger event or a trigger condition is occurring or has occurred in a hard disk drive; opening a cover of a lubricant reservoir for allowing egress of lubricant therefrom upon determining that the trigger event or the trigger condition has occurred; and closing the cover of the lubricant reservoir after a period of time. Additional systems and methods are also presented.
US08174776B2
The method described provides a unique solar energy concentrating structure. This structure is intended to be employed in conjunction with complementary high efficiency solar cell elements to produce solar electric power. In its usual embodiment it contributes to a system of exterior window concentrators and solar cells that provide good visibility and control excess heat transmission providing benefits beyond low-e glass performance.
US08174775B2
A lens barrel which allows efficient interlock between a cylindrical member such as a moving cam ring and a component such as a viewfinder cam plate or a strobe cam plate, without size-increasing. The lens barrel comprises a first cylindrical member, and a second cylindrical member that is disposed so as to receive the first cylindrical member, and includes a guiding part at an inner circumferential surface thereof. The guiding part includes a groove-form hole part that penetrates the second cylindrical member, and the first cylindrical member includes a follower part that follows the guiding part having the groove-form hole part.
US08174769B2
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to beamsplitters that include optical elements to correct for beam offset. In one embodiment, a beamsplitter includes a first plate having two approximately parallel and opposing planar surfaces and a partially reflective layer coating one of the planar surfaces, and a compensator plate having two approximately parallel and opposing planar surfaces. The compensator plate is positioned so that an incident beam of light passing through the compensator plate acquires a first beam offset. Subsequently, the incident beam of light with the first beam offset passing through the first plate is split into a reflected beam and a transmitted beam by the partially reflective layer where the transmitted beam has a second beam offset that substantially cancels the first beam offset such that the transmitted beam is approximately parallel to and aligned with the incident beam.
US08174766B2
A plate of transparent material including, on its surface, a texture including a plurality of a feature in relief, whether in a form of depressions or projections. The feature includes a first face and a second face that are not mutually parallel, lines at a base of the faces being parallel. The first face forms, with the general plane of the plate, a larger angle than the angle formed by the second face with the general plane of the plate, the angles being angles inside the material if the feature is a projection, or angles on the outside of the material if the feature is a depression. The plate improves light transmission toward a photovoltaic cell, in particular when the plate is in a vertical position, for example on the surface of a noise barrier.
US08174762B2
A 3-D optical microscope, a method of turning a conventional optical microscope into a 3-D optical microscope, and a method of creating a 3-D image on an optical microscope are described. The 3-D optical microscope includes a processor, at least one objective lens, an optical sensor capable of acquiring an image of a sample, a mechanism for adjusting focus position of the sample relative to the objective lens, and a mechanism for illuminating the sample and for projecting a pattern onto and removing the pattern from the focal plane of the objective lens. The 3-D image creation method includes taking two sets of images, one with and another without the presence of the projected pattern, and using a software algorithm to analyze the two image sets to generating a 3-D image of the sample. The 3-D image creation method enables reliable and accurate 3-D imaging on almost any sample regardless of its image contrast.
US08174760B2
An electronic device for biological microscopy includes a display unit and a main body adapted to the display unit, wherein an auto-focus microscope, an inspection area, and a computer are housed within the main body. The inspection area includes a first side and a second side opposite to the first side. The microscope includes an object lens, an eye lens, and an extension lens configured between the object lens and the eye lens. The object lens is configured at the first side of the inspection area, and a lighting component is configured at the second side of the inspection area. A thermostat apparatus is configured on the inspection area. A camera electrically connected to the computer is configured on the eye lens and transmits the captured image to the computer for analysis with a pre-installed software.
US08174755B2
The microcapsules for electrophoretic display devices according to the present invention each enclose a dispersion containing electrophoretic particles and a solvent in a shell having an inner shell made of a mercapto group-containing amino resin and an outer shell made of an epoxy resin. Alternatively, the microcapsules for electrophoretic display devices according to the present invention each have a capsule strength of 0.6 MPa or higher. These microcapsules are produced by dispersing a dispersion containing electrophoretic particles and a solvent as a core substance in a water-based medium, and subsequently forming at least one shell on the surface of the core substance. These microcapsules can be used, as their applications, for sheets for electrophoretic display devices, electrophoretic display devices using the sheets, and electronic equipments using the electrophoretic display devices.
US08174745B2
An optical unit includes an acousto-optic deflector and a drive control unit. The drive control unit controls the acousto-optic deflector by changing a frequency of a voltage applied to an acousto-optic medium of the acousto-optic deflector to a frequency in a first frequency range during a first period representing a deflection control period and changing the frequency of the voltage to a frequency in a second frequency range different from the first frequency range during a second period representing a transmittance control period.
US08174742B2
A system and method for creating extended optical traps for applying optical forces to a material to be manipulated for a commercial application. The system and method include applying a hologram of appropriate characteristics to a beam of light wherein the hologram characteristics include a transverse optical component to apply optical forces transverse to an optical axis of the system. A shape phase component achieves this transverse optical component and also intensity gradient components can be applied via the hologram to provide programmable extended optical traps for a selectable commercial application.
US08174739B2
Systems and methods using polarized filtering for glare removal to improve the process of scanning documents, particularly bound documents with glossy content, are disclosed. The system may generally include a lighting source for illuminating a document, a lighting source polarizer attached to the lighting source to polarize light therefrom, a camera for capturing images of the document, and a camera polarizer attached to the camera. The camera polarizer and the lighting source polarizer may be positioned relative to each other so as to facilitate blocking light reflections causing glare off of the document resulting from the lighting source and arriving at the camera. The system may include multiple lighting sources, some or all of which may have a lighting source polarizer attached thereto.
US08174737B2
An image reading apparatus includes a document table, a read unit that reads a document so as to generate image data representing a read image of the document, a partial prescanning unit, which conveys the read unit in a partial area of a readable area of the document table, and which controls the read unit to execute read operation in the partial area, a corner estimation unit, which converts the image data of the read result of the read unit into edge image data representing an edge image, and which estimates position coordinates on the document table corresponding to two of four corners of the document on the assumption that the placed document is quadrangular based on the edge image data, and a document estimation unit that estimates the state of the placed document based on the estimation result of the corner estimation unit.
US08174735B2
Document processing systems and duplex printing methods are presented in which side 1 to side 2 process magnification errors are compensated for by selective use of two raster output scanner clocks for latent image generation of images destined for first and second sides of a printed substrate, with the second clock speed being increased to compensate for substrate shrinkage due to fusing station heating for two-sided printing.
US08174714B2
An image forming apparatus of an embodiment of the invention includes a first storage unit to store, based on stored information stored in wireless tags attached to a plurality of consumable items, an application to manage the stock number of the plurality of consumable items, a second storage unit to store replacement information to indicate replacement from a first consumable item installed in the image forming apparatus to a second consumable item included in the plurality of consumable items, a notification unit to notify the replacement information stored in the second storage unit, and a read unit to read, based on the replacement from the first consumable item to the second consumable item, the first stored information stored in a first wireless tag attached to the second consumable item.
US08174713B2
In a communication system having a client and a server capable of communicating with each other via a network, the server can transmit a command to the client in response to a command request transmitted from the client to the server. The server may include a replying unit that transmits replaying data in response to the command received from the client in such a manner that (a) if there is a command to be transmitted to the client, replying data including the command is transmitted to the client, and (b) if there is not a command to be transmitted to the client, replying data, which does not include a command is transmitted to the client. Further, the replying unit may transmit the replying data without a command to the client when a no-command status lasts a predetermined standby period after receipt of the command request.
US08174705B1
A mirror drive mechanism for a tilting mirror is controlled using feedback from one or more interferometric angular sensors. The wavelength of an optical beam is varied as it is fed into an interferometric angular sensor. The wavelength at which the resulting interference pattern is measured to be at a minimum intensity is determined. This wavelength is used to determine a distance quantity representative of the angular position of the mirror.
US08174704B2
Provided is an optical imaging system based on a coherence frequency domain reflectometry, including: a light source generating an electromagnetic wave; a splitting unit splitting the electromagnetic wave into first and second beams; a reflecting unit reflecting the first beam and re-transmitting the reflected first beam to the splitter; an objective lens projecting the second beam onto an object to be recorded; a photodetector transforming an interference pattern into a current signal, wherein the first beam reflected from the reflector interferes with the second beam reflected from the object to generate the interference pattern; and an electronic processing unit processing the current signal to generate an image of the object from the interference pattern. Therefore, a lateral resolution can be improved, and Rayleigh limits can be overcome.
US08174698B2
A method for fabricating a tunable Fabry-Perot cavity comprises etching a substrate to form two reflectors separated by an air gap and an electrostatic mechanism. One of the two reflectors is mobile and connected to the electrostatic mechanism. Therefore, operation of the electrostatic mechanism moves the mobile reflector to change the thickness of the air gap and thereby tune the Fabry-Perot cavity. A tunable Fabry-Perot cavity fabricated with the above method comprises: a substrate; two reflectors formed in the substrate and separated by an air gap having a thickness, wherein one of the two reflectors is mobile; and an electrostatic mechanism formed in the substrate and connected to the mobile reflector. The mobile reflector connected to the electrostatic mechanism is moved upon operation of the electrostatic mechanism to change the thickness of the air gap and thereby tune the Fabry-Perot cavity. Applications of the Fabry-Perot cavity may comprise a tunable doped fiber laser, a tunable dispersion compensator and an integrated microfluidic refractometer.
US08174697B2
Described herein is a particle detection system capable of spatially resolving the interaction of particles with a beam of electromagnetic radiation. Using a specific electromagnetic beam cross sectional shape and orientation, the detection sensitivity of a particle detection system can be improved. Also provided are methods for detecting and sizing particles in a manner that has low background signal and allows for spatially resolving the scattering or emission of electromagnetic radiation from particles.
US08174688B2
A method of determining the number of light sources is adapted to determine the number of each kind of light sources of an illumination device. The method includes following steps. A photon number of a single light source of each kind of the light sources is calculated. Next, a number ratio of each kind of the light sources is determined according to a power ratio of each kind of the light sources and the photon number of a single light source of each kind of the light sources. Finally, the number of each kind of the light sources is determined according to the number ratio and a total number of the light sources of the illumination device.
US08174687B2
A device for measuring at least one camber geometrical characteristic of an ophthalmic lens provided on at least one of its faces with at least one position-identifying mark, the device including a support for the ophthalmic lens, and on opposite sides of the support, firstly lighting element for lighting the ophthalmic lens along at least two different lighting directions, and secondly acquisition and analysis element for acquiring and analyzing the light transmitted by the ophthalmic lens, the analysis element being adapted to identify shadows of the mark when lighted in the at least two lighting directions, and to deduce from their positions a measured value for the camber geometrical characteristic of the ophthalmic lens.
US08174681B2
A method is provided for calibrating a model of a lithographic process that includes defining a parameter space of lithographic model parameters that are expected in an integrated circuit layout. The parameter space is defined according to bin values of a lithographic model parameter that span the range from a predetermined minimum and maximum value of the model parameter. The bin values may be incremented uniformly between the maximum and minimum parameter values, or may be distributed according to a weighting. The lithographic model is calibrated to an initial calibration test pattern. The resulting simulated calibration pattern is evaluated to determine whether the model parameter space is adequately populated. If the parameter space is over or under populated, the calibration pattern is modified until the calibration pattern test values adequately populate the parameter space, so that the final calibrated lithographic process model will more reliably predict images over the full range of image parameters.
US08174680B2
An apparatus, method, and system is provided to condition a substrate. The apparatus can include a substrate handler, an array of diodes, and a projection system. The substrate handler can include a conditioning device, a float device, and a displacing device. The array of diodes can be configured to provide a patterned radiation beam, where the projection system projects the patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of a conditioned substrate.
US08174674B2
An immersion lithography apparatus includes a liquid supply system configured to supply a liquid to a space through which a beam of radiation passes, the liquid having an optical property that can be tuned by a tuner. The space may be located between the projection system and the substrate. The tuner is arranged to adjust one or more properties of the liquid such as the shape, composition, refractive index and/or absorptivity as a function of space and/or time in order to change the imaging performance of the lithography apparatus.
US08174671B2
A control system controls a support structure of a lithographic apparatus. A first measurement system measures the position of a substrate supported by the support structure, in a first coordinate system. A second measurement system measures the position of the support structure in a second coordinate system, the first measurement system having a presumed position in the second coordinate system. A controller controls the position of the support structure based on measurements by the second measurement system, to convert the measured position of the substrate into a converted position of the support structure in the second coordinate system, to position the support structure based on the converted position, to receive a position error signal indicative of a difference between the presumed position and an actual position of the first measurement system in the second coordinate system, and to position the support structure dependent upon the position error signal.
US08174666B2
A liquid crystal display panel manufacturing apparatus for successively bonding a pair of film substrates, each having a plurality of display regions defined at least along a longitudinal direction, along the longitudinal direction through a sealant formed in every display region of one of the film substrates includes: a first processing unit arranged to form a bonded body by bonding the film substrates so that the respective display regions are superimposed on each other; and a second processing unit including a molding roll configured to hold the bonded body formed in the first processing unit onto a peripheral wall thereof, and arranged to mold the bonded body into a curved shape along the peripheral wall of the molding roll by curing the sealant while holding the bonded body on the peripheral wall of the molding roll.
US08174664B2
The present invention provides: a multilayer substrate in which a spacer is selectively disposed in a non-display region without reduction in display quality or productivity of a liquid crystal display device; a production method thereof; and a liquid crystal display panel and a liquid crystal display device each using the multilayer substrate or the production method thereof. The multilayer substrate of the present invention is a multilayer substrate comprising a resin interlayer film and an electrode on a substrate in this order, wherein the multilayer substrate has a depression structure including the resin interlayer film in a surface layer, or a depression structure having a rough bottom surface on the resin interlayer film.
US08174663B2
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device and a method for fabricating the same, which has a structure applied thereto for preventing a liquid applied to a substrate from passing through a display portion to encroach even to a seal pattern portion causing seal breakage or gap defect.The liquid crystal display device includes first and second substrates placed opposite to each other, each having an active region at a center thereof, a seal pattern formed on an outside circumference of the active region spaced from a boundary portion of the active region, between the first substrate and the second substrate, a spread preventive wall formed on the first substrate between the boundary portion of the active region and the seal pattern, and an alignment film formed on an inner side of the spread preventive wall on the first substrate.
US08174661B2
A liquid crystal display includes a first insulating substrate including a display area and a peripheral area, a display area signal line in the display area of the first insulating substrate. a peripheral area signal line in the peripheral area of the first insulating substrate, a driving circuit portion in the peripheral area of the first insulating substrate, receiving an input signal through the peripheral area signal line, and thereby generating an output signal to supply to the display area signal line, a second insulating substrate facing the first insulating substrate and having a common electrode, a liquid crystal layer interposed between the first insulating substrate and the second insulating substrate, and a first sealant disposed between the first insulating substrate and the second insulating substrate and sealing the liquid crystal layer, wherein the common electrode is disposed on a whole surface of the second insulating substrate, and the first sealant is closer to the display area than the peripheral area signal line.
US08174659B2
A color filter substrate has unit pixels each having an area of 0.1 mm2 or more. Each unit pixel is formed of sub-pixels having a different color from one another and having areas that are substantially equal to one another. Each sub-pixel is formed of a continuous planar region having a maximum line width that does not exceed 150 μm. The sub-pixels are configured with a shape such that the sub-pixels form a preselected engagement pattern via which the adjacent sub-pixels engage one another.
US08174655B2
A liquid crystal display device includes first and second substrates, gate and data lines formed on the first substrate and crossing each other to define a pixel region, a first common electrode in a first part of the pixel region, the first common electrode having a plate shape, a plurality of first pixel electrodes directly over the first common electrode and at a first fixed interval in the first part of the pixel region, a second pixel electrode alternately arranged with a second common electrode at a second fixed interval in a second part of the pixel region, and a layer of liquid crystal molecules between the first and second substrates.
US08174652B2
To provide a production method of a liquid crystal display device and a liquid crystal display device, in which generation of a joint line on a display screen is suppressed and yield can be improved even if a substrate is subjected to an alignment treatment by completing exposure for the substrate through several exposures in a liquid crystal display device including pixels each having two or more domains. The present invention is a production method of a production method of a liquid crystal display device, the liquid crystal display device including: a pair of opposed substrates; a liquid crystal layer formed between the pair of opposed substrates; and an alignment film arranged on a liquid crystal layer side surface of at least one of the pair of opposed substrates, and the liquid crystal display device having two or more regions which differ in alignment azimuth in a pixel, wherein the production method comprises an exposure step of exposing the alignment film in such a way that a substrate plane is divided into two or more exposure regions through a photomask in each exposure region, and in the exposure step, exposure is performed in such a way that adjacent two exposure regions have an overlapping exposure region where the adjacent two exposure regions partly overlap with each other, and the photomask has a halftone part corresponding to the overlapping exposure region.
US08174651B2
A liquid crystal display includes a first insulating substrate with a top surface and a bottom surface. A pixel electrode is formed on the top surface of the first insulating substrate. The pixel electrode has a first opening pattern at each pixel area. The pixel electrode with the first opening pattern is substantially rectangular in shape with a first long side and a second long side, and first short side and a second short side. The pixel electrode is divided into an upper region defined by the first long side and the second long side and the first short side, and a lower region defined by the first long side and the second long side and the second short side. A second insulating substrate with a top surface and a bottom surface is arranged parallel to the first insulating substrate at a predetermined distance from the same such that the bottom surface of the second insulating substrate faces the top surface of the first insulating substrate. A common electrode is formed on the bottom surface of the second insulating substrate. The common electrode has a second opening pattern at each pixel area, which correspond to each pixel area of the pixel electrode. A liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between the first substrate and the second substrate while contacting the pixel electrode and the common electrode. The first opening pattern and the second opening pattern each have a plurality of openings, the openings of the first opening pattern and the second opening pattern being alternately arranged parallel to each other.
US08174649B2
A liquid crystal display including a liquid crystal panel and a biaxial compensation film is provided. The liquid crystal panel has a first surface and a second surface. The biaxial compensation film is disposed on the first surface and includes a C-plate compensation film and nano-structures on the C-plate compensation film serving as an A-plate compensation film.
US08174640B2
An illumination apparatus is disclosed. The illumination apparatus includes a polarization plate, a light source, and a light transmission film disposed between the polarization plate and the light source and including a plurality of prisms formed on a surface thereof. The plurality of prisms each have a ridge line in a first direction and are continuously arranged in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The light transmission film is disposed such that a ridge line direction of the plurality of prisms is one of a perpendicular direction and an approximately perpendicular direction to a transmission axis of the polarization plate. The plurality of prisms each have refractive indexes in the ridge line direction, an arrangement direction, and a thickness direction, the refractive index in the ridge line direction being larger than the refractive indexes in the arrangement direction and thickness direction.
US08174639B2
An electronic device includes a cabinet, a device main body, a printed wiring board, an electric terminal, and a holder plate. The electric terminal is disposed on a first face of the printed wiring board. The electric terminal includes a terminal body and a connector. The holder plate includes a terminal hole, first and second engagement portions, and a restricting portion. The connector of the electric terminal is disposed through the terminal hole. The first and second engagement portions extend from an inner face of the holder plate. The restricting portion extends from the inner face of the holder plate. The restricting portion faces a top face of the terminal body of the electric terminal in a direction perpendicular to the printed wiring board.
US08174630B2
A reflective liquid crystal display panel capable of performing data programming and/or data erasing via a polarized light is provided. The reflective liquid crystal display panel includes a first substrate, a second substrate, a liquid crystal layer, a transflective film, a retarder and a polarizer. The second substrate is disposed over the first substrate. The liquid crystal layer is located between the first substrate and the second substrate and an optical aligned material is doped in the liquid crystal layer. The transflective film is disposed below the first substrate, and the transflective film allows the polarized light to pass through, so that the orientation of the optical aligned material doped liquid crystal layer can be controlled by the polarized light. The transflective film reflects external light source. The retarder is disposed between the transflective film and the first substrate. The polarizer is disposed on the second substrate.
US08174625B2
A DTV transmitter includes a pre-processor pre-processing supplemental data, a multiplexer multiplexing pre-processed data with main data, and a byte-symbol converter converting each data byte of the multiplexed data into a symbol. It further includes a symbol processor processing each supplemental data symbol outputted from the byte-symbol converter. It encodes one of upper and lower bits of each supplemental data symbol into first and second data bits, post-decodes the first data bit, and outputs the post-decoded data bit and the second data bit as a symbol. The DTV transmitter further includes a symbol-byte converter converting each symbol outputted from the symbol processor into a data byte.
US08174622B2
A data processing method of executing nonlinear conversion for pixel data, comprising: a first step of obtaining an amount of statistics corresponding to the number of pixel data having a gradation value in a predetermined range from a plurality of pixel data for displaying a predetermined image; a second step of obtaining a parameter corresponding to the distribution condition of the gradation values of the plurality of pixel data; an adjusting step of adjusting the amount of statistics based on the parameter; and a determining step of determining a conversion characteristic of the nonlinear conversion based on the adjusted amount of statistics.
US08174621B2
A digital video decoder architecture is provided wherein chrominance values are determined first, then luminance values are determined, in part, based on the previously determined chrominance values. In this architecture, luminance separation occurs after and based on one or more chrominance values.
US08174619B2
Disclosed herein is a reception apparatus including: a signal reception section configured to receive a video signal transmitted via a transmission path; an image display section configured to process the video signal to display an image; a timing information acquisition section configured to acquire timing information in connection with reception of the video signal, the timing information concerning timing that affects the image displayed by the image display section; a reference time length adjustment section configured to adjust a reference time length based on the timing information, the reference time length being used as a reference for a length of a time period from the reception of the video signal to start of image display; and a display control section configured to control timing at which the image display is started, based on the reference time length adjusted by the reference time length adjustment section.
US08174618B2
Provided are a method of controlling a resolution desired by a user in a graphics device of a digital data broadcasting receiver, an apparatus therefor, and a digital data broadcasting receiver using the same. The method includes providing a list of resolutions available on a graphic plane to a user; changing a resolution of the graphic plane according to a resolution selected by the user from the resolution list; and displaying an application on the graphic plane, the resolution of which has been changed.
US08174608B2
A drive unit and drive module which use a shape memory alloy as a drive source to move a driven member, and which can drive at a high speed, independently of the ambient temperature and the position of the driven member. The timing of moving the driven member is controlled based on the position to which the driven member is moved, and based on the settling time for the driven member moved to that position to settle at that position, thus, the driven section can be moved in the minimum drive time, and this arrangement provides the drive unit and drive module that can drive at a high speed, independently of the ambient temperature and the position of the driven member.
US08174604B2
A solid-state imaging apparatus comprises first accumulation units, of which number is n, holding a digital value of n-bits output from a counter, second accumulation units, of which number is n, holding the digital value of n-bits transferred from the first accumulation units, of which number is n, and an A/D converter writing the digital value of n-bits from the counter based on an image signal generated by pixels into the first accumulation units, of which number is n, wherein correspondingly to each column of the pixels, the first accumulation unit of m-th bit (1≦m≦n) and the second accumulation unit of m-th bit (1≦m≦n) are arranged and paired, and the pairs of which number is n are arranged in a direction along the column of pixels.
US08174601B2
A CMOS image sensor or other type of image sensor comprises a pixel array and a signal generator coupled to the pixel array. The pixel array comprises a plurality of pixels each having a photosensitive element coupled to a transfer gate. The signal generator is configured to generate a transfer gate signal for application to at least one of the transfer gates. The transfer gate signal has at least an on state voltage level and first and second off state voltage levels, with the first off state voltage level typically having a higher magnitude than that of the second off state voltage level. In an illustrative embodiment, the second off state voltage level is utilized during a readout operation in order to reduce dark current in floating diffusion regions of the pixel array.
US08174586B2
A method of reproducing an image file from a recording medium that stores an image file of a first type and/or an image file of a second type includes reproducing the first type of image file or second type of image file, detecting whether each of a predetermined number of image files stored on the recording medium is the first type of image file or the second type of image file during the reproduction of an image file, and converting the second type of image file to the first type of image file by reading the main image data from the second type of image file, generating display-image data (image data for display use) based on the read main image data, and storing the generated display-image data in the original image file if the image file is determined to be the second type of image file based on the detection result. The first type of image file is an image file containing a header, main image data, and display-image data, and storing the display-image data in an area other than an area storing the header. The second type of image file is an image file containing a header and main image data, and storing no display-image data in an area other than an area storing the header. The image files of predetermined number being image files that can be reproduced when reproduction is done in the forward and/or reverse direction from the image file being reproduced.
US08174577B2
Automatic in-car video recording apparatus for recording driving conditions inside and outside a car
An automatic in-car video recording apparatus includes a first and a second image acquiring units, an image processing unit, a control unit, an image access unit, a detecting unit, and a power supply unit. The first and second image acquiring units are synchronized to acquire images of road conditions in front of the car and images of driving conditions inside the car, respectively. The image processing unit integrates the two images on a split screen, and saves the images in the image access unit. The image access unit includes an externally connected memory unit. The control unit periodically stores part of the image data saved in the image access unit on the memory unit. When the detecting unit detects any abnormal condition, the control unit will also copy the image data saved in the image access unit to the memory unit. Therefore, driving conditions of the car are automatically recorded.
US08174576B2
A vehicle periphery video providing apparatus performs coordinate conversion for a video shot by a shooting device so that the same video as in a case where a vehicle outside is visible from an eye point position of a driver in such a manner that an installed area of a liquid crystal display becomes transparent can be displayed on the liquid crystal display.
US08174564B2
A three-dimensional display device includes an image display portion displaying a left eye image and a right eye image; and a parallax barrier facing the image display portion and directing the left eye image and the right eye image displayed by the image display portion towards a left eye and a right eye of a user, respectively.The parallax barrier may be formed with a liquid crystal display of a normally black mode of transmission.
US08174562B2
A stereo camera comprises at least one image sensor; a first surface configured to direct a first view of an area to the at least one image sensor, the first view comprising an approximately 360 degree view of the area; and a second surface configured to direct a second view of the area to the at least one image sensor, the second view comprising an approximately 360 degree view of the area; wherein the at least one image sensor is configured to capture the first and second views in at least one image.
US08174559B2
A videoconferencing system which encodes different streams of information. The information may include video, audio, speech recognized versions of the audio, and language translated versions of the audio. Text may be sent as part of the videoconference.
US08174557B2
A system for obtaining and displaying such images and environmental information from environments is disclosed, as well as a sensor device and a host configured for use in the system, the sensor device having camera assemblies, environmental sensors, and being connected to the host via a wireless communications link. Methods for obtaining and presenting the images and environmental information using system 100 are also disclosed.
US08174554B2
An optical scanning device includes: an emission unit which emits a light beam; an oscillating mirror which deflects the light beam to reciprocate on a scanning surface; and a controller which controls the emission unit to be on and off to form a pattern of dots in each cell of a plurality of cells defined on the scanning surface, the pattern being formed according to a gradation of the cell and based on a dot-concentrated threshold matrix. The threshold matrix is defined such that the pattern of dots to be formed in the cell includes a plurality of pairs of adjacent dots in a sub-scanning direction. Among the plurality of pairs of adjacent dots to be formed, a number of pairs of adjacent dots which are closer than an interval of adjacent ideal scanning lines is equal to a number of pairs of adjacent dots which are further than the interval.
US08174551B2
Curve information is set in accordance with curving of a scanning line that occurs when an image is formed. A value of a target pixel is corrected on the basis of image data that is provided in a reference window having the target pixel and peripheral pixels, thereby transforming a region having a color of a specified image. The reference window that is used in the transformation is corrected in accordance with the curve information with respect to a main scanning position for pixels that are to be processed.
US08174545B2
A system and method for reducing pulse width modulation contouring artifacts. Each input intensity value is translated to at least one non-binary bit pattern for display. Many of the input intensity values are translated to at least two alternate non-binary bit patterns. The alternate codes are used to smooth the transition between intensity codes as major bits are turned on. The smoothing occurs by the gradual transition from codes that do not use the major bit to codes that do use the major bit. Typically the alternate codes are selected based on the location of the pixel in a spatial pattern (100) and the alternate codes are spatially alternated from one pixel (102) to the next (104). Other embodiments temporally alternate the codes from one period—typically a frame period—to the next. Still other embodiments alternate the codes both spatially and temporally.
US08174543B2
A display device driving circuit includes: a grayscale signal output circuit, grayscale signal lines, a grayscale voltage output circuit, grayscale voltage lines, a digital-analog conversion circuit, a first to third switches. The grayscale signal output circuit outputs complementary signals as a digital grayscale signal. The grayscale signal lines receive the complementary signals. The grayscale voltage output circuit outputs analog grayscale voltages. The grayscale voltage lines receive the analog grayscale voltages. The digital-analog conversion circuit selects and outputs one of the analog grayscale voltages in response to the complementary signals. The first switch shuts off a first connection path between the grayscale signal output circuit and the digital-analog conversion circuit. The second switch shuts off a second connection path between the grayscale voltage output circuit and the digital-analog conversion circuit. The third switch connects a third connection path between one of a pair of the grayscale signal lines to the other. The pair transfers a pair of the complementary signals.
US08174541B2
The invention provides a method and system for three-dimensional virtual world pattern positioning. The method includes creating a three-dimensional pattern for a virtual world environment, sub-dividing the pattern into a plurality of sub-divisions each having a vector relative to a center of the pattern, creating a transform including a description of the pattern and shape information for each sub-division, creating a portion of a virtual world environment by positioning the pattern and sub-divisions, and storing the transform for reusing the pattern and sub-divisions in another virtual world environment.
US08174537B2
A method and system for adaptive color space conversion includes a color space converter, a brightness adaptive controller and a soft clipper. The color space converter receives a first color space format signal and converts the first color space format signal into a second color space format signal. The brightness adaptive controller is connected to the color space converter in order to produce a gain and an offset based on a brightness value. The soft clipper is connected to the color space converter and the brightness adaptive controller in order to clip the second color space format signal based on the gain and the offset to thereby produce a corrected second color space format signal.
US08174532B2
A data processing method with multiple issue multiple datapath architecture in a video signal processor (VSP) is provided. In the method, commands are received from the external signal processor. The received commands are routed to a plurality of separate command sequencers, an Input/output (IO) processor or a plurality of configure registers according to different command types. Each of the separate command sequencers packs the received commands into a plurality of instruction packets and sending the instruction packets to a plurality of instruction dispatch units, in which each of the instruction packets includes one or more instructions. The instruction packets are dispatched to respective function units for performing operations in response to the received instruction packets.
US08174531B1
A processing unit includes multiple execution pipelines, each of which is coupled to a first input section for receiving input data for pixel processing and a second input section for receiving input data for vertex processing and to a first output section for storing processed pixel data and a second output section for storing processed vertex data. The processed vertex data is rasterized and scan converted into pixel data that is used as the input data for pixel processing. The processed pixel data is output to a raster analyzer.
US08174518B2
An organic light emitting display including pixels, each including an organic light emitting diode and a pixel circuit for controlling a supply of an electric current to the organic light emitting diode; and a sensing unit for converting a voltage applied to the organic light emitting diode to a digital value during a sensing period during a sampling period, and for sinking a second current from the pixel corresponding to the digital value to compensate a degradation of the organic light emitting diode during a sampling period.
US08174515B2
In a method of driving a display panel and a display apparatus for performing the method, a first pixel equipped in the display panel is driven with a first data voltage to which a first gamma curve is applied and a second pixel adjacent to the first pixel is driven with a second data voltage to which a second gamma curve is applied during an (N)-th frame, wherein N is a natural number. The first pixel and the second pixel is driven with a third data voltage to which a third gamma curve having a luminance between the first gamma curve and the second gamma curve is applied during a (N+1)-th frame.
US08174512B2
System and method for a rotary control in a device that comprises a knob, a shaft supporting the knob and coupled to rotate therewith a base supporting the shaft. A sensor, operationally coupled to the base, is configured to detect an aspect of manipulation of the knob, which may include information relating to position, velocity, acceleration, torque, rate of rotation, time of rotation, or a combination thereof. A mechanical haptic assembly is operationally coupled between the base and the shaft to provide mechanical based haptic effects in response to movement of the knob with respect to the base. A programmable electronic-based actuator is operationally coupled to the knob and provides electronic-based haptic force feedback to the knob.
US08174502B2
One or more touch input signals can be obtained from a touch sensitive device. If the touch input signals are associated with one or more regions of a web page displayed on the touch sensitive device, a touch event associated with the regions of a web page is processed by the web page. Otherwise, the touch events can be processed by an application (e.g., a browser).
US08174483B2
The present invention provides apparatuses and methods for controlling the brightness of a display unit based on detected movement of an external object such as a user. An apparatus includes a display, e.g., a color liquid crystal display (LCD) or organic light emitting diode (OLED). A proximity circuit generates a transmitted signal and a received signal. The received signal results from the transmitted signal being reflected by an external object. A control unit processes the received signal to determine a degree of motion of the external object. When the degree of motion is greater than a first predetermined threshold but not greater than a second predetermined threshold, the display is activated and operating at partial intensity. When the degree of motion is greater than the second predetermined threshold, the display is activated at full intensity. The degree of motion may be determined from the variation of the received signal.
US08174479B2
In one embodiment of the present invention, the present shift register is a shift register provided in a display device by which a partial-screen display is available. The shift register includes a shift stopping circuit that is provided in an in-between stage, and stops operation of the shift register between a first stage and a last stage of the shift register in partial-screen display. The shift register also includes a circuit that is provided in a stage other than the in-between stage in such a manner that the circuit does not perform signal processing but serves as a signal path. The circuit is same as the shift stopping circuit in configuration. The foregoing allows improvement in display quality of the display device employing the present shift register.
US08174476B2
In accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention, a display device includes a timing controller that generates a control signal and a data signal for displaying an image, a memory that records the data signal, and an I2C bus that connects the timing controller and the memory element. The I2C bus includes a serial clock line and a serial data line, which respectively comprise a first end part that is connected with the memory and a second end part that is connected with the timing controller. The I2C bus includes first and second decoupling capacitors that are respectively connected to the serial clock line and the serial data line. A connection distance of the interface between the timing controller and the memory has a minimum distance.
US08174474B2
A voltage having the positive polarity and a voltage having the negative polarity are alternately applied to a pixel between a counter electrode and a pixel electrode. A counter electrode voltage (Vcom) generating circuit or a source signal generating section is provided each of which controls effective voltages to be applied to the pixel for an identical tone so that an effective voltage having the positive polarity and an effective voltage having the negative polarity are asymmetrically applied to the pixel for all of the tones which can be displayed. The counter electrode voltage (Vcom) generating circuit or the source signal generating section shifts a counter electrode voltage Vcom-A or a source voltage by 0.3 V or more from a voltage causing the effective voltages to be symmetrically applied to the pixel.
US08174473B2
A three-dimensional image/two-dimensional image display device includes a plurality of display pixels, and a lenticular lens for three-dimensional display. Each display pixel is consisted of M×N number of sub-pixels to be viewed from N view points. A pitch a of sub-pixels arranged in the longitudinal direction of ridge projection of the lenticular lens and a pitch b of the sub-pixels arranged in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the lenticular lens satisfy the following expression. The M×N number of sub-pixels included in each of said display pixels are formed within a square area. a:b=N:1
US08174463B2
An electronic label wirelessly connected to a product information updating system. The electronic label includes a wireless communication interface to receive information from a server to be displayed on a display, a means for processing connected to the communication interface, a means for updating the display connected to the means for processing, and at least one dot matrix display to display a dot matrix image, where the dot matrix display is connected to the means for updating the display. The communication interface receives the information to be displayed from the product information updating system. At least a part of the dot matrix display displays a first barcode that can be scanned by a barcode scanner, where the first barcode identifies the electronic label or a product linked to the electronic label.
US08174459B2
The present invention is related to a coplanar antenna unit and a coplanar antenna. By utilizing the unique properties of meta-material to design 1-D balanced CRLH leaky-wave antenna. The antenna can be realized with the coplanar antenna unit consisting of MIM capacitor and grounded inductor. In this invention, all proposed elements are implemented by planar print circuit broad, so the full-space switched beam scanning antenna has shorter length of leaky-wave antenna and good radiation performance.
US08174457B1
A broadband antenna apparatus that is generally disposed along a plane. The antenna apparatus includes a ground plate with an edge and an inverted “L” antenna that has a base leg and an elongated leg, which define an interior corner. The interior corner is filled with a triangulated portion for broadening the bandwidth of the antenna. There is an antenna feed point at a distal end of the base leg. The antenna is oriented so that the distal end of the base leg is adjacent to the edge, forming a first dielectric gap therebetween, and further oriented with the elongated leg parallel to the edge. A first parasitic ground element extends from the edge and is positioned adjacent to the base leg, forming a second dielectric gap therebetween. The antenna apparatus also includes a second parasitic ground element extending from the edge of the ground plate.
US08174454B2
Dual-band antenna including a shorted loop slot antenna and a spiral antenna.
US08174453B2
The present invention is related to a folder-type mobile communication device. The device comprises a first dielectric substrate, a first ground plane disposed on the first dielectric substrate, a second dielectric substrate, a second ground plane disposed on the second dielectric substrate, an antenna element, a metal line, and a band-stop circuit. The antenna element is located near the first ground plane and is electrically connected to a source on the first dielectric substrate. The second ground plane is electrically connected to the first ground plane through the metal line. The band-stop circuit is located either on the first ground plane or on the second ground plane. The band-stop circuit includes a slit, a capacitive element, and an inductive element. The slit is near the metal line. The capacitive element is electrically connected to the two sides of the slit, and the inductive element is electrically connected to the two sides of the slit such that the inductive element and the capacitive element form a parallel LC resonant circuit. Therefore, the band-stop circuit generates a parallel resonance at a specified frequency.
US08174450B2
A micropatch antenna system with simultaneous high bandwidth and low sensitivity to multipath radiation is achieved by positioning a radiating element within a cavity in a ground plane. Bandwidth and sensitivity to multipath radiation may be varied by varying the height of the radiating element above the bottom of the cavity and above the top of the ground plane. The electromagnetic and physical characteristics of the antenna system may be further controlled by introducing dielectric solids or wave-slowing structures between the bottom of the cavity and the radiating element. A dual-band micropatch antenna system with simultaneous high bandwidth and low sensitivity to multipath radiation may be similarly configured by stacking a second radiating element on top of the first radiating element.
US08174446B2
Propagation time for a target signal path is determined by detecting and processing a plurality of unknown signals received at two locations. A third location is established, such that the propagation time between the third location and one of the two locations is known, and the signal path between the third location and the other of the two locations is the target signal path. The two locations are monitored for any signals that may be detected. Signals received at the two locations are processed to determine which signals have a common source, and of the signals having a common source, the signal having the greatest delay between times of reception at the two locations is selected. The selected signal is used to determine the propagation time between the two locations.
US08174445B2
Methods of selecting a transmitter power for a mobile telephone include receiving a telephone number and transmitting a control message associated with selection of a transmitter power if the telephone number meets a predetermined criterion. For example, if the telephone number is an emergency service number or number associated with a navigation assistance service, the control message is transmitted.
US08174442B2
A phased array antenna system with variable electrical tilt comprises an array of antenna elements etc. incorporating a divider dividing a radio frequency (RF) carrier signal into two signals between which a phase shifter introduces a variable phase shift. A phase to power converter converts the phase shifted signals into signals with powers dependent on the phase shift. Power splitters divide the converted signals into two sets of divided signals with total number equal to the number of antenna elements in the array. Power to phase converters etc. combine pairs of divided signals from different power splitters this provides vector sum and difference components with appropriate phase for supply to respective pairs of antenna elements etc. located equidistant from an array center. Adjustment of the phase shift provided by phase shifter changes the angle of electrical tilt of the antenna array.
US08174437B2
In the invention, a rover receiver first utilizes data from a base Receiver, a DGNSS reference network, or other differential source to compute a differentially corrected location. Then, using this location and data observed only at the rover, the rover computes an internal set of differential corrections that are stored in computer memory, updated as necessary, and applied in future times to correct observations taken by the rover. The possibly mobile rover receiver, therefore, corrects its own observations with differential corrections computed from its own past observations; relying on external differential for the sole purpose of establishing a reference location, and this is unlike prior art.
US08174432B2
A radar apparatus mounted in a vehicle includes an inward bent surface and a radar device. The inward bent surface is formed in a lower portion of a bumper of the vehicle, and curves inward with a higher degree of curvature in a horizontal plane than a bumper surface of an upper portion of the inward bent surface. The radar device is placed behind the inward bent surface so that a beam axis of the radar device penetrates the inward bent surface.
US08174427B2
According to one embodiment, an A/D converter includes a determination circuit configured to determine whether a first analog signal is greater than a second analog signal or not, the first analog signal being a present A/D conversion target, the second analog signal being an immediately preceding A/D conversion target, a calculation circuit configured to add a reference voltage to a difference obtained by subtracting the second analog signal from the first analog signal, a generation circuit configured to generate a comparison voltage, a comparator configured to compare a calculated value of the calculation circuit with the comparison voltage, and a conversion circuit configured to convert a period into a digital signal, the period being required until the calculated value is identical with the comparison voltage by the comparator.
US08174425B1
An asynchronous pulse processing (APP) apparatus, an APP system and a method of signal normalization employing APP provide signal normalization. The APP apparatus includes a gain block configured to scale an input signal by a first scale value and a summation block configured to produce a composite signal by subtracting from the scaled input signal each of a normalized signal scaled by a second scale value and the normalized signal multiplied by a summation signal. The APP apparatus further includes an integrator and a time encoder configured to produce the normalized signal from the composite signal. The APP system includes a plurality of APP apparatuses as APP channels. The method of signal normalization includes generating the composite signal from the scaled input signal and integrating and time encoding the composite signal to produce the normalized signal.
US08174423B2
The present invention introduces a sub-converter stage used in a pipelined analog-to-digital converter. The sub-converter stage comprises an amplifier with a gain A, a sub analog-to-digital converter with comparators and a digital unit, a first capacitor with capacitance C, a second capacitor with capacitance C−ΔC, and customized reference signal Vrefk, where Δ C C = 4 A + 2 and V refk = V ref ( 1 - Δ C 2 C ) . If the gain A of the amplifier is adjustable, the sub-converter stage needs an error detector to detect the difference between the output of the amplifier and reference signal Vref and adjust the gain A of the amplifier. The present invention also introduces a pipelined analog-to-digital converter employing the sub-converter stage. In the pipelined analog-to-digital converter and the sub-converter stage presented by this invention, the error generated by the finite gain of amplifier and the error generated by the capacitance mismatch have the same size but opposite sign, ending that the two errors can compensate each other. As a result, the sub-converter stage achieves an error-free conversion and the two errors are calibrated.
US08174419B2
An analog-digital converter for converting an analog signal into a digital signal includes a first configuration register for configuring a first group of channels and a second configuration register for configuring a second group of channels. The conversion result of the channels of the first group is transferred to a memory via a direct memory access. Each channel of the second group of channels has an associated respective data register and the conversion results of the channels of the second group are stored in the respective data registers.
US08174412B2
A method comprises obtaining a plurality of variable size chunks of data, calculating a first hash for each variable size chunk of data, determining a length representation for each variable size chunk of data, determining a second hash of a subset of each variable size chunk of data, and forming a signature of each variable size chunk of data that is comprised of the first hash, the length representation and the second hash.
US08174407B2
Alerting a user of a material inspection device to a change in thickness of a material being inspected is disclosed. A thickness offset is determined from calibration information. The calibration information identifies a time of flight of a pulse through a reference sample similar in composition to a material to be inspected. The thickness offset indicates when a thickness of a material being inspected differs from a thickness of the reference sample. A calibration thickness alarm is set, the calibration thickness alarm corresponding to the thickness offset. A change in thickness of the material being inspected is detected. The calibration thickness alarm is engaged to alert the user of the inspection device of a detected change in thickness of the material being inspected.
US08174394B2
An apparatus and method for noninvasive determination of analyte properties of human tissue by quantitative infrared spectroscopy to clinically relevant levels of precision and accuracy. The system includes subsystems optimized to contend with the complexities of the tissue spectrum, high signal-to-noise ratio and photometric accuracy requirements, tissue sampling errors, calibration maintenance problems, and calibration transfer problems. The subsystems can include an illumination/modulation subsystem, a tissue sampling subsystem, a data acquisition subsystem, a computing subsystem, and a calibration subsystem. The invention can provide analyte property determination and identity determination or verification from the same spectroscopic information, making unauthorized use or misleading results less likely than in systems that use separate analyte and identity determinations. The invention can be used to control and monitor individuals accessing controlled environments.
US08174390B2
An RFID tag attached to an object and transmitting a signal that corresponds to identification information includes an RFID tag chip that modulates the signal according to the identification information and an RFID tag antenna that transmits the modulated signal. The RFID tag antenna includes a dielectric material, a radiating patch, and a slit. The dielectric material has a polyhedral shape and includes a first surface that contacts the object and a second surface that is parallel with the first surface, the radiating patch is formed on at least a part of the second surface and radiates electromagnetic to waves, and the slit is formed on at least a part of the radiating patch to expose the dielectric material.
US08174387B2
A universal tracking assembly that is capable of supporting more than one protocol used in electronic article surveillance (EAS) labels. The universal tracking assembly includes an acousto-magnetic (AM) EAS portion with a Radio Frequency (RF) EAS portion. The intrinsic characteristics and properties of the components of these individual labels are utilized to enhance the overall performance and utility of the combined EAS universal tracking assembly.
US08174386B2
An RFID reader controlling device based on a plurality of RFID reader protocols receives control instructions for controlling RFID readers from application devices providing services, and confirms RFID reader protocol types corresponding to control instructions to confirm whether communication channels corresponding to RFID reader protocols are generated. Further, the RFID reader controlling device transmits the control instructions to the RFID readers through the communication channels and transmits the control results of the RFID readers corresponding to the control instructions.
US08174384B2
A method and system for controlling the read range of a portable RFID reader is provided. The system includes a trigger system including a mechanical actuator manually positionable by a user and a sensor for sensing the position of the actuator. The read range of the RFID reader is changed based on the sensing result.
US08174380B2
An adapter may couple an electronic device to a host such as a computer. When coupled in this way, the host may transfer media files to the device. The host may also supply power to the electronic device using power lines in the adapter. The electronic device may have a status indicator such as a light-emitting diode status indicator. The adapter may also have a status indicator. During operation, the electronic device may transmit coded information on the current state of the status indicator in the electronic device by modulating the status indicator or other load in the device at a selected frequency. Control circuitry in the adapter may detect the transmitted state information by monitoring the power lines. The control circuitry may control the status indicator in the adapter so that the status indicator in the adapter replicates the current state of the status indicator in the electronic device.
US08174376B2
A device for state-dependent output of tone sequences in a motor vehicle, which is capable of outputting tone sequences assigned to specific vehicle states and determinable from tone data stored in a memory unit assigned to the motor vehicle, is also capable of directly or indirectly coupling to a computing unit not permanently assigned to the motor vehicle. The set of tone sequences which may be output is changeable as a function of data which may be received from such a computing unit.
US08174375B2
A detection system (5) for assisting a driver when driving a vehicle, the system (5) comprising: a plurality of image capturing devices (98) mounted to the vehicle to capture images of the external environment of the vehicle; an image processing module (95) to identify potential hazards in real-time from the captured images and to superimpose information of the external environment relating to the identified potential hazards; and at least one display device (92) to display images processed by the image processing module in real-time; wherein the superimposed information is provided in an area of the display device (92) to ensure visual clarity of the images of the external environment.
US08174373B2
An apparatus for producing an electrosensory sensation to a body member (120). The apparatus comprises one or more conducting electrodes (106), each of which is provided with an insulator (108). When the body member (120) is proximate to the conducting electrode, the insulator prevents flow of direct current from the conducting electrode to the body member. A capacitive coupling over the insulator (108) is formed between the conducting electrode (106) and the body member (120). The conducting electrodes are driven by an electrical input which comprises a low-frequency component (114) in a frequency range between 10 Hz and 500 Hz. The capacitive coupling and electrical input are dimensioned to produce an electrosensory sensation. The apparatus is capable of producing the electrosensory sensation independently of any mechanical vibration of the one or more conducting electrodes (106) or insulators (108).
US08174372B2
Systems and methods for providing haptic feedback to a touch surface are described herein. In one embodiment, among many, a layered structure comprises a first conducting layer electrically coupled to a first terminal of a power source and a second conducting layer electrically coupled to a second terminal of the power source. The layered structure also comprises a spacing layer electrically isolating the first conducting layer from the second conducting layer. Also, an actuation layer is positioned between the first conducting layer and the second conducting layer. The actuation layer includes a material that reacts to an electrical stimulus.
US08174365B2
To provide an IC tag, a method of controlling the IC tag, and an IC tag system which can reduce a communication sequence between the reader/writer and the IC tag and can shorten a communication period or a period necessary for executing the command. According to an embodiment of the invention, an IC tag that executes a command processing based on a command received from a redder/writer, includes: a command analyzing unit determining an execution condition of the command received from the redder/writer; and a command execution unit executing a first command processing if the execution condition is met, and executing a second command processing different from the first command processing if the execution condition is not met.
US08174353B2
A varistor comprises a main body having first and second external terminals formed on the outer surface thereof, a first withdrawn terminal plate joined to the first external terminal, and a second withdrawn terminal plate joined to the second external terminal, wherein the melting point of a second bonding material for allowing the second withdrawn terminal plate and the second external terminal to be joined to each other is lower than that of a first bonding material for allowing the first withdrawn terminal plate and the first external terminal to be joined to each other.
US08174352B2
A method for manufacturing or preparing thin-film stacks that exhibit moderate, finite, stress-dependent resistance and which can be incorporated into a transduction mechanism that enables simple, effective signal to be read out from a micro- or nano-mechanical structure. As the structure is driven, the resistance of the intermediate layers is modulated in tandem with the motion, and with suitable dc-bias, the motion is directly converted into detectable voltage. In general, detecting signal from MEMS or NEMS devices is difficult, especially using a method that is able to be integrated with standard electronics. The thin-film manufacturing or preparation technique described herein is therefore a technical advance in the field of MEMS/NEMS that could enable new applications as well as the ability to easily develop CMOS-MEMS integrated fabrication techniques. Also disclosed are: (i) transducers where current flows across a piezo layer from one major surface to the opposite major surface; and (ii) methods of making a transducer the resistivity of a piezoresistive layer is decreased and/or the gauge factor of a piezoresistive layer is increased.
US08174349B2
A manufacturing method of electronic components includes forming a first insulation layer on a substrate, forming a plurality of passive elements on the first insulation layer, forming a second insulation layer on the passive elements, forming a plurality of conductor layers electrically connected to the respective passive elements, on the outer side of the second insulation layer to be exposed to an upper surface of each electronic component, and forming grooves between the electronic components including the respective passive elements to expose side surfaces of each electronic component and parts of the conductor layers from the side surfaces of each electronic component. The manufacturing method further including plating a plurality of external electrodes on the respective conductor layers exposed to the upper surface and the side surfaces of each electronic component, and cutting the substrate to completely separate into individual electronic components.
US08174348B2
Two-phase coupled inductors including a magnetic core, at least a first winding, and at least three solder tabs. Power supplies including a printed circuit board, a two-phase coupled inductor affixed to the printed circuit board, and first and second switching circuits affixed to the printed circuit board. Each of the first and second switching circuits are electrically coupled to a respective solder tab of the two-phase coupled inductor affixed to the printed circuit board.
US08174347B2
A multilevel correlated magnetic system and method for using the same are described herein. A wide-range of devices including a retractable magnet assembly, a disengagement/engagement tool, a click on-click off device are described herein that may incorporate or interact with one or more of the multilevel correlated magnetic systems.
US08174344B2
First and second projections are formed to protrude toward a guide rail from both sides of a slide table. Third and fourth projections are formed to protrude toward the slide table from both sides of the guide rail. A plurality of balls are arranged in clearances between the first and second projections and the third and fourth projections.
US08174343B2
A relay comprises a movable body placed in a cavity which is formed on a substrate and surrounded by a spacer layer and sealed by a cover layer. The movable body comprises a first magnet which is permanently magnetized and has at least a first end. A nearby switching electromagnet, when energized, produces a switching magnetic field which is primarily perpendicular to the magnetization direction of the first magnet and exerts a magnetic torque on the first magnet to force the first magnet and said movable body to rotate and close an electrical conduction path at the first end. Changing the direction of the electrical current in the switching electromagnet changes the direction of the switching magnetic field and thus the direction of the magnetic torque on the first magnet, and causes the first magnet and said movable body to rotate in an opposite direction and opens the electrical conduction path at the first end. The first magnet can comprise multiple magnetic layers to form relatively closed magnetic circuits with other magnetic components. Latching and non-latching types of relays can be formed by appropriately using soft and permanent magnets as various components.
US08174340B2
A ceramic monoblock filter including a direct signal path defined by at least four spaced-apart through-hole resonators in combination with ground bars extending between the through-hole resonators and a separate quadruplet cross-coupling alternate signal path defined by two conductive pads located adjacent the first and fourth ones of the through-hole resonators respectively and a separate external bridge member which interconnects and couples the two pads. The bridge member is preferably made of a material having a lower dielectric constant than the block of the filter. In one embodiment, the filter is a monoblock duplexer filter comprising respective transmit and receive sections each including at least four of the through-hole resonators, the ground bars, the two pads, and the bridge member. In the duplexer embodiment, additional through-hole resonators may define shunt zeros.
US08174334B2
The invention relates to a method and a device for transmission through interconnections used for sending a plurality of electrical signals. An interconnection having 4 transmission conductors and a reference conductor cannot be modeled as a uniform multiconductor transmission line. Each end of the interconnection is connected to a termination circuit. The transmitting circuits receive at their inputs the signals from the 4 channels of the two sources, and are connected to the interconnection. A transmitting circuit in the activated state produces modal electrical variables, each modal electrical variable being allocated to one and only one channel. The receiving circuits are connected to the interconnection, each receiving circuit being such that the signals of the 4 channels of a source connected to a transmitting circuit in the activated state are sent to the four channels of the destinations, without noticeable echo and internal crosstalk.
US08174333B1
Various embodiments relate to a transmission circuit and related method of shaping the transmission spectrum of a carrier signal. The transmission circuit may comprise a plurality of switching amplifier stages that are controlled by a modulation sequence produced by a transmission (TX) modulator. The TX modulator may receive the transmission data as a sequence of bit groups and may produce a modulation sequence including a plurality of control bits that may drive each of the switching amplifier stages. In some embodiments, one or more pulse-shaping filters may modify in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) phase components of the transmission data. The modified components may directly shape spectral content of the output signal produced by a transmission driving circuit. Higher quantities of amplifier stages included in the transmission driving circuit may add higher granularity to the shape of the spectrum of the output signal.
US08174330B2
Aspects of a method and system for an energy efficient temperature sensing crystal integrated circuit (TSCIC) are provided. In this regard, one or more circuits in a temperature sensing crystal integrated circuit (TSCIC) may be configured to control power consumption of the TSCIC. The one or more circuits in the TSCIC may comprise a memory and a crystal. The one or more circuits in the TSCIC may be operable to generate an indication of temperature of the crystal. The one or more circuits in the TSCIC may be configured to control a current supplied to the crystal within the TSCIC, wherein the configuring is based on phase noise requirements of a signal generated by the crystal. Generation of the temperature indication may be enabled or disabled. The enabling or disabling may occur based on a rate of change of a temperature in the TSCIC.
US08174328B2
A dual-band wideband local oscillation signal generator includes an oscillation unit, a division unit, a poly phase filter (PPF), a switch unit, and a single side band (SSB) mixer. The oscillation unit is configured to generate a positive in-phase (IP) signal, a negative in-phase (IN) signal, a negative quadrature-phase (QN) signal, and a positive quadrature-phase (QP) signal. The division unit is configured to divide frequencies of the IP signal and the IN signal and generate an RF signal. The PPF is configured to receive the IP signal and the IN signals inputted to the division unit, and generate an LO IP signal, an LO IN signal, an LO QP signal, and an LO QN signal. The switch unit is configured to receive the generated LO signals and select a high band frequency signal or a low band frequency signal.
US08174326B1
In one embodiment, a cross zero best error selection system includes an error input interface, a most significant bit summation component and a multiplexer. The error input interface in coupled to a most significant bit summation component which in turn is coupled to a multiplexer. The error input interface receives a plurality of future error values. The most significant bit summation component sums most significant bits of said future error values. The multiplexer for selects error value based upon said summation of said most significant bits.
US08174319B2
An amplifier includes a first amplifier comprising an N-type field-effect transistor receiving a reference voltage at a gate, a P-type field-effect transistor connected between a drain of the N-type field-effect transistor and a power supply voltage line, and a constant current source connected between a source of the N-type field-effect transistor and a ground, to output a voltage from a connection of the drain of the N-type and P-type field-effect transistors; a second amplifier comprising a resistance and P-type field-effect transistors connected in series between the power supply voltage line and the ground to receive the voltage output from the first amplifier at their gate, and outputting a voltage from a connection of the P-type field-effect transistor and the resistance; and a switch between an output of the first amplifier and the power supply voltage line and comprising an N-type field-effect transistor receiving a reference voltage at a gate.
US08174307B1
An amplifier biasing circuit that reduces gain variation in short channel amplifiers, an amplifier biasing circuit that produces a constant Gm biasing signal for short channel amplifiers, and a multistage amplifier that advantageously incorporates embodiment of both types of amplifier biasing circuits are described. Both amplifier biasing circuit approaches use an operational amplifier to equalize internal bias circuit voltages. The constant Gm biasing circuit produces a Gm of 1/R, where R is the value of a trim resistor value. The biasing circuit that reduces gain variation produces a Gm of approximately 1/R, where R is the value of a trim resistor value, however, the biasing circuit is configurable to adjust the bias circuit Gm to mitigate the impact of a wide range of circuit specific characteristics and a wide range of changes in the operational environment in which the circuit can used, such as changes in temperature.
US08174296B2
A buffer circuit includes a first power source node receiving a first voltage, a second power source node receiving a second voltage lower than the first voltage, an output node driving the first and second voltage, a first transistor coupled between the first power source node and the output node, the first transistor being controlled by a first voltage swing, a second transistor coupled between the second power source node and the output node, the second transistor being controlled by a second voltage swing smaller than the first voltage swing and a switch circuit coupled between the output node and the second transistor, the switch circuit being controlled by a third voltage swing larger than the second voltage swing.
US08174288B2
An integrated circuit (IC) system includes a plurality of ICs configured in a stacked voltage domain arrangement such that a low side supply rail of at least one of ICs is common with a high side supply rail of at least another of the ICs; a reversible voltage converter coupled to power rails of each of the plurality of ICs, the reversible voltage converter configured for stabilizing individual voltage domains corresponding to each IC; and one or more data voltage level shifters configured to facilitate data communication between ICs operating in different voltage domains, wherein an input signal of a given logic state corresponding to one voltage in a first voltage domain is shifted to an output signal of the same logic state at another voltage in a second voltage domain.
US08174281B2
A method and a circuit for tracking maximum power of a photo-voltaic array performs the operation of load increase/decrease with a preset current difference and determines if the photo-voltaic array operates at zone A or zone B based on change of the output voltage before and after the operation to decide the next operation being for load increase or load decrease. It is not necessary for tracking the maximum power with the multiplier to estimate the output power of the photo-voltaic array. Therefore, the circuit for tracking the maximum power of the photo-voltaic array is capable of being simplified and joined to the pulse width modulation circuit to form an integrated circuit with a function of tracking the maximum power.
US08174280B2
A method of testing the display panel is provided. a display panel is provided, wherein the display panel has shorting bars and testing pads in a first peripheral area, and IC pads in a second peripheral area. A first stage test is performed to input a common voltage signal and a plurality of first stage test signals to the testing pads. A switching step is implemented to stop inputting the first stage test signals. A second stage test is carried out to input at least a second stage test signal to the IC pads.
US08174275B2
A storage battery inspecting system includes a power supply unit and an inspecting unit. The inspecting unit includes two inspecting terminals to be connected to a battery soldering spot so as to detect response of the soldering spot to application of a test power signal by the power supply unit, and a control module for determining if a detected response of the soldering spot falls within a predetermined range configured in the control module, generating an indication signal if the detected response falls outside the predetermined range, and generating an inspection result corresponding to the detected response. The inspecting unit further includes an indication interface for outputting the indication signal, a transmission interface permitting supply of the inspection result to a processing device, and a control interface permitting supply of a control signal generated by the control module to a peripheral device for controlling operation of the peripheral device based on the detected response.
US08174274B2
A nailer incorporates an integrated stud finder for sensing when a stud is present. The nailer has a work contact element and a magazine for storing nails. The stud finder includes a sensor plate coupled to the work contact element of a nailer and a stud sensing circuit coupled to the sensor plate. The stud sensing circuit is provided for reading a capacitance level and for determining whether the sensor plate is positioned adjacent a stud based upon the capacitance level that is read. The stud finder also includes at least one signaling device coupled to the sensor plate for signaling to a user when a stud is present. The sensor plate is coupled to a no mar tip that is tethered to the nailer. A storage post for storing the no mar tip is positioned on the magazine for storing the no mar tip when not in use.
US08174262B2
In some embodiments, apparatus and systems, as well as methods, may operate to acquire signature data representing a plurality of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) echo trains associated with a material comprising a first fluid and a second fluid, force a subset of the signature data associated with the first fluid or the second fluid to correspond to single-peak signatures in the T1 and/or T2 domains, and solve for the first fluid and second fluid saturation. The first fluid may include oil, gas, or water and the second fluid may include oil-based mud filtrate or water-based mud filtrate, among others.
US08174257B2
A wheel support bearing assembly for supporting a wheel, which assembly includes an outer member having rolling surfaces and serving as a stationary member; an inner member having rolling surfaces; a plurality of rows of rolling elements interposed between the respective rolling surfaces; a magnetic encoder fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the inner member at a location adjacent one end thereof; an annular sensor holder made of resin and fitted to the outer member through a core metal, the annular sensor holder having a built-in magnetic sensor with an axial gap intervening between it and the magnetic encoder; and a sealing unit arranged on an outer side axially outwardly of the encoder and the sensor for sealing a space between the sensor holder and the inner member. The magnetic encoder includes a plastic magnetic encoder having a plastic magnet defining a to-be-detected portion.
US08174256B2
One embodiment relates to a sensor. The sensor includes a first magnet having a first surface and a second magnet having a second surface. A differential sensing element extends alongside the first and second surfaces. The differential sensing element includes a first sensing element and a second sensing element. In addition, a layer of ferromagnetic or paramagnetic material runs between the first and second magnets and spaces the first and second magnets from one another. Other apparatuses and methods are also set forth.
US08174255B2
A hall effect system having a housing, an input element coupled to the housing, and a magnetic element coupled to the input element and configured to have a detectable magnetic flux. A sensing element is adjacent to the magnetic element. The sensing element is configured to sense the magnetic flux. A processing element is coupled to the sensing element and is configured to determine a position of the magnetic element relative to the sensing element by determining changes in and/or the orientation of the magnetic flux upon movement of the interface element by a user.
US08174254B2
A measuring device having a detector with at least one detector element and, connected downstream of the detector, a DC voltage amplifier with at least one input (and at least one output. The DC voltage amplifier provides at least one negative-feedback path, which extends from its at least one output to its at least one input, wherein at least one further detector element is disposed in the negative-feedback path.
US08174249B2
A voltage boosting/lowering circuit in accordance with present invention includes an output voltage generation circuit including a first switch element connected between an input terminal and one end of a choke coil and a second switch element connected between the other end of the choke coil and a ground terminal, the output voltage generation circuit being configured to boost or lower an input voltage input to the input terminal and thereby to generate an output voltage by switching the first and second switch elements between an On-state and an Off-state. Further, voltage boosting/lowering circuit includes a clock generation circuit that generates voltage-boosting and voltage-lowering clocks having different timings, and a switch control unit that performs switching control of the first and second switch elements based on the voltage-boosting and voltage-lowering clocks so that negative feedback control is performed so as to bring the output voltage to a target output voltage.
US08174248B2
Systems and methods for bit stuffing pulse width modulation are provided. Example embodiments of the systems and methods of bit stuffing pulse width modulation disclosed herein may allow for a significant reduction in the size of the bootstrap capacitor while giving up only a small percentage of output drive, and reduce die space. Included in such systems and methods is the ability to digitally detect inactivity on the PMW signals for a class D power amplifier, and to digitally insert small charge pulses at a fairly low repetition rate relative to the normal switching frequency. The low repetition rate may preserve the maximum output power while still allowing enough charge to transfer to the bootstrap capacitor.
US08174247B2
A method and an electrical circuit for DC-DC voltage conversion in a network comprising an input voltage terminal, an output voltage terminal, at least one first switch and at least one second switch, at least one input impedance, at least one load impedance and at least one transmission line with known impedance where the electrical circuit is characterized by that the impedance of the at least one transmission line is adapted to be mismatched to at least the load impedance and where at least one of the at least first switches is arranged in relation to the at least one transmission line to switch between open and closed positions for generating a pulse wave propagating in the at least one transmission line charging a load capacitance of the load impedance with electrical energy.
US08174238B2
A contact array arrangement which both receives charging current for charging batteries of a battery pack, and which also breaks the parallel charging contact position (contact configuration in which individual batteries of the battery pack are charged in parallel) then reestablishes series connection of the batteries when a charge electrode array is urged against the contact array arrangement and when the charge electrode array is removed. A cover covering the contact array may be connected by throughbolts to a support supporting series connection contacts such that depressing the cover by imposing a downward force (e.g., the weight of a charge electrode array), moves the series connection contacts out of contact with those contacts receiving charge current. Springs return the series connection contacts to the series condition. Charge conductors fixed to the contact array pass through or by the series connection such that a very compact device results.
US08174234B2
Inductively coupled battery charging systems and methods are provided. Transmit circuitry can include a transmit coil operatively part of a transmit resonant circuit that exhibits resonance at a transmit resonant frequency and an unloaded Q value of at least about 20. Transmit coil can generate a magnetic field at about the transmit resonant frequency. Rechargeable battery assembly can include a receive coil configured to receive inductively coupled current, and circuitry configured to rectify the current and communicate charging power to a storage cell. Receive coil can be part of a receive resonant circuit that exhibits resonance at about the transmit resonant frequency. Transmit circuitry can be configured to detect the rechargeable battery assembly by monitoring a load on the transmit coil.
US08174221B2
To provide a motor control apparatus that uses an inverter to drive an AC motor and hybrid automotive control apparatus adapted to drive an AC motor by use of an inverter while reducing torque pulsations during switching from PWM driving to rectangular-wave driving. The motor control apparatus 100 has a PWM driving mode in which to input a PWM signal to the inverter 8 and perform PWM driving of the AC motor 4, and a rectangular-wave driving mode in which to input a rectangular-wave signal to the inverter 8 and perform rectangular-wave driving of the AC motor 4. For switching from the PWM driving mode to the rectangular-wave driving mode, a driving-pulse switching block 140 performs the switching process within a maximum pulse-width range of high-level or low-level pulses developed in the PWM driving mode.
US08174210B2
An illumination system (10), comprising:—four lamps (12A, 12B, 12C, 12D);—four lamp drivers (13A, 13B, 13C, 13D) capable of driving their corresponding lamps with respective dim factors (ξ1, ξ2, ξ3, ξ4);—a common controller (15) for controlling the dim factors of the respective lamps. The controller is responsive to an input signal indicating a target color point (T) having target chromaticity coordinates (xT, yT) and target brightness (BT). The controller sets the dim factor (ξ4) of one lamp to be equal to 1, and calculates an optimum solution for the other three dim factors as a function of the target chromaticity coordinates (xT, yT), for the maximum allowed value of the luminance (YMAX) for which 0≦ξ≦1 applies for each of said dim factors (ξ1S, ξ2S, ξ3S).
US08174208B2
The present invention relates to a driver for driving a gas discharge lamp. In use, the tips of a conventional lamp's electrodes are subject to tip growth and tip destruction, resulting in decreased or increased arc length, respectively. This has an undesirable effect on the light output of the lamp. The driver of the present invention includes a controller for controlling a current source to the electrodes of the lamp whereby parameters of the current are varied in such a way that tip growth and tip destruction are alternated. As a result, arc length variations stay within certain limits over the lifetime of the lamp.
US08174207B2
A device for driving a backlight assembly includes a controller for outputting a control signal, a switching unit for outputting a DC square wave voltage in response to the control signal, an inverter for converting the DC square wave voltage into an AC voltage and a lamp for emitting light in response to the AC voltage, the lamp includes first and second glass tube portions having respective one ends bent and connected integrally to each other, first and second electrodes respectively formed at respective other ends of the first and second glass tube portions and a third electrode formed at the bent portion of the first and second glass tube portions, wherein electrical characteristics of the lamp are detected through the third electrode, wherein the electrical characteristics include voltage, current and impedance of the lamp.
US08174204B2
A light emitting diode (LED) lighting system includes a power factor correction (PFC) controller that determines at least one power factor correction control parameter from phase delays of a phase modulated signal. In at least one embodiment, a peak voltage of the phase modulated signal is a PFC control parameter used bit the PFC controller to control power factor correction and generation of a link voltage by a PFC LED driver circuit. The phase delays are related to a peak voltage of the phase modulated signal. Thus, in at least one embodiment, detecting the phase delay in one or more cycles of the phase modulated signal allows the PFC controller to determine the peak voltage of the phase modulated signal.
US08174197B2
A light source with substantially constant intensity and power consumption is provided. The light source includes a controllable dc voltage and current source; a non-linear light-emitting load supplied with dc voltage and current from the controllable dc voltage and current source; a current sense circuit connected in series with the non-linear light-emitting load; a variable LED forward voltage (varying with temperature, binning batch, aging) sensor circuit; a multiplier operative to measure a power-representative signal; and a power consumption control feedback circuit through which the dc voltage and current source is controlled in relation to the variable forward voltage representative signal to adjust the dc voltage and then a current to amplitudes that keep the light intensity and power consumption produced by the light source substantially constant.
US08174189B2
A white Light Emitting Diode (LED) device that enables the adjustment of a Correlated Color temperature to realize emotional illumination is provided. The white LED device includes a package body for accommodating a plurality of light source units; a first light source unit accommodated in the package body, configured to have one or more first LED chips and a first phosphor, and configured to emit white light having a first Correlated Color Temperature (CCT); a second light source unit accommodated in the package body, configured to have one or more second LED chips and a second phosphor, and configured to emit white light having a second CCT; and a current control unit for varying current, to be supplied to at least one of the first and second LED chips, so as to adjust the first and second CCTs.
US08174188B2
Provided is an electro-luminescent device (ELD) including a metal-insulator transition (MIT) layer. The ELD includes: a substrate; a EL phosphor layer positioned on the substrate and comprising luminescent center ions generating light; the MIT layer disposed on a surface of the EL phosphor layer and being abruptly changed from an insulator to a metal according to a variation of a voltage; a first insulator adhered to the MIT layer to distribute a voltage applied from an external source; and a second insulator disposed on the other side of the EL phosphor layer.
US08174183B2
A mother substrate is provided including organic light emitting displays. The organic light emitting displays have a pad unit formed at one side. First and second wiring line groups extend in first and second directions, respectively, on the organic light emitting displays. The first and second wiring line groups are coupled to each pad unit. Intersection parts between the first and second wiring line groups are within scribing lines of each of the organic light emitting displays in which the first and second wiring line groups intersect. Partial regions of the second wiring line group excluding the intersection parts are within scribing lines of an adjacent one of each of the organic light emitting displays. Via holes are located through a protecting layer to expose the first and second wiring line groups where the first and second wiring line groups couple to the pad unit.
US08174182B2
A method for selecting two different light-emitting materials for use in an OLED device, each of which produces different color light, which combine to produce white light. Each light emitting material has its own point on a chromaticity diagram, and the light-emitting materials are selected such that, when a line is drawn between the first point and the second point, it passes through a desired white area defined on a chromaticity diagram.
US08174172B2
A piezoelectric resonator device comprises a piezoelectric resonator plate, a base for holding the piezoelectric resonator plate, a lid for hermetically enclosing the piezoelectric resonator plate held on the base, and a support member made of a brittle material for reducing external stress to the piezoelectric resonator plate. The piezoelectric resonator plate is held on the base via a support member. In this case, the base, the piezoelectric resonator plate, and the support member are bonded with each other using a base bonding member and a piezoelectric resonator plate bonding member (connection bumps) by FCB using ultrasonic waves. The base is electrically and mechanically bonded with the support member via the base bonding member in a plurality of areas of the support member using ultrasonic waves. Also, the piezoelectric resonator plate is electrically and mechanically bonded with the support member via the piezoelectric resonator plate bonding member in an area of the piezoelectric resonator plate using ultrasonic waves.
US08174170B1
Mechanical resonating structures and related methods are described. The mechanical resonating structures may provide improved efficiency over conventional resonating structures. Some of the structures have lengths and widths and are designed to vibrate in a direction approximately parallel to either the length or width. They may have boundaries bounding the length and width dimensions, which may substantially align with nodes or anti-nodes of vibration.
US08174168B2
A piezoelectric power generating device includes a power generating element and a package member. The power generating element includes a plate-like piezoelectric element and a metal plate. The piezoelectric element has a pair of principal surfaces opposite each other. The metal plate is bonded to one of the principal surfaces of the piezoelectric element. The package member has a supporting part and a restricting part. The supporting part supports an end of the power generating element in a cantilevered manner. The restricting part is disposed opposite the piezoelectric element with the metal plate interposed therebetween. The restricting part restricts displacement of the power generating element toward the outside of the metal plate.
US08174159B2
An electrical motor or generator asymmetrical armature winding configuration generating a multi-phase balanced power output. Each winding group for each pole, and the conductors constituting each winding group, are chosen individually according to their magnetomotive force (MMF) vector relationship to provide a balanced power output even though the individual windings may not be balanced or symmetrical.
US08174158B2
In general, the various embodiments are directed to a permanent magnet machine (“PM machine”), and more specifically an internal permanent magnet machine (“IPM machine”) that includes rotor magnets configured asymmetrically with respect to the rotor periphery, thereby producing an averaging effect similar to that achieved through traditional skewing of the rotor magnets. In alternate embodiments, the span, placement and/or shape of the magnets may vary from one pole to the next.
US08174156B2
A rotating electrical machine includes: a rotor comprising a rotor core and a field winding wound round the rotor core; and a stator comprising a stator core and a stator winding wound round the stator core. The stator is arranged in opposition to the rotor with a predetermined spacing therebetween. the stator core is formed by punching a split piece, which comprises teeth for insertion of the stator winding thereinto and a core back on an outer periphery thereof, from a magnetic steel sheet, and laminating a plurality of those circular configurations in an axial direction, in which a plurality of the split pieces are arranged in a circle in a circumferential direction. The stator core has magnetic steel sheets, which are different in magnetic permeability in a diametrical direction, laminated at an axial end region of and in an axial central region of the stator core.
US08174155B2
The present invention relates to a stepping motor with a magnet pole pattern having a predetermined pattern around the circumference of the stepping motor. In one embodiment, the pattern relates to a code having a unique single maximum autocorrelation peak over the period of the code. Example codes include Barker codes, PN codes, Kasami codes, Golomb ruler codes, and other codes. In one embodiment, the rotor and stator have a matching pole pattern. In one embodiment, the drive is arranged to align the poles in an inline configuration, alternatively, the drive may be arranged to align the poles in a diagonal configuration. In a further embodiment, one or more sets of poles are provided on the stator, each set being offset rotationally by a partial pole spacing. In one embodiment, the rotor is initially synchronized with the stator by capturing the rotor using a single unambiguous lock-in position based on the code autocorrelation.
US08174153B2
A communication interface, between a control unit and a high voltage unit, includes a serial communication link between the control unit and the high voltage unit. The interface includes a signal transformer arranged as an isolation barrier between the control unit and the high voltage unit to ensure personal safety.
US08174147B2
An electrical power supplying device for supplying electrical power to a group of electrical appliances located in an environment. The electrical power supplying device includes a base housing portion having a bottom surface and a 3D interior volume. A power-ring subassembly is supported within the base housing portion, has a central aperture defining the boundaries of the 3D interior volume, and is adapted for supporting a plurality of electrical receptacles and one or more electronic circuits, which are electrically connected to a power supply cord. A power-ring housing portion covers the power-ring subassembly and has a set of plug apertures, aligned with the electrical receptacles, and allows appliance power plugs associated with the electrical appliances to plug into the electrical receptacles. A power cord portal allows a group of electrical power cords associated with the group of electrical appliances to enter/exit the 3D interior volume in a bundled manner. A cover housing portion is provided and adapted to cover the central aperture of the power-ring subassembly, and conceal appliance power plugs plugged into the electrical receptacles and appliance power cords associated with the electrical appliances. A centrally-located structure is supported on the bottom base, has a hollow interior volume, and projects through the central aperture. An uninterrupted power supply (UPS) unit is provided, having a battery component mounted within the hollow interior volume of the centralized structure, which is capable of supplying conditioned electrical power to the electrical appliances when power interruptions occur along the power supply cord plugged into the standard power receptacle.
US08174143B2
A control device of a wind turbine generator capable of controlling an active power based on an instruction value, includes a measurement means configured to measure a frequency of a utility grid. The instruction value for controlling the active power is generated to a direction suppressing a variation of the frequency of the utility grid based on conversion information which indicates a predetermined relation between the variation of the frequency and the instruction value when the variation of the frequency of the utility grid measured by the measurement means exceeds a predetermined standard. A wind turbine generator which controls suppression of a disturbance of a grid in its initial stage is realized.
US08174129B2
A silicon-based thin package substrate is used for packaging semiconductor chips. The silicon-based thin package substrate preferably has a thickness of less than about 200 μm. A plurality of traces are formed in the silicon-based thin package substrate, connecting BGA balls and solder bumps. A semiconductor chip may be mounted on the solder bumps. The silicon-based thin package substrate may be used as a carrier of semiconductor chips.
US08174116B2
Provided are a spacer capable of avoiding a poor connection due to the suction of solder when the clearance width between a soldered semiconductor device and a printed circuit board is made constant, and a manufacturing method for the spacer. The spacer includes an electrically insulating base member, and at least one solder guiding terminal. The base member has a bottom face, a top face and at least one side face, of which the bottom face and the top face are out of contact with each other whereas the side face contacts one or both the bottom face and the top face. The solder guiding terminal covers the bottom face partially, the top face partially, and the side face partially or wholly. A solder guiding face as the surface of a portion of the solder guiding terminal covering the side face is not normal to the bottom face.
US08174100B2
A light source is described herein. An embodiment of the light source comprises a mounting surface and a first lead frame. The first lead frame extends from the mounting surface. The first lead frame comprises a first portion extending from the mounting surface; a cup portion having a cup portion first side and a cup portion second side, the cup portion first side configured to receive a light-emitting diode, the cup portion second side being located opposite the cup portion first side; and a second portion extending between the first portion and the cup portion second side.
US08174096B2
A stamped leadframe for a leadless package and a method of manufacturing the same are provided wherein the leadframe has at least a die pad, a frame, tie bars connecting the die pad to the frame and a plurality of leads. Each lead comprises a first portion and a second portion, and the second portion is connected substantially parallel to and displaced relative to the first portion by a distance that is less than the thickness of the first portion. Portions of the tie-bars and/or die pad may be similarly displaced.
US08174095B2
A semiconductor device includes an insulator layer, and an n-channel MIS transistor having an n channel and a pMIS transistor having a p channel which are formed on the insulator layer, wherein the n channel of the n-channel MIS transistor is formed of an Si layer having a uniaxial tensile strain in a channel length direction, the p channel of the p-channel MIS transistor is formed of an SiGe or Ge layer having a uniaxial compressive strain in the channel length direction, and the channel length direction of each of the n-channel MIS transistor and the p-channel MIS transistor is a <110> direction.
US08174093B2
A multichip semiconductor device is disclosed in which chips are stacked each of which comprises a semiconductor substrate formed on top with circuit components and an interlayer insulating film formed on the top of the semiconductor substrate. At least one of the chips has a connect plug of a metal formed in a through hole that passes through the semiconductor substrate and the interlayer insulating film. The chip with the connect plug is electrically connected with another chip by that connect plug.
US08174092B2
A semiconductor device, includes a semiconductor device, a wiring layer provided on the semiconductor substrate, a high frequency wiring provided in the wiring layer, and plural dummy metals provided in the wiring layer apart from the high frequency wiring, wherein the wiring layer in plan view includes a high frequency wiring vicinity region and an external region surrounding the high frequency wiring vicinity region, wherein the high frequency wiring vicinity region includes a first region enclosed by an outer edge of the high frequency wiring, and a second region surrounding the first region, wherein the plural dummy metals are disposed dispersedly in the high frequency wiring vicinity region and in the external region respectively, and wherein an average interval between the dummy metals in the high frequency wiring vicinity region is wider than that in the external region.
US08174088B2
Storage capacitors Ctd and Cts are provided alternately side by side sequentially in a row direction. Each of the storage capacitors Ctd and Cts has an electrode layer 21 constituting a signal electrode and an upper side electrode layer 23 and a lower side electrode layer 28 constituting a fixed potential electrode. The signal electrodes of the respective storage capacitors Ctd and Cts are electrically independent of each other. The fixed potential electrodes of the respective storage capacitors Ctd and Cts are electrically connected to each other and connected to the ground etc. Contact holes 26a and 26b that connect the electrode layers 23 and 28 are provided between the electrode layers 21 of the neighboring storage capacitors Ctd and Cts so as to occupy 52% or more of the opposed area of the second electrode sections of two neighboring storage capacitors.
US08174080B2
A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, an nMISFET formed on the substrate, the nMISFET including a first dielectric formed on the substrate and a first metal gate electrode formed on the first dielectric and formed of one metal element selected from Ti, Zr, Hf, Ta, Sc, Y, a lanthanoide and actinide series and of one selected from boride, silicide and germanide compounds of the one metal element, and a pMISFET formed on the substrate, the pMISFET including a second dielectric formed on the substrate and a second metal gate electrode formed on the second dielectric and made of the same material as that of the first metal gate electrode, at least a portion of the second dielectric facing the second metal gate electrode being made of an insulating material different from that of at least a portion of the first dielectric facing the first metal gate electrode.
US08174064B2
A semiconductor device includes a conductive pattern formed on the substrate; an interlayer dielectric layer formed on the conductive pattern; a contact plug connected to the conductive pattern extending through the interlayer dielectric layer; a semiconductor layer and an insulating layer sequentially formed on the interlayer dielectric layer; an electrode pattern formed on the insulating layer; and a capping insulating layer pattern covering upper portions of neighboring electrode patterns with the contact plug. An additional process is not needed to define an active region. An active region apart from the gate patter is not needed. A storage electrode contact line does not need to be formed. A height of a landing plug is reduced to reduce the landing plug resistance. A junction region does not need to be formed.
US08174060B2
A method of selectively forming a spacer on a first class of transistors and devices formed by such methods. The method can include depositing a conformal first deposition layer on a substrate with different classes of transistors situated thereon, depositing a blocking layer to at least one class of transistors, dry etching the first deposition layer, removing the blocking layer, depositing a conformal second deposition layer on the substrate, dry etching the second deposition layer and wet etching the remaining first deposition layer. Devices may include transistors of a first class with larger spacers compared to spacers of transistors of a second class.
US08174056B2
A micro-electro mechanical system (MEMS) is disclosed, which comprises a substrate; at least one transistor formed on the substrate and electrically connected with a contact plug; at least one MEMS device; and a local interconnection line at the same level of the contact plug, through which the MEMS device is coupled to the transistor.
US08174055B2
Gate spacers are formed in FinFETS having a bottom portion of a first material extending to the height of the fins, and a top portion of a second material extending above the fins. An embodiment includes forming a fin structure on a substrate, the fin structure having a height and having a top surface and side surfaces, forming a gate substantially perpendicular to the fin structure over a portion of the top and side surfaces, for example over a center portion, forming a planarizing layer over the gate, the fin structure, and the substrate, removing the planarizing layer from the substrate, gate, and fin structure down to the height of the fin structure, and forming spacers on the fin structure and on the planarizing layer, adjacent the gate.
US08174052B2
A standard cell library includes a first power rail, a second power rail, a third power rail, a first standard cell, and second standard cells. The first power rail extends in a first direction. The second power rail extends in the first direction, and is spaced apart from the first power rail by a predetermined spacing in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The third power rail extends in the first direction between the first power rail and the second power rail. The first standard cell has at least one cell having a first cell height, and is arranged between the first power rail and the second power rail. The second standard cells have at least two cells, each having a second cell height, that are in contact with each other in the second direction, and are in contact with the first standard cell in the first direction.
US08174047B2
To improve the performance of a protection circuit including a diode formed using a semiconductor film. A protection circuit is inserted between two input/output terminals. The protection circuit includes a diode which is formed over an insulating surface and is formed using a semiconductor film. Contact holes for connecting an n-type impurity region and a p-type impurity region of the diode to a first conductive film in the protection circuit are distributed over the entire impurity regions. Further, contact holes for connecting the first conductive film and a second conductive film in the protection circuit are dispersively formed over the semiconductor film. By forming the contact holes in this manner wiring resistance between the diode and a terminal can be reduced and the entire semiconductor film of the diode can be effectively serve as a rectifier element.
US08174042B2
The method of growing non-polar epitaxial heterostructures for light-emitting diodes producing white emission and lasers, on the basis of compounds and alloys in AlGaInN system, comprising the step of vapor-phase deposition of one or multiple heterostructures layers described by the formula AlxGa1-xN (0
US08174039B2
The invention discloses a light-emitting diode including a substrate, a main stack structure, a plurality of secondary pillars, a transparent insulating material, a transparent conducting layer, a first electrode and a second electrode. The pillars are formed on the substrate and surrounding the main stack structure. The main stack structure and each of the pillars has a first conducting-type semiconductor layer, a luminescing layer, and a second conducting-type semiconductor layer formed on the substrate in sequence. The transparent insulating material fills the gaps between the pillars and is as high as the pillars. The transparent conducting layer is coated on the main stack, the pillars and the transparent insulating material. The first electrode is formed on the transparent conducting layer and second electrode is formed on the first conducting-type semiconductor layer.
US08174036B2
The invention relates to a lighting device comprising a light source (1) that emits incoherent light with a total radiation power P and has a radiation-emitting area (S) divided into a plurality of subareas (Si), wherein assigned to each subarea (Si) is a light ray (2) having a radiation power Pi and the sum of the radiation powers Pi is equal to the total radiation power P, and disposed after said light source (1) is an optical element (4) having a decoupling surface (5) and a total reflection angle (θc) assigned to said decoupling surface (5), said decoupling surface (5) being shaped so that at least for a portion of said light rays (2) the angle (α) of incidence on said decoupling surface (5) is smaller than the total reflection angle (θc), and the radiation power of said light rays collectively is greater than a predetermined fraction, equal to at least 50%, of the total radiation power P.
US08174026B2
A light emitting device and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. The light emitting device comprises a first conductive type lower semiconductor layer, a current diffusion layer, a first conductive type upper semiconductor layer, an active layer, and a second conductive type semiconductor layer. The current diffusion layer is formed on the first conductive type lower semiconductor layer. The first conductive type upper semiconductor layer is formed on the current diffusion layer. The active layer is formed on the first conductive type upper semiconductor layer. The second conductive type semiconductor layer is formed on the active layer.
US08174023B2
A method of fabricating a memory cell includes following steps. First, a substrate is provided, and a control gate is formed on the substrate. Then, a dielectric layer is formed to cover the control gate and the substrate. Afterward, an α-SiGe layer is formed on the dielectric layer. After that, a laser annealing process is performed to oxidize the α-SiGe layer into a silicon oxide layer, so as to separate out Ge atoms from the α-SiGe layer to form a Ge quantum dot layer between the silicon oxide layer and the dielectric layer. A poly-Si island is then formed on the silicon oxide layer, wherein the poly-Si island includes a source doped region, a drain doped region, and a channel region located therebetween.
US08174018B2
A display device including a first gate line and a second gate line that extend in parallel with each other, a data line crossing the first and second gate lines to form a pixel region, a pixel electrode in the pixel region and including a main pixel electrode and a sub pixel electrode, which are connected to the first gate line and the data line, a control thin film transistor connected to the second gate line and the sub pixel electrode, and a gate driver. The gate driver outputs a first gate signal to the first gate line and a second gate signal to the second gate line. The first gate signal activates the first gate line during a first time and a second time following the first time, and the second gate signal activates the second gate line during the first time but not the second time.
US08174015B2
A display device includes a lower panel including a lower substrate and a pixel transistor formed on the lower substrate; and an upper panel facing the lower panel, and including an upper substrate, a sensing transistor formed on the upper substrate, and a readout transistor connected to the sensing transistor and transmitting a signal. The readout transistor includes a first lower gate electrode formed on the upper substrate, a first semiconductor layer formed on the first lower gate electrode and overlaps the first gate electrode, and a first source electrode and a first drain electrode disposed on the first semiconductor layer. The sensing transistor includes a light blocking film disposed on the upper substrate, a second lower gate electrode contacting the light blocking film on the light blocking film, a second semiconductor layer overlapping the light blocking film on the second lower gate electrode, a second source electrode and a second drain electrode formed on the second semiconductor layer, and a second upper gate electrode overlapping the second semiconductor layer on the second source electrode and the second drain electrode.
US08174010B2
A unified test structure which is applicable for all levels of a semiconductor device including a current path chain having a first half chain and a second half chain, wherein each half chain comprises lower metallization segments, upper metallization segments, an insulating layer between the lower metallization segments and the upper metallization segments, and connection segments. Each of the connection segments is electrically connected to a contact region of one of the lower metallization segments and to a contact region of one of the upper metallization segments to thereby electrically connect the respective lower metallization segment and the respective upper metallization segment, and the first half chain and the second half chain are of different configuration.
US08173995B2
An electronic device can include an organic active layer and an electrode. In one aspect, the electrode can further include a first layer that is conductive, and a second layer that is conductive. The second layer can include a defect extending at least partly through a thickness of the second conductive layer. The electrode can also include a third layer lying within and substantially filling the defect, wherein each of the second and third layers includes a same metallic element.In another aspect, a process for forming an electronic device can include forming an organic active layer and forming a first layer that is conductive and is part of an electrode. The process can also include forming a second layer and exposing the second layer to a first plasma to form a first compound from the second layer.
US08173991B2
An optoelectronic semiconductor chip is specified, which has an active zone (20) containing a multi quantum well structure provided for generating electromagnetic radiation, which comprises a plurality of successive quantum well layers (210, 220, 230). The multi quantum well structure comprises at least one first quantum well layer (210), which is n-conductively doped and which is arranged between two n-conductively doped barrier layers (250) adjoining the first quantum well layer. It comprises a second quantum well layer (220), which is undoped and is arranged between two barrier layers (250, 260) adjoining the second quantum well layer, of which one is n-conductively doped and the other is undoped. In addition, the multi quantum well structure comprises at least one third quantum well layer (230), which is undoped and which is arranged between two undoped barrier layers (260) adjoining the third quantum well layer.
US08173990B2
An array includes a transistor comprising a first terminal, a second terminal and a third terminal; a first contact plug connected to the first terminal of the transistor; a second contact plug connected to the first terminal of the transistor; a first resistive memory cell having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is connected to the first contact plug; and a second resistive memory cell having a third end and a fourth end, wherein the third end is connected to the second contact plug.
US08173988B2
Memory cells for reduced power consumption and methods for forming the same are provided. A memory cell has a layer of phase change material. A first portion of the phase change material layer includes the programmable volume of the memory cell and its crystalline state has a higher resistivity than that of the crystalline state of a second portion of the phase change material layer.
US08173983B1
This invention describes a system for generating multiple simultaneous tunable electron and photon beams and monochromatic x-rays for all field simultaneous radiation therapy (AFSRT), tumor specific AFSRT and screening for concealed elements worn on to the body or contained in a container. Inverse Compton scattering renders variable energy spent electron and tunable monochromatic x-rays. It's spent electron beam is reused for radiation with electron beam or to generate photon beam. Tumor specific radiation with Auger transformation radiation is facilitated by exposing high affinity tumor bound heavy elements with external monochromatic x-rays. Heavy elements like directly iodinated steroid molecule that has high affinity binding to estrogen receptor in breast cancer and to iodinated testosterone in prostate cancer or with directly implanted nanoparticles into the tumor are exposed with tuned external monochromatic x-rays for tumor specific radiation therapy. Likewise, screening element's atom's k, l, m, n shell specific Auger transformation radiation generated by its exposure to external monochromatic x-rays is used to screen for concealed objects. Multiple beam segments from a beam storage ring or from octagonal beam lines are simultaneously switched on for simultaneous radiation with multiple beams. The beam on time to expose a tumor or an object is only a few seconds. It also facilitates breathing synchronized radiation therapy. The intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and intensity modulated screening for concealed objects (IMSFCO) is rendered by varying beam intensities of multiple simultaneous beams. The isocentric additive high dose rate from simultaneously converging multiple beams, the concomitant hyperthermia and chemotherapy and tumor specific radiation therapy and the AFSRT's very low radiation to the normal tissue all are used to treat a tumor with lower radiation dose and to treat a radioresistant and multiple times recurrent tumors that heave no other alternative treatments.
US08173964B2
A device for non-destructive testing of a component by analyzing radiation dissipation when the component is stressed by mechanical stresses. The device includes measuring means for determining a surface radiation field of the component. The measuring means are integrated in a flexible housing for covering a region of the surface of the component to be tested. The device enables an initial crack upon stress concentration on a surface of the component and the presence of a crack upon propagation of the crack to be detected. The disclosed embodiments are useful for non-destructive testing of aircraft components, but may be used in all industrial sectors where testing the integrity of components is important, such as the automotive, railway, marine and nuclear industries.
US08173963B2
A phase-shifting element for shifting a phase of at least a portion of a particle beam is described, as well as a particle beam device having a phase-shifting element of this type. In the phase-shifting element and the particle beam device having a phase-shifting element, components shadowing the particle beam are avoided, so that proper information content is achieved and in which the phase contrast is essentially spatial frequency-independent. The phase-shifting element may have at least one means for generating a non-homogeneous or anisotropic potential. The particle beam device according to the system described herein may be provided with the phase-shifting element.
US08173958B2
In a conventional mass spectrometer in which a pipe to be electrically heated is provided between a separation wall separating an ionization chamber for ionizing a sample and a separation wall separating an analysis chamber, and an ion in the ionization chamber is introduced through the pipe to the analysis chamber, the pipe is attached or detached by screwing or unscrewing a connector portion of an electrode connected to the pipe and a connector portion of a support disposed at the separation wall. However, with this structure, the screw needs to be loosened until it is completely unscrewed every time it is washed or exchanged, and thus the operability is deteriorated. According to the present invention, a screw hole for screwing the electrode connector portion is in the form of a cut-out portion facing in the direction of rotation centering on an axis of the pipe. Accordingly, the pipe can be attached or detached by only loosening the screw without completely unscrewing it.
US08173957B2
The methods described herein generally relate to characterization of large analytes, such as biomolecules, by molecular mass analysis. Specifically, the methods are directed to molecular mass analysis of singly- or multiply-charged ions by selective ion filtering carried out by a digital thresholding process.
US08173953B2
Systems and methods for stabilizing the gain of a gamma-ray spectroscopy system are provided. In accordance with one embodiment, a method of stabilizing the gain of a gamma-ray spectroscopy system may include generating light corresponding to gamma-rays detected from a geological formation using a scintillator having a natural radioactivity, generating an electrical signal corresponding to the light, and stabilizing the gain of the electrical signal based on the natural radioactivity of the scintillator. The scintillator may contain, for example, naturally radioactive elements such as Lutetium or Lanthanum.
US08173930B2
An apparatus for cutting a substrate includes a laser oscillator generating a femtosecond laser beam, a first beam splitter splitting the femtosecond laser beam into first and second femtosecond laser beams, a first condenser lens receiving the first femtosecond laser beam and condensing the first femtosecond laser beam to have a first focal depth, a second condenser lens receiving the second femtosecond laser beam, and condensing the second femtosecond laser beam to have a second focal depth different from the first focal depth, and a second beam splitter receiving and splitting the first femtosecond laser beam condensed through the first condenser lens and the second femtosecond laser beam condensed through the second condenser lens, and irradiating the split first and second femtosecond laser beams at different positions on a substrate to be cut.
US08173929B1
Various embodiments of the invention include methods and systems for trimming electronic circuits using short laser pulses of near-infrared wavelength at a high repetition rate. The laser pulses ablate material from a spot on a circuit with minimal thermal and photoelectric disturbances to circuit performance. Minimal disturbance to circuit performance allows for repeated trimming and testing without pausing for circuit reinitialization. To optimize trimming, the laser pulses can also be adjusted responsive to the composition of the material ablated. In some embodiments, the system is configured to trim a plurality of circuits in parallel.
US08173918B2
A pressure switch (100) having a housing (101) and a connector (106) coupled to the housing (101) is provided. The housing (101) comprises a first chamber (212) and a second chamber (213). The first and second chambers (212, 213) are separated by an integrated diaphragm (102). The integrated diaphragm (102) has a first side (210) and a second side (211). The integrated diaphragm (102) flexes in response to a pre-determined pressure acting on the second side (211). A first bushing (103) is inserted into the first chamber (212) of the housing (101) and coupled to the first side of the integrated diaphragm (102). The connector (106) comprises one or more electrical contact members (219) and at least one switch (105), the at least one switch (105) communicates with the first side (210) of the integrated diaphragm (102).
US08173915B2
An ignition key switch apparatus having a compact size, high current capability, and a snap action mechanism. A pre-loaded snap spring can be configured to include a fixed end attached to an anchor and a free end attached to a movable contact operable between normal and actuated positions. A cam can be utilized to convert a rotary motion at a key interface into a linear movement of a plunger for snap spring blade actuation. The unique pre-loaded snap spring generates a fast (e.g., instantaneous) movement from an open to a closed position and vice versa upon application/removal of a load to reduce the effect of arcing on associated contacts and conductors. The pre-loaded snap spring also ensures that the movable contact does not remain in any intermittent position, other than the two extreme positions given at any position of the plunger.
US08173906B2
According to one embodiment of the disclosure, an environmental protection coating comprises a circuit assembly having a first protective dielectric layer and a second dielectric layer. The circuit assembly has an outer surface on which a plurality of discrete electrical components are attached. The first protective dielectric layer overlays the circuit assembly. The second dielectric layer overlays the first protective dielectric layer and is made of a dielectric material having modulus of elasticity less than 3.5 Giga-Pascal (GPa), dielectric constant less than 2.7, dielectric loss less than 0.008, breakdown voltage strength in excess of 2 million volts/centimeter (MV/cm), temperature stability to 300° Celsius, defect densities less than 0.5/centimeter, pinhole free in films greater than 50 Angstroms, capable of being deposited conformally over and under 3D structures with thickness uniformity less than or equal to 10%.
US08173903B2
The invention relates to a device for a yarn cable track (6) including longitudinal warp yarns (8) and transverse weft yarns (10), that includes a base (2) with a mounting surface (16) on the cable track as well as an attachment means (4; 34, 38, 38′). The device further includes: at least one trough-shaped longitudinal housing (18) for receiving a first yarn of the cable track and formed in the mounting surface (16); at least one bearing surface (20) made as an undercut relative to the mounting surface (16), said surface extending perpendicularly to the longitudinal housing (18) and parallel to the bottom (22) of the longitudinal housing (18) at an intermediate level between the bottom (22) of said housing (18) and the mounting surface (16); and at least one transverse cut-out (24) corresponding to each intersection between a longitudinal housing and a bearing surface, said cut-out (24) extending from one edge of the mounting surface (16) to a longitudinal housing (18).
US08173901B2
A multifilament superconductor (1) has a core area (2), several superconductor filaments (7) and reinforcement filaments (6). The superconductor filaments (7) and the reinforcement filaments (6) are arranged, so that they have a regular two-dimensional matrix (5) in the cross-section of core area (2). The reinforcement filaments (6) consist of tantalum or a tantalum alloy, and the superconductor filaments (7) each have a core (8), made from a powder metallurgically produced superconductor, which is enclosed by an inner shell (9), made of a non-superconducting metal or a non-superconducting alloy. The core area (2) is enclosed by an outer shell (3), made of a non-superconducting metal or a non-superconducting alloy.
US08173900B2
Dry coaxial cable resistant to water penetration, made of a core conductor, a dielectric element based on three layers of polymers, and an external conductor and an extruded cover, characterized because it has swellable protecting elements against water penetration placed between the external conductor and the protective cover.
US08173894B2
A method and a device for converting energy uses chemical reactions in close proximity to or on a surface to convert a substantial fraction of the available chemical energy of the shorter lived energized products, such as vibrationally excited chemicals and hot electrons, directly into a useful form, such as longer lived charge carriers in a semiconductor. The carriers store the excitation energy in a form that may be converted into other useful forms, such as electricity, nearly monochromatic electromagnetic radiation or carriers for stimulating other surface reactions.
US08173893B2
An electronic device case (10) for storing and protecting a portable electronic device (108). The case (10) has two design configurations. The first configuration comprises a device cover (12) with a first section (14) and a second section (30). The two sections (12,14) interface at a living hinge (46). The electronic device (108) is placed within the first section (14), which can be folded onto the second section (30) during travel or storage. The second configuration comprises a single, unitary device cover (70) into which the electronic device (108) is placed. Both configurations include a keyboard (110) that is located within a keyboard cavity (52 or 88), a first pocket (54 or 90) that holds a USB cable (112) for interfacing the keyboard to the electronic device, and a second pocket (56 or 92) that holds a power cable (114) for supplying power to the electronic device. Additionally, both configurations have at least one photovoltaic cell (60 or 98) that absorbs solar power which is then converted into a DC voltage for powering the electronic device (108).
US08173892B2
Disclosed is a photoelectric conversion device comprising a first conductive support having a layer containing a semiconductor, a second conductive support arranged opposite to the first conductive support and having a counter electrode, and a charge transfer layer interposed between the first conductive support and the second conductive support at a certain distance from the supports, and a sealing agent which is arranged around the charge transfer layer in the form of a single or more than single layer for bonding the first conductive support and the second conductive support together.
US08173880B1
A novel maize variety designated PHN0K and seed, plants and plant parts thereof. Methods for producing a maize plant that comprise crossing maize variety PHN0K with another maize plant. Methods for producing a maize plant containing in its genetic material one or more traits introgressed into PHN0K through backcross conversion and/or transformation, and to the maize seed, plant and plant part produced thereby. Hybrid maize seed, plant or plant part produced by crossing the variety PHN0K or a locus conversion of PHN0K with another maize variety.
US08173878B1
A novel maize variety designated PHJBB and seed, plants and plant parts thereof. Methods for producing a maize plant that comprise crossing maize variety PHJBB with another maize plant. Methods for producing a maize plant containing in its genetic material one or more traits introgressed into PHJBB through backcross conversion and/or transformation, and to the maize seed, plant and plant part produced thereby. Hybrid maize seed, plant or plant part produced by crossing the variety PHJBB or a locus conversion of PHJBB with another maize variety.
US08173876B2
A novel garden bean cultivar, designated H37118, is disclosed. The invention relates to the seeds of garden bean cultivar H37118, to the plants of garden bean line H37118 and to methods for producing a bean plant by crossing the cultivar H37118 with itself or another bean line. The invention further relates to methods for producing a bean plant containing in its genetic material one or more transgenes and to the transgenic plants produced by that method and to methods for producing other garden bean lines derived from the cultivar H37118.
