US09231665B2
A portable electronic device capable of expanding transmission distance of NFC is provided. The portable electronic device includes a watch-strap portion, a power module, an NFC module, and a relay coil group arranged in the watch-strap portion. The power module includes a wireless charging coil, and the NFC module includes an NFC antenna. The relay coil group is configured to relay external electromagnetic power from an external power source to the power module by the coil group being magnetically coupled with the wireless charging coil. The relay coil group is also configured to relay NFC information between the NFC module and an external NFC read-write device or an external NFC storing device by the coil group being magnetically coupled with the NFC antenna. Therefore, the distances for both charging and NFC functions are expanded.
US09231663B2
Cellular-capable computing device and a related system and methodology are disclosed. The computing device includes a touch screen display, one or more processors, a memory device, and a first near field communication (NFC) module and first NFC antenna configured to be communicatively coupled to a second NFC module and second NFC antenna of an electronic device. The computing device includes a network transceiver configured to communicate with a cellular communications network. The memory device stores one or more applications configured to be executed by the one or more processors, and the computing device is configured to transmit to the at least one electronic device a representation of one or more electronic credentials stored in the at least one memory device based on the first NFC antenna being within a radio frequency (RF) field of the second NFC antenna.
US09231660B1
A mobile computing device is authenticated to a user using an NFC tag embedded within or attached to an object that is commonly carried or worn by the user. The NFC tag may be initially associated when an NFC reader of the device senses the NFC tag and wirelessly retrieves a tag identifier from the tag. The tag identifier is stored for subsequent retrieval. The authentication process begins by positioning the device proximate the object such that the NFC reader of the device retrieves the tag identifier from the NFC tag. In the event that the retrieved tag identifier matches the stored tag identifier, the mobile computing device is unlocked and the user may access the mobile computing device. If the retrieved tag identifier does not match the stored tag identifier, the user is not authenticated and the mobile computing device remains locked.
US09231650B2
A system that incorporates teachings of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a method for identifying a spectral region in a radio frequency spectrum for initiating a communication session having a transmission link and a reception link, determining a correlation factor from signals measured in the spectral region, detecting according to the correlation factor a foreign communication signal in the spectral region, generating coefficient data to prevent interference with the foreign communication signal while transmitting in the transmission link, filtering a first signal for transmission in the transmission link according to the coefficient data to generate a filtered signal, and causing a transmission of the filtered signal which prevents interference with the foreign communication signal while transmitting in the transmission link. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US09231642B2
A multichannel splitter formed from 1 to 2 splitters. An input terminal of a first 1 to 2 splitter defines an input of the multichannel splitter. The 1 to 2 splitters are electrically series-connected. First respective outputs of the 1 to 2 splitters define output terminals of the multichannel splitter.
US09231636B2
A display apparatus and a method of controlling the same are disclosed. The method of controlling a display apparatus includes: displaying an interface for setting up a remote controller that controls an external device connected to at least one input terminal of the display apparatus; receiving a selection of a user for setting up the remote controller through the user interface; and transmitting remote controller code information corresponding to the external device to the remote controller in accordance with the selection.
US09231633B1
A downconversion downconverts a received signal. The downconverted signal includes IQ mismatch. A compensation module generates a compensated signal based on (i) the downconverted signal and (ii) an IQ mismatch compensation value. First and second mixers mix the compensated withal with first and second oscillating signals, respectively. First and second Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) modules perform FFTs on outputs of the first and second mixers to generate a first and second FFT signals, respectively. An IQ mismatch estimation module captures portions of the first and second FFT signals generated in response to the received signal including a first and second predetermined sequences. The IQ mismatch estimation module generates the IQ mismatch compensation value based on: the portions of the first and second FFT signals; the first predetermined sequence; and the second predetermined sequence.
US09231632B2
An interference canceller (500) includes an interference cancellation coefficient calculator (510) configured to calculate an interference cancellation coefficient using a received value located in a location of a reference signal (RS) from a channel estimate H calculated by a channel estimator and a received signal r delivered from an FFT, an interference cancellation filter (520) configured to cancel interference in the received signal and the channel estimate using the calculated interference cancellation coefficient, an increment or decrement operator (530) configured to increase or decrease the received signal and the channel estimate by λ times; an interference cancellation output controller (540) configured to receive a channel estimate before interference cancellation and a channel estimate after interference cancellation to compare a signal before the interference cancellation with a signal after the interference cancellation and then determine whether to deliver the signal before applying the interference cancellation or the signal after applying the interference cancellation, and a switch (550) configured to receive a control signal from the interference cancellation output controller (540).
US09231629B2
An ultra low power super-regenerative receiver is provided. The ultra low power super-regenerative receiver includes a bit synchronizer configured to use a value sampled from a signal output from a super-regenerative oscillator to estimate a pulse-level position having a maximum amplitude value in a single period of a received symbol, a frame synchronizer configured to combine a plurality of pulse-level positions determined based on the estimated pulse-level position, and detect a predetermined bit sequence using the plurality of pulse-level positions combined, the frame synchronizer being configured to perform frame synchronization, and a data detector configured to detect data using the plurality of pulse-level positions determined after the frame synchronization is completed.
US09231627B2
The output of a Radio Frequency (RF) Power Amplifier (PA) is sampled and down-converted, and the amplitude envelope of the baseband feedback signal is extracted. This is compared to the envelope of a transmission signal, and the envelope tracking modulation of the RF PA supply voltage VCC is adaptively pre-distorted to achieve a constant ISO-Gain (and phase) in the RF PA. In particular, a nonlinear function is interpolated from a finite number gain values calculated from the feedback and transmission signals. This nonlinear function is then used to pre-distort the transmission signal envelope, resulting in a constant gain at the RF PA over a wide range of supply voltage VCC values. Since the gains are calculated from a feedback signal, the pre-distortion may be recalculated at event triggers, such as an RF frequency change. Furthermore, the method improves nonlinearity in the entire transmitter chain, not just the RF PA.
US09231623B1
A set of error intersections is determined using at least a first set of error-containing codewords and a second set of error-containing codewords. A first set of bit locations is selected from the set of error intersections using soft information associated with the first set of error-containing codewords. Chase decoding is performed on the first set of error-containing codewords. The set of error intersections is updated, based at least in part on the Chase decoding, to obtain an updated set of error intersections. From the updated set of error intersections, a second set of bit locations is selected using soft information associated with the second set of error-containing codewords. Chase decoding is performed on the second set of error-containing codewords.
US09231621B2
An error coding circuit comprises a non-systematic convolutional encoder for coding an input bit stream to produce two or more groups of parity bits, an interleaver circuit for interleaving parity bits within each group of parity bits, and a rate-matching circuit for outputting a selected number of the interleaved parity bits ordered by group to obtain a desired code rate.
US09231603B2
There is provided a clock distribution network for synchronizing global clock signals within a 3D chip stack having two or more strata. The clock distribution circuit includes, on each of the two or more strata, phase detectors, a logic circuit, and a phase de-skewing element. Each phase detector has a respective output for providing phase information relating to a phase difference between two of the global clocks signals on respective different ones of the two or more strata. The logic circuit is connected to the respective outputs of the phase detectors for determining a phase adjustment plan for a given one of the two or more strata upon which the logic circuit is located responsive to the phase information. The phase de-skewing element is for adjusting a clock skew of a same stratum located one of the two of the global clock signals responsive to the phase adjustment plan.
US09231602B1
A digital phase locked loop operates with a time-to-digital converter and an a-priori-probability-phase-estimation component or estimator component that estimates the un-quantized phase associated with a quantization output of the time-to-digital converter. The time-to-digital converter generates a quantized value as the quantization output from a local oscillator signal of a local oscillator and a reference signal of a reference clock. The estimation component estimates a phase value from the quantized values as a function of a-priori data related to the time-to-digital converter and boundaries of the quantized value.
US09231599B2
An oscillation apparatus corrects a setting value for an output frequency based on a detection result of an environmental temperature. The oscillation apparatus includes a first crystal unit, a second crystal unit, an integrated circuit chip, and a container. The first crystal unit includes first excitation electrodes on respective surfaces of a crystal element. The second crystal unit includes second excitation electrodes on respective surfaces of a crystal element. The integrated circuit chip includes a first oscillation circuit, a second oscillation circuit, and a correction unit. The container houses the first crystal unit, the second crystal unit, and the integrated circuit chip. Assuming that distances from a gravity center position of the integrated circuit chip to respective gravity center positions of the first excitation electrodes and the second excitation electrodes in plan view are denoted by D1 and D2, D1/D2 is within a predetermined range close to 1.
US09231597B2
A calibration circuit for a DCO includes a signal-conditioning module configured for (i) receiving at input an oscillating signal generated by the DCO and a reference signal, both designed to oscillate between a high logic value (“1”) and a low logic value (“0”), and (ii) detecting a respective first and second stable logic value of the reference signal and of the oscillating signal; and a period-to-voltage converter module coupled to the signal-conditioning module and configured for (iii) generating a difference signal identifying a difference between the period of the reference signal and the period of the oscillating signal, and (iv) controlling, on the basis of the difference signal, the DCO so as to conform the duration of the period of the oscillating signal to the duration of the period of the reference signal. Likewise described is a calibration method implemented by the calibration circuit.
US09231594B2
New logic blocks capable of replacing the use of Look-Up Tables (LUTs) in integrated circuits, such as Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, the new logic block is a tree structure comprised of a number of levels of cells with each cell consisting of a logic gate or the functional equivalent of a logic gate, one or more selectable inverters, and wherein the inputs of the logic block consist of the inputs to the logic gate or functional equivalent of the logic gate and inputs to the selectable inverters. The new logic blocks can map circuits more efficiently than LUTs, because they include multi-output blocks and can cover more logic depth due to the higher input and output bandwidth.
US09231593B2
An electronic circuit apparatus for compensating for a process variation of a resistor in an electronic circuit is provided. The electronic circuit includes a detecting part for generating a tune voltage corresponding to a process variation value of the at least one resistor, and a compensating part for compensating for a process variation of the at least one resistor using the tune voltage.
US09231587B2
In order to improve operability when operating a target key, an input device has a plurality of keys arranged in a column direction. Each of the plurality of keys comprises a key indication mark (211) formed on an operation surface and an electrode plate (221) of a capacitive touch sensor disposed behind the operation surface, and the electrode plates (221a, 221b and so on) has a shape in which the top edge and the bottom edge are V-shaped and bend downwards so that the center of gravity of the electrode plate is positioned downwards in the column direction from a center of a minimum rectangle region enclosing the corresponding key indication marks (221a, 221b and so on).
US09231585B2
A system and method is disclosed for adaptively adjusting a driving strength of a signal between a first and second chip in a 3D architecture/stack. This may be used to adaptively calibrate a chip in a 3D architecture/stack. The system may include a transmission circuit on one chip and a receiver circuit on another chip. Alternatively, the system may include a transmission and receiver circuit on just one chip.
US09231584B2
In one embodiment, a micro-electro-mechanical-system (MEMS) photonic switch includes a first plurality of collimators and a first mirror array optically coupled to the first plurality of collimators. The first mirror array includes a first plurality of first MEMS mirrors integrated on a first substrate and a first plurality of first photodiodes integrated on the first substrate, where the photodiodes are disposed in interstitial spaces between the MEMS mirrors.
US09231583B2
The present invention relates to a gate driver for a power transistor comprising a first charging path operatively connected between a first voltage supply and a gate terminal of the power transistor for charging the gate terminal to a first gate voltage. A second charging path is connectable between the gate terminal of the power transistor and a second supply voltage to charge the gate terminal from the first gate voltage to a second gate voltage larger or higher than the first gate voltage. A voltage of the second voltage supply is higher than a voltage of the first voltage supply.
US09231579B2
Techniques relating to buffer circuits. In one embodiment, a circuit includes a first transistor configured as a source follower and a feed-forward path coupled to the gate terminal of the first transistor and the drain terminal of the first transistor. In this embodiment, the feed-forward path includes circuitry configured to decouple the feed-forward path from a DC component of an input signal to the gate terminal of the first transistor. In this embodiment, the circuitry is configured to reduce a drain-source voltage of the first transistor based on the input signal. In some embodiment, the feed-forward path includes a second transistor configured as a source follower and the source terminal of the second transistor is coupled to the drain terminal of the first transistor. In various embodiments, reducing the drain-source voltage may improve linearity of the first transistor.
US09231562B2
A system includes a decimation module having an adjustable decimation rate and a filter module responsive to the decimation module. A digital phase lock loop is operable to control a decimation rate of the decimation module. The decimation module is a cascade integrator comb decimation module.
US09231557B2
A duplexer includes a transmitting filter including serial resonators and parallel resonators connected in a ladder configuration, and a receiving filter. A resonator of the serial resonators and the parallel resonators in the transmitting filter that is arranged closest to a common terminal of the transmitting filter and the transmitting filter includes a surface acoustic wave resonator, and at least one resonator excluding the resonator that is arranged closest to the common terminal includes a film bulk acoustic wave resonator.
US09231552B2
An electronic device including a first reception band pass filter having a first reception frequency set as a passband; a second reception band pass filter having a second reception frequency set as a passband; a first matching circuit having a first end connected to an antenna terminal; a first switch having a first end connected to a second end of the first matching circuit: a second switch having a first end connected to the second end of the first matching circuit; a second matching circuit connected between a second end of the first switch and the first reception band pass filter; and a third matching circuit connected between a second end of the second switch and the second reception band pass filter, wherein at least one of the first, second, and third matching circuits is a variable matching circuit having a controllable matching constant.
US09231543B2
A power converter has an output that is coupled in parallel with an energy reservoir circuit and a power supply node of an audio power amplifier. The converter can set an upper limit on its input supply current that is variable in accordance with a control input. A controller is to produce a signal, coupled to the control input of the power converter, that is responsive to a measure of input supply voltage of the power converter and either output voltage of the power converter or output power of the amplifier. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.
US09231542B1
A fully differential amplifier performs common-mode voltage control while having reduced sensitivity to random offsets and mismatches and improved common-mode control loop bandwidth. The amplifier disclosed comprises an additional common-mode control sub-amplifier, which senses common-mode voltage of the fully differential main amplifier at nodes within the continuous-time signal path feedback network, compares the common-mode voltage sensed with a reference voltage, and regulates depending on the result of the comparison the output common-mode voltage via the existing continuous signal path feedback network. Furthermore the internal common-mode control can be implemented in such a manner as to provide a feed-forward transconductance function in addition to common-mode control if desired. Moreover it is possible to use feedback from other amplifier stages in an amplifier chain to implement common-mode feedback.
US09231535B2
A Class-D amplifier includes a pre-amplifier having an input configured to receive an amplifier reference voltage signal which is ramped at start-up at a fast rate. An integrator has a first input configured to receive an input signal from the pre-amplifier and a second input configured to receive an integrator reference voltage signal which is ramped at start-up at a slower rate. A modulator has an input coupled to an output of the integrator. The modulator generates a pulse width modulated output signal. Operation of the Class-D amplifier is controlled at start-up by applying a slow ramped signal as the integrator reference voltage signal and a fast ramped signal as the amplifier reference voltage so that the pulse width modulated output signal exhibits an increasing change in duty cycle in response to an increasing voltage of the integrator reference voltage signal, and no “pop” is introduced at start-up.
US09231532B2
An amplifier circuit includes an amplifier circuit that emitter-grounds a first transistor that amplifies an input signal; and an emitter-grounded feedback circuit in which a collector of the first transistor is connected to an output line of the amplifier circuit and a base is wiring-connected only to the output line by using a resistor.
US09231525B2
Systems and techniques are disclosed for configuring a circuit containing a two-stage amplifier including a first stage containing at least a differential amplifier, a second stage containing at least a transistor, and a sensing circuit configured to provide a gate voltage to a compensation component. The compensation component may be configured to connect the first stage and the second stage and to generate a lead-lag compensation. The compensation component may contain a compensation capacitor and a variable compensation resistive component in series connection with the compensation capacitor.
US09231522B2
A method for generating a signal having a defined bandwidth and a desired crest factor is disclosed. The signal is composed of a number of individual sinusoidal signals, each having an amplitude and a frequency. The method includes determining an exponent to be used in a specific exponential function and corresponding to the desired crest factor, the exponent being determined based on an a priori known relationship between crest factor and exponent; calculating a phase value for each sinusoidal signal using the specific exponential function and the previously determined exponent; and superposing the sinusoidal signals to obtain the signal having the desired crest factor, whereby the phases of the individual signals are maintained.
US09231519B2
A temperature compensation apparatus may include a sense circuit configured to produce a sense voltage that is dependent on temperature and a temperature compensation circuit configured to receive the sense voltage and produce a temperature compensation control signal to control a compensation capacitor array of an oscillator. The temperature compensation circuit may be configured to calibrate the control signal to have a first value at a first temperature. The temperature compensation circuit may also be configured to calibrate a trimming level (e.g., slope) of the control signal.
US09231516B2
Provided is a control device for a generator-motor including: a control section (111) for controlling a rotary electric machine (12) with use of an inverter (11); and a connection switch section (5) provided between a power source and the inverter, the connection switch section including a change-over contact (51) which is ON/OFF-controllable by the control section and a current reducing resistor (52) which are connected in parallel. The control section performs ON/OFF control of the change-over contact in accordance with drive characteristics of the rotary electric machine so that a drive current that flows when the rotary electric machine operates as a motor falls within a range not exceeding a permissible current value of the rotary electric machine.
US09231514B2
A winding switching signal generator is configured to obtain information indicating a degree of field weakening from at least one of a current command calculator and a constant output controller, and to generate a winding switching signal for switching from a low speed rotation state to a high speed rotation state when the degree of the field weakening exceeds a predetermined condition in the low speed rotation state.
US09231510B2
A control device for rotary machine includes: a voltage instruction generation section for generating a voltage instruction; a voltage application section for applying voltage to a rotary machine based on the voltage instruction; a current detection section for detecting rotary machine current of the rotary machine; and an inductance calculation section for calculating an inductance of the rotary machine from the voltage instruction and the rotary machine current. The voltage instruction generation section generates voltage instructions of constant DC voltages. The voltage application section applies voltages to the rotary machine based on the voltage instructions. The inductance calculation section calculates the inductance from a voltage instruction for measurement arbitrarily selected from the voltage instructions, and the rotary machine currents detected by the current detection section before and after application of the voltage instruction for measurement.
US09231509B2
In one aspect, a system for operating a power generation system within a battery storage/discharge mode or a dynamic brake mode may generally include a power convertor having a DC link, a switching module coupled to the DC link and a selector switch configured to selectively couple the switching module to one of a storage device or a resistive element of the power generation system. The selector switch may be movable between a first position, wherein the switching module is coupled to the storage device such that power is capable of being directed between the DC link and the storage device via control of the switching module, and a second position, wherein the switching module is coupled to the resistive element such that power is capable of being directed between the DC link and the resistive element via control of the switching module.
US09231506B2
A The present invention provides a semiconductor device, an electrical device, and a control signal generation method that enable easy generation of a given control signal even by a comparatively low cost and low processing power microcontroller, whereby a microcontroller of a motor control system includes a PWM device equipped with a PWM setting register. The PWM setting register includes a duty update cycle register, a duty update value register and a duty update-times number register. A PWM generator generates and outputs a PWM signal according to values set in each register of the PWM setting register. The PWM device is capable of generating and outputting a PWM signal automatically with the PWM generator according to setting values set in the PWM setting register, even without an interruption by the software (CPU).
US09231505B2
A control system for electrical equipment, the system including: a system controller; a motor; and a signal transducer. The system controller outputs a plurality of rotation switch signals, and the rotation switch signals are high-voltage AC signals. The motor is a brushless DC motor or electronically commutated motor (ECM). The signal transducer is connected between the system controller and the ECM, and includes a rotation switch sensing circuit, a microprocessor controller, and an interface signal processing circuit. The rotation switch sensing circuit detects the rotation switch signals output from the system controller, and transmits the rotation switch signals to the microprocessor controller for processing. The microprocessor controller is connected with the ECM via the interface signal processing circuit.
US09231500B2
An electric motor control system includes a motor control circuit for generating a motor control signal and a braking mechanism for adjusting the motor control signal to augment motor losses when the motor control circuit is in a braking mode. The braking mechanism includes a difference component for receiving a first signal containing motor reference speed information, for receiving a second signal containing actual speed information, and for generating a third signal containing information indicating a difference between the reference speed and the actual speed. An integrating component integrates the third signal and generates a fourth signal representing the integrated third signal. The fourth signal may augment a voltage control signal in a voltage-based control circuit or may augment a flux-producing component of a current control signal in a current-based control circuit. The electric motor control circuit may include multiple braking mechanisms for use in different modes of operation.
US09231497B2
An optical member driving apparatus includes an optical member holder holding an optical member, which is rectilinearly guided and has a rotating member supported rotatably about a rotation shaft extending perpendicularly to a movable direction in which the optical member holder is movable, a fixed member that extends in the movable direction, has two sliding surfaces facing each other with predetermined spacing therebetween, and is arranged in such a way that the rotating member is located between the two sliding surfaces, two movers each of which includes a base and a vibrator connected to the base, and a controller that controls driving of the two vibrators to move the optical member holder in the movable direction. The vibrators of the two movers are in pressure contact with one and the other of the two sliding surfaces respectively. The rotating member is rotatably held between the bases of the two movers.
US09231493B1
A rectifier includes two input paths configured to receive an alternating input voltage, two output paths configured to provide a direct output voltage, and an auxiliary output path configured to provide an auxiliary output voltage. At least two rectifying paths are connected between each of the input and output paths. At least two rectifying paths are switched-mode rectifying paths that are connected to the same output path. The two switched-mode rectifying paths are configured to connect one output path to one input path during one half wave of the input voltage, and to connect the one output path to the other input path during the other half wave. The two switched-mode rectifying paths each comprise two semiconductor elements with controllable paths that are series-connected with each other by an auxiliary output node. At least one rectifier element is connected between the auxiliary output and the two auxiliary output nodes.
US09231486B2
An exemplary power conversion system includes a power converter and a protection circuit coupled with the power converter. The power converter is configured to convert an input power into an output power. The power converter includes an isolator magnetically coupling a primary side and a secondary side and at least one primary switch coupled in series with the primary side. The at least one primary switch is configured to turn on or turn off current to the isolator on the primary side. The protection circuit is coupled to the at least one primary switch. The protection circuit includes a detecting device for detecting switch state of a secondary switch on the secondary side. The detecting device is configured to drive the at least one primary switch according to the detected switch state. A method for operating the power conversion system is also described.
US09231479B2
A power supply device includes a first semiconductor switching device for controlling an alternating input current waveform, a smoothing capacitor to which a rectified voltage is applied, and an inverter that converts the rectified voltage into alternating current via a step-up chopper. The step-up chopper includes an inductor and a diode connected between the smoothing capacitor and inverter, and a second semiconductor switching device connected to the inductor and diode. The power supply device further includes an instantaneous voltage drop compensation function whereby the energy of the smoothing capacitor is supplied by an operation of the step-up chopper to the inverter when there is an instantaneous voltage drop in an alternating current power supply voltage. MOSFETs with a breakdown voltage lower than that of the first semiconductor switching device are connected between terminals of the step-up chopper, thus further reducing loss in comparison with when a bypass diode is used.
US09231478B2
An M-channel (M is an integer of at least two) synchronous rectification type step-down DC/DC converter is provided. A controller in the converter (i) calculates a load current on a basis of currents flowing through M inductors, (ii) dynamically changes the number K of driving phases (K is an integer of up to M) on the basis of the calculated load current, (iii) generates a pulse signal adjusted in duty ratio such that an output voltage of an output line coincides with a predetermined reference voltage, (iv) selects K drivers among M drivers, and distributes the pulse signal with a phase difference of (360/K) degrees to each of the selected K drivers, and (v) monotonically increases an amplitude control signal indicating the amplitude of a gate driving voltage with respect to the calculated load current in a range determined in advance for each number K of driving phases.
US09231476B2
The invention relates to an apparatus and method for tracking energy consumption. An energy tracking system comprises at least one switching element, at least one inductor and a control block to keep the output voltage at a pre-selected level. The switching elements are configured to apply the source of energy to the inductors. The control block compares the output voltage of the energy tracking system to a reference value and controls the switching of the switched elements in order to transfer energy for the primary voltage into a secondary voltage at the output of the energy tracking system. The electronic device further comprises an ON-time and OFF-time generator and an accumulator wherein the control block is coupled to receive a signal from the ON-time and OFF-time generator and generates switching signals for the at least one switching element in the form of ON-time pulses with a constant width ON-time.
US09231475B2
A DC-DC converter with improved voltage conversion efficiency is provided. The DC-DC converter includes a first circuit configured to generate a first signal containing data on current flowing through a load, a second circuit configured to amplify the first signal, a third circuit configured to generate a second signal containing data on voltage applied to the load, a fourth circuit configured to hold the second signal, a fifth circuit configured to amplify the second signal held by the fourth circuit, a sixth circuit configured to correct a difference in electrical characteristics between the second circuit and the fifth circuit, a seventh circuit configured to convert a first voltage to a second voltage supplied to the load, and an eighth circuit configured to control a level of the second voltage generated by the seventh circuit in accordance with either the amplified first signal or the amplified second signal.
US09231474B2
There are provided a DC/DC converter and a display device. The DC/DC converter includes: an inductor connected to an input terminal; a switching element connected between the inductor and the earth; a diode connected between the inductor and an output terminal; a capacitor connected between the output terminal and the earth; a feedback circuit connected between the output terminal and the earth and outputting a feedback voltage; and an oscillating circuit performing an ON/OFF control of the switching element at a frequency corresponding to the received feedback voltage. The DC/DC converter further includes: a detection circuit which detects an external magnetic field and outputs a signal that is different depending on whether or not the detected magnetic field exceeds a predetermined threshold; and a control circuit performing a control of the DC/DC converter according to the signal, to suppress an overcurrent of the DC/DC converter in a strong magnetic field.
US09231436B2
A controller is provided in an in-vehicle electronic control unit (ECU) for controlling a backup power source to maintain continuous power supply to a memory in a standby state of ACC-OFF using a battery of a vehicle. The controller reduces dark current in the standby state by reducing an output voltage of the backup power source of the ECU depending on a state of the battery of the vehicle. The controller may be provided to not only the single ECU but also other ECUs in the vehicle, thereby reducing the dark current in the whole of the vehicle.
US09231431B2
An integrated circuit for wireless charging and a wireless charging method in an integrated circuit are provided. The integrated circuit includes a first wireless communication unit configured to support a first wireless communication method; a second wireless communication unit configured to support a second wireless communication method; a first route selection unit configured to perform a selection from among a first power input according to wired charging and a second power input according to wireless charging to be allowed as input; a second route selection unit configured to perform a selection from among a power between a third power input from a battery and a fourth power input according to wireless charging to be allowed as input; a power block configured to receive the power from any the first and second route selection units; and a controller configured to control an operation of the first and second route selection units.
US09231425B2
Disclosed is a battery pack system to supply current necessary to operate an external device, including a battery module including battery cells which can be charged and discharged, a temperature sensor, an auxiliary power unit to supply a charge and discharge pulse current to the battery module, and a controller to connect the auxiliary power unit to the battery module so that the charge and discharge pulse current is supplied to the battery module when a measured temperature (Tbat) of the battery module is less than a set temperature (Tcrit) based on information detected by the temperature sensor before the battery module is electrically connected to the external device and to interrupt the supply of the charge and discharge pulse current to the battery module when the temperature of the battery module becomes equal to or greater than the set temperature (Tcrit) and an operating method of the same.
US09231424B2
Disclosed is a charging system for both plug-in charging systems and contactless charging systems, having a simple electrical configuration, and capable of achieving miniaturization and weight saving. The charging system includes a secondary cell charged via first/second coils of a transformer to which electrical power is supplied from a first power supply via a plug-in connector, and a third coil supplied with electrical power from a second power supply, a relative position of which to the second coil of the transformer is variable, and which can be magnetically coupled to the second coil when the second coil approaches the third coil, wherein the secondary cell is charged via magnetic coupling between first/second coils when charging the secondary cell by the first power supply, and the secondary cell is charged via magnetic coupling between the third coil and second coils when charging the secondary cell by the second power supply.
US09231402B2
A circuit device includes a diode bridge having a first power input and a second power input and having a first output terminal and a second output terminal. The diode bridge includes a plurality of diodes and a respective plurality of diode bypass elements associated with the plurality of diodes. The circuit device further includes a logic circuit to detect a power event at the first and second power inputs and to selectively activate one or more of the respective plurality of diode bypass elements in response to detecting the power event to limit a rectified power supply at the first and second output terminals.
US09231398B2
The present invention relates to a cable collector (1; 101; 201; 301) for collecting and managing a cable (8), for connecting an audio device (20) to user equipment, by means of a connection plug (9) fixed to one end of the cable. The cable collector comprises: a) a main body (2; 102; 202; 302) having a first end portion (3; 103; 203; 303) to which the connection plug (9) is intended to be attached, protruding from a surface (3A) thereof; b) a second end portion (4; 104; 204; 304) having a through passage (7; 107; 207; 307) with inner dimensions smaller than a largest outer diameter (D1) of the connection plug, enabling secure retaining of the latter therein in an active cable collecting state; c) a foldable middle portion (5; 105; 205; 305) joining the two end portions; and d) a cable passage (6) formed within the first and second end portions as well as the middle portion of the main body, said passage being adapted to at least partially accommodate a portion of a cable nearest to the connection plug. The present invention also relates to a cable and cable collector unit.
US09231391B2
A charging-socket flap device for electric vehicles, including: a structure including an aperture and a jacket adjacent to the aperture, the jacket including an orifice; a movable gate forming a flap configured to close the aperture of the structure; an element hinging the gate housed in the jacket; a cover configured to close the orifice of the jacket. The cover is mounted on the orifice of the jacket to be a distance away from the orifice on at least one edge of the orifice in the closed position on the jacket, the cover being kept a distance away from the edge by a support making it possible for the cover to move with a damped movement toward the edge when a region of the vehicle body panel covering the flap device is impacted, or impacted by a pedestrian.
US09231386B2
An electric cable cutter used with a hand-held tool includes a housing; a pair of cutting blades supported by the housing; a pair of orthogonal gears; a drive shaft with an eccentric shaft portion attached to an output gear of the pair of orthogonal gears; a differential gear mechanism which decelerates a rotation of the drive shaft; and an Oldham coupling which corrects an eccentric rotation of an output gear of the differential gear mechanism. A circular-arc-shaped outer surface of the one cutting blade is supported by the other cutting blade so as to be openable and closable. The pair of cutting blades is provided with an outer toothed portion engaging with an output gear of the Oldham coupling. An input gear of the pair of orthogonal gears is connected through an adapter pin to the hand-held tool attachable and detachable through a one-touch operation.
US09231379B2
A spark plug has a shell, an insulator, a center electrode, a ground electrode, and a firing pad. The firing pad is made of a precious metal material and is attached to the ground electrode. The firing pad has a side surface at a peripheral edge that can be flush or nearly flush with a free end surface of the ground electrode. This construction can help improve ignitability and flame kernel growth of the spark plug during a sparking event, and can provide better thermal management at the attached ground electrode and firing pad.
US09231376B2
A method for growth and fabrication of semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N thin films, heterostructures, and devices, comprising identifying desired material properties for a particular device application, selecting a semipolar growth orientation based on the desired material properties, selecting a suitable substrate for growth of the selected semipolar growth orientation, growing a planar semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N template or nucleation layer on the substrate, and growing the semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N thin films, heterostructures or devices on the planar semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N template or nucleation layer. The method results in a large area of the semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N thin films, heterostructures, and devices being parallel to the substrate surface.
US09231375B2
A semiconductor device includes: a semiconductor substrate made of a hexagonal Group III nitride semiconductor and having a semi-polar plane; and an epitaxial layer formed on the semi-polar plane of the semiconductor substrate and including a first cladding layer of a first conductive type, a second cladding layer of a second conductive type, and a light-emitting layer formed between the first cladding layer and the second cladding layer, the first cladding layer being made of Inx1Aly1Ga1-x1-y1N, where x1>0 and y1>0, the second cladding layer being made of Inx2Aly2Ga1-x2-y2N, where0≦x2≦about 0.02 and about 0.03≦y2≦about 0.07.
US09231373B2
A laser device capable to simultaneously generate light at multiple wavelengths that are independently (and, optionally, simultaneously) tunable without a limit of how small a spectral separation between such wavelengths can be made is enabled with the use of a laser-cavity network that (i) contains multiple spatially-distinct laser cavity portions all of which have at least one spatial region of the cavity network in common and (ii) is defined by such optical elements that prevent the intracavity amplification of light at first and second of multiple wavelengths at the expense of the same laser gain medium. Each of the distinct cavity portions contains a dedicated laser chip supporting the generation of light at a corresponding wavelength. In a special case, at least two of the multiple lasing wavelengths in the output of the device can be simultaneously and independently tuned to become equal.
US09231367B2
In an embodiment, a laser chip includes a laser, an optical amplifier, a first electrode, and a second electrode. The laser includes an active region. The optical amplifier is integrated in the laser chip in front of and in optical communication with the laser. The first electrode is electrically coupled to the active region. The second electrode is electrically coupled to the optical amplifier. The first electrode and the second electrode are configured to be electrically coupled to a common direct modulation source.
US09231362B2
The laser resonator includes a first resonator wall, a second resonator wall that is substantially parallel to the first resonator wall and is separated from the first resonator wall in a first transverse direction thereby defining a gap having a gap width between the first and second resonator walls, and at least two laser cavity mirrors. The laser cavity mirrors are arranged to allow an intra-cavity laser beam to reflect from the output coupling mirror thereby forming a first beam spot on the output coupling mirror. The first curved mirror has a radius of curvature such that the reflection of the intra-cavity laser beam from the first curved mirror causes the first beam spot on the output coupling mirror to have a substantially symmetric shape.
US09231361B2
A monolithically integrated thermal tunable laser comprising a layered substrate comprising an upper surface and a lower surface, and a thermal tuning assembly comprising a heating element positioned on the upper surface, a waveguide layer positioned between the upper surface and the lower surface, and a thermal insulation layer positioned between the waveguide layer and the lower surface, wherein the thermal insulation layer is at least partially etched out of an Indium Phosphide (InP) sacrificial layer, and wherein the thermal insulation layer is positioned between Indium Gallium Arsenide (InGaAs) etch stop layers.
US09231356B1
An electrical connector includes a body having a tongue, a row of first terminals insert-molded in the body, a depressed slot, and a positioning slot. The tongue includes a first surface having multiple receiving slots. Each first terminal has a contact portion accommodated in the receiving slot and exposed from the first surface. The first terminals include a pair of differential signal terminals and multiple non-high-speed terminals. The depressed slot is depressed from the first surface, located between contact portions of two differential signal terminals, and in communication with two adjacent receiving slots. The positioning slot is depressed from the first surface, located between contact portions of two adjacent non-high-speed terminals, or of adjacent non-high-speed terminal and differential signal terminal, and in communication with two adjacent receiving slots. The length of the positioning slot is less than the length of the depressed slot.
US09231345B2
A connector is to be connected to a mating connector. The connector includes a base portion for accommodating a plug and a cable connected to the plug; a connecting member disposed on the base portion to be rotatable relative to the mating connector for connecting the connector to the mating connector; a tightening member disposed on the base portion to be movable relative to the connecting member for tightening the cable; and a rotation preventing member disposed on the base portion to be movable relative to the connecting member for engaging with the connecting member so that the rotation preventing member prevents the connecting member from rotating relative to the mating connector.
US09231344B1
A double-sided USB connector structure includes an insulating body, a plurality of first terminals, a plurality of second terminals, a metal housing, and a spring mechanism. Said first terminals are disposed on the insulating body, several first contact portions are provided on the first terminals respectively, and the first contact portions are exposed on a first surface of the insulating body. Said second terminals are disposed on the insulating body, several second contact portions are provided on the second terminals respectively, and the second contact portions are exposed on a second surface of the insulating body. A containing space is provided within the metal housing, an opening is provided on one end of the metal housing, and the insulating body is floatingly suspended within the containing space through the spring mechanism.
US09231342B2
A lock arm (33) is arranged on the upper surface of a female connector housing (27), and lock-arm protection walls (37) stand at opposite widthwise sides of the lock arm (33). Detector protection walls (38) are provided behind the lock-arm protection walls (37), and first and second lock receiving portions (43, 44) are formed on the inner surfaces thereof. Two inwardly deflectable locking arms (56) are formed on a detector (39) and locked to the first or second lock receiving portions (43, 44) to restrict a backward movement when the detector (39) is at an initial position and a detecting position. The locking arms (56) are arranged utilizing dead spaces behind the lock-arm protection walls (37).
US09231340B2
A releasable electrical contact connection is formed between a first plug part and a complementary second plug part. The first plug part has an electrically conductive screw bolt on which a cable end can be mechanically and electrically connected by a threaded nut, the cable end and the threaded nut being part of the second plug connector. The cable end and the threaded nut are disposed in an insulating plug housing of the second plug part and are held movably in the direction of a longitudinal axis of the screw bolt in the plug housing, in order to establish or release the electrical and mechanical connection. The threaded nut can be rotated from outside the plug housing. The plug housing is surrounded by an insulating housing wall of the first plug part.
US09231334B2
A connector is configured such that a casing for covering a board is to be mounted on an upper surface of a housing. Connector fitting receptacles are provided side by side in the housing while being spaced apart in a horizontal direction and mating connectors can fit therein. A lever accommodating receptacle is arranged above the connector fitting receptacles and receives a lever for assisting a connection to the mating connector. An upwardly open groove extends along an arrangement direction of the connector fitting receptacles and is provided behind the lever accommodating receptacle in a connecting direction to the mating connector. A hole is provided on a bottom part of the groove and communicates with a clearance between adjacent connector fitting receptacles.
US09231327B1
An electronic circuit interconnect apparatus that includes two zipper tracks configured to zip together thereby causing a first circuit to electrically couple with a second circuit. Specifically, each of the zipper tracks include a plurality of teeth, one or more of which are electrically coupled to the first circuit or the second circuit. As a result, when the teeth coupled to the first circuit are zipped to the teeth coupled to the second circuit it causes the first and second circuits to be electrically coupled.
US09231323B1
An interface connector is provided for connecting homogenous spacecraft cells. The interface connector includes at least one male valve assembly and at least one female valve assembly. The male valve assembly includes an extendable and retractable piston having a central conduit. The female valve assembly has a central bore closed by a ball valve. Preferably, the male and female valves are positioned so that extension of the piston engages the ball valve so as to create a fluid pathway. Various components in the male and female valve assemblies are electrically conductive to allow the transmission of power and data. Further, the male valve assembly is constructed to function as a propulsion thruster when not mated to a female valve assembly.
US09231321B2
Connectors having a slim profile and that may be used for hard-disk drives and other devices. One example may provide a connector that provides a route path including a 180-degree turn while maintaining a slim profile. Another example may provide a connector having a slim profile that is easily manufactured.
US09231315B2
The invention relates to an electrical spike connector for electrically contacting a first electrical conducting track of a first electrical line piece (211), said first electrical conducting track being insulated by means of an insulating layer, comprising a socket element (101) having a first conductive spike (105) and comprising a socket mating element (103) for retaining the first electrical line piece, wherein the first conductive spike (105) of the socket element (101) can be pressed against the first electrical line piece retained in the socket mating element (103) in order to pierce the insulating layer and to electrically contact the first electrical conducting track.
US09231312B2
A wiring harness (1) includes a copper wire (3), an aluminum wire (4) and a ground terminal (2) connected to these wires. The ground terminal (2) includes two wire-side terminal portions (11), (12). A conductor barrel (11b) of the first wire-side terminal portion (11) is crimped to have such a first crimping height (H1) that the conductor barrel (11b) can come into contact with a surface of a conductor (3a) of the copper wire (3). A conductor barrel (12b) of the second wire-side terminal portion (12) is crimped to a conductor (4a) of the aluminum wire (4) to have such a second crimping height (H2) lower than the first crimping height (H1) that the conductor barrel (12b) can come into contact with the conductor (4a) of the aluminum wire (4) through an oxide film (4d) covering a surface of the conductor (4a).
US09231299B2
A radome is provided and includes a dielectric wall and one or more inductive metallic grids embedded in and/or disposed on the dielectric wall. Each of the one or more grids includes compressed grid arms and is tuned to permit bandpass transmission at upper and lower frequencies.
US09231296B2
The present disclosure provides systems and methods associated with an antenna system comprising a tension member configured to be towed by an aerial platform. In some embodiments, a first end of the tension member may be secured to the aerial platform and the second end may extend unsecured from the aerial platform at a different elevation than the first end. A plurality of antenna assemblies, each comprising at least one antenna, may be secured to and spaced along the length of the tension member. Each of the plurality of antennas may be adapted for use with a particular frequency or frequency bandwidth. For example, each of the plurality of antennas may be adapted or tuned for one or more frequencies useful for synthetic aperture radar (SAR). In some embodiments, a receiving system, a communication link, and/or an antenna location system may be utilized.
US09231295B2
A wearable device for wireless communication includes a device body, a wearable belt, a ground element, a feeding element, and a radiation element. The device body substantially has a central hollow structure. The ground element and the feeding element are both disposed in the device body. The feeding element is coupled to a signal source. The radiation element is disposed on a surface of the wearable belt or in the wearable belt, and is disposed adjacent to the feeding element. A coupled-fed antenna structure is formed by the feeding element and the radiation element.
US09231293B2
An apparatus with a metal member used as at least one of an antenna and a sensor element in a portable terminal is disclosed. The apparatus includes the metal member, responsive to a sensed body, and for transmitting and receiving a signal in at least one or more communication service bands, and a main board having a communication module for processing a signal transmitted and received by the metal member and a sensor module for obtaining information in response to the approach of a sensed body.
US09231284B2
An electronic device with a battery displays a label for indicating different power levels of the battery. The label comprises a plurality of columns. Each of the columns is capable of being illuminated. A number of the columns lighted correspond to a corresponding the power levels in a one-to-one relationship. The electronic device comprises a detection module, storage, an acquiring module, a check module, and a display module. The detection module detects the current voltage of the battery at regular intervals and stores the information in the storage. The acquiring module acquires a previous detected voltage from the storage. The check module checks whether the current voltage is a fluctuated voltage. The display displays the label with the numbers of the lighted columns corresponding to the power level which contains the previous detected voltage when the current voltage is a fluctuated voltage.
US09231281B2
A button cell closed without flanging includes a housing formed of two housing halves including a cell cup and a cell lid, an electrically insulating seal separating the cell cup and the cell lid, an electrode-separator assembly including at least one positive and at least one negative electrode arranged inside the housing, metal diverters electrically connecting the at least one positive and the at least one negative electrode to the housing halves, and a thermal fuse connected to or integrated into one of the diverters.
US09231279B2
There are provided an electrode assembly, a battery cell including the electrode assembly, and a device including the electrode assembly. The electrode assembly includes a combination of two or more electrode units having the same length and different widths, wherein the electrode units are stacked so that a stepped portion is formed between the electrode units, and electrodes having different polarities face each other at an interface between the electrode units.
US09231275B2
Provided is a method for manufacturing a sulfide-based solid electrolyte including preparing a precursor comprising lithium sulfide, germanium sulfide, aluminum sulfide, phosphorus sulfide, and sulfur, conducting a mixing process of the precursor to prepare a mixture, and crystallizing the mixture to form a compound represented by Li9.7Al0.3Ge0.7P2S12. The sulfide-based solid electrolyte may have high ionic conductivity.
US09231269B2
An object of the present invention is to provide a non-aqueous electrolyte air battery with large discharge capacity and excellent rate characteristics. Disclosed is a non-aqueous electrolyte air battery including an air cathode, an anode and a non-aqueous electrolyte present between the air cathode and anode, wherein the non-aqueous electrolyte includes an ionic liquid as the solvent, the ionic liquid including bis(fluorosulfonyl)amide as the anion portion.
US09231260B2
A system and method for redistribution of the flow of fuel under faulted conditions in a fuel cell system is disclosed. The fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack; a fuel tank for storing fuel; fuel injectors that sequentially supply fuel from the fuel tank to the fuel cell stack; and a controller for determining whether a fault condition exists in one of the fuel injectors. If a fault condition exists in the first injector, the controller is capable of redistributing the flow of fuel from a first injector to a second injector.
US09231259B2
A fuel cell stack includes a stack body formed by stacking a plurality of power generation cells. At one end of the stack body, a terminal plate, an insulating member, and an end plate are stacked. At the other end of the stack body, a terminal plate, an insulating member, and an end plate are stacked. A coolant channel is formed between the insulating member and the end plate for allowing a coolant to flow along a surface of the end plate.
US09231258B2
The invention relates to a cooling system for a fuel cell, comprising a main heat-transfer-fluid circuit including a circulation pump (6) and a heat exchanger (8) with the exterior, which feed an upstream pipe (12) supplying the fluid to the cells (4) of the fuel cell, said fluid leaving the cells via a downstream pipe (14) in order to return to the main pump. The invention is characterized in that the main circuit comprises a three-port controlled valve (10, 16) on each upstream (12) and downstream (14) pipe, the third available port (10c) of the upstream pipe (12) being connected to the inlet of the pump (6) and the third available port (16c) of the downstream pipe (14) being connected to the outlet of the pump in order to establish a secondary fluid circuit.
US09231252B2
Provided herein is a coated electroactive particle, comprising i) an electroactive agglomerated particle that comprises a first and second electroactive materials; and ii) a polymeric overcoating on the surface of the electroactive agglomerated particle. Also provided herein is a coated electroactive particle, comprising i) an agglomerated particle that comprises subparticles of a first electroactive material and subparticles of a second electroactive material; and ii) a polymeric overcoating on the surface of the electroactive agglomerated particle.
US09231235B2
A battery pack includes a pouch-type bare cell, a protecting circuit module, a top case and a protecting circuit module support part. The pouch-type bare cell has a sealing region positioned in an extraction direction of an electrode lead. The protecting circuit module is positioned in the sealing region and connected to the electrode lead. The top case surrounds the protecting circuit module. The protecting circuit module support part is provided between the top case and the protecting circuit module. Accordingly, the protecting circuit module support part is formed between the top case and the protecting circuit module, so that it is possible to prevent a component mounted on the protecting circuit module from being damaged by an external impact and to prevent the inflow of a foreign matter from the outside of the battery pack, thereby improving the reliability and safety of the battery pack.
US09231232B2
A light-emitting element, a light-emitting module, a light-emitting panel, or a light-emitting device in which loss due to electrical resistance is reduced is provided. The present invention focuses on a surface of an electrode containing a metal and on a layer containing a light-emitting organic compound. The layer containing a light-emitting organic compound is provided between one electrode including a first metal, whose surface is provided with a conductive inclusion, and the other electrode.
US09231223B2
The present invention provides of a three-dimensional bicontinuous heterostructure, a method of producing same, and the application of this structure towards the realization of photodetecting and photovoltaic devices working in the visible and the near-infrared. The three-dimensional bicontinuous heterostructure includes two interpenetrating layers which are spatially continuous, they are include only protrusions or peninsulas, and no islands. The method of producing the three-dimensional biocontinuous heterostructure relies on forming an essentially planar continuous bottom layer of a first material; forming a layer of this first material on top of the bottom layer which is textured to produce protrusions for subsequent interpenetration with a second material, coating this second material onto this structure; and forming a final coating with the second material that ensures that only the second material is contacted by subsequent layer. One of the materials includes visible and/or infrared-absorbing semiconducting quantum dot nanoparticles, and one of materials is a hole conductor and the other is an electron conductor.
US09231220B2
The present invention relates to electronic devices comprising at least one compound of the formula (1) where X is N and Y is CR1, and to the use thereof.
US09231214B2
Described herein are photovoltaic devices including self-assembling fullerene derivatives. In one embodiment, a photovoltaic device includes a first electrode layer, a second electrode layer, and an active layer disposed between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer. The active layer is configured to absorb incident light to produce a first type of charge carrier that is transported to the first electrode layer and a second type of charge carrier that is transported to the second electrode layer. The active layer includes self-assembled molecules of a fullerene derivative to provide a conductive path through at least a portion of the active layer.
US09231209B2
Various embodiments of a composite material are provided. In one embodiment of the present invention a nanometer-scale composite material comprises, by volume, from about 1% to about 99% variable-conductivity material and from about 99% to about 1% conductive material. The composite material exhibits memristive properties when a voltage differential is applied to the nanocomposite. In another embodiment, a variable resistor device includes a first electrode terminal and a second electrode terminal and a nanocomposite in electrical communication with the electrode terminals. The composite material comprises, by volume, from about 1% to about 99% variable-conductivity material and from about 99% to about 1% conductive material. The memristor is tunable as the minimum instantaneous resistance can be altered several orders of magnitude by varying the composition and ratio of the variable-conductivity material and conductive material constituents of the composites.
US09231207B2
A resistance changing element according to the present invention comprises a first electrode (101) and a second electrode (103); and an ion conducting layer (102) that is formed between the first electrode (101) and the second electrode (103) and that contains at least oxygen and carbon.
US09231192B2
According to one embodiment, a memory device with magnetroresistive effect element is disclosed. The element includes first metal magnetic film (MMF) with nonmagnetic element and axis of easy magnetization perpendicular (EMP), first insulating film, first intermediate magnetic film between the first MMF and the first insulating film, second MMF on the first insulating film and including nonmagnetic elements, the second MMF having axis of EMP, second intermediate magnetic film between the first insulating film and the second MMF, and diffusion preventing film including metal nitride having barrier property against diffusion of the nonmagnetic elements between the first MMF and the first intermediate magnetic film.
US09231189B2
A sodium niobate powder includes sodium niobate particles having a shape of a cuboid and having a side average length of 0.1 μm or more and 100 μm or less, wherein at least one face of each of the sodium niobate particles is a (100) plane in the pseudocubic notation and a moisture content of the sodium niobate powder is 0.15 mass % or less. A method for producing a ceramic using the sodium niobate powder is provided. A method for producing a sodium niobate powder includes a step of holding an aqueous alkali dispersion liquid containing a niobium component and a sodium component at a pressure exceeding 0.1 MPa, a step of isolating a solid matter from the aqueous dispersion liquid after the holding, and a step of heat treating the solid matter at 500° C. to 700° C.
US09231179B2
A method for producing a packaged component is disclosed. In one embodiment, a lead frame composite has first lead frame parts, second lead frame parts and test contacts, electrically connecting via first electrical connections the first lead frame parts to the other first lead frame parts. A potting body is formed on the lead frame composite thereby mechanically connecting the first lead frame parts to the second lead frame parts and encapsulating the first electrical connections. First semiconductor components are placed on the first lead frame parts after forming the potting body. The first semiconductor components are electrically connected to the second lead frame parts via second electrical connections. The first semiconductor components are electrically tested at the test contacts prior to singulating the lead frame composite and the potting body. The lead frame composite and the potting body are singulated thereby forming the packaged semiconductor components.
US09231178B2
In accordance with certain embodiments, semiconductor dies are at least partially coated with a conductive adhesive prior to singulation and subsequently bonded to a substrate having electrical traces thereon.
US09231170B2
A phosphor LED for emitting light emitting diode light may include an LED designed for emitting blue primary light; and an LED phosphor designed and arranged such that it is excited by the primary light during operation and emits secondary light as a consequence, said secondary light forming at least a portion of the LED light. The LED phosphor may include a green phosphor and a red phosphor. The green phosphor and the red phosphor may be provided in a ratio such that the light emitting diode light in the CIE standard chromaticity system has a color locus in the green which is spaced apart from the Planckian locus, to be precise by at least 0.01 in terms of absolute value.
US09231164B2
A light-emitting device comprises a first semiconductor layer; and a transparent conductive oxide layer comprising a diffusion region having a first metal material and a non-diffusion region devoid of the first metal material, wherein the non-diffusion region is closer to the first semiconductor layer than the diffusion region.
US09231144B2
A light collecting module includes a pliable light guide, an inner light source, and a photocell. A surface of the light guide has a first area, a second area, and a third area. The first and second areas face each other, and the third area is adjacent to the first or second area. At least one optical structure is formed in the second area, and the photocell is adjacent to the third area. The optical structure is for redirecting ambient light incident on the first or second area such that the ambient light is guided to the third area by refraction or reflection and incident on the photocell. The optical structure is for redirecting the light from the inner light source such that the light is guided to the surface of the light guide by refraction or reflection and exits the light guide.
US09231141B2
A method of tracking the sun is disclosed. A measurement of a gravity vector is obtained in a frame of reference of a solar collector rotatable with respect to an earth center of reference. A measurement of a magnetic direction vector is obtained in the frame of reference of the solar collector. The orientation of the solar collector is determined from the obtained measurement of the gravity vector and the obtained measurement of the magnetic direction. The orientation of the solar collector is altered in order to track the sun.
US09231137B1
Using a highly doped Cap layer of the same composition as the Contact material in an nBn or pBp infrared photodetector allows engineering of the energy band diagram to facilitate minority carrier current flow in the contact region and block minority current flow outside the Contact region. The heavily doped Cap layer is disposed on the Barrier between the Contacts but electrically isolated from the Contact material.
US09231132B2
A solar cell having on a light incident surface side an electrode with both low resistivity and high transparency to promote efficient excitation of carriers using inexpensive materials. The solar cell includes a photoelectric conversion layer, a first electrode layer arranged on the light incident surface side, and a second electrode layer arranged opposed to the first electrode layer. The first electrode layer has a thickness in the range of 10 to 200 nm, and plural penetrating openings, each of which occupies an area in the range of 80 nm2 to 0.8 μm2, and has an aperture ratio in the range 10 to 66%. The first electrode layer can be produced by etching using an etching mask in the form of a single particle layer of fine particles, or of a dot pattern formed by self-assembly of a block copolymer, or of a stamper.
US09231124B2
An assembly that attaches a ball grid array (BGA) packaged camera device to a printed circuit board (PCB) substrate is provided. The assembly includes a spacer between the device and the substrate. The spacer is configured to prevent excessive collapse of solder balls located between the device and the substrate during reflow of the solder balls. The spacer includes one of solder mask, tape, and/or legend ink.
US09231116B2
A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device includes a charge storage layer on a first insulating film, a second insulating film which is provided on the charge storage layer, formed of layers, and a control gate electrode on the second insulating film. The second insulating film includes a bottom layer (A) provided just above the charge storage layer, a top layer (C) provided just below the control gate electrode, and a middle layer (B) provided between the bottom layer (A) and the top layer (C). The middle layer (B) has higher barrier height and lower dielectric constant than both the bottom layer (A) and the top layer (C). The average coordination number of the middle layer (B) is smaller than both the average coordination number of the top layer (C) and the average coordination number of the bottom layer (A).
US09231111B2
An object is to provide a semiconductor device that includes an oxide semiconductor and is suitable for a power device. An object is to provide a semiconductor device in which large current can flow. An object is to provide a highly reliable semiconductor device. A semiconductor device includes an oxide stack in which a first oxide layer, a first oxide semiconductor layer, a second oxide semiconductor layer, and a second oxide layer are stacked and has a structure in which a region that contains an element imparting conductivity and is provided in the first oxide semiconductor layer overlaps an electrode functioning as a source electrode and does not overlap an electrode functioning as a drain electrode.
US09231110B2
It is an object to provide a highly reliable semiconductor device including a thin film transistor whose electric characteristics are stable. In addition, it is another object to manufacture a highly reliable semiconductor device at low cost with high productivity. In a semiconductor device including a thin film transistor, a semiconductor layer of the thin film transistor is formed with an oxide semiconductor layer to which a metal element is added. As the metal element, at least one of metal elements of iron, nickel, cobalt, copper, gold, manganese, molybdenum, tungsten, niobium, and tantalum is used. In addition, the oxide semiconductor layer contains indium, gallium, and zinc.
US09231109B2
An electro-optical device includes a first light shielding film; a transistor element formed on the first light shielding film to overlap the first light shielding film; a second light shielding film formed on the transistor element to overlap the transistor element and electrically connected to an input terminal of the transistor element; a transparent conductive film extended toward an upper layer side of the second light shielding film in an opening region, through which light penetrates, of the display region; a dielectric film formed on the transparent conductive film in the opening region; and a transparent pixel electrode formed on the dielectric film in the opening region, constituting a storage capacitor together with the transparent conductive film and the dielectric film, and having a transparent pixel electrode which is electrically connected to the transistor element.
US09231103B2
A vertical MOSFET transistor is formed in a body of semiconductor material having a surface. The transistor includes a buried conductive region of a first conductivity type; a channel region of a second conductivity type, arranged on top of the buried conductive region; a surface conductive region of the first conductivity type, arranged on top of the channel region and the buried conductive region; a gate insulation region, extending at the sides of and contiguous to the channel region; and a gate region extending at the sides of and contiguous to the gate insulation region.
US09231100B2
A semiconductor device is at least partially formed in a semiconductor substrate, the substrate including first and second opposing main surfaces. The semiconductor device includes a cell field portion and a contact area, the contact area being electrically coupled to the cell field portion, the cell field portion including at least a transistor. The contact area includes a connection substrate portion insulated from other substrate portions and including a part of the semiconductor substrate, an electrode adjacent to the second main surface and in contact with the connection substrate portion, and a metal layer disposed over the first main surface, the connection substrate portion being electrically coupled to the metal layer to form an ohmic contact between the electrode and metal layer. The connection substrate portion is not electrically coupled to a component of the cell field portion by a conductive material disposed between the first and second main surfaces.
US09231092B2
A vertical bidirectional switch of the type having its control referenced to the rear surface, including on its rear surface a first main electrode and on its front surface a second main electrode and a gate electrode, this switch being controllable by a positive voltage between its gate and its first electrode, wherein the gate electrode is arranged on the front surface of a via crossing the chip in which the switch is formed.
US09231089B2
Disclosed is a trench formation technique wherein an opening having a first sidewall with planar contour and a second sidewall with a saw-tooth contour is etched through a semiconductor layer and into a semiconductor substrate. Then, a crystallographic wet etch process expands the portion of the opening within the semiconductor substrate to form a trench. Due to the different contours of the sidewalls and, thereby the different crystal orientations, one sidewall etches faster than the other, resulting in an asymmetric trench. Also disclosed is a bipolar semiconductor device formation method that incorporates the above-mentioned trench formation technique when forming a trench isolation region that undercuts an extrinsic base region and surrounds a collector pedestal. The asymmetry of the trench ensures that the trench isolation region has a relatively narrow width and, thereby ensures that both collector-to-base capacitance Ccb and collector resistance Rc are minimized within the resulting bipolar semiconductor device.
US09231085B2
FinFET end-implanted-semiconductor structures and methods of manufacture are disclosed herein. The method includes forming at least one mandrel on a silicon layer of a substrate comprising an underlying insulator layer. The method further includes etching the silicon layer to form at least one silicon island under the at least one mandrel. The method further includes ion-implanting sidewalls of the at least one silicon island to form doped regions on the sidewalls. The method further includes forming a dielectric layer on the substrate, a top surface of which is planarized to be coplanar with a top surface of the at least one mandrel. The method further includes removing the at least one mandrel to form an opening in the dielectric layer. The method further includes etching the at least one silicon island to form at least one fin island having doped source and drain regions.
US09231062B2
The present invention relates to a method for chemically treating the surface condition of a silicon substrate for the roughness contrast characterized in that it comprises at least two successive treatment cycles, with each treatment cycle comprising a first step including placing in contact the silicon substrate with a first solution containing water diluted hydrofluoric (HF) acid and then a second step carried out at a temperature of less than 40° C., comprising placing in contact the silicon layer with a second solution containing water (H2O) diluted ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), in order to obtain a roughness of less than 0.100 nanometer on a 1 μm×1 μm area upon completion of the treatment cycles.The invention will be applied in the field of microelectronics for the production of transistors, of surfaces for photovoltaic panels or for direct molecular bonding.
US09231058B2
A method of fabricating a single crystal gallium nitride substrate the step of cutting an ingot of single crystal gallium nitride along predetermined planes to make one or more signal crystal gallium nitride substrates. The ingot of single crystal gallium nitride is grown by vapor phase epitaxy in a direction of a predetermined axis. Each predetermined plane is inclined to the predetermined axis. Each substrate has a minor polished primary surface. The primary surface has a first area and a second area. The first area is between an edge of the substrate and a line 3 millimeter away from the edge. The first area surrounds the second area. An axis perpendicular to the primary surface forms an off-angle with c-axis of the substrate. The off-angle takes a minimum value at a first position in the first area of the primary surface.
US09231055B2
A semiconductor device having a fin gate that improves an operation current, and a method of manufacturing the same. The semiconductor device includes an active pillar formed on a semiconductor substrate, the active pillar including an inner region and an outer region surrounding the inner region, and a fin gate overlapping an upper surface and a lateral surface of the active pillar. The inner portion of the active pillar includes a first semiconductor layer having a first lattice constant, and the outer region of the active pillar includes a second semiconductor layer having a second lattice constant smaller than the first lattice constant.
US09231054B2
An integrated circuit containing a diode with a drift region containing a first dopant type plus scattering centers. An integrated circuit containing a DEMOS transistor with a drift region containing a first dopant type plus scattering centers. A method for designing an integrated circuit containing a DEMOS transistor with a counter doped drift region.
US09231048B2
A device comprises a substrate having at least one active region, an insulating layer above the substrate, and an electrode in a gate electrode layer above the insulating layer, forming a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitor. A first contact layer is provided on the electrode, having an elongated first pattern extending in a first direction parallel to the electrode. A contact structure contacts the substrate. The contact structure has an elongated second pattern extending parallel to the first pattern. A dielectric material is provided between the first and second patterns, so that the first and second patterns and dielectric material form a side-wall capacitor connected in parallel to the MOS capacitor.
US09231047B2
Methods of forming and the resulting capacitors formed by these methods are shown. Monolayers that contain praseodymium are deposited onto a substrate and subsequently processed to form praseodymium oxide dielectrics. Monolayers that contain titanium or other metals are deposited onto a substrate and subsequently processed to form metal electrodes. Resulting capacitor structures includes properties such as improved dimensional control. One improved dimensional control includes thickness. Some resulting capacitor structures also include properties such as an amorphous or nanocrystalline microstructure. Selected components of capacitors formed with these methods have better step coverage over substrate topography and more robust film mechanical properties.
US09231046B2
A metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor using barrier layer metallurgy and methods of manufacture are disclosed. The method includes forming a bottom plate of a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor and a bonding pad using a single masking process. The method further includes forming a MIM dielectric on the bottom plate. The method further includes forming a top plate of the MIM capacitor on the MIM dielectric. The method further includes forming a solder connection on the bonding pad.
US09231040B2
An organic light emitting diode (OLED) display according to the present invention includes: a pixel portion wherein an organic light emitting diode including a pixel electrode, an organic emission layer, and a common electrode is formed, and a periphery portion surrounding the pixel portion and having a plurality of common voltage lines applying a common voltage to the common electrode. The common voltage lines include a plurality of common voltage pads to which the common voltage is applied from an external source, a common voltage contact portion overlapping an end of the common electrode and contacting the common electrode, a common voltage connection portion connecting a common voltage pad and the common voltage contact portion. A width of the common voltage contact portion is larger than that of the common voltage connection portion.
US09231039B2
An organic light emitting diode (OLED) display is provided. One inventive aspect includes: a substrate, a scan line formed on the substrate and transmitting a scan signal, a data line configured to intersect the scan line and to transmit a data signal, a switching transistor connected to the scan line and the data line, a driving transistor connected to a switching drain electrode of the switching transistor, a compensation transistor connected to the driving transistor, an aging transistor connected to a driving drain electrode of the driving transistor and a source electrode of the compensation transistor, and an organic light emitting diode (OLED) connected to a driving drain electrode of the driving transistor. The compensation transistor is configured to compensate a threshold voltage of the driving transistor. The aging transistor is configured to perform an aging process for reducing a leakage current of the compensation transistor.
US09231032B2
An organic electroluminescent device is disclosed which includes: first and second pixel regions defined by first and second gate lines and data lines crossing each other; first sub-pixels arranged in the first pixel region close to the first gate line; first driving cells arranged between the first sub-pixels; second sub-pixels arranged in the second pixel region close to the second gate line; and second driving cells arranged between the second sub-pixels.
US09231028B2
According to one embodiment, there are provided a memory cell forming region, a first wiring hookup region in which first wirings extending in a first direction are formed by being drawn outside of the memory cell forming region, a second wiring hookup region which is disposed in a layer above the first wirings and in which second wirings extending in a second direction are formed by being drawn outside of the memory cell forming region, and a first dummy wiring connected to each of the second wirings. The first dummy wiring is disposed so that a sum of the area of the second wiring and the area of the first dummy wiring becomes the same in the respective second wirings.
US09231026B2
In the method of manufacturing a magnetoresistive sensor module, at first a composite arrangement out of a semiconductor substrate and a metal-insulator arrangement is provided, wherein a semiconductor circuit arrangement is integrated adjacent to a main surface of the semiconductor substrate into the same, wherein the metal-insulator arrangement is arranged on the main surface of the semiconductor substrate and comprises a structured metal sheet and insulation material at least partially surrounding the structured metal sheet, wherein the structured metal sheet is electrically connected to the semiconductor circuit arrangement. Then, a magnetoresistive sensor structure is applied onto a surface of the insulation material of the composite arrangement, and finally an electrical connection between the magnetoresistive sensor structure and the structured metal sheet is established, so that the magnetoresistive sensor structure is connected to the integrated circuit arrangement.
US09231020B2
Some demonstrative embodiments include devices and/or methods of gettering on silicon on insulator (SOI) substrate. For example, a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuit (IC) may include a plurality of pixels arranged on a wafer, a pixel of the pixels including: a silicon active area; at least one non-silicided leakage-sensitive component formed on the active area, the leakage-sensitive component is sensitive to metal contaminants; a non-leakage-sensitive area formed on the active area, the non-leakage-sensitive area surrounding the leakage-sensitive component; and at least one silicided gettering region formed on the non-leakage-sensitive area to trap the metal contaminants.
US09231019B2
A method of manufacturing a solid-state image sensor, includes forming a first isolation region of a first conductivity type in a semiconductor layer having first and second surfaces, the forming the first isolation region including first implantation for implanting ions into the semiconductor layer through the first surface, forming charge accumulation regions of a second conductivity type in the semiconductor layer, performing first annealing, forming an interconnection on a side of the first surface of the semiconductor layer after the first annealing, and forming a second isolation region of the first conductivity type in the semiconductor layer, the forming the second isolation region including second implantation for implanting ions into the semiconductor layer through the second surface. The first and second isolation regions are arranged between the adjacent charge accumulation regions.
US09231018B2
Wafer level packaging structure for image sensors and wafer level packaging method for image sensors
A wafer level packaging structure for image sensors and a wafer level packaging method for image sensors are provided. The wafer level packaging structure includes: a wafer to be packaged including multiple chip regions and scribe line regions between the chip regions; pads and image sensing regions located on a first surface of the wafer and located in the chip regions; first dike structures covering surfaces of the pads; a packaging cover arranged facing the first surface of the wafer; and second dike structures located on a surface of the packaging cover. Projections of the second dike structures onto the first surface of the wafer are included in the scribe line regions. The packaging cover and the wafer are jointed fixedly via the second dike structures, while tops of the first dike structures and the surface of the packaging cover are contacted.
US09231017B2
An optical component is fixed precisely on a sensor chip. After a sensor chip including a front surface having a sensor plane with a plurality of light receiving elements is mounted face-up over a wiring substrate, an adhesive is disposed on the front surface of the sensor chip at a plurality of positions, and a plurality of spacers having adherence is formed by curing this adhesive. Then, an adhesive paste is disposed on the front surface of the sensor chip. Then, an optical component held by a bonding tool is disposed on the front surface via the spacer and the adhesive. After that, the bonding tool is separated from the optical component and the optical component is fixed by curing the adhesive in a state in which a load is not applied to the optical component.
US09231015B2
A monolithic backside-sensor-illumination (BSI) image sensor has a sensor array is tiled with a multiple-pixel cells having a first pixel sensor primarily sensitive to red light, a second pixel sensor primarily sensitive to red and green light, and a third pixel sensor having panchromatic sensitivity, the pixel sensors laterally adjacent each other. The image sensor determines a red, a green, and a blue signal comprising by reading the red-sensitive pixel sensor of each multiple-pixel cell to determine the red signal, reading the sensor primarily sensitive to red and green light to determine a yellow signal and subtracting the red signal to determine a green signal. The image sensor reads the panchromatic-sensitive pixel sensor to determine a white signal and subtracts the yellow signal to provide the blue signal.
US09231013B2
Resonance enhanced color filter arrays are provided for image sensors. Resonance cavities formed with color filter materials that enhance the color filtering capabilities of the color filter materials. Resonance enhanced color filter arrays may be provided for back side illumination image sensors and front side illumination image sensors. A layer of high refractive index material or metamaterial may be provided between a microlens and a color filter material to serve as a first partially reflecting interface for the resonance cavity. An optional layer of high refractive index material or metamaterial may be provided between color filter material and a substrate. In front side illumination image sensors, color filter material may be provided in a light guide structure that extends through interlayer dielectric. The color filter material in the light guide structure may form at least part of a resonance cavity for a resonance enhanced color filter array.
US09231012B2
An image sensor package and method for fabricating the same is provided. The image sensor package includes a first substrate comprising a via therein, a driving circuit and a first conductive pad thereon. A second substrate comprising a photosensitive device and a second conductive pad thereon is bonded to the first substrate, so that the driving circuit, formed on the first substrate, can electrically connect to and further control the photosensitive device, formed on the second substrate. A solder ball is formed on a backside of the first substrate and electrically connects to the via for transmitting a signal from the driving circuit. Because the photosensitive device and the driving circuit are fabricated individually on the different substrates, fabrication and design thereof is more flexible. Moreover, the image sensor package is relatively less thick, thus, the dimensions thereof are reduced.
US09231010B2
A photoelectric conversion unit has first semiconductor regions and a second semiconductor region that is disposed between the first semiconductor regions being adjacently disposed in the unit. Impurity concentration profile in a depth direction of the first and semiconductor regions has a plurality of peaks. The impurity concentration peaks of the first semiconductor region include a first impurity concentration peak and a second impurity concentration peak being lower than the first impurity concentration peak. The impurity concentration peaks of the second semiconductor region include a third, a fourth, and a fifth impurity concentration peak. The fourth impurity concentration peak is higher than the third impurity concentration peak, and a fifth impurity concentration peak is higher than the third impurity concentration peak. The depth of the third impurity concentration peak is closer to the depth of the second impurity concentration peak than that of the first impurity concentration peak.
US09231007B2
An image sensor operable in global shutter mode ma include small pixels with high charge storage capacity, low dark current, and no image lag. Storage capacity of a photodiode and a charge storage diode may be increased by placing a p+ type doped layer under the photodiode and the charge storage diode. The p+ type doped layer ma include an opening for allowing photo-generated charge carriers to flow from the silicon bulk to the charge storage well located near the surface of the photodiode. A compensating n− type doped implant may be formed in the opening. Image lag is prevented by placing a p− type doped region under the p+ type doped photodiode pinning layer and aligned with the opening. The p+ type doped layer may extend under the entire pixel array.
US09230999B2
A pixel substrate and a fabrication method thereof are provided. The method includes: forming a gate and a lower pad on a substrate; forming a gate insulating layer overlaying the gate and the lower pad; forming a channel layer and a first electrode layer on the gate insulating layer, in which the projection areas of the channel layer and the gate on the substrate are overlapped; forming an etching-barrier material layer on the substrate and simultaneously forming a contact opening at the gate insulating layer to expose the lower pad; forming a source, a drain and an upper pad on the substrate; forming a protective layer; forming a second electrode layer with multiple slits on the protective layer, in which one of the first and second electrode layers is electrically connected to the drain. The invention can simplify the process steps and reduce fabrication time.
US09230984B1
A monolithic three dimensional memory device includes a comb-shaped electrode within a trench, where the electrode includes an elongated continuous portion of an electrically conductive material that is raised from a major surface of a substrate and a plurality of second portions that include spaced-apart conductive pillars extending between the continuous portion and the major surface of the substrate. A fill material, such as a dielectric material, is located between the plurality of second portions.
US09230977B2
An embedded flash memory device includes a gate stack, which includes a bottom dielectric layer extending into a recess in a semiconductor substrate, and a charge storage layer over the bottom dielectric layer. The charge storage layer includes a portion in the recess. The gate stack further includes a top dielectric layer over the charge storage layer, and a metal gate over the top dielectric layer. Source and drain regions are in the semiconductor substrate, and are on opposite sides of the gate stack.
US09230975B2
According to one embodiment, a nonvolatile semiconductor memory device includes a semiconductor substrate, a first stacked layer structure including first to nth semiconductor layers (n is a natural number greater than or equal to 2) stacked in a first direction, and extending in a second direction, and first to nth memory cells provided on surfaces of the first to nth semiconductor layers facing a third direction. The ith memory cell (1≦i≦n) comprises a second stacked layer structure in which a first insulating layer, a charge storage layer, a second insulating layer, and a control gate electrode are stacked. The second insulating layer has an equivalent oxide thickness smaller than that of the first insulating layer.
US09230974B1
Methods of making a monolithic three dimensional NAND string may enable selective removal of a blocking dielectric material, such as aluminum oxide, without otherwise damaging the device. Blocking dielectric may be selectively removed from the back side (e.g., slit trench) and/or front side (e.g., memory opening) of the NAND string. Also disclosed are NAND strings made in accordance with the embodiment methods.
US09230961B2
A semiconductor arrangement includes a well region and a first region disposed within the well region. The first region includes a first conductivity type. The semiconductor arrangement includes a first gate disposed above the well region on a first side of the first region. The first gate includes a first top surface facing away from the well region. The first top surface has a first top surface area. The semiconductor arrangement includes a first gate contact disposed above the first gate. The first gate contact includes a first bottom surface facing towards the well region. The first bottom surface has a first bottom surface area. The first bottom surface area covers at least about two thirds of the first top surface area.
US09230960B1
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an apparatus for providing a combined tap cell and spare cell in a logic design. An integrated circuit contains a plurality of logic cells that are arranged in a series of columns and rows and that include one or more transistors. A first cell includes a logic portion including one or more transistors, and a tap portion. The tap portion provides tap connectivity to the one or more transistors of the subset of the plurality of logic cells, and to the one or more transistors of the logic portion.
US09230956B2
A JFET having a semiconductor substrate of a first doping type, an epitaxial layer of the first doping type located on the semiconductor substrate, a body region of a second doping type located in the epitaxial layer, a source region of the first doping type located in the epitaxial layer, a gate region of the second doping type located in the body region, and a shielding layer of the second doping type located in the epitaxial layer, wherein the semiconductor substrate is configured as a drain region, the shielding layer is in a conductive path formed between the source region and the drain region.
US09230952B2
A protection circuit used for a semiconductor device is made to effectively function and the semiconductor device is prevented from being damaged by a surge. A semiconductor device includes a terminal electrode, a protection circuit, an integrated circuit, and a wiring electrically connecting the terminal electrode, the protection circuit, and the integrated circuit. The protection circuit is provided between the terminal electrode and the integrated circuit. The terminal electrode, the protection circuit, and the integrated circuit are connected to one another without causing the wiring to branch. It is possible to reduce the damage to the semiconductor device caused by electrostatic discharge. It is also possible to reduce faults in the semiconductor device.
US09230951B2
Discussed are an antistatic device of a display device, which has a high electrostatic discharge (ESD) speed and reduces consumption power, and a method of manufacturing the same. The antistatic device can include a first switching thin film transistor (TFT) in which an active layer is formed of oxide, a second switching TFT in which an active layer is formed of oxide, and an equalizer TFT in which an active layer is formed of amorphous silicon.
US09230949B2
A stacked multi-chip packaging structure comprises a lead frame, a first semiconductor chip mounted on the lead frame, a second semiconductor chip flipped-chip mounted on the lead frame, a metal clip mounted on top of the first and second semiconductor chips and a third semiconductor chip stacked on the metal clip; bonding wires electrically connecting electrodes on the third semiconductor chip to the first and second semiconductor chips and the pins of the lead frame; plastic molding encapsulating the lead frame, the chips and the metal clip.
US09230941B2
A semiconductor device, and a method of fabrication, is introduced. In an embodiment, one or more passivation layers are formed over a first substrate. Recesses are formed in the passivation layers and a first bonding pad, a second bonding pad, and a first via are formed in the recesses. In some embodiment, the first via may have electrical contact with the first bonding pad and may provide an electrical pathway to a first plurality of metallization layers. The first bonding pad and the second bonding pad in the first substrate are aligned to a third bonding pad and the fourth bonding pad in a second substrate and may be bonded using a direct bonding method. A bond between the first bonding pad and the third bonding pad may provide an electrical pathway between devices on the first substrate and devices on the second substrate.
US09230924B2
In order to securely ground an exterior shield and reduce burden imposed on a dicing blade and the exterior shield, a method of producing a semiconductor module comprises a hole-forming step of forming a hole 30 extending from a top surface of a sealing resin layer 3 to a ground wiring 111 (112) provided at a collective substrate 100, a film-forming step of forming an electrically conductive film made of an electrically conductive material so as to cover at least the top surface of the sealing resin layer 3, an internal surface of the hole 20, and the ground wiring 111 (112), and a separation step of separating from each other a plurality of individual module sections which the individual module section comprises.
US09230908B2
The present invention relates to a through-wafer via device (10) comprising a wafer (12) made of a wafer material and having a first wafer surface (12a) and a second wafer surface (12b) opposing the first wafer surface (12a). The through-wafer via device (10) further comprises a plurality of side by side first trenches (14) provided with a conductive material and extending from the first wafer surface (12a) into the wafer (12) such that a plurality of spacers (16) of the wafer material are formed between the first trenches (14). The through-wafer via device (10) further comprises a second trench (18) provided with the conductive material and extending from the second wafer surface (12b) into the wafer (12), the second trench (18) being connected to the first trenches (14). The through-wafer via device (10) further comprises a conductive layer (20) made of the conductive material and formed on the side of the first wafer surface (12a), the conductive material filling the first trenches (14) such that the first conductive layer (20) has a substantially planar and closed surface.
US09230902B2
A package includes a device die having a substrate. A molding compound contacts a sidewall of the substrate. A metal pad is over the substrate. A passivation layer has a portion covering an edge portion of the metal pad. A metal pillar is over and contacting the metal pad. A dielectric layer is over the passivation layer. A package material formed of a molding compound or a polymer is over the dielectric layer. The dielectric layer includes a bottom portion between the passivation layer and the package material, and a sidewall portion between a sidewall of the metal pillar and a sidewall of the package material. A polymer layer is over the package material, the molding compound, and the metal pillar. A post-passivation interconnect (PPI) extends into the polymer layer. A solder ball is over the PPI, and is electrically coupled to the metal pad through the PPI.
US09230897B2
Provided is a semiconductor package including a package substrate having lands, a first semiconductor device mounted on the package substrate and having a bottom surface on which first lines are disposed, and solder balls respectively electrically connected to the lands of the package substrate with the first lines of the first semiconductor device. The first semiconductor device includes a first substrate, and through-substrate via (TSV) plugs that vertically pass through the first substrate. The TSV plugs are respectively vertically aligned with the first lines, overlap first regions corresponding to 70% or less of diameters of the solder balls from central axes of the solder balls, and do not overlap second regions corresponding to the remaining 30% or more of diameters of the solder balls from the central axes of the solder balls. Adjacent ones of the TSV plugs are arranged at irregular intervals with respect to each other.
US09230896B2
A semiconductor device comprises a substrate and a semiconductor die. Bumps are formed over the substrate or a first surface of the semiconductor die. Conductive columns devoid of solder are formed over the substrate or the first surface of the semiconductor die. The semiconductor die is disposed over the substrate. A collet including a first cavity and a second cavity formed in a surface of the first cavity is mounted over the semiconductor die with a second surface of the semiconductor die opposite the first surface disposed within the first cavity. The bumps are reflowed. A force is applied to the collet to hold the bumps to the conductive columns while reflowing the bumps to make electrical connection to the conductive columns. The collet is removed. An underfill material is deposited between the semiconductor die and substrate. An encapsulant is deposited over the semiconductor die and substrate.
US09230894B2
A method for manufacturing a chip package is provided. The method including: arranging a plurality of dies over a carrier; depositing encapsulation material over the carrier wherein the plurality of dies are covered by the encapsulation material thereby forming a structure including the encapsulation material and the plurality of dies; and removing encapsulation material thereby forming a thinned portion of the structure and a further portion of the structure including encapsulation material thicker than the thinned portion.
US09230893B2
A module (1) includes a first functional device (2) and a second functional device (3). The first functional device (2) includes a base electrode, an emitter electrode and a collector electrode. The second functional device (3) includes at least one electrode. The module (1) further includes a conductive frame (4). One of the base electrode, the emitter electrode, and the collector electrode of the first functional device (2) is directly connected to the frame (4). The electrode of the second functional device (3) is also directly connected to the frame (4). The frame (4) includes a portion serving as a terminal for external connection.
US09230891B2
There is provided a semiconductor device having a converter circuit, a brake circuit and an inverter circuit and manufacturable by a simplified manufacturing process. the semiconductor device has a plurality of die pads, IGBTs, diodes, freewheel diodes, an HVIC and LVICs mounted on the plurality of die pads, a plurality of leads, and an encapsulation resin body that covers these component parts. In a manufacturing process, a single-plate lead frame having the above-described plurality of die pads and leads connected together can be prepared. The semiconductor device may be manufactured by using this single-plate lead frame.
US09230890B2
A semiconductor device includes a lead frame, an oscillator, an integrated circuit and first bonding wires. The oscillator includes plural terminals separated from each other by a predetermined distance, and that is mounted to an oscillator mounting region formed on a first face of the lead frame. The oscillator mounting region has a narrower width than the distance between the plural terminals. The integrated circuit is mounted to a second face of the lead frame, which is on an opposite side to the first face. The first bonding wires connect the plural terminals of the oscillator to terminals of the integrated circuit.
US09230889B2
A chip arrangement is provided, the chip arrangement, including: a carrier; at least one chip including at least one contact pad disposed over the carrier; an encapsulation material at least partially surrounding the at least one chip and the carrier; and at least one low temperature co-fired ceramic sheet disposed over a side of the carrier.
US09230882B2
Thermal connection between a plurality of communication modules and a heatsink placed on these communication modules is securely achieved and maintained. In a signal transmission device in which a common heatsink is arranged on a plurality of communication modules equipped on a board, the signal transmission device has a coil spring provided between the board and the communication modules, and the communication modules are biased toward the heatsink by the coil spring so that an upper surface of the communication module is pressed against a bottom surface of the heatsink.
US09230881B2
A heat sink for dissipating a thermal load is disclosed that includes one or more heat sink bases configured around a central axis of the heat sink so as to define an interior space, at least one heat sink base receiving the thermal load, a thermal transport connected to the at least one heat sink base receiving the thermal load so as to distribute the thermal load in the heat sink, and heat-dissipating fins connected to each heat sink base, the heat-dissipating fins extending from each heat sink base into the interior space of the heat sink, each heat-dissipating fin shaped according to the location of the heat-dissipating fin with respect to the location of the thermal load and the location of the distributed thermal load in the heat sink.
US09230879B2
Embodiments of an electronic apparatus with a thermal management technique utilizing a silicon heat sink and/or a phase-change material, as well as an assembling method thereof, are described. In one aspect, the electronic apparatus comprises a main unit, a phase-change material and an enclosure enclosing the main unit and the phase-change material. The main unit comprises a substrate and at least one integrated-circuit (IC) chip disposed on the substrate. The phase-change material is in direct contact with each IC chip of the at least one IC chip to absorb and dissipate heat generated by the at least one IC chip.
US09230877B2
Methods of forming a microelectronic packaging structure and associated structures formed thereby are described. Those methods may include forming a thermal interface material comprising a thermally conductive serpentine foil located between a first and a second interface material. The serpentine foil may be in a parallel position or a rotated position, in embodiments.
US09230872B2
The technical task of the present invention is to provide a lead-free glass for semiconductor encapsulation, which is easy to automate an appearance inspection, and furthermore, has excellent refinability and encapsulatability of semiconductor devices. In the lead-free glass for semiconductor encapsulation according to the present invention, a temperature at which the viscosity of glass is 106 dPa·s is 670° C. or lower, and, as a glass composition, the content of CeO2 is from 0.01 to 6% by mass, and the content of Sb2O3 is 0.1% by mass or less.
US09230867B2
The present disclosure provides an integrated circuit structure that includes a semiconductor substrate having a first region and a second region having an area less than about 10 micron×10 micron; a first material layer over the semiconductor substrate and patterned to have a first circuit feature in the first region and a first mark in the second region; and a second material layer over the first material layer and patterned to have a second circuit feature in the first region and a second mark in the second region. The first mark includes first mark features oriented in a first direction, and second mark features oriented in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The second mark includes third mark features oriented in the first direction, and fourth mark features oriented in the second direction.
US09230851B2
A method of fabricating a semiconductor device includes forming at least one trench from a top side of a semiconductor layer, wherein the trench is lined with a trench dielectric liner and filled by a first polysilicon layer. The surface of the trench dielectric liner is etched, wherein dips in the trench dielectric liner are formed relative to a top surface of the first polysilicon layer which results in forming a protrusion including the first polysilicon layer. The first polysilicon layer is etched to remove at least a portion of the protrusion. A second dielectric layer is formed over at least the trench after etching the first polysilicon layer. A second polysilicon layer is deposited. The second polysilicon layer is etched to remove it over the trench and provide a patterned second polysilicon layer on the top side of the semiconductor layer.
US09230844B2
A carrier transfer facilitating device does not require, for example, renewal (replacement) of an existing load port. Specifically, a carrier transfer facilitating device is provided for a load port on which a FOUP is placed. The carrier transfer facilitating device includes a temporary table on which the FOUP is temporarily placed, a carrier transferring carriage that travels above a carrier table of the load port and the temporary table in the horizontal direction and that lifts and transfers the FOUP between the carrier table and the temporary table, a supporting member that supports the temporary table and the carrier transferring carriage, and a controller that controls the movement of the carrier transferring carriage so as to avoid contact of the carrier transferring carriage with the FOUP while the FOUP is transferred between the hoop supporting table or the temporary table and an OHT.
US09230821B2
A dry etching agent according to the present invention contains (A) a fluorinated propyne represented by the chemical formula: CF3C≡CX where X is H, F, Cl, Br, I, CH3, CFH2 or CF2H; and either of: (B) at least one kind of gas selected from the group consisting of O2, O3, CO, CO2, COCl2 and COF2; (C) at least one kind of gas selected from the group consisting of F2, NF3, Cl2, Br2, I2 and YFn where Y is Cl, Br or I; and n is an integer of 1 to 5; and (D) at least one kind of gas selected from the group consisting of CF4, CHF3, C2F6, C2F5H, C2F4H2, C3F8, C3F4H2, C3ClF3H and C4F8. This dry etching agent has a small environmental load and a wide process window and can be applied for high-aspect-ratio processing without special operations such as substrate excitation.
US09230819B2
The embodiments disclosed herein pertain to improved methods and apparatus for etching a semiconductor substrate. A plasma grid assembly is positioned in a reaction chamber to divide the chamber into upper and lower sub-chambers. The plasma grid assembly may include one or more plasma grids having slots of a particular aspect ratio, which allow certain species to pass through from the upper sub-chamber to the lower sub-chamber. In some cases, an electron-ion plasma is generated in the upper sub-chamber. Electrons that make it through the grid to the lower sub-chamber are cooled as they pass through. In some cases, this results in an ion-ion plasma in the lower sub-chamber. The ion-ion plasma may be used to advantage in a variety of etching processes.
US09230817B2
Apparatus for monitoring a thickness of a silicon wafer with a highly-doped layer at least at a backside of the silicon wafer is provided. The apparatus has a source configured to emit coherent light of multiple wavelengths. Moreover, the apparatus comprises a measuring head configured to be contactlessly positioned adjacent the silicon wafer and configured to illuminate at least a portion of the silicon wafer with the coherent light and to receive at least a portion of radiation reflected by the silicon wafer. Additionally, the apparatus comprises a spectrometer, a beam splitter and an evaluation device. The evaluation device is configured to determine a thickness of the silicon wafer by analyzing the radiation reflected by the silicon wafer by an optical coherence tomography process. The coherent light is emitted multiple wavelengths in a bandwidth b around a central wavelength wc.
US09230812B2
A method for forming a semiconductor structure having an opening is provided. First, a substrate is provided, wherein a first region and a second region are defined on the substrate and an overlapping area of the first region and the second region is defined as a third region. A pattern density of the first region is substantially greater than that of the second region. Then, a material layer is formed on the substrate. A first hard mask and a second hard mask are formed on the material layer. The first hard mask in the first region is removed to form a patterned first hard mask. The second hard mask in the third region is removed to form a patterned second hard mask. Lastly, the material layer is patterned by using the patterned second hard mask layer as a mask to form at least an opening in the third region only.
US09230811B2
Disclosed are an active layer ion implantation method and an active layer ion implantation method for thin-film transistor. The active layer ion implantation method comprises: applying a photoresist on the active layer; and implanting ions into the active layer through the photoresist.
US09230810B2
Systems and methods for substrate wafer back side and edge cross section seals. In accordance with a first method embodiment, a silicon wafer of a first conductivity type is accessed. An epitaxial layer of the first conductivity type is grown on a front surface of the silicon wafer. The epitaxial layer is implanted to form a region of an opposite conductivity type. The growing and implanting are repeated to form a vertical column of the opposite conductivity type. The wafer may also be implanted to form a region of the opposite conductivity type vertically aligned with the vertical column.
US09230805B2
A semiconductor device having favorable electric characteristics and a manufacturing method thereof are provided. A transistor includes an oxide semiconductor layer formed over an insulating layer, a source electrode layer and a drain electrode layer which overlap with part of the oxide semiconductor layer, a gate insulating layer in contact with part of the oxide semiconductor layer, and a gate electrode layer over the gate insulating layer. In the transistor, a buffer layer having n-type conductivity is formed between the source electrode layer and the oxide semiconductor layer and between the drain electrode layer and the oxide semiconductor layer. Thus, parasitic resistance is reduced, resulting in improvement of on-state characteristics of the transistor.
US09230799B2
A method for fabricating a semiconductor device including GaN (gallium nitride) that composes a semiconductor layer and includes forming a gate insulating film, in which at least one film selected from the group of a SiO2 film and an Al2O3 film is formed on a nitride layer containing GaN by using microwave plasma and the formed film is used as at least a part of the gate insulating film.
US09230792B2
The invention generally relates to ion generation using modified wetted porous materials. In certain aspects, the invention generally relates to systems and methods for ion generation using a wetted porous substrate that substantially prevents diffusion of sample into the substrate. In other aspects, the invention generally relate to ion generation using a wetted porous material and a drying agent. In other aspects, the invention generally relates to ion generation using a modified wetted porous substrate in which at least a portion of the porous substrate includes a material that modifies an interaction between a sample and the substrate.
US09230776B2
An ion irradiation apparatus is provided. The ion irradiation apparatus includes a support member, a measuring device, and a control device. The support member is larger than the substrate. The measuring device is disposed forwardly in a traveling direction of an ion beam. The ion irradiation apparatus operates in a first mode during which the measuring device is irradiated with a remaining part of the ion beam after being partially shielded by the support member, when the substrate is not irradiated with the ion beam after crossing the ion beam; and a second mode during which the measuring device is irradiated with the ion beam without being shielded by the support member, when the substrate is not irradiated with the ion beam after crossing the ion beam. The control device controls the substrate so that the ion treatment process is performed in the first mode at least one time during the treatment.
US09230772B2
Illustrative embodiments of the present invention are directed to devices and methods for ion generation. One such device includes a substrate. The substrate is disposed within a housing that is configured to contain a gas. The substrate includes an interior surface that at least partially defines an interior volume. The substrate also includes a number of channels with walls. Nano-tips are disposed on the walls of the channels.
US09230771B2
A method of forming a hermetically sealed electrodless lamp envelope includes: (1) forming an envelope blank; (2) depositing a gas and light generating expedient material in an interior of the envelope blank; (3) arranging a window on an open end of the envelope blank; and (4) using an ultra-short pulse laser system to locally heat the axial end of the envelope blank and the window to seal the window on the envelope blank without degrading the contents deposited in an interior of the envelope or damaging or cracking the envelope blank and/or window.
US09230768B2
A trip unit is provided for a circuit breaker that includes electrical contacts, a trip mechanism, a bimetallic strip, and an armature. The trip unit includes a first trip bar coupled to the trip mechanism and disposed about a pivot point, and a second trip bar coupled to the first trip bar and disposed about the pivot point. In a first operating condition, the first trip bar rotates about the pivot point substantially independently of the second trip bar, and activates the trip mechanism to open the electrical contacts. In a second operating condition, the second trip bar rotates about the pivot point, causing the first trip bar to rotate about the pivot point and activate the trip mechanism to open the electrical contacts. Numerous other aspects are provided.
US09230765B2
A mating connector assembly for electrically coupling modular electrical devices. A first stationary connector is coupled to a first rigid circuit board positioned within a first housing of a first modular electrical device. The first floating connector is coupled to a flexible circuit element positioned within a second housing of a second modular electrical device, the flexible circuit element coupled to a circuit board positioned within a second housing of a second modular electrical device. The second housing includes a first latch plate adjustable between an unlatched position and a latched position, the first latch plate including a biasing member, such that, when the first modular electronic device is pressed together with the second modular electronic device, the biasing member applies a force to the first floating connector during a latch plate transition position to ensure that the first floating connector has fully mated with the first stationary connector.
US09230762B2
Disclosed is a memory device in which the state of the memory may be set by a mechanical action, with or without mains power present. The memory state may be detected by a microcontroller. The state for the memory device may be reset by a microcontroller. The microcontroller may be external to an apparatus containing the memory device, adjacent to or within the apparatus.
US09230756B2
A circuit breaker handle actuation device used in conjunction with a circuit breaker having a circuit breaker handle and an external handle located on an electrical enclosure. The device includes a stationary frame having first and second horizontal supports. The device also includes a rotatable frame having first and second horizontal elements which extend from first and second vertical elements, respectively. The first and second vertical elements are rotatably attached to the first and second horizontal supports. In addition, an opening for receiving the circuit breaker handle is located between the first and second vertical elements. Further, the device includes a rotatable bracket having first and second vertical arms which are rotatably attached to the first and second horizontal elements, respectively, wherein the rotatable bracket is connected to the external handle. Movement of the external handle between ON, OFF and RESET/PARK positions causes corresponding movement of the circuit breaker handle.
US09230755B2
A switch assembly for an electronic device comprises a switch mount and a keycap. The switch mount has a slide switch with a slide switch base and a slide switch actuator. The keycap is positionable for slidable movement relative to the switch mount and is coupleable to the slide switch actuator. The keycap has an exposed portion slidable by a user between at least a first position and a second position to execute a first control function. The keycap is depressible in at least one of the first and second positions to execute a second control function.
US09230743B2
Banks, as well as a plurality of substantially recess-shaped cells defined by the banks, are provided in an image section formed in a gravure printing plate. Each of edge cells located along an outer edge of the image section is provided with a projecting portion that projects from a part of a base surface of that edge cell, and each projecting portion is distanced from the banks and located closer to the outer edge than the center of the corresponding edge cell. Preferably, the projecting portions and the banks that face the outer edge are positioned at a predetermined interval from the outer edge, and substantially frame-shaped recess portions that extend continuously along the outer edge are provided in the image section.
US09230737B2
Disclosed are a conductive paste for an inner electrode and a multilayer ceramic electronic component having the same. There is provided a conductive paste for an inner electrode, including: a conductive metal powder for manufacturing the inner electrode for multilayer ceramic electronic component; an organic binder including at least one selected from a group consisting of acryl-based resin, butyral-based resin, and a cellulose-based resin to disperse the conductive metal powder; and a solvent including eucalyptol.
US09230731B2
A three-phase current limiter (30) for an alternating current system includes an AC magnetic circuit having at least one AC coil (35R1, 35S1, 35T1) for each phase of a 3-phase AC supply wound on a saturable ferromagnetic core and configured to subject respective AC coils for each phase to a common magnetic flux, and a DC magnetic circuit (34a, 34b) for biasing the AC magnetic circuit into saturation at normal conditions. In use the AC coils are connected in series with a load and during alternate half cycles of the AC supply at least one of the AC coils produces a magnetic field that opposes a magnetic field of the DC magnetic circuit. The AC coils (35R, 35S, 35T) for each phase are configured so that at least one of the AC coils exhibits unbalanced magnetic impedance relative to remaining ones of the AC coils for each phase.
US09230715B2
A flat cable includes at least two conductors offset from and in parallel with one another, and an insulating covering disposed over a periphery of the conductors. The insulating covering includes a vinyl chloride-based resin composition with a brittle temperature from −40° Celsius to −25° Celsius, a hardness D from 35 to 55, and heating deformation of 10% or below. The vinyl chloride-based resin composition substantially contains only vinyl chloride homopolymer as the resin component.
US09230707B2
Provided is a production method for a transparent conductive film wherein: a substrate has formed thereon a transparent conductive oxide, a conductive metal body, and a conductive polymer comprised in a transparent composite conductive layer; or else a substrate has formed thereon a transparent conductive oxide layer; a conductive metal body layer, and a conductive polymer layer comprised in a transparent composite conductive layer; or a substrate has formed thereon a transparent conductive oxide layer, and also a conductive metal body and a conductive polymer comprised in an organic-inorganic hybrid layer in a transparent composite conductive layer. Also provided is a transparent conductive film produced by means of the method.
US09230697B2
A steam generator for a nuclear reactor comprises plenums proximate with a first plane, wherein the first plane intersects a bottom portion of a riser column of a reactor vessel. The steam generator may further comprise plenums proximate with a second plane, approximately parallel with the first plane, wherein the second plane intersects a top portion of the riser column of the reactor vessel. The steam generator may further include a plurality of steam generator tubes that convey coolant from a plenum located proximate with the first plane to one of the plenums proximate with the second plane.
US09230694B2
An object of the present invention is to efficiently improve uniformity of energy lines to be irradiated. A method of determining nuclear fusion irradiation coordinates according to the present invention is a method of calculating irradiation coordinates when energy lines are irradiated onto a nuclear fusion target, and comprises an initial arrangement step S202 of virtually arranging electric charges Qi at initial coordinates of the number of irradiation coordinates NB on a spherical surface S0 set by using random numbers, a coordinate analysis step S203 of analyzing coordinates ri of the electric charges Qi in time series based on coulomb forces acting among the electric charges Qi by constraining the coordinates ri onto the spherical surface S0, potential evaluation steps S205 and S206 of determining a timing at which potential energies of the electric charges Qi were stabilized based on the coordinates ri, and an irradiation coordinate deriving step S207 of deriving coordinates ri at the timing at which potential energies were stabilized as irradiation coordinates of energy lines in a case where a nuclear fusion target is arranged at the center of the spherical surface S0.
US09230689B2
In non-volatile memory devices, the accessing of data on word line can degrade the data quality on a neighboring word line, in what is called a read disturb. Techniques are presented for determining word lines likely to suffer read disturbs by use of a hash tree for tracking the number of reads. Read counters are maintained for memory units at a relatively coarse granularity, such as a die or block. When the counter for one of these units reaches a certain level, it is subdivided into sub-units, each with their own read counter, in a process that be repeated to determine frequently read word lines with a fine level of granularity while only using a relatively modest amount of RAM on the controller to store the counters.
US09230683B2
An error of stored data is detected with high accuracy. Data (e.g., a remainder in a CRC) used for detecting an error is stored in a memory in which an error is unlikely to occur. Specifically, the following semiconductor device is used: a memory element including a plurality of transistors, a capacitor, and a data storage portion is provided in a matrix; the data storage portion includes one of a source and a drain of one of the plurality of transistors, a gate of another one of the plurality of transistors, and one electrode of the capacitor; a semiconductor layer including a channel of the transistor, the one of the source and the drain of which is connected to the data storage portion, has a band gap of 2.8 eV or more, or 3.2 eV or more; and the data storage portion stores data for detecting an error.
US09230672B2
A method includes storing data in an analog memory cell by writing an analog value into the memory cell. After storing the data, the data stored in the memory cell is read by discharging electrical current to flow through the memory cell, during a predefined time interval, while applying a variable voltage to a gate of the memory cell. A fraction of the predefined time interval, during which the variable voltage allows the electrical current to flow through the memory cell, is estimated. The stored data is estimated based on the estimated fraction.
US09230667B2
A semiconductor device includes a memory block including memory cells for storing program data and one or more flag cells for storing erase state information, an operation circuit suitable for performing a program operation, an erase operation, and a read operation on the memory cells and the flag cell, and a data conversion circuit suitable for encoding read data read from the memory cells based on the erase state information.
US09230665B2
A control circuit provides an at least partially negative threshold voltage distribution to a memory cell, thereby erasing retained data of the memory cell, and provides multiple levels of positive threshold voltage distributions thereto, thereby programming multiple levels of data to the memory cell. The control circuit, when executing a program operation to the memory cell, executes a first program operation that provides the multiple levels of positive threshold voltage distributions to a first memory cell which is a memory cell subject to program, and executes a second program operation that provides a positive threshold voltage distribution, to a second memory cell adjacent to the first memory cell, irrespective of (regardless of) whether data to be programmed to the second memory cell is (already) present in the second memory cell or not.
US09230663B1
Techniques are provided for reducing the effects of short-term charge loss while programming charge-trapping memory cells. Short-term charge loss can result in a downshift and widening of a threshold voltage distribution. A programming operation includes a rough programming pass in which memory cells are programmed close to a final threshold voltage distribution, for each target data state. Subsequently, a negative voltage is applied to control gates of the memory cells. Subsequently, a final programming pass is performed in which the memory cells are programmed to the final threshold voltage distribution. Since the negative voltage accelerates charge loss, there is reduced charge loss after the final programming pass. The rough programming pass can use incremental step pulse programming for the lowest target data state to obtain information regarding programming speed. An initial program voltage in the final programming pass can be set based on the programming speed.
US09230657B2
A memory device includes a memory cell array including a plurality of memory cells, a common source line to which sources of the plurality of memory cells are commonly connected, and a second electrical connection path further connecting the common source line to a ground voltage using erase-mode memory cells when the common source line forms a first electrical connection path and is connected to the ground voltage.
US09230649B2
The 4T2R cell comprises a write transistor, a first variable resistive element, a first transistor, a second variable resistive element, a second transistor, and a charge control transistor. The first transistor is electrically coupled to the first variable resistive element in series, and the second transistor is electrically coupled to the second variable resistive element in series, for providing search paths. For operating in a search phase, a pulse voltage is applied across the gate electrode and the source electrode of the first transistor (or across the gate electrode and the source electrode of the second transistor) for determining whether the gate voltage of the charge control transistor changes larger than a match threshold during the period of the pulse. Different RC-delay of the variable resistive elements controlling the voltage change speed of the gate voltage of the charge control transistor determines the matching result.
US09230647B2
An integrated circuit device includes an array of RRAM cells, an array of bit lines for the array of RRAM cells, and an array of source lines for the array of RRAM cells. Both the source lines and the bit lines are in metal interconnect layers above the RRAM cells. The source line are thereby provided with a higher than conventional wire size, which increases the reset speed by approximately one order of magnitude. The lifetime of the RRAM transistors and the durability of the RRAM device are consequentially improved to a similar degree.
US09230634B2
A memory refresh control technique allows flexible internal refresh rates based on an external 1× refresh rate and allows skipping a refresh cycle for strong memory rows based on the external 1× refresh rate. A memory controller performs a memory refresh by reading a refresh address from a refresh address counter, reading a weak address from a weak address table and generating a next weak address value based at least in part on a next bit sequence combined with the weak address. The memory controller compares the refresh address to the weak address and to the next weak address value. Based on the comparison, the memory controller selects between skipping a refresh cycle, refreshing the refresh address, refreshing the weak address, and refreshing both the refresh address and the weak address.
US09230633B2
In some examples, a memory device is configured to receive a precharge command and an activate command. The memory device performs a first series of events related to the precharge command in response to receiving the precharge command and a second series of events related to the activate command in response to receiving the activate command. The memory device delays the start of the second series of events until the first series of events completes.
US09230617B2
In one embodiment, an integrated programmable device has a plurality of current sense amplifiers for reading data from non-volatile memory and a reference generator that provides common bias reference voltages to the sense amplifiers. The sense amplifiers can read data from the non-volatile memory at low power supply voltage levels (e.g., 750 mV) relative to the nominal supply level (e.g., 1.2V). Each sense amplifier has a trans-impedance amplifier that converts a memory bit-line current into a voltage level indicative of whether a selected memory cell is programmed or erased. The trans-impedance amplifier has a current mirror with a high-threshold regeneration device that lowers the sense amplifier's range of operating voltages. Each sense amplifier also has a level-shifted inverter that further lowers the sense amplifier's operating voltage range. The reference generator generates a ground-referenced bias voltage that each sense amplifier or group of sense amplifiers converts into a local, supply-referenced bias voltage.
US09230616B2
Memory devices, memory device operational methods, and memory device implementation methods are described. According to one arrangement, a memory device includes memory circuitry configured to store data in a plurality of different data states, temperature sensor circuitry configured to sense a temperature of the memory device and to generate an initial temperature output which is indicative of the temperature of the memory device, and conversion circuitry coupled with the temperature sensor circuitry and configured to convert the initial temperature output into a converted temperature output which is indicative of the temperature of the memory device at a selected one of a plurality of possible different temperature resolutions, and wherein the converted temperature output is utilized by the memory circuitry to implement at least one operation with respect to storage of the data.
US09230614B2
Separate microchannel voltage domains in a stacked memory architecture An embodiment of a memory device includes a memory stack including one or more coupled memory dies, wherein a first memory die of the memory stack includes multiple microchannels, and a logic chip coupled with the memory stack, the logic chip including a memory controller. Each of the microchannels includes a separate voltage domain, and a voltage level is controlled for each of the plurality of microchannels.
US09230607B2
A mounting system can be used in a storage device or other electrical device to mount a component, such as a drive, while also providing at least some shock absorption. The mounting system can include a deflection arm, a protrusion and a hole. The protrusion and hole can be configured to engage one another. One of either the hole or the protrusion can be on the deflection arm and the other can be on the component being mounted. The mounting system can also include a locking tab configured to move to a position behind the deflection arm. The locking tab can decrease the amount of deflection that can be experienced by the deflection arm to prevent the component from becoming prematurely dislodged from the mounting system.
US09230603B2
Disclosed herein are a video apparatus including a screen-division searching function and a method of controlling the same, which are capable of solving problems caused in a process of reproducing and checking a recorded broadcasting program at a high speed. The method of controlling the video apparatus includes selecting specific video data stored in a memory, and dividing a full screen into a plurality of partial screens, dividing the selected specific video data into a plurality of portions, and respectively displaying the portions of the selected specific video data on the plurality of partial screens. Accordingly, it is possible check the whole contents of a specific broadcasting to—accurately program or a material recorded by a closed circuit television (CCTV) camera at a high speed.
US09230595B2
The error correction processing includes: data reproduction processing of reproducing recording data, constituted by a plurality of data units each made of a plurality of bits, from a recording medium sequentially; error correction processing of performing error correction in the row direction and error correction in the column direction at least once for an error correction code block that has the reproduced recording data arranged in the row direction over a plurality of rows; determination processing of determining whether uncorrectable data is left behind after execution of the error correction processing; and erasure correction processing of performing, when it is determined that uncorrectable data is left behind, column-direction error correction considering data constituting at least one row of the error correction code block as erasure data, even in cases where uncorrectable data in the error correction in the row direction is not left behind.
US09230591B2
In an optical disc library apparatus having a cartridge storing discs; a drive carrying out recording and playback with respect to the discs; and a robot carrying out disc movements between the aforementioned cartridge and the aforementioned drive; wherein: the periphery of a disc is point restrained in three places during disc movement.
US09230584B1
According to one embodiment, a position demodulation apparatus is provided which demodulates a first demodulated signal and a second demodulated signal, based on a servo-pattern read signal read out by a head from a medium, acquires a plurality of sets of a vector length and phase angle of vectors on a phase plane denoting the first and second demodulated signals, detects a phase angle for which the vector length is greatest based on the sets acquired, and executes rotational correction using the difference between the detected phase angle and a particular reference angle as a correction amount.
US09230576B1
Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to a magnetic head having a sensor stack and a bias material that is aligned in a direction perpendicular to a media facing surface. The sensor stack and a first portion of the bias material are laterally bookended by synthetic antiferromagnetic (SAF) structures, and a second portion of the bias material is laterally bookended by a dielectric material. In this configuration, the SAF structures are decoupled from the bias material, which minimizes the disturbance to the bias material.
US09230574B2
According to one embodiment, a CPP structure magnetoresistive head includes a magnetoresistive sensor film between a lower shield layer and an upper shield layer and a longitudinal biasing layer disposed at each side of the magnetoresistive sensor film via a read track width defining insulator film. In the stripe height direction, the length of the longitudinal biasing layer is longer than the length of a second ferromagnetic layer in which its magnetization rotates in response to the external magnetic field. The second ferromagnetic layer is one of the layers comprising the magnetoresistive sensor film. At a stripe height, the surface of each longitudinal biasing layer has a step to change the thickness thereof across the step so that the air bearing surface section thereof has a larger thickness than any other section. Other structures using a magnetoresistive head and methods of production thereof are described as well.
US09230570B1
A write head comprising a main pole having a pole tip proximate an air bearing surface (ABS), a leading side and a trailing side, with a leading yoke on the leading side of the main pole and a trailing yoke on the leading side of the main pole. The leading yoke has a greater thickness than the trailing yoke, with a ratio of the thickness of the leading yoke to the trailing yoke of at least 1.5:1.
US09230565B1
A magnetic shield for a magnetic recording head includes a plurality of ferromagnetic layers, a spacer layer, and a buffer layer, wherein the buffer layer includes Co, Fe, B, or a combination thereof and effectively reduces irregular grain growth within the ferromagnetic layers, the spacer layer includes Ru, and the ferromagnetic layers magnetically couple through each of the buffer layer and the spacer layer.
US09230561B2
A system and method of creating a customized multi-media message to a recipient is disclosed. The multi-media message is created by a sender and contains an animated entity that delivers an audible message. The sender chooses the animated entity from a plurality of animated entities. The system receives a text message from the sender and receives a sender audio message associated with the text message. The sender audio message is associated with the chosen animated entity to create the multi-media message. The multi-media message is delivered by the animated entity using as the voice the sender audio message wherein the mouth movements of the animated entity conform to the sender audio message.
US09230558B2
A signal manipulator for manipulating an audio signal having a transient event may have a transient remover, a signal processor and a signal inserter for inserting a time portion in a processed audio signal at a signal location where the transient event was removed before processing by the transient remover, so that a manipulated audio signal has a transient event not influenced by the processing, whereby the vertical coherence of the transient event is maintained instead of any processing performed in the signal processor, which would destroy the vertical coherence of a transient.
US09230552B2
A system for the playback of content files includes a memory storing a content file including a plurality of stems, each stem encoding a portion of the audio of a sound recording, multiple stems in the plurality of stems representing different portions of the sound recording for the same time period, the content file also including a set of instructions controlling playback of the stems. A decoder is configured to decode the stems according to the set of instructions to create an audio output signal.
US09230544B2
The present invention relates to a spoken dialog system and method based on dual dialog management using a hierarchical dialog task library that may increase reutilization of dialog knowledge by constructing and packaging the dialog knowledge based on a task unit having a hierarchical structure, and may construct and process the dialog knowledge using a dialog plan scheme about relationship therebetween by classifying the dialog knowledge based on a task unit to make design of a dialog service convenient, which is different from an existing spoken dialog system in which it is difficult to reuse dialog knowledge since a large amount of construction costs and time is required.
US09230523B1
A cymbal mounting assembly that has a housing with a through hole. A mounting rod of a cymbal stand is to be conducted through the through hole with therebeing a loose fit between the mounting rod and the housing. A cymbal is loosely mounted on the housing so it can freely pivot or rock. The assembly includes a tightening nut with a friction feature included to adjust the amount of clamping force being applied to the cymbal. This friction feature prevents unauthorized adjusting of the rocking or pivoting motion (action) of the cymbal and this preselected amount of action by the drummer is maintained even when the cymbal is placed in storage when the drummer moves to another playing location and is only changed when the drummer decides to do so. The assembly may also include a centering clip within the through that prevents the housing from contacting the mounting rod in the area of the upper portion of the assembly.
US09230522B1
A hitting device for cajon includes a base having a cajon hitting assembly, a shaft, and a driving portion assembled thereon. When the treading portion is treaded, the first end of the bar member is pivoted about the pivoting portion, so that the bar member drives the driving member to move longitudinally and the arm drives the shaft to rotate along a direction where the cajon hitter moves forward the hitting surface of the cajon.
US09230516B2
According to an aspect, an information display device includes a display unit, a visual line detector, and a control unit. The display unit displays information in a scroll region, which is provided in at least a part of a screen of the display unit, while scrolling the information. The visual line detector detects a visual line position of an operator with respect to the scroll region. The control unit controls a scroll speed, at which the information is scrolled in the scroll region, based on the visual line position detected by the visual line detector.
US09230513B2
An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for cooperatively presenting multiple media signals via multiple presentation devices. Disclosed are apparatuses, systems and methods that integrate portions of multiple media signals and cooperatively present the portions via multiple media output devices.
US09230509B2
To be able to do good color mapping between color encodings for gamuts with considerably different luminance dynamic range while not introducing significant color errors, we describe an image color processing apparatus (201) arranged to transform an input color (L,x,y) of a pixel specified in a color representation corresponding to a first luminance dynamic range into an output color (L*,x,y) of a pixel specified in a color representation corresponding to a second luminance dynamic range, which first and second dynamic ranges differ in extent by at least a multiplicative factor 1.5, comprising a tone mapping deformation unit (203) arranged to determine on the basis of an input tone mapping (301) and a quantity linearly related to the luminance (L) of the input color, an adjusted output luminance (L*, 309), wherein the determining is arranged so that the adjusted output luminance (L*, 309) obtained by applying the input tone mapping to the input luminance (L) of all possible input luminances in its extent of valid values [0,1] giving the highest output (L*,L_HDR), is not higher than a maximum luminance Lmax(x,y) which for the chromatic coordinates (x,y) of the input color is maximally achievable in the gamut corresponding to the second luminance dynamic range for those chromatic coordinates (x,y).
US09230506B2
A method is provided for compensating for brightness change in a display. The method includes storing a plurality of look-up tables (LUTs), where each table has a plurality of pixel levels at a variable refresh rate (VRR) and a plurality of brightness signals that provide compensation for the brightness change when refresh rate is changed during a panel self-refresh (PSR). The method also includes receiving an input signal from a graphics processing unit (GPU) and determining the VRR of the input signal from the GPU. The method further includes obtaining the LUT at the determined VRR of the input signal and adjusting the input signal to produce an output signal that compensates for the brightness change for each pixel or sub-pixel in a timing controller based upon the LUT at the determined VRR. The method further includes transmitting the output signal to the display. A system is also provided.
US09230496B2
This display device has a demultiplexer (501) formed on a liquid crystal panel, the demultiplexer including three switching elements SW1 to SW3 for time-division drive, which are connected to video signal lines SL1 to SL3. Here, the number of switching control signal lines for transmitting switching control signals GS1 to GS6 to be provided to switching elements coupled to the video signal lines is six, which is twice the number of time divisions, and switching control signals (e.g., GS1 and GS4) with the same timing are individually transmitted by two switching control signal lines, so that the number of switching elements to be coupled to the switching control signal lines as loads can be halved, resulting in reduced waveform rounding of the control signals.
US09230495B2
A self-detection charge sharing module for a liquid crystal display device is disclosed. The self-detection charge sharing module includes at least one detecting unit, for detecting a plurality of input voltages of a plurality of operational amplifiers driving a plurality of data line sand a plurality of output voltage of the plurality of data line, to generate at least one detecting result, and at least one charge sharing unit, for conducting connection between at least one first data line and at least one second data line among the plurality of data line when the at least one detecting result indicates at least one corresponding first input voltage and at least one corresponding second input voltage among the plurality of input voltage have opposite voltage variation direction and vary toward each other. The at least one first input voltage and the at least one second input voltage maintain respective polarities.
US09230493B2
A driver circuit of a liquid crystal display (LCD) device includes a drive line driving a lightbar of the LCD device. A discharge module and a switch module are in series connection between the drive line and a ground end of the LCD device driver circuit in sequence; a starting signal sent by the LCD device is coupled to the switch module. When the starting signal is an OFF signal, the switch module is turned on, and when the starting signal is an ON signal, the switch module is turned off.
US09230490B2
A light emitting diode (LED) backlight driver circuit includes an LED lightbar and a driver module of the LED lightbar. The driver module includes a backlight driver integrated chip (IC) regulating an output voltage of the driver module, and the backlight driver IC includes a first comparator correcting the output voltage of the driver module. The output end of each LED lightbar is coupled to an inverting input end of the first comparator, and a non-inverting input end of the first comparator is coupled to a protection module. The protection module includes a detection unit detecting an output current of the driver module. When the output current of the driver module detected by the detection unit is greater than a preset first current, the protection module outputs a first reference voltage to the non-inverting input end of the first comparator. When the output current of the driver module detected by the detection unit is lower than the preset first current, the protection module outputs a second reference voltage, which is lower than the first reference voltage, to the non-inverting input end of the first comparator.
US09230487B2
A display device that can adjust brightness of each of a plurality of regions of an image by performing local dimming executes local dimming in a case of displaying a multi-color image (color image), and does not execute local dimming in a case of displaying a grayscale image. Moreover, in a case of displaying a mixed image of a multi-color image and a grayscale image, the display device does not execute local dimming in regions including a grayscale image among a plurality of regions of an image. Displaying a multi-color image at high contrast and displaying a grayscale image at high tone reproduction are both achieved.
US09230473B2
A head-mounted display (HMD) device is provided with reduced motion blur by reducing row duty cycle for an organic light-emitting diode (LED) panel as a function of a detected movement of a user's head. Further, a panel duty cycle of the panel is increased in concert with the decrease in the row duty cycle to maintain a constant brightness. The technique is applicable, e.g., to scenarios in which an augmented reality image is displayed in a specific location in world coordinates. A sensor such as an accelerometer or gyroscope can be used to obtain an angular velocity of a user's head. The angular velocity indicates a number of pixels subtended in a frame period according to an angular resolution of the LED panel. The duty cycles can be set, e.g., once per frame, based on the angular velocity or the number of pixels subtended in a frame period.
US09230472B2
An organic light emitting display includes a display panel including pixels, a degradation sensing circuit which senses a threshold voltage of organic light emitting diodes included in the pixels and calculates an average degradation value defined by an average luminance value due to the degradation based on the sensed threshold voltage, a compensation target adjustor which adjusts a compensation target based on the average degradation value, each time the average degradation value is reduced by a previously determined reference value, and a data modulator which adds and subtracts a luminance compensation value determined depending on the adjusted compensation target to and from digital video data and modulates the digital video data.
US09230453B2
Imaging, attribution, and 3D modeling of utility pipelines and other assets is accomplished through the processing of terrestrial photogrammetric, aerial photogrammetric, and/or 3D LiDAR scanning measurements, all of which may be augmented by an Inertial Measurement Unit. These measurements are spatially controlled by photo-identifiable targets whose positions are established by real-time or post-processed GPS measurements which, in turn, determine the relative and absolute positions of the resulting 3D model. The necessary attribute information is available the moment an optically readable code is affixed to the asset. All proposed data collection methods provide imagery and point clouds systematically. It is therefore possible to read the attributes encoded in the optically readable code directly from the imagery or point cloud. Both the attributes of the feature and the position of the encoded attributes on the feature are captured. The information unique to each joint of pipe is attached to that joint positionally.
US09230449B2
A system for training welders that includes a data generating component, a data capturing component and a data processing and visualization component. The data generating component operates in real time and derives data from an actual manually-executed weld and further includes a weld process-specific jig, a calibration block positioned on the jig, wherein the geometric configuration of the calibration block is specific to a particular type of weld joint, a weld coupon positioned on the welding process-specific jig adjacent to the calibration block, a welding gun for use by a trainee, wherein the welding gun is operative to form the weld; and at least one target mounted on the welding gun that is recognized by the data processing and visualization component for providing multidimensional position and orientation feedback to the trainee.
US09230446B1
A method and apparatus comprising an aircraft, a network interface, a display system, a sensor system, and a computer system. The network interface, the display system, the sensor system, and the computer system are associated with the aircraft. The network interface is configured to exchange data using a wireless communications link. The computer system is configured to run a number of processes to receive simulation data received through the network interface over the wireless communications link. The computer system is configured to generate simulation sensor data using the simulation data. The computer system is configured to receive live sensor data from the sensor system associated with the aircraft. The computer system is also configured to present the simulation sensor data with the live sensor data on the display system.
US09230436B2
In one embodiment, road segments are aggregated for DLR. A plurality of connected road segments and corresponding traffic information for each of the connected road segments are identified. A processor aggregates the connected road segments into a fewer number of dynamic location reference (DLR) segments than the plurality. By testing different possible combinations, road segments with similar congestion are grouped. The processor calculates a traffic value for each of the DLR segments. Each traffic value is a function of the traffic information for the connected road segments of the respective DLR segment. An indicator of the aggregated DLR segment and the traffic value for at least one of the DLR segments is output.
US09230434B2
Provided are a server and a system that are capable of generating road traffic information on traffic congestion in a more appropriate manner, considering actual road traffic conditions. If a vehicle speed V falls below a first reference speed V1 and then exceeds a second reference speed V2 (>V1), then a traffic congestion situation is estimated based on an inference that the vehicle is highly likely to have escaped from traffic congestion. To estimate a traffic congestion situation, it is required that a situation in which the vehicle speed V exceeds the second reference speed V2 continue for a second specified distance or more or for a second specified time T2 or more.
US09230430B2
A wearable device is disclosed that, while being worn by a user, may allow a user to authenticate to a second device such as a smartphone without having to enter an unlock code such as a personal identification number. The wearable device may detect when the user removes it. Removal of the wearable device may cause it to be disabled and prevent it from being used to authenticate a subsequent user to the second device until it is re-enabled.
US09230423B2
A drinking reminder method is implemented by an electronic apparatus. The apparatus includes a scale pan, a weight sensor, an analog/digital (A/D) converter, a display screen and a keypad. The keypad includes a power key, a reset key and a switching key. The weight sensor senses an analog pressure signal when a cup filled with water is placed on the scale pan, and the A/D converter converts the analog pressure signal to a digital weight signal. A total weight of the cup filled with water is measured according to the digital weight signal, and a cumulative water intake volume and a water shortage volume of a user. The display screen displays the cumulative water intake volume and the water shortage volume to remind the user to drink water.
US09230421B2
A hospital monitoring system for monitoring hospital personnel, a plurality of patient locations for patients, and associated devices is configured to control the associated devices based on the presence of hospital personnel or alarms.
US09230418B2
A portable device includes a case having wall portions, a battery arranged within the case, and a polymer membrane arranged between at least one of the wall portions and the battery. The polymer membrane couples the battery to the at least one of the wall portions. The polymer membrane has a property of elastically changing at least one of the thickness and the length in a planar direction by being deformed in response to voltage application and restoring its original shape in response to the stoppage of the voltage application. The battery is caused to reciprocate by applying a voltage that changes periodically to the polymer membrane.
US09230416B2
Communication devices are disclosed. In an example embodiment, a communication device may include a communication module including an illumination source and a body element. The body element may be configured to allow illumination generated by the illumination source to propagate within and illuminate at least a portion of an outer surface of the body element.
US09230406B2
The player makes a wager to not only play the game but also to determine the total number of possible replacement cards that will be dealt. After dealing of the original cards, the player selects cards in the hand to hold and discard. The player is then dealt replacement cards and the number of cards dealt corresponds to the amount of the wager. If the player wagers more, then the player receives more cards, which in turn results in the player having more cards per card position. The player has the option of using any one of the one or more replacement cards dealt to each card position, to form a best hand from all the possible combinations of the cards such that replacement cards dealt to a particular card position can only be used in the card position to which the card was dealt.
US09230402B2
A progressive jackpot system includes a progressive jackpot system controller, and a plurality of gaming machines coupled to the progressive jackpot system controller and participating in a progressive jackpot game in which a progressive jackpot is awarded in response to a triggering event at one of the gaming machines. A method of operating the progressive jackpot system includes maintaining data in the progressive jackpot system controller representing a composite progressive jackpot pool comprising a predetermined base component, and an incremental component funded by a portion of wagers made at the gaming machines. A message is sent from the gaming machine to the progressive jackpot system controller in response to the occurrence of a triggering event on the gaming machine. The message indicates that the triggering event has occurred and includes data representing a desired proportion of the progressive jackpot pool to award to the player. The progressive jackpot system controller calculates a composite progressive jackpot award for the player based on the desired progressive jackpot proportion. The composite progressive jackpot award comprises a first component funded from the predetermined base component of the progressive jackpot poll, and a second component funded from the incremental component of the progressive jackpot pool. A message is sent from the progressive jackpot system controller to the gaming machine indicating the amount of the progressive jackpot award for the player. The progressive jackpot system controller replenishes the base component of the progressive jackpot pool to the predetermined amount.
US09230400B2
A gaming system includes an input device, a display device, a processor, and a memory device. The memory device stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the gaming system to receive a wager for playing a wagering game having an overall volatility. A plurality of volatility components are displayed on the display device, the volatility components having respective component ratings. Each component rating contributes to a total rating of the overall volatility. The wagering game is selected from a plurality of wagering games, each of the plurality of wagering games having (a) the same total rating and (b) at least one different component rating.
US09230397B2
A slot game includes a secondary game which upon being triggered displays an initial set of selectable symbols arranged on a touchscreen display at the gaming device, the player being provided ability to make selections from the selectable symbols until all selectable symbols have been selected, each selectable symbol corresponding to an associated benefit which is one of an award, an award enhancer, or one or more additional selectable symbols. If an option is picked revealing additional selectable symbols, the game adds more picks having associated benefit like those of the initial set and the player keeps selecting. The game may also have a “game pick” in which it removes one or more of the remaining unselected choices without awarding an associated benefit.
US09230395B2
Various techniques are described for controlling a wager-based game played at a gaming system. In one embodiment the gaming system may include a gesture input interface device operable to detect movements gestures associated with one or more persons, and a gesture interpretation component operable to identify selected movements or gestures detected by the gesture input interface device. In one embodiment, the gesture interpretation component may also be operable to generate gesture interpretation information relating to interpretation of the selected movements or gestures. In one embodiment, the gaming system may be operable to automatically detect a gesture by a player participating in a game session at the gaming system; interpret the gesture with respect to a set of criteria; generate gesture interpretation information relating to the interpretation of the gesture; and advance a state of the game session using at least a portion of the gesture interpretation information.
US09230388B2
A holder assembly is provided for safely storing a package of disposable wipes and securely mounting the package of wipes to a wall or table. In one embodiment, the holder assembly has a front wall, a rear wall, and two side walls extending from a base and thereby forming a cavity for receiving the package of disposable wipes. The front wall has a guide channel for slidably receiving a lid assembly connected to the package of wipes. The base of the holder has a plurality of openings for receiving fasteners, such as button head screws or suction cups, for securing the holder to a wall or table. A rear surface of the guide channel has a plurality of ovaloid protrusions configured to engage a tab on the lid and thereby secure the lid to the holder.
US09230382B2
The present invention relates to the automated processing of documents and, more specifically, to methods and systems for aligning, capturing and processing document images using mobile and desktop devices. In accordance with various embodiments, methods and systems for document image alignment, capture, transmission, and verification are provided such that accurate data capture is optimized. These methods and systems may comprise capturing an image on a mobile or stationary device, analyzing images using iterative and weighting procedures, locating the edges or corners of the document, providing geometric correction of document images, converting the color image into a black and white image, transmitting images to a server, and testing the accuracy of the images captured and transmitted.
US09230373B2
A method and apparatus are provided wherein the method includes the steps of a downstream controller of a security system advertising a service type of the downstream controller on a sub-network, a gateway controller of the security system detecting the advertisement and authenticating the downstream controller as being part of a group that also includes the gateway controller, the gateway controller sending a connection request to the downstream controller, the gateway and downstream controllers establishing an L4 connection based upon the connection request, and the gateway and downstream controllers establishing a L5 session channel through the L4 connection.
US09230371B2
A fault diagnostic system of a vehicle includes an error module, a proportional integral (PI) module, and a fault module. The error module determines an error based on a difference between a sample of a signal generated by an exhaust gas oxygen sensor and a target value of the sample. The PI module determines a proportional correction based on the error, determines an integral correction based on the error, and determines a fueling correction based on the proportional and integral corrections. The fault module selectively diagnoses a fault based on the integral correction and the fueling correction.
US09230370B2
A method for determining a status of at least one machine includes the following steps: a processing unit is utilized to receive and record spindle load values of the spindle in a period of time to generate a spindle load record of the spindle, and to determine if a preset condition is matched according to the spindle load record. When the preset condition is matched, the processing unit is utilized to determine a present category corresponding to the spindle load record of the spindle, and to obtain parameter-to-be-collected information corresponding to the present category. The processing unit is utilized to obtain at least one value of at least one collected parameter of the at least one machine according to the parameter-to-be-collected information corresponding to the present category, and to determine a status of the at least one machine according to the obtained value of the at least one collected parameter.
US09230365B2
The present invention relates to navigating in a geographic information system. In an embodiment, a method tours geographic information in a geographic information system. A set of actions for a tour is received. Each action includes a tour time. A tour time of at least one of the actions is defined by a user. Each action in the set of actions is executed to tour geographic information in the geographic information system.
US09230361B2
An antialiasing image generation apparatus includes a distribution information acquisition unit configured to acquire distribution information that indicates the distribution of a plurality of Z values, a polygon data expansion unit configured to expand polygon data into display coordinates, a representative point pixel data generation unit configured to generate pixel data including a Z value at a representative point, an antialiasing technique selection unit configured to select an antialiasing technique using the Z value included in the pixel data and the distribution information, and an antialiasing processing unit configured to generate a graphics image by performing antialiasing processing on the pixel according to the selected antialiasing technique.
US09230358B2
A method, system and computer program product receive a set of objects for connection, create a moving object within the set of objects, display visual connection cues on objects in the set of objects, adjust the visual connection cues of the moving object and a target object in the set of objects, identify event propagation precedence, and connect the moving object with the target object.
US09230355B1
A method at an electronic device with a display and an input device includes: selecting an image; selecting an interactive filter; generating interactive filter data associated with the image and corresponding to the selected interactive filter; displaying a first representation of the image in accordance with the interactive filter data; receiving a user input; and in accordance with the user input and the interactive filter data, displaying a second representation of the image.
US09230351B2
Implementing multi-view visualizations in a computing environment. A method includes accessing a directed acyclic graph defining a data flow. The directed acyclic graph includes one or more data source nodes. The acyclic graph has a first visualization node connected to one of the data source nodes of the directed acyclic graph. The acyclic graph has a second visualization node connected to one of the data source nodes of the directed acyclic graph. The method further includes detecting user interaction with a visualization element of the first visualization node. The method further includes propagating the user interaction with the visualization element to the data source node to which the first visualization node is connected. The method further includes propagating the user interaction with the visualization element from the data source node to which the first visualization node is connected to the second visualization node.
US09230348B2
The noise of a detection value acquired by an imaging system (30) can depend on the contributions of different components within a region of interest to be imaged, which has been traversed by radiation (4) causing the respective acquired detection value. This dependence is considered while iteratively reconstructing an image of the region of interest, wherein first component attenuation values, which correspond to elements of a first component within the region of interest, and second component attenuation values, which correspond to elements of a first component within the region of interest, are determined, wherein noise values are determined from the first component attenuation values and the second component attenuation values and wherein the noise values are used for updating the image. This consideration of the dependence of the noise of an acquired detection value on the different components improves the quality of the iteratively reconstructed image.
US09230343B2
An image processing apparatus including: a processor; and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to perform: acquiring target image data and template image data; specifying a partial image in a target image based on a result of detecting a face area; and compositing the specified partial image in a specific area in a template image, wherein, when a single face area is detected, a first partial image including the single face area and having a size determined based on a size of the single face area is specified, and, when a plurality of face areas are detected, a second partial image including at least one of the face areas, having a shape homothetic to the specific area and having a maximum size within the target image is specified.
US09230341B2
A system and method for compressed domain compression are provided for improving compression gains in an encoded image, such as a Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG)-encoded images, or encoded video, such as Motion Joint Photographic Experts Group (Motion JPEG)-encoded video, without fully decoding and re-encoding the compressed images or video.
US09230337B2
A method for processing an image of a surface of a tire under inspection is described. A three-dimensional digital image of the surface is captured and, for each point of the captured image, a grey-level value corresponding to an elevation is assigned to the point. Utilizing a first morphological operator that uses a rectangular key element, a closure-type first transformation of the image of the surface is carried out. Utilizing a second morphological operator that uses a rectangular key element, an opening-type second transformation of the surface is carried out. For each point of the image, a grey-level value equal to a minimum value between a grey-level value at that point obtained in a preceding step and a grey-level value at that point is assigned, so as to eliminate false measurement points.
US09230330B2
A three dimensional (3D) sensing method and an apparatus thereof are provided. The 3D sensing method includes the following steps. A resolution scaling process is performed on a first pending image and a second pending image so as to produce a first scaled image and a second scaled image. A full-scene 3D measurement is performed on the first and second scaled images so as to obtain a full-scene depth image. The full-scene depth image is analyzed to set a first region of interest (ROI) and a second ROI. A first ROI image and a second ROI image is obtained according to the first and second ROI. Then, a partial-scene 3D measurement is performed on the first and second ROI images accordingly, such that a partial-scene depth image is produced.
US09230324B2
A system, device and method for serializing and authorizing a single use imaging device are provided. In one embodiment, the invention provides a single use imaging device comprising a memory having a stored code that includes a unique serial identifier. In another embodiment, the invention provides a system for authorizing a single use imaging device comprising a single use imaging device with an image of a verification object that includes a serial identifier uniquely associated with the device, a control unit capable of electronically receiving the verification object image, a decoder capable of extracting a serial identifier from the verification object image, a database of authorized serial identifiers, and means for determining if the single use imaging device is authorized.
US09230322B2
According to some embodiments, an image processor includes an image acquirer, a first image generator, a point acquirer, a detector, a calculator and a determiner. The detector detects a second plurality of points in the first perspective images or the second perspective images corresponding to the first plurality of points. The calculator calculates, based on at least the first plurality of points and the second plurality of points, a difference in position of the target between when the first perspective images were captured and when the second perspective images were generated. The determiner determines whether or not the difference is in a range. If the difference is not in the range, then the first image generator generates updated ones of the second perspective images from an updated one of the volume data, which is different by the difference from a previous one of the volume data.
US09230313B2
Provided is a feature extraction that extracts a feature that represents a characteristic of a subject, the feature being extracted from an image that has imaged the subject, the feature being extracted without relation to the shape of the subject. The feature extraction extracts the feature from the image of the subject, the subject having been imaged by an imaging means.
US09230311B2
Methods of imaging a breast comprising acquiring a sequence of image data sets having differing exposure parameters; and combining the image data sets into a mammography image having greater dynamic range than the dynamic range of any single component image data set. Disclosed methods may further comprise determining an exposure parameter of one or more component image data sets prior to acquiring the sequence of image data sets. The step of determining an exposure parameter of one or more component image data sets may comprise determining exposure duration or an exposure irradiation level. Also disclosed are mammography apparatus and systems to obtain images according to the disclosed methods.
US09230309B2
The image processing apparatus inpaints a part of an image displayed on the display unit. The control unit determines a removal patch including a removal region and a first non-removal region that is a region that does not include the removal region in the image, and replace pixel values of pixels included in the removal region with pixel values of pixels outside the removal patch. The control unit calculates a distance from the removal region for pixels included in the first non-removal region, blends pixel values of the pixels included in at least a portion of the first non-removal region with the pixel values of the pixels outside the removal patch based on the calculated distance to obtain blended pixel values, and replaces the pixel values of the pixels included in the at least a portion of the first non-removal region with the blended pixel values.
US09230290B2
Communicating with verified data includes receiving a request with a first device where the request is addressed to a register within the first device and sending a response with the first device to a second device where the response includes an address of the register.
US09230270B2
Presented is a method of displaying a web page advertisement on a computing device. A web page advertisement is segregated from content on the web page during a web browsing session. The web page advertisement is then cached on the computing device for display at a time later to the web browsing session.
US09230267B2
Systems and methods for allocating cells within a virtual grid to content providers according to various priority and selection schemes are used to target content delivery to information playback devices in a geographically and/or application selective manner. The priority schemes, geographical selectivity, and application selectivity of the system and methods of the invention allow a content provider to specifically target a desired demographic with high cost efficiency and flexibility.
US09230263B2
The present invention is a system, data access management utility and a method of generating links between local merchants and community programs, whereby the merchant may provide incentives to customers in relation to community programs. The present invention may track community programs, as well as both online and offline customer transactions between participants that make use of the incentive. The present invention may include as participants, customers, merchants, community organizations, intermediaries, and other groups or individuals. Participants may have participant identifiers, which may be linked to a payment source. Data may be collected about all participants, either expressly, or from offline or online transactions between participants utilizing a participant identifier, and said data may be stored in a data storage area. All data in the data storage area may be utilized by logic tool, which may provide information, such as details of consumer behaviour and analytic reporting. Matches between transactions and members and/or member activities may be identified by the system, and a level of certainty that the match is accurate may be determined.
US09230256B2
Catalog pages on which appear identified products and catalog pages on which appear products purchased-with the identified products are selected and aggregated to form a customized, electronic catalog.
US09230252B2
An image forming apparatus stores, in a storage unit, a plurality of charging tables for calculating a charging amount in execution of a job. A communication terminal acquires a charging table from the storage unit based on identification information for identifying a communication terminal, and calculates, based on the acquired charging table, a charging amount for a job to be transmitted to the image forming apparatus. The calculated charging amount is displayed.
US09230250B1
A video-based monitoring system may dynamically adjust the resolution or frame rate of video cameras in a materials handling facility in response to changing conditions or events. The resolution or frame rate may be increased when an agent authorized to handle high-value items (e.g., expensive items or those at high risk of being stolen) enters the field of view of a given camera in the facility. The system (or a video camera thereof) may detect the presence of the authorized agent by detecting that his clothing or equipment includes a color or pattern designating such authorization using analytics applied to a video stream captured by the camera. Other pre-defined conditions or events indicating that higher-resolution video monitoring is warranted may trigger an increase in the resolution or frame rate of a camera. The resolution or frame rate may be decreased when these conditions or events no longer apply.
US09230248B2
A physical-quantity receiving device includes: a receiving section that receives a predetermined physical quantity from a physical-quantity supplying device; a notification section that provides a user with a notification that the user is under obligation to make payment for the received physical quantity; an input section that receives a user's input that indicates whether to receive the physical quantity; a display section that displays the notification from the notification section and the user's input to the input section; and a payment section that makes payment for the physical quantity per a unit time by electronic money after a lapse of the unit time, or makes payment for a unit physical quantity by electronic money after receipt of the unit physical quantity.
US09230240B2
A method of determining a communications contact relevance for a user includes: analyzing stored contact information of a plurality of contacts with which the user can at least one of receive information from or transmit information to; analyzing context information relevant to likelihoods of imminent communication by the user with the contacts, the context information including information different from ones of the contacts with which the user most recently communicated, the context information further including present user context information and at least one of present context or historical context associated with each of the contacts, respectively; and determining the likelihoods of imminent communication between the user and the contacts based on the context information.
US09230236B2
Provided are methods and systems for automated delivery using a delivery vehicle transported by a carrier vehicle. The automated delivery method comprises receiving, by a processing device, an order from a buyer. The order specifies one or more products to be delivered to the buyer and itinerary information. The processing device transmits the order to a placer robot. The placer robot positions the one or more products to a delivery vehicle. A carrier vehicle transports the delivery vehicle to a delivery destination based on the order. The carrier vehicle is driverless and lightweight and moves automatically. The carrier vehicle moves on a flat track using itinerary information of the order.
US09230233B1
The systems described herein may provide mechanisms for recommending specialty packaging in a materials handling facility dependent on physical characteristics of items to be shipped and/or feedback received in response to previous shipments of the items. For example, if feedback indicates frequent low customer ratings for damage during shipping and/or for the suitability of the container in which a particular item was shipped, of if feedback indicates that concession costs were repeatedly incurred due to damage of the item during shipping, the item may be designated as needing special damage protection. This protection may be realized by shipping the item in sturdier containers, in containers of a more suitable size, and/or with improved or increased protective cushioning. For example, a stored indication that an item is designated for special damage protection may influence the selection of a container recommended for shipping the item, e.g., by excluding unsuitable containers from consideration.
US09230229B2
Systems and method for identifying individuals who may be potentially influential on a particular identified contact for a particular sales opportunity are disclosed. The individuals identified as potential influencers are then ranked according to a predicted level of influence and displayed in a graphic representation. In one embodiment, the ranked potential influencers are displayed as icons in a spiral formation relative to an icon representing the identified contact. The closer an icon representing a particular potential influencer is to the icon representing the identified contact, the greater the level influence is that that influencer might have on the identified contact.
US09230221B2
A digital instructional environment leverages an infrared eye-tracker to monitor a learner's reading and viewing of text and simulations for subject matter. The system detects out-of-order reading/viewing patterns that could lead to poor comprehension. The digital learning environment communicates with other tutorial components including simulation environments, pedagogical agents and may respond in real-time to such patterns with messages that guide learners (knowledge acquirers) to return to effective reading/viewing patterns so as to promote effective construction of mental model(s) developed during knowledge acquisition/learning.
US09230217B2
According to one embodiment, a forgetting to turn off power detection apparatus includes an outgoing determination unit that creates a power usage pattern based on electric energy that is calculated from past electric energy data in a consumer equipment, and determines whether or not a consumer has gone outside based on the power usage pattern. The forgetting to turn off power detection apparatus of the embodiments includes a forgetting to turn off power detection unit that receives current electric energy data in the consumer equipment, and detects forgetting to turn off power of an electric equipment of the consumer equipment based on the received electric energy data when the outgoing determination unit determines that the consumer has gone outside.
US09230212B2
A media control system enables a device-agnostic and source-agnostic entertainment experience through use of an internet-enabled user device. The user device includes a client application for navigating through media or entertainment content, controlling media devices according to a type of media content selected by the user, and sharing media experiences via social networks. The user device includes smartphones, tablet computers, and other internet-enabled processor-based devices. The media control system leverages the internet access of the user device to enable search and discovery of all available media content. A recommendation engine coupled to the client application learns media preferences from user behavior, generates from numerous disparate media sources recommended media choices corresponding to the media preferences, and presents the recommended media choices on the user device.
US09230209B2
An autonomic computing system may include an autonomic manager and a knowledge source accessible by the autonomic manager and any other entities associated with the autonomic computing system. The knowledge source may include a service interface adapted for the autonomic manager to access the knowledge source. The knowledge source may also include a multiplicity of knowledge elements.
US09230207B2
The present invention relates to a RFID tag antenna with ultra-thin dual-frequency micro strip patch antenna array, the RFID tag antenna comprises an units array (1), a substrate (2) and a substrate base plate (3); the radiation units array (1) is configured to be asymmetrically distributed around a chip; a first radiation unit (5) and a third radiation unit (7) form a low-frequency resonant system of the RFID tag antenna (9), and a second radiation unit (6) and a fourth radiation unit (8) form a high-frequency resonant system of the RFID tag antenna (9), thereby achieving a dual-frequency effect, and enabling the RFID tag antenna of the present disclosure to be compatible with both of the working frequency bands in Europe and in U.S., and thus achieving a dual-frequency-band property.
US09230203B2
A control apparatus includes a display unit, a storing unit, a determining unit, and a notification unit. The display unit displays jobs. The storing unit stores attribute information of a sheet to be stored in sheet holding units. The determining unit determines, from among the jobs displayable on the display unit, a job where attribute information of a sheet to be used by the job does not correspond to the sheet attribute information stored in the storing unit. The notification unit notifies a user of the number of jobs determined by the determining unit.
US09230199B2
A printing system includes a storage unit that associates and stores print job data and post processing job data; a printing unit that prints a code regarding the association on media when an image is printed on the media based on the print job data; a code reading unit that reads the code that is printed on the media; and a post processing unit that selects the post processing job data that is associated from the storage unit based on the read code and performs the post processing with respect to the media based on the selected post processing job data.
US09230198B2
A printer includes a recording head that ejects ink toward a recording medium, a first driving mechanism that moves the recording head in main scanning directions; a second driving mechanism that moves the recording head and the recording medium with respect to each other in sub scanning directions perpendicular to the main scanning directions; an input device that allows a user to input thereto printing information about printing time and image quality; and a control device that controls the recording head, the first driving mechanism and the second driving mechanism based on the printing information input to the input device. The printing information includes at least information about a pass number of the recording head. The input device allows the pass number to be changed continuously.
US09230196B2
Systems and methods of reusing binary bitmaps for images appearing multiple times in a print job. In one embodiment, a system stores a binary bitmap for an image that appears in a print job. The system determines an offset of the binary bitmap into a sheetside, and calculates position values for the binary bitmap based on the offset of the binary bitmap. The system identifies a next appearance of the image in the print job, determines an offset of the image into a sheetside for the next appearance, and calculates position values for the next appearance of the image based on the offset of the image. The system determines if the position values for the image correspond with the position values for the binary bitmap, and verifies that the binary bitmap is reusable for the next appearance of the image if the position values correspond.
US09230195B2
A printing apparatus including at least one print head array coupled to the printing apparatus, a servicing station configured to service the at least one print head array, and a print controller software coupled to computer readable medium and the print controller software configured to perform the steps of moving the at least one print head array to the servicing station when at least one occurs from the group consisting of a nozzle head crash, a clogged nozzle, a failure of a print head, a misalignment, and the image quality defect value is above a threshold value and configuring at least one additional print head array to continue a print job started by the at least one print head array when the at least one print head array is at a position following the at least one print head array and the at least one additional print head array is functional.
US09230193B1
A method for increasing object detection rates or object recognition rates by using a classifier is disclosed. The method includes the steps of: (a) the classifier acquiring a covariance matrix by using values of at least one channel of at least some pixels included in a local block having a smaller size than detection windows of respective image samples including positive image samples and hard negative image samples while moving the local block within the detection windows; and (b) the classifier acquiring a transform matrix w for transforming at least one feature vector x of an image to be inputted later by using the covariance matrix.
US09230191B2
Embodiments are provided for organization and presentation of content. In some embodiments, a plurality of images and a plurality of similarity rules for image categorization are received. For each image in the plurality of images, the image from the plurality and each remaining image from the plurality is compared by: applying each similarity rule to the image and a remaining image from the plurality to obtain a numeric result, and recording the numeric result for the two images in a numeric representation, the numeric representation embodying similarities found between each of the plurality of images. The numeric representation is used as a reference for clustering the plurality of images into clusters of similar images, and each image is stored with a marker denoting a cluster to which it has been assigned.
US09230182B2
The present invention relates to a device (303) for setting image acquisition conditions for charged particle beam devices or the like. An image integration unit (402) forms a plurality of images with a number of different integrations (number of integrations 2, 4 . . . N) from one image (number of integrations N) acquired in advance. A pattern matching unit (403) matches the patterns of each of the plurality of images having a number of different integrations with template images registered in advance and then finds a score that shows the degree of matching between images. A selection unit (407) selects a number of integrations such that any variation in the scores is contained within a prescribed allowable range. The selected number of integrations is stored in a recipe of the device. Thus, it is possible to determine the number of integrations in the recipes without having to operate the device, and to set image acquisition conditions so as to allow a minimization of the processing time while maintaining a sufficient S/N ratio.
US09230173B2
A device may calculate a normalized value for each of a number of pixels in a frame of a video stream, by obtaining a first color from one of the pixels and a second color, by obtaining color components of the first color and the second color, by, for each of the color components, determining a distance between the first color and the second color, and by adding the distances of the color components to obtain the normalized value. In addition, the device may compute an accumulation of the normalized values, compare the accumulation to a threshold to determine whether a first image that includes the pixels matches a second image that includes the second color, and display a result of determining whether the first image matches the second image via a graphical user interface (GUI).
US09230165B2
An object detection apparatus, using at least one processing circuit, for detecting an object in an image capturing area based on parallax information generated from a plurality of images captured by a plurality of image capturing units, includes a parallax histogram information generator to generate vertical-direction parallax histogram information indicating a frequency profile of parallax values in each of vertical row areas in a captured image based on the parallax information; and an object image area extraction unit to extract, among parallax values having frequency exceeding a given frequency threshold, a group of pixels having parallax values existing within proximity of a given parallax value and having a pixel-to-pixel interval in an image left-to-right direction within a given range as an object image area displaying an object based on the vertical-direction parallax histogram information.
US09230159B1
This disclosure generally relates to systems and methods that facilitate employing exemplar Histogram of Oriented Gradients Linear Discriminant Analysis (HOG-LDA) models along with Localizer Hidden Markov Models (HMM) to train a classification model to classify actions in videos by learning poses and transitions between the poses associated with the actions in a view of a continuous state represented by bounding boxes corresponding to where the action is located in frames of the video.
US09230156B2
A data processor includes an obtainment part that obtains an image of a person's face, a creation part that creates a face direction map in which face images of the person facing respective directions are arranged, based on the image of the person's face obtained by the obtainment part, and a determination part that determines movement of the person's face, based on the face direction map and a moving image of the person's face obtained by the obtainment part.
US09230140B1
Barcode verifiers automate the verification process by capturing an image of the printed barcode and analyzing the image according to an industry specification. Industry specifications (e.g., ISO/IEC 15416,15415) identify common printing errors and prescribe test methods for detecting and quantifying these errors. Typically, these tests sample a barcode along one or more scan lines. Print errors that are parallel to these scan lines may be missed by the test. The present invention embraces a system and method to detect unprinted lines in barcodes resulting from a printer malfunction and produce a printer malfunction report with information regarding the quantity, position, and magnitude of these print errors.
US09230138B2
There is disclosed an apparatus capable of suitably deleting information of, e.g., an operation environment that is personalized in a given apparatus and handled in another apparatus and remains in it, thereby improving the operability and security. An information processing apparatus receives personalized information set in another information processing apparatus and stores the personalized information. A user who requests access to the stored personalized information is authenticated. A user who has passed authentication can obtain an operation environment based on the personalized information. Upon logout of the user or after the elapse of a predetermined time after access, the stored personalized information is erased.
US09230135B2
Sensitive pieces of information stored on an individual's device can be protected using a device identification system that applies, for each sensitive piece of information, a function that integrates an identifier of the individual with a respective sensitive piece of information to create a respective identity element. Each identity element can be signed with a signature to create a trust group. The identity element and signature can be uploaded to the individual's device using an application that is configured to provide a subset of the sensitive pieces of information in response to a query.
US09230130B2
Techniques for electronic signature processes are described. Some embodiments provide an electronic signature service (“ESS”) configured to facilitate the creation, storage, and management of electronic signature documents. In one embodiment, an electronic signature document may be associated with custody transfer rules that facilitate transfers of custody of an electronic signature document from one user or party to another. A custody transfer may results in a transfer of rights or capabilities to operate upon (e.g., modify, view, send, delete) an electronic signature document and/or its associated data. A custody transfer rule may be trigged by the occurrence of a particular event, such as the receipt of an electronic signature.
US09230129B1
A software trusted platform module (sTPM) operates in a hypervisor, receives trust assurances from specialized hardware, and extends this trust such that the hypervisor performs trust attestation. The hypervisor receives a startup sequence validation from a TPM, or Trusted Platform Module. The TPM performs bus monitoring during a boot sequence of the computer system, records the startup sequence from the bus, and performs a hash on the sequence. The TPM performs an authentication exchange with the hypervisor such that the hypervisor authenticates the attestation of the computer system from the TPM, and the hypervisor, now delegated with trust assurances from the TPM, provides assurances to users via an authentication chain. The ATCB then performs the attestation of the computer system according to the attestation protocol much faster than the TPM. In this manner, the hypervisor operates as a software delegate of the TPM for providing user assurances of trust.
US09230126B2
Systems and methods are disclosed that authenticate devices or users, and enable playback of secured streaming content through a media player. In one embodiment, the invention is a system for receiving secure content over an unmanaged network, including a security application configured operate on a user device with access to a network, where the security application is configured to receive a request for playlist data from the media player, send a playlist request to a content server, receive playlist data from the content server, send playlist data to a media player, receive a security access request from the media player, send a security access request to a security server, receive security access data from the security server; and send security access data to a media player.
US09230122B2
A processor comprising: an instruction processing pipeline, configured to receive a sequence of instructions for execution, said sequence comprising at least one instruction including a flow control instruction which terminates the sequence; a hash generator, configured to generate a hash associated with execution of the sequence of instructions; a memory configured to securely receive a reference signature corresponding to a hash of a verified corresponding sequence of instructions; verification logic configured to determine a correspondence between the hash and the reference signature; and authorization logic configured to selectively produce a signal, in dependence on a degree of correspondence of the hash with the reference signature.
US09230105B1
Telemetry data concerning web pages that users attempt to access containing fields prompting entry of personal information is received from many client computers over time. Based on the telemetry data, it is determined which fields prompting entry of personal information are expected to be present on specific web pages. The fields prompting entry of personal information on web pages users attempt to access are compared to the fields expected to be present. When a specific user attempts to access a specific web page in real-time, it can be adjudicated on-the-fly that the web page is suspicious, based on the web page containing at least one unexpected field. Correlations between web pages containing specific unexpected fields and the hygiene ratings of the users attempting to access the web pages when the unexpected fields are encountered can be tracked and taken into account in the adjudication of web pages.
US09230099B1
A computer-implemented method for combining static and dynamic code analysis may include 1) identifying executable code that is to be analyzed to determine whether the executable code is capable of leaking sensitive data, 2) performing a static analysis of the executable code to identify one or more objects which the executable code may use to transfer sensitive data, the static analysis being performed by analyzing the executable code without executing the executable code, 3) using a result of the static analysis to tune a dynamic analysis to track the one or more objects identified during the static analysis, and 4) performing the dynamic analysis by, while the executable code is being executed, tracking the one or more objects identified during the static analysis to determine whether the executable code leaks sensitive data via the one or more objects. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
US09230098B2
A system and method that trusts software executables existent on a machine prior to activation for different types of accesses e.g. execution, network, and registry. The system detects new executables added to the machine as well as previously existent executables that have been modified, moved, renamed or deleted. In certain embodiments, the system will tag the file with a flag as modified or newly added. Once tagged, the system intercepts particular types of file accesses for execution, network or registry. The system determines if the file performing the access is flagged and may apply one or more policies based on the requested access. In certain embodiments, the system intercepts I/O operations by file systems or file system volumes and flags metadata associated with the file. For example, the NT File System and its extended attributes and alternate streams may be utilized to implement the system.
US09230093B1
Provided is a protection method and system for computer security. The protection method for computer security includes the steps of storing portable storage device information in the portable storage device as a first password; storing the first password in BIOS firmware; generating a second password and storing the second password in the portable storage device and the BIOS firmware; and comparing the first password and second password of the portable storage device with those of the BIOS firmware. Accordingly, protection for computer security can be achieved. According to the present invention, a password is not required to remember. It is unnecessary to install any device drivers. Computer security and a user's identity can be protected simultaneously, and no additional chip or device is required to achieve password authentication. Therefore, the present invention can simplify the protection steps, reduce costs, and enhance the performance of computer security protection.
US09230092B1
A password-hardening system comprises at least first and second servers. The first server is configured to store a plurality of sets of passwords for respective users with each such set comprising at least one valid password for the corresponding user and a plurality of chaff passwords for that user. The second server is configured to generate valid password indication information indicating for each of the sets which of the passwords in that set is a valid password. The valid password indication information comprises index values computed for respective ones of the password sets by the second server to identify respective valid passwords in the respective password sets. The second server may be further configured to compute the index values utilizing a keyed pseudorandom function, and to send the index values to the first server in association with respective values of a user number counter maintained in the second server.
US09230086B2
A system and a method for dynamically unlocking a mobile device are provided. The method includes displaying various lock images, where at least one of the parts is altered, when an attempt is made to unlock the mobile device, determining whether a lock image, detected according to a user input, matches a preset image, and unlocking the mobile device according to the result of matching between the detected lock image and the preset image. The system and method increases the level of security when an unlock attempt is made in a public place.
US09230082B2
A computer-implemented method provides power to a fingerprint reader while the remaining components of the information handling system are held in a low power, non-operating state. Placement of a finger across the fingerprint reader is detected with the information handling system in the non-operating state. A fingerprint is read and a corresponding fingerprint image is generated. The fingerprint image is buffered and an embedded controller is triggered to start an authentication device having a secure storage. The fingerprint image is compared to a fingerprint template contained in the secure storage. In response to the fingerprint image matching the fingerprint template, the authentication device signals the embedded controller to activate a user authenticated wake-up cycle to provide power to the other components of the information handling system such that the information handling system activates an operating system and enters a fully powered and user authenticated, operational state.
US09230078B2
An authentication system registers, in a service provision device, identification information for an information processing device that cooperates with the authentication system, associates the identification information for the information processing device with authorization information in accordance with an issuance of the authorization information corresponding to the information processing device, and saves them in the authorization service device, queries the authorization service device for the identification information for the information processing device associated with the authorization information in response to a request for obtaining the service and the issued authorization information from the information processing device, and provides, according to the request, the service with the information processing device in response to a correspondence between the identification information for the information processing device acquired as a result of the query and the identification information for the information processing device registered.
US09230077B2
An approach is provided to use social media content to verify the identity of a user using aliases established by the user in a social media environment. In the approach, a user authentication request pertaining to a user is received. Aliases corresponding to the user's social media contacts are retrieved from a social media data store. User questions and expected answers are prepared based on the user's social media contacts and the corresponding aliases. The user is prompted to provide one or more user answers responsive to the user questions. In response to receiving answers that match the expected answers, the user authentication request is confirmed. Conversely, in response to receiving user answers that fail to match the expected answers, the user authentication request is invalidated.
US09230069B2
Techniques for execution-based license discovery and optimization. A method includes collecting execution information for one or more software processes on one or more servers in an operating system, mapping the collected execution information for the one or more software processes to one or more software products, determining usage of a software product in the operating system based on the mapping of the collected execution information for the one or more software processes to one or more software products, and identifying one or more software product license optimization opportunities based on a comparison of the determined usage of the software product in the operating system and an indication of all installations of the software product in the operating system.
US09230067B2
A method for standardizing computer system action, including: intercepting invoking command; obtaining data structure of the intercepted invoking command after intercepting the invoking command; determining the sponsor of the intercepted invoking command based on the data structure of the obtained and intercepted invoking command, and determining operation method and operation object of the intercepted invoking command; matching the sponsor, the operation method and the operation object of the intercepted invoking command with rules of standardizing computer system action, judging whether to allow executing the intercepted invoking command. The present disclosure determines the sponsor of the intercepted invoking command according to the data structure of the invoking command, and can monitor comprehensively computer system. If only the sponsor is spiteful, the disclosure does not all allow executing the intercepted invoking command, thus detecting lawless operation comprehensively and effectively.
US09230065B2
According to a conventional BMI technology for controlling external equipment or transmitting an intention to another person by focusing on a biosignal such as brain activity, there has been the problem that a large-sized apparatus is required, the operation method is complex from the user's viewpoint, and noise is large. The present invention provides an apparatus and method such that an intention in the brain can be analyzed with high accuracy and at high speed and transmitted in real-time. A communication assist apparatus according to the present invention comprises an apparatus for presenting a visual stimulus on a display screen and the like, and a processing apparatus for processing brain wave data from an electroencephalograph that measures a brain wave after stimulus presentation by the presenting apparatus. The processing apparatus determines that a specific intention decision has been made in the brain when the product of an accumulated discrimination score according to a discriminant analysis function obtained by analyzing the brain wave data and a success rate exceeds a threshold value, and then outputs a determination result to a device.
US09230064B2
A personal wellness device comprise two housing bodies, a force sensor, a user interface, one or more processors, and/or other components. A first housing body and a second housing body may be movably coupled together by way of a coupling mechanism such that the two housing bodies are reconfigurable between an open configuration and a closed configuration. The force sensor may be configured to generate a force output signal that conveys information related to compressive force exerted on the two housing bodies while in the closed configuration. The user interface may be accessible with the two housing bodies in the open configuration. The one or more processors may be configured to execute one or more computer program modules, including a presentation module configured to present, via the user interface, information associated with compressive force exerted on the two housing bodies, the information being derived from the force output signal.
US09230055B2
A method, apparatus and program product are provided to optimize film cooling performance for turbomachinery components. A design space is defined by selecting process variables and limits. A random initial population of a plurality of designs is provided using Latin hypersquare sampling, varying the process variables across the design space. Each design of the plurality of designs is evaluated. A fitness function value is determined based on a performance of each of the evaluated designs of the plurality of designs. A half of the plurality of designs having higher fitness function values is selected. Designs of the selected half of the plurality of designs are randomly paired to generate two new designs from each random pair of designs forming a plurality of new designs.
US09230049B1
A system for designing a power grid for an integrated circuit system forms a plurality of half pitch tiles that do not have a via violation, where each half pitch tile has a different orientation. The system generates sub tile arrays from each of the half pitch tiles. The system then forms a plurality of quarter pitch tiles that do not have a via violation, where each quarter pitch tile has a different orientation. The system generates deep sub tile cell arrays from each of the quarter pitch tiles. The system then covers a plurality of adjacent individual sub tile cells of the power grid with one of the sub tile arrays, and covers a plurality of adjacent individual deep sub tile cells of the power grid with one of the deep sub tile arrays.
US09230047B1
A method for designing a system on a target device is disclosed. A partition in the system with a plurality of instances from an extraction netlist is identified. Synthesis optimizations are performed on the partition to generate a synthesis optimization solution. The synthesis optimization solution is applied to the plurality of instances in the system.
US09230045B2
A system and method for layer-by-layer quantification of the remodeling of the human fovea comprises finding a fixed reference point in inner retina, measuring the thickness of the inner retina at the fixed reference point, for a range of finely sampled distances starting from the fixed reference point, measuring the thickness, comparing the measured thickness with a normative base and obtaining a plurality of curves, evaluating area for each curve and defining a distance from the fixed reference having highest sensitivity with respect to the fixed reference point compared to the normative base, displaying a 3D re-creation of foveal architecture-based color-coded picture in accordance with the measured thickness at each finely sampled distance, entering the measured thickness into a model having parameters, obtaining numerical solutions for each parameter, and defining percent change of the parameters for the patient versus the parameters for the control.
US09230040B2
Query models for document sets (such as XML documents or records in a relational database) typically involve a schema defining the structure of the documents. However, rigidly defined schemas often raise difficulties with document validation with even inconsequential structural variations. Additionally, queries developed against schema-constrained documents are often sensitive to structural details and variations that are not inconsequential to the query, resulting in inaccurate results and development complications, and that may break upon schema changes. Instead, query models for hierarchically structured documents that enable “twig” queries specifying only the structural details of document nodes that are relevant to the query (e.g., students in a student database having a sibling named “Lee” and a teacher named “Smith,” irrespective of unrelated structural details of the document). Such “twig” query models may enable a more natural query development, and continued accuracy of queries in the event of unrelated schema variations and changes.
US09230038B2
A device may receive application information associated with an application. The application information may include information associated with a native homepage associated with the application, and may include a single file that includes content associated with the application. The device may receive an indication associated with running the application. The device may present, for display, the native homepage. The native homepage may include information associated with accessing the content. The device may determine that the content, associated with the application, is not current content. The device may obtain the current content, associated with the application, based on determining that the content is not the current content. The device may store the current content based on obtaining the current content. The device may load the current content based on storing the current content. The current content may be loaded to prepare the current content to be displayed to a user.
US09230037B2
According to some embodiments, a method and apparatus are provided to receive, at a cache entity, a refresh request associated with a resource. A determination is made, via a processor, and based on the refresh request, to reload the resource from a server. The reloaded resource is replaced at the cache entity.
US09230034B2
A method for related page identification based on page hierarchy and subject hierarchy includes receiving, by a computer, an identification of a current page from a user, the current page being located in a first page hierarchy; identifying a subject tag in the current page; locating the identified subject tag in a subject hierarchy; identifying a related page that is related to the current page based on the subject hierarchy, the related page being located in a second page hierarchy; determining a scope of the related page with respect to the current page based on the first page hierarchy and the second page hierarchy by the computer; navigating the second page hierarchy to determine a suggested page for the user, the suggested page having a desired scope with respect to the current page; and suggesting the suggested page to the user.
US09230024B2
A method and system for ranking Web pages in a Web search engine is described. One illustrative embodiment receives a Web search query from a particular user, the query including at least one keyword; identifies one or more Web pages that contain the at least one keyword; determines, for each of the one or more Web pages, a raw page ranking; adjusts the raw page ranking of each of at least one Web page among the one or more Web pages based on direct evidence of how interesting that Web page is to users to produce an adjusted page ranking, the direct evidence being derived from clickstream data collected from the users; and presents, as search results, the at least one Web page to the particular user in accordance with the adjusted page rankings.
US09230022B1
Disclosed are various embodiments for custom result set definitions. A result set definition is obtained responsive to a request from a client. A result customization application generates and executes application program interface calls to generate response data having a fixed schema. The result customization application performs transformations on the response data to generate a result set conforming to the result set definition.
US09230016B2
Methods and computer program product relate to user input auto-completion. The methods and product are executable on a processing device in a computing system environment so as to provide an auto-completion scheme with enhanced capabilities that improve user efficiency when performing a task.
US09230007B2
Techniques for making aggregated entries in a database table which aggregate information from other entries in tables in the database system. The techniques permit the aggregated entries to contain not only metric values aggregated from the other entries by techniques such as averaging in which the individual values are lost, but also sets of individual values from the other entries. One area of application for the techniques is the roll up tables used in the management systems for database management systems to reduce the size of historic information about events that have occurred in the database management system. Each roll up entry in a roll up table is an aggregated entry that contains information about some number of events. A roll up entry that uses the techniques contains a representation of a set whose values are the occurrence times of the events that are represented by the rollup record. Among the techniques that can be used to represent the set of occurrence times are a comma list of the occurrence times and a bit map which has a bit for each second in a day. Roll up entries that contain such representations of sets of occurrence times may be analyzed to determine whether occurrences of events are related, and if they are, the fact of the relationship can be used to design filters that can be applied in the roll up process, in error reporting, and in the analysis of the roll up tables.
US09229999B2
A data processing system and method of operation are disclosed. The data processing system includes a first site for processing data; a second site for processing data; and a transaction replay program configured to send a copy of data from the first site to the second site. A processor defines a maximum replication latency threshold and a reset threshold for the system, estimates a replication latency of a workload the system, switches the system to a first replication latency state when the estimated replication latency rises above the maximum replication latency and switches the system out of the first replication latency state to a second replication latency state when the estimated replication latency falls below the reset threshold.
US09229998B2
A system for exchanging information content between a back-end system within a restricted access environment and an end-user includes a front-end system and a manager node outside of the restricted environment, and an access node within the restricted environment. The front-end system executes a mini-application to output query data. The manager node receives the query data and applies business logic and connection parameters to generate a request for the information content in a first format. The manager node communicates the request to the access node in the first format. The access node converts the request to a second format particular to the back-end system, and conveys the request to the back-end system. Responses containing the information content are received at the access node from the back-end system. The access node converts the responses to the first format and sends information content contained in the responses to the front-end system via the manager node.
US09229996B2
The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for providing consistent tenant experiences at multi-tenant database. Embodiments of the invention include an import service that facilitates data imports without any distribution logic on a tenant. A tenant (caller) provides data in essentially any order. The import service understands the distribution of data across multiple databases and determines for any given piece of import data what database the import data is to be inserted into. Accordingly, the tenant (caller) is relieved from having to know how the data is distributed across a set (of potentially hundreds or thousands) of databases. The import service can optimize an import process to provide load balancing and fairness across a dynamic distributed database system. For example, the import service can insure that a large import by one tenant does not deprive the import other tenants of appropriate resources.
US09229992B2
A system for identifying digital content related to a portion of a block of text receives, automatically or via input by a user, an indication of one or more words included in the block of text. The system searches a database of digital content based on the one or more words and retrieves from the database one or more digital content items or identifiers of digital content items that are related to the one or more words. The system provides the retrieved digital content items or identifiers to the user, and receives a selection of one or more of the provided items or identifiers from the user. The system associates for display or replay the one or more selected digital content items with the one or more words in the block of text. Other embodiments of the system are also disclosed.
US09229955B2
An approach is provided for recognizing objects in media content. The capture manager determines to detect, at a device, one or more objects in a content stream. Next, the capture manager determines to capture one or more representations of the one or more objects in the content stream. Then, the capture manager associates the one or more representations with one or more instances of the content stream.
US09229954B2
Techniques for sharing item images based on a similarity score are described. For example, a machine receives an item listing for an item from a user device. The machine generates a similarity score for an existing image corresponding to one or more existing item listings by comparing the item listing received from the user device with the one or more existing item listings. The similarity score may indicate a degree of similarity between the item listing received from the user device and the one or more existing item listings corresponding to the existing image. The machine selects one or more existing images corresponding to the one or more existing item listings based on the one or more existing images having corresponding similarity scores that exceed a threshold value. The machine transmits a communication to the user device in response to the receiving of the item listing from the user device. The communication may include the one or more existing images.
US09229944B2
Techniques and mechanisms described herein facilitate the storage of digital media recordings. According to various embodiments, a system may include a plurality of shards. Each shard may include a storage system operable to store a plurality of digital media recordings. Each shard may also include one or more recording writers. Each recording server may be operable to store digital media recordings stored in the storage system. According to various embodiments, the system may also include a recording manager. The recording manager may be operable to select one of the plurality of shards for storing a designated digital media recording. The recording manager may also be operable to transmit an instruction to the selected shard to store the designated digital media recording.
US09229938B1
Systems and techniques for suggesting media content contributions for a collaborative playlist are presented. The system can include a playlist component, a social component, and a suggestion component. The playlist component generates a playlist of media content in response to a request from a playlist owner. The social component invites at least one invitee to join a playlist collaboration group comprising the playlist owner and the at least one invitee. The suggestion component displays uploaded media content of the at least one invitee to allow the at least one invitee to add the uploaded media content to the playlist of the media content. The uploaded media content is determined based on a comparison of metadata of the uploaded media content with other metadata of the media content associated with the playlist.
US09229936B2
This disclosure describes techniques for dynamically assembling and utilizing a pedigree of a resource. A pedigree of a resource is a set of statements that describe a provenance of the resource. As described herein, a document may include local pedigree fragments and optionally one or more pointers to remote pedigree fragments not locally stored in the document. A pedigree fragment, generally, is a data structure that specifies a direct relationship between a first resource, e.g., a primary resource, and a second resource from which an asserted fact of the first resource is derived. Because a pedigree fragment specifies such direct relationships, a set of pedigree fragments may be used to assemble the complete pedigree of resource.
US09229932B2
A processor-implemented method, system, and/or computer program product defines multiple dimensional data gravity wells on a conformed dimensional data gravity wells membrane. Non-dimensional data objects are associated with dimension objects to define conformed dimensional objects. The conformed dimensional objects are parsed into an n-tuple that includes a pointer to one of the non-dimensional data objects, a probability that a non-dimensional data object has been associated with a correct dimension object, and a weighting factor of importance of the conformed dimensional object. A virtual mass of each parsed conformed dimensional object is calculated, in order to define a shape of multiple dimensional data gravity wells that are created when conformed dimensional objects are pulled into each of the dimensional data gravity well frameworks on a conformed dimensional data gravity wells membrane.
US09229927B2
In a method of creating a natural language (NL) macro, a first term/phrase and a second term/phrase in an imprecise syntax are obtained, and an association between the first and the second terms/phrases is created. The association is stored as an NL macro. In a method of using an NL macro in an NL query, it is determined that an original NL query includes an NL macro, and the NL macro is replaced with its corresponding NL value to form a revised NL query. The revised NL query is processed to generate one or more answers.
US09229924B2
New word detection and domain dictionary recommendation are provided. When text content is received according to a given language, for example, Chinese language, words are extracted from the content by analyzing the content according to a variety of rules. The words then are ranked for inclusion into one or more lexicons or domain dictionaries for future use for such functionalities as text input methods, spellchecking, grammar checking, auto entry completion, definition, and the like. In addition, when a user is entering or editing text according to one or more prescribed domain dictionaries, a determination may be made as to whether more helpful domain dictionaries may be available. When entered words have a high degree of association with a given domain dictionary, that domain dictionary may be recommended to the user to increase the accuracy of the user's input of additional text and editing of existing text.
US09229920B1
A method and a system for providing undo/redo capabilities in mixed model editors. More specifically, the method and system relate to undoing modifications made in a first edit context such that the result can correctly be displayed in a second edit context. Further, the modifications made may be tracked in the multiple contexts and organized such that the modifications are undone and redone correctly.
US09229914B2
Optimizing a layout of an electronic document. An electronic document can be processed to identify a plurality of document sections within the document. A plurality of document sections can be recursively combined in at least a first page of a modified document and a presentation size of content within the document sections can be reduced. With each recursive combination of document sections, a first perceptual delta value can be generated based on perceptual differences between the document sections as originally presented in the electronic document and the document sections as presented when combined into the first page. When the first perceptual delta value at least equals the first threshold value, the recursive combination of document sections into the first page can cease.
US09229913B2
The present invention relates to a font processing technique for maintaining e-document layout. More particularly, the present invention relates to a font processing technique for a user terminal (e.g., smart phone, smart pad, digital set-top box) displaying or printing an e-document (e.g., word file, presentation file) to approximately maintain original layout of the e-document even though lacking of original font of the e-document. According to the present invention, when a user terminal displays or prints an e-document, the original layout of the e-document is maintained even though the user terminal fails to install original fonts. Therefore, the meaning of the e-document is exactly shown as intended by the author. Further, the visibility and legibility of the e-document is highly enhanced.
US09229911B1
A flow of objects, such as text, on a page may be analyzed by generating an initial determination of whether a portion of an object is continued from one page to another based on a cue in an area of the object. The initial determination may be visually represented on a page. The initial determination may be corrected by an editor to create an editor determination when the initial determination is not a correct continuation status of the portion of the object. In some aspects, the initial determination may include a statistical confidence interval, a reason display, and/or a magnification of portions of the object which may be included in a continuation. In other aspects, heuristics may learn from the editor changes to improve a subsequent initial determination.
US09229908B2
A data processing apparatus is provided which is configured to select 2M selected identifiers within a possible range of up to 2N identifiers, where M≦N. The data processing apparatus comprises a selection storage unit configured to store at least N+1 identifier selection bits, wherein a position of a first marker bit in the at least N+1 identifier selection bits determines M, and an identifier selection unit configured to determine the 2M selected identifiers. The 2M selected identifiers fall within a range defined by a base identifier and a ceiling identifier. N-M bits of the N+1 identifier selection bits form N-M bits of the base identifier, and M zeroes form a further M bits of the base identifier. The ceiling identifier corresponds to the base identifier, except that the M zeroes of the base identifier are replaced by M ones.
US09229893B1
Methods and systems for DMA operations are provided. A plurality of control blocks are stored at a memory of a receive module of a device coupled to a computing device, where the control blocks store information regarding data packets stored at a receive buffer accessible to the receive module. At least a first control block and a second control block are retrieved from the memory; and a first DMA register set is assigned to the first control block and a second DMA register set is assigned to the second control block. The first control block and the second control block are simultaneously pre-processed to configure the first DMA register set and the second DMA register set.
US09229891B2
In response to receiving a request for a DMA data transfer, a DMA transfer mode may be determined based on based on the size of the requested DMA data transfer and profile data of an I/O adapter. The profile data for the I/O adapter may include a physical location of the I/O adapter or a number of clients supported by the I/O adapter. The DMA transfer mode may also be determined based on a preference of an application or an I/O device. Moreover, the DMA transfer mode may be determined based on a CPU usage metric being outside of a threshold for the CPU usage metric or on a memory usage metric being outside of a threshold for the memory usage metric.
US09229889B2
A bidirectional bus system that includes a bus master having a first transmitter coupled to a bidirectional bus. The first transmitter transmits a signal in a first voltage range onto the bus. The bus master has a first receiver coupled to the bus. A bus slave having a second transmitter coupled to the bus is included. The second transmitter transmits a signal in a second voltage range onto the bus, where the bus slave having a second receiver is coupled to the bus. The first receiver is configured to interpret the signal in the first voltage range to indicate an idle state while the second receiver interprets the signal in the first voltage range as indicating data. The second receiver interprets the signal in the second voltage range as indicative of an idle state while the first receiver interprets the signal in the second voltage range as indicating data.
US09229886B2
A method for transferring management data between processors over an Input/Output (I/O) bus system (232) includes receiving the management data at a managing processor (212) from a managed host processor (202) over the I/O bus system; and storing the management data in an addressable memory (304) of an I/O bus interface device (218) of the managing processor (212).
US09229873B2
Systems and methods for supporting a plurality of load and store accesses of a cache are disclosed. Responsive to a request of a plurality of requests to access a block of a plurality of blocks of a load cache, the block of the load cache and a logically and physically paired block of a store coalescing cache are accessed in parallel. The data that is accessed from the block of the load cache is overwritten by the data that is accessed from the block of the store coalescing cache by merging on a per byte basis. Access is provided to the merged data.
US09229869B1
Processes are disclosed for decreasing contention in caches in order to increase the efficiency of multi-threaded or multi-processor systems. By using multiple locks in a cache, smaller portions of the cache can be locked during cache updates (e.g., during a data update or a storage block eviction). As only small portions of the cache are locked at any given time, contention between threads, particularly in multi-processor implementations, will likely be reduced. For example, if different threads are trying to update different entries in the cache, the threads can proceed with updating the cache concurrently.
US09229867B2
A method is disclosed for reducing network traffic using a shared network response cache. The method intercepts a network request to prevent the network request from entering a data network. The network request is sent by a client and is intended for one or more recipients on the data network. The method checks a shared response cache for an entry matching the network request. The method sends a local response to the client in response to an entry in the shared response cache matching the network request. The local response satisfies the network request based on information from the matching entry in the shared response cache.
US09229862B2
A processor unit removes, responsive to obtaining a new address, an entry from a memory of a type of memory based on a comparison of a performance of the type of memory to different performances, each of the different performances associated with a number of other types of memory.
US09229858B2
An example method of managing memory for an application includes identifying a plurality of regions of a heap storing one or more objects of a first type and one or more objects of a second type. Each object of the second type stores a memory address of an object of the first type. The method also includes selecting a set of target collection regions of the heap. The method includes in a concurrent marking phase, marking one or more reachable objects of the first type as live data. The method further includes for each region of the plurality maintaining a calculation of live data in the respective region. The method also includes traversing the objects of the first type marked in the concurrent marking phase and evacuating a set of traversed objects from a target collection region to a destination region of the heap.
US09229852B2
One or more embodiments are directed to maintaining versions of data within a solid state memory. At least one request to perform an operation on at least one logical page of a solid state memory is received from a file system. A data structure associated with the at least one logical page is identified. The data structure at least identifies one or more physical pages associated with the at least one logical page, and a version of the at least one logical page represented by a dataset stored in each of the one or more physical page. The operation is performed on the at least one logical page based on the data structure that has been identified.
US09229847B1
Disclosed are an apparatus and method of operating and allocating a shared memory between various applications operating via a processing computing platform. One example may include receiving a first buffer context switch request message from a first application operating via a processor, transmitting a first buffer context switch flag to the processor operating the application confirming the first buffer context switch request was received, receiving a second buffer context switch request from a second application with a different processing cycle operating via the processor and transmitting a second buffer context switch flag to the processor operating the second application confirming the second buffer context switch request was received. Once the applications have been identified and confirmed, a synchronization operation may be performed to create a shared number of memory units between at least two different buffers and provide the shared memory units to the first application and the second application.
US09229845B1
Proposed updates to systems are evaluated in a manner that is automated and horizontally scalable. Input to a first system is provided to a second system. The first system and second system process the input and each generates output. The output from the first system and second system is analyzed and differences in the output data between the two systems are identified. Analyzing the output may be performed by a fleet of data processing units and the work of analyzing the output may be performed such that differences in the output data are traceable to subsystems of the second system that caused the differences.
US09229843B2
A method, system, and computer usable program product for predictively managing failover in a high availability system are provided in the illustrative embodiments. A disruptive activity occurring on the HA data processing system is detected. The disruptive activity has a potential to cause an operation of the HA data processing system to perform outside a specified parameter. A determination is made of a desired response in the HA data processing system should the disruptive activity disrupting the operation. A precautionary action is initiated with respect to the HA data processing system.
US09229839B2
Embodiments are directed to implementing rate controls to limit faults detected by timeout and to learning and adjusting an optimal timeout value. In one scenario, a computer system identifies cloud components that have the potential to fail within a time frame that is specified by a timeout value. The computer system establishes a number of components that are allowed to fail during the time frame specified by the timeout value and further determines that the number of component failures within the time frame specified by the timeout value has exceeded the established number of components that are allowed to fail. In response, the computer system increases the timeout value by a specified amount of time to ensure that fewer than or equal to the established number of components fail within the time frame specified by the timeout value.
US09229836B2
A method for coexisting standard connection and proprietary connection use is disclosed. The method may include connecting a peripheral device to a host computing device, wherein the peripheral device is connected via one of a standard connection type and a proprietary connection type. The method may include detecting the connection type. The method may include determining if the connection type is supported by the host computing device. The method may also include rendering a message indicating the connection type is not supported by the host system if the connection type is not supported.
US09229834B2
An online application system and a method for implementing an online application system are disclosed. A method for implementing the online application system includes a) receiving a user search request from a user browser; b) searching for a match according to the search request and obtaining an online application that matches with the search request to form a search result page; and c) presenting the online application before the user browser in a form as a canvas page which is embedded in the search result page and is directly accessible from the search result page. The present disclosure also provides an online application system. The technical solutions disclosed herein allow a user to directly search out an online application via a search engine without a need to click multi-level linkages, thereby providing a quick and convenient search process which enhances the users' experiences with networks.
US09229828B2
A mechanism is described for achieving high memory reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS) according to one embodiment of the invention. A method of embodiments of the invention includes detecting a permanent failure of a first memory device of a plurality of memory devices of a first channel of a memory system at a computing system, and eliminating the first failure by merging a first error-correction code (ECC) locator device of the first channel with a second ECC locator device of a second channel, wherein merging is performed at the second channel.
US09229815B2
There is provided an information processing apparatus which is equipped with: an identifying unit configured to identify an update-object program which is an object of an update; an acquiring unit configured to, in preparation for a failure of the update of the update-object program, acquire from an external device a restoration program for restoring a state of the update-object program to a state before the update; an update unit configured to update the update-object program after the acquiring unit acquired the restoration program from the external device; and a restoring unit configured to, in the case of the failure of the update of the update-object program by the update unit, restore the state of the update-object program to the state before the update, on the basis of the restoration program acquired by the acquiring unit.
US09229813B2
Data storage devices are described with an ECC system that generate additional on-demand ECC information for a previously written track to provide for correction of data errors in the track and thereby avoid having to rewrite the track. Embodiments of the invention address the squeeze-error problem that arises when writing the next (second) track in a sequence causes errors to be introduced in the adjacent previously written (first) track. In alternative embodiments the existence of the data errors in the first track can be detected by reading the track or by estimating the number of likely errors using head position data measured while writing the first and second tracks. The additional on-demand ECC information can be written on any track that is available.
US09229810B2
Enabling efficient recovery from multiple failures together with one latent error in a storage array
The present invention provides a method and apparatus of managing a storage array. The method comprises: striping the storage array to form a plurality of stripes; selecting F storage chunks from each stripe as local parity chunks, and selecting another L storage chunks from the storage array as global parity chunks; performing (F+L) fault tolerant erasure coding on all data chunks in a stripe to generate (F+L) groups of parity data, and storing F groups of parity data therein into the F local parity chunks; performing cross-stripe operation on another L groups of parity data to generate L groups of global parity data, and storing them into the L global parity chunks, respectively. The apparatus corresponds to the method. With the invention, a plurality of errors in the storage array can be detected and/or recovered to improve fault tolerance and space utilization of the storage array.
US09229808B2
A system and method for dynamic RAID geometries. A computer system comprises client computers and data storage arrays coupled to one another via a network. A data storage array utilizes solid-state drives and Flash memory cells for data storage. A storage controller within a data storage array is configured to configure a first subset of the storage devices for use in a first RAID layout, the first RAID layout including a first set of redundant data. The controller further configures a second subset of the storage devices for use in a second RAID layout, the second RAID layout including a second set of redundant data. Additionally, the controller configure an additional device not included in either the first subset or the second subset to store redundant data for both the first RAID layout and the second RAID layout. The controller is further configured to initiate a reconstruct read corresponding to a given read request directed to a particular storage device of the plurality of storage devices, in response to determining the particular storage device is exhibiting a non-error related relatively slow read response.
US09229805B2
Provided is a memory system and wear-leveling method. A memory system includes a flash memory device and a memory controller. The flash memory device includes a plurality of memory blocks, each including a plurality of memory cells. The memory controller is configured to control the flash memory device based on erase event information and error checking and correction (ECC) event information of each of the memory blocks such that use of the memory blocks is distributed more uniformly.
US09229795B2
An orchestrator executes an end-to-end process across applications. An message broker exchanges information among the orchestrator and the processes of the applications. Adapters perform protocol and interface translations for information communicated between the message broker and the respective applications.
US09229791B1
An adapter for high speed multiple buffer allocation is provided. The adapter is configured with logic to search a data buffer availability vector corresponding to data buffer storage elements from low priority to high priority and from high priority to low priority in parallel thereby enabling multiple data buffers to be located in a single path and reducing the impact of pipelining.
US09229790B2
Information about the operating system application programming interfaces is stored in a known format in a known location. This information fully describes the APIs exposed by the operating system and is stored in API metadata files. A language compiler or interpreter uses this API information to build a natural and familiar representation of the native system API in the target language. The language compiler or interpreter can read the API information at compile time and/or runtime. The metadata is used to allow an application to refer to named elements in the API. Projections are built that use the metadata to map named elements in the API to named elements in the target language, and to define wrappers that marshal data of those elements between the target representation and the native operating system representation.
US09229786B2
Methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for provisioning aggregate computational workloads and air conditioning unit configurations to optimize utility of air conditioning units and processing resources within a data center are provided. Embodiments include for each air conditioning unit within the data center, determining a thermal zone generated by the air conditioning unit; for a given aggregate computational workload, identifying a plurality of computational workload configurations, each computational workload configuration indicating spatial assignments of the aggregate computational workload among a plurality of processing resources within the data center; for each computational workload configuration, calculating a total minimum energy consumption of the air conditioning units and the processing resources; and selecting the computational workload configuration with the lowest total minimum energy consumption and the determined lowest power air conditioning unit configuration corresponding with the selected computational workload configuration.
US09229780B2
Topology mapping in a distributed processing system, the distributed processing system including a plurality of compute nodes, each compute node having a plurality of tasks, each task assigned a unique rank, including: assigning each task to a geometry defining the resources available to the task; selecting, from a list of possible data communications algorithms, one or more algorithms configured for the assigned geometry; and identifying, by each task to all other tasks, the selected data communications algorithms of each task in a single collective operation.
US09229776B2
The invention relates to a system for expanding capacity for executing processes that are executed in a central processing unit (12) which can be connected to a computational expansion means (11) comprising a task management means (32) which, by means of an internal management means (53), receives a request to delegate the execution of a pre-determined process from the central processing unit (12) to a plurality of process management means (33).
US09229772B2
A progress status management system comprises a management target system configured to execute a series of processes to the file, which includes a plurality of process units configured to execute a process to a file, and a progress status management unit configured to manage a progress status of a process executed by the process unit included at the management target system. The progress status management unit, in a case of acquiring the first identification information of a file in a first process unit, acquires the first identification information of the file in the second process unit, and links the acquired first identification information in the first process unit and the acquired first identification information in the second process unit to the same second identification information.
US09229769B2
A data processing system (1) is programmed with an interface (2) for capturing events which arise, and a process engine (3) for automatically monitoring captured events to identify completion of steps, each comprising a plurality of events linked by dependency relationships; and to identify completion of processes, each comprising a plurality of steps linked by dependency relationships. Software functions (5) execute in response to output of the process engine (3). The process engine (3) processes events to recognize a plurality of potential steps, but terminates other potential steps when completion of a step is determined. The process engine (3) processes steps to recognize a plurality of potential processes, but terminates other potential process when completion of a process is determined. The dependency relationships include Boolean AND operators and Boolean OR operators. There is a discrete start event for each step and a discrete start step for each process. The engine executes a plurality of processes simultaneously, applying captured events in real time to relevant steps, some events being applied to a plurality of steps.
US09229764B2
Responsive to a hypervisor determining that insufficient local resources are available for reservation to meet a performance parameter for at least one resource specified in a reservation request for a particular logical partition managed by the hypervisor in a host system, the hypervisor identifies another logical partition managed by the hypervisor in the host system that is assigned at the least one resource meeting the performance parameter specified in the reservation request. The hypervisor estimates a first cost of migrating the particular logical partition and a second cost of migrating the another logical partition to at least one other host system communicatively connected in a peer-to-peer network based on at least one previously recorded cost stored by the host system of migrating a previous logical partition to the at least one other host system.
US09229762B2
A host providing system includes a physical host managing node which controls one or more physical servers and can manage a usage state of a physical host formed in the physical server, and thus the physical server for forming a physical host can be controlled in the system. In addition, a single physical host managing node is selected depending on instance type information included in an instance starting request from a user terminal, and the instance starting request is sent to the selected physical host managing node. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a physical instance complying with a user's request as a physical host.
US09229760B2
Reducing virtual memory power consumption during idle states in virtual memory systems comprising tracking the topology of the system memory by the system hypervisor and operating system running on any selected virtual machine hosted by the system hypervisor. The idle states in the system memory are dynamically monitored and then the power consumption states in the system memory are dynamically reduced through the interaction of the hypervisor and the operation system running on the selected virtual machine.
US09229758B2
Aspects of the present invention provide a solution for passively monitoring a computer system. In an embodiment, an indexing agent operates on a physical server having a plurality of virtual servers. The indexing agent has a framework having a plurality of indexing layers. Each of these indexing layers is adapted to index a virtual server along a different abstraction level to extract abstraction level features indicative of changes in the virtual server. Further, each of the indexing layers has an application programming interface, which is adapted to receive one or more external indexing modules to be plugged into the framework. Each indexing module is adapted to provide instructions to the indexing agent while the indexing layer to which it is plugged is indexing the associated abstraction level of the virtual machine.
US09229757B2
Systems and methods for optimizing write operations to a storage device in a virtualized computing environment comprise monitoring write operations issued by an application running on a virtual machine's (VM) operating system, wherein the VM is hosted by a hypervisor providing access to a storage device in a virtualized computing environment; and causing a virtual file system (VFS) supported by the operating system to call on a first para-virtualized file system (PVFS FE) supported by the operating system to execute a write operation, in response to determining that the write operation is to write data to the storage device, wherein data that is to be written to the storage device is first written to a VM memory area allocated to the VM and accessible to the hypervisor hosting the VM.
US09229752B2
In an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, a system may include a first hypervisor, a second hypervisor, and a shared memory set. The first hypervisor and the second hypervisor run over a single logical partition. The shared memory set is accessible by both the first hypervisor and the second hypervisor, and the first hypervisor is configured to communicate with the second hypervisor by writing to the shared memory. The second hypervisor may provide support for hardware that is not supported by the first hypervisor, which hardware may be accessed by the first hypervisor through communications facilitated by use of the shared memory.
US09229748B2
A data structure including simple and complex objects. Each simple object includes a content type indicator, a size indicator, and one or more simple data types. Each complex object includes a content type indicator, a size indicator, and one or more child objects. The complex objects include a layer object having first and second child objects. The first child object is a collection of complex objects storing information for configuring a virtual filesystem of a virtual application at application startup. The second child object is a collection of complex objects storing information for configuring a virtual registry of the virtual application at application startup. Reading of selected simple and complex objects may be deferred at startup based on the content type indicator. Deferred objects may be read after startup when access to information stored by the deferred object is request by the virtual application.
US09229747B2
An apparatus including a first connector configured to fit into a first socket in a processing system, the first connector and first socket conforming to a first standard, a second socket configured to accept a memory module therein, the second socket and the memory module conforming to a second standard, a memory buffer module communicatively coupled to the first connector and the second socket, the memory buffer module configured to receive signals associated with the first standard from the first connector and output signals associated with the second standard to the second socket, and a virtualization module communicatively coupled to the memory buffer module, the first connector, and the second socket, the virtualization module configured to receive first initialization data associated with the second standard from the second socket and output second initialization data associated with the first standard to the processing system.
US09229746B2
A computing device identifies a load instruction and store instruction pair that causes a load-hit-store conflict. A processor tags a first load instruction that instructs the processor to load a first data set from memory. The processor stores an address at which the first load instruction is located in memory in a special purpose register. The processor determines where the first load instruction has a load-hit-store conflict with a first store instruction. If the processor determines the first load instruction has a load-hit store conflict with the first store instruction, the processor stores an address at which the first data set is located in memory in a second special purpose register, tags the first data set being stored by the first store instruction, stores an address at which the first store instruction is located in memory in a third special purpose register and increases a conflict counter.
US09229744B2
A classloader cache class definition is obtained by a processor. The classloader cache class definition includes code that creates a classloader object cache that is referenced by a strong internal reference by a classloader object in response to instantiation of the classloader cache class definition. A classloader object cache is instantiated using the obtained classloader cache class definition. The strong internal reference is created at instantiation of the classloader object cache. A public interface to the classloader object cache is provided. The public interface to the classloader object cache operates as a weak reference to the classloader object cache and provides external access to the classloader object cache.
US09229740B1
A deploy service is provided to determine a set of software artifacts that needs to be transmitted to a target machine upon receiving an application deployment request from a user of a client device. For instance, the deploy service may compare versions of software artifacts on the target machine with the software artifacts of the application that the user desires to deploy to determine the set of software artifacts that needs to be transmitted. Instead of having to transmit the entire application, some embodiments transmit only a small portion that is reflective of what has been changed between the old version of the application and the new version of the application. This enables the transfer of large files across the Internet to be more efficient.
US09229738B2
A message occurrence can be detected when a software application runs on a computing device. The message occurrence can be an occurrence where a text containing message is presented upon a user interface of the software application or a log associated with the software application is updated with a text containing message. A user context for the message occurrence can be determined. The user context can include a user sequence and an execution path. Message occurrence information can be conveyed to a message context catalog. Within the message context catalog, the message occurrence information can be indexed against unique message identifiers. Message occurrence information from the message context catalog can be presented in a computer's user interface when a message uniquely identified by the message identifier is presented in the user interface. The user interface can permit a user to edit text of messages.
US09229724B2
Embodiments of the disclosure serializing wrapping of a circularly wrapping trace buffer via a compare-and-swap (CS) instruction by a method including executing a CS loop to advance to a location in the buffer indicated by a next free pointer. The method also includes incrementing a master wrap sequence number each time the next free pointer returns to a top of the buffer and executing another CS loop to increment a wrap number stored in a trace block corresponding to the location indicated by the next free pointer. Based upon determining that the wrap number stored in the trace block is one less than or equal to the master wrap sequence number, the method includes reserving space in a buffer associated with the trace block and storing the wrap number stored in the trace block as an old wrap number and incrementing a use-count of the trace block.
US09229721B2
This disclosure is directed to techniques for executing subroutines in a single instruction, multiple data (SIMD) processing system that is subject to divergent thread conditions. In particular, a resume counter-based approach for managing divergent thread state is described that utilizes program module-specific minimum resume counters (MINRCs) for the efficient processing of control flow instructions. In some examples, the techniques of this disclosure may include using a main program MINRC to control the execution of a main program module and subroutine-specific MINRCs to control the execution of subroutine program modules. Techniques are also described for managing the main program MINRC and subroutine-specific MINRCs when subroutine call and return instructions are executed. Techniques are also described for updating a subroutine-specific MINRC to ensure that the updated MINRC value for the subroutine-specific MINRC is within the program space allocated for the subroutine.
US09229718B2
Method, apparatus, and program means for shuffling data. The method of one embodiment comprises receiving a first operand having a set of L data elements and a second operand having a set of L control elements. For each control element, data from a first operand data element designated by the individual control element is shuffled to an associated resultant data element position if its flush to zero field is not set and a zero is placed into the associated resultant data element position if its flush to zero field is not set.
US09229711B2
A method, computer system, and computer program product for allocating virtual machines in a stateless preallocation pool on a computing device is provided. In response to determining that a virtual machine is to be removed from an active pool in a computing device, it is determined whether the virtual machine is to be moved to a preallocation pool of the computing device. In response to determining that the virtual machine is to be moved to the preallocation pool, the virtual machine is cleansed of stateful data by removing unique information about the virtual machine's prior allocation while in the active pool. The virtual machine is moved to the preallocation pool. In response to determining that the virtual machine is needed in the active pool, the virtual machine is moved from the preallocation pool to the active pool.
US09229706B2
Data storage devices and methods for updating firmware are disclosed. For example, one such data storage device includes a device firmware and a controller, where the controller operates in accordance with the device firmware. The controller determines whether or not the device firmware can be updated with new firmware at least partially based on whether or not the new firmware meets a criterion related to a configuration profile of the device firmware.
US09229702B1
The method manages customization upgrades to a production website while keeping it accessible. The website currently utilizes a first version of a software plugin. A user requests copying a second version of the plugin from another website to production, which is then authorized. Copying the plugin makes both versions simultaneously operational for distinct groups of users. Users request a webpage that utilizes the plugin, and receive the webpage customized by the first or second version of the plugin depending on whether they are preview-mode users. A request to designate the second version of the plugin as the live version is submitted, and authorization to implement the request is received. After designating the second version of the plugin as the live version, all subsequent requests for the webpage result in receiving the webpage customized by the second version of the plugin regardless of whether the users are designated as preview-mode users.
US09229700B2
Methods and systems are described for upgrading an access manager framework. In response to an upgrade request from a client, current and new versions of the access manager framework are identified. Upon successful identification of the current version, one or more supported upgrade paths are determined for the upgrade process. An appropriate upgrade path from the current version to the new version is determined upon successful identification of the current and/or new version of the access manager framework. In response to determination of the appropriate upgrade path, a version specific program upgrade component and a version specific upgrade program are associated with the determined upgrade path. In addition, a set of information may be extracted from the access manager framework, transformed, and imported to the upgraded access manager framework based at least in part upon the determined version specific upgrade program and the version specific program upgrade component.
US09229698B2
A method for processing a function with a plurality of execution spaces is disclosed. The method comprises creating an internal compiler representation for the function. Creating the internal compiler representation comprises copying substantially all lexical tokens corresponding to a body of the function. Further, the creating comprises inserting the lexical tokens into a plurality of conditional if-statements, wherein a conditional if-statement is generated for each corresponding execution space of said plurality of execution spaces, and wherein each conditional if-statement determines which execution space the function is executing in. During compilation, the method finally comprises performing overload resolution at a call site of an overloaded function by checking for compatibility with a first execution space specified by one of the plurality of conditional if-statements, wherein the overloaded function is called within the body of the function.
US09229695B2
Embodiments relate to usage of a table of contents (TOC) register as an application register. An aspect includes receiving, by a computer system, application object code comprising a first function call from a calling function to a first callee function, and a symbol table entry in a symbol table comprising a first TOC register usage indicator that is associated with the first callee function. Another aspect includes determining that the first callee function of the first function call does not require a TOC pointer based on the first TOC register usage indicator that is associated with the first callee function in the symbol table. Another aspect includes based on determining that the first callee function of the first function call does not require a TOC pointer, inserting a TOC save command and a TOC restore command corresponding to the first local function call into the application object code.
US09229682B2
The present invention relates to a parallel device for solving linear equations over finite fields, including a processor, an input port, an output port, a pivot finding component, a partial inversion component, a normalization component and an elimination component. The processor is connected to each of the pivot finding component, the partial inversion component, the normalization component, the elimination component, and the input port and the output port. The partial inversion component is connected to the elimination component and the normalization component. The pivot finding component is connected to the elimination component. The present invention enables parallel computing to a certain extent with fast solving speed and simple design, and thus can be widely used in various engineering fields.
US09229679B2
An image distribution apparatus which is connected to multiple display apparatuses and which includes a distribution unit which distributes an image displayed in the display apparatuses is disclosed. The image distribution apparatus includes a specifying unit which designates an area of the image, wherein the distribution unit distributes information indicating an area designated by the specifying unit.
US09229675B2
A handheld computing device includes a screen to receive input from and provide graphical output to a user, a housing engaging a peripheral portion of the screen, a circuit board comprising a processor to execute machine readable instructions and control operation of the device and a computer readable medium to store the machine readable instructions, a flexible circuit connecting to a connector of the circuit board and to an electrical component of the device, a bracket, and a resilient gasket in physical contact with the bracket and connector and transferring pressure from the bracket to the flexible circuit at the connector, whereby the connection between the connector and flexible circuit is maintained during usage of the device.
US09229667B2
The present invention is concerning an image forming apparatus that has a first power-saving mode in which a power of loads in the apparatus is caused to transition to a sleep state and a second power-saving mode in which supply of power to the loads in the apparatus is stopped, the apparatus comprising: a low power consumption control unit that keeps the power in the second power-saving mode, wherein, in response to an event to cancel the second power-saving mode, the control unit restarts the supply of power to the loads other than the load of an image forming unit while keeping the supply of power to the loads of the image forming unit stopped.
US09229664B2
User-related features of a printing system are disclosed herein. Some embodiments relate to a time-line GUI for visualizing and/or manipulating queued print jobs which may be employed. Some embodiments relate to a reversed augmented reality GUI for visualization and/or control of the printing system. In some embodiments, a display screen is mounted to a printer housing and/or able to control access to moving parts of a printing system.
US09229663B2
According to an embodiment, an information processing apparatus includes: an acquiring unit that acquires a job list in which a job, authorization information expressing authorization over a process of a job, and level of priority of the job are associated with one another; and an output unit that outputs preferentially a job with high level of the priority over a job with low level of the priority.
US09229662B2
A method and system is provided for printing jobs received from enterprise customers through a global printing network. One aspect relates to an architecture that interfaces customers, communication service firms (CSFs), and downstream digital print service providers (PSPs) in a global communications network. Such an architecture permits last-mile production functions that allow the distribution of print jobs to be optimized, containing costs, maintaining quality, and performing billing functions that improve the quality of such networks and make a global print network feasible. As a result, Enterprise customers benefit from lower costs and global sourcing while print service providers and graphics service firms benefit from increased revenue due to increased utilization of the overall global network.
US09229653B2
In an embodiment, a hybrid storage array one uses two or more storage device tiers provided by solid state drives (SSDs) and hard disk drives (HDDs). Random writes are collected and written to a write cache extension, such as a portion of the SSD storage tier. The write cache extension absorbs such accesses that would otherwise be written to HDD storage directly. Data structures are created in a cache memory local to an array controller representing the location on the write cache extension to which the writes were committed and a location in the storage system where they were originally intended to go. The write cache extension can be enabled all of the time, or only when the array controller write cache experiences certain operating conditions, such as when its utilization exceeds a predetermined amount. The approach improves the overall performance of the hybrid array.
US09229645B2
An administrator instructs creation of a volume to a virtual storage device and registration of a host port for providing access permission to the volume. The virtual storage device searches a candidate of a physical storage device capable of reaching the host port and a candidate of the target port based on the access permission information, and creates a distributed volume astride the candidate physical storage device. The distributed volume is composed of a plurality of partial volumes, and the partial volumes inherit the functions of the storage device and the access permission information set for the distributed volume. The virtual storage device distributes an access permission to the physical storage device, constitutes the access permission information of the host port and the volume with respect to the candidate target port, and registers the access permission information of the host port and the target port to the SAN switch.
US09229644B2
In a nonvolatile memory array that has a binary cache formed of SLC blocks and a main memory formed of MLC blocks, corrupted data along an MLC word line is corrected and relocated, along with any other data along the MLC word line, to binary cache, before it becomes uncorrectable. Subsequent reads of the relocated data directed to binary cache.
US09229642B2
An apparatus having a processor and an interface to a nonvolatile memory having a plurality of blocks is disclosed. The processor is configured to (i) monitor a number of reads since a respective erase in at least one of the blocks in the nonvolatile memory, (ii) move a page from a first block to a second block in response to the number of reads exceeding a first threshold where the first block is partially programmed and (iii) move the page from the first block to the second block in response to the number of reads exceeding a second threshold where the first block is fully programmed. The first threshold is less than the second threshold.
US09229635B2
A wireless handheld device able to accept text input, including a display screen and a virtual keypad having a plurality of keys displayed on the display screen, wherein a first key of the virtual keypad is operable to display a first character associated with the first key in a text passage shown on the display screen in response to a first contact of a pointer with a first area on the display screen corresponding to the first key, the first contact including the pointer contacting and moving from the first area along a first direction while the pointer is in continual contact with the display screen, and wherein the first key of the virtual keypad is also operable to display a second character associated with the first key in the text passage shown on the display screen in response to a second contact of the pointer with the first area the display screen corresponding to the first key, the second contact including the pointer contacting and moving fro the first area along a second direction while the pointer is in continual contact with the display screen.
US09229634B2
A portable device with a touch screen display detects a finger-in-contact event at a first position on the touch screen display and identifies a user interface object associated with the first position. The portable device determines whether the identified user interface object is moveable across the touch screen display. For an identified object that is determined to be moveable across the touch screen display, the portable device detects a sequence of one or more first finger-dragging, a first finger-out-of-contact, one or more second finger-dragging, and a first finger-out-of-range events and performs a first operation associated with the identified moveable user interface object at least in part in accordance with the first and second finger-dragging events. For an identified not moveable object, the portable device detects a second finger-out-of-contact event and performs a second operation, different from the first operation in response to a second finger-out-of-contact event.
US09229633B2
A method for sharing a view presented on a touchscreen of a processing system. Whether a show gesture state is enabled on the processing system and whether a gesture event gate is open on the processing system are determined. The show gesture state determines whether a gesture detected by the touchscreen is depicted onto a version of the view shared with another processing system. The gesture event gate determines whether a corresponding gesture event is passed to an application that is active in the view.
US09229631B2
An apparatus and method for controlling a screen display in a portable terminal are provided. The apparatus includes a display unit, an input unit, a memory unit, a magnification identifying unit, and a controller. The display unit displays a screen display having a controlled magnification level. The input unit sets a zoom-in or zoom-out point on the screen display. The memory unit stores reference information for determining a zoom-in or zoom-out magnification level of the screen display. The magnification identifying unit measures a tilt of the portable terminal, and determines control or non-control of a magnification level of the screen display using the measured tilt. The controller controls the screen display according to the identified magnification level.
US09229618B2
A system and associated method for contextualizing a page turn in an electronic book pursuant to a snap gesture made by a user on a touch screen of a tablet device, as performed by an e-reader program running in the tablet device. The snap gesture is quantified with data elements including linger time and direction of the snap gesture. The quantified snap gesture is utilized in identifying a target page number to display on the touch screen responsive to at least one predefined data element of the quantified snap gesture such that the user is enabled to turn multiple pages of the electronic book by the snap gesture as turning multiple pages of a paper book.
US09229614B2
An example information processing device calculates a specified position Ps2 in a three-dimensional virtual space displayed on a screen of a display device. The information processing device calculates a two-dimensional input position Pi2 on the screen based on an input of a user. The specified position Ps2 is calculated based on the input position Pi2. The information processing device calculates, as the specified position Ps2, a three-dimensional position that satisfies a distance condition and also satisfies a range condition. The distance condition is a condition regarding the distance from a predetermined reference position in the virtual space. The range condition is a condition that an on-screen position corresponding to the three-dimensional position be within a range determined by the on-screen position corresponding to the reference position and the input position Pi2.
US09229611B2
A system is provided that automatically manages data consistency of a web application. When the system sends a data entity to a user interface component that the system has determined is an updatable user interface component, the system stores a version indicator for the data entity within a resource scope. When the system receives a request to update the data entity, the system compares the version indicator stored within the resource scope with a version indicator stored within a data store. When the two version indicators are identical, the system updates the data entity. When the two version indicators are not identical, the system raises an exception.
US09229598B2
A touch pen for a capacitive touch screen is provided. The touch pen includes a signal receiver conductor, a signal detecting and adjusting circuit, and a signal transmitter conductor. The signal receiver conductor receives a first touch signal from the capacitive touch screen. The signal detecting and adjusting circuit enlarges the first touch signal to a second touch signal having a standard intensity with a first magnification factor, a second magnification factor and a third magnification factor. The signal transmitter conductor issues the second touch signal to the capacitive touch screen. According to the second touch signal, the capacitive touch screen senses a position of a touch point of the touch pen.
US09229597B2
A layer of microscopic printed VLEDs is sandwiched between a first conductor layer and a transparent second conductor layer so that light exits the second conductor layer. Touch sensor electrodes are formed overlying the VLED layer so that the VLEDs illuminate the touch sensor. In one embodiment, the touch sensor electrodes are independent from the conductor layers for the VLEDs. In another embodiment, the transparent second conductor layer also serves as a touch sensor electrode. In another embodiment, both the conductor layers for the VLEDs serve as touch sensor electrodes. The conductor layers for the VLEDs may be segmented in groups to selectively illuminate groups of the VLEDs under each touch sensor position. The touch sensor electrodes may be transparent or opaque, depending on whether the electrodes are intended to allow the VLED light to pass through.
US09229594B2
A touch panel is disclosed, which includes a substrate, plural sensing units, plural wires, and a grounding component. The substrate includes a touch area and a wiring area surrounding the touch area. The sensing units are formed in the touch area. The wires are formed in the wiring area and are connected to the sensing units. The ground component is formed in the wiring area and includes plural hollow portions and conductive portions. At least parts of the hollow portions and at least parts of the conductive portions are alternatingly arranged. The situation of metal peeling can be prevented by slicing the grounding component in the touch panel.
US09229585B2
A projection system includes a projection unit configured to project a projected image on a surface for projection; an image capturing unit configured to capture an image of an image-capturing area representing an area; an operation detection unit configured to detect any user operation on an operation target image representing a targeted image for the user operation by using the captured image; a calculation unit configured to calculate image-capturing area coordinates for specifying a position of the image-capturing area in the projected image based on the captured image and the projected image; a position determination unit configured to determine a position of the operation target image in the projected image based on the image-capturing area coordinates; and a projected image generating unit configured to generate a projected image in which the operation target image is laid out on the determined position.
US09229584B2
The present invention is directed to the provision of an information input apparatus that can change the projection position of an input image by tracking a target object and can detect an information input to the input image. More specifically, the invention provides an information input apparatus includes a projection unit which projects an input image, a projection position changing unit which changes the projection position of the input image, a detection sensor which detects the position of a detection target, and an information detection unit which causes the projection position changing unit to change the projection position of the input image by tracking the position of the detection target detected by the detection sensor, and which detects an information input to the input image based on data supplied from the detection sensor.
US09229583B2
A system for determining a location of an object on a planar surface includes a time-of-flight sensor having sensing elements that provide a field of view for the time-of-flight sensor. The system also includes a mirror attached to the shaft of a motor for reflecting the field of view of the time-of-flight sensor across the planar surface. The system also includes electrical circuitry configured to receive range images from the time-of-flight sensor as the field of view is swept across the planar surface and process the range images to identify the object in at least one of the range images. The electrical circuitry is also configured to calculate a location of the object on the planar surface relative to the motor based on an angle of the shaft associated with the at least one range image and based on a distance of the object from time-of-flight sensor.
US09229578B2
An image sensor includes a plurality of light detecting elements. The plurality of light detecting elements are arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, wherein a flat field picture generated by the image sensor, the intensity standard deviation of pixels in each pixel column is greater than that of pixels in any pixel row, or the intensity standard deviation of pixels in each pixel row is greater than that of pixels of any pixel column.
US09229577B2
Apparatuses and methods to reduce the influence of a noise signal on touch screen controllers are described. One apparatus includes a detector to determine a presence of a noise signal from a display coupled to a capacitive touch screen. The apparatus also includes a synchronization circuit to synchronize signals produced by a touch screen controller with the noise signal to reduce the influence of the noise signal on capacitance measurements by the touch screen controller.
US09229564B2
An electronic device and a touch display panel of the electronic device are provided. The touch display panel receives a touch driving signal and generates a sense signal in response to the touch driving signal, wherein the sense signal is analyzed to calculate a touch position on the touch display. The touch display panel includes a transmitting circuit and a grounding electrode. The transmitting circuit distributes the touch driving signal in the touch display panel. The grounding electrode is disposed over the transmitting circuit and at least partially covers the transmitting circuit, wherein the grounding electrode is a grounded conductor.
US09229560B2
A flexible touch screen panel includes a flexible substrate; a plurality of first sensing cells on a surface of the substrate and arranged along a first direction, and a plurality of second sensing cells on the surface of the substrate and arranged along a second direction crossing the first direction; and a plurality of first coupling patterns configured to couple adjacent ones of the first sensing cells along the first direction, and a plurality of second coupling patterns configured to couple adjacent ones of the second sensing cells along the second direction, wherein the first and second sensing cells form meshes having a plurality of apertures, and the first coupling patterns have a lamination structure including different materials.
US09229556B2
Provided is an apparatus and method for sensing a three-dimensional (3D) object. The apparatus includes a display unit including a first sensing space in which a sensitivity with respect to a proximity touch is higher than a threshold value and a second sensing space in which a sensitivity with respect to the proximity touch is lower than the threshold value, on a stereoscopic space on which at least one 3D object is disposed and a controller for moving predetermined 3D objects in a predetermined direction if a proximity touch is generated on the second sensing space, detecting coordinates of a 3D object corresponding to a proximity touch generated on the first sensing space if the proximity touch generated on the second sensing space is moved and generated on the first sensing space, and performing a function corresponding to the 3D object.
US09229553B2
An electrode for a touch sensitive device includes micro-wire conductors arranged to define an electrically continuous electrode trunk area, and including branching elements which extend outward from the electrode trunk area. The electrically continuous trunk area is patterned coincident an underlying reference mesh pattern, as are the branching elements.
US09229551B2
The present invention provides a capacitive sensor and detection method using the same. The capacitive sensor of the present invention includes at least one detecting plate and at least one reference plate surrounding each detecting plate. All of the reference plates are electrically coupled to the same first wire, and each reference plate is electrically coupled to a second wire. When an electrical signal is provided to the first wire and each second wire, one or more detecting plates touched or approached can be detected simultaneously based on the signal difference between each second wire and the first wire.
US09229550B1
A configurable user interface (UI) includes actuators capable of protruding from a surface of the configurable UI to effectively add texture, buttons, knobs, or other virtual objects with which a user may interact. In addition, this document describes a system for supplementing this configurable UI by projecting content onto the surface, such as one or more images corresponding to the set of controls provided by the configurable UI. In addition, the system may identify (e.g., with use of a camera) when a user interacts with the configurable UI and may instruct the configurable UI to physically modify some aspect of the interface in response.
US09229549B1
A random scanning technique for secure transactions entered with a capacitive sensor input device is described.
US09229543B2
An aspect provides a method including: identifying one or more symbols input to a surface of a first device; determining, using at least one processor, one or more modified input parameters associated with input of the one or more symbols; determining a modification to an association for the one or more symbols based on the one or more modified input parameters; and executing an action corresponding to a modified association for the one or more symbols. Other aspects are described and claimed.
US09229541B2
A coordinate detection system includes a coordinate detecting apparatus that is mounted on a display apparatus, detects approach of an indicating object toward the display apparatus, detects a position coordinate of the indicating object on the display apparatus, and outputs a notice indicating the approach of the indicating object and the position coordinate; a contact detecting apparatus that detects whether the contact detecting apparatus is in contact with the coordinate detecting apparatus and outputs a notice indicating contact or non-contact of the contact detecting apparatus; and an information processing apparatus that includes a control unit that, upon reception of the notice indicating the approach of the indicating object, determines whether the notice indicating the contact of the contact detecting apparatus is received within a predetermined time, and issues an event indicating the contact of the contact detecting apparatus when receiving the notice of the contact of the contact detecting apparatus.
US09229539B2
A user is able to triage information on a touch-enabled computing device. Information objects are displayed on a touch-sensitive screen of the device. Whenever the user makes a first gesture on the screen using a first user input modality, the first gesture and that it was made using this first modality are identified, a first information management operation specifically associated with the first gesture being made with this first modality is also identified, and this first operation is implemented on the objects. Whenever the user subsequently makes a second gesture on the screen using a second user input modality which is different than the first modality, the second gesture and that it was made using this second modality are identified, a second information management operation specifically associated with the second gesture being made with this second modality is also identified, and this second operation is implemented on the objects.
US09229536B2
Systems and methods for gesture recognition for input device applications are described. In one embodiment, a system for gesture recognition includes a pair of IR LED emitters, an imaging module such as a camera or other imaging device, an LED emitter control module and a processing module. The IR LEDs generate IR light to highlight a target from one or more angles, and the received images are processed to identify target position and/or motion to provide output data based on the determined target position and/or motion.
US09229533B2
An information processing apparatus includes a detection unit configured to detect a gesture made by a user, a recognition unit configured to recognize a type of the gesture detected by the detection unit, a control unit configured to control operation of a first application and a second application, and an output unit configured to output information of the first application or the second application. If the gesture is recognized by the recognition unit while the control unit is controlling the operation of the first application in the foreground, the control unit controls the operation of the second application operating in the background of the first application on the basis of the type of the gesture recognized by the recognition unit.
US09229532B1
Systems and methods for mapping message contents to virtual physical properties for vibrotactile messaging are disclosed. For example, one disclosed method includes the steps of receiving a sensor signal from a sensor, the sensor configured to detect an interaction with a messaging device, determining a virtual physical property of a virtual message object based at least in part on the sensor signal, determining a haptic effect based at least in part on the virtual physical parameter; and generating a haptic signal configured to cause an actuator to output the haptic effect.
US09229513B2
A battery capacity displaying system includes a host, a display device in communication with the host, and a wireless peripheral device. The display device is connected with the host. The display device is in communication with the host, and includes a triggering element. When the triggering element is pressed, a wireless signal containing a battery capacity data is transmitted from the wireless peripheral device to the host. After the wireless signal is received by the host, a residual battery capacity corresponding to the battery capacity data is displayed on the display device. Consequently, the user can realize the residual battery capacity of the wireless peripheral device at any appropriate time according to the practical requirements.
US09229508B2
To allow an information processing apparatus to further accurately calculate power consumption of an image processing apparatus, the image processing apparatus includes a communication unit configured to communicate with a control apparatus configured to transfer power supply state information indicating a power supply state to the information processing apparatus configured to calculate a power consumption amount based on the power supply state information, and a control unit configured to control the communication unit so as to transmit information for calculating a power consumption amount of the image processing apparatus during a period from detection about the shift to the state prohibiting a transfer to the information processing apparatus to detection about the shift to the state allowing the transfer to the information processing apparatus, to the control apparatus together with the power supply state information.
US09229500B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide an apparatus that reduces an audible noise produced in a power supply. The apparatus includes: (1) a housing; (2) an inductor coil formed from a coil of wire enclosed in the housing; (3) a set of wires that are coupled from the inductor coil to the outside of the housing through corresponding apertures in the housing, comprising electrical leads for the inductor coil; and (4) a predetermined amount of adhesive in the apertures that bonds the wires to the housing to reduce an audible noise produced when the current through the inductor coil is cycled quickly.
US09229485B2
A method and an electronic device for switching state, relating to the field of electronic device applications, for facilitating a user carrying and using a peripheral keyboard is described. The electronic device includes a casing that includes a display unit for displaying on a first surface of the casing; an input unit being movably disposed on a second surface of the casing; according to different positional relationships between the input unit and the casing. The electronic device has at least two different operating modes: a tablet operating mode or a laptop operating mode. The device is usefully applied to a tablet type electronic device.
US09229481B2
A highly portable semiconductor device and the like providing improved browsability of display. Provided is a semiconductor device including a flexible display panel, a first housing supporting a first region of the display panel, a second housing supporting a second region of the display panel, and a flexible base material firmly attached to the first housing. The display panel can be deformed into an open position where the first and second regions are substantially on the same plane or into a folded position where the first and second regions overlap with each other. The second housing includes a groove portion where the flexible base material can partly slide. Part of the flexible base material is inserted into the groove portion in the open position. The part of the flexible base material which is inserted into the groove portion is at least partly withdrawn in a deformation into the folded position.
US09229473B2
A folding portable keyboard includes a first keyboard section, a second keyboard section, and a folding structure. The first keyboard section and the second keyboard section are coplanar with each other when the portable keyboard is unfolded, or overlap each other when the portable keyboard is folded. The folding structure includes a rotary assembly having a first sleeve, a second sleeve, and a pivot. The first sleeve is defined on a first sidewall of the first keyboard section. The second sleeve is defined on a second sidewall of the second keyboard section. The pivot is sleeved by the first sleeve and the second sleeve. The first sleeve and the second sleeve are capable of rotating relative to each other about the pivot until the first keyboard section overlaps the second keyboard section.
US09229467B2
A device includes a bandgap reference circuit and a start-up circuit. The bandgap reference circuit includes an amplifier and a first transistor. The amplifier has an inverting input terminal, a non-inverting input terminal, and an output terminal. The first transistor has a gate electrode electrically connected to the output terminal. The start-up circuit has a first path electrically connected to the output terminal and the non-inverting input terminal, and a second path electrically connected to the output terminal and the inverting input terminal.
US09229466B2
A voltage regulator for one or more dies in a multi-stack integrated circuit includes an inductor located on a die, a voltage controller that is electrically coupled to the inductor and is also located on the die, and a capacitor that is electrically coupled to the inductor and the voltage controller and is also located on the die. The inductor defines an interior space and the voltage controller and the capacitor are located within the interior space of the inductor. The inductor can be a lateral inductor or a through layer via inductor. The multi-stack integrated circuit may have multiple dies. A voltage controller may be electrically coupled to each of the dies, although it may be located on only one of the dies. Alternatively, separate voltage controllers may be electrically coupled to each of the multiple dies and may be located on each of the respective dies.
US09229460B1
A radio-frequency peak amplitude detection circuit includes a load capacitor, a current source that charges the load capacitor and set the bias current for the field effect transistors, and a pair of field effect transistors. The gates of the field effect transistors are biased at a level below the threshold voltage of the transistors. The transistors are arranged in parallel with the capacitor and are operable to drain the capacitor at a rate determined by a differential input at the gates of the transistors. The voltage across the load capacitor is low-pass filtered and has a voltage level representative of the amplitude of the differential input signal.
US09229455B2
A microfluidic surface processing system includes a microfluidic probe head having a processing fluid circuit configured to dispense a surface processing fluid from a processing fluid aperture thereof; a linkage mechanism, configured to apply a force to or modulate a force applied to the microfluidic probe head towards a surface to be processed; and a lifting fluid circuit integral with the microfluidic probe head and distinct from the processing fluid circuit, the lifting fluid circuit designed for dispensing a lifting fluid from a lifting fluid aperture thereof, with pressure such as to counter the force applied or modulated by the linkage mechanism, at the level of the surface.
US09229453B1
A system and method for providing path planning and generation in a semi-autonomous or autonomously driven vehicle that provides a steering correction for collision avoidance purposes. The method includes detecting a lane center of a roadway lane that the vehicle is traveling along and determining a lane centering path that directs the vehicle from its current position to the lane center. The method also includes detecting a moving object in front of the vehicle and determining if a collision between the vehicle and the object will occur if the vehicle travels along the lane centering path at the current vehicle speed. The method solves a fifth-order polynomial equation to define a collision avoidance path from the current vehicle position to a waypoint a safe distance from the object and a return path from the waypoint to the lane center that the vehicle is automatically steered along.
US09229447B2
A method for detecting erroneous air data on an aircraft includes determining a current air parameter and a current altitude pressure parameter which collectively define a current point of control for the aircraft. The method also includes verifying whether the current point of control is situated in a characteristic envelope indicating operating limits for the aircraft. When the current point of control is outside the characteristic envelope, then a detection piece of information identifying at least one of the parameters as an erroneous parameter is emitted, which causes that erroneous parameter to be invalidated and an alarm signal to be sent to the crew. Therefore, an erroneous air data parameter is readily addressed and discarded using the method and associated device.
US09229445B2
A mobility building product traceability system and a production line controlling method are used to set product information and to test quality of each product. The product traceability system includes a mobile electronics device used by an inspector and an ID (Identification) confirmation code inputted by the inspector. A storing unit is built in the mobile electronics device and has feature standards related to products built therein. At least one imaging apparatus is built in the mobile electronics device and applied to scan product serial number barcodes, product features, and two-dimensional barcodes associated with the products to receive, record or read production and test information of the products, and then store the production and test information in the storing unit.
US09229440B2
Exemplary embodiments are directed to a system and method for configuring a control device in an automation system. The system including a hardware structure, and a programming tool connected to the hardware structure and the control device. The programming tool is configured to transmit a control program and configuration files to the control device, and store a control project in memory. The programming tool registers modifications of the hardware devices using software “FlexConf.ini” as modification information and sets the control device to a mode “control with flexible configuration” via a parameter “FlexControl”. The programming tool also determines a type for transmitting the modification information in the parameter “FlexControl”, and transmits the modification software with the modification information stored therein in accordance with the transmission type set in the parameter “FlexControl” to the control device. The control device then parameterizes the hardware devices and transitions into a “RUN” operating mode.
US09229438B2
A first embodiment of a system for measuring and analyzing a machine property comprises a vibration detector; power source; data transmitter, and first data processor which can obtain and convert sensed vibration data into digital data to be transmitted through the data transmitter to a system server which comprises software for processing and analyzing data comprising the received sensed vibration data. In a second embodiment, the system comprises a vibration sensor and a terminal used to obtain sensed vibration data from the sensor and convert it into digital data to be transmitted through the first data transceiver, and, optionally, to a system server. In this embodiment, data may be presented visually on the user display area and user input received input from the user input area.
US09229431B2
Crown including a cap formed of a cover integral with a lateral skirt, wherein the crown includes a removable deck ring.
US09229429B2
An image forming apparatus heats and fixes a toner image on a recording material, discharges and cools the recording material, and prevents the heated and fixed toner image on the recording material from being melted. The apparatus also has a conveying portion that is prevented from being cooled, so that unevenness of cooling of the toner image is prevented, and the image forming apparatus does not cause any contact mark of the conveying portion.
US09229428B2
An image forming apparatus includes a mounting portion to which one of a plurality of kinds of cartridges having different configurations is mountable, a fan device for cooling the cartridges mounted to the mounting portion with air flow provided thereby, and a changing device for changing a state of the air flow in accordance with the configuration of the cartridge mounted to the mounting portion. The changing device includes a contact member contactable to the cartridge mounted to the mounting portion, and the contact member is displaceable in accordance with a configuration of the mounted cartridge to change the state of air flow.
US09229418B2
A frame structure for use in an image forming apparatus includes a main frame, a front plate to position a first end of a latent image carrier within the image forming apparatus, a rear plate fixed to the main frame to position a second end of the latent image carrier opposite the first end within the image forming apparatus, and a writing device frame fixed to the rear plate to position a latent image writing unit that writes a latent image onto the latent image carrier within the image forming apparatus. The front plate is fixed to the writing device frame. The rear plate is fixed to the main frame at least at three separate positions, at least one position being offset from a hypothetical line connecting the other two positions.
US09229416B2
An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier and a cleaning device. The image carrier is rotated to carry a toner image. The cleaning device includes a cleaning member and an auxiliary cleaning member. To the cleaning member, a bias of a reversed polarity to a polarity of a remained toner adhered on a surface of the image carrier is applied. The auxiliary cleaning member is located at an upstream side from the cleaning member in a rotating direction of the image carrier. According to advance of whitening of the surface of the image carrier, the auxiliary cleaning member is made to come into contact with the surface of the image carrier or contact pressure of the auxiliary cleaning member with the surface of the image carrier is increased.
US09229401B2
An image forming apparatus calculates a speed correction amount obtained by correcting a gain and a phase of a speed fluctuation component by a gain phase correction unit and a correction speed calculation unit so as to cancel this speed fluctuation component and controls a rotation speed of a rotator by using the calculated speed correction amount.
US09229390B2
A fixing device includes a fixing belt, a pressuring rotation body, a drive transmission member, a detected member, and a rotation detecting part. The fixing belt rotates around a rotation axis. The pressuring rotation body comes into pressure contact with the fixing belt to form a fixing nip. The drive transmission member is held by one end part of the fixing belt. The detected member is held by another end part of the fixing belt. The rotation detecting part detects the rotation of the detected member. The fixing belt is configured to co-rotate with the rotation of the drive transmission member by friction force between the one end part of the fixing belt and drive transmission member. The detected member is configured to co-rotate with the rotation of the fixing belt by friction force between the other end part of the fixing belt and detected member.
US09229378B1
Provided is a fixing device including an endless belt that rotates around an axis, transmits light, and has an inner peripheral surface to which a lubricating liquid adheres, a lens that has a curved surface having a top portion closest to the inner peripheral surface at one end when viewed in the axial direction, and concentrates light incident on the curved surface on a developer image on a medium that comes in contact with an outer peripheral surface of the belt that comes in contact with the other end, and a light source that allows the light to be concentrated on the developer image to be incident on a portion on an upstream side of the belt of an outer peripheral surface of a portion of the belt facing the top portion in the rotation direction.
US09229373B1
A developing device includes first and second stirring/transporting members, a developer feeding member, and a developer container that accommodates those components. The first and second stirring/transporting members stir and transport developer. The developer feeding member feeds developer to the first stirring/transporting member. In the developer container, a feeding port through which developer is fed from the developer feeding member to the first stirring/transporting member is formed. The developer feeding member includes a rotary shaft, a first transport blade which stirs and transports developer, a blocking portion which protrudes substantially perpendicularly to the rotary shaft and blocks the developer transported by the first transport blade in a first direction, and a paddle which feeds the developer from a developer supply passage to a first transport chamber.
US09229371B2
A developer container includes: a developer accommodating chamber, provided with an opening, for accommodating a developer; a sealing member bonded to the developer accommodating container so as to block the opening; and a rotatable member, having a connecting surface where the sealing member is connected thereto, for peeling off the sealing member from the opening by rotation thereof. The connecting surface has a rectangular shape which has a long side with respect to a rotational axis direction of the rotatable member and which is twisted in a rotational direction of the rotatable member.
US09229362B1
In accordance with one embodiment, an image forming apparatus has a first image forming section, a second image forming section and an image forming agent adhesion amount control section. The first image forming section forms an image with decolorable image forming agent. The second image forming section forms an image with non-decolorable image forming agent. The image forming agent adhesion amount control section carries out a control to make the amount of the non-decolorable image forming agent adhered to a sheet smaller than that of the decolorable image forming agent adhered to the sheet.
US09229359B2
A printing unit has a doctor blade chamber, a rotatable roller, and a gasket for sealing between the doctor blade chamber and the roller. One end of the gasket has at least one sealing surface directed towards the doctor blade chamber, the gasket having a thickness which is delimited by a first edge and a second edge at the sealing surface. The other end of the gasket has an elastomeric edge for sealing abutment against the roller, the elastomeric edge being offset in a longitudinal direction of the roller relative to at least one of the first and second edges and delimits the thickness of the sealing surface. The a surface of the gasket extending between the doctor blade chamber and the roller is inclined at an angled of less than 90° relative to longitudinal axis of the roller and/or the sealing surface, and is concave and/or convex.
US09229355B2
A method for generating a BD signal and identifying a reflection surface after a polygonal mirror has reached approximately constant rotation speed increases time to start image formation because the step of generating the BD signal is needed. An image forming apparatus identifies a reflection surface on which a light beam is incident by using the period of an FG signal.
US09229350B2
An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier; a transferring unit; a fixing unit; a conveying unit; and a sheet shape detecting unit as defined herein, and a discharge position where the sheet is discharged from the conveying path, a feed position where the sheet is fed to the sheet conveying path and a detection position where the shape of the sheet is detected by the sheet shape detecting unit are arranged in this sequence along a sheet conveying direction to be close to one another, immediately downstream in the sheet conveying direction from a fixing position where the toner image is fixed to the sheet.
US09229345B2
The present invention is a toner including toner particles prepared by forming particles of a polymerizable monomer composition including a polymerizable monomer, a pigment, a pigment dispersant and a crystalline polyester resin in an aqueous medium, and polymerizing the polymerizable monomer, wherein the polymerizable monomer is a polymerizable monomer for preparing a vinyl copolymer, the difference in an SP value between the pigment dispersant and the crystalline polyester resin is −1.5 to +0.8, the difference in an SP value between the pigment dispersant an the vinyl copolymer is −1.1 to +1.2, the pigment dispersant has a polymer component and an adsorbable component adsorbed to the pigment, the polymer component is a vinyl polymer, the polymer component of the pigment dispersant has a number average molecular weight of 3,000 to 20,000, and a rate of adsorption of the pigment dispersant to the pigment is 30% or more.
US09229343B2
In producing an electrostatic latent image developing toner, fine particle aggregates are formed by aggregating fine particles containing a binder resin and fine particles containing a release agent in an aqueous medium in the presence of an aggregating agent containing an alkali metal sulfate, and toner particles are formed by coalescing components contained in the fine particle aggregates in an aqueous medium in the presence of hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose.
US09229316B2
Disclosed is a method for producing a substrate with a multilayer reflective film for EUV lithography including a multilayer reflective film disposed on a principal surface of a substrate, the method including a multilayer reflective film formation step of forming the multilayer reflective film on the principal surface of the substrate in such a manner that the multilayer reflective film has a slope region in which the film thickness is decreased in a direction from the inside to the outside of the substrate on a peripheral portion of the principal surface, and a fiducial mark formation step of forming fiducial marks in the slope region by removing at least a portion of the multilayer reflective film, the fiducial marks serving as references for a defective location indicated by defect information with respect to the surface of the substrate with the multilayer reflective film.
US09229312B2
The present invention provides an exposure apparatus including a projection optical system configured to project a reticle pattern onto a wafer, a selector configured to select a dummy wafer to be placed near an image plane of the projection optical system, from a plurality of dummy wafers having the same shape as that of the wafer and different reflectance with each other, a transfer unit configured to place the dummy wafer selected by the selector near the image plane of the projection optical system, and a controller configured to perform control such that dummy exposure is performed by irradiating the dummy wafer, which is placed near the image plane of the projection optical system by the transfer unit, with light via the projection optical system.
US09229310B2
The general field of the invention is that of display systems including an image projector and an associated display screen, said display system being intended for use by an observer situated at a specified location, said display screen having two transparent and substantially parallel faces, and said display screen having on at least one of its transparent faces a plurality of regularly distributed optical patterns. The image projector according to the invention illuminating the screen at a plurality of angles of incidence determined by the position and size of the display screen, and said angles of incidence being centered on an average angle of incidence, the optical patterns have at least one curved reflective surface orientated so as to reflect the light rays having at least the average angle of incidence in one or more directions corresponding to said specified location of the observer. A plurality of embodiments are described.
US09229307B2
An apparatus comprising a visible light source(s), multimode optical fiber(s), light coupler(s), an optional spatial light modulator(s), and an optional projection lens(es). The light source has a 1/e half-width emission bandwidth. The light coupler couples the light source to the multimode optical fiber(s) such that objective speckle contrast is reduced. The multimode optical fiber(s) may pass light from the coupler to an optional spatial light modulator. The spatial light modulator may modulate the light to form an image. The projection lens may transfer light onto an image plane or to illuminate objects. The objective speckle contrast at the end of the multimode fiber in combination with the projection lens diameter (if employed) and wavelength diversity may result in viewed images at the viewer's eye, or other detector, exhibiting speckle contrast that may be 1% or less.
US09229299B1
A multidirectional camera mount allows quick, easy and safe rotational adjustment of camera orientation and/or position. An upper side of the multidirectional camera mount can include upper mounting tabs attached to a camera, camera housing or other device. A lower side of the multidirectional camera mount can include lower mounting tabs which can be affixed to various objects, while static or during numerous physical activities. The multidirectional camera mount can allow the upper mounting tabs to rotate relative to the lower mounting tabs.
US09229296B2
A focal plane shutter is provided with a switching mechanism having an electromagnet and a stopping member. The stopping member is provided with an engaging portion able to lock an engagement portion provided in a first driving member for a leading edge, and an operating portion wherein a direction of a force, in relation to the electromagnet, switches, in accordance with switching between an application and removal of an electric current in a single direction to the electromagnet, so as to move the engaging portion to a position wherein it is able to release locking of the engagement portion when the electric current is applied, and to move the engaging portion to a position wherein it is able to lock the engagement portion when the electric current is removed.
US09229285B2
Provided is a method of manufacturing a display device that includes a structure formed so as to protrude at least in a normal direction of a first substrate, and an electrode formed in a side wall surface of the structure, the method including: forming a transparent conductive film for the electrode; forming a low-affinity material having a low affinity for a resist film on an upper surface of the transparent conductive film formed in a head surface of the structure; forming a resist film by applying a liquid resist material to an upper layer of the transparent conductive film and then fixing the resist material; forming an opening that exposes the transparent conductive film in the resist film by removing the low-affinity material; etching the transparent conductive film which is a lower layer using the resist film as a protective film; and removing the resist film.
US09229281B2
A TFT array substrate is disclosed. The TFT array substrate includes an array of TFT switches including scan lines, data lines intersecting the scan lines, and TFT switches. Each of the TFT switches includes a gate electrode electrically connected to a scan line, a source electrode electrically connected to a data line, and a drain electrode. The TFT array substrate also includes an array of pixel electrodes, each of the pixel electrodes is electrically connected to the drain electrode of a corresponding TFT switch. At least one first pixel electrode is disposed in the array of the pixel electrodes, and each first pixel electrode has an overlapping portion overlapped by at least one of the scan lines and the data lines. In addition, in the overlapping portion, a shielding electrode layer is located between the first pixel electrode and at least one of the scan line and the data line overlapping the first pixel electrode.
US09229280B2
A method of manufacturing LCOS panel is disclosed. The method includes: providing a silicon substrate on which at least one conductive pad is formed and a transparent substrate on which a transparent electrode layer is formed; dispensing or coating a sealing material on a predetermined area of the silicon substrate or the transparent substrate; bonding the silicon substrate with the transparent substrate; singulating the bonded silicon substrate and transparent substrate such that at least one space is provided between the silicon substrate and the transparent substrate on an outer side of the sealing material and a part of the transparent electrode layer is exposed in the space; and dispensing a conductive adhesive into the space to connect the transparent electrode layer to the conductive pad. The method is able to achieve a smaller-size of the LCOS panels, a higher production yield and a lower process requirement.
US09229276B2
A method for manufacturing LCD panels includes providing upper and lower substrates; interposing a liquid crystal material composed of at least one liquid crystal molecule and at least two photosensitive monomers between the upper and lower substrates, at least one first photosensitive monomer having an absorption peak larger than 300 nm and at least one second photosensitive monomer having an absorption peak smaller than 300 nm; applying a voltage between the upper and lower substrates and irradiating with ultra-violet radiation having a first wavelength larger than 300 nm for a first time interval for polymerizing most first photosensitive monomers to provide an alignment polymer; and separately irradiating with ultra-violet radiation having a second wavelength for a second time interval, the second wavelength being larger than the first wavelength. The Irradiating steps are separate and, when irradiating with the first wavelength precedes irradiating with the second wavelength, residual monomers are reduced.
US09229273B2
A reflection type liquid crystal device has: a liquid crystal cell held between a pair of substrates and an optical compensation plate disposed outside the pair of substrates. The optical compensation plate has a first optical axis along the thickness direction thereof. The liquid crystal cell has a pretilt at which a second optical axis of a liquid crystal molecule of the liquid crystal cell is inclined with respect to a plate surface of the liquid crystal cell. The optical compensation plate is tiltable in a first direction in which a standard angle becomes larger, wherein the standard angle is defined as an acute angle between the first optical axis and the second optical axis when the optical compensation plate is located parallel to the plate surface of the liquid crystal cell.
US09229266B2
Disclosed is a liquid crystal display (LCD) device that may include a plurality of pixels; a liquid crystal layer disposed over the plurality of pixels; a red color filter layer disposed over the liquid crystal layer, the red color filter layer including anthraquinone pigment.
US09229263B2
A liquid crystal display device includes first and second polarizers with absorption axes orthogonal to each other; first and second substrates between the first and second polarizers and at least one of which has a transparent electrode; and a twisted-nematic liquid crystal cell disposed between the first and second substrates, wherein a light scattering film is provided at a viewing side of the first and second polarizers and includes a support member and a liquid crystal layer composed of a liquid crystal compound, wherein the pitch of the liquid crystal compound ranges between 0.35 μm and 3 μm and is oriented at 45° relative to a liquid-crystal direction of the liquid crystal display device, wherein the liquid crystal layer has a thickness between 0.17 μm and 10 μm, and wherein a weighted scattering area ratio of a goniophotometer scattering profile of the light scattering film satisfies the following expression. S 60 / ( S 0 ) 2 × 1000 > 40 S 0 = ∑ S 0 ( θ ) × θ ∑ S 0 ( θ ) S 60 = ∑ S 60 ( θ ) × exp ( - 0.2 × θ ) ∑ S 60 ( θ )
US09229259B2
A cholesteric liquid crystal writing board display device includes a plurality of cholesteric liquid crystal writing tablets and a front cover layer extending over the cholesteric liquid crystal writing tablets. The cholesteric liquid crystal writing tablets are tiled together by the front cover layer such that the writing board display device appears nearly seamless. Or, the writing tablets can be spaced apart from each other.
US09229258B2
A to-be-cut liquid crystal mother panel includes a TFT mother substrate forming at least one voltage-applying area onto which an external voltage is applied, a CF mother substrate arranged corresponding to the TFT mother substrate, and a pressure-reduction member located between the CF mother substrate and the TFT mother substrate; the pressure-reduction member corresponds to the voltage-applying area for reducing an adsorptive force between the voltage-applying area and an end portion of the CF mother substrate corresponding to the voltage-applying area. The pressure-reduction member increases the surface roughness of the end portion, avoids a vacuum state formed between the end portion and the voltage-applying area, reduces the adsorptive force between the end portion and the voltage-applying area, and allows the splitting device to separate the end portion from the TFT mother substrate easily after the liquid crystal mother panel is cut.
US09229255B2
A manufacturing method of a liquid crystal panel is proposed. The manufacturing method includes the following steps of: providing a first substrate and a second substrate; coating the first substrate for forming an alignment film; forming a passivation layer on the surface of the alignment film; removing the passivation layer when a predetermined Q-time arrives; liquid crystals are sprayed onto the surface of the alignment film; attaching the second substrate to the first substrate for forming the liquid crystal panel. The surface of the alignment film could keep clean all the time, which help increase the yield rate of liquid crystal panels.
US09229236B2
A head-mounted display includes: a scanning unit that scans signal light modulated according to an image signal; a display unit on which the signal light from the scanning unit is incident and that is transmissive to visible light, the display unit including a half mirror area reflecting the signal light from the scanning unit and a transmission area having a transmittance higher than that of the half mirror area for visible light; and a control unit that scans, based on a use condition, the signal light over an area including the transmission area.
US09229235B2
Systems and methods allow a user to interact with an augmented reality device. In one implementation, a lockable, wearable device is provided. The wearable device comprises a display; at least one sensor configured to provide an output indicative of a viewing direction of a user; and at least one processing device. The at least one processing device is configured to track a pattern of the viewing direction of the user; and unlock the lockable, wearable device to provide the user with access to information on the display of the device when the tracked pattern of movement matches a predetermined pattern of movement.
US09229224B2
An image display apparatus includes laser light sources, a light combining section that combines laser light from the laser light sources, and an optical scanner that deflects drawing laser light from the light combining section for two-dimensional scanning. The optical axes of the laser light outputted from the laser light sources and directed toward the optical scanner are present in the same plane. Further, the optical scanner has a light reflection surface configured to be perpendicular to the plane when the optical scanner is not driven. The optical scanner deflects the drawing laser light reflected off the light reflection surface for two-dimensional scanning by causing the light reflection surface to swing within the plane and in the direction perpendicular to the plane.
US09229222B2
This invention relates to MEMS display apparatus and methods for assembly thereof that include a plurality of light modulators having components substantially surrounded in a liquid that reduces the effects of stiction and improves the optical and electromechanical performance of the display apparatus. The invention also relates to methods for aligning components of a MEMS display to establish a correspondence between the plurality of light modulators and a plurality of apertures to regulate the transmission of light through the apparatus.
US09229205B2
A projection optical system including a unity magnification reflecting optical system which forms an intermediate image of an object positioned on an object plane. The reflecting optical system includes a first mirror which reflects light emitted from the object plane, an optical system which reflects the light from the first mirror, and a second mirror which reflects the light from the optical system toward a forming position of the intermediate image. The first mirror, the second mirror and the optical system are positioned so as to satisfy a condition in which a distance between a position of reflection of the light on the second mirror and the forming position of the intermediate image is smaller than a distance between a position of reflection of the light on the first mirror and the object plane.
US09229200B2
Panoramic optical systems are disclosed comprising an ellipsoidal mirror and a lens system that reduces astigmatism. The lens systems are capable of operating at fast speeds. Simple and highly manufacturable lens systems are provided for capturing and/or projecting high quality 360-degree panoramic scenes.
US09229198B2
The invention discloses a five-piece lens set for capturing images. The lens set comprises a five-piece optical lens. In order from an object side toward an image side, the five-piece optical lens comprises a first lens element with positive refractive power having a convex image-side surface; a second lens element having a convex object-side surface, and at least one of both surfaces thereof being aspheric; a third lens element with positive refractive power having a concave image-side surface, and having one inflection point that is located away from the optical axis; a fourth lens element with positive refractive power, and at least one of both surfaces thereof being aspheric; a fifth lens element having a convex object-side surface and having two inflection points not closed to an optical axis on the object-side surface. The five-piece lens set further comprises an aperture stop and an image-plane.
US09229195B2
A low-cost, compact and low-profile imaging lens with relatively high brightness, which provides a wide field of view (full field of view: about 90 degrees) and corrects aberrations properly. Designed for a solid-state image sensor, it includes elements arranged in the following order from an object side to an image side: an aperture stop, a first positive (refractive power) lens, a second negative lens having a concave image-side surface, a third positive lens having a convex image-side surface, a fourth lens as a meniscus double-sided aspheric lens having a convex object-side surface near an optical axis, a fifth negative lens as a double-sided aspheric lens having a concave image-side surface near the optical axis, and a conditional expression (1) below is satisfied: |r1|>|r2| (1) where r1: curvature radius of the object-side surface of the first lens r2: curvature radius of the image-side surface of the first lens.
US09229190B2
Provided are a lens driving motor and an elastic member of the lens driving motor. The elastic member of a lens driving motor, the elastic member includes a first spring and a second spring. The second spring is different from the first spring and disposed together with the first spring on one side of a carrier to support the carrier. A first lead line of a coil and a first external power source are connected to the first spring, and a second lead line of the coil and a second external power source are connected to the second spring to supply power to the coil. Since the carrier can be assembled to other part after a (+) lead line and a (−) lead line of the coil are connected to the first and second springs, respectively, using solder, a process is simple and convenient.
US09229186B2
An enclosure that includes an outer housing, a sealant assembly that defines a cable port for routing a cable into the outer housing and a port plug that passes through the cable port. The port plug includes a retention feature that is moveable between an expanded configuration and a radially compressed configuration. The retention feature has an elastic construction that allows the retention feature to move to the radially compressed configuration as the retention feature passes through the cable port and causes the retention feature to automatically expand to the expanded configuration after the retention feature passes through the cable port.
US09229184B2
A lens module includes a front lens unit and a bottom lens unit. The front lens unit includes a number of first lenses having parallel optical axes. The bottom lens unit is detachably connected to the front lens unit. The bottom lens unit includes a number of second lenses having parallel optical axes.
US09229182B2
An optical module includes a circuit board, a photoelectric conversion element mounted on the circuit board, an optical connector for optically connecting the photoelectric conversion element and an optical fiber, a semiconductor circuit element mounted on the circuit board and electrically connected to the photoelectric conversion element, a pressing member for pressing and fixing the optical connector to the circuit board, and a supporting member for supporting the pressing member. The supporting member includes a heat-absorbing surface and a heat-dissipating surface. The heat-absorbing surface is thermally connected to the semiconductor circuit element. The heat-dissipating surface dissipates heat of the semiconductor circuit element to be absorbed through the heat-absorbing surface.
US09229179B2
An integrated optoelectronic module comprising: a semiconductor substrate; a single-mode optical waveguide comprising a semiconductor with a signal input section at a first end; a multi-mode optical waveguide comprising a semiconductor connected to a second end of the single-mode optical waveguide; and a photodiode disposed on and adjacent to the multi-mode interferometer waveguide and having at least one optical absorption layer section, wherein the single-mode optical waveguide, the multi-mode optical waveguide, and the photodiode being stacked on the semiconductor substrate, wherein the multi-mode interferometer waveguide comprises a reflection section formed by partly grooving the multi-mode interferometer waveguide, and an optical signal having propagated through the multi-mode interferometer waveguide is reflected by the reflection section and focused on the optical absorption layer section.
US09229177B1
A backlash prevention tool is formed by provision of a C-shaped frame-like support portion installed to an engagement surface portion hollowed out and formed from a side wall surface of an adapter main body toward upper and lower wall surfaces, a come-off preventing locking piece protruded in a diagonally outer direction from a center side edge of the support portion so as to face to locking protrusions formed at the center of both side surface portions of the adapter main body, and backlash preventing locking pieces protruded in diagonally outer directions of respective side edges in both sides and upper and lower sides of the come-off preventing locking piece at the center of the support portion so as to come into pressure contact with respective sides of an inner side of an opening edge of an adapter attaching hole of a panel and are formed into a leaf spring.
US09229173B2
Provided are an optical fiber connector component which holds an optical fiber and is capable of being inserted through a thin pipe and capable of being inserted smoothly through a pipe, and an optical fiber connector provided with the optical fiber connector component. The optical fiber connector component comprises a ferrule having a fiber hole to hold an inserted coaxially disposed optical fiber, a stop ring arranged on the base end side of the ferrule, and an urging means arranged in between the ferrule and the stop ring; the optical fiber connector is characterized by having a housing and cover member coaxially connected to the optical fiber, and the cover member being fixed to the stop ring of the optical fiber component by means of a fixing member.
US09229171B2
An optical communication device includes a first fiber, a second fiber, a light-emitting unit, a light receiving unit, and a lens unit. The first fiber and the second fiber are located at two opposite sides of the lens unit. The lens unit includes a first entrance surface, a first exit surface, a first reflecting surface, a second entrance surface, a second exit surface, and a second reflecting surface. The first entrance surface is perpendicular to the first exit surface. An included angle between the first entrance surface and the first reflecting surface is 45 degrees. The second entrance surface is perpendicular to the second exit surface. An included angle between the second entrance surface and the second reflecting surface is 45 degrees. The first reflecting surface is perpendicular to the second reflecting surface. The first entrance surface and the second exit surface are coplanar.
US09229166B2
The optical fiber cutter 1 comprises a cutter base 3 and a cutter lid 4 attached openably and closably to the cutter base 3. A slider 8 having a blade member for incising an optical fiber is attached to the cutter base 3 so as to be movable widthwise. A switching plate 15 is attached to a rear end part of the cutter base 3, while a switcher 16 is provided on the outer surface side of the switching plate 15. When the switcher 16 is at a first position, the cutter lid 4 engages a stopper, thereby attaining an opening angle of 35°. When the switcher 16 is at a second position, the engagement between the cutter lid 4 and the stopper is released, whereby the cutter lid 4 attains an opening angle of 70°.
US09229153B2
The present invention provides a warning device, which includes a housing; a bottom cover, an accommodation space is formed through the bottom cover being engaged with the housing; a first light guide plate formed with a plurality of first light guide strips; a second light guide plate formed with a plurality of second light guide strips, and the arranged direction of the plural second light guide strips is perpendicular to the arranged direction of the plural first light guide strips; a light source module installed with at least a LED; and a switch module installed with a printed circuit board, the printed circuit board is provided with a switch and a microcontroller, when the switch is pressed, the microcontroller drives the LED for enabling a plurality of pointy light sources to be formed and emitted through the first light guide plate.
US09229148B2
A light guide plate includes a light incident surface, a light facing surface facing the light incident surface, a connection surface connecting the light incident surface with the light facing surface, and a top surface connected with the light incident surface, the light facing surface, and the connection surface. The light incident surface receives light from a light source, the light facing surface reflects light, and the top surface outputs light toward a display panel. The connection surface includes at least two absorption surfaces parallel to a straight line linking a center of an arc with an end of the light incident surface and at least one reflective surface interposed the two adjacent absorption surfaces to reflect the light.
US09229146B2
A backlight module including a light guide plate is disclosed. The light guide plate has a light emitting plane, a bottom plane opposite to the light emitting plane and a light incident plane connecting the light emitting plane and the bottom plane, a plurality of arc protrusions disposed on the first light incident plane; and a transparent layer disposed upon each of the arc-protrusions. In the backlight module, an LED bar is disposed near to the light incident plane of the light guide plate, and the LED bar has a plurality of LED light sources corresponding to the arc-protrusions of the light guide plate, respectively.
US09229145B2
A lighting device comprising a plurality of light emitting elements (1), and a beam shaping optics (7) having an entrance aperture (6). Each light emitting element is optically connected to a set of optical fibers (5) each having a first end optically connected to the light emitting element and a second end optically connected to the entrance aperture (6), so as to guide collimated light from the light emitting element to the beam shaping optics (7). The light emitting elements are distributed over an area larger than the entrance aperture (6).
