US08856082B2
An approach for managing a family tree archive is provided. The approach includes creating an electronic archive based on a family tree. The approach also includes automatically discovering Internet-based data associated with at least one member of the family tree. The approach additionally includes adding the Internet-based data to the archive. The approach further includes storing the archive at a storage device.
US08856080B2
Methods and systems are disclosed for backup using a metadata virtual hard drive (VHD) and a differential VHD. A particular system includes a memory device that stores files and a backup agent configured to detect changes to the files. The system includes a translation module configured to translate the detected changes into VHD formatted changes and a VHD module configured to write the VHD formatted changes to a metadata VHD stored at the memory device. The VHD module is also configured to generate a differential VHD based on the metadata VHD. A network interface at the system is configured to transmit the metadata VHD and the differential VHD to a remote storage device.
US08856079B1
An information system has a database having distinct object structures that store information about corresponding operating components of the system. An association structure describes many-to-many relationships among the components. Targeted requests for information about first objects are satisfied by obtaining information from a first object structure as well as information about associated objects from the second object structure. Bulk requests for information about a large number of objects are handled differently, using a lookup structure that associates the first objects with limited information of the associated second objects, such as externally visible names which would be meaningful to a requestor. Thus response can efficiently provide full information about all first objects as well as limited but useful information about all associated second objects, avoiding traversals of the association structure and corresponding interrogations of the second object structure.
US08856076B2
A mechanism is provided for rendering tape file system information. The mechanism obtains a list of one or more files residing on a tape in the tape file system from a file directory. The mechanism obtains location information associated with at least one file of the one or more files. Finally, the mechanism renders a representation of the location information with the at least one file.
US08856070B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer program product for consistent replication of transactional updates. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for consistent replication of data in a transaction processing system is provided. The method includes recording entries in a replication log of different data updates and corresponding transactions and additionally recording entries in the replication log indicating whether or not the transactions have been backed out. The method also includes replicating only those data updates referenced in the log which do not correspond to transactions indicated in the log to have been backed out. For instance the additionally recorded entries in the replication log indicate when a transaction has been backed out. Alternatively, the additionally recorded entries in the replication log indicate when a transaction has been committed.
US08856069B2
Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for combined saving and validation are disclosed. A particular method includes receiving a command to save changes associated with a change set to a data storage device. Entities of the change set are validated and one or more pre-operation commands are executed on the change set. When a pre-operation command modifies one or more first entities of the change set, the first entities are revalidated. The method also includes executing a data operation based on the change set and executing one or more post-operation commands on the change set. When a post-operation command modifies one or more second entities of the change set, the second entities are re-validated.
US08856067B2
A method for updating data in a media storage location includes: storing an identity on a portable electronic device, the identity allowing access to the media storage location; storing a file in a device memory of the portable electronic device, the file being captured by a media capturing component of the portable electronic device; and performing a synchronization operation using a media manager, the media manager being in communication with the device memory and the media storage location; the synchronization operation synchronizing data between the device memory and the media storage location.
US08856065B2
A document management system allows a document management server to be accessed from a document management client terminal by using a database of the document management server as a backend engine, the document management system being configured to determine an appropriate access method for opening a file. In order for the document management client terminal to open a file in the document management server having an exclusive control function, the document management system accesses the document management server according to file attribute information of the file held in the document management client terminal.
US08856063B2
A personalization of a batch of smart cards is provided. A user is provided with a plurality of queries regarding smart card features. Responses to the plurality of queries are received from the user. A personalization data file is generated using the responses to the plurality of queries, where the personalization data file comprises values, which may be used to provide features on a batch of smart cards.
US08856062B2
A computing device receives a rule that includes information describing conditions associated with a consequence, and identifies rule components corresponding to the rule. The computing device creates a rule formula, based on the rule components, by creating a first-order logic version of the rule and creating a rule formula table based on the first-order logic version of the rule. The computing device stores the rule formula table in a relational database.
US08856055B2
A reconfigurable neural network circuit is provided. The reconfigurable neural network circuit comprises an electronic synapse array including multiple synapses interconnecting a plurality of digital electronic neurons. Each neuron comprises an integrator that integrates input spikes and generates a signal when the integrated inputs exceed a threshold. The circuit further comprises a control module for reconfiguring the synapse array. The control module comprises a global final state machine that controls timing for operation of the circuit, and a priority encoder that allows spiking neurons to sequentially access the synapse array.
US08856054B2
Some embodiments for performing evolutionary based optimization feature: a dominance archive, auto-adaptive operators, detection of search stagnation, exploitation of randomized restarts to escape local optima, and/or selection of recombination operators based on their success in generating high quality solutions.
US08856051B1
A metadata augmentation system determines similarities between digital objects, such as digital videos, that may or may not have metadata associated with them. Based on the determined similarities, the metadata augmentation system augments metadata of objects, such as augmenting metadata of objects lacking a sufficient amount of metadata with metadata from other objects having a sufficient amount of metadata.In one embodiment, the similarities are used to determine training sets for training of classifiers that output degrees of more specific similarities between the corresponding video and an arbitrary second video. These classifiers are then applied to add metadata from one video to another based on a degree of similarity between the videos, regardless of their respective locations within the object similarity graph.
US08856048B2
An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for defining normal usage of a computing system resource. A method for defining normal usage of a computing system resource includes receiving a repeating schedule that represents system usage of one or more computing resources and receiving one or more demand events that will affect the system usage of the one or more computer resources. The method also automatically creates a predictive temporal profile that represents the system usage of the one or more computer resources from information comprising the repeating schedule and the one or more demand events. The predictive temporal profile is displayed for the user to review.
US08856037B2
There is provided a method for showcasing a built-up structure with at least one room. It is advantageous that the user is able to view the interior of the built-up structure by accessing and navigating about a single panoramic image for each room. An apparatus enabling the method and a method of using a work product of the method for showcasing a built-up structure with at least one room is also provided.
US08856035B2
According to one embodiment, a store system includes: an image output section configured to output an image picked up by an image pickup section; an object recognizing section configured to recognize a specific object by reading a feature value of the output image; a check-image display section configured to display, on a display section, at least an image concerning the recognized object; and a problem solving section configured to receive, when there is a problem in the recognition of the object, an instruction indicating the problem and solve the problem according to content of the received instruction.
US08856020B2
The invention relates to a method for optimizing the consumption of telecommunications services in user groups. The method allows analyzing in real time the effectiveness of the multiple attributes of the commercial products associated with telecommunication services offered on a telecommunications network without excess calculations having to be generated, and at the same automatically acting accordingly on those attributes, optimizing the objective functions established by the telecommunications operator in the shortest possible time.
US08855997B2
Potential linguistic errors within a sequence of words of a sentence are identified based on analysis of a configurable sliding window. The analysis is performed based on an assumption that if a sequence of words occurs frequently enough within a large, well-formed corpus, its joint probability for occurring in a sentence is very likely to be greater than the same words randomly ordered.
US08855994B2
A simulator is partitioned into a functional component and a behavior prediction component and the components are executed in parallel. The execution path of the functional component is used to drive the behavior prediction component and the behavior prediction component changes the execution path of the functional component.
US08855986B2
A method, system and computer program product is disclosed for utilizing proxy models to evaluate a subterranean reservoir. The method includes constructing a proxy model from a set of sampling points to approximate simulation outputs of a reservoir model. The set of sampling points is updated by adding at least one new sampling point that is selected from a location associated with surface non-linearities such as gradients, curvature, and bending energy. Response surface values at new sampling points and distances to existing sampling points can also be used to evaluate new sampling points. Proxy models are refined with the updated set of sampling points until the proxy model satisfies a predetermined stopping criterion, such as when a predetermined number of iterations are reached or when changes to the response surface are below a predetermined threshold.
US08855985B2
A method of deriving blood perfusion indices for a region of interest (ROI) of a subject, comprising the steps of administering a contrast agent to the subject during a dynamic imaging scan, converting signal intensity data from raw images of the scan into contrast agent concentration data, deriving parameters from the contrast agent concentration data using at least one transport function that accounts for delay and dispersion of the contrast agent, and calculating the blood perfusion indices from the derived parameters.
US08855983B2
In one embodiment, a method for displaying elements of an attribute in an executable block diagram model is provided. The method may include displaying an executable block diagram model in a first window and receiving a first input from an input device, wherein the first input associates with a first parameter of a block diagram modeling component in the executable block diagram model, the first parameter is represented in the executable block diagram model by a first graphical affordances. The method may include triggering the display of a value of a first parameter in a first user interface widget in the first window.
US08855979B2
The present invention is concerned with a process for forming a very well defined pattern of particulate material in a composite material comprising a web material and particulate absorbent material. The present invention relates also to a method for determining the equipment design and process parameter for such a process. In a particular application, the present invention provides a process for preparing liquid absorbent structures, such as may be useful for disposable absorbent articles.
US08855971B2
A remote auxiliary tool is created in a graphical model having at least one of a signal or a block. The remote auxiliary tool is non-intrusively attached to one of the signal or the block. The graphical model and the remote auxiliary tool are executed synchronously. At least one of an execution result or a remote auxiliary tool result is output to at least one of a display device, a storage device or a destination device.
US08855963B2
A system, and computer usable program product for discovering thermal relationships in a data processing environment are provided in the illustrative embodiments. An output temperature of a cooling unit operating in the data processing environment is changed from a previous output temperature to a new output temperature. The difference between the previous and the new output temperatures is a change in the output temperature. A change in an ambient temperature proximate to a data processing system is measured. The change in the ambient temperature is a difference between a previous ambient temperature and a new ambient temperature. An expression that represents a relationship between the change in the output temperature and corresponding change in the ambient temperature is determined. The expression is used to determine a cooling correspondence between the cooling unit and the data processing system.
US08855953B2
A motor drive device including a battery 10; switching elements 15 and 16 which are connected in series with a condenser C2 having a voltage Vdc resulting from an increase action of battery voltage and which are operated in a chopper control; a reactor L2 whose one end is connected with a common connection point of the switching elements 15 and 16; and an inverter 19 for driving a PM motor 20 which is connected between another end of the reactor L2 and a negative-pole terminal of the battery 10. In such a motor drive device, an electrical power W is determined based on the voltage Vdc of positive-side point P of the condenser C2, a current Idc flowing in the reactor L2, and a switching duty d1 of the switching element 15 which satisfies a condition of 0≦d1≦1, i.e., is determined by calculating Vdc·d1·Idc.
US08855948B2
A first apparent property of a multi-phase process fluid is determined based on the motion of the vibratable flowtube. One or more apparent intermediate values associated with the multi-phase process fluid are determined based on the first apparent property. A measure of wetness of the multi-phase process fluid is determined based on a mapping between one or more of the apparent intermediate values and the measure of wetness. A second apparent property of the multi-phase process fluid is determined using the differential pressure flowmeter. One or more phase-specific properties of the multi-phase process fluid is determined based on the measure of wetness and the second apparent property.
US08855938B2
A method, computer product, and computer system of minimizing surprisal data comprising: at a source, reading and identifying characteristics of a genetic sequence of an organism; receiving an input of rank of at least two identified characteristics of the genetic sequence of the organism; generating a hierarchy of ranked, identified characteristics based on the rank of the at least two identified characteristics of the genetic sequence of the organism; comparing the hierarchy of ranked, identified characteristics to a repository of reference genomes; and if at least one reference genome from the repository matches the hierarchy of ranked, identified characteristics, comparing nucleotides of the genetic sequence of the organism to nucleotides from the at least one matched reference genome, to obtain differences and create surprisal data.
US08855931B2
In general, techniques, devices, and systems for filtering location information received from multiple computing devices are described. In one example, a method includes receiving a first plurality of location indicators from a first mobile computing device and a second plurality of location indicators from a second mobile computing device, wherein the first and second computing devices are both associated with a single user and the first and second pluralities of location indicators are representative of geographical locations at which each of the respective first and second mobile computing devices has been located. The method may also include determining a subset of the location indicators for a period of time, all location indicators included in the subset being associated with the one of the first or second mobile computing devices that moved with the user during the period of time, and outputting information related to the subset of the location indicators.
US08855919B2
A method of operation of a navigation system includes: receiving an entry for a destination; identifying a category of interest for the destination; generating a route to the destination; recognizing a traveling context for traveling along the route to the destination; and generating an en-route notification based on matching a delivery profile to the category of interest for traveling within the traveling context for displaying on a device.
US08855917B2
Systems and methods are disclosed herein to use a vehicle back-up camera as a cost-effective dead-reckoning sensor in satellite-based vehicle navigation systems. Since the back-up camera may already use a display of the navigation system for display, the data from the back-up camera may be easily obtained and integrated into the navigation system. The data from the camera is received by a navigation receiver wirelessly or through a wired connection. The image is processed to determine the speed, heading, turn-rate of the vehicle to aid the satellite-based navigation system if the satellite signals are inadequate. Thus, enhanced vehicle navigation- performance can be obtained without adding new sensors and/or connecting to a vehicle data bus.
US08855914B1
A robotic surface treatment apparatus treats corners of rooms more effectively through intricate guidance of the apparatus through inside and outside corners. In one aspect, contact and/or non-contact sensors provide information to one or more on-board processors on the apparatus to enable selective overriding of obstacle avoidance program code and allow the apparatus to get closer to walls to facilitate treatment. In another aspect, the sensors provide information to the on-board processors to control backup motion of the apparatus to cover previously-missed areas when turning corners. In yet another aspect, the apparatus is shaped to have its treatment mechanism positioned more closely to the front of the apparatus to enable treatment more closely to walls near corners. In one embodiment, the robotic surface treatment apparatus is a robotic vacuum. The vacuum may have its cleaning brush positioned near a flat front portion of the apparatus.
US08855909B2
A system for determining an optimum route to a destination by a navigation system of a vehicle is provided. The system includes a navigation system, a remote information system, and a data communication network linking the navigation system and the remote information system. A method is also disclosed that includes the steps of establishing a communication connection between the navigation system and the remote information system, and determining the optimum route to the destination where the optimum route is determined based on requested information received from the remote information system.
US08855908B2
A method and apparatus for enabling users who request a map of a specified route to invoke a data session to see images of the key markers and a video session to see live views of key points along the route are disclosed. If traffic appears congested, the subscriber can request an alternative route from the network along with image and video sessions to verify the traffic conditions of the alternative route.
US08855907B2
A device may include a determination module for determining at least one of a status indicative of combustible fuel utilization or a status indicative of electricity utilization for propelling a hybrid vehicle; and a transmitter coupled with the determination module for transmitting the at least one of the status indicative of combustible fuel utilization or the status indicative of electricity utilization for the hybrid vehicle to an off-site entity.
US08855902B2
Embodiments of the invention include a wireless vehicle detection systems and associated methods with extended range and battery life. The wireless vehicle detection system can include a plurality of sensor pods in communication with an access point without repeaters. Embodiments of the sensor pod can include a vehicle detector controller adapted to determine the presence of vehicles and a communication controller connected to the vehicle detector and adapted to transmit data 300 feet or more to an access point, which in turns communicates with the base station. To extend the battery life of the sensor pod, the sensor pod can be adapted to detect received communication signal strength and adjust transmitting power based upon said strength to thereby conserve power. Embodiments of the sensor pod can also include a battery connected in parallel to an HLC capacitor to further extend the life of the battery.
US08855895B2
A system is disclosed having a primary vehicle and a secondary vehicle that is carried by the primary vehicle when not in use. The system further includes at least one of an immobilizing device to immobilize the primary vehicle if the secondary vehicle is removed from the primary vehicle, a data storage device for storing information regarding usage of the primary and secondary vehicles, a user interface device for displaying information regarding usage of the primary and secondary vehicles, and a user prompt for providing information regarding potential opportunities for use of the secondary vehicle to encourage usage of the secondary vehicle and lower CO2 emissions.
US08855892B2
The present invention relates to a control device for an internal combustion engine including a first control subject (35D) capable of controlling two different control amounts (Pim and Regr) influencing each other at a low frequency and second control subjects (52 and 33) capable of controlling the control amount at a high frequency. In the present invention, the first control amount and the second control amount are changed by the first control subject, and the first control amount and the second control amount are changed by the second control subject. Further, in the present invention, an operation amount (Mv) is input to the first control subject so that a first control amount deviation component (ΔPimL) with respect to a target value changing at a low frequency and a second control amount deviation component (ΔRegrL) with respect to the target value become zero, and operation amounts (Megr and Mth) are input to the second control subject so that a first control amount deviation component (ΔPimH) with respect to a target value changing at a high frequency and a second control amount deviation component (ΔRegrH) with respect to the target value become zero.
US08855884B1
An occupant protection system is provided. The occupant protection system includes a sensor for detecting an impact at a time of collision, a determination device for determining the collision based on a detection signal of the sensor, and a an occupant state detection device for detecting whether an occupant's posture is maintainable. When the occupant's posture is maintainable after a primary-collision, the determination device determines a secondary-collision by comparing the detection signal of the sensor with a first threshold. When the occupant's posture is not maintainable after the primary collision, the determination device determines the secondary-collision by comparing the detection signal of the sensor with a second threshold smaller than the first threshold.
US08855883B2
Disclosed herein are a lane-change assistance system of a vehicle and a lane-change assistance method thereof. The lane change assistance system includes a wheel speed sensor to detect a wheel speed of the vehicle, a steering angle sensor to detect a steering angle of the vehicle, and a micro controller unit to calculate, using the wheel speed and the steering angle, a desired yaw rate value required to allow the vehicle to return to an original lane when attempting to move the vehicle to an adjacent lane, but another vehicle in the adjacent lane threatens the corresponding vehicle, to compare the desired yaw rate value with a preset threshold value, and to assist a lane change maneuver of the vehicle based on the comparison result.
US08855882B2
A brake control device, wherein control is executed that keeps braking force generated to wheels of a vehicle to a predetermined value or more when detected operating pressure has reached a control determination value, the detected operating pressure being operating pressure input to a brake operating member in a state that the vehicle stops and applied to a working fluid in response to operation force increased using negative pressure generated in an internal combustion engine of the vehicle and being the operating pressure detected by an operating pressure detecting unit, and when the detected operating pressure has exceeded dead point operating pressure which is the operating pressure at a negative pressure dead point at which an effect of increase of the operation force using the negative pressure disappears, at least any one of the detected operating pressure and the control determination value is corrected and the control is executed based on the corrected value. Therefore, the brake control device can appropriately keep the braking force.
US08855881B2
A system for assisting an operator in driving a vehicle. The system calculates risk potential associated with the vehicle. Responsive to an acceleration command issued by the operator via an operator-controlled input device to perform an intended acceleration operation, the system conveys information related to the calculated risk potential by modifying a relationship of an amount of acceleration corresponding to an operation amount of the operator-controlled input device, based on the calculated risk potential.
US08855878B2
A system and method for controlling an accumulator in a transmission of a motor vehicle includes the steps of determining whether the motor vehicle has been turned off, sensing at least one operating condition of the motor vehicle, and comparing the at least one operating condition to a reference condition. If the at least one operating condition of the motor vehicle fulfills the reference condition and if the motor vehicle has been turned off then the accumulator is discharged.
US08855874B2
A method and device are provided for controlling a vehicle cruise control in a vehicle, the method including registering a starting point and an end destination for a possible traveling route of the vehicle, registering a desired traveling time for the traveling route, calculating and setting limits for parameters of the cruise control in order to arrive at the end destination on the desired traveling time with as low fuel consumption as possible.
US08855873B2
A shift controlling apparatus includes an automatic shift mode returning member with a manual shift mode wherein a transmission is manually shifted and an automatic shift mode wherein the transmission is automatically shifted based on an automatic shift map and changes over. When a manual shift operation is carried out in the automatic shift mode, the shift mode moves to the manual shift mode and then automatically returns to the automatic shift mode after the manual shift operation. The automatic shift mode returning member includes a manual operational detection member for detecting a manual shift operation for shift up or shift down of the transmission during the automatic shift mode, first operational state discrimination member for discriminating an operational state of a vehicle when the manual shift operation is carried out, and second operational state discrimination member for discriminating an operational state of the vehicle after the manual shift operation.
US08855872B2
A construction machine includes: a work device; an operation device which receives a manipulation; a hydraulic unit including a hydraulic motor; an electric unit including an electric motor and an energy storage unit; a control device which makes the electric power of the energy storage unit assist the hydraulic unit upon the manipulation for the drive side, and makes the electric motor generate regenerative electric power unit upon the manipulation for the regeneration side; and a power-discharge command unit which issues a discharge command for the energy storage unit. Upon receiving the discharge command, the control device operates the electric motor to lower a voltage of the energy storage unit upon the manipulation for the drive side, and makes only the hydraulic unit decelerate or stop the work device upon the manipulation for the regeneration side.
US08855869B2
The disclosure describes, in one aspect, a method for determining a machine ground speed. The method includes determining a machine speed from a position determining system, the machine speed includes a horizontal speed component and a vertical speed component, determining a direction the machine is moving at the machine speed, determining a machine inclination angle, determining a machine rate of inclination, and determining a compensated ground speed as a function of the horizontal speed component, the vertical speed component, the direction, the machine inclination angle, and the machine rate of inclination.
US08855855B2
S vehicle control apparatus that includes a touch panel configured to be touched by a user and a sound wave generator. The sound wave generator including a plurality of patterns formed in different shapes and heights on the touch panel, and is configured to generate sound waves having unique shapes when the user touches the patterns. A sound wave detection sensor is configured to detect the sound waves generated by the sound wave generator. A controller is configured to receive the sound waves detected by the sound wave detection sensor and output vehicle control signals corresponding to the respective sound waves.
US08855835B2
A convoy travel apparatus in a subject vehicle of a convoy transmits a convoy travel information, which includes the maximum allowable number and the currently-included number of vehicles in the convoy. The apparatus determines whether the subject vehicle is blocking a signal from a leader vehicle of the convoy in which the subject vehicle is traveling as a follower vehicle, where the signal being blocked by the subject vehicle may not reach a position of a rearmost vehicle in the convoy. When the subject vehicle is determined to be blocking the signal, the subject vehicle transmits the convoy travel information indicating that the subject vehicle as a leader vehicle (i.e., a representative leader vehicle) of the convoy, thereby enabling a newly-joining vehicle to receive the convoy travel information transmitted from the follower vehicle in the convoy.
US08855831B2
According to the present disclosure, information on the amount of energy used is received from a meter in an energy consumption place and total rate of energy used in the energy consumption place using the received information. Further, when the calculated total rate of energy exceeds an upper limit set by a user in advance, a mobile terminal of the user is informed of it so as to enable the user to selectively control energy usage equipment in the energy consumption place. Since mobile terminals are carried by the user, when an energy usage rate exceeds an upper limit by an increased amount of energy used or energy price change, the user can identify it at anytime and anywhere. Further, the user can maintain the energy usage rate below a predetermined level by selectively controlling the energy usage equipment in the energy consumption place using the mobile terminal.
US08855818B2
The invention is a monitoring apparatus for monitoring a condition of an end-effector of a robot having a vacuum absorption pad to hold an article. The pad is elastically supported by the end-effector. The apparatus includes a pad receiving part having a front surface and a through hole, the pad receiving part being movable in a direction perpendicular to the front surface; an elastically supporting unit for elastically supporting the pad receiving part in a direction perpendicular to the front surface; a movement detection unit for detecting a movement of the pad receiving part; a vacuum sensor connected to the through hole; and a judging unit for judging conditions of an elastic support of the pad and a vacuum absorption of the pad based on detection results of the movement detection unit and the vacuum sensor.
US08855814B2
A robot and a control method thereof which execute grasp planning of hands of the robot separately from motion planning of arms of the robot so as to apply a result of the grasp planning of the hands of the robot to the motion planning of the arms of the robot, and thus more rapidly, naturally and stably grasp an object in a grasp manner suited to a desired working purpose and judge whether or not grasping is executable prior to the motion planning of the arms of the robot, thereby more stably grasping the object.
US08855802B2
A cutting apparatus is disclosed in which a cutting blade and an object to be cut are moved relative to each other so that a desired pattern is cutout of the object. The cutting apparatus includes an arranging unit arranging the pattern in a cut-allowable region of the object, a frame setting unit setting a minimum boundary frame which is polygonal or curved in shape and includes a contour of the pattern arranged by the arranging unit, and a cutting data generating unit generating outer line cutting data for cutting an outer line dividing a first region near the pattern within the cut-allowable region and a second region other than the first region, outside the boundary frame, based on the boundary frame. The pattern and the outer line are cut out of the object based on pattern cutting data for cutting the pattern and the outer line cutting data.
US08855793B2
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for learning equipment schedules based on user occupancy patterns and equipment usage patterns.
US08855790B2
An exemplary system for loading a pre-curved electrode array onto a straightening member includes a loading tool and a straightening member. An exemplary loading tool may include a body and first and second flexible arms each having a fixed end connected to the body and a free end opposite the fixed end. The first and second flexible arms may define a straightening channel configured to constrain a pre-curved electrode array in a straightened configuration. The first and second flexible arms may be further configured to flex away from each other to receive the pre-curved electrode array into the straightening channel. The straightening member is configured to be inserted into the pre-curved electrode array while the pre-curved electrode array is in the straightened configuration and retain the pre-curved electrode array in the straightened configuration after the pre-curved electrode array is removed from the loading tool. Corresponding methods are also described.
US08855786B2
A resonator is provided for use in a system for energy transfer between a first device and a second device. The resonator includes a coil having multiple layers, each layer including inductive and insulative layers. The thickness of a conductor layer may be relative to the skin depth of the conductor.
US08855784B2
An implantable medical device or some other ambulatory medical device, such as a pacer, defibrillator, or other cardiac rhythm management device can include an electrical energy delivery circuit, such as including an integrated circuit comprising a first electrostimulation output terminal, a can terminal, and a switch control output. The ambulatory or implantable device can include at least two switches in series, each including a respective substrate electrically separate from the integrated circuit, and from each other, the switches configured to controllably isolate a conductive housing of the implantable medical device from the can terminal of the integrated circuit, such as in response to the switch control output.
US08855770B2
Apparatus is described including a sensing electrode that detects electrical activity of a duodenum of a subject. The apparatus includes a control unit configured to facilitate a treatment of the subject responsively to the detected electrical activity. Other embodiments are also described.
US08855765B2
The present disclosure pertains to methods, devices and systems for detection of a lead-related condition in a medical electrical lead. In accordance with the disclosure, a physiological waveform interpreter module embedded within the lead functions to sense the occurrence of a cardiac event and to generate a minimal impact signal. In an example implementation, the physiological waveform interpreter module is disposed proximate to the sensing site or vicinity of cardiac signals. The physiological waveform interpreter module transmits the minimal impact signal that may include one or more predetermined properties to a remotely located lead monitoring module upon sensing a cardiac event. The lead monitoring module receives and processes the minimal impact signal to determine whether a cardiac depolarization has occurred and simultaneously verify the integrity of the transmission medium.
US08855761B2
The temperature of a patient is a significant predictor of death in heart failure patients. Temperature provides a window into the physiology of the patient's underlying condition and may be used as an early marker for CHF exacerbations. The patient's temperature is taken to form a time series of temperature values. In accordance with some embodiments, the time series of temperature values is converted to the frequency domain by, for example, a discrete Fourier Transform. The frequency domain representation then is analyzed for a marker indicative of the worsening condition of the patient. In accordance with other embodiments, the patient's time series of temperature values is analyzed for a marker using, for example, Cosinor analysis. In yet other embodiments, both the time and frequency domain temperature data is analyzed for markers of the patient's worsening medical condition.
US08855751B2
Technologies generally applicable to detecting skin conditions are disclosed. A computer graphics scanning apparatus may be configured to capture skin image data, and use the captured skin image data to calculate a subsurface transfer function for the skin, which may identify subsurface properties of the skin. The identified subsurface properties may be correlated to one or more skin conditions for medical and/or cosmetic treatment diagnosis.
US08855745B2
A mammography installation or a mammography system allows x-ray projections of the breasts for at least one 3D volume image to be calculated with and without a contrast agent progression, and without repositioning of the patient within an examination cycle.
US08855741B2
A method of acquiring an image biomarker suitable for prognosis of a blood-related disease, such as acute myeloid leukemia, includes the steps of: (a) acquiring physical parameter sets, each including at least two parameters, respectively from time-signal intensity curves, these curves being respectively obtained from magnetic resonance image sets of different subjects; each of the image sets being acquired through MRI scanning using one of first and second configuration parameter sets; (b) analyzing the physical parameter sets thus acquired and (c) establishing a risk score function that is a sum of products of each of the physical parameters and the corresponding weight value, wherein a risk score obtained using the risk score function serves as the image biomarker suitable for prognosis of the blood-related disease.
US08855740B1
A method and apparatus for performing accurate measurements of the magnetic properties of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) in both liquid media and biological matrices for providing information on their size, size distribution and concentration in these media and matrices and, resulting in parameters that influence their functionality and effectiveness.
US08855732B2
In a non-invasive human metabolic condition measuring apparatus and method, a micro-light source emits an incident light having a wavelength from 329 nm to 473 nm to trigger a mitochondrial metabolite of a human mucosa tissue, and the metabolite is excited to generate a fluorescent signal having a wavelength from 405 nm to 572 nm, and the fluorescent signal is filtered by an optical filter, received by a micro receiver, and amplified by an amplification circuit sequentially, and then a filter circuit and an analog/digital conversion circuit of a microprocessing unit are provided for filtering and performing an analog/digital signal conversion respectively, so that the metabolite content can be calculated by the computation to provide human metabolic conditions, and a combination of micro components and circuits is used for miniaturizing the apparatus to provide a convenient carry of the apparatus.
US08855724B2
A hearing aid compatible mobile handset is provided with a parasitic element which is electrically connected to a groundplane of a circuit board. The parasitic element may have a length of around one-quarter wavelength of a frequency of interest. The parasitic element may be are arranged as a pair of parasitic elements. The parasitic element can be disposed in a location where the near field strength is near a peak so as to help reduce the near field level to a point that will allow operation of the handset adjacent a hearing aid.
US08855723B2
Smart phone computer app. The method may include, if a number of an incoming phone call or incoming text message is not temporally allowed, not allowing for notification of the incoming phone call or incoming text according to a normal notification routine and generating a notification of the incoming call or incoming text according to a password-protected masked notification routine of the smart phone, wherein the password-protected masked notification routine of the smart phone includes adding an indication of the incoming phone call or incoming text message to a password-protected phone log or message log of the smart phone and precludes immediately displaying the incoming phone call or incoming text message information on a display of the smart phone, and further precludes adding an indication of the incoming phone call or incoming text message to a default phone log or message log of the smart phone.
US08855713B2
A server stores personal information associated with a user of a wireless communication device. The server also receives from the wireless communication device an image of an item for sale and a price of the item, and appends the image and the price to include the user's email address and the delivery information.
US08855697B2
The invention relates to a method for establishing a push-to-talk-(Ptt) communication link between two Ptt devices (1,2), in which the data of different types, such as voice data (Sp), audio data (A), video data (V) etc., is transmitted between the Ptt devices (1,2). The first Ptt device (1) transmits a Ptt link request, and subsequently a communication link is established for at least one selection of said different types of data via a communication channel (F1, NF) according to a communication protocol. According to the invention, the Ptt link request contains priority information which enables the data types to be allocated a transmission priority, and the communication protocol only authorizes the communication channel (F1, NF) to be established if the second Ptt-device (2) is available for the data type or for the data types having the highest transmission priority. The transmission of one data type, which has a lower transmission priority, by means of said communication channel (F1, NF) is only authorized if the second Ptt-device (2) is available for said data type, and the second Ptt-device (2) is also available for all data types with a higher transmission priority.
US08855693B2
A wireless device operates in a first mode in which the device can send data to and receive data from an access point. The device receives control data from the access point comprising first data indicative of a time period and second data indicative of a control parameter. The device operates in a second mode for the time period specified by the first data and on the basis of the control parameter. In the second mode, at least some circuitry of the device used for sending data and at least some circuitry of the device used for receiving data is placed in a low power state, and data to be sent to the access point is stored in a buffer of the device. After expiry of the time period, the device operates in the first mode to send the data stored in the buffer to the access point.
US08855692B2
A satellite communication system comprised of a hub and plurality of remote terminals, wherein the system is configured for frequency reuse, a method and apparatus for signal cancellation are disclosed. The disclosed method and apparatus enable the hub to extract return link signals overlaying a transmitted forward link signal, wherein the forward link signal is transmitted at a power level higher than that of the overlaying return link signals.
US08855684B2
Techniques are disclosed herein that generally involve storing a historical record of a user's maps searches (a maps history), and providing a user with relevant information about elements in their maps history based on the location of a mobile device associated with the user. Such elements can include generic queries, specific queries, direction queries, click entries, places, and so forth. In some examples, the mobile device's location is provided to a server, which in turn processes the user's maps history to determine which elements from the maps history may be relevant to the mobile device's current location. Elements that are determined to be of possible relevance, and/or information relating thereto, can then be presented to the user, in many instances decreasing the time and effort required for the user to locate map-based information for which they are searching.
US08855682B2
Systems and methods are described to allow safe texting with speech-text conversion for vehicle drivers, with provisions to prevent a user from defeating or bypassing the speech-text conversion. Some embodiments include a special software application in a driver's phone while other embodiments require only software changes at a service provider. If the velocity of a phone exceeds a disable threshold, it is assumed that the user may be texting while driving. That the user is a driver is then determined by one or more of multiple methods including registration. Conventional texting is then disabled for their phone and a safe texting capability is enabled instead. Where persons in the same vehicle utilize different service providers, parameters such as for instance cell phone position, velocity, and direction of travel are time stamped and passed between service providers or alternately made available to other service providers via a central database.
US08855680B1
A location sensitive to do list on a computer that has location detection capability. The to do list has operations that are ordered by location, and by time of day, and where the priority is increased or decreased based on time of day.
US08855679B2
Embodiments of the present invention disclose a method and system for populating location-based information on a portable electronic device. According to one embodiment, a request to create a memory record on the portable electronic device is received from a user. Based on the geographic location of the portable electronic device, relevant location information associated with a plurality of reference fields of the memory record are determined and displayed on the portable electronic device.
US08855677B2
The present invention relates to a method in an LCS server of a wireless communication system, for positioning of an LCS target. The method comprises obtaining (510) information relating to a first predefined geographical area, wherein it has been determined that a probability that the LCS target is located within the first predefined geographical area is below a threshold. The method also comprises receiving (520) a request for a positioning of the LCS target, and using (530) the obtained information relating to the first predefined geographical area for the positioning of the LCS target.
US08855670B2
A method for dynamically reconfiguring a regulation-compliance mode of a device, belonging to a wireless network and operating under a network-operation mode (311, 321, 322) in a spectrum band with primary users. The method includes periodically determining at least one of: a primary protection capability of the device (501, 502, 704, 705), availability of enabling signal to the device (601, 701), and a frequency of location change of the device (508, 510, 711, 712); and based on the results of such determinations, operating and configuring transmission parameters of the device according to one of a plurality of regulation-compliance modes that are supported by the device. The wireless device includes: a signal transceiver (201) for processing, transmitting and receiving wireless signals from secondary devices; a primary signal sensing module (202) for detecting a primary signal; a spectrum manager (204) for selecting or deselecting an operating frequency channel; and a geolocation module for determining the location of the device. The wireless device may further include a network interface (203) for accessing a TV band database and a geolocation database.
US08855668B2
A method and system for providing a User Equipment (UE) (101) with a Tracking Area Identity (TAI) list during a Tracking Area Update (TAU) procedure. The TAI is UE specific and is based on a visitation history (305) of the UE (101). If a pre-existing visitation history of the UE does not exist, a TAI is compiled using other UEs featuring at least one operational similarity as the current UE (101).
US08855667B2
A method for locating a notebook computer by sending a Wake on Wireless WAN (WoW) signal via a wireless network to the notebook computer to switch ON the notebook computer; instructing the notebook computer to determine its own location using GPS if the notebook computer lid is open.
US08855658B2
A network access node selects one chunk of spectrum from a plurality of chunks of spectrum to be a primary chunk for a particular cell; transmits in the primary chunk from a broadcast channel BCH that contains information needed by a terminal to at least perform initial cell access; and uses a synchronization channel SCH to indicate which chunk of the plurality of chunks is the primary chunk. A user equipment receives a SCH in a particular chunk of spectrum; determines from it that one chunk is a primary chunk for a particular cell; tunes its receiver to a BCH in the primary chunk and uses information received on the BCH to obtain initial access to the particular cell. In various embodiments the SCH is only in the primary chunk or the SCH has some indication (e.g., cell ID or relative position of primary chunk) telling which chunk is primary.
US08855652B2
A mobile communication system 100 is configured to determine whether to or not to measure a reception quality of a signal broadcasted from the specific cell, based on at least one piece of information of a moving speed of the mobile communication terminal 10, location information of the mobile communication terminal 10, and a usage state of the specific cell. The mobile communication terminal 10 is configured to measure the reception quality of the signal broadcasted from the specific cell when it is determined that the reception quality of a signal broadcasted from the specific cell has to be measured.
US08855649B2
A network system includes: a plurality of base stations, each with which a mobile station communicates; a core network to include one or more gateways, each with which the plurality of base stations communicates; a plurality of offload devices, each arranged between the base station and the gateway, each to serve as the gateway of an anchor point at which traffic to be offloaded is transmitted to or received from an offload network, and each to serve as the gateway of a relay point at which the traffic to be offloaded is relayed between the anchor point and one of the plurality of base stations with which the mobile station is communicating; a control station to control the traffic between the mobile station and the gateway; and one or more interception devices, each to intercept the traffic between the control station and the gateway.
US08855647B2
The present invention relates to a method for radio resource control connection reestablishment and a terminal. After triggering the RRC connection reestablishment, the terminal searches for a cell used for RRC connection reestablishment to use the cell as a target cell, and receives an SIB1 message corresponding to the target cell; extracts first base station identification information from the SIB1 message, and compare the first base station identification information with second base station identification information saved by the terminal; if the two pieces of information are consistent, the terminal camps on the target cell and sends an RRC connection reestablishment request message to a base station to which the target cell belongs, so that the base station to which the target cell belongs performs the RRC connection reestablishment with the terminal.
US08855632B2
A user equipment (UE) is operated in a cellular communication system in which radiofrequency resources are partitioned into layers, each layer being associated with one of a set of hierarchical priority levels. While camped on a serving cell whose signals are transmitted on a first layer associated with a first priority level, the UE repeatedly measures a characteristic of a second layer that is present within its surroundings and generates from these measurements a plurality of measured surroundings data, wherein the second layer is associated with a second priority level that is higher than the first priority level. The UE ceases measuring the characteristic of the second layer that is present within the UE's surroundings in response to detecting both that at least one of the measured surroundings data is less than a predetermined threshold level and that a trend of the measured surroundings data is negative.
US08855630B2
A communication system incorporates a multiplexing scheme so that a base node that schedules user equipment (UE) can determine whether an ACK/NACK and/or a service request (SR) has been received when both uplink (UL) transmissions are simultaneously scheduled. Significant complexity reduction, better link efficiency, and higher multiplexing capability since the base node can interpret selective use by the UE of either the ACK/NACK or SR UL channel. Such interpretation can be extended to when multiple downlink (DL) transmission modes can be used, specifically DL single input multiple output (SIMO), DL multiple input multiple output (MIMO) with rank 1 transmission, and DL MIMO with rank 2 transmission. Based upon knowledge of the scheduling and DL transmission mode, the base node does not have to blind decode a number of possibilities due to the mapping of possible responses from the UE. In addition, the multiplexing scheme is applicable to FDD and TDD.
US08855621B2
A cellphone controllable car intrusion system is provided. This system includes a vehicle OEM system, including an electronic control unit (ECU), a diagnostic port, a plurality of OEM cameras, a plurality of OEM sensors, an OEM satellite communication system, and an OEM local communication system. The diagnostic port, OEM cameras, OEM sensors, OEM satellite communication system, and the OEM local communication system being in electric communication with the ECU. A cellphone is provided having a local communication system disposed therein. The cellphone is in wireless communication with the ECU. The cellphone is adapted to configure the ECU to enable operation of the OEM cameras in response to receipt by the cellphone of an alert signal from the OEM sensors, indicating that an intrusion is in process. The alert signals are representative of detection of a monitor event by one or more of the OEM sensors.
US08855616B2
The subject disclosure describes monitoring when a headset is in communication with a mobile communication device, detecting the headset, comparing a name of a caller and a telephone number of the caller against a list of names and telephone numbers previously stored in a memory, determining that the name of the caller or the telephone number of the caller matches one of the names and telephone numbers in the list, determining that the one of the names and telephone numbers is associated with a pre-recorded message that the user previously recorded and stored in the memory, retrieving the pre-recorded message, and performing a text-to-speech conversion on the name and telephone number of the caller to generate a synthesized speech signal spoken text message and sending the synthesized speech signal and the pre-recorded message to the headset. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US08855610B2
A mobile communication terminal for providing a group picture of a group in a phonebook, a method of generating the group picture in the phonebook of the mobile communication terminal and a method of performing a communication event using the group picture are provided. The method of generating a group picture in a phonebook of a mobile communication terminal includes selecting an original picture in which an image corresponding to each member of a group is displayed in a predetermined area corresponding to the group member, mapping an address of each group member to the corresponding predetermined area in the original picture and storing the original picture to which the group members' addresses are mapped as a group picture of the phonebook. The present apparatus and method enable easier editing and use of a group of a phonebook and characteristic decoration thereof which allow for more efficient use of the mobile terminal.
US08855606B2
Disclosed are a base station device and a call connection method for reducing a call connection delay. According to the device and method; in ST301, a terminal acquires an identifier managed in a base station; in ST302, radio resource information required for a service desired by the terminal is decided; in ST303, by using the identifier acquired in ST301, the terminal transmits a request for establishing RRC connection to the base station. In ST304, according to the radio resource information received from the terminal, the base station decides the radio resource to be set for the terminal before authentication by an upper layer node, and the base station extracts information destined to the upper layer node. In ST305, the information destined to the upper layer node is transmitted to the upper layer node. In ST306, the setting contents of the radio resource decided in ST304 are transmitted to the terminal.
US08855601B2
Mobile devices typically have some form of audio capabilities designed to be operated by the device's user, for example to place phone calls; however, if a device is misplaced or stolen, the user may wish to operate those audio capabilities remotely. Techniques are provided for determining when an audio transmission should be established between a device and one or more clients, and sending a command to initiate the audio transmission. The determination may be based on receiving a request from a client, detecting at a server that the device is lost or stolen, or detecting at the device that the device is missing. The audio transmission may be established without user intervention at the device or in response to user action at the portable electronic device. Device settings such as audio settings at the device may be overridden in connection with the audio transmission.
US08855600B2
An approach for permitting an unregistered user of a mobile device to utilize a communication service. It is detected that a user of a mobile device is not registered with a service provider to utilize the mobile device. Authentication information supplied by the user of the mobile device is collected. A request, including the authentication information, is generated for using a communication service of the service provider. In response to the request, an acknowledgement message is selectively received granting permission for the user to utilize the communication service if the authentication information is valid.
US08855597B2
Communication networks and associated methods are disclosed that provide offline charging in IMS networks. One of the methods includes receiving call signaling for a call from an access network serving user equipment for the call. The call signaling includes an access network identifier for the access network. The method further includes identifying location information related to the access network identifier. The method further includes determining a local time for the user equipment based on the location information. The method further includes generating a charging message for the call, and inserting a timestamp in the charging message based on the local time for the user equipment. The timestamp in the charging message provides the billing system with the local time for the user equipment to allow for variable-rate billing.
US08855593B2
A circuit includes a local oscillator of a transmitter, the local oscillator to generate a transmitter local oscillator signal. A switch controlled by the transmitter local oscillator signal connects with a baseband impedance element to generate a notch frequency signal. The notch frequency signal is added to a transmitter leakage signal to attenuate the transmitter leakage signal prior to demodulation of a desired receiver signal by a receiver.
US08855588B2
A power amplifying apparatus is provided. A reference signal generator provides a reference signal having an enabling state and a disabling state. A digital power amplifier generates a current based on the reference signal and an input signal. An output signal of the digital power amplifier is related to the current. When the reference signal is in the enabling state, the current is related to the input signal. When the reference signal is in the disabling state, the current is irrelevant to the input signal. During the enabling state of the reference signal, a data generator provides an output alternating between an in-phase signal and a quadrature-phase signal as the input signal to the digital power amplifier. When the reference signal is in the disabling state, the data generator provides a fixed signal as the input signal to the digital power amplifier.
US08855587B2
An integrated circuit (IC) includes an RF receiver having an AGC module that generates an automatic gain control (AGC) signal based on a strength of a received signal, and a low noise amplifier that amplifies the received signal based on the AGC signal. A processing module generates a power mode signal based on the AGC signal, the power mode signal for adjusting a power consumption parameter of the IC based on the power mode signal.
US08855585B2
Apparatus and methods are disclosed related to low-voltage radio transmitters with high spectral purity. One such apparatus includes a baseband path with a predistortion stage, a programmable filter, and an upconverter core. In an embodiment, the programmable filter is placed between the predistortion stage and the upconverter core. In an embodiment, the programmable filter is configured by a controller to reject out-of-band noise introduced at the predistortion stage or earlier.
US08855579B2
A method may include measuring a frequency difference between an actual frequency and an expected frequency associated with a frequency control calibration signal value for each of a plurality of frequency control calibration signal values during a calibration phase. The method may additionally include generating integral non-linearity compensation values based on the frequency differences measured The method may further include generating the applied frequency control signal based on a frequency control calibration signal value received by the digital-to-analog converter during the calibration phase. The method may also include generating a compensated frequency control signal value based on a frequency control signal value received by the integral non-linearity compensation module and an integral non-linearity compensation value associated with the frequency control signal value during an operation phase of the wireless communication element.
US08855571B2
A first radio communication apparatus includes receiving antennas, an antenna selection processing unit that selects a transmitting antenna from transmitting antennas included in a second radio communication apparatus, generates a set that includes antenna indexes each indicating each of transmitting antennas, rearranges the antenna indexes in sequence starting from an antenna index indicating the selected transmitting antenna, generates a channel matrix in which a column corresponding to the selected transmitting antenna is located at a top, and a selected-channel matrix composed of the column, multiplies an inverse matrix of the channel matrix by the selected-channel matrix to generate an evaluation matrix, rearranges the antenna indexes in the set according to values of elements in the evaluation matrix, and selects an antenna to be used according to the rearranged antenna indexes, and a transmitting unit that transmits an antenna index indicating the selected antenna to the second radio communication apparatus.
US08855560B2
The present invention is a method and system, with the system comprising an CPNS server and an end-point terminal for connecting the end-point terminal to a plurality of mobile communication terminals for providing the end-point terminal with a variety of services in a CPNS environment. The CPNS server makes a request for a CPNS service via a second mobile communication terminal, analyzes the request as transmitted to provide the end terminal with the service. The end-point terminal is connected to the first mobile communication terminal through a short-range wireless communication network for performing the CPNS service and is connected to a second mobile communication terminal through short-range wireless communication during the performance of the CPNS server to request and receive specific CPNS service from the CPNS server. Since the end-point terminal is connected to a plurality of mobile communication terminals and provided with CPNS services, the end-point terminal can simultaneously provide a variety of services.
US08855559B2
Exemplary embodiments are directed to forward link signaling. A method may include modulating an input bias signal of a power amplifier according to data to be transmitted on a wireless power transmit signal. The method may further include modulating an amplitude of the wireless power transmit signal generated by the power amplifier in response to the modulated input bias signal.
US08855552B2
A method is presented for transmitting data in a satellite system having multiple spot beams comprising (1) sending a broadband signal in a forward direction from a gateway terminal to a communications satellite for relay to at least one subscriber terminal, (2) receiving the broadband signal at the communications satellite, wherein the communications satellite comprises a bent pipe repeater having a plurality of satellite-based transmission amplifiers, (3) using one of the plurality of satellite-based transmission amplifiers to amplify the broadband signal and no other broadband signal from the gateway terminal, to produce an amplified broadband signal, (4) sending the amplified broadband signal as one of a plurality of service spot beams to the at least one subscriber terminal, and (5) receiving and retrieving data from the amplified broadband signal at the at least one subscriber terminal.
US08855546B2
Satellite receiver, method for operating a satellite receiver, computer program and satellite system
A satellite receiver that is operable in a single cable system and that is configured to receiver satellite signals via an interface, comprises a controller configured to instruct the interface to perform a blind channel scan process over a predetermined frequency range to obtain measured spectrum signals and to change the predetermined frequency range until a desired frequency range has been measured. The satellite receiver further comprises a processing device configured to receive the measured spectrum signals, to process the measured spectrum signals to obtain a spectrum section and to concatenate the measured spectrum sections to obtain a spectrum.
US08855543B2
In a transfer device, a first side of a flexible guide plate faces to a recording medium being conveyed along a medium conveyance path to guide the recording medium toward an image carrying member. A support frame supports an upstream end portion of the guide plate, and includes an opposite portion disposed from and opposite to a second side (reverse to the first side) of the guide plate and a rib configured to protrude from the opposite portion toward the medium conveyance path. The rib has a first edge which is positioned at an upstream side and beyond which the guide plate protrudes downstream. The rib has an inclined surface extending from the first edge in a direction obliquely downstream toward the image carrying member. The guide plate includes an indentation to allow the guide plate to be deflected without being blocked by the rib.
US08855539B2
A fuser includes: a heat generating section including a heat generating layer and configured to rotationally travel; an induction-current generating section provided around the exterior of the heat generating section and including an exciting coil and an external ferrite core that covers the outer circumference of the exciting coil; an opposing section set in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the heat generating section; and an internal ferrite core arranged inside of the heat generating section in a position opposed to the exciting coil, a first center angle connecting both edges of the internal ferrite core and a rotation center of the heat generating section being larger than a second center angle connecting both edges of the external ferrite core and the rotation center of the heat generating section.
US08855535B2
A toner supply device includes a toner storage section including plural toner containing sections and a dividing part, the plural toner containing sections being arranged from an upstream side to a downstream side in a toner feeding direction and including respective rotating members configured to rotate to feed the toner, the dividing part being formed between the toner containing sections adjacent to each other and including an upper end part. Further, a position of the upper end part of the dividing part is higher than a position of a rotational center of the rotating member included in the toner containing section on the upstream side in the toner feeding direction of the toner containing sections adjacent to each other.
US08855521B2
An image forming apparatus including: an image forming section having a intermediate transfer body to carry a toner image on a photoreceptor and transfer the toner image onto a sheet of paper; a cleaning section for removing residual toner on the intermediate transfer body by bringing a cleaning blade into close contact with the intermediate transfer body; and a control section for controlling a rotation of the intermediate transfer body so as to carry out a return action of a blade configuration which stops or reverses the rotation of the intermediate transfer body, when a rotation amount reaches a predetermined value, wherein the control section carries out the return action when the rotation amount reaches a value smaller than the predetermined value, in a case where a plurality of previous printing jobs is determined to be intermittent printing.
US08855518B2
An image forming apparatus includes a printing engine to form an image on a printing medium through printing processes, an engine frame to support the printing engine having a driving system to drive the printing engine, a high voltage power supply provided in a surface of the engine frame to apply a high voltage to at least one of units performing the printing processes, a main board provided in a surface of the engine frame adjacent to the surface having the high voltage power supply, and having a system engine controller to control the printing engine and a video controller to control a video signal, first and second main connectors respectively provided at lateral sides of the high voltage power supply and the main board adjacent to each other, and a connection control line to connect the first and second main connectors.
US08855515B2
A control apparatus includes the following elements. A page specifying unit specifies, concerning image data representing images included in plural pages, among the plural pages, plural pages including images each having a similarity which is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. A controller controls a transfer bias to be applied to a transfer device which transfers a toner image formed on an image carrier onto a medium. The controller performs control, for the plural pages specified by the page specifying unit, such that each of values of the transfer bias to be applied to the transfer device when toner images corresponding to the plural pages specified by the page specifying unit are transferred onto the medium is within a predetermined range.
US08855509B2
A voltage detection apparatus is configured to detect a voltage value applied to a first or second current path of a heater. The voltage detection apparatus detects a first period during which the voltage value of the first or second current path exceeds a threshold voltage as well as a second period during which electric power is supplied to the first current path or the second current path to control the electric power supplied to the first and second current paths. The voltage detection apparatus uses a detection result to detect a state where over-power is supplied to the heater.
US08855478B2
At an inner circumferential surface of a cam frame, second cam grooves and an inner gear are formed. A second lens group frame includes a base, extensions each extending from the base in an optical axis direction, and cam pins each outwardly protruding from a tip end part of a corresponding one of the extensions in a radial direction. In the extension, a stepped part is formed. The stepped part overlaps, when each cam pin moves according to a corresponding one of the second cam grooves, with the inner gear as viewed in the radial direction, and is recessed toward the inside in the radial direction as compared to a tooth tip of the inner gear so as not to overlap with the tooth tip of the inner gear as viewed in a circumferential direction.
US08855473B2
An apparatus for recording a substantially real time stream of digital information signals on a disc like record carrier has been proposed. The stream of information signals represents information arranged in a sequence of video frames, each video frame arranged in separate, consecutive data blocks comprised in separate, consecutive data packets. The apparatus comprises input means (1) for receiving the stream of digital signals, processing means (100) for processing the stream of digital information signals to obtain digital information signals and writing means (102) for writing the digital information signals into the units of recording on the disc like record carrier. The processing means (102) are adopted to detect the data blocks in the data packets and to allocate consecutive data blocks comprised in multiple data packets into consecutive logical units, a size of each logical unit corresponding to the predetermined size of the unit of recording. This apparatus is specifically suitable for recording digital video (DV) signals in a manner that preserves the format of original data as much as possible.
US08855470B2
Methods of generating video streams including advertisement information sufficient to support advertisement countdown times and other functions such as advertisement auto pause functions are described. In accordance with various embodiments, advertisement duration is determined from one or more messages included in a video stream, e.g., prior to the corresponding advertising segment. A countdown timer is generated from the advertisement information and displayed along with the content of the advertisement segment. Restrictions for different subscribers may be indicated in the advertisement information messages, e.g., with some end users being permitted to fast forward or skip advertisements with other users being required to allow the full normal playback of one or more advertisement segments. The auto pause function, when activated, pauses an ad segment or set of ad segments at a predetermined time before output of the main program resumes thereby making sure none of the main program is missed.
US08855467B2
A method, system, and computer program product for selecting, in real time, a leading view of a multi-angle television program. A video recorder receives a program view selection. The video recorder then transmits a viewer data request for the currently selected program view to a service provider. The video recorder may then receive requested viewer data of the selected program view and one or more alternate views of the selected program. The video recorder may then determine if the selected program view is the leading view of the selected program. When the selected view is not the leading view and the video recorder is configured for automatic view switching, the video recorder may autonomously switch to the leading view of the selected program. Alternatively, the video recorder may present vote totals of all views of the selected program and enable a selection of a desired alternate view.
US08855460B2
Methods and systems for delivering and exporting edited media in multiple formats. A user may select an export format and the selection of the export format may be recorded. Metadata related to an edit decision list created by a user for the edited media product may be accessed, and the metadata may be applied to a component of each media file to create a clip. The clip may be converted to a temporary conversion format. An effect time in the edit decision list may be accessed, and each clip may be broken into individual frames. Effect images from a library may be appropriately and proportionately combined with each individual frame of each clip, the combined frames may be joined to create a completed media file in an order specified in the edit decision list, and the completed media file may be converted to the selected export format.
US08855455B2
An arrangement provides for an optical fiber cable having a plurality of fiber optic elements including a glass portion and a UV optical coating portion. A plurality of buffer tubes each contain one or more of the plurality of optical fibers made of a fire retardant polymer. A jacket surrounds the buffer tubes also made of a fire retardant polymer. The fire retardant polymers for the plurality of buffer tubes and for the jacket are selected from PVDF (PolyVinyliDene Fluoride) or FRPVC (Fire Resistance Poly Vinyl Chloride). The ratio of total polymer to UV optical coating of the fiber optic elements, by area, is substantially in the range of 5:1 to 9:1.
US08855446B2
A set of even interpolated sub-pixels is formed based on a pixel window and a tap coefficient register having a tap coefficient set, the pixel window is shifted and, applying the tap coefficient register a set of odd interpolated pixels is formed. The set of even interpolated sub-pixels and the set of odd interpolated sub-pixels are accumulated, repeatedly, until a termination condition is let. In the accumulating, the tap coefficient register is updated with another tap coefficient set, the pixel window is shifted, and the even interpolated pixels are incremented, the pixel window is then shifted again and the odd interpolated pixels are incremented.
US08855423B2
A digital image of the object is captured and the object is recognized from plurality of objects in a database. An information address corresponding to the object is then used to access information and initiate communication pertinent to the object.
US08855410B2
An example method includes interpreting compressed source data to produce a set of representative colors and modulation data. Portions of the modulation data are interpreted as a plurality of vectors. Each vector pertains to a respective region of the image, which has multiple portions, each with elements. Modulation data is interpreted to include vector modifier data. A respective color for each element within a first portion of the region is determined from the set of representative colors, which are combined according to a selected vector (can be a selection made from a subset of the plurality). Colors for elements in other portions of the region are determined by selecting a vector, modifying the vector according to vector modifier data, and applying the modified vector with the set of representative colors to produce colors for elements in the region. Aspects include systems and methods for source data compression and image reconstruction.
US08855400B2
A detection method for a spot image based thin line detection is disclosed. The method includes a step for generating a band limited spot image from a transmitted and reflected optical image of the mask. The spot image is calibrated to minimize a plurality of optical aberrations from the spot image. The spot image is restored back to a mask image to allow at least one of: a more reliable segmentation between thin line and non-thin line areas on the mask image or a more accurate line width measurement for facilitating segmentation. Thin line features and non-thin lines features are distinguished on the restored mask image. Areas containing thin line features are grown while preventing the thin line growth from encroaching the non-thin line features.
US08855388B2
An analysis of a digitized image is provided. The digitized image is repeatedly convolved to form first convolved images, which first convolved images are convolved a second time to form second convolved images. Each first convolved image and the respective second convolved image representing a stage, and each stage represents a different scale or size of anomaly. As an example, the first convolution may utilize a Gaussian convolver, and the second convolution may utilize a Laplacian convolver, but other convolvers may be used. The second convolved image from a current stage and the first convolved image from a previous stage are used with a neighborhood median determined from the second convolved image from the current stage by a peak detector to detect peaks, or possible anomalies for that particular scale.
US08855385B2
An apparatus for multi-energy tissue quantification includes an x-ray imaging system comprises an x-ray source configured to emit a beam of x-rays toward an object to be imaged, a detector configured to receive the x-rays attenuated by the object, and a data acquisition system (DAS) operably coupled to the detector. A computer operably connected to the x-ray source and the DAS is programmed to cause the x-ray source to emit x-rays at each of a first kVp and a second kVp toward the detector, acquire x-ray data from x-rays emitted at the first and second kVp through a region of interest (ROI), and perform a first multi-material decomposition based on the acquired x-ray data. The computer is also programmed to quantify a volume fraction of a first material in the ROI based on the first multi-material decomposition and display the volume fraction of the first material to a user.
US08855379B2
The saving device for image sharing includes an image acquiring unit configured to acquire the images offered by a sharer of the images, a sharee information storing unit configured to store sharee information with respect to at least one sharee, a subject assessing unit configured to assess whether or not a person subject is included in the acquired images, an image associating unit configured to associate the images assessed as not including a person subject with the images assessed as including a person subject, based on the sharee information, and a shared image determining unit configured to determine the images to be shared with the sharee or sharees from among the associated images and the images assessed as including a person subject, based on the sharee information. The image sharing system and an image sharing method use such a device.
US08855375B2
In various embodiments, methods, systems, and computer program products for processing digital images captured by a mobile device are disclosed. Myriad features enable and/or facilitate processing of such digital images using a mobile device that would otherwise be technically impossible or impractical, and furthermore address unique challenges presented by images captured using a camera rather than a traditional flat-bed scanner, paper-feed scanner, or multifunction peripheral.
US08855365B2
An edge image generator in an image processing determining apparatus extracts multiple edges from an image included in display data output from an external device, such as a terminal unit, a navigation unit, or an imaging unit. Then, the edge image generator selects certain edges from the extracted multiple edges by a certain selection method matched with characteristics of the external device to generate an edge image.
US08855364B2
In daily life, people are often forced to join a queue in order, for example, to pay at a checkout or to be dealt with at an airport, etc. Because of the various forms of a queue, these are not usually recorded automatically, but are analyzed manually. For example, if a long queue is formed at a supermarket, as a result of which the predicted waiting time for the customers rises above a threshold value, this situation can be identified by the checkout personnel, and a further checkout can be opened. A device 1 is proposed for identification of a queue 2 of objects 10 in a monitoring area, having an interface 6 which can be connected to an image source 7, with the interface 6 being designed to observe at least one monitoring image 3 of the monitoring area of the image source, wherein the monitoring image 3 shows a scene background of the monitoring area with possible objects 10, having an evaluation device 5 which is designed to identify the queue 2 of the objects 10 in the at least one monitoring image, wherein the evaluation device 5 has an object detector module 8 which is designed to detect a plurality of objects 10 on the basis of the monitoring image 3, wherein the plurality of the detected objects 10 forms the basis for identification of the queue 2 of the objects 10, wherein the object detector module 8 is designed to identify the objects 8 in the monitoring image with the scene background and/or wherein the object detector module 8 has content-sensitive detectors 9 for detection of the objects 10.
US08855347B2
A hearing device comprises an ear-piece which is designed to be worn at least partially in an ear canal of a user of the hearing device. The ear-piece comprises a vent passage connecting the ear canal with the atmosphere. The vent passage has an inner opening towards the ear-canal and an outer opening towards the atmosphere. The ear-piece further comprises a vent extension. The vent extension is a protrusion extending the vent passage beyond the body of the ear-piece. The vent extension is adapted for abutting on a surface of the body of the user and is thereby inconspicuous and/or contributes thereby to retention. A method for manufacturing such a hearing device is also disclosed.
US08855346B2
A hearing device has a housing, in which a loudspeaker and a battery are disposed. The housing has a first housing part and a second housing part. The housing parts are connected to one another by way of a connection. At least one housing part or an attenuation element provided in the connection between the housing parts is formed of an elastic material.
US08855340B2
Provided is an apparatus and method for reproducing a wave field using a loudspeaker array. A loudspeaker array may be configured in front of and behind a listener, and a wave field synthesis rendering and a three-dimensional sound image localization rendering may be performed based on a position of a sound source.
US08855337B2
The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a micromachined microphone and an accelerometer from a wafer 1 having a first layer 2, the method comprising the steps of dividing the first layer 2 into a microphone layer 5 and into an accelerometer layer 6, covering a front side of the microphone layer 5 and a front side of the accelerometer layer 6 with a continuous second layer 7, covering the second layer 7 with a third layer 8, forming a plurality of trenches 9 in the third layer 8, removing a part 10 of the wafer 1 below a back side of the microphone layer 5, forming at least two wafer trenches 11 in the wafer 1 below a back side of the accelerometer layer 6, and removing a part 12, 13 of the second layer 7 through the plurality of trenches 9 formed in the third layer 8. The micromachined microphone and the accelerometer according to the invention is advantageous over prior art as it allows for body noise cancellation in order to minimize structure borne sound.
US08855332B2
A sound enhancement apparatus and method which produce low IMD over a broadband frequency region and performs BSE to offer a sound which is natural to the human ears, are provided. The sound enhancement apparatus includes a preprocessor, a BSE signal generator, and a gain controller. The preprocessor divides a source signal into a high-frequency signal and a low-frequency signal and analyzes the low-frequency signal to obtain prediction information regarding a degree of distortion that will be generated by the low-frequency signal. The BSE signal generator generates a higher harmonic signal for the low-frequency signal as a BSE signal to be substituted for the low-frequency signal, wherein the order of the higher harmonic signal is adjusted based on the prediction information regarding the degree of distortion. The gain controller adjusts a synthesis ratio of the low-frequency signal and the BSE signal adaptively depending on the prediction information regarding the degree of distortion.
US08855323B2
A method for identifying a receiver in a hearing aid of the RITE (Receiver In The Ear) type (1) comprises providing a hearing aid of the RITE-type (1), providing said hearing aid with a receiver (10), measuring the impedance of said receiver (10) using said hearing aid (1), identifying said receiver (10) as one of several predetermined receiver models on basis of said impedance measurement, and issuing a message regarding the result of the identification. The invention also provides a hearing aid and a system for fitting a hearing aid. The hearing aid may comprise the means for measuring receiver impedance.
US08855322B2
An original loudness level of an audio signal is maintained for a mobile device while maintaining sound quality as good as possible and protecting the loudspeaker used in the mobile device. The loudness of an audio (e.g., speech) signal may be maximized while controlling the excursion of the diaphragm of the loudspeaker (in a mobile device) to stay within the allowed range. In an implementation, the peak excursion is predicted (e.g., estimated) using the input signal and an excursion transfer function. The signal may then be modified to limit the excursion and to maximize loudness.
US08855315B2
The present invention relates to a method for realizing a secure forking call session, which comprises: performing authentication between a calling party and a KMS or between each called party and the KMS, and acquiring a shared key between the calling party and the KMS or a shared key between each called party and the KMS; generating a random number by the calling party and calling each called party through an IMS; generating a random number by each called party and acquiring a media root key from the KMS; generating a media key, which is shared with the calling party, by each called party according to the media root key and the random number generated by the called party; sending the media root key and the generated random number by a called response party in the called parties, who responds the call, to the calling party through the IMS network; generating a media key identical to that of the called response party by the calling party according to the media root key and the random number generated by the called response party; and performing a secure media session between the calling party and the called response party with the identical media key.
US08855310B2
Systems and methods for providing additional security for data being transmitted across a wireless connection that has been established using a known wireless protocol (e.g. Bluetooth) are described. An encryption key is exchanged between a computing device (e.g. a mobile device) and a wireless peripheral device (e.g. a keyboard, a printer). In some embodiments, the encryption key is generated at one of the two devices. Data associated with the encryption key is output at the one device, which can be input by the user at the other device. The encryption key is then recovered at the other device from the input, thereby completing the key exchange. The encryption key can then be used to encrypt and decrypt data transmitted over the established wireless connection, providing additional security.
US08855308B2
A method of transmitting messages from a sender to a recipient over a wireless channel, the messages including a sequence counter and a frame counter. The method comprises establishing initial values of the sequence counter and the frame counter at the sender. Initial values of the frame counter and the sequence counter are provided to the recipient. The sender sends compressed messages including the value of the sequence counter and not the frame counter and monitors for an acknowledgement of receipt by the recipient. When no acknowledgment is received, the sender sends uncompressed messages until an acknowledgement of receipt is received from the recipient. The sequence counter is incremented and the next value of the frame counter is established as the integer next larger than previous value of the frame counter which is congruent to the sequence counter modulo 256.
US08855305B2
An embodiment of the invention includes a processing system to provide protected digital content, the processing system comprising a processor and control logic which, when used by the processor, results in the processing system performing operations comprising determining first and second receivers, which are coupled to the processing system, are within a predetermined acceptable proximity to the processing system. The processing system is upstream to the first receiver and the first receiver is upstream to the second receiver. Other embodiments are provided herein.
US08855294B2
Method and apparatus for effecting a voice communication between user terminals connected via a communication network include displaying a menu of country options to a user and receiving a number in local form. Formatting rules are recalled for a destination country selected by the user from the country options. A country prefix for the destination country is prepended to the number in accordance with the formatting rules to generate a formatted number. The formatted number is supplied to a client installed at the user terminal for effecting the voice communication using the formatted number.
US08855290B1
A monitoring device 132 provides a shared call stack to a monitored extension and one or more proxy extensions. For example, the monitored extension is a boss' extension in a business environment, and the proxy extension is an extension for a boss' secretary. The monitoring device 132 detects an incoming call for the monitored extension. The incoming call is redirected, by the monitoring device 132, to a shared extension that is associated with the monitored extension. The shared extension has a shared call stack. The shared call stack has a call stack position that is shared with a proxy extension. The incoming call is made available as a call option in the call stack position so that the monitored extension and the proxy extension can user the monitoring device to perform call functions on the incoming call. The monitoring device can also perform call functions on outgoing calls.
US08855274B2
Systems and methods for providing caller identification information are provided. A method of providing caller identification information may include receiving caller identification information associated with a first communication device at a video processing device via a wireless communication. The method may also include selecting a first display profile associated with the first communication device from a plurality of display profiles. The method may also include generating a display in accordance with the first display profile. The display may include data related to the caller identification information.
US08855273B1
An email-to-facsimile (fax) processing system efficiently services requests issued by customers of the system in a fair and impartial manner. The system illustratively includes a plurality of components configured to provide email-to-fax processing services over a network. The components of the email-to-fax system include computer nodes executing software processes and/or services embodied as one or more FaxEmail routers, FaxEmail pollers, Rendering servers and Fax assemblers. The email-to-fax processing services provided by the components illustratively include email storage and retrieval services, email-to-fax conversion services and fax organizational transmission services. One or more of these services may be performed by the components in a randomized fashion to ensure that the customer requests, such as email-to-fax requests, may be fairly and impartially processed by the system.
US08855266B2
An X-ray stress measurement apparatus having: a camera for producing an optical image of a sample; a display for displaying the optical image; an input device capable of inputting positions on a display screen; an X-ray source for generating an X-ray; a table for moving the sample; an X-ray detector for detecting an X-ray exiting the sample; a measurement program for determining the measurement positions of the sample on the basis of the positions indicated by the input device, and measuring the determined measurement positions of the sample; a stress computation program for computing the stress at the measurement positions of the sample on the basis of an output signal from the X-ray detector; and an image formation program for causing the optical image, the measurement positions of the sample, the absolute value of the stress, and the direction of the stress to be displayed on the same display screen.
US08855261B2
A spacer for holding fuel rods includes cells formed by a sleeve having an upper edge and a lower edge and a number of abutment surfaces. The lower edge has a wave shape with wave peaks aligned with a respective one of the abutment surfaces, and wave valleys located between two adjacent ones of the abutment surfaces. The upper edge has a wave shape with wave peaks, which are aligned with a respective one of the abutment surfaces, and wave valleys located between two adjacent ones of the abutment surfaces. Each of the abutment surfaces extend from a respective one of the wave peaks of the upper edge to a respective one of the wave peaks of the lower edge. The sleeves abut each other in the spacer along respective connection areas to make the abutment surfaces rotatable with respect to a center point of the connection area.
US08855258B1
A system and method are provided for resynchronizing a transmission signal using a jitter-attenuated clock derived from an asynchronous gapped clock. A first-in first-out (FIFO) memory accepts an asynchronous gapped clock derived from a first clock having a first frequency. The gapped clock has an average second frequency less than the first frequency. The input serial stream of data is loaded at a rate responsive to the gapped clock. A dynamic numerator (DN) and dynamic denominator (DD) are iteratively calculated for the gapped clock, averaged, and an averaged numerator (A and an averaged denominator (AD) are generated. The first frequency is multiplied by the ratio of AN/AD to create a jitter-attenuated second clock having the second frequency. The FIFO memory accepts the jitter-attenuated second clock and supplies data from memory at the second frequency. A framer accepts the data from the FIFO memory and the jitter-attenuated second clock.
US08855252B2
The invention relates to an apparatus and a method for detecting and correcting input signals regarding click noise, using a first detector unit and a second correction unit, the detector unit differentiates the input signal and extracts the noise signal and compares the sum of two noise samples with a threshold value and in case this sum exceeds the threshold value a click is observed, while the correction unit corrects the input signal in the phase domain and differentiates it prior to outputting the corrected signal.
US08855251B2
A power adjusting method and apparatus provided by embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of communications. The power adjusting method of this embodiment includes: receiving a signal from a sending end, where the signal includes a cyclic prefix (CP) signal; detecting and acquiring first receiving power and second receiving power of the CP signal, where the first receiving power is average power of N sampling points of the CP signal, and the second receiving power is average power of M sampling points of the CP signal; after determining that a ratio of the first receiving power to target power is greater than a first preset threshold, adjusting signal power magnification; and after determining that the ratio of the second receiving power to the target power is greater than a second preset threshold, adjusting the signal power magnification again.
US08855250B2
A wireless communication device is disclosed that includes an automatic gain controller capable of accurately adjusting gain of a received signal. The received signal includes a plurality of symbols, including pilot symbols that each includes at least one pilot tone, and data symbols that do not include any pilot tones. A power of a pilot symbol is determined, and a power of a data symbol is determined. The determined data symbol power is then scaled by a scaling factor (that depends on various system parameters) and is subtracted from the determined pilot symbol power to provide an estimate of a power of the pilot tones within the signal. From the estimated pilot tone power, the automatic gain controller can accurately determine a preferred gain for amplifying future frames of the received signal.
US08855249B2
A preamble detector has a correlator outputting for every sample position of the preamble part of an incoming sampled signal stream a score and associated class value; and a multiple cluster unit receiving the class and score output values from the correlator, wherein a first cluster receives output values from the correlator and the following clusters are coupled in series such that each cluster receives output values from the correlator and a preceding cluster and wherein the output values of the correlator and a cluster are processed such that an n-th cluster of the multiple cluster unit, with n>1, accumulates the highest score values of n score values with matching class values.
US08855246B2
In a particular embodiment, a method includes receiving a first portion of a sync field of a packet at a receiver. The sync field includes the first portion and a second portion. The packet includes the sync field and a payload field. The method includes detecting a sync word associated with the packet. The sync word is detected based on the first portion of the sync field and prior to receiving the second portion of the sync field. The method initiates a demodulation stage of the receiver prior to receiving an initial bit of the payload field. Initiating the demodulation stage prior to receipt of the initial bit of the payload field enables a demodulator to perform initial demodulation activity prior to demodulation of the payload field. Demodulation continues if, after the second portion is received, the entire received sync field matches the detected sync word.
US08855243B2
A method and system for performing complex sampling of signals using two or more sampling channels and calculating time delays between these channels. The system and method are operable to enable complex sampling of a signal in a frequency-domain by predefined-order sampling, including utilizing a sampling channel for converting an analog signal to a corresponding substantially non-delayed digital signal; and transforming the digital signal into a plurality of corresponding frequency-domain substantially non-delayed discrete components; providing additional sampling channels enabling to perform a predefined-order sampling, the predefined-order depending on a number of the additional sampling channels, each additional sampling channel configured to perform a number of stage, giving rise to the multiplied frequency-domain delayed discrete components; and combining the multiplied frequency-domain delayed discrete components with the corresponding frequency-domain substantially non-delayed discrete components, giving rise to an output frequency-domain complex signal.
US08855235B2
A transmission apparatus includes: a multiplier configured to multiply a signal provided on a complex plane by a multiplication coefficient corresponding to a number of transmission sub-carriers; and an inverse fast Fourier transformer configured to perform an inverse fast Fourier transform on the multiplied signal.
US08855229B2
The present invention discloses a method for transmitting information in a closed loop multiple antenna system. The method includes that: a transmission apparatus receives information transmitted from a reception apparatus, wherein the information includes codeword index information; the transmission apparatus selects a corresponding codeword from a double-layer-structure-based codebook according to the codeword index information; the transmission apparatus generates a precoding matrix according to the selected codeword; the transmission apparatus performs precoding for data to be transmitted according to the precoding matrix; the transmission apparatus transmits the precoded data to the reception apparatus. The present invention can enable a formed and used codebook to match channel distribution characteristic of a dual-polarized antenna as much as possible, and minimize performance loss brought by codebook quantization, thereby performance of a precoding system can be effectively improved.
US08855228B2
A transmitter beamforming technique for use in a MIMO wireless communication system determines a partial description of a reverse channel without determining a full dimensional description of the reverse channel. A correction matrix is developed from the partial description of the reverse channel and a description of the forward channel. The correction matrix is used to process signals to be transmitted via the forward channel, and a steering matrix is used to perform beamforming in the forward channel.
US08855225B2
Techniques for efficiently supporting frequency selective scheduling (FSS) and frequency diversity scheduling (FDS) are described. In one design, a first transmission for an FSS user may be mapped to a subband selected for this user from among at least one subband in a first frequency region of the system bandwidth. The first transmission may be mapped to a fixed portion or different portions of the selected subband in different time intervals. A second transmission for an FDS user may be mapped across multiple subbands in a second frequency region of the system bandwidth. The second transmission may be mapped to different subbands or different resource blocks in the second frequency region in different time intervals. Each time interval may correspond to a symbol period, a slot, a subframe, etc. The frequency hopping may be performed based on a fixed hopping pattern or a pseudo-random hopping pattern.
US08855223B2
A network node (28) communicates over a radio interface (32) with a wireless terminal (30). Both the network node (28) and the wireless terminal (30) have multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) capabilities. A MIMO-related order (90) is generated for inclusion in control signaling on a high speed downlink shared channel from the network node (28) to the wireless terminal (30). The MIMO-related order (90) is configured to modify channel quality indication (CQI) communications between the wireless terminal (30) and the base station (28) in view of MIMO capabilities of the wireless terminal (30). The method further comprises providing a channel quality indication (CQI) report (92) the wireless terminal (30) to the base station (28) in accordance with the order.
US08855217B2
A device includes a transmitter coupled to a node, where the node is to couple to a wired link. The transmitter has a plurality of modes of operation including a calibration mode in which a range of communication data rates over the wired link is determined in accordance with a voltage margin corresponding to the wired link at a predetermined error rate. The range of communication data rates includes a maximum data rate, which can be a non-integer multiple of an initial data rate.
US08855215B2
A method and a circuit are provided for providing phase or frequency synthesis using sigma-delta modulation bit-stream techniques in which data is encoded utilizing sigma-delta modulation and then digital-to-time conversion (DTC) or digital-to-frequency conversion (DFC). In some embodiments this encoded data stream is further subjected to phase or frequency domain filtering, which in some embodiments is carried out by a higher-order phase-locked loop (PLL).
US08855208B2
An image coding method includes: deriving a candidate for a motion vector predictor from a neighboring motion vector; adding the candidate to a list; selecting a motion vector predictor from the list; coding a current block; and coding a current motion vector. In the deriving, the candidate is derived according to a first derivation scheme when each of a current reference picture and a neighboring reference picture is determined to be a long-term reference picture, and the candidate is derived according to a second derivation scheme when each of a current reference picture and a neighboring reference picture is determined to be a short-term reference picture.
US08855203B2
While maintaining a high degree of freedom in choosing partition sizes and transformation sizes adapted for local characteristics of videos, the amount of metadata is decreased. A video encoding apparatus (10) divides an input video into blocks of a prescribed size and encodes the video block by block. The video encoding apparatus is provided with: a prediction parameter determining portion (102) that decides the block partition structure; a predictive image producing portion (103) that generates predictive images, partition by partition, as prescribed by the partition structure; a transform coefficient producing portion (107) which applies one of the frequency transformations included in a prescribed transformation preset to prediction residuals, i.e. the differences between predictive images and the input video; a transform restriction deriving portion (104) which generates the list of transform candidate, i.e. lists of frequency transformations that can be applied to each partition, on the basis of partition format information; and a variable-length-encoding portion (108) which, on the basis of the list of transform candidate and the transformation preset, performs variable-length encoding on transformation selection flags.
US08855200B2
A method of decoding a video signal is disclosed. The present invention includes obtaining identification information indicating whether a coded picture of a current NAL unit is an inter-view picture group, obtaining interview reference information of the inter-view picture group, and constructing a reference picture list for inter-view prediction using the inter-view reference information according to the identification information, wherein the inter-view reference information includes view identification information of an inter-view reference picture.
US08855186B2
Computationally efficient methods and related systems, for use in a test and measurement instrument, such as an oscilloscope, optimize the performance of DFEs used in a high-speed serial data link by identifying optimal DFE tap values for peak-to-peak based criteria. The optimized DFEs comply with the behavior of a model DFE set forth in the PCIE 3.0 specification.
US08855181B2
A method and a system for compensating a delay mismatch between a first measurement channel and a second measurement channel is disclosed. A method for compensating a delay mismatch between a first measurement channel and a second measurement channel includes providing a reference point for starting the first and second measurement channel, and starting the first measurement channel after expiration of a first delay period which begins at the reference point. The method further includes starting the second measurement channel after expiry of a second delay period which begins at the reference point, wherein a difference between a length of the first delay period and a length of the second delay period is substantially equal to the delay mismatch between the first measurement channel and the second measurement channel.
US08855176B1
The present invention is directed to integrated circuits. In a specific embodiment, high frequency signals from an equalizer are directly connected to a first pair of inputs of a sense amplifier. The sense amplifier also has a second pair of inputs, which can be selectively coupled to output signals from a DAC or high frequency loopback signals. There are other embodiments as well.
US08855173B2
A method of acquiring a satellite signal includes calculating a correlation result of a reception signal from a GPS satellite and a replica code using an output value of one adder-subtractor for a combination of addition and subtraction corresponding to time-series change in code values of the replica code from among a plurality of adder-subtractors for addition-subtraction of sampling values obtained by sampling the reception signal in a time series with different combinations of addition and subtraction, and acquiring the satellite signal of the GPS satellite using the correlation result.
US08855158B2
Provided is a two-dimensional photonic crystal surface emitting laser that enables easy laser oscillation with two-dimensionally symmetric intensity distribution, using a photonic crystal of a lattice structure having different lengths of primitive translation vectors in plane, realized in a two-dimensional photonic crystal surface emitting laser including an active layer, and a two-dimensional photonic crystal having a two-dimensionally periodic refractive index profile disposed in a vicinity of the active layer. The two-dimensional photonic crystal has a lattice structure where two primitive translation vectors in plane have different lengths, a shape of a member forming lattice points included in a unit cell of the lattice structure has anisotropy with respect to directions of the two primitive translation vectors, and the anisotropy of the shape of the member permits a difference of a coupling coefficient to be smaller than a case where the shape of the member is isotropic.
US08855152B2
A polarization modulation device for wideband laser comprises a first polarization maintaining optical fiber, a second polarization maintaining optical fiber, and a non-polarization maintaining optical fiber. The non-polarization maintaining optical fiber includes a first polarization controller coupled with the first polarization maintaining optical fiber, and a second polarization controller coupled with the second polarization maintaining optical fiber.
US08855138B2
Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate providing relay nodes in wireless networks. In particular, cluster nodes, which can be regular eNBs, can provide wireless network access to the relay nodes over a backhaul link, and the relay nodes can offer access to devices or other relay nodes to expand network coverage and/or provide increased throughput. User equipment (UE) relays can function as UEs according to a cluster node such that UE relays receive network addressing and can tunnel communications through the cluster node using the backhaul link. Cell relays can function as a cell of the cluster node, such that transport layer communications terminate at the cluster node. In this regard, cell relays can define transport layers to use in communicating with the cluster nodes over the backhaul and with other devices over a provided access link.
US08855136B2
Mesh Network Access Points (APs) points, including gateways and routers, are deployed over a geographic area. The APs monitor the communication channel for other carriers and transmit accordingly. The APs selectively co-transmit when other carriers are sensed, if the efficiency of the mesh network will improve. APs select a transmission rate based on observed carrier-to-interference ratios. APs use directional antennas to increase carrier-to-interference ratios and spectral efficiency. AP transmit schedules are adaptable and adjusted according to observed carrier-to-interference measurements.
US08855129B2
A method for transmitting packets, the method includes receiving multiple packets at multiple queues. The method is characterized by dynamically defining fixed priority queues and weighted fair queuing queues, and scheduling a transmission of packets in response to a status of the multiple queues and in response to the definition. A device for transmitting packets, the device includes multiple queues adapted to receive multiple packets. The device includes a circuit that is adapted to dynamically define fixed priority queues and weighted fair queuing queues out of the multiple queues and to schedule a transmission of packets in response to a status of the multiple queues and in response to the definition.
US08855128B2
A network endpoint system and related method and computer program product for use in a network to support enhanced end-to-end QoS in the network. The network endpoint system is adapted to receive network data of varying priority on behalf of a data consumer operating at the application layer of a network protocol stack implemented by the network endpoint system. The network endpoint system includes a network interface controller adapted to receive network frames containing the network data, plural network data handling channels each having an associated priority, and priority processing logic adapted to transfer the network data from the network interface controller to the plural data handling channels on a prioritized basis according to the network data priority. Also disclosed are a network interface controller and a network node to support enhanced end-to-end QoS in a network.
US08855127B2
Disclosed is a method and system for deep packet buffering on a switch core comprising an ingress and egress deep packet buffer and an external deep packet buffer.
US08855114B2
In one example embodiment, a system and method is illustrated that includes processes a first data packet using a first operating system, the first data packet received from a first network. A second operation is shown that processes a second data packet using a second operating system, the second data packet received from a second network. Further, an additional operation is shown that determines a route associated with the first data packet and the second data packet, the route including at least one of a logical route or physical route. Moreover, an operation is shown that parses the first data packet into at least one first logical segment, and parsing the second data packet into at least one second logical segment. An operation is shown that transmits the first logical segment and the second logical segment as at least one data packet across the WAN.
US08855113B2
Methods and apparatus for a network element to handle LSID collisions to prevent different LSAs associated with different routes from sharing the same LSID. According to one embodiment, responsive to determining that a tentative LSID that is generated for a first route that is being added collides with an LSID that is assigned to an LSA for a second route, and that one of the first and second routes is a host route, the host route is suppressed. If the first route is the host route, suppressing includes not originating an LSA for the first route. If the second route is the host route, suppressing includes purging the LSA for the second route and not originating an LSA for the second route. Although the host route is suppressed, network reachability of the range subsuming the host route is provided through the route that is not the host route.
US08855104B2
A method for switching the session control path of IMS centralized services is provided. When the condition for switching the session control path is satisfied during the ICS session based on the first session control path, the following steps are performed: one party of the ICS UE and ICCF of the ICS session transmits the request of switching the session control path to the other party; the receiving party identifies the ICS session corresponding to the request, and transmits an acknowledgement response to the transmitting party; and the ICCF and ICS UE set the session control path corresponding to the identified ICS session as the second session control path and transfer the subsequent session control information associated with the ICS session via the second session control path; wherein the first or second session control path is one of the PS session control path and the CS session control path.
US08855098B2
A transmitting/receiving system and a data processing method of the same are disclosed herein. The receiving system may include a receiving unit, a first processing unit, and a second processing unit. The receiving unit receives a broadcast signal including mobile service data and an FIC segment from at least one slot. Herein, a transmission frame may be configured of a plurality of sub-frames for receiving at least one ensemble and at least one mobile service, and a sub-frame may be configured of a plurality of slots. The a first processing unit extracts FIC segments each having a different FIC chunk major protocol version from the broadcast signal, and acquires a number of the corresponding FIC segment, a number of the last FIC segment, and FIC chunk major protocol version information from each segment header of the extracted FIC segments. The second processing unit obtains an FIC chunk including signaling information between at least one ensemble and at least one mobile service frame from respective payloads of the FIC segments, based upon the acquired number of the corresponding FIC segment, number of the last FIC segment, and FIC chunk major protocol version information.
US08855089B2
A system for communicating with wireless devices. The systems includes radio groups whose MIMO physical sectors overlap. The MIMO physical sectors communicate using different channels. The MIMO physical sectors overlap to form an area of overlap. Each radio group includes directional antennas and radios. Radios are selectively coupled to the antennas. The antennas that are oriented so that the physical sectors of the antennas overlap to operate as MIMO antennas and form the MIMO physical sector for the radio group. The antennas operate as a MIMO antenna.
US08855085B2
A Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) handover method is provided. The method comprises a mobile station receiving probe frames sent in a predefined time interval from a current associated access point and an adjacent access point during a preset time period. The station obtains and stores a signal strength for each access point based on the beacon frames. The station performs fuzzy processing of the signal strengths and change rates of the signal strengths to obtain fuzzy data characterizing levels of the signal strengths and the change rates. The station performs fuzzy reasoning based on the fuzzy data to obtain reasoning outputs. A target access point is determined by the station based on the reasoning outputs. The station authenticates with the target access point, and sends a re-association request frame to the target access point. Re-association is established after a re-association response frame is received by the station.
US08855084B2
Aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques for preventing loss of IP continuity when transitioning between networks. Certain aspects provide methods that generally include initiating a first timer upon attempting to transition from a first RAT network to a second RAT network during an IP session and initiating a second timer if a channel in the second RAT network is successfully acquired. According to aspects, a device may transfer context of the IP session to the second RAT network if a session is successfully negotiated in the second network prior to expiration of the second timer and the first and second networks share a common core network for IP services.
US08855069B2
The invention relates to a downlink transmission scheme that supports downlink HARQ operation and macro-diversity that is capable of overcoming the problem of HARQ protocol de-synchronization when using HARQ in the downlink with multiple data transmitting network nodes. In this scheme, a distributed HARQ protocol operation for downlink data transmissions involving multiple network nodes is provided, where only one network node is terminating downlink HARQ protocol operation towards to mobile terminal, i.e. retransmissions of a data packet are sent from a single network node, a single HARQ transmitter, to the mobile terminal. The multiple network nodes send a first transmission of the data packet to the mobile terminal in a single transmission time interval using HARQ. One of the multiple network nodes is designated as the HARQ terminating node that controls/handles all retransmissions of the data packet.
US08855059B2
Methods and apparatus are described for improving the transmission of information over wireless communication channels. These techniques include determining available communication channels for transmitting information and determining possible physical layer packet sizes of the available channels. An information unit is partitioned into portions wherein the size of the portions are selected so as to match one of the physical layer packet sizes of the available communication channels. Another aspect is partitioning the information into a number of slices that correspond to the number of transmissions that occur during the information unit interval and assigning each partition to a corresponding transmission. The techniques can be used for various types of information, such as multimedia data, variable bit rate data streams, video data, or audio data. The techniques can also be used with various over the air interfaces, such as, Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), or standards based on CDMA such as TIA/EIA-95-B (IS-95), TIA/EIA-98-C (IS-98), IS2000, HRPD, cdma2000, Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), and others.
US08855057B2
A device for transferring data. The device includes a processor operable to process a header portion of data without processing a payload. Processing the header portion generates a processed header. The processor may signal a direct memory access (DMA) unit to access the payload of the data. As a result, the DMA accesses and passes the payload to a wireless interface for transmission to a destination electronic device based on the processed header. The processor used to process the header portion may be a processor of an electronic device, e.g., a cellular phone, a PDA, etc. Alternatively, the processor may be a processor of a removable memory component. In one embodiment, the processor may be a processor of a module adapted to receive a removable memory and further adapted to couple to an electronic device, e.g., a cellular phone, a PDA, etc., where the removable memory includes its own processor.
US08855056B2
A method and apparatus for processing degradation of radio link quality in a wireless communication system supporting relays are disclosed. The method includes determining quality of a radio link between the first node and the communication apparatus, recovering the radio link between the first node and the communication apparatus, when the quality of the radio link between the first node and the communication apparatus is decreased to or below a predetermined threshold, and transmitting to the second node a signaling to control communication on a radio link between the second node and the communication apparatus, when the quality of the radio link between the first node and the communication apparatus is decreased to or below the predetermined threshold.
US08855054B2
A system for establishing two-way calls between a radio and a phone system is provided. The system comprises at least one control station for exchanging messages with the radio, at least one interconnect control station, or pair of interconnect control stations, for communicating audio signals to and from the radio over a communication channel comprising respective transmit and receive frequencies, and a gateway for exchanging messages with the phone system, the control station and the at least one interconnect control station, or pair of interconnect control stations, causing the radio to switch to the communication channel whereby audio is transmitted from the phone system to the radio over the transmit frequency and audio as well as DTMF is transmitted from the radio to the phone system for activating special features of the phone system.
US08855052B2
An apparatus includes a Mobile Termination (MT) that offers functions related to communication with a network, a Terminal Equipment (TE) that offers services to a user of the apparatus, and a Terminal Adaptor (TA) that allows communication between the MT and the TE using Attention (AT) commands. A packet domain event reporting command (+CGEREP) is one type of AT command that enables or disables sending of result codes from the MT to the TE in case certain events occur in the MT for a packet domain or in the network. One such type of event is a Packet Data Protocol (PDP) context activation, for which the MT sends to the TE a result code that includes an integer type parameter to indicate the reason why a context activation request with PDP type IPv4v6 was not granted, and a context id parameter to indicate the capability of Mobile Termination for autonomously requesting a second address bearer, and the result of the second address bearer activation.
US08855045B2
The present invention discloses a method for controlling establishment of a local IP connection, and the method includes: when an access gateway determines that data or application of a terminal needs to be offloaded, informing the terminal that a local IP connection needs to be established via a mobility management entity and a radio side network element by a bearer modification, or informing a radio side network element or a local gateway of a routing policy via a mobility management entity. The present invention also discloses a system for controlling establishment of a local IP connection. The present invention enables the terminal to instantly acquire whether a local IP connection needs to be re-established, can realize dynamic adjustment of local IP data; meanwhile, the present invention can realize dynamic adjustment of local IP data and dynamic establishment of the local IP connection in the case of the local IP connection.
US08855043B2
A relay node of a communication system includes a communication unit that initiates a session by executing an initial connection procedure for retrieving a cell list indicating one or more donor base station candidates from a maintenance node after establishment of an initial communication link among the relay node, a base station, and a switching center, and for establishing a communication link to a donor base station in the cell list and a switching center connected to the donor base station; a storing unit that stores the cell list; and a reconnection control unit that selects, when a radio link with the donor base station is lost, a donor base station satisfying a predetermined criterion in the cell list, and that causes the communication unit to establish a communication link to the selected donor base station and a switching center connected to the selected donor base station.
US08855041B2
A radio relay station provided with: a donor-side transceiver unit which transmits and receives a donor-side signal, at which a first frequency band is used, to and from a radio base station; a service-side transceiver unit which transmits and receives a service-side signal, at which a second frequency band adjacent to the first frequency band is used, to and from a radio terminal; and a control unit and a control unit which control the donor-side transceiver unit and service-side transceiver unit respectively. The donor-side transceiver unit, when the service-side signal has been received, measures the signal level of the service-side signal at the first frequency band. The control unit and the control unit adjust the shift amount for the second frequency band at the frequency shifter so as to lower the signal level.
US08855034B2
A method of allocating a paging carrier in a multi-carrier environment is disclosed. The method of allocating the paging carrier includes receiving a first message including first allocation information of the paging carrier, transmitting a second message for requesting entry into an idle mode to a base station; and receiving a third message including second allocation information of a changed paging carrier from the base station. At this time, the paging carrier includes a paging channel out of multiple carriers including one or more carriers.
US08855029B2
A transmit signal second-order inter-modulation (IM2) canceller for a portable handset using a full duplex mode of operation (e.g., WCDMA) is used to controllably reduce IM2 introduced by a transmit signal that appears in a received signal in a receive channel of the portable handset. The transmit signal IM2 canceller includes a delay estimator and a digital signal adjuster. The delay estimator receives a first input from a receive channel and a second input from a transmit channel. The delay estimator generates an estimate of the IM2 that the transmit channel introduces in the receive channel. The digital signal adjuster removes the estimate of the IM2 before forwarding a modified receive channel signal to a baseband subsystem of the portable handset.
US08855015B2
Techniques are provided for managing and distributing communications in a network. At a first switch device arranged in a first configuration in a network, a set of one or more network attributes are determined, which are associated with network communications that the first switch device is interested in receiving from other network devices. The first switch device sends to a controller device an attribute interest message that informs the controller device of the set of network attributes. The first switch device receives a mapping of the network attributes in to one or more identifiers. The identifiers are included in a header of subsequent frames sent in the network. An identifier interest message is then sent to a second switch device arranged in a second network configuration in the network to inform the second switch device of identifiers of the network attributes of which the first device has an interest.
US08855011B2
Devices, systems, and techniques for data collecting network such as wireless sensors are disclosed. A described technique includes detecting one or more remote nodes included in the wireless sensor network using a local power level that controls a radio range of the local node. The technique includes transmitting a local outdegree. The local outdegree can be based on a quantity of the one or more remote nodes. The technique includes receiving one or more remote outdegrees from the one or more remote nodes. The technique includes determining a local node type of the local node based on detecting a node type of the one or more remote nodes, using the one or more remote outdegrees, and using the local outdegree. The technique includes adjusting characteristics, including an energy usage characteristic and a data compression characteristic, of the wireless sensor network by selectively modifying the local power level and selectively changing the local node type.
US08855008B2
A digital multimedia network with a parameter join mechanism comprising at least one apparatus. A requesting device parameter of a source apparatus updates a local parameter group list by adding an entry for each device parameter of a target apparatus which joins the parameter group.
US08854996B2
Mechanisms are provided for a network processor comprising a parser, the parser being operable to work in normal operation mode or in repeat operation mode, the parser in normal operation mode loading and executing at least one rule in a first and a second working cycle respectively, the parser in repeat operation mode being operable to repeatedly execute a repeat-instruction, the execution of each repeat corresponding to one working cycle.
US08854980B2
A fiber channel switching module can include an integrated trace buffer memory, a crossbar switch and a control processor disposed on a single line replaceable module (LRM). The trace buffer memory may be adapted to capture selected data traffic transiting the switch fabric based on pre-selected triggers. The selected data can be read out of the trace buffer memory and used for selected diagnostics.
US08854974B2
Methods, systems, and computer readable media for DPI-enabled traffic shaping for xDSL networks are disclosed. According to one method, a DPI node analyzes signaling for an xDSL network access node or a broadband network gateway to determine nodal or link capacities available to nodes upstream from the network access node or the broadband network gateway for delivering downstream traffic to the network access device. The DPI node uses the determined capacities to shape downstream traffic delivered to the network access device.
US08854973B2
Techniques are provided for hash-based routing table management in a distributed network switch. A frame having a source address and a destination address is received by a switch module having bridge elements and a routing table divided into slices of buckets, each slice having a respective property and including one or more buckets. If a routing entry for the source address is found in a first slice of a first set of buckets of the routing table responsive to a lookup request for the source address, and the property of the first slice satisfies a replication condition, then the routing entry is replicated to a second set of buckets of the routing table.
US08854964B2
Method and apparatus for determining a transport bit rate for a multiprogram transport stream (MPTS) is described. In one example, a plurality of transport bit rates is computed for a respective plurality of programs in the MPTS. A highest transport bit rate and a lowest transport bit rate are selected from the plurality of transport bit rates. An average transport bit rate is computed from the highest transport bit rate and the lowest transport bit rate. The average transport bit rate is provided as an initial transport bit rate for the MPTS. Jitter in the MPTS may be compensated using the initial transport bit rate.
US08854962B2
A method of coupling multiple information handling systems (IHSs) through a communications stack includes establishing connection between a first IHS and a second IHS at a layer 1 of the communications stack. The method further includes receiving a message indicating a layer 3 protocol of the second IHS and determining whether to establish the connection between the first IHS and the second IHS at a layer 2 of the communications stack, based on the layer 3 protocol.
US08854959B2
Provided is a super frame that may be used to reconfigure a dynamic protocol to synchronize a sensor node with different protocols of a hub device. The super frame enables a hub device to provide a real-time quality of service (QoS) with respect to a plurality of sensor application programs.
US08854951B2
A system for allowing dynamic changing of routing information of a network interconnect while avoiding deadlocks and preserving packet ordering. A network resiliency system detects when an error in the network interconnect occurs and dynamically generates new routing information for the routers that factors in the detected error. The network resiliency system then generates new routing information that factors in the failure. The network resiliency system then directs the network interconnect to enter a quiescent state in which no packets are transiting through the network interconnect. After the network interconnect enters the quiescent state, the network resiliency system directs the loading of the new routing information into the routing tables of the network interconnect and then directs the network interconnect to start injecting request packets into the network interconnect.
US08854949B2
A network relay device relays data in a layer 2 network. The network relay device includes first and second communication ports, a snooping module, a transfer information storage unit, a multicast sending module, a failure detector and a port adding module. The snooping module generates snooping information. The snooping information correlates the first communication port set to a multicast transfer port to a destination MAC address. The multicast sending module refers to the snooping information stored in the transfer information storage unit and sends a multicast frame received from the layer 2 network, from the correlated multicast transfer port. The failure detector detects a communication failure in the layer 2 network. The port adding module additionally, in response to detection of the communication failure by the failure detector, set the second communication port, in addition to the first communication port, to the multicast transfer port.
US08854945B2
In wireless communications, adaptive gain control may be performed by scaling of signals before and after a transform. A received signal power may be non-causally scaled to a first level within a desired range before transforming the received signal. The scaled signal is transformed between a time domain to a frequency domain and then its power is again non-causally scaled based on the first level. A feed forward circuit may be used in the power scaling. Different portions of the signal may be power adjusted independently of other portions. The different portions may be separated on a per-channel basis. Power scaling may be done on a symbol-by-symbol basis.
US08854931B2
A polarization converter of the invention includes a core part that wave-guides an electromagnetic wave and a cladding part that is provided around the core part. The core part includes a conversion part converting a polarization state of the electromagnetic wave. A cross-sectional shape of the conversion part in a plane orthogonal to a propagation direction of the electromagnetic wave is a shape formed by cutting off a portion of a rectangular or square shape along a jagged diagonal line.
US08854930B1
Techniques for improving the recording quality during heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) by monitoring the power of a source used to heat a storage medium are described. In one example, a source emits electromagnetic radiation. A waveguide transmits the electromagnetic radiation onto a surface of a magnetic media. A photoresistive material is proximately located to the waveguide. The resistance of the photoresistive material varies based on the intensity of electromagnetic radiation propagating through the waveguide. The power of the source is determined by measuring the resistance of the photoresitive material. The power of the source is adjusted based on the determined power.
US08854928B1
Apparatus and systems create differential drive signals suitable for HAMR data recording. A laser diode differential driver provides heating current pulses at a time Φ1. The pulses energize a laser diode to pre-heat the magnetic medium to be written. Some embodiments duplicate portions of the laser diode circuit architecture to create a magnetic write head differential driver. The write head driver provides write current pulses to a magnetic write head in one direction with θ1 timing and in the opposite direction with θ2 timing. Both drivers utilize sets of reference voltages capable of being switched to one terminal or the other of the element to be driven. In the laser diode case, the common mode is split between the anode and cathode sections of the driver. A feedback element is added between the cathode and anode sections to provide current accuracy independent of the electrical characteristics of the selected laser diode.
US08854927B2
A watch capable of playing sound includes a main body and a sound playing body. The main body includes an interface unit, a signal amplification unit, a control unit, and a first electromagnetic coil unit. The control unit transmits audio signal to the signal amplification unit via the interface unit. The first electromagnetic coil unit generates inducted electromagnetic filed in response to the audio signal amplified by the signal amplification unit. The sound playing body includes a second electromagnetic coil unit and a loudspeaker. The second electromagnetic coil unit generates electric signal in response to the induced electromagnetic filed. The loudspeaker plays the audio signal in response to the electric signal.
US08854913B2
A semiconductor memory device and method of operating the same is disclosed. The semiconductor memory device includes an address decoder including pass transistor groups, a memory block selector coupled in common to the pass transistor groups, and a block decoding section configured to deliver an enable signal through the block word line based on a block group address. The memory block selector is configured to deliver the enable signal to a first pass transistor group selected from the pass transistor groups in response to a block select signal to activate the first pass transistor group.
US08854912B2
A module control circuit includes an input unit configured to receive a plurality of data signals from a plurality of data input/output pins and output an identification signal and an internal command signal. A latch unit is configured to latch the identification signal in accordance with a first enable signal to output a first group identification signal, latch the identification signal in accordance with a second enable signal to output a second group identification signal, and latch the internal command signal in accordance with the second enable signal to output a group command signal. A comparator is configured to compare the first group identification signal with the second group identification signal, and generate a selection signal. A multiplexer is configured to select one of the group command signal and a module command signal as an input command in response to the selection signal.
US08854909B2
A semiconductor memory device including an open bit line structure is disclosed. The semiconductor memory device including an open bit line structure includes a first mat, a second mat contiguous to the first mat, a first sense amplifier coupled to a first bit line of the first mat, a second sense amplifier coupled to a second bit line of the first mat and a third bit line of the second mat, a third sense amplifier coupled to a fourth bit line of the second mat, and a plurality of bit line precharge voltage providers for varying a level of a bit line precharge voltage provided to the first, second, and third sense amplifiers, selectively providing the resultant bit line precharge voltage level, and providing the same voltage as that of data of a selected cell to a non-selected sense amplifier during a read operation.
US08854908B1
A random access memory includes a plurality of memories configured to store and provide data, and a test module coupled to the plurality of memories, wherein the test module is configured to write a first write data pattern into at last a first portion of the plurality of memories in response to a data pattern value, wherein the test module is configured to read a read data pattern from the plurality of memories, wherein the test module is configured to compare the first write data pattern to the read data pattern, and wherein the test module is configured to report errors in response to a comparison of the write data pattern to the read data pattern.
US08854907B2
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to a semiconductor memory device capable of supplying and measuring an electric current through a pad. The semiconductor device includes a memory cell, a data pad configured to receive data to be programmed into the memory cell or a write current to be supplied to the memory cell from an external device, and output data read out from the memory cell or a cell current flowing from the memory cell to the external device, and a path switching unit configured to set up a path so that the memory cell and the data pad are directly coupled when a test operation is performed.
US08854899B2
A memory device that, in certain embodiments, includes a plurality of memory elements connected to a bit-line and a delta-sigma modulator with a digital output and an analog input, which may be connected to the bit-line. In some embodiments, the delta-sigma modulator includes a circuit with first and second inputs and an output. The circuit is configured to combine (add or subtract) input signals. The first input may be connected to the analog input. The delta-sigma modulator may also include an integrator connected to the output of the circuit, an analog-to-digital converter with an input connected to an output of the integrator and an output connected to the digital output, and a digital-to-analog converter with an input connected to the output of the analog-to-digital converter and an output connected to the second input of the circuit.
US08854892B2
The present disclosure includes lifetime markers for memory devices. One or more embodiments include determining a read disturb value, a quantity of erase pulses, and/or a quantity of soft program pulses associated with a number of memory cells, and providing an indicator of an advance and/or retreat of the read disturb value, the quantity of erase pulses, and/or the quantity of soft program pulses relative to a lifetime marker associated with the memory cells.
US08854886B2
A method of programming a nonvolatile memory includes: applying a common program pulse to program cells within each page of a memory region including two or more pages; applying one or more different program pulses to the program cells within each page of the memory region, according to target threshold voltages of the program cells; and programming each page of the memory region such that the program cells have their own target threshold voltages.
US08854884B2
A NAND flash memory device is disclosed. The NAND flash memory device includes a NAND flash memory array defined as a plurality of sectors. Row decoding is performed in two levels. The first level is performed that is applicable to all of the sectors. This can be used to select a block, for example. The second level is performed for a particular sector, to select a page within a block in the particular sector, for example. Read and program operations take place to the resolution of a page within a sector, while erase operation takes place to the resolution of a block within a sector.
US08854882B2
Apparatuses, systems, methods, and computer program products are disclosed for configuring storage cells. A method includes detecting a shift in a read voltage level past a read voltage threshold for a set of memory cells of a non-volatile memory medium. A method includes adjusting a read voltage threshold for the set of memory cells by an amount based at least in part on one or more characteristics of the set of memory cells in response to the shift in the read voltage level. A method includes configuring the set of memory cells to use the adjusted read voltage threshold.
US08854879B2
A method of programming a nonvolatile memory device including multi-level cells that store multi-bit data, includes performing a pre-programming operation that programs at least some of the multi-level cells to a plurality of intermediate states which are different from an erased state, and performing a main programming operation that programs the multi-level cells to a plurality of target states corresponding to the multi-bit data. At least some of the intermediate program states have threshold voltage distributions that partially overlap each other.
US08854873B1
A memory device can include at least one array comprising a plurality of elements programmable between at least two different states, each state having a different time to a change in property under applied sense conditions; a read circuit configured to apply the sense conditions to selected elements and detect changes in property of the selected elements to generate read data; a latch circuit configured to store read data from the read circuit; and a transfer path configured to provide a parallel data transfer path between the read circuit and the latch circuit.
US08854867B2
A memory device which can reduce power consumption and a driving method thereof are disclosed. In a memory element including an inverter and the like, a capacitor for holding data and a capacitor switching element for controlling store and release of charge in the capacitor are provided. The capacitor switching element is designed so that the off-state current is sufficiently low. Therefore, even when power supply of the inverter is stopped after charge corresponding to data is stored in the capacitor, data can be held for a long period of time. In order to return data, potentials of output and input terminals of the inverter are set to a precharge potential, then charge in the capacitor is released, and power is supplied to the inverter. A switching element for supplying the precharge potential may be provided.
US08854866B2
A semiconductor device includes an identification circuit. The identification circuit includes a memory cell which includes a first transistor having a first value of a switching characteristic and a second transistor having a second value of the switching characteristic. The identification circuit is operable to generate a memory-cell-specific identification bit which is dependent on production-dictated differences in the first switching characteristic of the first transistor and the second switching characteristic of the second transistor. The identification circuit further includes a drive circuit for the memory cell. The drive circuit is operable to connect or isolate an upper supply potential and a lower supply potential of the semiconductor device to or from the memory cell independently of one another.
US08854862B2
The disclosure relates to a device for storing a frequency, wherein the device comprises (i) a comparator having an input, an output, a supply voltage input, and a supply voltage output, and (ii) a memristor connected between the input and the comparator and the output of the comparator.
US08854854B2
In a memory module including a plurality of DRAM chips which transmit/receive a system data signal with a predetermined data width and at a transfer rate and which transmit/receive an internal data signal having a larger data width and a lower transfer rate as compared with the system data signal, the transfer rate of the system data signal is restricted. Current consumption in DRAMs constituting the memory module is large, hindering speed increases. For this memory module, a plurality of DRAM chips are stacked on an IO chip. Each DRAM chip is connected to the IO chip by a through electrode, and includes a constitution for mutually converting the system data signal and the internal data signal in each DRAM chip by the IO chip. Therefore, wiring between the DRAM chips can be shortened, and DLL having a large current consumption may be disposed only on the IO chip.
US08854843B2
A power electronic converter (30)is for use in high voltage direct current power transmission and reactive power compensation, the power electronic converter (30) including three phase elements (32) defining a star connection (36) and a converter unit (34) including first and second DC terminals (50,52) for connection in use to a DC network (56) and three AC terminals (54), the converter unit (34) including a plurality of switching elements (70,74) controllable in use to facilitate power conversion between the AC and DC networks (44,56), the power electronic converter (30) further including a third DC terminal (78) connected between the first and second DC terminals (50,52), the third DC terminal (78) being connected to a common junction (40) of the star connection (36) to define an auxiliary connection (82), the auxiliary connection (82) including at least one dump resistor (84) connected between the common junction (40) and the third DC terminal (78), wherein the switching elements (70,74) of the converter unit (34) are controllable in use to modify a phase voltage at each AC terminal (54) to include a triplen harmonic voltage component so as to dissipate real power in the or each dump resistor (84) at a triplen harmonic frequency.
US08854842B2
A switching power converter provides a communication link between a secondary side and a primary side of the switching power converter. During a messaging mode, the communication link enables information to be transmitted from an electronic device coupled to the secondary side to a controller on the primary side. The communication link may be used to transmit operating parameters related to powering the electronic device. The switching power converter may then adapt its switching operation to achieve different regulated output voltage and/or current to accommodate the detected electronic device.
US08854839B2
An AC-to-DC power converting device includes: a filter for filtering an external AC input voltage; a rectifier for rectifying the AC input voltage filtered by the filter to output a rectified voltage; a power factor corrector for receiving the rectified voltage from the rectifier to generate a boosted voltage; and a step-down converter for receiving the boosted voltage from the power factor corrector to output a DC output voltage. The power factor corrector includes first and second capacitors connected in series across an output side of the rectifier, a series connection of a first diode, a first inductor, a third capacitor, a second inductor and a second diode coupled to the output side of the rectifier, and first and second switches connected in series across the third capacitor. A common node between the first and second capacitors is coupled to a common node between the first and second switches.
US08854828B2
A connecting module, disposed at a casing having a through hole, includes a door, a connecting port and an elastic member. The door is rotatably coupled to the casing so as to be located at a first position to cover the through hole or at a second position to open with respect to the casing. The connecting port is disposed at an inner side of the door so as to be disposed inside the casing when the door is located at the first position or exposed outside the casing when the door is located at the second position. The elastic member is rotatably coupled to the connecting port so as to rotate with respect to the connecting port to fasten a plug between the connecting port and the elastic member when the plug is connected to the connecting port.
US08854827B2
An electronic control unit is configured in such a way that the groove-shaped concave portion of the second case member includes a first concave portion, in which a groove width at a bottom surface side is narrow, and a second concave portion, in which a groove width at an aperture surface side is wide, and the first concave portion and the second concave portion are linked by an inclined step portion in such a way that a groove width at the step portion is increased in a direction from the bottom surface side to the aperture surface side, and moreover, a tip of the rail-shaped convex portion of the first case member is fitted into the first concave portion at the bottom surface side of the second case member.
US08854820B2
A power module can prevent damages due to cracking or breakage of an insulating substrate when molding even if a heat plate constituting a power module pre-product is made areally smaller than the insulating substrate, and can also sufficiently satisfy demand for minimization. Specifically, the power module pre-product is sealed by a molding resin layer in a state where externally exposed end portion on one end side in both external connecting terminals and the other surface side of a heat plate are each exposed to the outside. The power module substrate constituting a multilayer substrate body includes an aligning hole, into which an aligning pin is inserted, the pin being included in a lower molding die constituting a molding die with an upper molding die that molds a molding resin layer, so as to position the power module pre-product inside a cavity.
US08854819B2
A cooling device includes a heat sink base plate for mounting on a circuit board to absorb waste heat from a heat source, a radiation fin unit consisting of a set of radiation fins, mounted on the heat sink base plate opposite to the circuit board and defining a plurality of heat-dissipation passages between each two adjacent ones of the radiation fins, a cooling fan unit mounted on the radiation fin unit for creating currents of air toward the heat-dissipation passages, a plurality of thermal tubes supported on the heat sink base plate and fastened to the radiation fins. Each radiation fin has first wind guiding wall portions and second wind guiding wall portions respectively tilted in reversed directions to facilitate the flow of air through the heat-dissipation passages.
US08854817B2
An exemplary electronic device includes an electronic component, a heat dissipation device, a fixing member and a casing contained the electronic component, the heat dissipation device and the fixing member therein. The heat dissipation device thermally contacts the electronic component. The fixing member includes a main body and an engaging portion extending from the main body. The engaging portion fixes the heat dissipation device to the fixing member. Fasteners extend through the casing and engage the main body of the fixing member to secure the fixing member on the casing.
US08854816B2
The front case of the unit case contains a circuit section including a power semiconductor module, and the rear case contains a cooling fin assembly of the semiconductor module and a cooling fan. The cooling air ventilated through the wind channel by the cooling fan is discharged upward from the unit case. The water-proof cover is placed over the top of the unit case. The water-proof cover includes an exhausting structure formed with openings downward at the left and right sides of a front part of the water-proof cover to form an exhausting path; and a ventilation guide formed around an exhausting port inside a rear part of the water-proof cover. The cooling air discharged to the inside space of the water-proof cover by the cooling fan is ventilated through the ventilating path and exhausted outside through the exhausting path.
US08854814B2
A system and method for chassis cooling is provided. A preferred embodiment comprises an orthogonal backplane along with a hybrid cooling air flow. One air flow is routed horizontally through aligned and suitable openings on the backplane, vertically over components to be cooled, and horizontally out of the chassis. A second air flow is routed horizontally over components and through aligned and suitable openings on the backplane before it is routed horizontally out of the chassis.
US08854813B2
The present disclosure relates to an adjustable air suction device, comprising a driving structure, an air suction structure, and a link structure. The driving structure and the air suction structure are disposed on a housing of an electronic device. The link structure is disposed inside the housing. Both ends of the link structure correspond to the driving structure and the air suction structure, respectively. The driving structure drives one end of the link structure to move towards a first direction, and drives the other end of the link structure to move towards a second direction. The other end of the link structure pushes the air suction structure, and projects from the housing. Besides, the air suction structure corresponds to a heat dissipating device of the electronic device and draws a great deal of fluids into the electronic device for dissipating the heat of the electronic components in the electronic device.
US08854802B2
A display that includes a rotatable display screen is described. The rotatable display screen for operating in at least a transparent background screen mode and an opaque background screen mode. The rotatable display screen has a first and second surface. The display further includes a support structure for supporting the rotatable display screen in at least a first and a second position.
US08854800B2
A portable computer includes a main body casing including an upper plate and an opening formed on the upper plate; a cover pad which may be coupled to the upper plate and covers the opening, the cover pad having a plate surface and a rear surface; and a touch-pad coupled to the rear surface of the cover pad through the opening, thus protecting the touch-pad and enabling the touch-pad to sense a coordinate touched on the plate surface and generate a position data of a pointer.
US08854795B2
A gas insulated switchgear including a circuit breaker, a first through third switches, a voltage transformer, a cable head, a gas insulated busbar unit, and first and second current transformers is provided. The gas insulated busbar unit is connected with the second current transformer and the first and second switches are connected with a bottom of the gas insulated busbar unit. The third switch is connected with the first current transformer, the cable head is connected with the third switch, and the voltage transformer is connected with a top of the cable head. The first and second current transformers are respectively connected with first and second sides of the circuit breaker.
US08854794B2
A mobile electricity generator comprising a telescopic boom, a first retractable support leg, and a base. The telescopic boom comprises a first end and a second end. A wind turbine is attached to the second end of the telescopic boom and the wind turbine is capable of transforming wind into electricity. The first end of the telescopic boom and the first retractable support leg are attached to the base. The electricity generator has a movable solar panel assembly that may be stored in the base and deployed to a use position and a pair of doors each equipped with a solar panel swing having solar panels. The mobile electricity generator can further comprise a battery in electric communication with the solar panels for storing the electricity.
US08854793B2
An electrode paste for a supercondenser. The electrode paste is a mixture containing a polymer formed using a liquid softening agent and an active charge. The paste is in the form of gel having an elasticity module of between 104 and 108 Pascal, at extrusion temperatures, in a range of frequencies of between 0.01 and 100 Hz.
US08854789B2
In an embodiment, a self-defense system is disclosed. The self-defense system may include or comprise a material sized to conform to an appendage, and a defense unit coupled with the material and positioned to initiate a defense event in response to an input.
US08854771B1
Approaches to improving head positioning accuracy in a hard disk drive, by suppressing airflow disturbances that would otherwise cause unwanted component vibration, include a voice coil motor having a sidewall spanning a gap between the VCM upper yoke and lower yoke. This VCM sidewall also serves as the inner wall of a bypass channel, for diverting airflow away from the actuator arm and associated components.
US08854759B2
In one embodiment, a tape drive system includes a soft detector for executing a first forward loop of a detection algorithm on a first block of signal samples during a first time interval; and logic for executing forward and reverse loops during several time intervals; and logic adapted for outputting a first decoded block of signal samples based on the executing the decoding algorithm on the first block during a sixth time interval, wherein a sum of second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth time intervals are about equal in duration to the first time interval.
US08854755B2
A system is described for constructing maximum transition run modulation code based upon a multi-level run-length limited finite state machine. A processor is configured to receive information from a hard disk drive via a read channel and recover data from the hard disk drive using maximum transition run modulation code. A memory has computer executable instructions configured for execution by the processor to model a magnetic recording channel as a partial response channel, model a source of information to the magnetic recording channel to provide an optimized Markov source, and construct a maximum transition run modulation code to mimic the optimized Markov source based upon a finite state machine having a limited transition run length and a multi-level periodic structure.
US08854754B2
Various embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for data processing. As an example, a data processing circuit is disclosed that includes: a data decoder circuit and a local iteration adjustment circuit. The data decoder circuit is operable to perform a number of local iterations on a decoder input to yield a data output. The local iteration adjustment circuit is operable to generate a limit on the number of local iterations performed by the data decoder circuit.
US08854747B2
An optical system includes a first lens unit, an aperture stop, and a second lens unit having a positive refractive power. The first lens unit includes a first lens having a negative refractive power and a second lens having a positive refractive power. The second lens unit includes a cemented lens, a fifth lens having a negative refractive power and a concave surface facing an object side, and a sixth lens having a positive refractive power and a convex surface facing an image side. In the cemented lens, a third lens having a positive refractive power and a fourth lens having a negative refractive power are cemented. A distance D1 from an object-side lens surface vertex of the first lens to the aperture stop and a distance Dt from the object-side lens surface vertex of the first lens to an image plane are appropriately set.
US08854743B2
An optical element unit is provided comprising an optical element group for projecting light along an optical axis of the optical element group and a housing having an inner housing part partly defining a first space and a light passageway between the inner housing part and a second space. The inner housing part receives the optical element group. The optical element group comprises an ultimate optical element located in the region of the light passageway. A load-relieving device is provided adjacent to the ultimate optical element, the load relieving device partly defining the first space and the second space and at least partly relieving the ultimate optical element from loads resulting from pressure differences between the first space.
US08854739B2
The invention relates to an electrowetting-on-dielectric device (200). This is an electro wetting device comprising one or more cells, wherein each cell comprises an electrowetting composition of first and second immiscible fluids, the first fluid being an electrolytic solution (240), a first electrode (230), separated from the electrowetting composition by a dielectric (231), and a voltage source (260) for applying an operating voltage difference between the first electrode (230) and the electrolytic solution to operate the electrowetting device. According to the invention, the first electrode (230) of the electrowetting-on-dielectric device (200) comprises a valve metal, and the electrolytic solution (240) is capable of anodizing the valve metal to form a metal oxide at the operating voltage difference. This provides the electrowetting-on-dielectric device (200) with self-repairing properties thereby preventing breakdown of the dielectric. As a result, the electrowetting device can be operated at a low voltage, and it has an improved reliability.
US08854731B2
At least one surface of a plate member made of ZnSe has a concave-and-convex structure in which a projecting section and a groove section are formed at a spatial cycle equal to or lower than the wavelength of carbon dioxide laser light to thereby provide a substrate body. On a surface of the concave-and-convex structure, an antireflection film is layered that has a lower refractive index than that of ZnSe to carbon dioxide laser light. By this configuration, the polarization state of transmitted carbon dioxide laser light is converted from a linear polarization to a circular polarization or the like.
US08854729B2
A microscope adapter unit disposed on an optical path of illumination light between a light source unit including a light source and a sample surface includes a first lens group having at least one lens and a second lens group having at least one lens. The first lens group converts the illumination light into roughly parallel luminous fluxes, and makes the illumination light enter the second lens group.
US08854727B2
An optical amplifier includes: a first amplifier amplifying a signal light by a first excitation light; a variable optical attenuator attenuating the signal light; a second amplifier amplifying the signal light by a second excitation light; a mode selector selecting one of first and second modes; a gain controller, in first mode, controlling first and second excitation lights so that a gain of power of the signal light becomes constant; a first output controller, in second mode, controlling the first excitation light; a second output controller that, in second mode, controlling the second excitation light so that a spontaneous emission light having fixed level is outputted; and an attenuation controller controlling an attenuation of the variable optical attenuator according to an input level of the signal light in first mode, and controlling the attenuation to become a given value larger than a value of first mode in second mode.
US08854721B2
A laminate comprising a solid electro-optic medium and an electrically conductive layer is tested by passing it over a pair of electrodes at different potentials, with the electrically conductive layer lying on the opposed side of the electro-optic medium from the electrodes. An article which can be tested by this method, and which is useful in the manufacture of electro-optic displays, comprises a layer of a solid electro-optic medium and a release sheet comprising an electrically conductive layer.
US08854714B2
Colored conductive fluids for electrowetting or electrofluidic devices, and the devices themselves, are disclosed. The colored conductive fluid includes a polar solvent and a colorant selected from a pigment and/or a dye. The polar solvent has (a) a dynamic viscosity of 0.1 cP to 1000 cP at 25° C., (b) a surface tension of 25 dynes/cm to 90 dynes/cm at 25° C., and (c) an electrowetting relative response of 20% to 80%. The colored conductive fluid itself can have an electrical conductivity from 0.1 μS/cm to 3,000 μS/cm and can have no greater than 500 total ppm of monatomic ions with ionic radii smaller than 2.0 Å and polyatomic ions with ionic radii smaller than 1.45 Å. The colored conductive fluid should not cause electrical breakdown of a dielectric in the device in which it is employed. An agent for controlling electrical conductivity can optionally be added to the colored conductive fluid.
US08854699B2
A scan movement indicator in which light directed toward an indicating unit or external light entering through the indicating unit does not penetrate a scanning area so that improved quality of a scanning and printing operation is provided, and an image forming apparatus having the same are provided. The scan movement indicator includes a light source unit disposed in a scan unit which is movable in a main body of an image forming apparatus, an indicating unit disposed in the main body of the image forming apparatus along a moving direction of the scan unit, and having a portion of the indicating unit that is brightened by light from the light source, and a light blocking unit to block light directed toward the indicating unit or external light entering through the indicating unit from penetrating into a scanning area.
US08854694B2
A communication device includes an input unit specifying a transmission destination telephone number, a communication unit transmitting an e-mail to a specified server connected to a network, a mail generating unit generating a facsimile server addressed e-mail, and a control unit. Wherein, the control unit controls the mail generating unit and the communication unit in such a manner that, when a plurality of transmission destination telephone numbers are specified as the one or more numbers of the transmission destination telephone numbers by the input unit, the mail generating unit generates a facsimile server addressed e-mail to which a facsimile server addressed mail address, and the communication unit transmits the facsimile server addressed e-mail to a facsimile server as a destination fewer times than the number of the plurality of the transmission destination telephone numbers.
US08854692B2
The present invention provides an information printing method and a printing device, which assure a higher level of security when outputting printed matter. The present invention provides a printing device comprising a document storage means for storing electronic document data generated at a printing instruction issuing terminal operated by a printing instruction issuer and transmitted from the printing instruction issuing terminal, an ID setting means for setting a print retriever ID of a print retriever who is to execute processing for outputting the electronic document data stored at the document storage means onto paper, a watermark information superimposing means for superimposing the print retriever ID having been set at the ID setting means as watermark information onto the electronic document data and a printing means for outputting the electronic document data having the watermark information superimposed thereupon by the watermark information superimposing means onto paper.
US08854686B2
A printing apparatus or printing system that uses multiple print engines to form an image on a substrate. The printing apparatus or printing system may be a surface printing system or a reverse printing system. Each of the multiple print engines has at least one color station. The color stations are arranged in the print engines and between the multiple print engines based on whether the printing system is a surface printing system or a reverse printing system to control the order in which colorant is formed on a substrate. Multiple print engines allow for, among other things, a greater color gamut and therefore assists in expansion of the standard color gamut.
US08854668B2
A method, device, and system maintain a database of electronic and/or hardcopy publications within a first computerized device. The first computerized device receives from a second computerized device a request for at least one of the printable images within an electronic and/or hardcopy publication. The request has an identifier of the electronic and/or hardcopy publication and at least one page number of the electronic and/or hardcopy publication. The first computerized device transmits display information to cause the second computerized device to display one or more of the printable images appearing on the page number of the electronic and/or hardcopy publication. The first computerized device receives an image selection from the second computerized device that identifies selected images from among the printable images displayed by the second computerized device. The first computerized device provides the selected images to the second computerized device, or to a printer or print shop.
US08854666B2
A mobile device, an image forming apparatus, a notification server and control methods thereof in which, when it is desired to connect the image forming apparatus with the mobile device, it may be directly network-connected with the mobile device using identification information of the mobile device. The mobile device includes a mobile device input unit to receive an image forming apparatus application install command, a mobile device communication unit to, if an image forming apparatus application is installed, send identification information of the mobile device to the notification server and receive product information of the image forming apparatus to be connected from the notification server, and a mobile device controller to, if the product information of the image forming apparatus is received from the notification server and a command for connection with the image forming apparatus is input, network-connect the mobile device with the image forming apparatus.
US08854665B2
An information processing system includes following elements. A first management device manages, for each user, information on a function of a printer that the user is permitted to use therein. A second management device accepts registration of a virtual printer for a set of a printer and a function used in the printer, and manages the registered virtual printer. A registration device registers a virtual printer in the second management device. The registration device identifies a user and a printer regarding a print request, acquires a function that the identified user is permitted to use in the identified printer from the first management device, and registers a virtual printer for a set of the identified printer and the acquired function in association with the identified user. The second management device processes, upon receiving a print instruction from the user, the print instruction based on the corresponding printer and function.
US08854662B1
Embodiments of the invention include a computer-implemented control and monitoring method and system for print shop management. The method may include monitoring multiple print servers and insertion devices for inserting printed material into envelopes. Programmed computer processing components may be used for performing steps including receiving print status data and insertion status data from multiple printing and insertion sites, and matching the print data with the insertion data for each submitted print job and integrating the print status data with the insertion data. The method additionally includes providing a user application including multiple user interfaces displaying the integrated print status data and insertion status data in an interactive format.
US08854650B2
In a system including a client, a print server, an image forming device and a database, when the print server verifies a certificate transmitted from the image forming device upon performing TLS communication, verification of certificates that are registered in advance with the database is accelerated. A search key, which is for acquiring information of a desired image forming device from data stored in the database, is set in the print server. Certificate information is registered with the database in association with the search key. In this way, the certificate information can be searched for using the search key and verification can be accelerated.
US08854646B2
A printing device includes a storage unit configured to store image data transferred from a high level device; a conveyance control unit configured to control conveyance of a printing medium and output a notification of a printable state when the printing medium is conveyed to reach a predetermined printable state; a printing unit configured to print the image data stored in the storage unit on the printing medium in response to the notification of the printable state output from the conveyance control unit; and a printing control unit configured to create print setting information including conveyance control information to control conveyance of the printing medium from printing information specified from the high level device and transmit the print setting information at least to the conveyance control unit. The conveyance control unit controls conveyance of the printing medium in accordance with the conveyance control information included in the print setting information.
US08854645B2
A search screen information processing system includes a display device, an input device, and a computer, and displays imposition templates acquired in search screen information based on a processing sequence of the computer. The search screen information processing system displays, as search screen information, a search condition menu display area in which search contents information corresponding to a plurality of search conditions can be entered, and imposition templates that agree with a plurality of entered pieces of search contents information. Further, the search screen information processing system creates folders based on the search contents information, constructs layers according to an order in which the search conditions are entered, and displays a plurality of folders based on layers in the search condition menu display area.
US08854643B2
An information processing apparatus used in connection with a tape printing apparatus has a tape information acquisition section which acquires from the tape printing apparatus tape information about a tape mounted therein, a new standardized tape discrimination section which discriminates whether a new standardized tape having a standard different from an existing standard has been mounted or not based on the tape information, a printing parameter acquisition section which acquires a printing parameter corresponding to the new standardized tape in a case that it is discriminated that the new standardized tape has been mounted, and a data transmission section which transmits the printing parameter acquired by the printing parameter acquisition section to the tape printing apparatus.
US08854634B2
An indirect printer includes a system for alternating the pressure in a transfer nip by manipulating the transfer roller. The system includes a pair of pivotable collars mounted about the ends of the transfer roller. The collars are pivoted towards or away from one another to bend the transfer roller and to increase or decrease, respectively, the pressure in the longitudinal center of the nip.
US08854632B2
While a wafer stage linearly moves in a Y-axis direction, a multipoint AF system detects surface position information of the wafer surface at a plurality of detection points that are set at a predetermined distance in an X-axis direction and also a plurality of alignment systems that are arrayed in a line along the X-axis direction detect each of marks at positions different from one another on the wafer. That is, detection of surface position information of the wafer surface at a plurality of detection points and detection of the marks at positions different from one another on the wafer are finished, only by the wafer stage (wafer) linearly passing through the array of the plurality of detection points of the multipoint AF system and the plurality of alignment systems, and therefore, the throughput can be improved.
US08854629B2
A method of analysis of a sample, including the steps of: (a) splitting an input optical beam into a probe beam and reference beam; (b) utilizing the probe beam to interrogate a sample and obtaining a return sample beam there from; (c) manipulating the reference beam into a predetermined polarization state; (d) mixing the return sample beam and reference beam producing a series of mixed beams; and (e) analyzing the polarization components of the series of mixed beams.
US08854628B2
A method for determining information about a test object includes combining two or more scanning interference signals to form a synthetic interference signal; analyzing the synthetic interference signal to determine information about the test object; and outputting the information about the test object. Each of the two or more scanning interference signals correspond to interference between test light and reference light as an optical path length difference between the test and reference light is scanned, wherein the test and reference light are derived from a common source. The test light scatters from the test object over a range of angles and each of the two or more scanning interferometry signals corresponds to a different scattering angle or polarization state of the test light.
US08854613B2
A surface defect inspection apparatus includes a light source that emits light to a first position on a surface of a target at an angle inclined with respect to the surface of the target, a first photodetector that detects first reflected light of the light from the light source, the first reflected light being reflected at the first position, a second photodetector that detects second reflected light of the light from the light source, the second reflected light being reflected at a second position, the second position being closer to the light source than the first position and being separated from the surface of the target by a given distance, and a determining unit that determines whether or not foreign matter is present on the surface of the target on a basis of detection results obtained from the first photodetector and the second photodetector.
US08854607B2
A controller is provided that controls an actuator system having a plurality of actuators arranged to act on an object. The controller uses a gain balancing matrix to convert a first control signal, representing a set of forces desired to be provided to the center of gravity of the object into a second control signal, representing an equivalent set of forces to be provided by the plurality of actuators. The system is further configured such that a first gain balancing matrix is used at a first frequency band and a second gain balancing matrix is used at a second frequency band.
US08854601B2
An immersion projection optical system having, for example, a catadioptric and off-axis structure, reduces the portion of an image space filled with liquid (immersion liquid). The projection optical system, which projects a reduced image of a first plane onto a second plane through the liquid, includes a refractive optical element (Lp) arranged nearest to the second plane. The refractive optical element includes a light emitting surface (Lpb) shaped to be substantially symmetric with respect to two axial directions (XY-axes) perpendicular to each other on the second plane. The light emitting surface has a central axis (Lpba) that substantially coincides with a central axis (40a) of a circle (40) corresponding to a circumference of a light entering surface (Lpa) of the refractive optical element. The central axis of the light emitting surface is decentered in one of the two axial directions (Y-axis) from an optical axis (AX).
US08854599B2
An exposure apparatus exposes a substrate by projecting an image of a pattern onto the substrate via a projection optical system and a liquid that fills a space between the projection optical system and the substrate. The exposure apparatus has a liquid supply system having a supply path that supplies liquid to the space between the projection optical system and the substrate. A liquid recovery system having a recovery path recovers the liquid from the space during the exposure. The apparatus also includes a suction path with which at least part of the supply path of the liquid supply system is connected when the exposure apparatus functions abnormally.
US08854586B2
An object is to provide a liquid crystal display device using a liquid crystal material exhibiting a blue phase, in order to enable a higher contrast. In a liquid crystal display device which includes a liquid crystal layer exhibiting a blue phase, a first structure body and a second structure body are provided over a first electrode layer (a pixel electrode layer) and a second electrode layer (a common electrode layer), respectively. The first structure body and the second structure body are insulators each having a higher dielectric constant than a liquid crystal material used for the liquid crystal layer, and are provided to project into the liquid crystal layer.
US08854581B2
The present invention has an object of providing a liquid crystal display device having a high transmittance or a high viewing angle characteristic. A liquid crystal display device according to the present invention includes a pixel electrode (30) including a peripheral portion (36), an island portion (32) and a plurality of branch portions (34). The plurality of branch portions (34) are formed of a plurality of first through fourth branch portions (34A through 34D) respectively extending in first through fourth directions. By these branch portions, first through fourth regions (35A through 35D) in which liquid crystal molecules are aligned in different directions from each other at the time of voltage application are formed. The island portion (32) is surrounded by the first through fourth regions (35A through 35D), and is connected to the peripheral portion (36) by a connection portion (38) but not by any of the plurality of branch portions (34) or connected to the peripheral portion (36) by one of the first through fourth branch portions (34A through 34D).
US08854580B2
A method of producing spatially varying pretilt angles across a liquid crystal cell coats a substrate with a polyimide alignment layer and a layer of photoalignment material on top of the polyimide layer. An applied beam with variable light dosage spatial or temporal profiles is then used to achieve a corresponding pretilt angle distribution.
US08854578B2
A display apparatus may include a first substrate defined by a pixel region and a transmitting region adjacent to the pixel region, the pixel region emitting light in a first direction and the transmitting region transmitting external light; a second substrate that faces the first substrate and seals pixels defined on the first substrate; an optical filter arranged on a first side of the display apparatus through which light is emitted, the optical filter being configured to transmit circularly polarized light that rotates in a predetermined direction; and an optical reflectance conversion device arranged on a second side of the display apparatus, opposite the first side, the optical reflectance conversion device being configured to change a reflectance of the external light according to modes of operation of the display apparatus.
US08854569B2
A display apparatus may include a display panel between top and bottom covers. The display panel has a display area to display an image. The display panel may be inserted in the bottom cover, which includes a bottom surface having a shape corresponding to a shape of the display panel. Lateral sides of the bottom cover extend upward from the bottom surface. The top cover supports edges of the display panel and includes a top surface having a display window to expose the display area. Lateral sides of the top cover extend toward the bottom cover from the top surface. A bonding film may be bonded to the top and bottom covers to fixedly couple the top cover to the bottom cover.
US08854568B2
Embodiments of the disclosed technology provide an array substrate comprising a plurality of pixel units each of which comprises a gate scanning line, a source scanning line, a thin film transistor (TFT), a storage capacitor, and at least one photosensitive transistor, wherein a gate electrode of the photosensitive transistor and a gate electrode of the TFT are connected with the same gate scanning line, a drain electrode of the photosensitive transistor and a drain electrode of the TFT are connected with the storage capacitor, a source electrode of the TFT is connected with the source scanning line, and a source electrode of the photosensitive transistor is connected with its own gate electrode. In addition, the embodiments of the disclosed technology also provide a liquid crystal panel comprising the array substrate and a display device comprising the liquid crystal panel.
US08854567B2
A liquid crystal display device includes an array substrate including: gate and data lines crossing each other on a first substrate to define a pixel region; a common line in parallel with the gate line; first and second common line patterns extending from the common line, wherein the data line is between the first and second common line patterns; a thin film transistor connected to the gate and data lines; a pixel electrode connected to the thin film transistor and in the pixel region; and an inorganic black matrix below the gate line, the common line, and the first and second common lines, wherein the inorganic black matrix below the first and second common lines shields the data line; an opposing substrate including a common electrode on a second substrate; and a liquid crystal layer between the array substrate and the opposing substrate.
US08854556B2
A system and method for enabling set up of a controlling device capable of controlling a plurality of appliances, via an interactive instruction set and associated programming. The programming is accessible by a STB or other controllable appliance and is configured to appropriately display interactive instructions and prompts to a user during a user initiated set up procedure for configuration of another controllable device (e.g., DVD, VCR, DVR, etc) available to the user. Appropriate set up data, generally in the form of command library codes, is displayed to the user by the interactive instruction set and associated programming for entry and trial by the user in set up of the desired appliance(s).
US08854555B2
Systems and methods for toggling between television channels that appear on a display. A listing of channels is received from a user, with the channels being prioritized in an order of preference. One or more toggle types are also received from the user, with each toggle type further including a toggle trigger. In use, a channel is displayed on the display until a toggle trigger is detected. Once detected, the channel on the display is changed to another channel from the list of channels. This process may continue with the detection of another toggle trigger causing another changing of the displayed channel.
US08854554B2
Disclosed is a channel setting processing including the steps of: generating a channel map data including physical channel information about a physical channel available to receive a broadcast signal, the physical channel information being at least a main channel number of a virtual channel, a sub channel number of the virtual channel, a broadcast station name, and a predetermined program information indicating program contents; judging whether or not there exist plural physical channels on standby for reception and capable of sharing the same program there between, based on at least two kinds of information among the physical channel information, recorded on a channel to channel basis on the channel map data; and, based on the judgment that there exit plural physical channels sharing the same program, disenabling other physical channels except one physical channel thereamong to be selected despite the instruction of physical channel selection through external manipulation.
US08854552B2
As information to be processed at an object-based video or audio-visual (AV) terminal, an object-oriented bitstream includes objects, composition information, and scene demarcation information. Such bitstream structure allows on-line editing, e.g. cut and paste, insertion/deletion, grouping, and special effects. In the interest of ease of editing, AV objects and their composition information are transmitted or accessed on separate logical channels (LCs). Objects which have a lifetime in the decoder beyond their initial presentation time are cached for reuse until a selected expiration time.
US08854551B2
A video signal processing apparatus may include a first analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to convert an analog video signal into a first digital video signal according to a first clock; and/or a second ADC configured to convert the analog video signal into a second digital video signal according to a second clock that is different from the first clock. The first and second clocks may have a first phase difference in a first section of the analog video signal, such that the first and second ADCs operate alternately, first ADC then second ADC, and the first and second clocks may be generated to have a second phase difference, that is different from the first phase difference, in a second section of the analog video signal that is different from the first section, such that the first and second ADCs operate alternately, second ADC then first ADC.
US08854543B2
An HDMI® source determines whether or not an HDMI® sink can receive a sub-signal based on VSDB of E-EDID. When the HDMI® sink can receive the sub-signal, the HDMI® source adds a sub-signal to pixel data of a main image composed of pixel data whose number of bits is smaller than that of transmission pixel data transmitted by a transmitter, thereby constructing transmission pixel data. This data is transmitted by the transmitter through TMDS channels #0 to #2. Furthermore, the HDMI® source transmits a general control packet containing sub-signal information indicating whether or not the sub-signal is contained in the transmission pixel data in the control period of a vertical blanking period. The present invention can be applied to, for example, HDMI®.
US08854542B1
Methods and systems for implementing video driving circuitry are disclosed. For example, in an embodiment, a system for driving a plurality of different types of video devices is disclosed. The system includes, for example, a System on a Chip (SoC) that itself includes a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) controller circuit configured to generate digital video data, a first synchronization signal for controlling a first characteristic of the digital video data, and a second synchronization signal for controlling a second characteristic of the digital video data. The SoC further includes a delay circuit configured to variably delay the first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal relative to the digital video data to generate a delayed first synchronization signal and a delayed second synchronization signal.
US08854537B2
A camera module includes a lens of heat-resistant material, a barrel receiving the lens, a baseboard mounted on the barrel by surface mounted technology, an image sensor mounted on the baseboard receiving optical signals from the lens and converting the optical signals into electrical signals, and a transmitting member transmitting the electrical signals to the circuit board.
US08854533B2
An image capture apparatus comprises an image sensor including at least three focus detecting pixels, an optical axis displacement unit which displaces an optical axis of an imaging optical system by driving at least part of the imaging optical system, and a focus adjustment unit which performs focus adjustment by a phase-difference detection method using a pair of images detected in the at least three focus detecting pixels, wherein if the optical axis displacement unit moves the at least part of the imaging optical system, the focus adjustment unit performs focus adjustment using detection results of a pair of focus detecting pixels, among the at least three focus detecting pixels, other than a focus detecting pixel in which a common part of an exit pupil area and the light-receiving area of the focus detecting pixel is smallest.
US08854514B1
Provided is a pixel array having a wide dynamic range, good color reproduction, and good resolution and an image sensor using the pixel array. The pixel array includes a plurality of first type photodiodes, a plurality of second type photodiodes, and a plurality of image signal conversion circuits. A plurality of the second type photodiodes are disposed between the first type photodiodes which are two-dimensionally arrayed. A plurality of the image signal conversion circuits are disposed between the first type photodiodes and the second type photodiodes to process image signals detected by the first type photodiodes and the second type photodiodes. An area of the first type photodiodes is wider than an area of the second type photodiodes.
US08854513B2
Imaging device to output an electric signal and vary gain based on temperature of an imaging element
According to an embodiment, an imaging device includes a first CCD which converts a first color component into a first electric signal, a second CCD which converts a second color component different from the first color component into a second electric signal, a third CCD which converts a third color component different from the first and second color components into a third electric signal, and a heat sink having first to third radiators which radiate heat from the first to third CODs. The first to third radiators are maintained at the same temperature by the function of the heat sink.
US08854511B2
An image processing method includes: acquiring a mosaic image photographed by image pickup means including an image pickup element in which a basic array pattern is repeatedly arranged in horizontal and vertical directions, storing first correction data containing a coordinate of a defective pixel and correction information associated with a position of the defective pixel in the basic array pattern, and second correction data containing a correction pattern corresponding to the correction information and indicating positions, relative to the defective pixel, of plural peripheral pixels that have a same color as the defective pixel, reading the correction pattern based on the correction information, calculating coordinates of the peripheral pixels based on the first correction data and the read correction pattern, extracting pixel values corresponding to the peripheral pixels at the calculated coordinates from the mosaic image, and calculating the pixel value of the defective pixel.
US08854509B2
An image pickup apparatus includes an image pickup unit to continuously pick up a plurality of images having mutual displacement using an image pickup device, a storage unit to store a position of a defect area of the image pickup device, and an image compensation unit to compensate for the defect area in one of the plurality of picked images using the other picked image.
US08854508B2
An adaptive image processing method includes: defining a pixel zone involving a target pixel according to a color corresponding to the target pixel; selecting a plurality of adjacent pixels from the pixel zone, wherein the adjacent pixels and the target pixel correspond to the same color; acquiring a defect pixel threshold value by calculating a product of a sum of absolute differences between each pixel of the plurality of adjacent pixels and a defected pixel compensation ratio; acquiring an adjacent difference value by calculating a sum of absolute differences between the target pixel and each pixel of the plurality of adjacent pixels; and determining whether the target pixel is a defect pixel by comparing the defect pixel threshold value with the adjacent difference value.
US08854507B2
A solid-state imaging device 1 according to an embodiment of the invention includes: pixel units P(x, y) each of which includes a photoelectric conversion element and an amplifying unit for a pixel unit and which are two-dimensionally arranged; at least one row of optical black units Pob(x, y) each of which includes a photoelectric conversion element, an amplifying unit for a pixel unit, and a light shielding film that covers the photoelectric conversion element, the photoelectric conversion element and the amplifying unit for a pixel unit being the same as those of the pixel unit P(x, y); and at least one row of optical gray units Pog(x, y) each of which includes an amplifying unit for a pixel unit which is the same as that of the pixel unit and to which a reference voltage is input. The value of the reference voltage is less than the value of the output signal from the photoelectric conversion element in a saturated state.
US08854500B2
An imaging apparatus includes: an image generation section that generates at least one of a first captured image having a predetermined size and a second captured image having an aspect ratio different from that of the first captured image; a recording control section that, when an instruction operation to record the generated captured image is received, records the generated captured image based on the instruction operation; and a display control section that, when a captured image to be displayed at the time of displaying the recorded captured image on a display section is the second captured image, displays the second captured image and an enlarged image of a specific region in the second captured image are displayed on the display section in a correlated manner.
US08854492B2
A portable device that has first and second image sensors and a central processor. The central processor has a first sensor interface and a second sensor interface for receiving data from the from the first and second image sensors respectively such that the data is simultaneously processed in the multiple processing units. The central processor integrates the multiple processing units and the first and second sensor interfaces onto a single chip.
US08854486B2
Multiview videos are acquired by overlapping cameras. Side information is used to synthesize multiview videos. A reference picture list is maintained for current frames of the multiview videos, the reference picture indexes temporal reference pictures and spatial reference pictures of the acquired multiview videos and the synthesized reference pictures of the synthesized multiview video. Each current frame of the multiview videos is predicted according to reference pictures indexed by the associated reference picture list with a skip mode and a direct mode, whereby the side information is inferred from the synthesized reference picture. Alternatively, the depth images corresponding to the multiview videos of the input data, and this data are encoded as part of the bitstream depending on a SKIP type.
US08854479B2
A personal computer holds data of a plurality of types in a content storage unit and transfers items of data related across the types of data to a digital camera as group data. The digital camera stores the group data, which is received from the personal computer, in a content memory unit.
US08854478B2
A digital camera includes a communicator that communicates with other digital camera, a receiver that receives a camera information of another digital camera and an imaging device that forms a digital image of an object. The digital camera further includes a processor that creates a digital image data from the digital image based upon the camera information.
US08854477B2
A smart antenna configuration estimator for use in a digital TV receiver comprises data input means operable to obtain an estimate of an impulse response of a channel through which the television signal has passed to the receiver, maximum finding means operable to find the maximum value of the channel impulse response, the maximum value corresponding to a main signal path, averaging means operable to calculate a mean of values of the channel impulse response comprising channel impulse response values corresponding to one or more additional signal paths, and ratio calculating means operable to calculate a quality value as the ratio of the maximum value to the mean of values of the channel impulse response.
US08854466B2
A rearward view assistance apparatus in a vehicle includes an imaging device that acquires a vehicle rearward image by taking a rearview from the vehicle, a control circuit that sets a cropped image by cropping part of the vehicle rearward image in response to a state of a vehicle, and a display device that is provided in a passenger compartment and displays the cropped image. The control circuit preferably overlays a lower portion of the cropped image with a mask. The control circuit preferably displays an indication corresponding to a rear portion of the vehicle on the cropped image. The rearward view assistance apparatus is thus provided to view rearward from the vehicle even when passengers are present on the seats in the second and third rows.
US08854464B2
A visibility support apparatus includes a light receiving unit receiving reflected light from an object to generate a signal for an image for each of wavelength bands, a wavelength selecting unit to set, in the image for at least one wavelength band, a set of those of pixels with comparable signal intensities which define the largest occupied area to be a reference area and to compare, for each of identification target pixels not included in the reference area, a value of the pixel in the image for each wavelength band with a pixel value of the reference area to select at least two wavelength bands which are effective for detecting the object, and a display unit to group the identification target pixels based on a wavelength band combination selected for each identification target pixel and display an image in which the object is distinguishably shown based on the grouping.
US08854455B2
A method for improving the driver assistance function, in particular of driver assistance systems based on video images recorded from a vehicle, and a corresponding device for that purpose made up of a camera and processing unit. To improve the function during rain, the passing of a windshield wiper through the camera image be used to classify individual images and/or portions of images as being of higher or lower quality, in order to improve the quality of the images from the camera. The images from camera are intended to be used for automatic driver assistance systems.
US08854450B2
An alignment method for assembling substrates in different spaces without fiducial mark and its system are provided, and the alignment method has steps of: pre-defining partially standard character regions of two substrates; capturing at least two partially actual images of two substrates in different waiting spaces, respectively; comparing to obtain at least two partially actual character regions of the two substrates, respectively; building actual coordinate systems of the two substrates, respectively; comparing the actual coordinate systems of the two substrates with each other to obtain a set of offset values; moving the two substrates from the different waiting spaces to an alignment-and-installation space based on the set of offset values and a predetermined movement value, respectively; and stacking the two substrates with each other to finish the alignment and installation in the alignment-and-installation space.
US08854447B2
Embodiments provide methods and systems for adjusting audio output based on eye tracking input. In some embodiments, a memory stores data defining a boundary based on a coordinate system. The boundary corresponds to a display element of displayed content. An input receives data indicating coordinates of a gaze point location of a user viewing the displayed content. A processor compares the received coordinates of the gaze point location to the boundary corresponding to the display element to determine whether the gaze point location is inside the boundary corresponding to the display element. In response to determining that the gaze point location is inside the boundary corresponding to the display element, the processor adjusts an audio setting of the displayed content.
US08854443B2
A medical surgery or examination room and a method for illuminating such a room, wherein a substantial part of the room or the entire room is illuminated with colored lighting different from white lighting in order to achieve beneficial psychological effects or, primarily, to improve working condition. For example, green light may be provided behind the monitors used by a surgeon during operation and red light in a zone behind a surgeon during operation or examination. The lighting may be controlled by a computer with a touch screen interface.
US08854442B2
Disclosed is a magnification device for use by blind and/or low vision individuals. The device includes an X-Y table upon which an item to be magnified can be placed. A stationary camera arm and a pivotal monitor arm are oriented over the X-Y table. The monitor arm includes a video monitor pivotally mounted at its distal end. The camera arm also includes two laterally disposed lighting arms. A series of controls are provided along a lower edge of the monitor via a mounting bracket.
US08854429B2
Disclosed are a display apparatus, three-dimensional (3D) glasses and a control method thereof. The method of controlling three-dimensional (3D) glasses for a display apparatus includes: synchronizing clocks for communicating with the 3D glasses; generating drive timing information for driving shutters of the 3D glasses from the synchronized clocks and a frame sync signal of a displayed image; and transmitting a glasses control message, comprising the drive timing information, to the 3D glasses.
US08854428B2
A method for processing a 3D video signal and a digital broadcast receiver for performing the processing method are disclosed. A method for receiving a 3D broadcast signal includes receiving signaling information of at least one stream for a 3 Dimension TeleVision (3DTV) service and a two dimensional (2D) video stream, demultiplexing at least one stream for the 3DTV service and the 2D video stream based on the signaling information, decoding at least one demultiplexed stream for the 3DTV service and the demultiplexed 2D video stream, and outputting a 3D video signal by formatting at least one decoded stream for the 3DTV service and the decoded 2D video stream.
US08854422B2
An apparatus for rendering surroundings includes an image source, image signal processing device, and image reproduction device. The image source feeds input image signals to the image signal processing device to create output image signals for a panoramic image that are forwarded to the image reproduction device for displaying the panoramic image. The image signal processing device processes the input image signals such that a first region of the panoramic image is reproduced undistorted or compressed in a first compression and a second region of the panoramic image is reproduced compressed in a second compression. The image signal processing device is configured such that the portion of the regions reproduced undistorted or compressed is variably selectable, the compression of the regions reproduced compressed is selectable, and these changes in the region reproduced compressed may occur during the operation of the apparatus for rendering surroundings.
US08854415B2
A mobile communication device that is outfitted with motion detection mechanisms is used to construct a viewport on audio-visual data. As the communication device is moved along a spatial trajectory, the viewport is positioned accordingly. A virtual space can be constructed such that the spatial trajectory is mapped into the virtual space and the user can navigate the virtual space by suitable movement of the communication device. Accordingly, a user can use natural body movements to navigate the virtual space through the viewport.
US08854405B2
A printer with excellent anti-static protection removes static electricity from the paper guide and recording paper and protects a paper detector from static. A printer 1 has a plastic frame 19 disposed facing the paper path A, and a stainless steel anti-static guard member 20 attached to the plastic frame 19 on one edge in the paper width direction X. The anti-static guard member 20 includes a protective plate 21 that shields the area around the detection unit 18a of a paper detector 18 from the paper path A; a paper guide 22 protruding from a side edge of the protective plate 21 to the paper path A side; and a ground part 24 connected to the protective plate 21 through a connecting part 23. The connecting part 23 and ground part 24 form a flat spring pressed against a case-side ground member 25.
US08854399B2
A display device includes a display panel, a gray scale converter, and a scale factor generator. The display panel includes a plurality of pixels. The gray scale converter is for converting gray levels of pixel data signals of a current frame by multiplying the pixel data signals of the current frame by a scale factor of the current frame. The scale factor generator is for comparing a conversion current value with an overcurrent prevention current value to generate the scale factor of the current frame.
US08854397B2
In one embodiment, a server receives from a mobile device a request for one or more images. The server adjusts one or more of the requested images, based at least partly on the display capabilities of the mobile device, to have a landscape orientation or a portrait orientation, then sends the adjusted image to the mobile device.
US08854393B2
There is provided an information processing device includes a virtual space recognition unit for analyzing 3D space structure of a real space to recognize a virtual space, a storage unit for storing an object to be arranged in the virtual space, a display unit for making a display unit display the object arranged in the virtual space, a direction of gravitational force detection unit for detecting a direction of gravitational force of a real space, and a direction of gravitational force reflection unit for reflecting the direction of gravitational force detected by the detection unit in the virtual space.
US08854390B2
There is provided an information processing apparatus including a setting information changing unit adapted to change setting information for setting a presentation state of a content on the basis of viewing environment information representing an environment in which the content is to be viewed and presentation state changing information for changing the presentation state of the content in accordance with the environment in which the content is to be viewed, and a content presentation unit adapted to present, on the basis of the setting information, the content to a user via a display device.
US08854385B1
Disclosed are apparatus and methods for rendering using a graphics processing component (GPC). A computing device can receive GPC instructions, with each instruction associated with a portion of a canvas. For each instruction: a first portion of the canvas can be determined and an instruction buffer can be searched to identify a mergeable instruction for the instruction. After identifying the mergeable instruction at a mergeable position within the instruction buffer, one or more instructions in the instruction buffer that include the mergeable instruction can be searched for overlap in the canvas with the first portion. In the event that the one or more instructions do not overlap with the first portion of the canvas, then the instruction can be merged with the mergeable instruction. Each instruction in the instruction buffer can be provided to the GPC for performing the instruction.
US08854383B2
In general, aspects of this disclosure describe example techniques for efficient usage of the fixed data rate processing of a graphics processing unit (GPU) for a variable data rate processing. For example, the GPU may be coupled to a pixel value processing unit that receives pixel values for pixels in an image processed by the GPU. The pixel value processing unit may determine whether the pixel values are for pixels that require further processing, and store the pixel values for the pixels that are required for further processing in a buffer.
US08854372B2
Systems and methods of consolidation and visualization of a set of communication and transaction data associated with a person of interest (POI) and a set of correspondents of the POI are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method may include consolidating the set of communication and transaction data associated with communications between the POI and the correspondent of the POI across a plurality of mediums of communication in an organized reconstruction folder. The method may also include a graphical representation of the communication between the POI and the correspondent of the POI A when the organized reconstruction folder has been created. The method also includes embedding the organized reconstruction folder under the communication link such that the organized reconstruction folder is immediately viewable when an analyst selects the communication link between the POI and the correspondent of the POI A.
US08854366B1
A system and method of creating a smooth analytical representation of a geometry using a discrete set of points. A meshfree representation of the geometry is generated. The representation includes a set of points. A starting point and an edge length range are then used to generate a set of vertices from the set of points. The vertices are used to generate a coarse mesh, which, in turn, is used to generate a Reproducing Kernel Element Method (RKEM) representation of the geometry. The points of the meshfree representation that were not included in the set of vertices are then applied to the RKEM representation. The quality of the RKEM representation is assessed and compared to a predetermined standard. Additional sets of vertices from the meshfree representation are generated repeatedly and all remaining operations are repeated until the quality of the RKEM at least meets the predetermined standard. This provides a smooth, analytical RKEM representation of the geometry.
US08854365B2
A method for rendering parametric surface patches on a display screen includes receiving, at a processing unit, a computer-implemented representation of a first parametric surface patch, wherein the first parametric surface patch is a portion of a three-dimensional computer-implemented model that is desirably displayed at a first viewing perspective on the display screen. The first parametric patch is subdivided in the parameter domain to generate a plurality of subpatches, which are stored as quadtree coordinates in a memory. Thereafter, at least one pixel on the display screen is rendered based at least in part upon the quadtree coordinates in the memory.
US08854364B1
The range of depth values within the overlap of a convex polygon and a square or rectangular rasterization area can be determined by identifying whether the minimum and maximum depth values occur at the corners of the rasterization area or at intersections of the polygon's edges with the area's sides. By choosing between the corner and intersection for both the minimum and maximum depth limit, solving the depth plane equation at the chosen location, and clamping against the polygon's vertex depth range, a tight depth range describing the depth values within that overlap are obtained. That tight depth range is utilized to cull pixel values early in the pipeline, improving performance and power consumption.
US08854363B2
A method is disclosed to automatically segment 3D and higher-dimensional images into two subsets without user intervention, with no topological restriction on the solution, and in such a way that the solution is an optimal in a precisely defined optimization criterion, including an exactly defined degree of smoothness. A minimum-cut algorithm is used on a graph devised so that the optimization criterion translates into the minimization of the graph cut. The minimum cut thus found is interpreted as the segmentation with desired property.
US08854359B2
An image processing apparatus projecting 3D image data to 2D planar image data includes: an accumulation unit that accumulates the 3D image data having position coordinates and pixel values; an acquisition unit that acquires a display parameter, including a zoom parameter for changing image size, for the 2D image data to be created; a creation unit that creates the 2D image data from the 3D image data with the display parameter by determining a half view angle of the 3D image data and performing inverse projection transformation on the 2D image data while changing, in accordance with a change in the half view angle caused by the change in image size specified by the zoom parameter, an inverse projection transformation method applied to position coordinates used to create the 2D image data; and a display unit that displays the created 2D image data as a 2D planar image.
US08854353B2
A scan driver and a display device including the same. The scan driver includes a plurality of shift registers including an input signal terminal into which an initial signal or an output signal of a previous stage is inputted, two clock signal terminals to which 2 phase clock signals are transferred, two control signal terminals to which a first control signal and a second control signal controlling a driving mode of simultaneously driving or sequentially driving output signals of all stages are transferred, and output signals terminals from which the output signals are outputted, wherein in the sequential driving mode, the first control signal and the second control signal are transferred as a predetermined first level voltage and in the simultaneous driving mode, the first control signal and the second control signal are transferred alternately as the first level voltage and a predetermined second level voltage.
US08854348B2
A negative level shifter includes a voltage selection unit and at least one voltage level conversion unit. The voltage selection unit may apply a first voltage to a first node and a second voltage to a second node if the control signal CON is the first value and apply a third voltage to the first node and a fourth voltage to the second node if the control signal CON is the second value. The at least one voltage level conversion unit may be connected to the first node and the second node and convert a voltage level of an input signal by using a voltage of the first node and a voltage of the second node.
US08854344B2
In an embodiment, a method in a device of controlling a display is provided. The method includes transmitting a heartbeat signal in a self-refresh state. The heartbeat signal is configured to be used by a display to remain in sync with the device while the device is in the self-refresh state.
US08854339B2
A touch sensor comprises a substrate capable of propagating acoustic waves and includes a first surface having a touch sensitive region. A first sidewall intersects the first surface along a first edge. The first edge is configured to propagate a first acoustic wave along the first edge. The first acoustic wave may be a one-dimensional edge wave. A wave converter converts the first acoustic wave to a second acoustic wave, and the first surface is configured to propagate the second acoustic wave across the touch sensitive region.
US08854336B2
A light guide module is applied in an optical touch module. A focusing component of the light guide module focuses the light emitted from a light guide component of the light guide module, so that all the light emitted from the light guide component can be convergently distributed in a touch area of the optical touch module. In this way, the light provided by a lighting component of the optical touch module can be effectively utilized, and the signal to noise ratio of the received signal of a sensor of the optical touch module increases. Therefore, the optical touch module can determines the location of the finger or the contacting object more correctly.
US08854321B2
An exemplary method includes 1) detecting an initialization action performed by a first extremity of a user and a second extremity of the user, the initialization action comprising a touching of a first arbitrary location on the touch screen by the first extremity and a touching of a second arbitrary location on the touch screen by the second extremity, 2) designating, in response to the initialization action, the first arbitrary location as a first reference position and the second arbitrary location as a second reference position, 3) detecting one or more tapping actions performed on the touch screen, 4) determining a relative position on the touch screen of each of the one or more tapping actions with respect to the first and second reference positions, and 5) identifying one or more data entry commands associated with the one or more tapping actions. Corresponding methods and systems are also disclosed.
US08854314B2
A universal interface device comprises a housing having a curvilinear or other shape, and processing circuitry disposed within the housing. The housing incorporates a sensor array substantially surrounding the processing circuitry and configured to receive touch input from points distributed over an outer surface of the housing. The sensor array generates sensor signals responsive to the touch input and the sensor signals are converted by the processing circuitry into commands associated with a communication function supported by the communication device. In an illustrative embodiment, the housing has a spheroidal shape, and the sensor array is configured to receive touch input from points distributed over substantially the entire outer surface of the housing. The points distributed over the outer surface of the housing from which the sensor array receives touch input are undefined from a point of view of a user providing at least a portion of the touch input.
US08854306B2
A mobile terminal includes: a light-transmissive actuator having a dome-like shape; a conductive coating layer formed to be light-transmissive and formed at an inner side of the actuator; a light-transmissive base including a first light-transmissive electrode pattern and a second light-transmissive electrode pattern formed thereon, the first light-transmissive electrode pattern being configured to contact with the edge of the actuator, and the second light-transmissive electrode pattern being configured to contact with the central portion of the actuator when the actuator is pressed; and a display unit disposed under the light-transmissive base and configured such that visual information is seen thereon through the actuator, the coated layer and the base.
US08854304B2
An image generation system includes an image information acquisition section that acquires image information from an image sensor, a motion information acquisition section that acquires motion information about an operator based on the image information from the image sensor, an object control section that moves an object in a movement area based on the motion information about the operator, and an image generation section that generates an image displayed on a display section. The object control section limits movement of the object so that the object does not move beyond a movement limiting boundary set in the movement area even when it has been determined that the object has moved beyond the movement limiting boundary based on the motion information.
US08854302B2
A system and method are provided for managing data being displayed on at least one monitor screen based on monitoring user's attention in relation to the monitor screen. In one embodiment, upon detecting that the user's attention is leaving at least a portion of a screen, the system may alert the user of such an event. Alternatively, the system could alert the user upon detecting a triggering condition while the user's attention is away from the at least a portion of the screen. The step of alerting the user may include modifying at least a portion of a display on a monitor not being viewed by the user. Additionally, the system may initiate preparation of a report including any data not being viewed by a user during the time period when the user is not viewing a portion of the monitor.
US08854301B2
A method of disambiguating an input into a handheld electronic device storing a plurality of objects includes a plurality of word objects is described. The method may include detecting an ambiguous input, outputting a number of first character permutations of the ambiguous input that each correspond to one of the word objects, and determining that the first character permutations are fewer in quantity than a predetermined number. The method may further include outputting a number of second character permutations of the ambiguous input that each correspond to an artificial variant.
US08854291B2
A gate signal line driving circuit which suppresses noises in a gate signal and a display device which uses the gate signal line driving circuit are provided. A first basic circuit provided to a gate signal line driving circuit includes a HIGH voltage applying switching element which applies a HIGH voltage to gate signal lines in response to a signal HIGH period, and a LOW voltage applying switching circuit which applies a LOW voltage to the gate signal lines in response to a signal LOW period. In response to a signal HIGH period, a switch of the LOW voltage applying switching circuit of the first basic circuit is turned off based on a signal applied to a switch of the HIGH voltage applying switching element of a second basic circuit which assumes a signal HIGH period earlier than the first basic circuit.
US08854290B2
A timing controller for a liquid crystal panel and a timing control method thereof are provided. The timing controller includes a timing control unit for analyzing an input signal to generate a system state transition voltage (STV) signal and a base STV signal, and the timing control unit outputs a base trigger signal and a switch trigger signal having asynchronous frame rates to a select unit at the same time. A compare unit determines whether frequencies of the two state signals are same, so that the select unit determines to forward the base trigger signal or the switch trigger signal to a level shift circuit. Finally, a signal-time control unit controls an output time of the base trigger signal, and controls an output time of the switch trigger signal, so that a liquid crystal unit connected to each gate line has an equal charge time.
US08854288B2
A tangent angle circuit is connected to a plurality of scan line driving circuits and comprises: a charging module integrated on a control board to receive input of a direct current (DC) driving voltage and output a cut-in voltage to charge the scan line driving circuits; and a plurality of discharging modules integrated on the scan line driving circuits respectively to control the corresponding scan line driving circuits to discharge. In the present invention, by distributing the discharging modules on each of the scan line driving circuits respectively, the burden of load discharged charges on the discharging modules is reduced to avoid occurrence of an overhigh temperature; and the discharging modules are spatially separated, which is further favorable for reducing the temperature, releasing the space of the control board and reducing the area of the control board.
US08854283B2
In a display apparatus, a plurality of pixels are disposed in an array. Each pixel includes: an electro-optical element; a write transistor that writes a picture signal; a drive transistor that drives the electro-optical element according to the picture signal written by the write transistor; a hold capacitor, connected between the gate and source electrodes of the drive transistor, that holds the picture signal written by the write transistor; and an auxiliary capacitor, connected between the anode of the electro-optical element and a fixed potential node. Each auxiliary capacitor is formed straddling the boundary between specific pixel pairs adjacent in the pixel layout direction on a pixel row. An island metal pattern is formed between pixel pairs other than the specific pixel pairs, at a site corresponding to that of the auxiliary capacitor.
US08854273B2
An antenna and a communication device thereof are provided. The antenna includes at least one ground and at least one radiating portion. The ground is disposed on a dielectric substrate, and the radiating portion includes at least one signal source and at least one closed conductor loop. The closed conductor loop has a first coupling conductor portion and a second coupling conductor portion, and the closed conductor loop has a plurality of bending portions to form a three-dimensional structure, and a first coupling gap is formed between the first and the second coupling conductor portions. The closed conductor loop further has a feeding portion and a short-circuit portion to form a second coupling gap between them. The feeding portion is electrically connected or coupled to the at least one signal source, and the short-circuit portion is electrically connected or coupled to the ground.
US08854270B2
A hybrid multi-antenna system includes a system circuit board, an antenna substrate, at least a dipole antenna, and at least a monopole-slot antenna. The system board has at least a system ground plate, and the system ground plate is served as a reflector of the hybrid multi-antenna system. The antenna substrate and the system ground plate have a first distance therebetween. The dipole antenna having a first signal feed-in source and the monopole-slot antenna having a second signal feed-in source respectively provide a first and second operating band, and they are on a surface of the antenna substrate. The monopole-slot antenna is located nearby the dipole antenna. The monopole-slot antenna and the dipole antenna have a second distance therebetween. The first and second signal feed-in sources are vertical to each other, and have the phase difference of 90°.
US08854265B1
A microstrip patch antenna including a ground plane base, an L-shaped feed structure and a laminate structure is disclosed herein. A matching network is formed by a clearance member of the laminate structure around a pin and a stub of the L-shaped feed structure on the bottom surface in which the clearance member around the pin effectively decreases shunt inductance and reduces a series capacitance at a feed point to enable a 50 ohm wideband operation.
US08854260B2
The problem of simulating movement of multiple GNSS or regional navigational satellite system satellites across the sky within a test environment is solved by the technology disclosed using a test chamber with a plurality of zones bounded by azimuth and elevation limits, positioning at least one directional antenna in each zone, driving each antenna individually with a GNSS simulator capable of producing multiple positioning signals for a plurality of satellite sources in a single zone, and coordinating among GNSS simulators a simulated orbital movement of the satellite sources from one zone to an adjoining zone to produce changing angles of arrival for the positioning signals during a test. Both methods and systems implement this technology.
US08854252B2
A system for providing a multi-mode, multi-static interferometer may include a transmitter array, a receiver array and a processor. The transmitter array includes at least a first transmitter and a second transmitter spatially separated from each other by a first known distance. The receiver array includes at least a first receiver and a second receiver spatially separated from each other by a second known distance. The receiver array is positioned to enable receipt of a return signal from transmissions provided by the transmitter array and reflecting off an object. The processor is configured to enable the transmitter array to generate uniquely coded signals and configured to distinguish, based on the uniquely coded signals, a first signal transmitted by the first transmitter from a second signal transmitted by the second transmitter in response to reception of a combined signal including reflected signals corresponding to at least the first and second signals by the receiver array.
US08854247B2
A hybrid ground penetrating radar (GPR)/metal detector (MD) head includes a V-dipole GPR antenna and transmit and receive MD coils. One of the MD coils is arranged in a quadrupole configuration with a crossbar, and the V-dipole antenna is perpendicular to the crossbar. The legs of the V-dipole antenna may straddle the crossbar or may be on one side of the crossbar. The MD coils may be fabricated on a printed circuit board, which may be at a non-normal angle with respect to a central axis of the V-dipole antenna.
US08854245B2
A system and method for using an universal remote control to access extended operational functions of a device. A consumer causes the universal remote control to transmit a code data value selected from the library to a target device while observing the effect of the transmitted code data value on the target device. When the target device responds in a manner desired by the consumer, the consumer may tag the code data value that caused the desired effect and assign the tagged code data value to a programmable key on the universal remote control.
US08854239B2
A data processing apparatus and a data processing method thereof are provided. The data processing apparatus includes a register and a processor electrically connected to the register. The register is stored with a plurality of data. The plurality of data each includes a first sub-datum and a second sub-datum. The plurality of first sub-data corresponds to a first column and the plurality of second sub-data corresponds to a second column. The processor compresses the first sub-data by a first compression algorithm according to a first characteristic of the plurality of first sub-data and compresses the second sub-data by a second compression algorithm according to a second characteristic of the plurality of second sub-data.
US08854235B1
A decompression circuit for decompressing data includes a first decompression unit and a second decompression unit. The data sequentially includes a compressed first string, a compressed distance-length pair and a compressed second string. The first decompression unit performs a first decompression on the data to obtain a first string, a distance-length pair and a second string. The second decompression unit receives and decompresses the first string, the distance-length pair and the second string. The first decompression unit does not involve data associated with the distance-length pair when decompression the second string.
US08854225B2
An activity monitor which can be pre-programmed at the factory, the doctors office or the pharmacist, or that can be programmed by the user. The activity monitor is affixed to a medicine bottle or container and activity associated with the bottle or container, such as movement, opening, volume changes, etc. are monitored in view to the schedule. The activity monitor records and allows for the analysis of the recorded data to determine is there is a likelihood of substance abuse.
US08854220B1
A night vision goggle system includes a housing, and an eyepiece forming a back end of the housing for viewing an object of interest. An optical field-of-view (FOV) is formed through the eyepiece, where the FOV is defined by a cone having an apex formed adjacent to an exit pupil at the eyepiece and tapering outwardly toward the object of interest. A desiccant is disposed within the housing, and located outside the FOV. The desiccant is visible through the eyepiece when viewed from outside the FOV. In addition, when the eye of a user is placed within the FOV, the desiccant is not visible through the eyepiece; and when the eye of the user is placed outside the FOV, the desiccant is visible through the eyepiece.
US08854218B1
Systems and methods for creating a detector network across one or more existing communications systems. In one implementation, a system is provided. The system includes a plurality of hosts, each host hosting one or more detectors operable to detect an occurrence of an event, the hosts including functionality that is not related to the detectors and including communication functionality. The system also includes a management device for managing the detectors and one or more communications networks linking the detectors and the management device using the communication functionality of the respective host.
US08854217B2
A method and apparatus that monitors and controls the operation of an electricity meter, and modifies at least one temperature threshold for determining when an alarm message should be transmitted or an electrical connection in the meter should be disconnected. The method and apparatus includes a plurality of sensors that detect temperatures in various locations within the electricity meter. The method and apparatus compares at least one detected temperature to at least one threshold, and operates an alarm or a switch when the detected temperature exceeds the threshold. The method and apparatus determines an average rate of change for at least one temperature according to a short-term temperature average over a first number of samples of the temperature, and a long term-term temperature average over a second number of samples of the temperature. The second number of samples is different from the first number of samples. The method and apparatus reduces the threshold when the average rate of change exceeds a predetermined amount.
US08854215B1
An automated pet door system. The system provides a user programmable database and system engine for controlling the passage of selected animals through a portal, such as a door, or screen, or other passage limiting device. The system is permissionable, in that the user may provide a set of dates, times, events, or other instructions, through a user input device to establish a then current operating envelope for each of one or more selected animals. A unique identification tag, which may use active radio frequency identification tag techniques, provides identity information for each candidate animal. Multiple sensor inputs, providing information such as door position, proximity of animals to the door, and direction and velocity of animals, are provided as inputs to a decision engine, which evaluates sensor inputs over time, before determining whether to open or close the pet door.
US08854203B1
A method, non-transitory computer readable medium, and apparatus that establishes a connection between a mobile computing device and a second computing device. A notification of an initiating event is received from the second computing device. Physical movement of the mobile computing device is determined during a time period defined by the notification of the initiating event and a triggering event. An alert is output when determined physical movement is below a threshold value.
US08854201B1
A safety light system integrated into a vehicle. The safety light system includes a safety light assembly receptacle carried by a body panel of a vehicle. The safety light assembly receptacle includes a light assembly receiving cavity for receiving and temporarily retaining a removable light assembly. The removable light assembly includes elements to provide a user controlled continuous red light, a flashing red light, and a continuous white light. The flashing red light provides a roadside flare configuration. The continuous white light provides a flashlight configuration. The continuous red light in conjunction with the flashing red light configuration provides a driving light configuration. The removable light assembly can include a securing mechanism for attaching the removable light assembly to an object to warn others of the extended object and/or support legs enabling operation as a roadside flare, spotlight, and the like.
US08854197B2
A technology is provided for monitoring the surroundings of a vehicle in which a driver approaching the vehicle is recognized, obstacles present in the surroundings of the vehicle are searched for, obstacle information is generated for searched and found obstacles, and the driver outside of the vehicle is notified of the obstacle information. The driver approaching the vehicle can be recognized via communication with a mobile communication device carried by the driver. Additionally, the technology determines whether or not the searched and found obstacle is present in a blind spot area of the driver, and notifies the driver outside the vehicle of the obstacle information related to the obstacle when the obstacle is present in the blind spot area of the driver.
US08854192B1
An online remote control configuration system for efficiently programming a remote control to recognize a plurality of external electronic devices. The online remote control configuration system includes a remote control having a housing, a keypad, and an electronic system for receiving configuration data from a control station is a global computer network (e.g. Internet). The user preferably “samples” one or lore signals from a remote control into the electronic system and then uploads the samples to the control station. The control station analyzes the uploaded samples and transmits the appropriate configuration data to properly configure the electronic system. The user may also access a web site of the control station and manually select each of the external electronic devices that the remote control is to operate after which the control station sends the appropriate configuration data to the electronic system.
US08854189B2
Prior to logging of a process flags for locking at all addresses of a logging area of a tag are set to state 1 by means of an interrogator. A high limit (h) and a low limit (l) of an interval (l-h) of such values (v) of a physical parameter are determined, which are proper for preserving usability of a tagged article. Said values (v) acquired with a sensor and acquisition times related thereto are converted into less numerous data characterizing the process by observing said limits (h, l). Said data characterizing the process are logged in said logging area. Said process log cannot be modified in any way at a later stage. The invention also provides for an efficient observation of longer period of the process in the tagged article in order to inspect the usability thereof.
US08854182B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer program product for managing an opening through gait recognition. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for managing an opening through gait recognition is provided. The method includes capturing imagery, for example through the use of a Web cam, of a moving object as the moving object approaches an automated door. The method additionally, includes determining from the captured imagery a presence or absence of a gait of the moving object. Finally, the method includes managing an automated opening of the door according to the determined presence or absence of a gait of the moving object.
US08854180B2
An access controlled storage device may include multiple doors, each having a different lock, to insure safety and security of the contents of the storage device. In one example, the access controlled storage may include a first outer door having a physical lock and a second interior door having an electronic lock. The physical lock and the electronic lock may require different keys. Additionally or alternatively, unlocking the interior door may require unlocking of the first door in an authorized manner. Access and inventory data may be transmitted to or received from remote devices through wireless communication networks.
US08854174B2
A fusible switching disconnect device includes a switch housing and terminal cover therefore that blocks access to a line side fuse clip and prevents insertion of a rectangular fuse module when switch contacts in the device are closed. An interlock element further presents the fuse from being retracted when the switch contacts are closed.
US08854170B2
An energy conversion system includes a first core section, a tank, a flexible structure, and an output coil. The tank contains a volume of fluid having a high magnetic permeability. The flexible structure is fluidly coupled to the tank and movable from a retracted to an extended position in response to the injection of the fluid from the tank. The output coil is in electrical communication with the first core section. A charging station includes a second core section and an input coil. The first and second core sections are in alignment to define an air gap therebetween. The air gap is reduced when the flexible structure is in the extended position within the air gap such that the flexible structure transmits magnetic flux between the second core section and the first core section. The magnetic flux in the first core section induces electrical current in the output coil.
US08854166B2
An input device includes a first yoke; a substrate disposed on the first yoke; a coil disposed on the substrate; and a second yoke disposed above the coil and configured to be displaced downward by a force applied and thereby to change inductance of the coil. The input device is configured to output a signal corresponding to the amount of displacement of the second yoke. The substrate has an opening that communicates with a hollow of the coil, and the first yoke includes a step that is inserted into the opening of the substrate.
US08854161B2
The present invention provides a wideband frequency tunable ring resonator, wherein, comprises a closed λg/2 transmission line and two variable capacitors with tunable capacitance, the λg/2 transmission line is axisymmetric around a central line, first ends of the two variable capacitors are respectively connected to two intersection points of the λg/2 transmission line and the central line, the second ends of the two variable capacitors are respectively grounded. By implementing the technical solution of present invention, following technical effects are obtained. The fundamental resonant frequency (ffund) can be shifted up and down by controlling the respective values of the two loading capacitors, resulting in a bi-directional tuning of ffund. As a result, the tuning range of this invention can be approximately doubled as compared with the conventional tunable ring resonator.
US08854159B2
Microstrip filters and methods of operation are described. In one aspect, a filter includes a substrate having a substantially planar surface and a microstrip patch located on the surface of the substrate. The microstrip patch includes multiple symmetric slots in the microstrip patch, a first feed line extending from the microstrip patch, and a second feed line extending from the microstrip patch. The first and second feed lines are asymmetric.
US08854157B2
Disclosed is a balun including a film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR). The balun may be implemented using the FBAR to fabricate a small sized balun. Also, the balun may be implemented using the FBAR, thereby reducing a difference in two outputs.
US08854155B2
A duplexing system may be used with an electronic device. The duplexing system may include a duplexer connected with an antenna. The duplexing system may include a balancing network. The balancing network may be connected with the duplexer, have an adjustable network impedance, and include an active component. The balancing network may be configured to adjust the network impedance to match an antenna impedance of the antenna.
US08854149B2
A capacitively-driven Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) resonator is provided, in which a piezoresistively differential measurement is used to enable the MEMS resonator to transfer a signal. The MEMS resonator uses a Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) manufacturing process to make its oscillator and piezoresistor to achieve electrical insulation, thereby lowering the level of feedthrough signal.
US08854144B2
Some embodiments provide an amplifier apparatus, comprising: a plurality of amplifier transistor circuits coupled in series, wherein each of the plurality of amplifier transistor circuits comprises: a transistor, wherein the transistors of the plurality of amplifier transistor circuits are coupled in series; a transistor voltage control and drive circuit coupled with the corresponding transistor, wherein the transistor voltage control and drive circuit is configured to control and drive the corresponding transistor in accordance with received control signals and in parallel with the other of the plurality of amplifier transistor circuits; and isolation circuitry that isolates control of the transistor from control of the other of the amplifier transistor circuits; wherein the plurality of amplifier transistor circuits are configured to be controlled and driven in parallel relative to the control signals.
US08854141B2
A radio frequency (RF) amplifier module has a digitally controllable amplifier to receive a first biased signal, a further biased signal, and a digital control signal including a less significant bit (LSB) component and a more significant bit (MSB) component. The digitally controllable amplifier has an LSB module operating according to the first biased signal and the LSB component, and an MSB module operating according to the further biased signal and the MSB component. The RF amplifier module further has a biasing component to apply a first, operating DC bias voltage to the further biased signal when the digitally controllable amplifier operates in a higher gain mode and the MSB module outputs a load current component, and apply a second, higher DC bias voltage to the further biasing signal when the digitally controllable amplifier operates in a lower gain mode and the MSB module outputs the load current component.
US08854138B2
A buffer amplifier with unity voltage gain, high input impedance, high speed, high current gain, high output power and low offset includes three stages and a DC servo circuit. The first stage of the buffer amplifier contains complementary N-channel and P-channel MOSFET source followers that provide high input impedance to buffer the input signal source. A feedback DC servo signal is provided to correct the subsequent stages so as to maintain the output at virtual DC ground level. The second stage is a driver stage that also contains complementary N-channel and P-channel MOSFET source followers to provide sufficient current to drive the output stage. The last stage is an output stage that contains at least one pair of complementary power MOSFETs or BJTs to deliver high currents to a load.
US08854135B2
An operational amplifier may include a differential stage comprising two transistors whose gates are respectively linked to the two inputs of the operational amplifier. The sources of the two transistors may be linked to a first current source whose delivered current depends negatively on temperature variations and to a second current source whose delivered current is proportional to absolute temperature. The sum of these two currents may be less dependent on temperature, in that this link of the sources of the two transistors with the two current sources is effected respectively by way of two resistors, and in that the current which passes through the two transistors is imposed of proportional with temperature type, so as to allow substantially temperature-independent elimination of the offset voltage of the operational amplifier while obtaining a temperature-independent constant gain-bandwidth product.
US08854129B2
There is disclosed a method, in an amplifier stage comprising an amplifier and a modulated supply, the amplifier being arranged to amplify an input signal and the modulated supply being arranged to generate a supply voltage for the amplifier by tracking an envelope of the signal to be amplified, the method comprising: comparing the relative timing of a signal representing the current drawn by the amplifier from the modulated supply and a signal representing the voltage generated at the output of the modulated supply; and in dependence upon a difference in the relative timing, adjusting the timing of either the input signal to be amplified or the generated supply voltage to reduce the difference in the relative timing.
US08854127B2
Embodiments provide a DC-DC converter (DC-DC=direct current to direct current) for envelope tracking. The DC-DC converter includes a digital control stage and a driving stage. The digital control stage is configured to provide a digital control signal based on digital information describing an amplitude of a digital baseband transmit signal. The driving stage is configured to provide a supply voltage for an RF amplifier (RF=radio frequency) based on the digital control signal.
US08854122B2
An active noise cancellation device (2) for a medical device includes an active circuit having a first input connection (8), a second input connection (10), and an output connection (12). The second input connection (10) is connected to at least one predetermined reference signal. The active noise cancellation device (2) further includes a low-impedance body connection electrode (4) adapted to be in electrical contact with a bloodstream of a subject, wherein the low-impedance body connection electrode (4) is connected to said first input connection (8), and a feedback branch (14) connecting the output connection (12) with the first input connection (8). The feedback branch (14) comprises a current limiting circuit (18) to limit a current through said feedback branch (14) to be lower than a predetermined current.
US08854119B2
A circuit includes a charge pump, a first level shifter, a second level shifter, a voltage follower and a current mirror. The charge pump is configured to generate a voltage difference between the input node and the output node. The first level shifter is coupled to the charge pump output and configured to apply a first voltage variation to the charge pump output in response to a bias current. The second level shifter is coupled to the input node and configured to apply a second voltage variation to the charge pump input. The voltage follower is configured to equalize outputs from the first and second level shifters and provide a difference current which is multiplied by the current multiplier to generate a charging current applied to the charge pump.
US08854116B2
In one embodiment, to maintain the operation stability of a semiconductor device even when an external voltage changes. An input signal discrimination unit operates with a power supply potential supplied from a first power supply line VDDI. The input signal discrimination unit compares an input signal VIN with a reference potential Vref. The comparison result is inverted into a signal V0 by an inverter INV1. A power supply sensor circuit monitors the potential of the first power supply line VDDI. If an external potential VDDI falls below a reference potential VX, the power supply sensor circuit turns on a second current source. When the second current source is turned on, an operating current is supplied to a discrimination unit from the second current source as well as a first current source.
US08854104B2
A circuit includes a first capacitive device and a first latch. The first capacitive device includes a first end configured to receive a first input signal and a second end coupled with the first latch. The first latch includes a first transistor and a second transistor that are of a first type. A first terminal of the first transistor and a first terminal of the second transistor are each configured to receive a first voltage value. A second terminal of the first transistor is coupled with a third terminal of the second transistor. A third terminal of the first transistor is coupled with a second terminal of the second transistor and with the second end of the capacitive device, and is configured to provide an output voltage for the first latch.
US08854100B2
A clock driver for a resonant clock network includes a delay circuit that receives and supplies a delayed clock signal. A first transistor is coupled to receive a first pulse control signal and supply an output clock node of the clock driver. An asserted edge of the first control signal is responsive to the falling edge of the delayed clock signal. A second transistor is coupled to receive a second control signal and to supply the output clock node of the clock driver. An asserted edge of the second control signal is responsive to a rising edge of the delayed clock signal.
US08854084B2
A sense amplifier according to the present invention for detecting a potential difference of signals input to a first input terminal and a second input terminal, includes a first means for applying voltages corresponding to threshold voltages of first and second transistors to gate-source voltages of the first and second transistors, and a second means for transferring signals input to the first and second input terminals to gates of the first and second transistors. In this case, a threshold variation of the first and second transistors is corrected.
US08854083B2
A sensing amplifier using capacitive coupling and a dynamic reference voltage, where the sensing amplifier circuit includes a bit line, configured to receive charging and discharging signals; a sensing amplifier, connected to the bit line and configured to receive the bit line and a reference voltage for comparison and configured to enlarge the voltage difference between a high point and a low point; and a reference voltage generator, connected to the sensing amplifier to generate the reference voltage required for the sensing amplifier to compare. The sensing amplifier effectively enhances sensing margin of the sensing amplifier circuit; and in addition, to accelerate the access speed, the sensing amplifier can easily determine the correct stored data and further quickly solve the problems of high-speed storing the data by the storage units.
US08854080B1
Integrated circuits such as programmable integrated circuits may include programmable logic regions that can be configured to perform custom user functions. The programmable logic regions may produce output signals. The integrated circuit may include interconnects that route selected output signals throughout the integrated circuit. The integrated circuit may include output selection circuitry having output selection and interconnect selection stages. The output selection circuitry may be configured to select which of the output signals produced by the programmable logic regions are provided to the interconnects for routing. The interconnect selection stage may be formed using multiplexing circuits or tristate drivers. Logic design system computing equipment may be used to generate configuration data that can be used to program the output selection circuitry to reduce crosstalk by routing signals away from critical interconnects or by double-driving critical interconnects.
US08854077B2
An integrated circuit includes first circuitry and sleep transistor circuitry. The first circuitry receives input signals and processes the input signals. The first circuitry also retains data in a sleep state that has low leakage. The sleep transistor circuitry is coupled to the first circuitry and receives a sleep signal that has a negative voltage. The sleep circuitry reduces power consumption of the first circuitry in the sleep state to have low leakage based on the sleep signal while retaining the data in the first circuitry.
US08854066B2
A method detects a glowing contact in a power circuit. The method applies at least two different resistance values across the power circuit and responsively senses at least two voltages across the power circuit. Each of the at least two voltages correspond to one of the at least two different resistance values. Then, the method determines if a number of changes in the sensed at least two voltages with respect to a number of changes in the at least two different resistance values is linear within a predetermined range or if a change in two of the sensed at least two voltages does not increase with a decrease in two of the at least two different resistance values and, otherwise, responsively generates at least one of a trip signal and an alarm signal corresponding to detecting the glowing contact in the power circuit.
US08854064B2
A method for measuring for generating a touch capacitance measurement is provided. Gain and offset control signals are generated, where the gain and offset control signals are adjusted to compensate for base capacitance of a touch sensor. The gain control signal is applied to a touch sensor during a first phase of a clock signal, and the offset control signal is applied to an output circuit during a second phase of the clock signal. The output circuit is coupled to the touch sensor during the second phase of the clock signal. The touch capacitance measurement is generated by compensating for the base capacitance with the gain and offset control signals, and a gain is applied to the touch capacitance measurement.
US08854059B2
A system for measuring a capacitor (CSENj) precharges a CDAC (23) in a SAR converter (17) to a reference voltage (VAZ) and also precharges a first terminal (3-j) of the capacitor to another reference voltage (GND). During a measurement phase, the CDAC is coupled between an output and an input of an amplifier (31) and the capacitor also is coupled to the input of the amplifier, so as to redistribute charge between the capacitor and the CDAC. The amplifier generates an output voltage (VAMP) representing the capacitance being measured. The output voltage is stored in the CDAC. The SAR converter converts the output voltage to a digital value representing the capacitance being measured.
US08854052B2
A microwave sensor assembly includes a signal processing device for generating at least one microwave signal that includes a pattern of frequencies and at least one probe coupled to the signal processing device. The probe includes an emitter configured to generate an electromagnetic field from the at least one microwave signal, wherein the emitter is detuned when an object is positioned within the electromagnetic field such that a loading signal is reflected from the emitter to the signal processing device.
US08854051B2
An integrated system is provided. The integrated system includes a control system and a signal analysis circuit configured to provide a test signal having a frequency to the control system, receive a feedback signal from the control system, and analyze the test signal and the feedback signal to generate a transfer function of the control system.
US08854039B2
A system and method for quantifying MR data acquired during a UTE sequence include a computer programmed to execute an MR scan comprising an application of an RF pulse, an echo time (TE) period, and an application of a data acquisition gradient pulse, wherein the TE period begins after the RF pulse and ends before the data acquisition gradient pulse. MR data of an imaging object are acquired during application of the data acquisition gradient pulse, and a phase image is reconstructed based on the acquired MR data. The computer is also programmed to calculate a first contribution of phase to the phase image during the application of the RF pulse, to calculate a second contribution of phase to the phase image by the application of the data acquisition gradient pulse, and to generate a frequency map based on the phase image and based on the first and second contributions of phase.
US08854035B2
A magnetic type rotation detection device may include a magnet body formed with a magnetic pole pair comprised of an “S”-pole and an “N”-pole and provided on a rotation body, a magnetic sensing element facing the magnet body in a rotation center axial line direction of the rotation body, a partition member disposed between the magnet body and the magnetic sensing element, and a ring fixed to a face of the partition member on a side where the magnet body is located. A center of the magnetic sensing element may be located on a center axial line of the ring. The magnet body may be disposed on an inner side of the ring in a non-contact state with the ring. A center of the magnet body may be located on the center axial line of the ring.
US08854030B2
A method is provided for measuring a frequency response of an object, the method involving: generating an excitation signal having relatively fast changing frequency, defined by a time-domain function; generating at least one reference signal, having a waveform corresponding to the excitation signal; introducing the excitation signal into the object, receiving a response signal from the object; analyzing said response signal in a signal analyzer by correlating the response signal with at least one reference signal during a relatively short sliding time-domain window.
US08854029B2
A system and method for space control and remote monitoring is disclosed. According to one embodiment, a frequency modulated signal is emitted from a radioscopic device having an antenna. The frequency of the reflected signal from a target is compared with the emitted frequency modulated signal to obtain a low-frequency signal. The low-frequency signal is processed to form signal pulsations spectrum using a fast Fourier transform. Each spectrum frequency represents a distance to the target.
US08854025B2
A switching power supply includes an input terminal, a voltage converter, a feedback circuit, and a pulse width modulation (PWM) controller. The input terminal receives a first direct current (DC) voltage. The voltage converter transforms the first DC voltage into a second DC voltage and provides the second DC voltage to a load via transmission lines. The feedback circuit is configured for detecting voltage lost across the transmission lines. The PWM controller controls the voltage converter to adjust the second DC voltage according to the voltage loss.
US08854022B2
A system including a first transistor, a first capacitor and a circuit. The first transistor has a first control input and is configured to regulate an output voltage. The first capacitor is coupled at one end to the first control input and at another end to a circuit reference. The circuit is configured to provide a first voltage to the first control input, where the first voltage includes an offset voltage that is referenced to the output voltage and adjusted to compensate for variations in the first transistor.
US08854021B2
A DC-DC converter has a plurality of DC-DC converting units, a plurality of inductor elements, a plurality of duty detection circuits, and a duty adjustment circuit configured to compare output signals from two detection circuits as each group, and to adjust the duty ratio of the DC-DC converting unit connected to one of the two duty detection circuits based on a result of comparing the output signals so that the duty ratio of the square wave voltage of each group becomes equal.
US08854019B1
A hybrid Direct Current (DC) to DC converter is disclosed for efficiently converting an input voltage from one level to another. In a preferred embodiment, a dual phase charge pump is combined with a buck converter and a switch controller to provide a converted voltage that is useable to cellular handset circuits based on power amplifier (PA) technology.
US08854018B2
A control circuit for reducing touch current of a power converter includes an auxiliary pin, a zero-crossing signal generator, a feedback pin, a frequency limiting signal generator, and a gate signal generator. The auxiliary pin receives a voltage corresponding to an auxiliary winding of the power converter. The zero-crossing signal generator generates a zero-crossing signal according to the voltage and a first reference voltage. The feedback pin receives a feedback voltage corresponding to an output voltage of the power converter. The frequency limiting signal generator generates a frequency limiting signal according to the feedback voltage and a second reference voltage. The frequency limiting signal limits the gate control signal to a predetermined frequency. The gate signal generator generates a gate control signal to a power switch of the power converter according to the frequency limiting signal and the zero-crossing signal.
US08854011B2
A vehicle includes a power reception terminal, a charger and a non-contact power reception unit. The power reception terminal is configured to be electrically connectable to an AC power supply. The charger is configured to convert AC electric power inputted from the power reception terminal to a predetermined DC voltage. The non-contact power reception unit is configured to be magnetically coupled to a power transmission unit of an AC power supply to receive electric power from the AC power supply in a non-contact manner. The non-contact power reception unit is connected to a power conversion circuit of the charger.
US08854009B2
A mobile terminal apparatus including a battery, a temperature detection section that detects a temperature of the battery, a voltage detection section that detects a battery voltage of the battery, a discharge section discharges the battery, an illuminance detection section that detects an illuminance on the mobile terminal apparatus, and a control section. The control section determines whether to gradually discharge the battery in accordance with the detected illuminance or to rapidly discharge the battery, and the determination is made on the basis of the temperature detected from the temperature detection section and the battery voltage detected from the voltage detection section.
US08854006B2
A charge control device includes: a communication unit that receives a first instruction for setting a charging wait period, which is a period for waiting the charging operation by the battery charger, and a second instruction for setting a charging period, which is a period for executing the charging operation; a first timing unit that starts first timing operation for calculating a remaining charging wait period, which is a remaining period of the charging wait period, by subtracting an elapsed period from the charging wait period; a charging start unit that allows the battery charger to start the charging operation when the remaining charging wait period becomes zero; a second timing unit that starts second timing operation, together with start of the charging operation, for calculating a remaining charging period, which is a remaining period of the charging period, by subtracting an elapsed period from the charging period; and a charging stop unit that allows the battery charger to stop the charging operation when the remaining charging period becomes zero.
US08854002B2
A method and system for programming rechargeable battery characteristics is provided. The system having: a memory component for storing user profiles; a power management integrated circuit; and a processor for retrieving the user profiles and directing power from the battery to the power management integrated circuit in accordance with the user profiles. The method consists of: determining the type of battery; retrieving user profiles stored in a memory component; and adjusting the battery characteristics according to the user profiles.
US08853996B2
A vehicle charging port arrangement is provided with a vehicle body, an electric charging port and a charging-in-progress indicator. The vehicle body includes a vehicle cabin and a vehicle front end portion having an upper surface. The electric charging port is arranged on the vehicle front end portion. The electric charging port is configured to receive an electric charging connector. The charging-in-progress indicator is movably mounted to the vehicle front end portion to move in a vertical direction between a charging port access position that provides access to the electric charging port and a charging port blocking position that prevents access to the electric charging port. The charging-in-progress indicator is visible from inside the vehicle cabin looking over the upper surface of the vehicle front end portion while the charging-in-progress indicator is in the charging port access position.
US08853994B2
The present invention discloses an analog photovoltaic power circuit, including: a photovoltaic device group for receiving photo energy to generate an input voltage, the input voltage corresponding to an input current; a power stage circuit for receiving the input voltage and generating an output voltage; an optimum current or voltage estimation circuit for receiving a predetermined voltage and estimating an optimum current or voltage point corresponding to an optimal output point according to a direction of variation of the input current and a direction of variation of the power generated by the photovoltaic device group; and an analog comparison and control circuit for comparing the optimum current or voltage with the input current or voltage, to thereby control the operation of the power stage circuit.
US08853993B2
A control system for an in-vehicle solar energy charger, comprising a solar cell panel, a solar energy charger, a starting battery, a power battery and a controller. The solar energy charger, the starting battery and the power battery are electrically connected to the controller respectively. The controller is configured for performing a maximum photovoltaic power tracking algorithm and controlling an output power of the solar energy charger for charging the power battery or starting battery, according to an input power of the solar energy charger.
US08853986B2
Method for diagnosing a fan, in particular in a cooling circuit of an internal combustion engine, a current driving the fan being ascertained. The fan is triggered by a defined trigger signal, and depending on the ascertained current, a diagnosis of whether the fan is defective is performed.
US08853983B2
A unit of absolute rotary position encoding, where the angular range of encoding is matched to the number of poles of an electrical motor it is intended that the encoder is to be attached to. The electrical motor is suitably a brushless DC motor. This provides unique rotational position values only through an angle corresponding to an angle between two consecutive poles to enable control/drive electronics to accurately and smoothly turn the rotor from standstill and at low speeds with varying loads applied to the motor.
US08853982B2
The present invention provides a motor control device including a feedback control system that generates a torque command for reducing a difference between an operation command signal for commanding an operation of a motor and a detection signal of a detector attached to the motor to detect a position and speed of the motor and drives the motor. The motor control device includes a correcting unit configured to estimate an amplitude and a phase of a correction amount for suppressing the detection error included in the detection signal and sequentially update estimation values of the amplitude and the phase and a post-correction-detection-signal calculating unit configured to generate a post-correction detection signal, which is a difference between the detection signal and the correction amount, instead of the detection signal.
US08853978B2
An electric motor drive system capture and control apparatus for energy savings has an alternating current power source electrically connected to a direct current motor. A power rectifier diode rated for the alternating current power source and the direct current motor is electrically connected in a reverse bias mode between the negative supply wire of the direct current motor and a grounded neutral conductor of the alternating current power source. A ground wire is electrically connected to the direct current motor and cross connected to a hot lag wire of the alternating current power source. The direct current motor is voltage matched to the alternating current power source. A transformer is electrically connected to the alternating current power source and the direct current motor. The system may be scaled to work with a power grid or for use in a vehicle.
US08853974B2
A method for connecting a second motor to a variable speed drive in parallel with at least one existing motor under load and controlled by the variable speed drive is provided. The method disconnects the existing motor from the variable speed drive and a state estimator calculates transient state of the existing motor including at least the speed of the existing motor based on a previously established load model. The method then connects the second motor to the variable speed drive and the second motor is operated using a suitable directive until the actual state of the second motor attains the calculated transient state of the existing motor at a given time. Upon attaining the calculated transient state, the existing motor is reconnected to the variable speed drive such that no current spike is generated in the aforementioned process.
US08853972B2
An energy-efficient, compact and cost-effective solution for driving a number of high-power LED groups for lighting applications includes using a single switching power supply together with LEDs connected in series and/or in parallel and pulse width-controlled switches in parallel across the individually controllable LED groups. If the switch of an LED group is ON, the LED group will not light up. If the switch is in the OFF position, the full current of the power supply will pass through the corresponding LED group.
US08853970B1
Disclosed is an electromagnetic coupling multi-output control circuit having a detection unit, a switching unit and a coupling unit, and the coupling unit is coupled to a side of a transformer of a power driving device to sense and produce a second driving voltage, such that the transformer has a multi-output function. The switching unit is provided for receiving and outputting the second driving voltage to a second driving load, and the detection unit is provided for detecting the second driving voltage to produce a detection value, so that the switching unit analyzes the detection value and switches outputting a frequency of the second driving voltage to stabilize the voltage value of the second driving voltage, so as to flexibly increase the number of output voltages of the power driving device while lowering the cost and expand the scope of applicability.
US08853960B2
The present invention discloses a dimming control circuit and a method for generating analog and digital signals according to an analog control signal. The dimming control circuit according to the present invention comprises an input for receiving an analog control signal; a digital dimming circuit for receiving the analog control signal and generating a digital signal; an analog dimming circuit for receiving the analog control signal and generating an analog signal; and a power circuit enabled by the digital signal for converting a supply voltage to an output voltage according to the analog signal generated by the analog dimming circuit.
US08853958B2
A driving circuit for a solid state lighting apparatus includes a full wave rectifier configured to rectify an alternating current (AC) input voltage signal to generate a rectified input signal, a boost conversion circuit configured to receive the rectified input signal and responsively generate a direct current (DC) output voltage signal and to supply the output voltage signal to a solid state light source, and a boost control circuit coupled to the boost conversion circuit and configured to cause the boost conversion circuit to operate in a constant power mode.
US08853951B2
A method for determining a light intensity based on current battery charge status and specified run time.
US08853946B2
A system and method for re-enabling automatic mode after manually overriding automatic mode of an automatic headlamp control system for a motor vehicle. The system and method monitors the headlamp state in a controller, recommends a headlamp state from the automatic mode of the automatic headlamp control system, monitors a driver request for headlamp state in the controller, and causes the controller to return to the automatic mode when the recommended headlamp state matches the driver request for a headlamp state.
US08853941B2
An organic light emitting diode (OLED) display is disclosed. In one aspect, the OLED display includes an at least partially curved display panel and a cover window disposed in an external side of the front side of the display panel, and formed in the shape corresponding to the display panel. The OLED display further includes a set frame disposed in an external side of the rear side of the display panel, and coupled with the cover window. The cover window is not made of a single material. That is, portion covering the display panel and a portion coupled to the set frame are made of different materials, respectively.
US08853937B2
A wavelength conversion structure comprises a first phosphor layer and a second phosphor layer formed on the first phosphor layer, wherein the first phosphor layer comprises a plurality of first phosphor particles, and the second phosphor layer comprises a plurality of second phosphor particles. The average particle size of the second phosphor particles is not equal to that of the first phosphor particles.
US08853925B2
A high efficiency spark plug operative to produce negligible waste materials discharge from the combustion engine with high power output and low fuel consumption. The spark plug has an upper chamber formed by an annular partition ring mounted at an upper position of the cylindrical cavity located in the lower portion of the shell of the spark plug. A cylindrical sleeve mounted in the cavity and located below the annular partition ring. A horizontal annular shoulder in the cylindrical sleeve extending in a horizontal position and separating the interior of the cylindrical sleeve into a middle chamber and a lower chamber. The annular shoulder formed the grounding electrode with an edge of its inner opening located in a spaced manner from the spark tip of the central electrode.
US08853910B2
A three-phase rotary electrical machine including a stator including a stator core including split cores, a rotor, a bobbin attached to each of the split cores, a winding being wound around each split core to which the bobbin is attached, and a bobbin unit including three of the bobbins which are arranged in a circumferential direction of a rotation axis as one unit, wherein the bobbin positioned at a center of the bobbin unit are formed in a bendable manner integrally with the bobbins positioned adjoining to the bobbin positioned at the center, the bobbin unit is sealed with the bobbin unit positioned adjoining thereto, and a cooling passage extending in the axial direction is provided at each clearance between the windings for three phases.
US08853904B2
A motor includes a base, a bushing, a bearing structure, a stator structure, a rotor structure and a magnetic element. The base has a supporting platform. The bushing is connected with the base. The bearing structure is disposed in the bushing. The bushing is threaded through the stator structure. The rotor structure has a shaft, and the shaft threads through the bearing structure. The magnetic element corresponds to the shaft and is disposed on the supporting platform, and the magnetic element magnetically interacts with the shaft. A fan equipped with the motor is also disclosed.
US08853903B2
Disclosed is a low alloy steel material for generator rotor shafts, which has tensile strength of not less than 700 MPa at room temperature. Preferably the low alloy steel material consists of, by mass percent, 0.15 to 0.35% carbon, 0.01 to 0.10% Si, 0.10 to 0.50% Mn, 1.3 to 2.0% Ni, 2.1 to 3.0% Cr, 0.20 to 0.50% Mo, 0.15 to 0.35% Cu, 0.06 to 0.14% V, and the balance of Fe and unavoidable impurities.
US08853898B2
An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical rotating machine that prevents heat generated from a stator winding from being transmitted to an inverter circuit. A rotor having a field winding, and a stator having a stator winding arranged so as to surround the rotor are provided. One end of a rear bracket is connected to the stator, and arranged inside the rear bracket is a heat sink assembly including a heat sink having switching elements for controlling the field winding and the stator winding mounted thereto. The heat sink assembly is fixed to protruding portions protruding from an end surface of the rear bracket.
US08853893B2
The present invention is directed to a power control device. The device includes an interchangeable user interface assembly includes a frame member having a plurality of connector elements configured to mate with a plurality of frame connection apertures. The frame member is removable from the device heat sink without any tools. The interchangeable user interface assembly includes an interface paddle rotatably coupled to the frame member and detached relative to the device's rocker switch such that the interface paddle slidably moves relative to the rocker switch with at least one degree of freedom during a rotational movement, the user interface assembly further including an interface dimmer movably disposed within the frame member and coupled to the device's dimmer actuator.
US08853890B2
A power supply apparatus including a near-field wireless communication unit that wirelessly communicates with a plurality of communication terminals, a power transmission unit that sets a plurality of resonance frequencies to transfer power in a non-contact manner to each of the plurality of communication terminals, and a control unit that determines a priority level of each of the communication terminals based on identification information received from the communication terminals and determines an amount of power transmitted at each of the resonance frequencies based on the determined priority levels.
US08853885B2
An apparatus and method for load sharing among N current supplies, where N>1. N current supply paths are coupled to corresponding N independent power sources, respectively. A system load is coupled to the outputs of the N current supply paths to receive N current supplies. There is a common current share bus configured to connect to the N current supply paths to provide a common current share signal, used to indicate the current contribution needed from each of the N current supply paths. In this configuration, each of the N current supply paths adjusts an adjustable voltage drop between its power source and the current supply it provides to the system load in accordance with the common current share signal so that the current supplied from each current supply path is consistent with the common current share signal.
US08853874B2
A wind power turbine with a wind rotor which operates at variable speeds, a generator that can operate at a constant speed and an electric machine that can operate at a variable speeds, which are each in driving connection with one another by way of a superimposition transmission, such that as a power control device for regulating the speed of the generator, the electric machine is connected to a power grid and operates as a generator and motor. A controllable brake, for braking the generator, is arranged in the force flow between the transmission and the generator to extend the operating range of the wind power turbine down to lower wind speeds. When operating the turbine at low wind speeds, the brake is applied, the generator is deactivated, and electric current is produced by operating the electric machine as a generator, which is fed to the power grid.
US08853863B2
A semiconductor die package is disclosed. An example of the semiconductor package includes a first group of semiconductor die interspersed with a second group of semiconductor die. The die from the first and second groups are offset from each other along a first axis and staggered with respect to each other along a second axis orthogonal to the first axis. A second example of the semiconductor package includes an irregular shaped edge and a wire bond to the substrate from a semiconductor die above the lowermost semiconductor die in the package.
US08853862B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a contact structure for transistor. The contact structure includes a first epitaxial-grown region between a first and a second gate of, respectively, a first and a second transistor; a second epitaxial-grown region directly on top of the first epitaxial-grown region with the second epitaxial-grown region having a width that is wider than that of the first epitaxial-grown region; and a silicide region formed on a top portion of the second epitaxial-grown region with the silicide region having an interface, with rest of the second epitaxial-grown region, that is wider than that of the first epitaxial-grown region. In one embodiment, the second epitaxial-grown region is at a level above a top surface of the first and second gates of the first and second transistors.
US08853858B2
An integrated circuit structure including reflective metal pads is provided. The integrated circuit structure includes a semiconductor substrate; a first low-k dielectric layer overlying the semiconductor substrate, wherein the first low-k dielectric layer is a top low-k dielectric layer; a second low-k dielectric layer immediately underlying the first low-k dielectric layer; and a reflective metal pad in the second low-k dielectric layer.
US08853857B2
A TSV can be formed having a top section via formed through the top substrate surface and a bottom section via formed through the bottom substrate surface. The top section cross section can have a minimum cross section corresponding to design rules, and the top section depth can correspond to a workable aspect ratio. The top section via can be filled or plugged so that top side processing can be continued. The bottom section via can have a larger cross section for ease of forming a conductive path therethrough. The bottom section via extends from the back side to the bottom of the top section via and is formed after the substrate has been thinned. The TSV is can be completed by forming a conductive path after removing sacrificial fill materials from the joined top and bottom section vias.
US08853851B2
A semiconductor device includes a substrate, a semiconductor element disposed on the substrate, and a heat conductive member composed of a solder material. The heat conductive member covers the semiconductor element, and is connected to a connection pad formed on the substrate. A heat radiator is disposed on the heat conductive member. The heat conductive member thermally connecting the semiconductor element to the heat radiator reduces the risk that electromagnetic noise may be emitted from or may be incident on the semiconductor element.
US08853848B2
An interconnection structure is disposed between a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer substantially parallel to each other. The conductive layer includes a signal trace. The interconnection structure includes a conductor pillar and a shielding wall pillar. The conductor pillar goes through between the two conductive layers and is electrically connected to the signal trace of the first conductive layer. The shielding wall pillar is also disposed between the two conductive layers and located at a portion of an external region surrounding the conductor pillar and electrically coupled to the conductor pillar. The conductor pillar and the shielding wall pillar are disposed in pair or in group. The shielding wall pillar with a shape different from that of the conductor pillar would make the conductor pillar serve as a connection with a designed impedance and the capability of controlling impedance based on the special shape design thereof.
US08853846B2
In a non-insulated DC-DC converter having a circuit in which a power MOS•FET high-side switch and a power MOS•FET low-side switch are connected in series, the power MOS•FET low-side switch and a Schottky barrier diode to be connected in parallel with the power MOS•FET low-side switch are formed within one semiconductor chip. The formation region SDR of the Schottky barrier diode is disposed in the center in the shorter direction of the semiconductor chip, and on both sides thereof, the formation regions of the power MOS•FET low-side switch are disposed. From the gate finger in the vicinity of both long sides on the main surface of the semiconductor chip toward the formation region SDR of the Schottky barrier diode, a plurality of gate fingers are disposed so as to interpose the formation region SDR between them.
US08853845B2
A component including at least one active element hermetically encapsulated in a cavity formed between a support and a cover, in which the support and the cover are made from an electrically conductive material, and are insulated electrically from one another, and include a first electrical connection between the active element and the support, and a second electrical connection, separate from the first connection, between the active element and the cover, and in which: the active element is securely attached to the support through a dielectric layer positioned between the support and the active element, and between the support and the cover; the second electrical connection includes a second portion of electrically conductive material electrically connected to the cover, positioned on the dielectric layer and electrically in contact with an electrically conductive sealing bead providing hermetic secure attachment of the cover to the support.
US08853844B2
A multifunction semiconductor package structure includes a substrate unit, a circuit unit, a support unit, a semiconductor unit, a package unit and an electrode unit. The substrate unit includes a substrate body and a first electronic element having a plurality of conductive contact portions. The circuit unit includes a plurality of first conductive layers disposed on the substrate body. The semiconductor unit includes a plurality of second electronic elements. Each second electronic element is electrically connected between two corresponding first conductive layers. The package unit includes a package body disposed on the substrate body to enclose the second electronic elements. The electrode unit includes a plurality of top electrodes, a plurality of bottom electrodes, and a plurality of lateral electrodes electrically connected between the top electrodes and the bottom electrodes. Each lateral electrode is electrically connected to the corresponding first conductive layer and the corresponding conductive contact portion.
US08853842B2
An apparatus provides good bonding between a package structure and a substrate and extended solder bonding life, even under heat stress. Of a lead frame to be used for a package structure having a configuration in which a semiconductor chip, an island of the lead frame, and external connection terminals are sealed with a resin from one surface, and the island and the external connection terminals are exposed on the other surface, the external connection terminals include a first external connection terminal disposed at a central part of each of sides of an outer rim of a semiconductor chip mounting region in which the semiconductor chip is to be mounted and a second external connection terminal outside the first external connection terminal at each of the sides of the outer rim of the semiconductor chip mounting region, wherein the first external connection terminal area exceeds the second external connection terminal's.
US08853836B1
Packages for an integrated circuit die and methods and leadframes for making such packages are disclosed. The package includes a die, a die pad, peripheral metal contacts, bond wares, and an encapsulant. The die pad and contacts are located at a lower surface of the package. The die pad and the contacts have side surfaces which include reentrant portions and asperities to engage the encapsulant.
US08853833B2
Semiconductor devices are described, along with methods and systems that include them. One such device includes a diffusion region in a semiconductor material, a terminal coupled to the diffusion region, and a field plate coupled to the terminal and extending from the terminal over the diffusion region to shield the diffusion region. Additional embodiments are also described.
US08853829B2
Provided is a crack-free epitaxial substrate having a small amount of dislocations in which a silicon substrate is used as a base substrate. An epitaxial substrate includes a substrate made of (111) single crystal silicon and a base layer group in which a plurality of base layers are laminated. Each of the plurality of base layers includes a first group-III nitride layer made of AlN and a second group-III nitride layer made of AlyyGazzN formed on the first group-III nitride layer. The first group-III nitride layer has many crystal defects. An interface between the first and second group-III nitride layers is a three-dimensional concavo-convex surface. In the base layer other than the base layer formed immediately above the base substrate, the first group-III nitride layer has a thickness of 50 nm or more and 100 nm or less and the second group-III nitride layer satisfies 0≦yy≦0.2.
US08853826B2
Methods and apparatus for bipolar junction transistors (BJTs) are disclosed. A BJT comprises a collector made of p-type semiconductor material, a base made of n-type well on the collector; and an emitter comprising a p+ region on the base and a SiGe layer on the p+ region. The BJT can be formed by providing a semiconductor substrate comprising a collector, a base on the collector, forming a sacrificial layer on the base, patterning a first photoresist on the sacrificial layer to expose an opening surrounded by a STI within the base; implanting a p-type material through the sacrificial layer into an area of the base, forming a p+ region from the p-type implant; forming a SiGe layer on the etched p+ region to form an emitter. The process can be shared with manufacturing a polysilicon transistor up through the step of patterning a first photoresist on the sacrificial layer.
US08853825B2
An ESD protection apparatus comprises a substrate, a low voltage p-type well and a low voltage n-type well formed on the substrate. The ESD protection device further comprises a first P+ region formed on the low voltage p-type well and a second P+ region formed on the low voltage n-type well. The first P+ region and the second P+ region are separated by a first isolation region. The breakdown voltage of the ESD protection apparatus is tunable by adjusting the length of the first isolation region.
US08853822B2
A semiconductor device according to this invention includes a first power line that supplies power to a first circuit, a second power line that supplies power to a second circuit, and a capacitive element that is provided between the first power line and the second power line.
US08853819B2
The present invention relates to a semiconductor structure having an integrated passive network and a method for making the same. The semiconductor structure includes a substrate which can be an interposer. The substrate can include a plurality of conductive vias. In various embodiments, the substrate includes a dielectric layer disposed thereon, the dielectric layer having an opening forming a straight hole allowing electrical connection between the passive network and the conductive via. The passive network includes a series of patterned dielectric and conductive layers, forming passive electronic components. In an embodiment, the passive device includes a common resistor coupled to a pair of inductors, each of the inductors coupled to a capacitor. In another embodiment, the passive device includes a resistor and an inductor electrically connected to each other, a bottom surface of the inductor coplanar with a bottom surface of the resistor.
US08853814B2
A miniature thermoelectric energy harvester and a fabrication method thereof. Annular grooves are fabricated on a low-resistivity silicon substrate to define silicon thermoelectric columns, an insulating layer is fabricated on the annular grooves, a thermoelectric material is filled in the annular grooves to form annular thermoelectric columns, and then metal wirings, passivation layers and supporting substrates are fabricated, thereby completing the fabrication process. The silicon thermoelectric column using a silicon base material simplifies the fabrication process. The fabrication of the thermocouple structure is one thin-film deposition process, which simplifies the process. The use of silicon as a component of the thermocouple has a high Seebeck coefficient. The use of vertical thermocouples improves the stability. Since the thermocouple structure is bonded to the upper supporting substrate and lower supporting substrate by wafer-level bonding, the fabrication efficiency is improved.
US08853809B2
An optical element 10 for transmitting light therethrough along a predetermined direction and modulating the light comprises a structure 11 having a first region R1 and a second region R2 periodically arranged with respect to the first region R1 along a plane perpendicular to the predetermined direction, the first and second regions R1, R2 having respective refractive indexes different from each other, and properties of transmitting the light therethrough.
US08853807B2
Magnetic devices and methods of fabricating the same are provided. According to the magnetic device, a tunnel barrier pattern is interposed between a first magnetic pattern and a second magnetic pattern. An edge portion of the tunnel barrier pattern is thicker than a central portion of the tunnel barrier pattern. The central portion of the tunnel barrier pattern has a substantially uniform thickness.
US08853804B2
A tunable tilting device is described. The device includes a tilting element and a suspension structure that has one or more flexures coupled to the tilting element. The suspension structure has a variable bending stiffness and configured to bend due to a tilting motion of the tilting element around a pivot axis. The suspension structure is responsive to a tuning force actuating a variation of an extension stress or a compression stress of the suspension structure, and thereby can vary the bending stiffness of the suspension structure.
US08853803B2
A micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) device can include a substrate and a first beam suspended relative to a substrate surface. The first beam can include a first portion and a second portion that are separated by an isolation joint made of an insulative material. The first and second portions can each include a first semiconductor and a first dielectric layer. The MEMS device can also include a second beam suspended relative to the substrate surface. The second beam can include a second semiconductor and a second dielectric layer to promote curvature of the second beam. The MEMS device can also include a third beam suspended relative to the substrate surface. The third beam consists essentially of a first material. The second beam is configured to move relative to the third beam in response to an acceleration along an axis perpendicular to the surface of the substrate.
US08853798B2
Disclosed is an integrated circuit comprising a substrate (10) carrying a plurality of circuit elements; a metallization stack (12, 14, 16) interconnecting said circuit elements, said metallization stack comprising a patterned upper metallization layer comprising a first metal portion (20) and a second metal portion (21); a passivation stack (24, 26, 28) covering the metallization stack; a gas sensor including a sensing material portion (32, 74) on the passivation stack; a first conductive portion (38) extending through the passivation stack connecting a first region of the sensing material portion to the first metal portion; and a second conductive portion (40) extending through the passivation stack connecting a second region of the sensing material portion to the second metal portion. A method of manufacturing such an IC is also disclosed.
US08853794B2
A first gate level feature forms gate electrodes of a first transistor of a first transistor type and a first transistor of a second transistor type. A second gate level feature forms a gate electrode of a second transistor of the first transistor type. A third gate level feature forms a gate electrode of a second transistor of the second transistor type. The gate electrodes of the second transistors of the first and second transistor types are positioned on opposite sides of a gate electrode track along which the gate electrodes of the first transistors of the first and second transistor types are positioned. The gate electrodes of the second transistors of the first and second transistor types are electrically connected to each other through an electrical connection that includes respective gate contacts and a conductive interconnect structure.
US08853792B2
Embodiments of transistors comprise a gate stack overlying a semiconductor material. The gate stack comprises a deposited oxide layer overlying the semiconductor material, an oxygen-diffusion barrier layer overlying the deposited oxide layer, a high-k dielectric layer overlying the oxygen-diffusion barrier layer, and a conductive material (e.g., an oxygen-gettering conductive material) overlying the high-k dielectric layer. When the conductive material is an oxygen-gettering conductive material, the oxygen-diffusion barrier layer prevents diffusion of oxygen from the deposited oxide layer to the oxygen-gettering conductive material.
US08853788B2
In a replacement gate scheme, a continuous material layer is deposited on a bottom surface and a sidewall surface in a gate cavity. A vertical portion of the continuous material layer is removed to form a gate component of which a vertical portion does not extend to a top of the gate cavity. The gate component can be employed as a gate dielectric or a work function material portion to form a gate structure that enhances performance of a replacement gate field effect transistor.
US08853774B2
A semiconductor device includes a first transistor cell including a first gate electrode in a first trench. The semiconductor device further includes a second transistor cell including a second gate electrode in a second trench, wherein the first and second gate electrodes are electrically connected. The semiconductor device further includes a third trench between the first and second trenches, wherein the third trench extends deeper into a semiconductor body from a first side of the semiconductor body than the first and second trenches. The semiconductor device further includes a dielectric in the third trench covering a bottom side and walls of the third trench.
US08853772B2
High-mobility vertical trench DMOSFETs and methods for manufacturing are disclosed. A source region, a drain region or a channel region of a high-mobility vertical trench DMOSFET may comprise silicon germanium (SiGe) that increases the mobility of the charge carriers in the channel region. In some embodiments the channel region may be strained to increase channel charge carriers mobility.
US08853769B2
Some embodiments include a transistor having a first electrically conductive gate portion along a first segment of a channel region and a second electrically conductive gate portion along a second segment of the channel region. The second electrically conductive gate portion is a different composition than the first electrically conductive gate portion. Some embodiments include a method of forming a semiconductor construction. First semiconductor material and metal-containing material are formed over a NAND string. An opening is formed through the metal-containing material and the first semiconductor material, and is lined with gate dielectric. Second semiconductor material is provided within the opening to form a channel region of a transistor. The transistor is a select device electrically coupled to the NAND string.
US08853768B1
A method for fabricating a semiconductor device is provided. The method includes forming a plurality of gate structures having asymmetric sidewalls including a tall side and a short side. Adjacent ones of the plurality of gate structures are separated by a tall side-tall side region and a short side-short side region. The method further comprises forming a spacer layer over the plurality of gate structures and a bottom surface of the tall side-tall side region and the short side-short side region, depositing an oxide layer over the spacer layer, etching the bottom surface portions of the oxide layer, and selectively etching the sidewall portions of the oxide layer in the tall side-tall side region.
US08853767B2
A semiconductor device includes a first source layer; at least one of a second source layer, the second source layer formed substantially in the first source layer; a plurality of conductive layers stacked substantially over the first source layer; channel layers that pass through the plurality of conductive layers and couple to the second source layer; and at least one of a third source layer, the third source layer formed substantially in the second source layer, wherein the third source layer passes through the second source layer and is coupled to the first source layer.
US08853764B1
A method for forming a low Rdson LDNMOS and a high sheet resistance poly resistor and the resulting device are provided. Embodiments include forming first, second, and third STI regions in a substrate; forming a P-well in the substrate around the first STI region with a first mask; forming an N-drift region in the substrate between the P-well and the third STI region with the first mask; forming a dielectric layer over the substrate; forming a poly-silicon layer over the dielectric layer; performing an N-drain implant between the second and third STI regions with a second mask; performing a resistance adjustment implant in, but not through, the poly-silicon layer with the second mask; and patterning the poly-silicon and dielectric layers subsequent to performing the resistance adjustment implant to form a gate stack and a poly resistor, the poly resistor being formed over the third STI region and laterally separated from the gate stack.
US08853758B2
There is provided a solid-state imaging device including plural pixel regions, each including a pixel having a photoelectric conversion unit, a color filter, and a microlens that condenses the incident light to the photoelectric conversion unit; a first light shielding portion that has a first end face at the side of the microlens, and a second end face opposite to the first end face, and that is formed at each side portion of each pixel region of the plurality of the pixel regions; and a second light shielding portion that has a first end face at the side of the microlens, and a second end face opposite to the first end face, and that is formed at each corner portion of the pixel region, in which a distance from a surface of the pixel to the first end face is short compared to the first light shielding portion.
US08853754B2
An image or light sensor chip package includes an image or light sensor chip having a non-photosensitive area and a photosensitive area surrounded by the non-photosensitive area. In the photosensitive area, there are light sensors, a layer of optical or color filter array over the light sensors and microlenses over the layer of optical or color filter array. In the non-photosensitive area, there are an adhesive polymer layer and multiple metal structures having a portion in the adhesive polymer layer. A transparent substrate is formed on a top surface of the adhesive polymer layer and over the microlenses. The image or light sensor chip package also includes wirebonded wires or a flexible substrate bonded with the metal structures of the image or light sensor chip.
US08853748B2
A method for manufacturing a rectifier with a vertical MOS structure is provided. A first trench structure and a first mask layer are formed at a first side of the semiconductor substrate. A second trench structure is formed in the second side of the semiconductor substrate. A gate oxide layer, a polysilicon structure and a metal sputtering layer are sequentially formed on the second trench structure. The rectifier further includes a wet oxide layer and a plurality of doped regions. The wet oxide layer is formed on a surface of the first multi-trench structure and in the semiconductor substrate. The doping regions are formed on a region between the semiconductor substrate and the second trench structure, and located beside the mask layer. The metal sputtering layer is formed on the first mask layer corresponding to the first trench structure.
US08853739B2
A pressure contact semiconductor device includes a cathode post electrode and a gate electrode formed on a top surface of a substrate, an anode post electrode formed on a bottom surface thereof, a circuit substrate, a cathode flange overlapping the cathode post electrode and connected to the circuit substrate, a cathode fin electrode overlapping the cathode flange, an anode fin electrode underlapping and the anode post electrode, a gate flange connected to both the gate electrode and the circuit substrate, a securing member having a parallel portion parallel to the circuit substrate and a perpendicular portion perpendicular to the circuit substrate, the perpendicular portion being secured to a side of the cathode fin electrode, and a spacer formed from plate material and secured at the top to the parallel portion of the securing member and at the bottom to the circuit substrate.
US08853735B2
Provided is an epitaxial substrate for a semiconductor device, which has excellent schottky contact characteristics that are stable over time. The epitaxial substrate for a semiconductor device includes a base substrate, a channel layer formed of a first group III nitride containing at least Ga and having a composition of Inx1Aly1Gaz1N (x1+y1+z1=1), and a barrier layer formed of a second group III nitride containing at least In and Al and having a composition of Inx2Aly2Gaz2N (x2+y2+z2=1), wherein the barrier layer has tensile strains in an in-plane direction, and pits are formed on a surface of the barrier layer at a surface density of 5×107/cm2 or more and 1×109/cm2 or less.
US08853720B2
A group III nitride semiconductor light-emitting device includes: a conductive support; a p-electrode positioned on the support, a p-type layer containing a group III nitride semiconductor, an active layer and an n-type layer having a first surface, which are positioned in turn on the p-electrode; and an n-electrode positioned on the first surface of the n-type layer. A groove is formed in the first surface of the n-type layer in a pattern such that the first surface of the n-type layer is continuous. A light-transmitting insulating film is formed on side surface and bottom surface of the groove. The groove has a depth at least reaching the p-type layer. The n-electrode is formed in wiring form.
US08853716B2
To increase light-extraction efficiency and simplify manufacturing process. An organic EL panel includes: first electrode reflecting incident light; second electrode transmitting incident light therethrough; organic light-emitting layer emitting light of corresponding color among R, G, and B colors; first functional layer including charge injection/transport layer and at least one other layer, and disposed between the first electrode and the light-emitting layer; and second functional layer disposed between the second electrode and the light-emitting layer. The charge injection/transport layers of R and G colors are equal in film thickness, and differ in film thickness from the charge injection/transport layer of the B color, the at least one other layers of R, G, and B colors are equal in film thickness, the second functional layers of R, G, and B colors are equal in film thickness, and the light-emitting layers of R, G, and B colors differ in film thickness.
US08853712B2
A semiconductor light emitting apparatus a semiconductor light emitting device configured to emit light inside a hollow shell including wavelength conversion material dispersed therein or thereon. A semiconductor light emitting apparatus according to some embodiments is capable of generating in excess of 250 lumens per watt, and in some cases up to 270 lumens per watt.
US08853708B2
A microelectronic assembly may include microelectronic devices arranged in a stack and having device contacts exposed at respective front surfaces. Signal conductors having substantial portions extending above the front surface of the respective microelectronic devices connect the device contacts with signal contacts of an underlying interconnection element. A rear surface of a microelectronic device of the stack overlying an adjacent microelectronic device of the stack is spaced a predetermined distance above and extends at least generally parallel to the substantial portions of the signal conductors connected to the adjacent device, such that a desired impedance may be achieved for the signal conductors connected to the adjacent device.
US08853707B2
Some exemplary embodiments of high voltage cascaded III-nitride semiconductor package with an etched leadframe have been disclosed. One exemplary embodiment comprises a III-nitride transistor having an anode of a diode stacked over a source of the III-nitride transistor, and a leadframe that is etched to form a first leadframe paddle portion coupled to a gate of the III-nitride transistor and the anode of the diode, and a second leadframe paddle portion coupled to a drain of the III-nitride transistor. The leadframe paddle portions enable the package to be surface mountable. In this manner, reduced package footprint, improved surge current capability, and higher performance may be achieved compared to conventional wire bonded packages. Furthermore, since multiple packages may be assembled at a time, high integration and cost savings may be achieved compared to conventional methods requiring individual package processing and externally sourced parts.
US08853701B2
In order to efficiently manufacture a semiconductor device having a plurality of TFTs formed thereon, which can be applied to a variety of uses, a semiconductor device (100) is disclosed that is provided with a first P-type TFT (10a), a second P-type TFT (10b), a first N-type TFT (10c), and a second N-type TFT (10d), each having a channel region that is formed of polycrystalline silicon. When d1, d2, d3, and d4 respectively represent the concentrations of p-type impurities in the respective channel regions of the TFTs (10a to 10d), at least three values out of d1, d2, d3, and d4 are mutually different, and d1, d2, d3, and d4 satisfy relations of d1
US08853697B2
To inhibit a metal element contained in a glass substrate from being diffused into a gate insulating film or an oxide semiconductor film. A semiconductor device includes a glass substrate, a base insulating film formed using metal oxide over the glass substrate, a gate electrode formed over the base insulating film, a gate insulating film formed over the gate electrode, an oxide semiconductor film which is formed over the gate insulating film and overlapping with the gate electrode, and a source electrode and a drain electrode which are electrically connected to the oxide semiconductor film. In a region of the base insulating film that is present in a range of 3 nm or less from a surface of the base insulating film, the concentration of a metal element contained in the glass substrate is less than or equal to 1×1018 atoms/cm3.
US08853695B2
A substrate supporting thin film transistors thereon, each including a semiconductor layer and source-drain electrodes, wherein the source-drain electrodes are formed from a nitrogen-containing layer or oxygen/nitrogen-containing layer and a thin film of pure copper or copper alloy. The nitrogen-containing layer or oxygen/nitrogen-containing layer has respectively part or all of its nitrogen or part or all of its oxygen or nitrogen connected to silicon in the semiconductor layer of the thin film transistor, and the thin film of pure copper or copper alloy is connected to the semiconductor layer of said thin film transistor through the nitrogen-containing layer or oxygen/nitrogen-containing layer.
US08853694B2
Provided are a chip on film (COF) package and semiconductor having the same. The COF package can include a flexible film having first and second surfaces opposite to and facing each other and including a conductive via penetrating from the first surface to the second surface, first and second conductive patterns respectively is on the first surface and the second surface and electrically connected to each other through the conductive via, an integrated circuit (IC) chip is on the first surface and electrically connected to the first conductive pattern, a test pad overlaps the conductive via and is electrically connected to at least one of the first conductive pattern and the second conductive pattern, and an external connection pattern is on the second surface spaced apart from the conductive via and electrically connected to the second conductive pattern.
US08853691B2
A transistor and a manufacturing method thereof are provided. The transistor includes a first gate, a second gate disposed on one side of the first gate, a first semiconductor layer, a second semiconductor layer, an oxide layer, a first insulation layer, a second insulation layer, a source, and a drain. The first semiconductor layer is disposed between the first and second gates; the second semiconductor layer is disposed between the first semiconductor layer and the second gate. The oxide layer is disposed between the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer. The first insulation layer is disposed between the first gate and the first semiconductor layer; the second insulation layer is disposed between the second gate and the second semiconductor layer. The source and the drain are disposed between the first insulation layer and the second insulation layer and respectively disposed on opposite sides of the oxide layer.
US08853680B2
A light-emitting element having extremely high efficiency of approximately 25% is provided. The light-emitting element includes a light-emitting layer which contains a phosphorescent guest, an n-type host, and a p-type host, where the light-emitting layer is interposed between an n-type layer including the n-type host and a p-type layer including the p-type host, and where the n-type host and the p-type host are able to form an exciplex in the light-emitting layer. The light-emitting element exhibits an extremely high emission efficiency (power efficiency of 74.3 lm/W, external quantum efficiency of 24.5%, energy efficiency of 19.3%) at a low driving voltage (2.6 V) at which luminance of 1200 cd/m2 is attainable.
US08853673B2
A semiconductor device includes a gate electrode formed on a silicon substrate via a gate insulation film in correspondence to a channel region, source and drain regions of a p-type diffusion region formed in the silicon substrate at respective outer sides of sidewall insulation films of the gate electrode, and a pair of SiGe mixed crystal regions formed in the silicon substrate at respective outer sides of the sidewall insulation films in epitaxial relationship to the silicon substrate, the SiGe mixed crystal regions being defined by respective sidewall surfaces facing with each other, wherein, in each of the SiGe mixed crystal regions, the sidewall surface is defined by a plurality of facets forming respective, mutually different angles with respect to a principal surface of the silicon substrate.
US08853668B2
A light emitting device comprises a first layer having an n-type Group III-V semiconductor, a second layer adjacent to the first layer, the second layer comprising an active material that generates light upon the recombination of electrons and holes. The active material in some cases has one or more V-pits at a density between about 1 V-pit/μm2 and 30 V-pits/μm2. The light emitting device includes a third layer adjacent to the second layer, the third layer comprising a p-type Group III-V semiconductor.
US08853664B2
An organic electric-field element includes an elongated support base member, a first electrode provided on the support base member, an organic layer provided to cover the first electrode, and a second electrode provided to cover the organic layer. At one end portion of the support base member, a two-layer structure region including the support base member and the first electrode is provided, and a three-layer structure region including the support base member, the first electrode, and the organic layer is provided, extending continuously from the other end of the two-layer structure region. At the other end portion of the support base member, a two-layer structure region including the support base member and the second electrode is provided, and a three-layer structure region including the support base member, the second electrode, and the organic layer is provided, extending continuously from one end of the two-layer structure region.
US08853657B2
A regenerative ring resonator in the path of a light beam includes a discharge chamber having electrodes and a gain medium between the electrodes; an optical coupler that is partially reflective so that at least a portion of a light beam impinging on the optical coupler from the discharge chamber is reflected back through the discharge chamber and at least a portion of the light beam impinging on the optical coupler from the discharge chamber is transmitted through the optical coupler; and an attenuation optical system in the path of the light beam within the resonator, the attenuation optical system having a plurality of distinct attenuation states, with each attenuation state defining a distinct attenuation factor applied to the light beam to provide adjustment of an energy of the light beam.
US08853656B2
Offset in the ejection direction of target material droplets is corrected in order to stabilize EUV output in an EUV light source device. An extreme ultraviolet light source device includes a droplet generation device 110 that outputs target material droplets 101 towards a predetermined plasma emission point 103; a charging device 130 that charges the target material droplets 101; a trajectory correction device 140 that generates a force field in the trajectory to correct the travel direction of the charged target material droplets 101a so that the charged target material droplets 101a travel towards the plasma emission point 103; and a laser light source 150 that irradiates, at the plasma emission point 103, a laser beam onto the charged target material to generate plasma thereby.
US08853648B2
A sample holder for efficiently performing the processing or observation of a sample by means of charged particles while cooling. Particularly, disclosed is a sample holder whereby the processing or observation of a material which may be affected by the influence of heat damage can be performed in a state in which the material is cooled, and furthermore, the influence due to a sample processing method using charged particles can be reduced by cooling. The sample holder is provided with a sample stage capable of fixing a sample piece extracted from a sample by ion beam irradiation, and a rotation mechanism for rotating the sample stage in a desired direction, which can be attached to an ion beam device and a transmission electron microscope device, and which has a movable heat transfer material for thermally connecting the sample stage and a cooling source, and an isolation material for thermally isolating the sample stage and the heat transfer material from the outside. According to the sample holder, the processing or observation of a sample by means of charged particle beams can be performed while efficiently cooling.
US08853647B2
Provided is an electron microscope on which a specimen holder to have high voltage applied is mountable. The specimen holder has safety (electric shock prevention) features, and attention is paid to the specimen holder in terms of operability. The microscope includes a specimen holder having a function of applying a voltage to a specimen mount disposed to load a specimen, a voltage source that supplies the voltage to be applied to the specimen mount, a voltage cable connected at one end thereof to the specimen holder, and a relay unit to which the other end of the voltage cable is connected, the relay unit being placed on a supporting base that supports a lens barrel of the electron microscope.
US08853644B2
A radiation image capture device is provided with a radiation detection panel, a signal processing board, a flexible printed circuit, a casing, and a first conductor. The radiation detection panel includes optoelectronic conversion elements that convert radiation to electronic signals. The signal processing board is disposed to oppose the radiation detection panel and performs signal processing of the electronic signals provided by the radiation detection panel. One end of the flexible printed circuit is electrically connected to the radiation detection panel and the other end is electrically connected to the signal processing board. The casing accommodates the radiation detection panel and the signal processing board, and accommodates the flexible printed circuit in a state of being separated from inner walls of the casing. The first conductor is provided at a region of the flexible printed circuit that comes in contact with the casing by movements of the flexible printed circuit.
US08853635B2
A molecular breast imaging (“MBI”} configured for combined MBI and ultrasound imaging or MBI-guided biopsy is provided. In one configuration, the MBI portion of the system includes two opposed gamma ray detectors, while in another configuration only one gamma ray detector is provided. In two detector configurations, a compression plate is provided to make contact with and apply light compression to the subject under examination. One of the gamma ray detectors is configured to be moveable with respect to the other detector such that the gamma ray detector can be moved away from the examination region, thereby allowing access to the breast for an ultrasound imaging system or a breast biopsy device.
US08853629B2
A cross-section processing and observation method including: acquiring a surface image by scanning and irradiating a surface of a sample with ion beam; setting, on the surface image, a first sliced region and a second sliced region for performing the slice processing, the second sliced region being adjacent to the first sliced region and having a longitudinal length obtained by subtracting a slice width of the second sliced region from a longitudinal length of the first sliced region; forming a cross-section by irradiating the first sliced region and the second sliced region with the ion beam; and acquiring a cross-sectional image by irradiating the cross-section with electron beam.
US08853626B2
A sampling nozzle 21, an ion supply tube 31 leading to an analysis apparatus 50 and a barrier discharge tube 11 are connected to first, second and third ends, respectively, of a T-shaped tube 41 having three connecting ports, and the central portion of the T-shaped tube is an ionization chamber SP. The ionization chamber SP is a closed space, and ions generated therein are introduced to the analysis apparatus 50 through the ion supply tube 31. As a result, almost all of the ions are introduced into the interior of the analysis apparatus.
US08853603B2
A packaged product, such as a thermo-formable splinting or bracing product adapted to be heated by microwave energy, which packaged product comprises a water laden absorbent material (5), optionally sealed in a first water-impervious container (6), wherein said absorbent material (5) is adapted to permit microwave energy to enter and heat the water held in the absorbent material (5), the first container (6) being microwave transparent and the product to be heated and the absorbent material are disposed adjacent each other but are separated by a water-impervious barrier.
US08853602B2
The invention provides a drawer type cooking device, wherein the mounting positions of roller-shaped shock absorbing members 10b and 10b attached to a drawer body 2 are either aligned with portions of the side walls 3b and 3b of the heating chamber 3 where fixing angles 8 of the slide rails 7 are attached and thus having enhanced rigidity, or arranged close to a bottom wall 3c of the heating chamber 3, so that when a biased operation force is applied to the door, the generation of a gap between a front side panel of the cooking device body 1 and the inner side of the door is suppressed, and the occurrence of a microwave leakage through the gap caused by not stopping the generation of microwave until the operation of a latch is thereby prevented in advance.
US08853601B2
A microwave energy interactive construct for heating a food item having a surface intended to be browned and/or crisped includes a flanged receiving element shaped to receive the food item. The flanged receiving element includes a plurality of hingeable flange segments, so that microwave energy interactive material disposed on the hingeable flange segments may be brought into intimate and/or proximate contact with the surface of the food item.
US08853600B2
A system and method for treating subcutaneous histological features without affecting adjacent tissues adversely employs microwave energy of selected power, frequency and duration to penetrate subcutaneous tissue and heat target areas with optimum doses to permanently affect the undesirable features. The frequency chosen preferentially interacts with the target as opposed to adjacent tissue, and the microwave energy is delivered as a short pulse causing minimal discomfort and side effects. By distributing microwave energy at the skin over an area and adjusting power and frequency, different conditions, such as hirsuitism and telangiectasia, can be effectively treated.
US08853592B2
A charged particle beam and a laser beam are used together to micromachine a substrate. A first beam alters the state of a region of the work piece, and the second beam removes material whose state was altered. In one embodiment, an ion beam can create photon absorbing defects to lower the local ablation threshold, allowing the laser beam to remove material in a region defined by the ion beam. The combination of laser beam and charged particle beam allows the creation of features similar in size to the charged particle beam spot size, at milling rates greater than charged particle processing because of the increased energy provided by the laser beam.
US08853589B2
A nozzle for a liquid-cooled plasma torch, comprising a nozzle bore for the exit of a plasma gas jet at a nozzle tip, a first portion, the outer surface of which is substantially cylindrical, and a second portion adjacent thereto towards the nozzle tip, the outer surface of which tapers substantially conically towards the nozzle tip, wherein at least one liquid supply groove and/or at least one liquid return groove is/are provided and extend over the second portion in the outer surface of the nozzle (4) towards the nozzle tip, and wherein the liquid supply groove or at least one of the liquid supply grooves and/or a liquid return groove or at least one of the liquid return grooves also extends/extend over part of the first portion, and there is in the first portion at least one groove which communicates with the liquid supply groove or at least one of the liquid supply grooves or with the liquid return groove or at least one of the liquid return grooves.
US08853588B2
A portable plasma cutting system includes a power supply and a torch attachable to the power supply. The torch generates a plasma arc for cutting a workpiece. A gas valve is disposed in the system or the torch. The gas valve establishes a gas flow rate or a gas pressure in the torch. A controller is within the system and in communication with the power supply. The controller is capable of automatically manipulating the gas valve to establish the gas flow rate or pressure based upon a predetermined operating condition. A user activated switch is in communication with the controller. The switch has a first setting which causes the controller to automatically establish the gas flow rate or pressure based upon the predetermined operating condition, and a second setting which causes the controller to establish one of a user-determined gas flow rate or a user-determined gas pressure.
US08853585B2
An electromagnetic contactor includes a first stationary contact having a stationary contact portion and a stationary terminal portion for connecting to a power supply; a second stationary contact having a stationary contact portion and a stationary terminal section for connecting to a load; a stationary-contact supporting case supporting the stationary terminal portions of the first and second stationary contacts to protrude the contact support casing, and maintaining a predetermined distance in between; a moving-contact portion contactable to and separable from the stationary contact portion of the first and second stationary contact and arranged in the stationary-contact supporting case; and a pair of arc-extinguishing magnets arranged in parallel to sandwich the moving-contact portion in the longitudinal direction and having same magnetic polarity at opposing magnetic pole surfaces. A driving mechanism drives the moving-contact portion contactable to and separable from the stationary contact portions of the first and second stationary contacts.
US08853580B2
A key structure of a keyboard device includes a scissors-type connecting member and a base plate. The base plate includes a base plate fixing hook, a base plate sliding hook and a stopping structure. The entrance of the base plate fixing hook and the entrance of the base plate sliding hook face the same side. Due to the configurations of the base plate, the scissors-type connecting member can be easily assembled within the base plate fixing hook and the base plate sliding hook. In addition, the scissors-type connecting member can be fixed on the base plate by using the base plate fixing hook and the stopping structure.
US08853577B1
In one aspect, a keycap for use in backlit keyboards is provided. The keycap includes a translucent base having a surface with a layer of paint applied directly onto the surface. The layer of paint is capable of blocking at least some light that passes through the translucent base when the keycap is backlit. A groove is etched on the surface that defines the shape of a symbol. The groove penetrates the layer of paint completely, thus exposing parts of the translucent base that are hidden underneath the layer of paint. Because the translucent base is exposed by the groove, when the keycap is backlit, the symbol may appear to glow while the rest of the keycap's surface may appear to remain dark. The symbol may be a letter, number, or any other symbol one might want to put on a keyboard key.
US08853573B2
A device is disclosed including a removable cover of a housing of an electrical switch and a handle. In at least one embodiment, the handle, by way of its position, switches the electrical switch between different states. Further, the handle is connected to the housing and the handle includes a contour which is embodied, at least in one position of the handle, to interact with the cover for locking the removable cover.
US08853572B2
An electric switch is disclosed including an at least two-part housing including a first housing part, a second housing part connected to the first housing part and including at least one pole cartridge which is enclosed by the two-part housing and is preassembled in the second housing part. In at least one embodiment, the first housing part is connected to the pole cartridge with the aid of at least one fastening device.
US08853569B2
A touch-sensing module including a plurality of first sensing strings and a plurality of second sensing strings is provided. Each of the first sensing strings includes a first strip-shaped conductive line and a plurality of first sensing pads connected to a same side of the first strip-shaped conductive line. Each of the second sensing strings includes a second strip-shaped conductive line and a plurality of second sensing pads connected to a same side of the second strip-shaped conductive line. The first strip-shaped conductive lines of the first sensing strings cross the second strip-shaped conductive lines of the second sensing strings. A crossing position of each of the first strip-shaped conductive lines and each of the second strip-shaped conductive lines forms an electrical reference node.
US08853564B2
In some examples, a semiconductor package can be configured to electrically couple to a printed circuit board. The semiconductor package can include: (a) a lid having one or more first electrically conductive leads; (b) a base having a top, a bottom and one or more sides between the top and the bottom, the base having one or more second electrically conductive leads electrically coupled to the one or more first electrically conductive leads; (c) one or more first semiconductor devices mechanically coupled to the lid and electrically coupled to the one or more first electrically conductive leads; and (d) one or more first micro-electrical-mechanical system devices mechanically coupled to the lid and electrically coupled to the one or more first electrically conductive leads. The lid can be coupled to the base and at least one of the lid or the base has at least one port hole. The one or more second electrically conductive leads can be configured to couple to the printed circuit board at a first side of the one or more sides of the base. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US08853528B2
A radio frequency transparent photovoltaic cell includes a back contact layer formed of an electrically conductive material, at least one aperture formed in the back contact layer, and at least one photovoltaic cell section disposed on the back contact layer. An airship includes one or more radio frequency antennas disposed in an interior of the airship. One or more radio frequency transparent photovoltaic cells are disposed on an outer surface of the airship.
US08853526B2
Photovoltaic devices are driven by intense photoemission of “hot” electrons from a suitable nanostructured metal. The metal should be an electron source with surface plasmon resonance within the visible and near-visible spectrum range (near IR to near UV (about 300 to 1000 nm)). Suitable metals include silver, gold, copper and alloys of silver, gold and copper with each other. Silver is particularly preferred for its advantageous opto-electronic properties in the near UV and visible spectrum range, relatively low cost, and simplicity of processing.
US08853522B1
A solar power system concurrently generates electricity and a heated transparent fluid while maintaining the solar cells at an optimum temperature and optimizing the heat transfer by matching the refractive index of the secondary sunlight concentrator to the transparent fluid. A solar tracker aligns a primary sunlight concentrator to collect sunlight and directs the sunlight and a system for transferring solar heat to a transparent fluid and into a solar power electrical generating system. The concentrated sunlight transfers solar heat to a transparent fluid via first pass through the transparent fluid. The concentrated sunlight is further concentrated to raise its temperature by passing the concentrated sunlight through a secondary sunlight concentrator, and then passed again through the transparent fluid to transfer heat. The solar energy diminished concentrated sunlight strikes a solar cell array to generate electricity.
