US09350022B2
A cathode active material of the present invention is a cathode active material having a composition represented by General Formula (1) below, LiFe1-xMxP1-ySiyO4 (1), where: an average valence of Fe is +2 or more; M is an element having a valence of +2 or more and is at least one type of element selected from the group consisting of Zr, Sn, Y, and Al; the valence of M is different from the average valence of Fe; 0
US09350014B2
The performance of an ABx type metal hydride alloy is improved by adding an element to the alloy which element is operative to enhance the surface area morphology of the alloy. The alloy may include surface regions of differing morphologies.
US09350013B2
A method for producing an electrode assembly includes: obtaining a porous active material molded body by molding a constituent material containing a lithium multiple oxide in the form of particles by compression, and then performing a heat treatment at a temperature of 850° C. or higher and lower than the melting point of the used lithium multiple oxide; forming a solid electrolyte layer by applying a liquid containing a constituent material of an inorganic solid electrolyte to the surface of the active material molded body including the inside of each pore of the active material molded body, and then performing a heat treatment; and bonding a current collector to the active material molded body exposed from the solid electrolyte layer.
US09350010B2
A secondary battery includes an electrode assembly having a first electrode, a second electrode, and a separator located between the first electrode and the second electrode; a first collector plate electrically coupled to the first electrode; a case housing the electrode assembly and the first collector plate and having an opening; a cap assembly sealing the opening of the case and being electrically coupled to the first collector plate; a first electrode terminal comprising a first electrode terminal plate electrically coupled to the cap assembly; and a second electrode terminal protruding through the cap assembly, electrically coupled to the second electrode and electrically insulated from the cap assembly.
US09350008B2
An automobile cell is provided with an electric power generating element composed of a positive electrode having a positive electrode active substance layer, a negative electrode having a negative electrode active substance layer and a separator interposed between the electrodes, a cell outer sheath made of a laminate film compositely composed of polymer and metal, a positive electrode terminal lead electrically conductive with the positive electrode and extending to an outside of the cell outer sheath, and a negative electrode terminal lead electrically conductive with the negative electrode and extending to the outside of the cell outer sheath. The positive electrode and the negative electrode associated therewith via the separator defines a unit electrode, and the relationship between a thickness of the automobile cell and a sum of a thickness of the positive electrode active substance layer and a thickness of the negative electrode active substance layer of the unit electrodes, is defined such that a value obtained by dividing the former by the latter is equal to or less than 80.
US09350007B2
A connection plate for battery terminals capable of inhibiting a first member and a second member from being detached from each other is provided. This bus bar 2 (connection plate for battery terminals) includes a first member (3) including a first hole (30) and an embedding hole (31), made of first metal and a second member (4) having a second hole (42), including a base (40) made of second metal, embedded in the embedding hole of the first member, while an intermetallic compound layer (5) containing at least one of the first metal and the second metal is formed on an interface between the embedding hole of the first member and the second member.
US09350006B2
Disclosed is a technology for preventing electrodes in a secondary battery from being short-circuited with each other. An electrode assembly includes a cathode and anode of which a cathode collector and anode collector are coated with a cathode active material and anode active material, respectively, and a separator disposed between the cathode and the anode. An insulation layer is disposed on a tab part of the cathode collector constituting the cathode. Thus, an insulation layer may be disposed on an end (a tab part) of the cathode collector that is used as a tab of the cathode electrode in the structure of the electrode assembly to prevent the cathode from being physically short-circuited with the anode in the sequentially stacked structure of cathode/separator/anode.
US09350005B2
Batteries, separators, battery packs, electronic devices, electromotive vehicles, power storage apparatus, and electric power systems are provided. In one embodiment, a battery includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and an electrolytic solution holding layer between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. The electrolytic solution holding layer includes a porous polymer compound, and an electrolytic solution is held in the porous polymer compound. The porous polymer compound includes a vinylidene fluoride polymer selected from the group consisting of (1) a vinylidene fluoride homopolymer and (2) a copolymer including a vinylidene fluoride monomer unit and a hexafluoropropylene monomer unit. The average molecular weight of the vinylidene fluoride polymer is 500,000 or more to less than 1.5 million, and the air permeability of the porous polymer compound is 500 seconds/100 cc or less.
US09350003B2
A battery module for an electric vehicle includes an external case, a battery box, a fixing mechanism, and a rotatable pull tab. The external case is fixed in the electric vehicle, and includes an accommodation space and a first fixing part. The battery box is detachably installed in the accommodation space. The fixing mechanism is disposed on the battery box. When the battery box is installed in the accommodation space, the fixing mechanism engages or disengages the first fixing part to selectively lock or unlock the battery box. When the battery box is locked, the battery box is securely fixed in the accommodation space. When the battery box is unlocked, the battery box is removable from the accommodation space. The rotatable pull tab is detachably inserted into the fixing mechanism. By rotating the rotatable pull tab the battery box is selectively locked or unlocked.
US09349997B2
A display panel is provided. The display panel includes a substrate, a pixel array, a peripheral circuit, and a protective layer. The substrate includes a display region and a non-display region. The pixel array is located in the display region of the substrate. The peripheral circuit is located in the non-display region. The protective layer is located in the display region and the non-display region. The peripheral circuit and the pixel array are covered by the protective layer. The protective layer in the non-display region has a plurality of openings, which expose the substrate. The apertures of the openings is between 1 μm and 1 mm, and the spacing between the openings is 10 μm and 1 cm.
US09349979B2
An organic light-emitting display device and a method of manufacturing the same. The organic light-emitting display device includes: a substrate; an active layer on the substrate; a gate electrode insulated from the active layer and overlapping the active layer; a source electrode including a first source electrode layer connected to the active layer and a second source electrode layer connected to the first source electrode layer and being larger than the first source electrode layer; a drain electrode including a first drain electrode layer connected to the active layer and a second drain electrode layer connected to the first drain electrode layer and being larger than the first drain electrode layer; a first electrode electrically connected to the source electrode or the drain electrode; an intermediate layer on the first electrode and including an organic emission layer; and a second electrode on the intermediate layer.
US09349978B2
An organic light emitting display device including: a plurality of first wirings extending in a first direction; and a plurality of second wirings extending in a second direction that crosses the first direction, wherein at least one of the plurality of first wirings includes a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer that extends from an upper portion of the first conductive layer to the same layer as the first conductive layer or a lower layer than the first conductive layer.
US09349977B2
A light-emitting device includes a transistor over a substrate and an insulating film over the transistor. The light-emitting device further includes a wiring over the insulating film and a light-emitting element. The insulating film includes a first opening and a second opening, and the wiring is electrically connected to the transistor through the first opening. The light-emitting element is provided in the second opening, and includes a first electrode, a second electrode, and an organic compound layer provided between the first electrode and the second electrode.
US09349959B2
The present invention provides a polymer molecular film, a photo-electronic element comprising the same and method for manufacturing the same. The polymer molecular film of the invention is formed via a deformation process on a substrate. Particularly, the polymer molecular film includes a plurality of conjugated polymers, therein at least one of the conjugated polymers has a stretched molecular structure. As a result, the photo-electronic element having said polymer molecular film performs with good lighting or power generating efficiency.
US09349941B2
The present invention is directed to a multi-state current-switching magnetic memory element configured to store a state by current flowing therethrough to switch the state. The magnetic memory element includes a stack of two or more magnetic tunneling junctions (MTJs) with each MTJ including a free layer with a switchable magnetic orientation perpendicular to a layer plane thereof, a barrier layer, and a fixed layer with a fixed magnetic orientation perpendicular to a layer plane thereof. Each MTJ is separated from other MTJs in the stack by at least an isolation layer. The stack of MTJs may store more than one bit of information. The free layer of each MTJ has a switching current threshold different from free layers of other MTJs in the stack.
US09349939B2
A method of forming a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) device includes forming a spacer on an exposed side portion of the MTJ device. The method further includes forming an etch-resistant protective coating associated with the MTJ device. The etch-resistant protective coating provides greater etch resistance than the spacer.
US09349938B2
Acoustic wave devices and methods of coating a protective film of alumina (Al2O3) on the acoustic wave devices are disclosed herein. The protective film is applied through an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process. The ALD process can deposit very thin layers of alumina on the surface of the acoustic wave devices in a precisely controlled manner. Thus, the uniform film does not significantly distort the operation of the acoustic wave device.
US09349936B2
Reinforced high temperature superconducting silver wire and materials, and methods of producing reinforced high temperature superconducting silver composite wire. More specifically reinforcement materials and assemblies for attaining much higher stress, bend and surface indent tolerances at practical conductor dimensions are described. The reinforced wire or methods can include a silver wire core and a layer of high strength reinforcing metal.
US09349925B2
A light emitting device according to embodiments includes a light emitting element emitting light with a peak wavelength of 420˜445 nm, a first phosphor emitting light with a peak wavelength of 485˜530 nm, a second phosphor emitting light with a peak wavelength of 530˜580 nm, and a third phosphor emitting light with a peak wavelength of 600˜650 nm. The device emits light having an emission spectrum that has a local minimum value of light intensity between a wavelength of 450˜470 nm or less, the local minimum value being 60% or less of a maximum value of light intensity at a longer wavelength side from the local minimum value, and the device emits light having a color temperature of 4600 K or higher and 5400 K or less.
US09349915B2
A β-Ga2O3-based single crystal substrate includes a β-Ga2O3-based single crystal. The β-Ga2O3-based single crystal includes a full width at half maximum of an x-ray rocking curve of less than 75 seconds.
US09349911B2
A high-resolution, Active Matrix (AM) programmed monolithic Light Emitting Diode (LED) micro-array is fabricated using flip-chip technology. The fabrication process includes fabrications of an LED micro-array and an AM panel, and combining the resulting LED micro-array and AM panel using the flip-chip technology. The LED micro-array is grown and fabricated on a sapphire substrate and the AM panel can be fabricated using CMOS process. LED pixels in a same row share a common N-bus line that is connected to the ground of AM panel while p-electrodes of the LED pixels are electrically separated such that each p-electrode is independently connected to an output of drive circuits mounted on the AM panel. The LED micro-array is flip-chip bonded to the AM panel so that the AM panel controls the LED pixels individually and the LED pixels exhibit excellent emission uniformity. According to this constitution, incompatibility between the LED process and the CMOS process can be eliminated.
US09349908B2
Provided are a highly reliable semiconductor light-emitting element having uniform protrusions that are arranged regularly and have the same size and a method of producing the same. The method of producing a semiconductor light-emitting element according to the present invention includes: forming a mask layer having a plurality of openings that are arranged at equal intervals along a crystal axis of a semiconductor structure layer on the surface of the semiconductor structure layer; performing a plasma treatment on the surface of the semiconductor structure layer exposed from the openings in the mask layer; removing the mask layer; and wet-etching the surface of the semiconductor structure layer to form protrusions on the surface of the semiconductor structure layer.
US09349905B2
A multi-junction photovoltaic cell includes a substrate and a back contact layer formed on the substrate. A low bandgap Group IB-IIIB-VIB2 material solar absorber layer is formed on the back contact layer. A heterojunction partner layer is formed on the low bandgap solar absorber layer, to help form the bottom cell junction, and the heterojunction partner layer includes at least one layer of a high resistivity material having a resistivity of at least 100 ohms-centimeter. The high resistivity material has the formula (Zn and/or Mg)(S, Se, O, and/or OH). A conductive interconnect layer is formed above the heterojunction partner layer, and at least one additional single-junction photovoltaic cell is formed on the conductive interconnect layer, as a top cell. The top cell may have an amorphous Silicon or p-type Cadmium Selenide solar absorber layer. Cadmium Selenide may be converted from n-type to p-type with a chloride doping process.
US09349895B2
An encapsulating material for solar cell excellent in a balance among properties including transparency, flexibility, adhesiveness, heat resistance, appearance, crosslinking properties, electrical properties and calender moldability. The encapsulating material includes an ethylene/α-olefin copolymer satisfying the following requirements: (a1) the content ratio of structural units derived from ethylene is from 80 to 90 mol % and the content ratio of structural units derived from α-olefin having 3 to 20 carbon atoms is from 10 to 20 mol %; (a2) MFR is equal to or more than 2 g/10 minutes and less than 10 g/10 minutes as measured under the conditions of a temperature of 190 degrees centigrade and a load of 2.16 kg in accordance with ASTM D1238; (a3) the density is from 0.865 to 0.884 g/cm3 as measured in accordance with ASTM D1505; and (a4) the shore A hardness is from 60 to 85 as measured in accordance with ASTM D2240.
US09349879B2
A non-volatile memory device may include a semiconductor substrate and an isolation layer on the semiconductor substrate wherein the isolation layer defines an active region of the semiconductor substrate. A tunnel insulation layer may be provided on the active region of the semiconductor substrate, and a charge storage pattern may be provided on the tunnel insulation layer. An interface layer pattern may be provided on the charge storage pattern, and a blocking insulation pattern may be provided on the interface layer pattern. Moreover, the block insulation pattern may include a high-k dielectric material, and the interface layer pattern and the blocking insulation pattern may include different materials. A control gate electrode may be provided on the blocking insulating layer so that the blocking insulation pattern is between the interface layer pattern and the control gate electrode. Related methods are also discussed.
US09349877B1
A nonvolatile trapped-charge memory device and method of fabricating the same are described. Generally, the memory device includes a tunneling layer on a substrate, a charge trapping layer on the tunneling layer, and a blocking layer on the charge trapping layer. The tunneling layer includes a nitrided oxide film formed by annealling an oxide grown on the substrate using a nitrogen source. The tunneling layer comprises a first region proximate to the substrate, and a second region proximate to the charge trapping layer, and wherein the nitrogen concentration decreases from a first interface between the second region and the charge trapping layer to a second interface between the first region and the substrate to reduce nitrogen trap density at the second interface. Other embodiments are also described.
US09349873B1
Provided is an oxide semiconductor device. A source, a drain, and a first gate are buried in a first dielectric layer, and the first gate is located between the source and the drain. A first barrier layer is located on the first dielectric layer, partially overlaps the source and the drain and overlaps the first gate. The first barrier layer includes a first opening and a second opening respectively corresponds to the source and the drain. An oxide semiconductor layer covers the first barrier layer and fills in the first opening and the second opening. A second barrier layer is located on the oxide semiconductor layer. A second gate is located on the second barrier layer and overlaps with the source, the drain, and the first gate.
US09349870B2
A method for forming low-temperature polysilicon thin film, a thin film transistor and a display device are provided. The method for forming low-temperature polysilicon thin film comprises: depositing an amorphous silicon thin film on a base substrate; covering the amorphous silicon thin film with an anti-reflective optical film; performing photolithography and etching on the anti-reflective optical film such that light condensing structures are provided in an array on the anti-reflective optical film; and irradiating the amorphous silicon thin film with the anti-reflective optical film covered by laser light such that the amorphous silicon film is converted into the low-temperature polysilicon thin film. The method may improve the grain size and uniformity of the low-temperature polysilicon thin film, make full use of the energy of the incident laser light, facilitate the reduction of the production cost of the low-temperature polysilicon thin film, and improve the performance of the low-temperature polysilicon thin film transistor.
US09349869B2
To reduce defects in an oxide semiconductor film in a semiconductor device. To improve the electrical characteristics and the reliability of a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor film. In a semiconductor device including a transistor including a gate electrode formed over a substrate, a gate insulating film covering the gate electrode, a multilayer film overlapping with the gate electrode with the gate insulating film provided therebetween, and a pair of electrodes in contact with the multilayer film, a first oxide insulating film covering the transistor, and a second oxide insulating film formed over the first oxide insulating film, the multilayer film includes an oxide semiconductor film and an oxide film containing In or Ga, the first oxide insulating film is an oxide insulating film through which oxygen is permeated, and the second oxide insulating film is an oxide insulating film containing more oxygen than that in the stoichiometric composition.
US09349865B2
Methods of forming a semiconductor structure include providing a multi-layer substrate having an epitaxial base layer overlying a strained primary semiconductor layer above a buried oxide layer. Elements within the epitaxial base layer are used to alter a strain state in the primary semiconductor layer within a first region of the multi-layer substrate without altering a strain state in the primary semiconductor layer within a second region of the multi-layer substrate. A first plurality of transistor channel structures are formed that each comprise a portion of the primary semiconductor layer within the first region of the multi-layer substrate, and a second plurality of transistor channel structures are formed that each comprise a portion of the primary semiconductor layer within the second region of the multi-layer substrate. Semiconductor structures fabricated by such methods may include transistor channel structures having differing strain states.
US09349864B1
Methods for fabricating integrated circuits including selectively forming layers of increased dopant concentration are provided. In an embodiment, a method for fabricating an integrated circuit includes forming a material layer with a selected facet on a selected plane and a non-selected facet on a non-selected plane. The method further includes performing an epitaxial deposition process with a dopant source to grow an in-situ doped epitaxial material on the material layer. The epitaxial deposition process grows the in-situ doped epitaxial material on the selected facet at a first growth rate and over the non-selected facet at a second growth rate greater than the first growth rate. A layer of increased dopant concentration is selectively formed over the selected facet.
US09349853B2
According to one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes first electrode and second electrodes, first, second, third, fifth, and fourth semiconductor regions, a third electrode, and a second insulating film. The first semiconductor region is provided between the first and second electrodes. The second semiconductor region is provided between the first semiconductor region and the first electrode. The third semiconductor region is provided between the first semiconductor region and the second electrode. The fifth semiconductor region is provided between the first semiconductor region and the second electrode. The fourth semiconductor region is provided between the third semiconductor region and the second electrode and between the fifth semiconductor region and the second electrode. The third electrode contacts the first, third, and fourth semiconductor regions via a first insulating film. The second insulating film contacts the first, fifth, and fourth semiconductor regions.
US09349842B2
Ferroelectric circuit elements, such as field effect transistors or capacitors, may be formed on the basis of hafnium oxide, which may also be used during the fabrication of sophisticated high-k metal gate electrode structures of fast transistors. To this end, the hafnium-based oxide having appropriate thickness and material composition may be patterned at any appropriate manufacturing stage, without unduly affecting the overall process flow for fabricating a sophisticated high-k metal gate electrode structure.
US09349832B1
A technique relates to forming a transistor. A dummy gate is formed on a substrate with spacers on both sides. A source and a drain are formed in the substrate, where the source and the drain are positioned under the spacers. An interlayer dielectric is formed on top of the substrate, the spacers, and the dummy gate. The interlayer dielectric is planarized along with part of the spacers and the dummy gate. The dummy gate is removed, thereby leaving an opening. A sacrificial layer is deposited on top of the substrate in a bottom of the opening. The sacrificial layer includes at least one of silicon germanium and/or germanium. The sacrificial layer is removed from the substrate in the bottom of the opening, thereby growing an interfacial oxide layer on the substrate in the opening. A high-κ dielectric layer is deposited on top of the interfacial oxide layer.
US09349829B2
A method of manufacturing a transistor device includes forming a semiconductor heterostructure including a plurality of alternating two-dimensional electron gasses (2DEGs) and two-dimensional hole gasses (2DHGs) extending in parallel at different depths in the semiconductor heterostructure, the 2DEGs forming current channels of the transistor device, forming a source extending into the semiconductor heterostructure in contact with the 2DEGs at a first end of the current channels, forming a drain extending into the semiconductor heterostructure in contact with the 2DEGs at an opposing second end of the current channels, and forming a plurality of spaced apart gate structures extending into the semiconductor heterostructure and including an electrically conductive material separated from the surrounding semiconductor heterostructure by an insulating material.
US09349826B2
A semiconductor device according to the invention includes p-type well region 3 and n+ source region 4, both formed selectively in the surface portion of n− drift region 2; trench 6 in contact with n+ source region 4 and extending through p-type well region 3 into n− drift region 2; field plate 8 formed in trench 6 with first insulator film 7 interposed between the trench 6 inner surface and field plate 8; gate electrode 10 formed in trench 6 with second insulator film 9 interposed between the trench 6 side wall and gate electrode 10, gate electrode 10 being formed above field plate 8; first insulator film 7 being thicker than second insulator film 9; and n−− lightly doped region 21 in n− drift region 2, n−− lightly doped region 21 crossing under the bottom surface of trench 6 from the corner portion thereof, n−− lightly doped region 21 covering the bottom surface of trench 6. The semiconductor device according to the invention and the method of manufacturing the semiconductor device according to the invention facilitate lowering the ON-state voltage, preventing the breakdown voltage from lowering, lowering the gate capacitance, and reducing the manufacturing costs.
US09349825B2
A method for manufacturing a graphene transistor based on self-aligning technology, the method comprising: on a substrate (1), forming sequentially graphene material (4), a metal film (5), and photoresist patterns (6) formed by lithography, removing the metal film and the graphene material uncovered by the photoresist, forming an active area, and metal electrodes (7, 8, 9) of a source, a gate, and a drain of the transistor, wherein the source electrode 7 and drain electrode 9 are connected with a metal of the active region, and forming gate photoresist patterns (10) between the source and the drain by lithography, etching off the exposed metal, forming sequentially a seed layer (11), a gate dielectric layer (12), and gate metal (13) on the exposed graphene surface, and finally forming a graphene transistor.
US09349818B2
A MOS transistor device includes a substrate including a gate formed thereon, and a spacer being formed on a sidewall of the gate; a source region and a drain region formed in the substrate; and at least a first dummy contact formed above the substrate on a drain side of the gate. More important, the first dummy contact is formed apart from a surface of the substrate.
US09349817B2
Embodiments of the disclosure provide semiconductor device structures and methods of forming the same. The semiconductor device structure includes a metal gate over a substrate. A first spacer is formed over sidewalls of the metal gate and having a first height. A second spacer is formed over the sidewalls of the metal gate and having a second height. The first height is higher than the second height. The first spacer is farther from the sidewalls of the metal gate than the second spacer. In addition, the semiconductor device structure includes a dielectric layer formed over the substrate to surround the first spacer and the metal gate.
US09349809B1
A method of forming a semiconductor structure. The method may include; forming a hardmask on a strained semiconductor, the strained semiconductor is on a substrate; relaxing edges of the strained semiconductor by forming first trenches through the hardmask and through the strained semiconductor; forming barrier layers in the first trenches; forming a second trench between adjacent barrier layers; and growing a second semiconductor layer on the strained semiconductor having relaxed edges.
US09349799B2
Disclosed are a method and a semiconductor device. The method includes implanting recombination center atoms via a first surface into a semiconductor body, and causing the implanted recombination center atoms to diffuse in the semiconductor body in a first diffusion process.
US09349798B1
A method of forming CMOS structures with selective tensile strained NFET fins and relaxed PFET fins includes performing a first, partial fin etch on a tensile strained silicon layer of a semiconductor substrate; selectively oxidizing bottom surfaces of the tensile strained silicon layer in a PFET region of the semiconductor substrate, thereby causing PFET silicon fins defined in the PFET region to become relaxed; and performing a second fin etch to define NFET silicon fins in an NFET region of the semiconductor substrate, wherein the NFET silicon fins remain tensile strained.
US09349794B2
A layer arrangement in accordance with various embodiments may include: a first layer having a side; one or more nanoholes in the first layer that are open towards the side of the first layer; a second layer filling at least part of the nanoholes and covering at least part of the side of the first layer, the second layer including at least one of the following materials: a metal or metal alloy, a glass material, a polymer material, a ceramic material.
US09349786B2
An embodiment of a fractal fixed capacitor comprises a capacitor body in a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) structure. The capacitor body has a first plate with a fractal shape separated by a horizontal distance from a second plate with a fractal shape. The first plate and the second plate are within the same plane. Such a fractal fixed capacitor further comprises a substrate above which the capacitor body is positioned.
US09349785B2
A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, trench isolations, a sacrificial layer, a first resist protect oxide (RPO) layer, a second RPO layer and a silicide layer. The semiconductor substrate has first portions and second portions which are alternately disposed, and each of the second portions includes a first resist region with a first resistance, a second resist region with a second resistance and a silicide region. The second resistance is greater than the first resistance. The trench isolations are in the first portions. The sacrificial layer is on the first resist region. The first RPO layer is on the sacrificial layer. The first RPO layer together with the sacrificial layer have a first thickness. The second RPO layer is on the second resist region, in which the second RPO layer has a second thickness smaller than the first thickness. The silicide layer is on the silicide region.
US09349784B2
An organic light-emitting display apparatus includes: a substrate; a thin film transistor formed on the substrate; a pixel electrode connected to at least one of the source or drain electrodes; a pixel-defining layer having a first opening exposing at least a portion of the pixel electrode and a second opening adjacent to the first opening; an intermediate layer formed on the pixel electrode, including an organic emission layer, and having a first hole corresponding to the second opening; an opposite electrode formed on the intermediate layer; and first and second auxiliary electrodes formed below the pixel-defining layer, at least portions of the first and second auxiliary electrodes are exposed through the second opening, where ends of the first and second auxiliary electrodes are spaced apart from each other, and where the opposite electrode contacts the ends of the and second first auxiliary electrodes which are exposed through the first hole.
US09349782B2
An organic light emitting diode (OLED) display including a substrate; a scan line formed on the substrate and applying a scan signal; a data line and a driving voltage line intersecting the scan line and respectively applying a data signal and a driving voltage; a switching TFT connected to the scan line and data line; a driving TFT connected to a switching drain electrode TFT and the driving voltage line; an OLED connected to the driving drain electrode; a storage capacitor connected between the driving voltage line and the driving gate electrode; and a boosting capacitor including a first boosting capacitor plate connected to the driving gate electrode and a second boosting capacitor plate overlapping the first boosting capacitor plate and connected to the scan line, where an area of the first boosting capacitor plate of the boosting capacitor is larger than an area of the second boosting capacitor plate.
US09349781B2
An organic light emitting diode display includes: a substrate; a semiconductor layer formed on the substrate and including a switching semiconductor layer, a driving semiconductor layer, and a light emission control semiconductor layer spaced apart from each other; a first gate insulating layer covering the semiconductor layer; a light emission control gate electrode formed on the first gate insulating layer and overlapping the light emission control semiconductor layer; a second gate insulating layer covering the light emission control gate electrode; a switching gate electrode and a driving gate electrode formed on the second gate insulating layer and respectively overlapping the switching semiconductor layer and the driving semiconductor layer; and an interlayer insulating layer covering the switching gate electrode, the driving gate electrode, and the second gate insulating layer. A doping concentration of a channel region of the driving semiconductor layer is higher than a doping concentration of a channel region of the light emission control semiconductor layer.
US09349780B2
A transparent organic light emitting display device and a method of manufacturing the transparent organic light emitting display device are provided. The transparent organic light emitting display device comprises a plurality of sub pixel regions, each having a emissive area and a transmissive area, a thin film transistor disposed in the emissive area, and an organic light emitting element electrically connected to the thin film transistor. While the emissive area emits light to display image on the display device, the transmissive area allows the external light to be passed through the display device so that objects behind the display device can be viewed simultaneously with the displayed image.
US09349776B2
A display apparatus includes an array of pixels and dummy pixels. A plurality of first lines are connected to the pixels and the dummy pixels. A plurality of repair lines are connected to the dummy pixels and are selectively connected to the pixels. A plurality of second lines are connected to the pixels. At least one dummy line is connected to the dummy pixels. At least one dummy wiring is connected to the at least one dummy line and is selectively connected to one of the second lines.
US09349770B2
An imaging device may include an image sensor having an array of image pixels. The array of image pixels may include one or more infrared pixels that are configured to detect infrared light. The infrared pixels may include reflective structures for increasing quantum efficiency in the infrared spectral range. The reflective structures may include first and second parallel structures formed on opposing sides of a photodiode in an infrared pixel. The reflective structures may be partially transparent to infrared light and non-transparent to visible light. The reflective structures may form an optical cavity so that infrared light that enters an infrared pixel is reflected back and forth between the reflective structures until it is absorbed by the photodiode in the infrared pixel. Reflective structures may also be formed between infrared filters and color filters to suppress optical crosstalk between infrared pixels and color pixels.
US09349769B2
Various structures of image sensors are disclosed, as well as methods of forming the image sensors. According to an embodiment, a structure comprises a substrate comprising photo diodes, an oxide layer on the substrate, recesses in the oxide layer and corresponding to the photo diodes, a reflective guide material on a sidewall of each of the recesses, and color filters each being disposed in a respective one of the recesses. The oxide layer and the reflective guide material form a grid among the color filters, and at least a portion of the oxide layer and a portion of the reflective guide material are disposed between neighboring color filters.
US09349761B2
A solid-state image pickup device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes: a first substrate including first pixels arranged in a matrix; and a second substrate electrically coupled to the first substrate and including second pixels arranged in a matrix. The first pixel including a photoelectric conversion element configured to generate a color signal corresponding to an m-th color is the first pixel corresponding to the m-th color where m is an integer equal to one of 1 to n. The second pixel including the signal storing circuit configured to store the color signal corresponding to the m-th color is the second pixel corresponding to the m-th color. At least two second pixels of the second pixels corresponding to the same color are arranged in the same column on the second substrate.
US09349760B2
A thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) array substrate comprises a gate line, a data line, a pixel electrode and a thin film transistor. The pixel electrode and the thin film transistor are formed in a pixel region defined by intersecting of the gate line and the data line, and the thin film transistor comprises a gate electrode, a semiconductor layer, a source electrode and a drain electrode. Two separate parts of the surface of the semiconductor layer are treated by a surface treatment to form into an ohmic contact layer, and the source electrode and the drain electrode are connected with the semiconductor layer through the ohmic contact layer in the two separate parts, respectively.
US09349757B2
An object is to improve the drive capability of a semiconductor device. The semiconductor device includes a first transistor and a second transistor. A first terminal of the first transistor is electrically connected to a first wiring. A second terminal of the first transistor is electrically connected to a second wiring. A gate of the second transistor is electrically connected to a third wiring. A first terminal of the second transistor is electrically connected to the third wiring. A second terminal of the second transistor is electrically connected to a gate of the first transistor. A channel region is formed using an oxide semiconductor layer in each of the first transistor and the second transistor. The off-state current of each of the first transistor and the second transistor per channel width of 1 μm is 1 aA or less.
US09349753B2
An array substrate comprising display areas and non-display areas is provided. The non-display area comprises an area in which a plurality of gate lines and a plurality of data lines crossed to each other are located and an area in which thin film transistors are located, the gate lines and the data lines being formed by patterning metal film layers which are formed in the area by magnetron sputtering targets spaced to each other; and wherein a pad part is formed in an area of the non-display areas corresponding to the spacing areas between the targets, a sum of thickness of the metal film layer foamed in the areas corresponding to the spacing areas between the targets and the thickness of the pad part being equal to the thickness of the metal film layer formed in the areas facing the targets.
US09349748B2
A semiconductor device includes a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate having a stack of a first semiconductor substrate, a buried insulating layer and a second semiconductor substrate formed in a first region and a deep trench isolation disposed in a second region. The method of forming the semiconductor device includes providing a SOI substrate having shallow trench isolations (STIs) and transistors formed within and on the second semiconductor substrate, respectively. The method also includes forming a hard mask over the first region and removing the STIs, the transistors, the second semiconductor substrate and the buried insulating layer in the second region using the hard mask as a mask, and forming a capping layer covering the deep trench isolation and the second semiconductor substrate including the transistors.
US09349741B2
An integrated circuit for an embedded flash memory device is provided. A semiconductor substrate includes a memory region and a logic region adjacent to the memory region. A logic device is arranged over the logic region and includes a metal gate separated from the semiconductor substrate by a material having a dielectric constant exceeding 3.9. A flash memory cell device is arranged over the memory region. The flash memory cell device includes a memory cell gate electrically insulated on opposing sides by corresponding dielectric regions. A silicide contact pad is arranged over a top surface of the memory cell gate. The top surface of the memory cell gate and a top surface of the silicide contact pad are recessed relative to a top surface of the metal gate and top surfaces of the dielectric regions. A method of manufacturing the integrated circuit is also provided.
US09349740B2
Suspended charge storage regions are utilized for non-volatile storage to decrease parasitic interferences and increase charge retention in memory devices. Charge storage regions are suspended from an overlying intermediate dielectric material. The charge storage regions include an upper surface and a lower surface that extend in the row and column directions. The upper surface of the charge storage region is coupled to the overlying intermediate dielectric material. The lower surface faces the substrate surface and is separated from the substrate surface by a void. The charge storage region includes a first vertical sidewall and a second vertical sidewall that extend in the column direction and a third vertical sidewall and fourth vertical sidewall that extend in the row direction. The first, second, third, and fourth vertical sidewall are separated from neighboring features of the non-volatile memory by the void. The void may include a vacuum, air, gas, or a liquid.
US09349737B2
A method for memory device fabrication includes forming a plurality of continuous fins on a substrate. An insulator material is formed around the fins. The continuous fins are etched into segmented fins to form exposed areas between the segmented fins. An insulator material is formed in the exposed areas wherein the insulator material in the exposed areas is formed higher than the insulator material around the fins. A metal is formed over the fins and the insulator material. The metal formed over the exposed areas is formed to a shallower depth than over the fins.
US09349725B2
A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor layer having first and second main surfaces, with the first surface defining a plane containing first and second perpendicular axes. A first gate is disposed proximate the first main surface and extends parallel to the first axis. A dielectric layer is formed on the first main surface and separates the first gate from the first main surface. First and second trenches are formed in the semiconductor layer proximate the first gate and spaced apart in a direction parallel to the first axis. First and second pluralities of contact windows are formed in the dielectric layer to expose the first main surface and are respectively arranged in first and second rows extending between the first and second trenches in a direction parallel to the first axis. Adjacent contact windows in each first row are separated only by the dielectric layer.
US09349717B2
An integrated circuit package includes an encapsulation and a lead frame with a portion of the lead frame disposed within the encapsulation. The lead frame includes a first conductor having a first conductive loop and a third conductive loop disposed within the encapsulation. The third conductive loop is wound in a direction relative to the first conductive loop such that the first conductive loop is coupled out of phase with the third conductive loop. The lead frame also includes a second conductor galvanically isolated from the first conductor. The second conductor includes a second conductive loop disposed within the encapsulation proximate to the first conductive loop to provide a communication link between the first and second conductors.
US09349716B2
An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection device is disclosed including at least an NPN transistor and a PNP transistor coupled between a first node and a second node, wherein the ESD protection device may be configured to sink current from the first node to the second node in response to an ESD event. The transistors may be coupled such that a collector of the NPN may be coupled to the first node. A collector of the PNP may be coupled to the second node. A base of the NPN may be coupled to the emitter of the PNP. An emitter of the NPN may be coupled to a base of the PNP.
US09349713B2
Provided is a semiconductor package stack structure. The semiconductor package stack structure includes a lower semiconductor package, an interposer substrate disposed on the lower semiconductor package and having a horizontal width greater than a horizontal width of the lower semiconductor package, an upper semiconductor package disposed on the interposer substrate, and underfill portions filling a space between the lower semiconductor package and the interposer substrate and surround side surfaces of the lower semiconductor package.
US09349698B2
This disclosure relates generally to a wafer having a plurality of semiconductor chips having a major surface, a metal contact positioned on one of the plurality of semiconductor chips and having a side surface and contact surface, the contact surface substantially parallel to the major surface, wherein the contact surface defines a thickness of the metal contact relative to the major surface, an underfill layer abutting the one of the plurality of semiconductor chips and the side surface of the metal contact, the underfill layer having a top surface substantially parallel to the major surface, wherein the top surface of the underfill layer defines a thickness of the underfill layer relative to the major surface, the thickness of the underfill layer being not greater than the thickness of the metal contact, and a solder bump formed in electrical contact with the contact surface of the metal contact.
US09349697B2
Embodiments described herein generally relate to connections for integrated circuit (IC) dies. For example, in an embodiment an integrated circuit (IC) die is provided. The IC die includes a plurality of clusters of pads formed on a surface of the IC die, each cluster being associated with a respective circuit formed in the IC die. Each cluster includes a plurality of micropads each electrically coupled to the circuit associated with the cluster through a respective via and a sacrificial pad coupled to the circuit through the plurality of micropads, the sacrificial pad being larger than each of the micropads.
US09349688B2
A semiconductor device having enhanced passivation integrity is disclosed. The device includes a substrate, a first layer, and a metal layer. The first layer is formed over the substrate. The first layer includes a via opening and a tapered portion proximate to the via opening. The metal layer is formed over the via opening and the tapered portion of the first layer. The metal layer is substantially free from gaps and voids.
US09349683B2
A chip-on-film package comprises a film substrate comprising upper and lower surfaces, and a side having a bending part. A first output interconnection formed on the upper surface of the film substrate extends from a semiconductor chip disposed on the upper surface toward the bending part. A second output interconnection includes an upper output interconnection formed on the upper surface of the film substrate, and a lower output interconnection formed on the lower surface and extending onto the bending part. An input interconnection includes an upper input interconnection formed on the upper surface of the film substrate and a lower input interconnection formed on the lower surface and extending away from the bending part. Through-vias are formed to pass through the film substrate and electrically connect the upper output interconnection to the lower output interconnection, and the upper input interconnection to the lower input interconnection.
US09349672B2
A microelectronic package includes a lower unit having a lower unit substrate with conductive features and a top and bottom surface. The lower unit includes one or more lower unit chips overly/ing the top surface of the lower unit substrate that are electrically connected to the conductive features of the lower unit substrate. The microelectronic package also includes an upper unit including an upper unit substrate having conductive features, top and bottom surfaces and a hole extending between such top and bottom surfaces. The upper unit further includes one or more upper unit chips overlying the top surface of the upper unit substrate and electrically connected to the conductive features of the upper unit substrate by connections extending within the hole. The upper unit may include an upper unit encapsulant that covers the connections of the upper unit and the one or more upper unit chips.
US09349669B2
A microelectronic component with circuitry includes a substrate (possibly semiconductor) having an opening in a top surface. The circuitry includes a conductive via (possibly metal) in the opening. The opening has a first sidewall of a first material, and the conductive via has a second sidewall of a second material (possibly metal). At least at one side of the opening, the first and second sidewalls are spaced from each other at the top surface of the substrate but the first and second sidewalls meet below the top surface of the substrate at a meeting location. Between the meeting location and the top surface of the substrate, the first and second sidewalls are separated by a third material (possibly foam) which is a dielectric different from the first material. The third material lowers thermal stress in case of thermal expansion compared to a structure in which the third material were replaced with the second material.
US09349666B1
An integrated circuit packaging system includes: providing a base substrate; applying a molded under-fill on the base substrate; forming a substrate contact extender through the molded under-fill and in direct contact with the base substrate; mounting a stack device over the molded under-fill; attaching a coupling connector from the substrate contact extender to the stack device; and forming a base encapsulation on the stack device, the substrate contact extender, and encapsulating the coupling connector.
US09349664B2
A manufacturing method of a light emitting device includes a light emitting element disposed over a substrate and a reflective resin disposed along the side surface of the light emitting element. The method includes disposing light emitting elements in a matrix over an aggregate substrate, and disposing a semiconductor element between the adjacent light emitting elements in one direction of column and row directions of the light emitting elements in the matrix. A reflective resin is disposed to cover the semiconductor elements along the side surfaces of the light emitting elements and the side surfaces of the phosphor layers. The reflective resin and the substrate disposed in between the adjacent light emitting elements is cut in the column or row direction and between the light emitting element and the adjacent semiconductor element in the other direction, to include a light emitting element or a semiconductor element.
US09349662B2
A method of fabricating integrated circuit devices is provided. The method includes forming a plurality of spaced integrated circuit dies on a semiconductor wafer and forming a dedicated test die on the semiconductor wafer adjacent the plurality of spaced integrated circuit dies, the dedicated test die including a test structure having a first width when viewed in a top view and being operable to generate wafer evaluation data. Further, the method includes forming a scribe line region interposed between the plurality of spaced integrated circuit dies, the scribe line region having a second width defined by a distance between adjacent integrated circuit dies when viewed in a top view, the second width being smaller than the first width, and the scribe line region being free of test structures.
US09349653B2
A manufacturing method of a semiconductor structure is provided. The manufacturing method includes the following steps. A substrate is provided. A fin structure and an inter-layer dielectric layer are formed on the substrate. A plurality of gate structures is formed on the substrate. A cap layer is formed on the gate structures. A hard mask is formed on the cap layer. A first patterned photoresist layer covering the gate structures is formed on the hard mask. The hard mask is etched and patterned to form a patterned hard mask, such that the patterned hard mask covers the gate structures. A second patterned photoresist layer including a plurality of openings corresponding to the fin structure is formed on the patterned hard mask. The cap layer and the inter-layer dielectric layer are etched to form a plurality of first trenches exposing part of the fin structure.
US09349641B2
A semiconductor wafer is provided including a plurality of dies, each of the plurality of dies including a plurality of semiconductor devices, a plurality of die seals, each of the plurality of die seals being formed at a perimeter of one of the plurality of dies, and a plurality of electrically conductive links, each of the plurality of conductive links connecting one of the plurality of die seals with another one of the plurality of die seals.
US09349634B2
A semiconductor arrangement and method of formation are provided. The semiconductor arrangement includes a metal connect over and connected to a first active region, over and connected to a second active region and over a shallow trench isolation (STI) region thereby connecting the first active region to the second active region. A metal contact is over and connected to a gate in the STI region. The metal connect is formed in a first opening and the metal contact is formed in a second opening, where the first opening and the second opening are formed concurrently using a single mask. The semiconductor arrangement formed using a single mask is less expensive to fabricate and requires fewer etching operations than a semiconductor arrangement formed using multiple masks.
US09349622B2
A method of forming a coating, comprises applying a first coating to a substrate having a plurality of topographical features, planarizing a top surface of the first coating, and drying the first coating after planarizing the top surface. The first coating may be applied over the plurality of topographical features, and may be substantially liquid during application. The first coating may optionally be a conformal coating over topographical features of the substrate. The conformal coating may be dried prior to planarizing the top surface of the first coating. A solvent may be applied to the conformal coating, with the top surface of the conformal coating being substantially planar after application of the solvent. The first coating may have a planar surface prior to drying the first coating, and the first coating may be dried without substantial spin-drying by modifying an environment of the first coating.
US09349621B2
A vacuum seal arrangement comprising a one-piece elastomeric gasket having at least first and second O-rings interconnected by a planar web, a first part having a first planar sealing surface with a dove-tail groove therein holding the first O-ring and a square walled groove therein holding the second O-ring, the first part further including at least one passage in the first planar sealing surface surrounded by the first O-ring or second O-ring.
US09349620B2
A pre-baking apparatus for heating a substrate upstream of a process tool is adapted to be connected to an EFEM (equipment front end module) and includes: a chamber which has a front face with multiple slots arranged in a height direction of the chamber, and which is divided into multiple compartments extending from the multiple slots, respectively, toward a rear end of the chamber for loading and unloading substrates; and a connecting frame for connecting the chamber to the process tool. The multiple compartments are separated from each other by a divider plate and provided with heaters for heating the multiple compartments, and each compartment has a gas injection port for blowing a hot inert gas over the substrate placed therein toward the slot.
US09349602B2
A semiconductor wafer spinning chuck includes a rotatable base, a plurality of arms, upstanding from the base, a selectively releasable clamping mechanism, associated with the arms, and a spray nozzle, extending through the base. The clamping mechanism has a first portion configured to mechanically clamp an edge of a first semiconductor wafer and hold the first wafer in a substantially horizontal orientation upon all of the arms, with a backside of the first wafer facing down. The spray nozzle is oriented to direct a spray of fluid at the backside of the first wafer.
US09349597B2
A semiconductor memory device includes conductive films and insulating layers alternately stacked on a substrate, substantially vertical channel layers penetrating the conductive films and the insulating layers, multilayer films including a charge storage film interposed between the conductive films and the substantially vertical channel layers, and a first anti-diffusion film formed on etched surfaces of the conductive films.
US09349596B2
Methods of forming a silicon carbide semiconductor device are disclosed. The methods include forming a semiconductor device at a first surface of a silicon carbide substrate having a first thickness, and mounting a carrier substrate to the first surface of the silicon carbide substrate. The carrier substrate provides mechanical support to the silicon carbide substrate. The methods further include thinning the silicon carbide substrate to a thickness less the first thickness, forming a metal layer on the thinned silicon carbide substrate opposite the first surface of the silicon carbide substrate, and locally annealing the metal layer to form an ohmic contact on the thinned silicon carbide substrate opposite the first surface of the silicon carbide substrate. The silicon carbide substrate is singulated to provide a singulated semiconductor device.
US09349593B2
To improve electric characteristics of a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor. Alternatively, to improve reliability of a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor. In a transistor including a first oxide film, an oxide semiconductor film, a pair of electrodes in contact with the oxide semiconductor film, and a second oxide film in contact with the oxide semiconductor film and the pair of electrodes, oxygen is added to the first oxide film and the second oxide film in contact with the oxide semiconductor film and the pair of electrodes, so that oxygen vacancies are reduced. The oxygen is diffused to the oxide semiconductor film by heat treatment or the like; thus, oxygen vacancies in the oxide semiconductor film are reduced.
US09349583B2
Methods of fabricating a semiconductor device include forming a deposited film on a semiconductor substrate in a process chamber by repeatedly forming unit layers on the semiconductor substrate. The unit layer is formed by forming a preliminary unit layer on the semiconductor substrate by supplying a process material including a precursor material and film-control material into the process chamber, purging the process chamber, forming a unit layer from the preliminary unit layer, and again purging the process chamber. The precursor material includes a central atom and a ligand bonded to the central atom, and the film-control material includes a hydride of the ligand.
US09349580B2
Certain embodiments described herein are directed to couplers that can be used to provide a seal between a source assembly and a vacuum chamber. In certain examples, the seal can be provided upon movement of a moveable component of the coupler. In some examples, rotation of the moveable component is operative to provide an axial force to a stationary component coupled to the moveable component such that the stationary component is biased to provide a suitable seal to the vacuum chamber.
US09349579B2
A mass analyzer in which ions form packets that oscillate with a period has an ion detector comprising: a detection arrangement; and compensation circuitry. The detection arrangement may comprise: a plurality of detection electrodes detecting image current signals from ions in the mass analyzer; and a preamplifier, providing an output based on the image current signals. The compensation circuitry provides a compensation signal to a respective compensatory part of the detection arrangement, based on one or more of the image current signals. A capacitance between each of the compensatory parts of the detection arrangement and a signal-carrying part of the detection arrangement affects the signal-to-noise ratio of the preamplifier output. A generator may provide a trapping field defining an ion trapping volume and a shielding conductor may be positioned between two detection electrodes, with a controller applying a voltage to the shielding conductor based on a detected image current.
US09349577B2
The present disclosure relates to a method for locating a radionuclide emitting positons and having a child core emitting a photon by de-excitation, that includes detecting a radionuclide response line using a positon-emitting tomography camera. According to the disclosure, for each of the arrangements ordered by pairs of first and second interactions of the Compton type detected by a Compton telescope, the method comprises determining the angle between the direction of the incident photon of the first interaction and the geometrical axis connecting the position of the first interaction with the position of the second interaction, determining the half-aperture cones of the angle in which the geometrical surface does not include an intersection with line, selecting at least one cone in which the geometrical surface includes an intersection with line, selecting the radionuclide position from said reconstructed intersection of the response line with the geometrical surface of the selected cone.
US09349576B2
A magnet arrangement which is usable as both a retrofit magnetic arrangement in a rotatable cylindrical magnetron sputtering electrode as well as a drive assembly in communication with the electrode for delivering high current into a target surface without adding highly incremental cost to the overall design of the electrode. The electrode includes a cathode body defining a magnet receiving chamber, a rotatable cylindrical target surrounding the cathode body, wherein the target is rotatable about the cathode body. The cathode body further defines a magnet arrangement received within the magnet receiving chamber, wherein the magnet arrangement comprised of a plurality of magnets wherein at least one of the magnets is a profiled magnet having a contoured top portion.
US09349575B2
A remote plasma system having a self-management function measures an operating state of a remote plasma generator while a remote plasma generator operates, which generates plasma and remotely supplies the generated plasma to a process chamber, thereby allowing a process manager to check the measured operating state and performing a required process control depending on an operating state. According to the remote plasma system having the self-management function, it is possible to check operating state information of the remote plasma generator and plasma treatment process progress state information in the process chamber in real time so as to determine whether the remote plasma generator normally operates and immediately sense occurrence of an error during the operation.
US09349561B2
Impregnated rare earth metal-containing barium-aluminum-scandate cathodes with a rare earth oxide doped tungsten matrix and methods for the fabrication thereof are described. In one aspect, an impregnated rare earth metal-containing barium-aluminum-scandate cathode comprises: a rare earth oxide doped tungsten matrix, and an impregnated active substance. The active substance comprises scandium oxide (Sc2O3), a second rare earth oxide, and barium calcium aluminate, wherein the molar ratio of Ba:Ca:Al is about 4:1:1.
US09349560B2
A circuit breaker and a method of developing the current limiting circuit breaker are described. The circuit breaker includes a carrier assembly to supply current to a circuit through a fixed contact in a first operative state. The carrier assembly includes a latch pin to move responsive to a force transferred to the latch pin as a result of a fault condition in the circuit, a cam assembly in contact with the latch pin to move responsive to movement of the latch pin, and a movable contact coupled to the cam assembly, the movable contact breaking the physical contact with the fixed contact to put the circuit breaker in a second operative state. The circuit breaker also includes a mechanism to move the carrier assembly responsive to a signal indicative of the fault condition to put the circuit breaker in a third operative state.
US09349534B2
A multilayer coil having a laminate body having a plurality of insulating layers including a specified insulating layer. A linear coil conductor is substantially looped on the specified insulating layer. An insertion is located on the specified insulating layer, in a position between a first part and a second part of the coil conductor. The first part and the second part are closest parts to each other in the coil conductor. Along a boundary surface between the first part of the coil conductor and the insertion, the first part is located at an upper side of the coil conductor with respect to a stacking direction.
US09349533B2
A PWM module is provided to output a driving pulse to a switching device in synchronization with a synchronizing pulse having a frequency twice the frequency of the high-frequency current of a primary-side induction line. The PWM module performs output voltage feedback control such that the output voltage of an output capacitor is set at a reference voltage. The module outputs, to the switching device, the driving pulse having a half width of the pulse width of a driving pulse that can be outputted, at the start of power supply to the primary-side induction line. Moreover, the module forcibly performs the output voltage feedback control if an output voltage of the output capacitor does not increase to the reference voltage within a reference time.
US09349529B2
In an end-side tap changing mechanism group of a plurality of tap changing mechanism groups that is located at an end of a rotation shaft, input connection points between a plurality of fixed contact connection members and a plurality of input conductors, respectively, are located closer in a shaft direction of the rotation shaft to a center line of entire the plurality of tap changing mechanism groups than a center line of the end-side tap changing mechanism group, and an output connection point between a stator connection member and an output conductor is located closer in the shaft direction of the rotation shaft to the center line of entire the plurality of tap changing mechanism groups than the center line of the end-side tap changing mechanism group.
US09349517B2
A coil component is of the type where a helical coil is directly contacting a magnetic body where such coil component still meets the demand for electrical current amplification. The coil component is structured in such a way that a helical coil is covered with a magnetic body. The magnetic body is mainly constituted by magnetic alloy grains and does not contain glass component, and each of the magnetic alloy grains has an oxide film of the grain on its surface.
US09349516B2
A magnetic particle inspection system for inspecting a plurality of articles. The system includes a first magnetizing coil for generating a first magnetic field oriented in a first direction. The system also includes a second magnetizing coil for generating a second magnetic field oriented in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, wherein the first and second magnetizing coils are located in a common plane. In addition, the system may include a mat having a plurality of drainage holes, wherein the first and second magnetizing coils are located in the mat and the first and second magnetizing coils are sized to inspect a plurality of articles. Further, the system includes a power supply for supplying power for energizing the first and second magnetizing coils and a switching unit for switching current flow between the first and second magnetizing coils.
US09349515B2
A linear solenoid includes a movable element, a first stator element, a second stator element, a third stator element, a cover and a through hole. The third stator element has an opening formed on a thrust direction side of the third stator element. The cover covers the opening of the third stator element from the thrust direction side of an axial direction. The through hole passes through the third stator element. An inside of the third stator element is in fluid communication with an outside of the third stator element through the through hole.
US09349510B2
A PTC device comprises two electrode layers and a PTC material layer laminated therebetween. The PTC material layer has a volumetric resistivity less than 0.2 Ω-cm, and comprises a crystalline polymer, conductive ceramic fillers and crystalline low molecular weight organic compound. The crystalline polymer comprises thermoplastic polymer, thermosetting polymer or combination thereof. The conductive ceramic fillers dispersed in the crystalline polymer have volumetric resistivity less than 500 μΩ-cm, and comprise 40-70% by volume of the PTC material layer. The crystalline low molecular weight organic compound has a molecular weight less than 5000, and comprises 6-30% by volume of the PTC material layer. The hold current at 60° C. divided by a covered area of the PTC device is greater than 0.2 A/mm2, the hold current at 60° C. is 40-95% of the hold current at 25° C., and the trip temperature of the PTC device is less than 95° C.
US09349507B2
Cables capable of high-speed data transmission and having a low insertion loss. Examples may mitigate the effect of the suckout component of insertion loss by providing cables that eliminated, shift, or reduce the suckout. Examples may eliminate, or at least partially eliminate, the suckout component by providing a continuous return path. Others may shift the frequency of the suckout component to a high frequency where it no longer interferes or significantly attenuates signals being conveyed by the cable. Still others may reduce or control the magnitude of the suckout component.
US09349506B2
A shield member includes a metal foil layer and a base layer which have flexibility and are sheet-like or band-like, a bonding layer which bonds the metal foil layer and the base layer, and a cylindrical portion and an overlapping portion which are made by winding and folding the metal foil layer and the base layer so that the metal foil layer is on an inside. The overlapping portion is in a state of being brought down and arranged along the cylindrical portion.
US09349501B2
A gas insulated switchgear includes a high-voltage conductor installed inside a ground tank filled with an insulation gas and the high-voltage conductor is supported on an insulation spacer and thereby fixed to the ground tank. The gas insulator switchgear is configured in such a manner that an insulation portion of the insulation spacer in contact with the insulation gas is covered with a cover film formed by hardening powder of any of thermoplastic resin, glass, cellulose, and polymer resin made of carbon and hydrogen having a particle size of 100 μm or less with epoxy resin.
US09349497B2
Disclosed is an electrode active material having a core-shell structure, which includes: (a) a core capable of intercalating and deintercalating lithium ions; and (b) a shell including a polymer or an oligomer having a glass transition temperature of 25° C. or less when impregnated with an electrolyte, wherein a surface of the core is coated with the shell. Also, an electrode manufactured by using the electrode active material and a secondary battery including the electrode are disclosed. The shell (b) suppresses the formation of an SEI layer during initial charge of a battery, and prevents initial capacity reduction.
US09349474B2
Apparatuses, current control circuits, and methods for limiting string current in a memory are described. An example apparatus includes a memory cell string including a memory cell. The example apparatus further includes a sense circuit configured to sense a current through the memory cell string, and a select gate configured to couple the memory cell string to a source based on a select gate voltage. The example apparatus further includes a current control circuit coupled to the select gate. The current control circuit is configured to limit current through the memory cell string during a memory access operation based on a reference current.
US09349470B2
Apparatus and methods are disclosed, including a method that raises an electrical potential of a plurality of access lines to a raised electrical potential, where each access line is associated with a respective charge storage device of a string of charge storage devices. The electrical potential of a selected one of the access lines is lowered, and a data state of the charge storage device associated with the selected access line is sensed while the electrical potential of the selected access line is being lowered. Additional apparatus and methods are described.
US09349448B2
The present invention is a means and method for constructing and operating a 3-D array and, more particularly, a 3-D memory array. This array can be manufactured as a monolithic integrated circuit at low cost by virtue of the limited number of steps per layer of memory elements. The low number of steps results by having the storage elements separated by a resistive component as opposed to an active component. The 3-D array is in essence, an array of 2-D resistive arrays (row-planes) having a long dimension (typically along the rows) and a short dimension (typically in the direction of the stacked layers). Any one row-plane can be isolated from the rest and be accessed independently from all of the other row-planes in the 3-D array. This makes it possible to operate and analyze a single row-plane as a mostly stand-alone circuit. The present invention lends itself to single bit accesses as well as simultaneous multiple bit accesses.
US09349438B2
A semiconductor storage device provided can increase a write margin and suppress increase of a chip area. The semiconductor storage device includes plural memory cells arranged in a matrix; plural bit-line pairs arranged corresponding to each column of the memory cells; a write driver circuit which transmits data to a bit-line pair of a selected column according to write data; and a write assist circuit which drives a bit line on a low potential side of the bit-line pair of a selected column to a negative voltage level. The write assist circuit includes first signal wiring; a first driver circuit which drives the first signal wiring according to a control signal; and second signal wiring which is coupled to the bit line on the low-potential side and generates a negative voltage by the driving of the first driver circuit, based on inter-wire coupling capacitance with the first signal wiring.
US09349436B2
A semiconductor cell comprises a plurality of metal layers. A first layer comprises a VDD conductor, a bit-line, and a complimentary bit-line. Each of the VDD conductor, the bit-line, and the complementary bit-line extend in a first direction. A second layer comprises a first VSS conductor and a first word-line. The VSS conductor and the first word-line extend in a second direction different than the first direction. A third layer comprises a second VSS conductor. The second VSS conductor extends in the first direction. A fourth layer comprises a second word-line. The second word-line extends in the second direction. The first word-line is electrically coupled to the second word-line.
US09349434B1
A method of sampling data signals in response to a timing signal includes receiving data signals that are skewed relative to each other. Each data signal has a valid-data window having an extent such that, when a data signal is received, an invisible portion of the valid-data window is outside an observation window and a visible portion of the valid-data window is inside the observation window. The method further includes, for each of the data signals, identifying a designated location within the valid-data window that is part way across the extent of the valid-data window, and for each of the data signals, aligning the data signal such that the designated location aligns with the timing signal.
US09349428B2
A sense amplifier, a nonvolatile memory device including the sense amplifier and a sensing method of the sense amplifier are provided. The sense amplifier includes a first comparator that generates a first comparison signal by comparing a first reference signal received from a first reference cell with a sensing target signal received from the selected memory cell, and generates a second comparison signal by comparing the sensing target signal with a second reference signal received from a second reference cell written in different state from the first reference cell, and a second comparator that senses data stored in the selected memory cell by comparing the first comparison signal and the second comparison signal.
US09349427B2
A testing method is described that applies a sequence external magnetic fields of varying strength to MRAM cells (such as those with MTJ memory elements) in chips or wafers to selectively screen out cells with low or high thermal stability factor. The coercivity (Hc) is used as a proxy for thermal stability factor (delta). In the various embodiments the sequence, direction and strength of the external magnetic fields is used to determine the high coercivity cells that are not switched by a normal field and the low coercivity cells that are switched by a selected low field. In some embodiment the MRAM's standard internal electric current can be used to switch the cells. Standard circuit-based resistance read operations can be used to determine the response of each cell to these magnetic fields and identify the abnormal high and low coercivity cells.
US09349420B2
Apparatuses and methods for comparing a sense current representative of a number of failing memory cells of a group of memory cells and a reference current representative of a reference number of failing memory cells is provided. One such apparatus includes a comparator configured to receive the sense current and to receive the reference current. The comparator includes a sense current buffer configured to buffer the sense current and the comparator is further configured to provide an output signal having a logic level indicative of a result of the comparison.
US09349419B1
A control circuit, a memory device and a voltage control method thereof are provided. The memory device includes a memory cell, a voltage regulator circuit and the control circuit. The control circuit receives a clock signal, and determines a clock frequency of the clock signal so as to generate a control signal. An operation voltage is converted into an internal supply voltage for supplying the control circuit by the voltage regulator circuit according to the control signal.
US09349416B2
An optical disk apparatus and a disk magazine. Optical disks are stacked and contained in the disk magazine without a gap between adjacent disks. A disk holding member for preventing the optical disks from being rubbed and damaged in the disk magazine is provided in the disk magazine. The optical disk apparatus using the disk magazine has a disk holding portion for holding a plurality of optical disks in a lump. When the Nth optical disk from the top disk in the disk magazine is conveyed to a disk drive, the stacked N optical disks are held by the disk holding portion, the holding of only the Nth optical disk by the disk holding portion is cancelled and the target optical disk is conveyed by a disk drive portion.
US09349415B1
A signal is recorded over at least part of a track a heat-assisted recording medium via a heat-assisted magnetic recording head. Symmetry of a cross-track profile of the recorded signal is determined, and the recording head is qualified based on the symmetry of the cross-track profile.
US09349413B2
Providing a method for creating and displaying portions of videos called video previews. The video previews may be associated with a predefined duration of a full video, such that the video preview is generated from a portion of the full video. The video previews are configured to play a series of images associated with images from the portion of the full video when the video preview is activated.
US09349403B2
A lubricant for a magnetic recording medium of the present invention includes an organic compound having a fullerene skeleton, and the organic compound having the fullerene skeleton is expressed by the general formula (i), and at least one hydroxyl group on a terminal of the organic compound having the fullerene skeleton is substituted by any one of hydrogen, a methyl group, and a trifluoro methyl group, in which A is a group in which any one hydroxyl group on a terminal of a fluoro compound is not included, and R1 is an organic group having 1 to 24 carbon atoms.
US09349397B2
In one embodiment, a method for forming a magnetoresistive read head includes forming a fixed layer having a first ferromagnetic material that has a fixed direction of magnetization above a lower shield layer, forming a free layer having a second ferromagnetic material positioned above the fixed layer, the free layer having a non-fixed direction of magnetization, forming a first mask above the free layer, the first mask having a predetermined width based on a track width of a magnetic medium, etching the free layer down to the fixed layer using the first mask as a guide, wherein substantially none of the fixed layer is etched, and wherein the fixed layer extends beyond both sides of the free layer in a cross-track direction, and forming magnetic domain control films on both sides of the free layer in the cross-track direction, the magnetic domain control films including a soft magnetic material.
US09349386B2
A system for processor wake-up based on sensor data includes an audio buffer, an envelope buffer, and a processor. The audio buffer is configured to store a first data from a sensor. The first data is generated according to a first sampling rate. The envelope buffer is configured to store a second data, which is derived from the first data according to a second sampling rate, which is less than the first sampling rate. The processor is configured to wake up periodically from an idle state and read the second data from the envelope buffer. If the second data indicates an activity, the processor is configured to read the first data from the audio buffer. If the second data does not indicate an activity, the processor is configured to return to the idle state.
US09349384B2
In some embodiments, a method for adaptive control of gain applied to an audio signal, including steps of analyzing segments of the signal to identify audio objects (e.g., voices of participants in a voice conference); storing information regarding each distinct identified object; using at least some of the information to determine at least one of a target gain, or a gain change rate for reaching a target gain, for each identified object; and applying gain to segments of the signal indicative of an identified object such that the gain changes (typically, at the gain change rate for the object) from an initial gain to the target gain for the object. The information stored may include a scene description. Aspects of the invention include a system configured (e.g., programmed) to perform any embodiment of the inventive method.
US09349378B2
Techniques for synthesizing a parameterized haptic track from a multichannel audio signal and embedding the haptic track in a multichannel audio codec bit stream. The haptic track synthesis can occur while encoding the multichannel audio signal as the multichannel audio codec bit stream. The haptic track can be synthesized in a way that allows select parameters of the haptic track to be extracted from the audio signal. The parameters can be adjusted by a user during the encoding process. For example, the parameter adjustments can be made using a authoring/monitoring tool. The parameter adjustments can be recorded as metadata that, along with the haptic track, is included in the codec bit stream. In some aspects the present technology, the adjustable parameters include center frequency, gain, decay rate, and other parameters that allow for modulation of the haptic track during decoding of the codec bit stream. By synthesizing a parameterized haptic track, A/V content creators can be provided greater control in authoring haptic content to accompany the A/V content they create.
US09349377B2
There is provided an audio encoding apparatus that can avoid that audio data becomes irreproducible after fast-forward play. A quantization unit quantizes and buffers audio data into a buffer unit. A stream generating unit puts buffered audio data in a frame where there is a header related to the audio data in a stream and/or in one or plural frames preceding that frame. As for a predetermined frame, the stream generating unit puts in a data field of the frame the whole of an audio data piece related to a header included in that frame and puts audio sample data following that audio sample in a remaining part of the data field. As for a frame not a predetermined one, it puts in a data field of the frame an audio data piece related to a header included in that frame and/or audio data pieces following that audio data piece.
US09349368B1
A computer-implemented method of determining when an audio notification should be generated includes detecting receipt of a triggering event that occurs on a user device; generating, based on detecting, the audio notification for the triggering event; receiving, from the user device, a user voice command responding to the audio notification; and generating a response to the user voice command based on one or more of (i) information associated with the audio notification, and (ii) information associated with the user voice command.
US09349366B2
Systems and methods for managing an emergency situation are provided herein. According to some embodiments, the present technology may related to a security system and method for monitoring, detecting, and providing notification and/or response measures in response to an emergency situation regarding a user.
US09349363B2
An audio signal processing system and an echo signal removing method thereof are provided. The audio signal processing system includes a speaker that is configured to output an audio signal; a microphone that is configured to receive the audio signal output by the speaker including an echo signal generated by the audio signal; an echo signal delay unit that is configured to delay the echo signal for a bulk delay time, and output the echo signal that is delayed; and an echo signal removing unit that is configured to remove the echo signal that is delayed and output by the echo signal delay unit from the audio signal received by the microphone, wherein the echo signal delay unit includes a bulk delay measuring unit that is configured to measure a bulk delay by analyzing impulse response characteristics of an echo path.
US09349358B2
A method for synchronizing a number R greater than or equal to 1 of multimedia peripherals (6) of a portable communication device with an audio file (1), comprising the steps of extracting a number P greater than or equal to 1 of basic synchronization signals (SYNCi) according to a first sat of parameters (20); generating, from said P basic synchronization signals, a number Q greater than or equal to 1 of synchronization command signals (COMk) according to a second set of parameters (30) defining rules to convert basic synchronization signals into signals adapted to the type of peripheral to be synchronized; and selecting, among said Q synchronization commend signals, R synchronization signals (PSYNCk) for controlling R peripheral drivers (5) driving said R multimedia peripherals (40), according to a third set of parameters (40).
US09349355B2
A system and method for reliably tuning an acoustic percussion instrument with a single adjustment. The system includes a cord attached to a tensioning device, the cord being arranged in connection with a plurality of brackets and tensioning elements. By increasing the tension on the cord, the tensioning elements are pulled in a downward direction with respect to the drum head, thereby increasing the tension thereon. The tuning system disclosed herein provides a substantially equal distribution of tensioning force through the arrangement of the cord and other elements of the system.
US09349352B2
A transmission system includes an external input device which transmits display data to a transmission terminal that is connected to another transmission terminal to be able to communicate therewith. Once the resolution on a display device of the transmission terminal has been modified, the external input device receives first resolution information representing the resolution that has been modified from the transmission terminal, and thereafter converts the resolution of the display data based on the first resolution information and second resolution information representing the resolution on a display device of the external input device. The external input device then transmits the display data that has the converted resolution to the transmission terminal so that the transmission terminal transmits the display data to the other transmission terminal.
US09349351B2
Each frame image is acquired as an input image. An image obtained by emphasizing high frequency components in the input image is generated as a high frequency component emphasized image, a composite image is generated by compositing the input image and an input image of a previous frame before the input image, and an image including low frequency components in the composite image is generated as a low frequency component image. Then, the high frequency component emphasized image and low frequency component image are alternately output as images of sub-frames of the input image.
US09349349B2
An example apparatus, which includes a predetermined input device for outputting operational data indicating operational inputs entered by a player and a display unit that displays predetermined characters in a virtual space, moves a first character in the virtual space based on the operational data, moves a second character in the virtual space based on automatic operating data which is a set of operational data for continuously moving a character, determines whether the first character satisfies a predetermined condition or not, and moves the second character from a state in which the second character satisfies the predetermined condition based on the automatic operating data in response to the first character satisfying the predetermined condition.
US09349348B2
A laser beam display device includes: a dimming setting input unit into which any one of the dimming values of plural dimming steps are input; a first dimming processing unit having plural dimming LUTs that store dimming amounts regarding the respective dimming steps with the corresponding gradation levels as indexes; a second dimming processing unit having one gain LUT that holds gains regarding the respective dimming steps and a multiplier that creates the indexes for the respective dimming LUTs by multiplying a video signal by the gains; and a light source drive unit that drives a laser diode on the basis of reference results obtained by referring to the dimming LUTs of the first dimming processing unit. The luminance of the emission beam of the laser diode, which corresponds to the video signal, is dimmed in accordance with a dimming setting input from the dimming setting input unit.
US09349337B2
A one-pixel structure of a display panel included in an auto-stereoscopic image display device adopts an in-plane switching mode. Transparent counter electrodes that are not provided in a liquid crystal panel of a normal in-plane switching mode are formed correspondingly to pixel peripheral regions on a second transparent substrate side and, in 3-dimensional image display, a vertical electric field is forcibly generated between the transparent counter electrodes and the comb-shaped electrodes, which causes the liquid crystal molecules to rise to show black display in the pixel peripheral regions. In 2-dimensional image display, meanwhile, the transparent counter electrodes are set to be floating, and the display panel is caused to have a structure substantially equivalent to a structure in which the transparent counter electrodes are not provided, to thereby make the display in pixel peripheral regions identical to the display (brightness) in a pixel main region.
US09349311B2
An organic light emitting display comprises: a display panel with a plurality of pixels connected to data lines and sensing lines, each pixel comprising an OLED and a driving TFT for controlling the amount of light emission of the OLED; and a data driver IC comprising a plurality of sensing units for sensing current data of the pixels through a plurality of sensing channels connected to the sensing lines, each sensing unit comprising: a first current integrator connected to an odd sensing channel; a second current integrator connected to an even sensing channel neighboring the odd sensing channel; and a sample & hold unit that removes common noise components from a first sampled value input from the first current integrator and a second sampled value input from the second current integrator while storing and holding the first and second sampled values.
US09349305B2
A textured heat transfer label includes a textured portion formed from a highly cross-linked UV ink and a thermoplastic background ink. The textured heat transferable label can also include metalized portions.
US09349299B1
A technology is provided. The technology enables availing a plurality of educational standards to a plurality of students. The standards are for a plurality of lessons to be at least partially taught via a plurality of teachers to the students. The technology further enables receiving a plurality of ratings from the students. The ratings rating the teachers based at least in part on the students perceptions of the teachers at least partially teaching the lessons according to the standards. The technology also enables extracting a meaning from the ratings.
US09349288B2
Embodiments describe new mechanisms for signalized intersection control. Embodiments expand inputs beyond traditional traffic control methods to include awareness of agency policies for signalized control, industry standardized calculations for traffic control parameters, geometric awareness of the roadway and/or intersection, and/or input of vehicle trajectory data relative to this intersection geometry. In certain embodiments, these new inputs facilitate a real-time, future-state trajectory modeling of the phase timing and sequencing options for signalized intersection control. Phase selection and timing can be improved or otherwise optimized based upon modeling the signal's future state impact on arriving vehicle trajectories. This improvement or optimization can be performed to reduce or minimize the cost basis of a user definable objective function.
US09349283B2
In one aspect, when a user directs a remote controller (13) toward a television set (11), causing the remote controller (13) and the television set (11) to enter the wireless communication region of each other, the remote controller (13) and the television set (11) establish a wireless link to each other. When the user directs the remote controller (13) toward an air conditioner (12), causing the remote controller (13) and the air conditioner (12) to enter the wireless communication region of each other, the remote controller (13) and the air conditioner (12) establish a wireless link to each other. The remote controller (13) and the television set (11) are out of the wireless communication region of each other at this point, and the wireless link between the two is thus disconnected.
US09349274B2
A hygiene compliance module is configured to be retrofit with a compatible dispenser to enable hygiene compliance monitoring functions. The hygiene compliance module is configured to be coupled to the dispenser via a communication interface to receive power, ground, and dispenser actuation signals therefrom. In addition, the hygiene compliance module is enabled to communicate with a wireless data tag that is worn by a user of the dispenser and with a remote hygiene compliance monitoring station.
US09349272B2
A bandage container (100) is provided with a container body (101) having a base (103) and a plurality of sidewalls (104,105) extending from the base to define a bandage receiving cavity (201). A lid (102) is coupled to the container body to pivot between a closed position and an open position. One or more bandages (203) are disposed within the bandage receiving cavity. A sensor (901) detects the lid in or transitioning to open position. A sounder (903), operable with the sensor, emits one or more audible sounds (204) when the sensor detects the lid in or transitioning to the radially displaced open position.
US09349259B1
A device includes a shutter blade supported by an end plate and a cam driver having a cam pin positioned to traverse a slot in the end plate of the shutter blade, the cam pin and slot acting to lock the shutter blade in a closed position, and operating to open the shutter blade as the cam pin traverses the slot.
US09349251B2
A gaming system including a cascading symbol or tumbling reel game which utilizes zero, one or more upgrades in association with zero, one or more shifting symbols. Upon an occurrence of an upgrade event, the gaming system upgrades one or more aspects or attributes of one or more games played. In certain embodiments, such upgrades pertain to upgrading one or more symbols displayed at one or more symbol display positions of one or more symbol display position grids. In certain other embodiments, such upgrades pertain to upgrading the award evaluation of one or more symbols displayed at one or more symbol display positions of one or more symbol display position grids. In certain other embodiments, such upgrades pertain to upgrading one or more attributes or features of one or more bonus or secondary games which are subsequently triggered.
US09349246B1
An integrations portal can communicate with a developer client and can include an interface to prompt the developer client for and to receive peer-to-peer competition settings and third-party game mechanics. A peer-to-peer wagering platform can be in communication with the integrations portal and a plurality of player clients and can receive data from the integrations portal that includes the peer-to-peer competition settings and the third-party game mechanics. A peer-to-peer competition can be caused to be provided to the plurality of player clients according to the peer-to-peer competition settings in which at least one of the plurality of player clients wagers on an outcome of the peer-to-peer competition. At least a part of the wager can form a reward for a winner. The outcome of the peer-to-peer competition can be determined based on a received performance and the third-party game mechanics. Related apparatus, systems, techniques, and articles are also described.
US09349243B2
Various embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a gaming system and method providing a multiplay game with resultant symbols. The game is associated with a plurality of reel sets each including a plurality of reels. Each reel is associated with one or more symbol display areas. For each reel set, each symbol display area associated with a reel of that reel set is associated with a symbol display area associated with one of the reels of each other reel set. The gaming system independently generates and displays certain of the symbols on the reels of the respective reel sets at the corresponding symbol display areas. If associated symbol display areas display symbols having a designated relationship with one another, the gaming system forms a resultant symbol from those symbols. The gaming system determines any awards based on the resultant symbols and not based on any non-resultant symbols.
US09349232B2
A smartcard-enabled BPID Security Device integrates a smartcard reader with a biometric authentication component to provide secured access to electronic systems. The device allows for an individual to insert a smartcard into an aperture in the physical enclosure of the BPID Security Device, allowing the smartcard and the BPID Security Device to electronically communicate with each other. The BPID Security Device is based on a custom application specific integrated circuit that incorporates smartcard terminals, such that the BPID Security Device can communicate directly with an inserted smartcard. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the BPID Security Device is based on a commercial off-the-shelf microprocessor, and may communicate with a commercial off-the-shelf microprocessor smartcard receiver using a serial, USB, or other type of communication protocol. The device allows for enrolling a user's credentials onto the BPID Security Device and for authenticating an individual using the BPID Security Device.
US09349231B2
A mobile device having a transceiver, a microphone, and a processor programmed to control a vehicle function at a vehicle computing system based on a received voice command via the microphone. The transceiver is configured to receive key fob security codes having predefined key assignments from the vehicle computing system. The microphone is configured to receive voice command inputs associated with the key fob security codes. The processor is programmed to configure a mobile device application to initiate vehicle control functions using the security codes, and in response to a voice command, transmit a vehicle function request to the vehicle computing system via the transceiver.
US09349229B2
In order to carry out data recording efficiently, a data recording apparatus for a vehicle in the present invention determines whether a predetermined event occurs in a vehicle. When it is determined that a predetermined event occurs, generally at least data indicating a vehicle state is recorded in a recording part from an occurrence of the predetermined event until a predetermined period of time elapses. Also, it is determined whether, at a time when it is determined that the predetermined event occurs, the recording in the recording part is actually being carried out. When it is determined that the recording is actually being carried out, the data indicating the vehicle state at that time is recorded in the recording part instead of recording the data based on the occurrence of the predetermined event at least from the occurrence of the predetermined event until the predetermined period of time elapses.
US09349228B2
Systems and methods are directed to monitoring and assessing driver behavior. A system comprises an interface configured to receive vehicle data acquired by a computer system of a vehicle, a wireless transceiver configured to effect communications with a central office via one or more networks, a display, memory configured to store scoring algorithms, and a processor. The processor is configured to receive at least some of the vehicle data, and generate, in substantially real-time and independently from the central office, a plurality of scores for a plurality of scoring parameters using the stored scoring algorithms and the received vehicle data. The processor is also configured to update, in substantially real-time and independently from the central office, the plurality of scores during a predetermined period of time, and cooperate with the display to present the plurality of scores on the display during the predetermined period of time.
US09349225B2
An accident report system for a vehicle includes an accident detection section to detect an accident; an information collection section to collect information; and an information report section to report the collected information to an external agency when the accident is detected. The information collection section differentiates the collected information before and after the detection of the accident such that (i) an accident cause data is collected before the detection of the accident to confirm an exterior outside of the vehicle and (ii) an accident damage data is collected after the detection of the accident to confirm an interior inside of the vehicle. The collection and report of the accident cause data and accident damage data permits the external agency to recognize states of the vehicle or states of an occupant of the vehicle before and after the detection of the accident.
US09349224B2
Methods and apparatus are provided for notifying a user of a condition of a vehicle. The method includes receiving sensor data from one or more sensors associated with one or more systems of the vehicle. The one or more sensors observe conditions associated with the one or more systems of the vehicle. The method includes receiving a preference for notifications from a user of the vehicle. The method further includes generating at least one notification based on the preference and the sensor data, and communicating the at least one notification to a device of the user.
US09349203B2
Disclosed are an operation sequence display method and an operation sequence display system, wherein operation scenes to attach or remove one or a plurality of components are displayed by switching the scenes. And in at least one operation scene, the attachment or removal target components are displayed in a different manner from other components by changing gray scales using a single color, marking displays for emphasizing operation portions of the target components or the moving directions of the target components in the screen are blinked at a constant interval, and after the marking displays are blinked, the operations to the operation portions or the movements of the target components are displayed by animation, and displays regarding the operations to the operation portions or the movements of the target components are performed at a constant rhythm.
US09349199B2
A method for generating an image of an obtaining a three-dimensional (3D) volume dataset of an object of interest, automatically analyzing the 3D volume dataset to generate a window level setting, automatically generating a window width setting based on the window level setting, and automatically displaying an image of the object of interest using the window width setting. An imaging system and a non-transitory computer readable medium are also described.
US09349189B2
A computing device performs matching between a target image and one or more template images. The computing device receives image data and performs an edge detection algorithm on the image data. The edge detection algorithm includes a distance metric based on angles between gradient vectors in the image data and gradient vectors in one or more templates. The computing device matches a building model to the image data based on results of the edge detection algorithm, wherein the building model is associated with the one or more templates.
US09349185B2
An image processing device includes: a non-target region detecting unit that detects a region that is not to be examined as a non-target region from an image; a pixel-of-interest region setting unit that sets a pixel-of-interest region in a predetermined area including a pixel-of-interest position in the image; a surrounding region determining unit that determines a surrounding region, which is an area for acquiring information for use in forming a reference plane with respect to the pixel-of-interest position, based on the non-target region; a reference plane forming unit that forms the reference plane based on the information in the surrounding region; and an outlier pixel detecting unit that detects an outlier pixel having a pixel value numerically distant from circumferential values based on a difference between corresponding quantities of the reference plane at each pixel position and of the original image.
US09349184B2
In a method and apparatus for identifying regions of interest in medical images of a subject, in particular images captured by a medical imaging apparatus, such as a PET scanner, a list of voxels of the image is obtained, and sorted according to a first variable. A user-selection of an initial voxel in the image is then registered, and at least one voxel or group of voxels from the sorted list is selected as a region of interest, according to a property of the at least one voxel or group in relation to the user-selected initial voxel. The image may be pre-processed to generate the sorted list of voxels, following which the user selection of the initial voxel is registered.
US09349178B1
In hemodynamic determination in medical imaging, the classifier is trained from synthetic data rather than relying on training data from other patients. A computer model (in silico) may be perturbed in many different ways to generate many different examples. The flow is calculated for each resulting example. A bench model (in vitro) may similarly be altered in many different ways. The flow is measured for each resulting example. The machine-learnt classifier uses features from medical scan data for a particular patient to estimate the blood flow based on mapping of features to flow learned from the synthetic data. Perturbations or alterations may account for therapy so that the machine-trained classifier may estimate the results of therapeutically altering a patient-specific input feature. Uncertainty may be handled by training the classifier to predict a distribution of possibilities given uncertain input distribution. Combinations of one or more of uncertainty, use of synthetic training data, and therapy prediction may be provided.
US09349174B2
Multiple images of a scene are captured while a phase-shifted fringe embedded with a secondary pattern is projected onto the scene. A wrapped phase map is generated based on the captured images, and a continuous region mask is determined to segment the wrapped phase map into multiple continuous regions. A period disparity of the fringe is determined for each region based at least in part on the embedded secondary pattern, and the regional period disparities are applied to a spatially unwrapped phase map to produce an absolute phase map and finally a depth map.
US09349144B1
Shared electronic resources can be allocated to customers by auction when there is contention among the customers for the resources. Each customer can receive a bid pool for a shared electronic resource. A customer may prioritize a request by withdrawing a bid amount from the customer's bid pool and submitting the bid amount with a request for the shared resource. A resource provider may assess the capacity of the shared resource to process requests and conduct an auction at various times, such as during periods of congestion, to determine the requests that the shared resource will process at a given time. The auction can be concluded when an auction price is determined, and those requests including bids greater than or equal to the determined auction price can be selected for processing by the shared resource.
US09349142B2
In an example embodiment, a script defining a flow of a user interface is distributed to a user application operating on a client device. Then interactions between users on one or more client devices and one or more server devices are tracked. The script is then modified based on the information about the interactions, the modification changing the flow. The modified script may then be distributed to the user application, thus causing a modification in the flow of the user interface of the user application.
US09349137B2
The present disclosure identifies and/or delivers tailored content based upon a service dialog. For example, the systems may receive a request for tailored content, facilitate a service dialog to obtain information related to the request, and communicate a plurality of tailored content based upon the information related to the request. Further, the systems may identify tailored content based upon a consumer profile, communicate the tailored content to a web client, and/or receive a selection of the tailored content. Further still, the systems may modify a magazine (e.g., content that is presented electronically) based upon tailored content.
US09349129B2
Disclosed herein are aspects associated with contextual, or related, media enrichment presentation item of a media object served via the internet. A request to annotate a media object in connection with the media object's presentation is received, and a media object identifier and a profile identifier are obtained. The media object's information is retrieved using the media object identifier, and a profile is retrieved using the profile identifier. A response including one or more references to one or more media enrichment presentation items is transmitted, each reference to a media enrichment presentation item comprising information for use in retrieving the media enrichment presentation item for presentation in connection with presentation of the media object.
US09349126B2
The present disclosure involves a system. The system includes a computer memory storage module configured to store executable computer programming code. The system includes a computer processor module operatively coupled to the computer memory storage module. The computer processor module is configured to execute the computer programming code to perform the following operations: detecting, from a mobile electronic device, a request to engage in an activity electronically; receiving sensor data gathered by one or more sensors of the mobile electronic device; determining, based on the sensor data received from the mobile electronic device, whether the request to engage in the activity is authorized by a user of the mobile electronic device; and alerting the user if it has been determined that the request to engage in the activity is unauthorized.
US09349119B2
A conference collaboration system has a server connected to a network and configured to generate a page view requested by a client device over the network and provide dynamic content associated with the requested page view for display on the device; and a database configured to store the dynamic content, update the dynamic content in response to commands from the server, and provide the dynamic content to the server in response to requests from the server, wherein the dynamic content is associated with a plurality of services, each shown in a page view, and the dynamic content and the services are associated with a conference. The server can determine an authorization level of a user interacting with the client device and provide a page view and dynamic content in response to the authorization level, and the dynamic content is updated or created in response to or for actions during the conference.
US09349115B2
Data management and control, including obtaining an importance level associated with a data item, identifying a data entry interface as a source of the data item, associating the importance level with the data entry interface, and performing an action corresponding to the association of the importance level with the data entry interface.
US09349114B2
In one embodiment a method for managing event messages includes predicting an event message arrival rate, determining a current capacity of an event message repository in which received event messages are stored, and calculating a time at which to perform event message deletion relative to the predicted event message arrival rate and the determined current capacity of the event message repository.
US09349113B2
Systems and methods of the invention relate to managing an inventory of items within a storage container. A storage container can house one or more items for distribution among one or more users such as, for instance, employees. The storage container discussed herein provides authentication of a user, tracking of the inventory each user removes or returns, video/image capture of user during access of the storage container, wireless tracking of items housed within the storage container, among others.
US09349102B2
A traffic classifier has a plurality of binary classifiers, each associated with one of a plurality of calibrators. Each calibrator trained to translate an output score of the associated binary classifier into an estimated class probability value using a fitted logistic curve, each estimated class probability value indicating a probability that the packet flow on which the output score is based belongs to the traffic class associated with the binary classifier associated with the calibrator. The classifier training system configured to generate a training data based on network information gained using flow and packet sampling methods. In some embodiments, the classifier training system configured to generate reduced training data sets, one for each traffic class, reducing the training data related to traffic not associated with the traffic class.
US09349090B1
A tuning circuit in an RFID tag may be used to match antenna and integrated circuit (IC) impedances to maximize the efficiency of IC power extraction from an incident RF wave. The tuning circuit, which requires less power to operate than the IC, adjusts a variable impedance to improve the impedance matching between the IC and the tag antenna and thereby increase the IC power extraction efficiency. The IC may begin operating according to a protocol when it extracts sufficient power from the RF wave or when an optimal impedance matching and power transfer is achieved.
US09349085B1
In one implementation, a computer-implemented method for identifying hidden features in digital images includes: detecting, by the computer system, one or more visual features in a digital image; applying one or more edge detection filters to the digital image to generate a modified digital image; detecting one or more candidate hidden features that are included in the modified digital image; comparing the one or more visual features in the digital image with the one or more candidate hidden features; determining whether a hidden image is present in the digital image based on the comparison of the one or more visual features in the digital image with the one or more candidate hidden features; and providing, by the computer system and in response to determining that a hidden image is present in the digital image, information that identifies that the hidden image has been detected.
US09349078B2
An image forming apparatus of a job management system associates a paper brand identifier with a paper name to record a number of sheets of paper used in an executed job for each paper brand identifier as a job history, and notifies the management system about identifying information for identifying the latest job history and the updated paper brand and the paper brand identifier. The management system manages an association between the paper brand identifier and the paper name of the image forming apparatus to count the number of sheets of paper used for each paper name before the update by using the job history information and the identifying information.
US09349070B2
A vehicle external environment recognition device includes a three-dimensional position deriving module that derives three-dimensional positions in real space of subject parts in images that are obtained by imaging a detection area, an object identifying module that groups the subject parts of which differences in the three-dimensional position are within a predetermined range to identify an object, an edge intensity deriving module that horizontally divides an area containing the object to set divided areas, and derives an edge average that is an average value of edge intensities based on a luminance value of each pixel within each of the divided areas; and a floating matter identifying module that compares the edge average with a predetermined threshold, and identifies the object to be likely floating matters when the edge average is less than the threshold.
US09349066B2
A method includes tracking an object in each of a plurality of frames of video data to generate a tracking result. The method also includes performing object processing of a subset of frames of the plurality of frames selected according to a multi-frame latency of an object detector or an object recognizer. The method includes combining the tracking result with an output of the object processing to produce a combined output.
US09349057B2
A three-dimensional object detection device basically includes a three-dimensional object detection unit, a natural object assessment unit and a control unit. The three-dimensional object detection unit detects three-dimensional objects based on image information of a rear of a vehicle from a camera. The natural object assessment unit assesses that a detected three-dimensional object is a natural object, such as a plant or snow, based on an irregularity evaluation value calculated based on a first pixel number of first pixels representing a first predetermined differential in the differential image containing the detected three-dimensional object and a second pixel number of second pixels corresponding to the three-dimensional object and representing a second predetermined differential greater than the first predetermined differential.
US09349052B2
A social photo curation system is used to automatically identify a subset of photos for an album to provide to a viewing user. The album and its photos are associated with metadata indicating information about the photos, such as individuals tagged in the photos, locations where the photos were taken, keywords or concepts associated with the photos, and the quality and variety of the photos. The social photo curation system uses this metadata to score and select the photos for a particular viewing user. The scoring and selection of photos for the album may be independent of the viewing user, or it may be customized based on the viewing user's interests and connections to other users in a social networking system.
US09349047B2
The method includes the steps of acquiring, by at least one camera having a predetermined magnification ratio, at least one image containing at least one coded information and at least one object and properly associating the coded information with the at least one object on the basis of the position of the coded information and of the at least one object along an advancing direction with respect to a fixed reference system. The above-mentioned position of the coded information is determined starting from the position of the coded information within the image acquired by the camera and on the basis of the distance of the coded information from the camera. Such a distance is in turn determined on the basis of the magnification factor of a reference physical dimension detected at a surface of the object or of the coded information.
US09349046B2
Systems, methods, and computer program products for smart, automated capture of textual information using optical sensors of a mobile device are disclosed. The textual information is provided to a mobile application or workflow without requiring the user to manually enter or transfer the data without requiring user intervention such as a copy/paste operation. The capture and provision context-aware, and can normalize or validate the captured textual information prior to entry in the workflow or mobile application. Other information necessary by the workflow and available to the mobile device optical sensors may also be captured and provided, in a single automatic process. As a result, the overall process of capturing information from optical input using a mobile device is significantly simplified and improved in terms of accuracy of data transfer/entry, speed and efficiency of workflows, and user experience.
US09349044B2
A gesture recognition apparatus and method are provided. The gesture recognition apparatus includes an imaging device that is configured to photograph a gesture recognition region and generate image information and a distance sensor that is configured to sense a particular object that approaches a gesture start position. A controller is configured to enter a gesture input mode when the particular object is located at the gesture start position for a predetermined time and recognize a gesture by detecting the particular object based on the image information. Further, the controller is configured to provide feedback that indicates whether the particular object is located at the gesture start position and feedback that indicates whether the particular object is located in the gesture recognition region in the input mode.
US09349038B2
A computer implemented method and an apparatus for estimating head position of an individual are described. The method includes cropping an image object in an image. The image object may include a visual representation of a head of at least one individual. The method further includes abstracting one or more features from the image object. Subsequently, position of the head of the at least one individual in the image object is determined using the one or more features and a predefined statistical model. The predefined statistical model may include a value of each of the pixels of one or more stored images representing variety of head poses and ranges of head poses of the at least one individual.
US09349033B2
A contactless, three-dimensional fingerprint scanner apparatus, method, and system are described. The contactless fingerprint scanner can provide either, or both, topographical contrast of three-dimensional fingerprint features and optical contrast of a three-dimensional fingerprint surface. Data captured from scanning of a target with known geometric features mimicking fingerprint features can be examined as images or surface plots and analyzed for fidelity against the known target feature specifications to evaluate or validate device capture performance as well as interoperability. The target can be used by scanner vendors and designers to validate their devices, as well as to perform type certification.
US09349031B2
A method for tracking processes and/or services, which concern at least one object, in which a reading device detects data or attributes of a data carrier associated with the object or container thereof, wherein the data describe the object, comprising the following steps: a) identifying the object by detecting the data of the data carrier by means of the reading device and b) detecting a process or a service and/or the data obtained therefrom concerning the object, is further developed in that, between steps a) and b), a selection of processes and/or services from a plurality is made depending on the detected data, and the selection is offered to an operating person to be carried out. The invention also relates to a computer program product for setting up a computer system with regard to programming, and a changing station for carrying out the method.
US09349028B2
Writing incorrect information to an IC tag affixed to a label is prevented. When a control command including recording information, an instruction to print the recording information on a label, and an instruction to write data including at least time-related information to an IC tag affixed to the label is received from a host computer, the system controller of a label printer prints the recording information and writes the write data based on time information input from a RTC, but does not print the recording information and write the write data based on the control command if an error was detected by RTC error detector.
US09349020B2
Exemplary methods, apparatuses, and systems receive a first plurality of actions from a first entity with respect to a first plurality of objects. A global object related to each of the first plurality of objects is determined and a representation of the global object is displayed in association with a representation of the first entity. Additionally, in response to receiving user feedback on the representation of the global object displayed in association with the representation of the first entity, an instance of the global object that is unique to the first entity is created. The displayed representation of the global object is converted into a representation of the instance of the global object that is unique to the first entity.
US09349009B2
Methods and systems for firmware based system security, integrity, and restoration are disclosed, including (a) determining in a pre-boot environment which mode a security and policy enforcement platform (“platform”) should be loaded into firmware of a computing system; (b) if the determination made in step (a) is that it is the first time for the platform to be loaded, then loading the platform into a setup mode; (c) if the determination made in step (a), above, is that a valid certificate from the platform is on a file system accessible in the firmware of the computing system, then loading the platform into a configuration mode; and (d) if the determination made in step (a), above, is that the platform is set to an active/active-test mode, then loading the platform into the active/active-test mode. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US09348982B2
An information processing system, an operating device, and computer-readable storage medium. The operating device acquires, from an operation application program installed in the operating device, function information that indicates a function provided by the operation application program, acquires use authority information that is stored in a use-authority information storage device and is related to user identification information on an operating user that operates the operating device, determines whether the operating user has authority to use the function provided by the operation application program by using the use authority information acquired and the function information acquired, and performs the function when the operating user has the authority to use the function.
US09348979B2
The disclosed tools include enhanced and flexible tools to enable users who may be business competitors to share non-generic data in a substantially generic and in a substantially equitable manner. The resulting incentive to more freely share data between competitors will benefit users such as brand owners and enhance content delivered to their end users based on shared data.
US09348977B1
Disclosed are various systems, methods, and other embodiments directed to detection of malware in content items. To detect the malware, for example, one or more content items are identified in association with the rendering of a network page in a simulated environment. A plurality of tests are applied to the one or more content items to detect an existence of malware associated with the content items.
US09348976B2
An information processing method and an electronic device are provided. The method is applied to the electronic device. The electronic device includes a frame structure, a display module, a processor and a first type of sensor. The method includes: obtaining a first type of data which reflects a physical performance of the first user and is captured by the first type of sensor, in the case that the electronic device is fixed on an operation portion of the first user through the frame structure and the electronic device is functioning; obtaining configuration information at least based on the first type of data; and automatically setting a second type of sensor different from the first type of sensor, and/or a display screen, and/or at least one piece of application data which may be fed back by the electronic device, to suit the physical performance of the first user.
US09348975B2
Peritoneal dialysis therapy outcomes have been calculated for a variety of dwell times of peritoneal dialysis fluids in the peritoneal cavities of dialysis patients using kinetic modeling. The length of dwell time should not be the same for every patient, but should vary according to the patient condition and needs. Some patients have a potential for expressing greater ultrafiltrate into the dialysis fluid, and these patients can benefit from a longer dwell time, whereas other patients with less potential will not benefit from a longer dwell time. An optimal or peak time is observed for each peritoneal dialysis therapy outcome, such as ultrafiltrate volume rate, urea clearance (Kt/V), and creatinine clearance, while minimizing hydrocarbon absorption. These values and input parameters can be used to tailor the peritoneal dialysis dwell time for each patient, estimating the peak dwell time that will yield the best therapy outcome for each patient.
US09348973B2
A scanning structure having at least one surface with a shape adapted to conform to a portion of a craniofacial space is described. The scanning structure includes at least one surface object, which is at least partly identifiable from a first set of data, and where a first coordinate is identifiable based on the surface object. The scanning structure includes at least one volume object, which is at least partly identifiable from a second set of data, and where a second coordinate is identifiable based on the volume object. The surface object can be arranged in relation to the at least one volume object such that the first coordinate and the second coordinate have a pre-defined relationship to each other.
US09348972B2
Provided is a multiple birth prognostic tool that is used to analyze data in order to predict a multiple birth event in a female human patient undergoing an infertility treatment. The MBP prognostic tool may also be used to enhance the accuracy of diagnostic or prognostic tests that predict embryo viability. The MBP prognostic tool of the present invention may be clinic specific or it may be modified to be used in a multi-clinic approach.
US09348964B2
A method and apparatus of a novel full chip edge-based mask three-dimensional (3D) model for performing photolithography simulation with consideration for edge coupling effect is described. The method receives a mask design layout in order to perform mask topography effect modeling. The method generates scaling parameters for edge coupling effects. Each scaling parameter has an associated combination of feature width and space. The sum of feature width and space associated with at least one scaling parameter is less than a minimum pitch. The method applies a thick mask model that includes several edge-based kernels to the mask design layout to create a mask 3D residual. To apply the thick mask model to the mask design layout, the method updates the edge-based kernels with the scaling parameters.
US09348962B2
Systems and methods for avoiding restrictions on cell placement in a hierarchical design of integrated circuits with multi-patterning requirements are described. The method may be provided implemented in a computer infrastructure having computer executable code tangibly embodied on a computer readable storage medium having programming instructions operable to assign a color to each pattern shape in a first cell, assign a color to each pattern shape in a second cell, characterize quantities of interest for each pattern shape in the first cell, determine that the colors assigned in the first cell are all one to one mappable to the colors assigned in the second cells, characterize quantities of interest for each pattern shape in the second cell using the quantities of interest characterized for the first cell, and model the quantities of interest for the first cell and the second cell.
US09348958B2
A disclosed method includes: converting, for each sample point, a set of performance item values for a sample point into coordinate values of a mesh element containing the set among plural mesh elements obtained by dividing a space mapped by the performance items; generating a binary decision graph representing a group of the coordinate values of the sample points; calculating the number of sample points including second sample points that dominates a first sample point and the first sample point, by counting the number of paths in the binary decision graph from a root node to a leaf node representing “1” through at least one of certain nodes corresponding to coordinate values that are equal to or less than coordinate values of the first sample point; and calculating a yield of the first sample point by dividing the calculated number by the number of the plural sample points.
US09348945B2
Modifying search results based on dismissal action associated with one or more of the search results
Methods and apparatus for modifying search results based a dismissal action associated with one or more of the search results by a user to whom the search results are presented. Initially provided search results may include at least a first set of search results that are associated with a first entity and a second set of search results that are associated with a second entity. In response to a dismissal action associated with one or more of the search results of the first set, the initial search results may be modified to demote and/or omit one or more search results of the first set. The user may be provided with the modified search results.
US09348943B2
A method, non-transitory computer readable medium, and data manager computing device comprises retrieving a time series data of a monitored asset based on one or more tags in response to a request. Further, a heterogeneous data based on the one or more tags is retrieved. Furthermore, a cause of an anomaly period in retrieved time series data of the monitored asset is determined based on the retrieved heterogeneous data. Finally, the determined cause of the anomaly period in the time series data in the monitored asset is provided.
US09348941B2
A relationship amongst multiple relationships between database tables can be specified independent of a query. More specifically, a function (USERELATIONSHIP) can be introduced to the DAX language (Data Analysis Expressions), which provides a way to author formulas that are not evaluated immediately, but that can be evaluated dynamically and concurrently in many different contexts. The function enables a single relationship to be specified in the calculation formula away from the query. This provides a mechanism within the formula that specifies specific relationship(s) that are to be followed when the dynamic expression is evaluated.
US09348934B2
Systems and methods (e.g., utilities) for use in providing automated, lightweight collection of online, open source data which may be content-based to reduce website source bias. In one aspect, a utility is disclosed for use in extracting content of interest from at least one website or other online data source (e.g., where the extracted content can be used in a subsequent search query). In other aspects, utilities are disclosed that are operable to perform various types of analyzes on such extracted content and present graphical representations of such analyzes on a display of a client device.
US09348916B2
A method and system for providing social media ecosystem searching services. Cascading searching is used to locate a desired person in a social media ecosystem. Plural related micro-levels are created in cascading searching lists. The plural related micro-levels include one or more cross-connections between the plural cascading merged lists including cross-connections between the search categories, search subcategories or search keywords in the search categories and search subcategories. The cascading searching provides micro-level searching for a desired person in the social media ecosystem at a level not available with other searching techniques. The system includes voice search requests and automatic translation of search requests and communication requests once a desired person is located into plural different languages. The social media search ecosystem cascading searching services are provided on a cloud communications network for mobile and non-mobile devices.
US09348915B2
Content items and other entities may be ranked or organized according to a relevance to a user. Relevance may take into consideration recency, proximity, popularity, air time (e.g., of television shows) and the like. In one example, the popularity and age of a movie may be used to determine a relevance ranking Popularity (i.e., entity rank) may be determined based on a variety of factors. In the movie example, popularity may be based on gross earnings, awards, nominations, votes and the like. According to one or more embodiments, entities may initially be categorized into relevance groupings based on popularity and/or other factors. Once categorized, the entities may be sorted within each grouping and later combined into a single ranked list.
US09348914B2
The method and system of the present invention provides an improved technique for replacing, implementing and managing computer-related assets. A technician accesses the World Wide Web through a user's computer. The information resident on the computer, including information regarding the computer and the user's preferences, are downloaded to a remote storage medium through the World Wide Web. Once downloaded, all information may be removed from the user's computer. Subsequently, the technician accesses another computer such as, for example, a new computer that has been assigned to the same user. The technician accesses the World Wide Web through the new computer and downloads the information previously stored on the remote storage medium. This information can then be used to install the user's prior applications, settings and preferences on the new computer.
US09348910B2
In accordance with embodiments, there are provided mechanisms and methods for creating mobile custom views for tenants of an on-demand database service. These mechanisms and methods for creating mobile custom views for tenants of an on-demand database service can enable embodiments to allow tenants to create and push instructions for generating user-defined views to mobile devices, etc. The ability of embodiments to provide such feature may allow tenants to efficiently and effectively create interfaces on mobile devices.
US09348906B2
An electronic device with one or more processors, memory, and a display detects a first trigger event and, in response to detecting the first trigger event, collects a audio sample of environmental audio data associated with a media item. The device transmits information corresponding to the audio sample to a server. In response to transmitting the information, the device obtains attribute information corresponding to the audio sample, where the attribute information includes metadata for the media item, a time indicator of a position of the audio sample in the media item, and stream information for the media item. The device displays a portion of the attribute information. The device detects a second trigger event and, in response to detecting the second trigger event: determines a last obtained time indicator; streams the media item based on the stream information; and presents the media item from the last obtained time indicator.
US09348904B2
The present invention provides methods and systems for digital processing of an input audio signal. Specifically, the present invention includes a high pass filter configured to filter the input audio signal to create a high pass signal. A first filter module then filters the high pass signal to create a first filtered signal. A first compressor modulates the first filtered signal to create a modulated signal. A second filter module then filters the modulated signal to create a second filtered signal. The second filtered signal is processed by a first processing module. A band splitter splits the processed signal into low band, mid band, and high band signals. The low band and high band signals are modulated by respective compressors. A second processing module further processes the modulated low band, mid band, and modulated high band signals to create an output signal.
US09348899B2
An auto-classification system and method provides dynamic user feedback in a guide that is presented to the user. The feedback presented in the guide enables the user to refine the classification model by adding or removing exemplars, creating, editing or deleting rules, or performing other such adjustments to the classification model. This technology enhances the overall transparency and defensibility of the auto-classification process.
US09348895B2
Embodiments of the invention relate to automatically suggesting query-rewrite rules. One embodiment includes providing a missing search result for a query. A collection of semantically coherent rewrite rules are generated based on the missing search result. Generating the missing search result includes: selecting candidates including subsequences of the query and subsequences of particular fields of a document, invoking a search engine using the candidates for providing search results, filtering out particular candidates that fail to achieve a desired search result, and classifying remaining candidates based on a learned classifier. Query rewrite rules for document searching are suggested based on the classified remaining candidates.
US09348894B2
Techniques and tools are described for refining source-code query results. For example, source-code query results for a query can be generated, semantic clusters of the source-code query results can be generated, and based on a selection of a semantic cluster option, refined source-code query results can be sent. Also, for example, source-code query results can be received, selections of facet values associated with groups of the source-code query results can be sent, and based on selected facet values, a subset of the source-code query results can be received.
US09348893B2
A method, system and computer program product for generating answers to questions. In one embodiment, the method comprises receiving an input query, decomposing the input query into a plurality of different subqueries, and conducting a search in one or more data sources to identify at least one candidate answer to each of the subqueries. A ranking function is applied to each of the candidate answers to determine a ranking for each of these candidate answers; and for each of the subqueries, one of the candidate answers to the subquery is selected based on this ranking. A logical synthesis component is applied to synthesize a candidate answer for the input query from the selected the candidate answers to the subqueries. In one embodiment, the procedure applied by the logical synthesis component to synthesize the candidate answer for the input query is determined from the input query.
US09348890B2
Systems, methods, and computer program products for searching objects, metadata associated with the objects, and attributes assigned to or associated with the metadata. Referring to herein as metadata for the metadata, these attributes may be associated with one or more metadata field values of a metadata field name which, in turn, may be associated with an object being or already indexed in a search index of a search system. Each attribute may be optional, dynamically created, indexed, and searchable via the search index. There can be multiple attributes associated with the same metadata field value, each being represented as a key-value pair. This metadata for the metadata approach can be highly efficient. For example, the ability to search multiple attributes associated with the same metadata field can eliminate the potential need to create multiple metadata fields for the same value in different languages, countries, etc.
US09348888B1
A computerized device filters a set of first data objects each including primitive-valued fields and object-valued fields each specifying a respective second data object as an embedded object. A filter object specifies filter criteria as a set of filter expressions. Each first data object and its respective embedded second filter objects are processed according to the filter expressions. The processing includes iterated execution of a filter expression loop, a first iteration producing a first filter test result for each primitive-valued field of the first data object and initiating a second iteration for each object-valued field of the first data object, and the second iteration producing a second filter test result for each primitive-valued field of the respective embedded second filter object. A given first data object is included in a final set of filtered objects only if both the first and second filter test results are success test results.
US09348872B2
Method and system for assessing relevant properties of work contexts for use by information services
An information retrieval system for automatically retrieving information related to the context of an active task being manipulated by a user. The system observes the operation of the active task and user interactions, and utilizes predetermined criteria to generate context representation of the active task that are relevant to the context of the active task. The information retrieval system then processes the context representation to generate queries or search terms for conducting an information search. The information retrieval system determines the relevance of a word to the context by utilizing an adaptive weighting system. The information retrieval system assigns varying weights to different attributes of a word and calculates an accumulated weight of the word by accumulating all weights assigned to the word. The attributes may include word size, style, location of the word, etc. The system then ranks the importance of words based on their respective accumulated weight, and chooses words that rank within a predetermined number from the top to form search terms to conduct an information search using various data sources.
US09348864B1
Secure and remote operation of a remote computer from a local computer over a network includes authenticating at least one remote computer for connection to at least one computer over the network and/or at least one local computer for connection to at least one remote computer over the network; establishing a secure connection therebetween; and integrating a desktop of at least one remote computer on a display of at least one local computer. Functions that are performed may include one or more of: integrating a file structure of accessible files accessed at the second or first computer, into a file structure contained at the first or second computer, respectively; at least one of integrating a desktop of the second computer on a display of the first computer and integrating a desktop of the first computer on a display of the second computer; and directly operating the second computer from the first computer or the first computer from the second computer.
US09348858B2
A system and method for dynamically changing contact information is presented. The system and method includes receiving a contact information change associated with a contact in a first contact list, determining that the contact is also in a second contact list and modifying the second contact list based on the contact information change.
US09348834B2
Compression of data for database movement, includes: selecting a first group of categorical columns for compression; selecting a next group of categorical columns from remaining columns for compression; repeating the selecting of the next group until a predetermined compression threshold is met; creating first compression files comprising compressed representations of the columns in the first group; creating next compression files comprising compressed representations of the columns in each of the next groups; storing initial row sort order, group identity, and column positions corresponding to each of the next groups; and storing any columns not selected for compression in an uncompressed file in the original row sort order. Decompression of the data includes: rebuilding categorical columns in each group of compression files using group identity and column positions corresponding to the group; and sorting rows comprising the rebuilt categorical columns to the initial row sort order. Sorted rows for each group are merged with rows in the uncompressed file.
US09348832B2
Embodiments provide a method for reassembling a data file from a starting file fragment and a plurality of file fragments stored on a digital storage device. The method includes determining, from the plurality of file fragments, one or more matched file fragments which match the starting file fragment based on a first predetermined criterion; associating the one or more matched file fragments with the starting file fragment; and determining one or more candidate data files based on the one or more matched file fragments. The method further includes checking if more than one file fragments have been determined to match the starting file fragment based on the first predetermined criterion. If more than one matched file fragments have been determined to match the starting file fragment based on the first predetermined criterion, the method further includes selecting a candidate data file from the candidate data files determined for the matched file fragments as the reassembled data file based on a second predetermined criterion.
US09348824B2
Method and systems are provided for identification of device groups in a network. A playback device in a media playback system may send to a controller device, a transmission indicating a group identification associated with the playback device. The transmission may be sent in response to a request from the controller device for group identification information or a change in a group configuration of the playback device. The controller device may maintain a table of playback devices in the media playback system. The controller device may modify the table based on the transmission received from the playback device.
US09348818B2
Systems and methods of various embodiments may enable or refine translation of text between a first language and a second language. In particular, systems and methods may enable or refine a text translation by soliciting and/or receiving feedback for: translation of a first word or phrase from a first language to a second language; transformation of the first word or phrase (in the first language) to a second word or phrase in the first language; or transformation of the first word or phrase (in the first language) to a second word or phrase in the second language. The systems and methods of various embodiments may incentivize user feedback for failed translations in order to encourage user feedback, improve the quality of user feedback received, and to permit development of translation corpora that can evolve with time.
US09348815B1
In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to a method which, in one example embodiment, can include reading text data corresponding to messages, creating semantic annotations to the text data to generate one or more annotated messages, and aggregating the annotated messages and storing information associated with the aggregated annotated messages in a message store. The method can further include performing, based on information from the message store and associated with the one or more messages, one or more global analytics functions that include: identifying an annotation error in the semantic annotations created using the trained statistical language model, updating the respective semantic annotation to correct the annotation error, and back-propagating corrected data corresponding to the updated semantic annotation into training data for further language model training.
US09348796B2
An arithmetic operation in a data processing unit, preferably by iterative digit accumulations, is proposed. An approximate result of the arithmetic operation is computed iteratively. Concurrently at least two supplementary values of the approximate result of the arithmetic operation are computed, and the final result selected from one of the values of the approximate result and the at least two supplementary values of the arithmetic operation depending on the results of the last iteration step.
US09348791B2
Compute clusters to implement a high performance computer are provided. For example, a compute cluster includes an optical redistribution box, and a processor module comprising M processors. The optical redistribution box includes N optical input connectors, N optical global connectors, and internal optical connections configured to connect each optical input connector to every optical global connector such that each duplex pair of a given optical input bundle connected connected to the optical global connectors. A first group of N processors (wherein N=M/2) of the processor module is optically connected to one of the optical input connectors via one of the optical input bundles, and second group of N processors of the processor module is optically connected to one of the optical global connectors via one of the optical global bundles.
US09348781B2
Systems and methods for operating a universal serial bus are described herein. The method includes sending packet data from a USB2 device to a USB2 host on a pair of signal lines, and after sending the packet data, sending an End-Of-Packet (EOP) signal from the USB2 device to the USB2 host. The method also includes, entering the USB2 device into idle state after sending the EOP signal. The method also includes sending a digital ping from the USB2 device to the USB2 host to indicate device presence during idle state.
US09348777B2
A hardware apparatus for a system comprises an interface and a direct memory access device. The interface is configured to connect the hardware apparatus to a system bus, which the hardware apparatus can use to communicate with a central control unit in the system and/or with another hardware apparatus in the system. The direct memory access device is configured to directly access a main memory of the central control unit, and to set an identifier for data flow control in the main memory of the central control unit when the direct memory access device has terminated direct access to a main memory of the system.
US09348773B2
An information handling system is provided. The information handling system includes an information handling device having one or more processors in communication with a network interface card. The network interface card includes one or more interfaces for receiving frames the information handling device is coupled to an external network device. The device also includes a memory that is in communication with the one or more processors and stores a classification matrix. The classification matrix is used to generate a current interrupt throttling rate from a plurality of candidate interrupt throttling rates that are applied to the received frames according to at least two properties of each frame of the received frames. A method for providing adaptive interrupt coalescing is also provided.
US09348772B2
A method, including receiving, by a user space driver framework (UDF) library executing from a user space of a memory over a monolithic operating system kernel, a kernel application programming interface (API) call from a device driver executing from the user space. The UDF library then performs an operation corresponding to the kernel API call.
US09348769B2
A mechanism for zeroed logical volume management is disclosed. A method includes assigning, by a computing device, a bit value to each of storage blocks in a data volume of an operating system. The method also includes permitting, by the computing device, data in the storage blocks of the data volume to be read if the bit value is set to 1. The method further includes preventing, by the computing device, the data in the storage blocks of the data volume to be read if the bit value is set to 0.
US09348765B2
A technique for supporting user mode specification of Read-Copy Update (RCU) grace period latency to an operating system kernel-level RCU implementation. Non-expedited and expedited RCU grace period mechanisms are provided for invocation by RCU updaters performing RCU update operations to respectively initiate non-expedited and expedited grace periods. An expedited grace period indicator in a kernel memory space is provided for indicating whether a non-expedited RCU grace period or an expedited RCU grace period should be invoked. The non-expedited RCU grace period mechanism is adapted to check the expedited grace period indicator, and if an expedited RCU grace period is indicated, to invoke the expedited grace period mechanism. A communication mechanism is provided for use by a user mode application executing in a user memory space to manipulate the expedited grace period indicator in the kernel memory space, and thereby control whether an expedited or non-expedited RCU grace period should be used.
US09348763B2
An address translation capability is provided in which translation structures of different types are used to translate memory addresses from one format to another format. Multiple translation structure formats (e.g., multiple page table formats, such as hash page tables and hierarchical page tables) are concurrently supported in a system configuration. This facilitates provision of guest access in virtualized operating systems, and/or the mixing of translation formats to better match the data access patterns being translated.
US09348756B2
In general, the present invention relates to data cache processing. Specifically, the present invention relates to a system that provides reconfigurable dynamic cache which varies the operation strategy of cache memory based on the demand from the applications originating from different external general processor cores, along with functions of a virtualized hybrid core system. The system includes receiving a data request, selecting an operational mode based on the data request and a predefined selection algorithm, and processing the data request based on the selected operational mode.
US09348755B2
A computer implemented method for prefetching data for a processor into a first memory, wherein in a recording mode, a prefetching unit for a processor performs the steps of a method. The method includes: receiving one or more first addresses from the processor; filtering the one or more first addresses; providing a recording-list including the filtered one or more first addresses; receiving at least one second address from the processor; receiving a playback-list including all or a subset of the first addresses of the recording-list; comparing the at least one second address with each of the first addresses in the playback-list for identifying a matching address; if a matching address is identified, fetching data from a second memory; and transferring the fetched data to a first memory.
US09348750B1
A circuit for realigning data received at a receiver is disclosed. The circuit comprises a plurality of memory arrays; a plurality of multiplexers, wherein each multiplexer is coupled to select an address for data to be output by a memory array of the plurality of memory arrays; an output multiplexer coupled to select the outputs of the plurality of memory arrays; and a memory control circuit coupled to the plurality of multiplexers and the output multiplexer, the memory control circuit coupling select signals to the plurality of multiplexers and the output multiplexer to enable generating realigned data. A method of realigning data received at a receiver is also disclosed.
US09348739B2
Embodiments of the present invention enable users to extract knowledge from testing scenarios performed during application development, and later employ that knowledge to interpret application usage scenarios to enhance serviceability of applications by expediting identification and solving of problems. In an exemplary embodiment, log data generated during simulation of test cases is analyzed to create one or more rules based on patterns in which one or more log entries appear in the log data. Later, log data may be analyzed to look for a pattern of log entries that matches a pattern-based rule, thereby facilitating faster identification and resolution of the problem.
US09348738B2
Various embodiments automatically test software automation scripts. In one embodiment, at least one software automation script is obtained. The software automation script is configured to automatically place a computing system into a target state. A plurality of test cases for the software automation script is executed. Each of the plurality of test cases is a separate instance of the software automation script configured based at least on one or more different states of the computing system. The software automation script is determined to be one of idempotent and non-idempotent and/or one of convergent and non-convergent based on executing the plurality of test cases.
US09348731B2
The invention relates to tracing the execution path of a computer program comprising at least one module including a plurality of instructions. At least one of these instructions is a branch instruction. Each branch instruction is identified and evaluated to be one of true and false. An evaluation of true results in a unique identifier being pushed into a predefined area of storage. This unique identifier is associated with the instructions executed as a result of an evaluation of true.
US09348726B2
Detecting potential class loader problems using the class search path sequence for each class loader
A method, system and computer program product for identifying potential class loader problems prior to or during the deployment of the classes to the production environment. A set of class loaders is loaded into memory. The set of class loaders is arranged hierarchically into parent-child relationships. The class search path sequence for each class loader in the hierarchy is generated to detect and identify potential class loader problems. Those class loaders with a duplicate class in its class search path sequence are identified as those class loaders that may pose a potential problem. A message may then be displayed to the user identifying these class loaders as posing a potential problem. By identifying these class loaders prior to or during the deployment of the classes to the production environment, class loader problems may be prevented from occurring.
US09348724B2
A management server is provided in a computer system having one or more hosts, one or more storage systems and one or more switches, the hosts having a plurality of virtual machines, each virtual machine being defined according to a service level agreement. The management server is operable to manage the virtual machines and resources associated with the virtual machines; receive a notification of an event from a node in the computer system; determine if the event affects a service level agreement for any of the virtual machines defined in the computer system, the service level agreements listing required attributes for the corresponding virtual machines; allocate a new resource for a virtual machine whose service level agreement is affected by the event; and move the virtual machine whose service level agreement is affected by the event to the newly allocated resource.
US09348719B2
An automated test system for a semiconductor device to concurrently perform multiple device tests is provided. The system may include at least one test client, at least one test site and a test server. The at least one test client is configured to receive a test request of at least one worker and to display a test response. The at least one test site is configured to test at least one device under test (DUT). The test server is configured to communicate with the at least one test client and the at least one test site, divide and/or drive the at least one test site in response to the test request of the at least one test client, and transmit a response of the at least one test site to the at least one test client.
US09348713B2
Various embodiments are generally directed an apparatus and method for receiving an event notification for a pair of cluster nodes having a first cluster node and a second cluster node, the event notification indicating an occurrence of a takeover event or a giveback event. Further, various embodiments may include suspending copying of information from a source logical unit to a target logical unit, transferring one or more processes from the first cluster node to the second cluster node and resuming importation of information from the source logical unit to the target logical unit.
US09348712B1
Described herein is a novel technique for implementing a policy-based caching engine in a storage system cluster (cluster) to automatically implement volume caching at select nodes of the cluster in optimizing cluster performance. The novel caching engine may be implemented in a management console of the cluster storing policy information related to volume caching operations requested by the caching engine. Policy information may include node or cluster attributes, operational events, and a pre-defined cached volume configuration of import to the user. Based on the stored policy information, the caching engine may determine a set of nodes on which to initiate a volume caching operation and generate a request for such operation to be performed on a particular node. Only select nodes in the cluster may thus implement volume caching to thereby conserve processing resources for more critical operations at other select nodes in the cluster.
US09348703B1
A system for image recovery comprises an input interface and a processor. The input interface is configured to receive a block backup volume that can be mounted. The processor is configured to determine a merged chain map by consolidating one or more incremental chain maps and to store an image using the merged chain map and a volume map.
US09348698B2
A method includes segmenting a data object into data segments based on segmenting information. For a first data segment, the method further includes dispersed storage error encoding the first data segment. The method further includes identifying a first set of storage units from a pool of storage units. The method further includes issuing a first set of write requests to the first set of storage units. The method further includes receiving write responses from the first set of storage units. The method further includes, when a write threshold number of favorable write responses have been received, generating a first DSN addresses for encode data slices based on Internet addresses of storage units that provided the favorable write responses and based on the temporary slice names of the encoded data slices. The method further includes storing an association of the first DSN addresses and the first encode data slices.
US09348697B2
According to one embodiment, a magnetic random access memory includes memory cells, a read circuit, (ECC) circuit, an address register, a flag register, a flag check circuit, and a write back circuit. The memory cells each include a magnetoresistive element. The address register stores the address at which the error has been detected by the ECC circuit. The data register stores corrected data in which the error has been corrected by the ECC circuit. The flag register sets an error flag in association with the address at which the error has been detected by the ECC circuit. The flag check circuit checks whether the error flag is set in the flag register. The write back circuit writes back the data to the memory cell designated by the address corresponding to the error flag.
US09348693B2
A storage apparatus is provided. The controller of the storage apparatus includes an error correction module and a data disordering module. The error correction module is configured to perform an error correction procedure for a data packet to be written into a flash memory module of the storage apparatus for generating sequence data codes containing the data packet and corresponding error correcting codes, wherein the data packet includes a data area recording data to be written and a spare area recording data related to the data packet. The data disordering module is configured to convert the sequence data codes into non-sequence data codes, wherein the data of the data area and the spare area and error correcting codes are dispersed in the non-sequence data codes. Accordingly, it is possible to effectively increase the safety of the data packet.
US09348692B2
A memory controller includes a damaged-column manager, an error checking and correcting decoder (ECC decoder) and a damaged-column decision circuit. The damaged-column manager logs a damaged-column address information in the flash memory. The ECC decoder receives a read data read by the flash memory and generates an error information according to whether or not the read data has error. The damaged-column decision circuit receives the error-column address and counts the number of accumulated generated times corresponding to the error-column address. The damaged-column decision circuit updates the damaged-column address information according to an error information.
US09348688B2
A data processing apparatus is provided with trace circuitry for generating a plurality of trace streams including an instruction trace stream 10 and a data trace stream 12. The instruction elements within the instruction trace stream and the data elements within the data trace stream are marked with key values KV such that a match may be made between data elements and corresponding instruction elements. When predetermined conditions are met, synchronization markers 66 are inserted in both the instruction trace stream 10 and the data trace stream 12 in order to permit a precise correlation to be made between the instruction elements and the data elements when the data is subsequently analyzed.
US09348685B2
Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for using an intermediate database management layer to manage communications between an application layer and a database layer. The database management layer can receive an initial communication from the application layer and transmit a subsequent communication to a particular database based upon a rule. The rules can specify the particular database based upon the initial communication and an availability status of the database. The rules specify criteria by which the initial communication is identified and logic specifying the particular database to receive the subsequent communication based upon the identification of the initial communication. The rules can specify a plurality of potential particular databases to receive the subsequent communication and an order in which to select one of the databases to receive the subsequent communication based upon the determined availability status of each of the potential particular databases.
US09348682B2
Described herein are techniques for transitioning control between a first and second controller of a storage system. In such transition, the first controller transmits a message to a memory element shared by the first and second controllers, the message capable of notifying the second controller of an imminent failure of the first controller. The second controller receives the message from the shared memory element, the message notifying the second controller of an imminent failure of the first controller. Subsequent to transmitting the message to the shared memory element, the first controller becomes unavailable to facilitate access to the storage devices of the storage system. Subsequent to receiving the message from the shared memory element, the second controller becomes available to facilitate access to the storage devices of the storage system.
US09348680B2
A mechanism is provided for reusing importance sampling for efficient cell failure rate estimation of process variations and other design considerations. First, the mechanism performs a search across circuit parameters to determine failures with respect to a set of performance variables. For a single failure region, the initial search may be a uniform sampling of the parameter space. Mixture importance sampling (MIS) efficiently may estimate the single failure region. The mechanism then finds a center of gravity for each metric and finds importance samples. Then, for each new origin corresponding to a process variation or other design consideration, the mechanism finds a suitable projection and recomputes new importance sampling (IS) ratios.
US09348669B2
Systems, methods and computer readable media for user interface frameworks are disclosed. In some implementations, the method can include detecting, at a dispatcher within a user interface framework, an event emitted from a user interface element contained within a document object model node associated with a controller. The method can also include requesting a module associated with the controller and instantiating the controller. The method can further include providing the event to the controller.
US09348663B1
An extension schema validator may be executable within an extension process of an extension of a browser application, and may be configured to validate the extension with respect to an extension application program interface (API) that is provided in conjunction with the browser application for implementation of the extension. A browser schema validator may be executable within a browser process of the browser application, and may be configured to validate the extension with respect to the extension API. Successful validation of the extension by the extension schema validator prior to attempting validation of the extension by the browser schema validator may be required.
US09348651B2
Constructing a logical tree topology in a parallel computer that includes compute nodes, where each node executes a number of tasks and at least one node executes a number of tasks different from another node includes: identifying a compute node executing a greatest number of tasks; selecting, as a global root, a task from the identified compute node, including assigning the task as a local root of the identified compute node and assigning each of the other tasks of the identified compute node as a child of the local root; selecting, from each of the other compute nodes, one task to be a local root, including assigning each task other than the local root as a child of the local root; and assigning each local root of the other compute nodes to be a child of one of the tasks of the identified compute node other than the global root.
US09348648B2
In accordance with embodiments, there are provided mechanisms and methods for facilitating dynamic workload scheduling and routing of message queues for fair management of the resources for application servers in an on-demand services environment. In one embodiment and by way of example, a method includes detecting an organization of a plurality of organization that is starving for resources. The organization may be seeking performance of a job request at a computing system within a multi-tenant database system. The method may further include consulting, based on a routing policy, a routing table for a plurality of queues available for processing the job request, selecting a queue of the plurality of queues for the organization based on a fair usage analysis obtained from the routing policy, and routing the job request to the selected queue.
US09348645B2
A method and an apparatus for priority donations among different processes are described. A first process running with a first priority may receive a request from a second process running with a second priority to perform a data processing task for the second process. A dependency relationship may be identified between the first process and a third process running with a third priority performing separate data processing task. The dependency relationship may indicate that the data processing task is to be performed via the first process subsequent to completion of the separate data processing task via the third process. The third process may be updated with the second priority to complete the separate data processing task. The first process may perform the data processing task with the second priority for the second process.
US09348643B2
Transactional execution of a transaction beginning instruction initiates prefetching, by a CPU, of discontiguous storage locations specified by a list. The list includes entries specifying addresses and may also include corresponding metadata. The list may be specified by levels of indirection. Fetching of corresponding discontiguous cache lines is initiated while in TX mode. Additional instructions in the transaction may be executed and use the prefetched cache lines.
US09348641B2
A method for performing a transaction in a massively parallel processing (MPP) database includes receiving, by a transaction manager, from a first resource manager, a first snapshot of the first resource manager and receiving, by the transaction manager, from a second resource manager, a second snapshot of the second resource manager. Also, the method includes reconciling the first snapshot of the first resource manager and the second snapshot of the second resource manager to generate a reconciled snapshot and transmitting, by the transaction manager, to the first resource manager and the second resource manager, the reconciled snapshot. Additionally, the method includes performing a transaction using the reconciled snapshot.
US09348637B2
A multiprocessor system used in home environment includes multiple processors that run different real-time applications. A dynamic configuration system runs on the multiple processors and includes a device manager, configuration manager, and data manager. The device manager automatically detects and adds new devices to the multiprocessor system, and the configuration manager automatically reconfigures the real-time applications. The data manager identifies the type of data generated by the new devices and identifies which devices in the multiprocessor system are able to process the data.
US09348632B2
A data assignment method for a physical machine having multiple virtual machines (VMs) running thereon includes receiving data to be processed from a scheduler for assigning job data; storing the received data to be processed into a single queue; and in response to an idle VM being among the multiple VMs, assigning data in the queue to the idle VM to be processed by the idle VM.
US09348630B2
A virtual machine management program causes a computer to execute a process. The process includes suspending a virtual machine, when an access to the virtual machine does not occur for a first time, resuming and, after a second time elapses, suspending the virtual machine being suspended, even the access to the virtual machine does not occur, so as to cause the virtual machine to perform a refreshing process, and resuming the virtual machine being suspended, when the access to the virtual machine occurs.
US09348627B1
Dynamic mobility of virtual data centers and converged infrastructure components, such as Vblocks, may be provided using a virtual platform product that federates and/or coordinates virtual storage. The system described herein enables sharing of distributed resources between multi-connected virtual platform clusters, such as VPLEX clusters, in a dynamic sharing arrangement. A virtual platform cluster may include one or more pairs of directors that enables failover from one director of the pair(s) to the other director of the pair(s) in a cluster in the case of hardware or path failure.
US09348625B2
An application executing on a computing device may invoke a function call of a first function. The computing device may support a bundled application library of functions and a native library of functions. It may be determined that code for executing the first function exists in both the bundled application library and the native library, and the application may execute the first function using the code in the native library. While the application continues execution on the computing device, the application may invoke a function call of a second function. It may be determined that, of the bundled application library and the native library, the code for executing the second function exists in the bundled application library. The application may execute the second function using the code in the bundled application library.
US09348624B2
A mechanism for monitoring file accesses by a process running in a Virtual Machine. File access information associated with a monitored process selected in a first view in a debugging interface is obtained from a file activity log and displayed as selectable file access events in a second view of the debugging interface, wherein each file access event represents a read or write operation performed on a file at a particular point in time by the monitored process. An initial content of a file associated with the selected file access event and revisions made to the file by the monitored process within a defined period of time is retrieved from the file activity log upon detecting user selection of a file access event in the second view. The revisions are applied to the initial content of the file and displayed in a third view in the debugging interface.
US09348621B2
Using hardware transactional memory (HTM) for queue operations includes invoking a first operation for a concurrent linked queue of an interpretive program using a Just-In-Time (JIT) compiler of a virtual machine, wherein the first operation does not use HTM, determining whether a data processing system executing the virtual machine supports HTM, and responsive to determining that the data processing system does support HTM, detecting, using a processor and within the first operation, a call to a second operation that is that is configured, in byte code, to return an indication of a failed hardware transaction. Responsive to detecting the second operation, a machine code implementation of the first operation that includes a machine code implementation of the second operation is generated. The machine code implementation of the second operation is an implementation of the first operation that does use HTM.
US09348620B2
Using hardware transactional memory (HTM) for queue operations includes invoking a first operation for a concurrent linked queue of an interpretive program using a Just-In-Time (JIT) compiler of a virtual machine, wherein the first operation does not use HTM, determining whether a data processing system executing the virtual machine supports HTM, and responsive to determining that the data processing system does support HTM, detecting, using a processor and within the first operation, a call to a second operation that is that is configured, in byte code, to return an indication of a failed hardware transaction. Responsive to detecting the second operation, a machine code implementation of the first operation that includes a machine code implementation of the second operation is generated. The machine code implementation of the second operation is an implementation of the first operation that does use HTM.
US09348615B1
Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with transitioning are described. In one embodiment, a method comprises analyzing at least one interface to produce an interface analysis result. The method also comprises causing a transformation of at least one constituent element based, at least in part, on the interface analysis result.
US09348612B2
A part of a content 61 is displayed on a display screen. If a user has designated a first area, a scrolling indicator 57 that indicates the part displayed on the display screen is displayed at a first timing. If the user has designated a second area, the scrolling indicator 57 that indicates the part displayed on the display screen is displayed at a second timing.
US09348605B2
An accessory device architecture is described. In one or more implementations, data is received from an accessory device at an intermediate processor of a computing device, the data usable to enumerate functionality of the accessory device for operation as part of a computing device that includes the intermediate processor. The data is passed by the intermediate processor to an operating system executed on processor of the computing device to enumerate the functionality of the accessory device as part of the intermediate processor.
US09348602B1
A method and apparatus for staged execution pipelining and allocating resource to staged execution pipelines are provided. One or more execution pipelines are established, where each of the one or more execution pipelines includes one or more execution stages. Data is provided to the one or more execution pipelines for processing and resources are allocated to the execution pipeline.
US09348601B2
According to one embodiment, a processor includes an instruction decoder to decode a first instruction to gather data elements from memory, the first instruction having a first operand specifying a first storage location and a second operand specifying a first memory address storing a plurality of data elements. The processor further includes an execution unit coupled to the instruction decoder, in response to the first instruction, to read contiguous a first and a second of the data elements from a memory location based on the first memory address indicated by the second operand, and to store the first data element in a first entry of the first storage location and a second data element in a second entry of a second storage location corresponding to the first entry of the first storage location.
US09348598B2
A hierarchical cache with at least a unified cache is used to store both instructions and data values, and a further cache coupled between processing circuitry and a unified cache. The unified cache has a plurality of cache lines identified as an instruction cache line or a data cache line. Each data cache line stores at least one data value and the associated information. Pre-decode circuitry is associated with the unified cache and performs a first pre-decode operation on a received instruction for that instruction cache line in order to generate a corresponding partially pre-decoded instruction for storing in the instruction cache line. Further pre-decode circuitry is associated with the further cache, and, when a partially pre-decoded instruction is routed to the further cache, performs a further pre-decode operation on the partially pre-decoded instruction to generate a corresponding pre-decoded instruction for storage in the further cache.
US09348592B2
An apparatus and method are described for fetching and storing a plurality of portions of a data stream into a plurality of registers. For example, a method according to one embodiment includes the following operations: determining a set of N vector registers into which to read N designated portions of a data stream stored in system memory; determining the system memory addresses for each of the N designated portions of the data stream; fetching the N designated portions of the data stream from the system memory at the system memory addresses; and storing the N designated portions of the data stream into the N vector registers.
US09348587B2
The present invention relates to a processor having a trace cache and a plurality of ALUs arranged in a matrix, comprising an analyzer unit located between the trace cache and the ALUs, wherein the analyzer unit analyzes the code in the trace cache, detects loops, transforms the code, and issues to the ALUs sections of the code combined to blocks for joint execution for a plurality of clock cycles.
US09348581B2
Previous attempts to provide systems or processes for enabling the review of the development of information stored in an electronic file are difficult to use effectively and require a user to take active steps to ensure that versions and annotations are created at regular intervals. By contrast, provided by aspects of the present invention there are systems, methods and computer program products for tracking and viewing changes to information stored in a data structure. In some embodiments the systems, methods and computer program products can be combined or integrated with software providing a visual editing environment so that changes are detected, sorted and monitored in a manner that is transparent to the user. In more specific embodiments the changes are grouped according to type, and optionally sub-type, so that a user can use the types to filter which changes in the development history of the information to review according to a particular current desire to locate specific information. In other specific embodiments, the changes are grouped in time providing temporal groups that provide “snapshots” of the development history of the information stored in a data structure at various respective points in the past.
US09348576B2
Systems and methods for installing and upgrading application packages to an application platform. Application packages may be uploaded to a directory by developing users (developers) for installation by subscribing users (subscribers). Alternatively, a developer may send identification information to a subscribing user to allow that user to access and install that application package created by the developer. Application packages may also be upgraded. If a developer changes the original source package, a subscriber can choose to pull into their organization the change(s) made by the publisher while preserving any data rows the subscriber had created since first importing the package.
US09348572B2
In an embodiment, a method comprises transmitting, from a mobile computing device to a server computer, first data identifying a selection at the mobile computing device of an app that is not associated with an identification module associated with the server computer that would allow the server computer to identify the device; receiving, at the mobile computing device from the server computer, second data identifying zero or more apps lacking the identification module that have been selected previously using the mobile computing device; determining whether a protocol handler for each of the zero or more apps lacking the identification module is in the mobile computing device; in response to determining that a particular protocol handler for one of the apps is in the mobile computing device, transmitting to the server computer a message specifying that the particular protocol handler is in the mobile computing device; communicating a reward to any of: a particular one of the apps that is associated with the particular protocol handler, or a user account associated with the mobile computing device; wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.
US09348568B2
A software application porting system facilitates the transition of code and data compatible with an old platform version to a new platform version. The software application porting system identifies differences between the platform versions by comparing sample source code objects or sample data schemas. Then, the software application porting system utilizes the identified differences to perform an automated transformation of software application objects and schemas.
US09348567B2
Profile guided optimization (PGO) in the presence of stale profile data as described herein can be based on path profiling, whereby different paths through a program's call graph are uniquely identified. Stale profile data is data collected in a training run of a previous version of the program. Profile data can be collected along these paths and optimization decisions can be made using the collected data. The paths can be numbered using an algorithm that assigns path increments to all the callees of a function. The path increment assignments (which can be stored in the profile database) can be used to locate the profile data for that path and to make corresponding optimization decisions. PGO optimizations along call graph paths involving edited functions can be performed.
US09348561B2
A process receives a plurality of inputs in a tabular format transaction editor. Further, the process generates, with a processor, runtime code that utilizes the plurality of inputs and is operable independently of the tabular format transaction editor.
US09348559B2
In one embodiment, a method for interconnecting portlets is disclosed. A first view is displayed on a computing device, wherein the first view is associated with a software application in a first state and includes a first portlet. A first event is received from the first portlet. A state model for the software application is accessed, wherein the state model includes a plurality of transitions between states of the software application, and wherein one transition of the plurality of transitions is triggered to bring the software application into a second state based on a type of the first portlet and data associated with the type of the first portlet. The one transition is executed to bring the software application into the second state, and a second view is displayed, wherein the second view is associated with the software application in the second state.
US09348555B2
In-vehicle access of mobile device functions is provided wherein a vehicle is coupled to the mobile device, and obtains a list of apps installed thereon. A user manipulates vehicle controls to operate a select app and the vehicle modifies its display based on the app.
US09348554B2
A computing device may provide an interface that enables a user to playback audio content including supplemental information. The supplemental information may correspond, for example, to endnotes, footnotes, glossaries, appendices, commentary from an author, editor, or other party, or to additional supplemental information. During playback of the audio content, a user may indicate that an item of supplemental information associated with a current playback position of the audio content should be played. In some embodiments, this indication may be in response to an indication to the user that supplemental information is available. The device may then playback the supplemental information associated with the current playback position.
US09348542B2
A display processing apparatus includes a first acquisition unit for acquiring light source information including a first relative position of a light source with respect to a display unit, a detection unit for detecting posture information of the display unit, a second acquisition unit for acquiring the posture information, a third acquisition unit for acquiring document data, a calculation unit for calculating a second relative position of the light source with respect to the display unit, a generation unit for generating a document display surface where a state in which a document surface displaying the document data is disposed in a virtual three-dimensional space and also the light source is disposed at the second relative position with respect to the document surface is converted to a two-dimensional image, and a display control unit for executing control to display a preview image on the display unit.
US09348537B2
Ascertaining command completion in flash memories is disclosed. An exemplary aspect includes eliminating the software lock and the outstanding requests variable and replacing them with a transfer request completion register. The transfer request completion register may be mapped to the universal flash storage (UFS) Transfer Protocol (UTP) Transfer Request List (UTRL) slots. The controller of the host—a hardware component—may set the bit in the transfer request completion register on transfer request completion at the same time the doorbell register is cleared. After this bit has been read, the bit in the transfer request completion register is cleared.
US09348529B1
To provide enhanced operation of data storage devices and systems, various systems, apparatuses, methods, and software are provided herein. In a first example, a hard disk drive is provided. The hard disk drive includes rotating storage media for storing data and read/write heads positioned over the storage media and configured to write the data to the storage media and read the data from the storage media. The hard disk drive includes a storage control system configured to identify acceleration characteristics associated with the read/write heads. The storage control system is configured to execute storage operations using the read/write heads when the acceleration characteristics indicate a power consumption for the hard disk drive outside a peak power consumption range, and cache the storage operations when the acceleration characteristics indicate the power consumption for the hard disk drive within the peak power consumption range.
US09348511B2
An insertion marker that is displayed on a touch screen may be moved by a user via an insertion marker placement aid. The insertion marker placement aid is displayed on the touch screen after a contact with the touch screen is detected. The insertion marker placement aid provides visual feedback to the user, indicating that the insertion marker is subject to repositioning by the user. When the contact is moved across the touch screen, the insertion marker and the insertion marker placement aid is moved in accordance with the movement of the contact. When the contact is broken (i.e., no longer detected), the insertion marker placement aid is removed from display and the insertion marker comes to rest.
US09348506B2
An apparatus may include a user interface configured to display a content package including a first content segment from a first content source. A gesture interpreter may be configured to receive a gesture input in a positional relationship to the first content segment. The apparatus may further include a content relationship manager which may be configured to determine relationships between content segments such that a content segment selector may select a second content segment relating to the first content segment from a second content source. Further, the apparatus may include a content package adaptor configured to adapt the content package to provide for display of the second content segment. In some instances the content package adaptor may adapt the content package by providing for display of a second content package, for example from a different application than an application which the first content segment is from.
US09348502B2
There is provided a dimming method of a display apparatus, including calculating a velocity of a content object that is displayed on the display apparatus, and adjusting the light output of a content object area at which the content object is displayed on the display apparatus or of an entire display area including the content object area, according to the velocity of the content object.
US09348498B2
Techniques for wrapped content interaction are described. In implementations, scrolling instrumentalities are employed that enable wrapped content to be navigated via various types of input, such as mouse input, keyboard input, touch input, and so on. Examples of wrapped content include a wrapped list of items, a wrapped document, a wrapped web page, and so on. Interaction with wrapped content that is initiated within a window in which the wrapped content is displayed can proceed outside the visual bounds of the window such that the content can be scrolled as looped content.
US09348488B1
Methods for specifying and using objects, paths, initial and second individual real-time directions, and audio and video recordings entice users to create, share, and explore personally moving presentations and exhibits, without infringing copyrights. Similarly produced shows may comprise rich, interactive, graphical user interfaces, (GUIs), for additional services, applications, and content. Shows may be re-purposed to influence lighting devices and mechanical movements.Methods for implementing auxiliary activation inputs that are blatantly displayed provide productivity boosts without memorization, efficient display utilization one fullscreen at a time, and efficacious use of available device inputs.
US09348486B2
A device, method and system or performing visual set operations to modify and generate lists, and methods thereof are provided. Provided at a display of a device, are: a first graphical representation indicative of a first list and a second graphical representation indicative of a second list, the first list and the second list comprising common elements, and a graphical intersection of the first graphical representation and the second graphical representation is indicative of the common elements. Via a processor of the device, the graphical intersection is separated from one or more of the first graphical representation and the second graphical representation, such that one or more additional lists are generated based on the separating, each of the one or more additional lists comprising a respective one of: the common elements; the first list minus the common elements; and, the second list minus the common elements.
US09348480B1
Disclosed herein is an “activity assistant” and an “activity assistant user interface” that provides users with dynamically-selected “activities” that are intelligently tailored to the user's world. For example, a graphical UI includes selectable context elements, each of which corresponds to a user-attribute whose value provides a signal to the activity assistant. In response to selecting a parameter associated with at least one of the selectable context elements, a first signal is generated and provided to the activity assistant. In response to providing the signal, one or more activities are populated and ordered based, at least in part, on the signal, and subsequently displayed. The parameters may include a current mood of a user, a current location of the user, associations with other users, and a time during which the user desires to carry out the activity in some examples.
US09348462B2
Techniques are described for tracking and recognizing gestures performed within a field-of-view of a sensor. In one or more implementations, the techniques may be implemented within an electronic device that is configured to receive a signal from a sensor in response to the sensor detecting a gesture occurring within a field of view of the sensor. A lens is positioned over the sensor to collimate light incident on the lens and to pass the collimated light to the sensor. The electronic device is configured to generate one or more light intensity ratios based upon the signal. The electronic device is then configured to determine a type of gesture performed based upon the one or more light intensity ratios.
US09348454B2
An electronic device comprises a touch screen, a distance determining module, a touch determining module, and a warning control module. The distance determining module determines whether a distance between the touch screen and an object in front of the touch screen is less than or equal to a distance limit. The touch determining module determines whether a touch action is applied to the touch screen within a first predetermined time when the distance between the touch screen and the object is less than or equal to the distance limit. The warning control module controls the electronic device to send a warning to a user when no touch action is applied to the touch screen within the first predetermined time.
US09348445B2
Provided are an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program, which simply switch to a display method which a user desires. When an information processing device (100) in which two touch panels (40, 50) are rotatably connected by a hinge (30) is in a two-screen state, the current screen mode is switched to another screen mode by carrying out a re-fold operation which, via a prescribed angle within a prescribed time, returns the information processing device (100) to an original state.
US09348444B2
An input coordinate point on the display surface of a display device is obtained from a pointing device. Based on the input coordinate point, a moving velocity is set, and based on the moving velocity, an object is moved to a position in the virtual space, the position corresponding to the input coordinate point. The input coordinate point may belong to different areas of the display surface and the moving velocity is determined based on the area where the input coordinate point belongs. Then, the display device is caused to display the virtual space within the display area.
US09348443B2
Provided are an information processing apparatus provided with a display unit including a touch panel, and a method for controlling the same. The information processing apparatus detects a plurality of touch points on a display object displayed on the display unit, and, if the number of the detected plurality of touch points is a predetermined number or more, divides this display object into a plurality of display objects in response to at least some of the plurality of touch points moving in an opposite direction on the touch panel to other of the plurality of touch points.
US09348438B2
A user input device communicatively coupled to a memory is disclosed. The user input device may include a user-manipulated portion; a surface contact portion of the user-manipulated portion, the surface contact portion disposed at an end of the user-manipulated portion; a first light source contained substantially within the user-manipulated portion, the first light source emitting light through the surface contact portion; a user input detector at an external surface of the user-manipulated portion; and an optical receiver at an external surface of the user-manipulated portion, the optical receiver configured to communicate a plurality of data associated with an object external to the user input device to the memory.
US09348426B2
A plurality of keyboard keys are grouped into at least a first group of keyboard keys and a second group of keyboard keys. Webbing serves to physically couple together the keyboard keys of the first group of keyboard keys. Similarly, but discretely, webbing also serves to physically couple together the keyboard keys of the second group of keyboard keys. So configured, the keyboard keys of the first group are not physically coupled via such webbing to any keyboard keys of the second group. By one approach the aforementioned webbing comprises an integral part of the keyboard keys and comprises, for example, a part of a film that conformally overlies adjacent ones of the keyboard keys. These teachings will accommodate forming such a film and the main body of the keyboard keys using thermoforming and injection molding processes to form-in-place such keys.
US09348424B2
An input control unit includes: a keyboard storage unit for storing keyboard screens each corresponding to a set of characters or symbols; a keyboard display unit for reading one of the keyboard screens and displaying the read keyboard screen on the screen; an input receiving unit for receiving a selection of the character or the symbol by the user; and a switching control unit for reading keyboard screens from the keyboard storage unit, displaying the read keyboard screens on the screen as selection candidates, and switching the selection candidate from among the plurality of keyboard screens. When the switching control unit receives a user control input to confirm the candidate being selected from the user, the keyboard display unit displays the keyboard screen selected on the screen, and receives a selection of the character or the symbol selected from the user.
US09348416B2
A feedback control system is provided. The feedback control system receives a user input. The feedback control system determines a context. The feedback control system displays a control in response to the user input and based on the context. The feedback control system adjusts a feedback parameter according to the control, where the control is configured to adjust feedback output to a user based on the adjusted feedback parameter.
US09348411B2
Described herein are technologies relating to display of a representation of an object on a display screen with visual verisimilitude to a viewer. A location of eyes of the viewer relative to a reference point on the display screen is determined. Additionally, a direction of gaze of the eyes of the viewer is determined. Based upon the location and direction of gaze of the eyes of the viewer, the representation of the object can be displayed at a scale and orientation such that it appears with visual verisimilitude to the viewer.
US09348410B2
There is disclosed a method of and apparatus for predictive tracking for a head mounted display. The method comprises obtaining one or more three-dimensional angular velocity measurements from a sensor monitoring the head mounted display and setting a prediction interval based upon the one or more three-dimensional angular velocity measurements such that the prediction interval is substantially zero when the head mounted display is substantially stationary and the prediction interval increases up to a predetermined latency interval when the head mounted display is moving at an angular velocity of or above a predetermined threshold. The method further includes predicting a three-dimensional orientation for the head mounted display to create a predicted orientation at a time corresponding to the prediction interval, and generating a rendered image corresponding to the predicted orientation for presentation on the head mounted display.
US09348393B1
In one embodiment, a system includes a power management controller that controls a duty cycle of a processor to manage power. By frequently powering up and powering down the processor during a period of time, the power consumption of the processor may be controlled while providing the perception that the processor is continuously available. Before powering the processor up, the power management control may determine whether or not there is work for the processor to perform. If there is no work to perform, the power management control may delay powering the processor up until there is work to perform, saving additional power. This additional power savings may be tracked, and may serve as a “credit” for the processor when subsequently powered up again.
US09348391B1
Customers in a multi-tenant environment can obtain power consumption information for a set of resources or other computing components used by those customers, including time-accurate accounting for various components of those resources utilized on behalf of the customer. A customer can also have the ability to specify how the resources are to be operated when used for the customer, in order to manage the amount of power consumption. The accounting can be performed even when the resources are shared among multiple users or entities. Various hardware components or agents can be used to provide detailed power consumption information for those components that is associated with a particular customer. The information can be used not only for accounting and monitoring purposes, but also to make dynamic adjustments based on various changes in usage, power consumption, or other such factors.
US09348390B2
Power line disturbance hold up times are dynamically adjusted prior to the commencement of the power disturbance failover based on battery capacity of batteries in racks of the storage system as the batteries either fail, are repaired, or are added to the storage system having at least one uninterruptible power supply (UPS).
US09348388B2
The disclosed embodiments provide a power management system that supplies power to components in an electronic device. The power management system includes a system microcontroller (SMC) and a charger. During operation, the power management system accepts power from at least one of a power adapter and a solar panel. Next, the power management system supplies the power to components in the electronic device without using a converter circuit between the solar panel and the power management system.
US09348385B2
A hybrid system-on-chip provides a plurality of memory and processor die mounted on a semiconductor carrier chip that contains a fully integrated power management system that switches DC power at speeds that match or approach processor core clock speeds, to enable transfer of data between off-chip physical memory and processor die.
US09348377B2
Various embodiments described herein include systems, methods and/or devices used to dissipate heat generated by electronic components in an electronic system (e.g., a memory system that includes closely spaced memory modules). In one aspect, an electronic assembly includes a first circuit board with one or more heat generating components coupled thereto. The electronic assembly further includes a second circuit board with one or more heat sensitive components coupled thereto. The electronic assembly also includes a thermal barrier interconnect. The thermal barrier interconnect electrically couples the first circuit board to the second circuit board. In some embodiments, thermal barrier interconnect is a flexible interconnect with a lower thermal conductivity than the first circuit board and the second circuit board. The thermal barrier interconnect forms a thermal barrier between the first and second circuit boards which protects the heat sensitive components from the heat generating components.
US09348365B2
The present invention describes a modular computerized system that includes the ability to magnetically attach to another similar or identical unit, integrates both male and female ports into each unit so that when two or more units are attached side by side the ports become functional and do not require external cables. Other elements of the invention include; the integration of one or more data splitters into the computerized unit and the integration of one or more power splitters into the computerized unit. The present invention also provides the ability to charge more than one computerized unit with only one cable attachment and the ability to share data quickly and easily between more than one computerized unit without the use of cables unless desired.
US09348362B2
A flexible portable terminal is provided. The flexible portable terminal includes a folding portion configured to bend at one end of a body of the flexible portable terminal in a direction to a front surface or a rear surface of the flexible portable terminal, a flexible display unit configured to be mounted on the body of the flexible portable terminal, and to bend in the front surface or the rear surface of the flexible portable terminal according to a bending direction of the folding portion, and a sliding portion configured to enable one end of the flexible display unit to slide according to a difference of a compression/tension caused by a difference of an elongation between the folding portion and the flexible display unit when the folding portion is bent.
US09348358B2
A clock multiplication and distribution system includes a first phase-lock-loop circuit, a second phase-lock-loop circuit, and a clock distribution network that electrically couples the first phase-lock-loop circuit and the second phase-lock-loop circuit. The first phase-lock-loop circuit may include a first feedback loop that includes a first integer divider circuit and may be configured to generate a first clock using a reference clock. A frequency of the first clock may be greater than a frequency of the reference clock. The second phase-lock-loop circuit may include a second feedback loop that includes a second integer divider circuit and may be configured to generate a second clock using the first clock. A frequency of the second clock may be greater than the frequency of the first clock.
US09348355B2
An apparatus includes a clock circuit and a plurality of display interface circuits. The clock circuit provides a common clock signal. The display interface circuits each provide a respective display link clock signal in response to the common clock signal. One of the display link clock signals is at a different clock speed that another of the display link clock signals.
US09348353B2
A power conversion apparatus and a controlling method thereof are disclosed. The power conversion apparatus is applied with a power generation apparatus, which outputs a first signal. The power conversion apparatus includes a conversion-sensing circuit, a control signal generating circuit and a switching circuit. The conversion-sensing circuit converts the first signal into a second signal, and senses at least a voltage waveform change of the second signal to generate a time interval. The control signal generating circuit is electrically connected with the conversion-sensing circuit and outputs a control signal according to the time interval. The switching circuit is electrically connected with the power generation apparatus and the control signal generating circuit, and has a plurality switching elements. The switching circuit receives the first signal and conducts one of the switching elements according to the control signal so as to convert the first signal and output an output signal.
US09348346B2
A voltage regulation subsystem for a microprocessor has both internal and external regulation modes. An internal auxiliary voltage regulator is selectively enabled to overdrive the voltage. The enablement of the auxiliary voltage regulator is contingent upon a comparison of bandgap references of the internal and external regulators used in the respective regulation modes, which boosts the supply voltage, enables circuitry supplied by the external regulator (with the assistance of auxiliary voltage regulators) to boot robustly in extreme Process-Voltage-Temperature (PVT) conditions.
US09348326B2
A system and method for upgrading a remote control application resident on a device. Information identifying a controllable appliance is caused to be uploaded to a remote server device and the uploaded information is used to automatically display user-selectable, downloadable data files relevant to the control of the controllable appliance. Downloaded data files, which may include command codes and/or graphical user interface elements, may be used within the device to upgrade the ability of the remote control application to communicate with the controllable appliance. The information uploaded to the server may also be used to generate demographic data regarding consumer preferences.
US09348304B2
A process cartridge includes: a photoconductor having a peripheral surface; a first roller having a peripheral surface to be pressed against the peripheral surface of the photoconductor and configured to rotate around a first axis of rotation; a second roller having a peripheral surface to be pressed against the peripheral surface of the first roller and configured to rotate around a second axis of rotation which is parallel to the first axis of rotation; a first urging member configured to urge the first roller and the second roller in a first direction toward the photoconductor; and a second urging member configured to urge the second roller in a second direction toward the first roller. The second urging member is arranged such that the second direction is parallel to the first direction.
US09348303B2
A cartridge is detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus. The cartridge includes coupling member that is provided for receiving a rotational force for rotating a developing roller, with a cylindrical member movably supporting one end portion of the coupling member inside of the cylindrical member, and a cylindrical member side force receiving portion being provided inside the cylindrical member for receiving the rotational force received by the coupling member. The cartridge further includes a first regulating portion for preventing one end portion of the coupling member from disengaging in an axial direction of the cylindrical member; and a second regulating portion for regulating deformation of the first regulating portion in a state in which one end portion of the coupling member is mounted to an inside of the cylindrical member with deformation of the first regulating portion.
US09348297B2
An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, a charging mechanism to charge a surface of the image carrier, an electrostatic latent image forming mechanism to form an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the image carrier, a developing mechanism to develop the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the image carrier into a toner image, a transfer mechanism to transfer the toner image on the surface of the image carrier to a transfer body, and a cleaning mechanism including a cleaning blade to clean a transfer residue toner adhering to the surface of the image carrier by contacting the surface of the image carrier. The cleaning blade includes a strip shaped elastic blade and a surface layer formed on an opposing surface of the strip shaped elastic blade opposite the surface of the image carrier.
US09348296B2
A method of controlling an image forming apparatus by driving a control unit by using power supplied from an external device via an external device interface unit, even when main power is not supplied to the image forming apparatus, and an image forming apparatus using the same is provided.
US09348289B2
An image forming apparatus, which forms an image at an image forming interval and feeding timing corresponding to a predetermined recording material size, includes a control unit (a controller unit and an engine control unit) for controlling the feeding timing to be earlier, when the size of a recording material detected by a detection unit (the engine control unit and an registration sensor) is smaller than the predetermined recording material size.
US09348288B2
An image forming apparatus includes a latent image bearer, a toner image forming unit, and a transfer device. The toner image forming unit includes a charger, a latent image forming device, and a developing device, and is configured to form a test latent image pattern on a surface of the latent image bearer, and to develop the test latent image pattern into a test toner pattern. The test latent image pattern includes a plurality of test latent image parts partly offset from one another in a main scanning direction. The image forming apparatus also includes a developing current detector and a processor to detect uneven image density in the main scanning direction using the test latent image pattern, based on the developing current detected by the developing current detector, to adjust the uneven image density in the main scanning direction.
US09348283B2
A fixing device includes a rotatable heating member and a rotatable pressing member which are configured to fix a toner image on a recording material in a nip therebetween; and a heating mechanism configured to selectively heat regions of the rotatable heating member depending on sizes of the recording material when the sizes are predetermined ones of all sizes usable in the fixing device. The rotatable pressing member includes a base layer and a porous elastic layer provided on the base layer and containing a needle-like filler. The elastic layer having a thermal conductivity, with respect to a longitudinal direction thereof, which is 6 times to 900 times a thermal conductivity with respect to a thickness direction thereof.
US09348279B1
A surface heater includes a heating body, insulation layers, and a first support layer and a second support layer. The heating body is interposed between the insulation layers. The heating body and the insulation layers are interposed between the first support layer and the second support layer. The first support layer has a first region superposed on the heating body and a second region not superposed on the heating body. The first support layer has at least one slit which is located at a side of an inner circumferential surface of the surface heater bent into an arc shape. The second region has the at least one slit and the first region has no slit, or the at least one slit includes a plurality of slits and the second region has a greater number of slits out of the plurality of slits than the first region has.
US09348275B2
A fixing device includes a separation plate, an arm member, an axial member, a support bracket, and a temperature sensor. The separation plate is disposed spaced apart from a peripheral surface of a heating rotating body by a predetermined clearance distance K2. The separation plate separates a recording medium having passed through between the heating rotating body and a pressing roller from the heating rotating body. The arm member holds the temperature sensor by using one end portion thereof. The axial member extends in parallel to a rotating shaft of the heating rotating body and rotatably supports the other end portion of the arm member. The support bracket supports the separation plate. The support bracket is provided with a sensor abutting portion that abuts the temperature sensor held by the arm member to restrict a clearance distance between the temperature sensor and the heating rotating body.
US09348274B2
An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming device; a fixing device; a first feeding path configured to discharge the recording material so that a fixed toner image is directed upwardly; a second feeding path, branching from the first feeding path, configured to discharge the recording material so that the fixed toner image is directed downwardly; a first rotatable member pair, provided in the first feeding path, configured to discharge the recording material; a second rotatable member pair, provided in the second feeding path, configured to discharge the recording material; a first air-blowing mechanism configured to blow air so as to cross the second feeding path when the recording material is discharged using the first feeding path; and a second air-blowing mechanism configured to blow air so as to cross the first feeding path when the recording material is discharged using the second feeding path.
US09348257B2
In a developing device, a developing roller has an outer peripheral surface movable in a moving direction upon rotation of the developing roller to transfer developing agent to a developing region having a width in an axial direction of the developing roller. A thickness regulation blade includes a rubber portion. The rubber portion provides a contact region in contact with the outer peripheral surface to provide a nip region relative to the developing roller. The contact region includes a first region; and a second region. The first region and the second region each extends in the axial direction by a length at least equal to or greater than the width of the developing region. The first region has a first surface roughness. The second region is positioned downstream of the first region in the moving direction and has a second surface roughness finer than the first surface roughness.
US09348256B2
An image forming apparatus includes a detachably mountable developing device including a developer container, a developer carrying member, a feeding member, provided in contact with the developer carrying member, for supplying the developer to the developer carrying member, and a developer regulator; and a voltage device capable of applying to the developer carrying member and the developer regulator respective voltages different from each other. The image forming apparatus carries out, when a fresh developing device is mounted, an initial operation in which the developer carrying member is rotated. In the initial operation, the voltage device applies, to at least one of the developer carrying member and the developer regulator, a voltage for the initial operation which is different from the voltage for normal image forming operation, so as to urge a material applied to the developer carrying member in the fresh developing device toward the developer regulator from the developer carrying member.
US09348253B2
The present invention is an image-forming method in which, when θ(A) is the contact angle relative to water of a surface of a photosensitive member and θ(B) is the contact angle relative to water of a surface of an intermediate transfer member, θ(B) is from 100° to 150°; θ(A) and θ(B) satisfy −70°≦θ(A)−θ(B)<0°; the toner has a toner particle that contains a binder resin; and the contact angle relative to water of a surface of a pellet molding of the toner is from 60° to 80°.
US09348238B2
An exposure apparatus exposes an object with an exposure beam. The apparatus includes first and second stages, a measurement device and a controller. The first stage mounts the object. The second stage is movable relative to the first stage. The measurement device obtains position information of an outer periphery edge of the first stage. The controller controls at least one of a position of the first stage and a position of the second stage based on the position information of the outer periphery edge so that the first and second stages do not touch each other.
US09348234B2
A projection objective of a microlithographic projection apparatus has a wavefront correction device (42) comprising a mirror substrate (44; 44a, 44b) that has two opposite optical surfaces (46, 48), through which projection light passes, and a circumferential rim surface (50) extending between the two optical surfaces (46, 48). A first and a second optical system (OS1, OS2) are configured to direct first and second heating light (HL1, HL2) to different portions of the rim surface (50) such that at least a portion of the first and second heating light enters the mirror substrate (44; 44a, 44b). A temperature distribution caused by a partial absorption of the heating light (HL1, HL2) results in a refractive index distribution inside the mirror substrate (44; 44a, 44b) that corrects a wavefront error. At least the first optical system (OS1) comprises a focusing optical element (55) that focuses the first heating light in a focal area (56) such that the first heating light emerging from the focal area (56) impinges on the rim surface (50).
US09348229B2
A hardmask composition includes a polymer including a moiety represented by the following Chemical Formula 1 and a solvent. In the above Chemical Formula 1, A and B are as defined in the specification.
US09348225B2
Disclosed is a lithographic printing plate allowing for high running performance of the developer, wide water window and high printing durability. The lithographic printing plate precursor comprises a photosensitive layer on a support, wherein the photosensitive layer comprises (A) a polymerizable compound, (B) a polymerization initiator, (C) a polyvinyl acetal binder containing at least one kind of repeat units represented by general formula (I-c), general formula (I-b) and general formula (I-a), and (D) an acrylic resin binder.
US09348224B2
There is provided a photosensitive resin composition. A photosensitive resin composition including a component (A), a component (B); and a solvent, wherein the component (A) is a copolymer having a structural unit of Formula (1) and a structural unit of Formula (2): (where R0 is a hydroxy group or a carboxy group; R1 is a hydrogen atom or a methyl group; R2 is a single bond or a C1-5 alkylene group; R3 is a thermally cross-linkable monovalent organic group; and in a plurality of structural units of Formula (2), R1 are optionally different from each other), and the component (B) is a photosensitizer.
US09348215B2
A photolithographic mask is provided. The photolithographic mask includes a substrate having a first surface configured as a light incidence plane of an exposure light and a second surface. The photolithographic mask also includes a plurality of scattering centers functioning as a refractive index disturbance inside the substrate. Further, the photolithographic mask includes a plurality of mask patterns on the second surface of the substrate.
US09348214B2
An extreme ultraviolet (EUM) mask inspection system, comprising a light source to project EUV light along an optical axis, an illumination system to receive the EUV light from the source, the illumination system comprising a spectral purity filter (SPF), the SPF transmits a first portion of the EUV light along the optical axis toward a mask and the SPF comprising a plurality of at least partially reflective elements, said elements reflects a second portion of the EUV light off the optical axis, a projection system adapted to receive the first portion of the EUV light after it has illuminated the mask, a first detector array adapted to receive the image, and a second detector array to receive the second portion of the EUV light. The SPF may comprise one or more multilayer interference-type filters. Alternatively, the SPF comprises a thin film filter disposed on a grazing incidence mirror array.
US09348213B2
An ultrasonic transducer includes a first flexible substrate, a plurality of ultrasonic elements and a substrate deforming part. The ultrasonic elements are disposed on the first flexible substrate, and configured and arranged to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves. The substrate deforming part is configured and arranged to flex the first flexible substrate in a first direction and in a second direction that intersects with the first direction.
US09348208B2
A projector includes: a solid-state light emitting element that emits light; a projection image forming unit that includes an effective area in order to form a projection image; and a reflecting member disposed between the solid-state light emitting element and the projection image forming unit, wherein: the reflecting member reflects part of the light emitted from the solid-state light emitting element and thus redirects the part of the light to travel back to the solid-state light emitting element, the part of the light not entering the effective area.
US09348204B2
A light source module including an exciting light source, a wavelength conversion module, and a light combining unit is provided. The exciting light source is capable of providing an exciting light beam. The wavelength conversion module includes at least one wavelength conversion reflecting portion and a wavelength conversion portion which cut into the transmission path of the exciting light beam alternately. When the wavelength conversion portion cuts into the transmission path of the exciting light beam, part of the exciting light beam which passes through the wavelength conversion portion is a first color light beam and another part of the exciting light beam is converted into a second color light beam by the wavelength conversion portion. The color of the second color light beam is different from that of the exciting light beam. A projection apparatus is also provided.
US09348201B2
An image projection apparatus includes a light source unit including a light source detachable from a main body, an image forming part to form an image with a light from the light source, a projection optical system to project the image, an openable cover to open and close an opening formed for attaching and detaching the light source unit to and from the main body, an abutting member on which the light source unit abuts when the light source unit is attached to the main body, and a pressing member to press the light source unit to the abutting member, in conjunction with a fix operation of the openable cover to the main body.
US09348197B2
A platform stabilization system comprises a support frame, a platform and a plurality of isolators each extending directly between the support frame and the platform. Each isolator permits linear movement of the platform relative to the support frame with three degrees of freedom and permits rotational movement of the platform relative to the support frame with three degrees of freedom. The isolators cooperate to form an isolation array supporting the platform directly within, and spacing the platform from, the support frame. The isolation array permits limited linear movement of the platform within the support frame with three degrees of freedom and permits limited rotational movement of the platform relative to the support frame with three degrees of freedom. The isolation array is substantially more resistant to linear movement of the platform than to rotational movement of the platform and does not rotationally constrain the platform.
US09348196B1
A seamless lens cover, and methods of forming such a seamless lens cover. The cap structure that covers a camera of a rotating panoramic camera system includes a seamless lens cover through which images are obtained by the camera. The cap structure may be injection molded at an initial lens cover thickness, and then a portion of the as molded initial lens cover thickness may be removed (e.g., by machining away) to achieve the final desired thickness. By such a method, the lens cover may be injection molded at thicknesses suitable for injection molding (e.g., about 0.06 to about 0.1 inch), after which most of the thickness may be machined away, to provide a seamless lens cover having a thickness of less than about 0.015 inch, exhibiting at least 60% transmittance to the thermal spectrum, no lensing characteristics, and no curvature effect.
US09348193B2
There is provided a dispersion liquid for electrophoretic display, containing a dispersion medium 50, a colored electrophoretic particle group 34 that is dispersed in the dispersion medium and migrates in the dispersion medium according to an electric field, a non-electrophoretic particle group 36 that is dispersed without migrating in the dispersion medium and has a color different from that of the electrophoretic particle group, and a compound having a neutral polar group and a hydrophobic group, which is contained in the dispersion medium in a ratio of about 0.01 to about 1 mass % based on the entire dispersion liquid.
US09348192B2
This disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatus for controlling transitions in an optically switchable device. In one aspect, a controller for a tintable window may include a processor, an input for receiving output signals from sensors, and instructions for causing the processor to determine a level of tint of the tintable window, and an output for controlling the level of tint in the tintable window. The instructions may include a relationship between the received output signals and the level of tint, with the relationship employing output signals from an exterior photosensor, an interior photosensor, an occupancy sensor, an exterior temperature sensor, and a transmissivity sensor. In some instances, the controller may receive output signals over a network and/or be interfaced with a network, and in some instances, the controller may be a standalone controller that is not interfaced with a network.
US09348190B2
According to an aspect, a liquid crystal display panel includes an extending portion. The extending portion is metal wiring provided on the same plane as a plane parallel to a surface of a TFT substrate on which a scan line extends in the X-direction, and is electrically conductive metal extending from the scan line. The extending portion partially overlaps a space, but does not overlap an opening area, in the Z-direction.
US09348184B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a liquid crystal display device, an array substrate and a method for manufacturing the same. The liquid crystal display device comprises a color filter substrate and an array substrate which are assemblied together to form a cell, the array substrate comprising gate lines, data lines and a plurality of pixel units defined by intersecting of the gate lines and the date lines, each of which comprises a pixel electrode, wherein barrier structures are disposed on both sides of the data lines and the gate lines.
US09348158B2
An object of the invention is to provide a method and a system for manufacturing a liquid crystal panel, which allow more successful bonding of an optical film to a liquid crystal cell. A pressing force Fa per unit area applied when the optical film is pressed by the first roller and a pressing force Fb per unit area applied when the liquid crystal cell is pressed by the second roller satisfy the relation Fa>Fb. On the first roller side, the feed may fail to be stabilized due to the influence of tension fluctuations or vibration acting on the first optical film, so that air bubbles may occur. When the second roller side, where such an influence does not occur, contributes more to the feed of the liquid crystal cell, the liquid crystal cell can be successfully fed in the process of bonding the optical film thereto.
US09348154B2
An optical resonator apparatus includes an optical resonator unit wherein ring optical resonators each including a first optical waveguide and a resonance wavelength adjustment electrode are coupled in cascade connection and round-trip lengths of the ring optical waveguides are different from each other and vary in order from an input side to an output side, and a controller that adjusts a resonance wavelength of each ring optical resonator in order beginning with the ring optical resonator provided at the most input side so as to match with an input light wavelength and, when an inter-channel occurs, adjusts the resonance wavelength of the first ring optical resonator from the input side so as to match with a second-matching input light wavelength and adjusts the resonance wavelengths of the second and succeeding ring optical resonators from the input side so as to match with the first-matching input light wavelength.
US09348152B2
Eyeglasses, in particular for reading, includes integrated lighting means and corresponding means for activation and de-activation of the lighting means which comprise a gyroscopic sensor of the micro-electromechanical type provided for fading automatically an intensity of the light emitted by the lighting means when, in use, the eyeglasses are moved angularly upwards with respect to a reference position.
US09348141B2
A system that includes a head mounted display device and a processing unit connected to the head mounted display device is used to fuse virtual content into real content. In one embodiment, the processing unit is in communication with a hub computing device. The processing unit and hub may collaboratively determine a map of the mixed reality environment. Further, state data may be extrapolated to predict a field of view for a user in the future at a time when the mixed reality is to be displayed to the user. This extrapolation can remove latency from the system.
US09348135B2
A micro movable device includes: a micro movable substrate including a micro movable unit, the micro movable unit including a frame section, a movable section, and a coupling section which couples the frame section and the movable section to each other; a support base; a first spacer and a second spacer which are provided between the frame section of the micro movable substrate and the base, the first and second spacers joining the frame section and the base to each other; and a fixation member provided between the frame section of the micro movable substrate and the base, the fixation member including a spacer portion which joins the frame section and the base to each other and an adhesive portion which covers the spacer portion and joins the frame section and the base to each other, the fixation member being provided between the first and second spacers.
US09348132B1
A method for fabricating an electrowetting display may include forming pixel electrodes on a support plate; depositing a first layer on the pixel electrodes; etching portions of the first layer to form pixel walls that partition pixel regions; depositing a second layer on the pixel electrodes and the pixel walls; etching portions of the second layer to form spacers on tops of the pixel walls; and depositing a hydrophobic layer to at least partially cover the pixel electrodes.
US09348129B2
A dual-configuration microscope is provided. In some aspects, the microscope can be converted into an upright configuration or an inverted configuration. The microscope includes a base having a lower portion and an upper portion, the lower portion configured to support the microscope. The microscope further includes a body having a first portion, a second portion, and an intermediate portion extending between the first and second portions. The body is rotatably coupled to the base at a rotational coupling that defines a rotating axis that extends in a longitudinal direction with respect to the microscope.
US09348124B2
A projection lens is a zoom lens and formed of a first group to an N-th group sequentially arranged from an image enlargement side (that is, screen side), where N is 6 or 7. The first group includes a first A group and a first B group sequentially arranged from the image enlargement side. The first A group is formed of two positive lenses, and the first B group is formed of a cemented lens formed of a positive lens and a negative lens. The second group includes at least two negative lenses. In magnification changing action, at least the first group and the N-th group are fixed, and at least the third group to the (N−1)-th group are moved along an optical axis. In focusing action, the first A group on the image enlargement side in the first group is solely moved along the optical axis.
US09348110B2
A lens barrel is provided that includes a lens holding unit configured to hold a lens; and a cam cylinder that is provided with a cam groove for engaging with the lens holding unit on the inner circumference thereof and of which rotation causes the lens holding unit to move in an optical axis direction. A projection is provided at the end of the cam cylinder on an imaging side, a first gear for transmitting the power for rotating the cam cylinder is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the projection, and the cam groove is provided on the inner circumferential surface of the projection.
US09348097B2
The present disclosure relates to a fiber optic network architecture that uses outside plant fan-out devices to distribute optical signals between fiber distribution hubs and multi-service terminals. The network architecture can also include collector boxes positioned at selected locations of the network architecture. Additionally, patching systems can be used in facilitating upgrading the capacity of the fiber optic network.
US09348092B1
Mode size converter including an overlay waveguide having an input end configured to receive light from an optical element. The overlay waveguide has a first refractive index. The mode size converter also includes a signal waveguide that is embedded within the overlay waveguide and has a second refractive index that is greater than the first refractive index. The signal waveguide includes first and second arm segments and a stem segment that form a Y-junction. The first and second arm segments are configured to reduce a modal profile of the light propagating toward the stem segment from the input end of the overlay waveguide. Each of the first and second arm segments has a distal end and a pair of opposite side edges, wherein the pair of side edges extend parallel to each other between the corresponding distal end and the stem segment.
US09348091B2
Transmissive diffraction grating(s), reflector(s), and multiple optical sources/receivers are arranged such that each one of multiple optical signals at corresponding different wavelengths co-propagating along a multiplexed beam path would: (i) be transmissively, dispersively diffracted at a multiplexed transmission region of a grating; (ii) propagate between the multiplexed transmission region and multiple demultiplexed transmission regions of a grating undergoing reflection(s) from the reflector(s); (iii) be transmissively, dispersively diffracted at the demultiplexed transmission regions; and (iv) propagate between the demultiplexed transmission regions and the sources/receivers along multiple demultiplexed beam paths.
US09348083B2
Provided is a light guiding unit including: a light guiding member including an incident surface, an exit surface elongated in a first direction, and a light guiding surface opposed to exit surface; and a diffusion member opposed to light guiding surface, in which: light entering the light guiding member from incident surface is guided via light guiding surface and diffusion member to exit surface, and exits from exit surface to illuminate the original; the light guiding member further includes a plurality of prisms arrayed in first direction on light guiding surface on a side opposed to diffusion member; each of prisms has a rectangular shape in a first section; and each of prisms satisfies the following condition: W tan(sin−1(1/n))≦H≦2W, where W and H represent a width and a height of each of prisms in the first section, respectively, and n represents a refractive index of the light guiding member.
US09348064B2
A plastic lens 1 has a lens 2 that effectively functions as a lens at a center and an annular flange 3 that does not act as a lens along a circumference of the lens. A gate 4 serving as a flow channel through which molten plastic is to be poured during molding is formed on a circumference of the flange. The gate is cut and taken away at an angle of inclination so as to include a point of intersection between the gate 4 and the circumferential flange 3, whereby a circumferential flange having a given thickness or more is formed.
US09348063B1
An optical component includes a base material and an antireflection film containing silica particles, wherein the silica particles have a first local maximum in the range of 1.5 nm or more and 2.5 nm or less (a first range), a second local maximum in the range of 3.5 nm or more and 4.5 nm or less (a second range), and a third local maximum in the range of 7.5 nm or more and 8.5 nm or less (a third range) in a number-based particle size distribution. It is preferred that the silica particles have a fourth local maximum in the range of 5.5 nm or more and 6.5 nm or less in the number-based particle size distribution.
US09348061B2
The present invention relates to improved contact lens products which not only have initial insertion comfort but also are comfortable to wear for more than about 6 hours. The invention is achieved by packaging and storing a hydrogel lens with two or more leachable polymeric lubricants incorporated therein in a relatively viscous packaging solution including a relatively low molecular weight polyethylene glycol (PEG) and a viscosity-enhancing hydrophilic polymer. The present invention also provides methods for making contact lens products of the invention.
US09348059B2
Techniques are disclosed relating to forward and inverse modeling of geophysical formations using interpolation. In one embodiment, a method includes generating a system of equations based on a background model that describes a geophysical formation. In this embodiment, the method also includes generating a first set of solutions for the system of equations using an initial set of base points from geophysical survey data obtained from the geophysical formation and interpolating, using the first set of solutions, to produce a set of solution approximations for a second set of data points from the geophysical survey data. In this embodiment, the method also includes generating a model of the geophysical formation, using the second set of data points and the set of solution approximations, where the model includes a second set of solutions for the system of equations.
US09348058B2
A method for the determination of an inflow profile and bottom-hole area parameters (perforation zone parameters, bottom-hole area pollution parameters) in a multipay well comprises changing a production rate and measuring a temperature of a fluid flowing into the well as a function of time for each pay zone. Then a derivative of this temperature with respect to a logarithm of a time passed after the well production rate has been changed for each pay zone is determined. An inflow profile and other parameters are calculated based on a value of said derivative when it becomes constant and on a time after which the value of the derivative becomes constant.
US09348043B2
An apparatus and a method for detecting vibration are disclosed. The apparatus comprises a housing, a magnetic structure forming a magnetic field in the housing, and a coil structure in the magnetic field, concentric of the magnetic structure. In response to external vibration, the coil structure and the magnetic structure are movable with respect to each other. The coil structure comprises at least two sets of coils overlapped in space, of which a first coil set is for detecting vibration and a second coil set is for applying control in accordance with a control signal.
US09348037B2
Example embodiments are directed to X-ray detectors including double photoconductors. According to example embodiments, the X-ray detector includes a first photoconductor on which X-rays are incident, and a second photoconductor on which X-rays transmitted through the first photoconductor are incident. The first photoconductor and the second photoconductor include a tandem structure. The first photoconductor is formed of silicon and absorbs X-rays in a low energy band, and the second photoconductor is formed of a material that absorbs X-rays in an energy band higher than the low energy band of the X-rays absorbed by silicon.
US09348033B2
A positron CT apparatus of this invention includes a first detecting device and a first image processing device for acquiring a 3D image of a first site of interest. Further, a second detecting device and a second image processing device are provided for acquiring a real planar image of the first site of interest and a second site of interest. A calculated planar image calculating device calculates, based on the 3D image, data corresponding only to the first site of interest projected to the real planar image. A correcting device provides a corrected planar image corresponding only to the second site of interest by subtracting the calculated planar image from the real planar image. Thus, the 3D image corresponding to the first site of interest and the corrected planar image with a projection of the second site of interest can be acquired at the same time through one diagnosis.
US09348023B2
There is provided a radar apparatus configured to extract peak signals which are obtained from a difference frequency between a transmission signal and a reception signal, and to derive information of the target on the basis of the extracted peak signals. A prediction unit predicts this time peak signal based on a peak signal obtained in previous time. An extraction unit extracts this time peak signal corresponding to the predicted peak signal from peak signals existing within a predetermined frequency range. The extraction unit extends the frequency range when this time peak signal corresponding to the predicted peak signal does not exist within the predetermined frequency range.
US09348022B1
Mechanisms for identifying obstacles in a landing zone are disclosed. A first polarization elevation angle matrix is generated based on reflected radar signals having a first polarization sense. A second polarization elevation angle matrix based on reflected radar signals having a second polarization sense that differs from the first polarization sense is generated. The first polarization elevation angle matrix and the second polarization elevation angle matrix are integrated to form an integrated elevation angle matrix that identifies first scatterers and second scatterers with respect to the landing zone.
US09348021B2
Methods and apparatus for performing adaptive motion compensation to remove translational movement between a sensor and a target using data from the sensor. After whitening, data can be processed to select a target and focus frequency components. Dynamic sliding window processing can be performed on processed time domain data to estimate an instantaneous range rate for the target.
US09348020B2
Systems and methods involve generating a baseband signal, up-converting the baseband signal to a radar signal frequency, filtering a lower sideband of the up-converted signal, and transmitting the filtered up-converted signal. Systems and methods also involve receiving a return signal, down-converting the return signal using a signal having a frequency offset from the up-converted signal, filtering the upper sideband of the down-converted return signal, and producing a baseband return signal.
US09348019B2
An image-sensing apparatus is provided. The image-sensing apparatus includes: an optical filter array including a two-band passing filter and an infrared filter; an RGB pixel array placed below the two-band passing filter; and a TOF pixel array adjacent to the RGB pixel array and placed below the two-band passing filter and the infrared filter, wherein a combination of the two-band passing filter and the infrared passing filter permits only the incident light in the infrared region to pass to the ToF pixel array.
US09348018B2
The disclosure relates to a measurement device for optically measuring a distance to a target object, in particular a handheld measurement device. The disclosure relates to such a measurement device having a transmitting device for transmitting an optical measurement beam to a target object; a receiving device having a detection surface for detecting the optical measurement beam returning from the target object, wherein the detection surface has a plurality of pixels, and each pixel has at least one light-sensitive element; and a reference device having a detection surface for detecting a device-internal reference beam. According to the disclosure, the detection surface of the reference device has a plurality of pixels, wherein each pixel has at least one light-sensitive element.
US09348017B2
A method for ascertaining a misalignment of a radar sensor of a vehicle ascertains a misalignment angle of the misalignment using a weighted averaging of calculated differences between first and second angles of radar reflectors relative to various axes. Also described is a device for ascertaining this misalignment.
US09348014B2
A radar apparatus for a vehicle includes a radar unit provided at an inner side of a radiator grill for a vehicle, a multi-layer transmission cover which is fitted into the radar unit and on a front surface of which a plurality of transmission layers through which a radar beam radiated through the radar unit transmits are formed, and a mounting portion in which a connection body formed by connecting the multi-layer transmission cover to the radar unit is connected to a vehicle body.
US09348013B2
A system for supporting and tracking at least one item includes a plurality of support structures adapted to support at least one item, at least one signal receiving arrangement associated with the plurality of support structures, at least one indicator arrangement associated with the plurality of support structures, and at least one controller in communication with the at least one signal receiving arrangement and the at least one indicator arrangement. The at least one signal receiving arrangement is configured to receive data from a transponder associated with the at least one item. The controller is programmed and/or configured to control the plurality of indicator arrangements based at least partially on at least a portion of the data received from the at least one signal receiving arrangement.
US09348005B2
An interventional or a non-interventional instrument like a catheter, a surgical device, a biopsy needle, a pointer, a stent or another invasive or non-invasive device, like a position marker, or a surface or local coil like a head coil is disclosed, wherein these instruments are provided with an MR-safe RF transmission line or cable (2, 3) for connecting the instrument with related RF transmit/MR receive units or other signal processing units for operating the instrument during an MR imaging or MR examination of an examination object. Basically, MR safety is obtained or increased by means of a plurality of fuses (6) which are serially connected into the transmission line or cable (2, 3).
US09348003B2
A measuring system having a first magnetic field sensor, a second magnetic field sensor, a third magnetic field sensor, an encoder, and an evaluation circuit to which the first magnetic field sensor, the second magnetic field sensor, and the third magnetic field sensor are connected. The evaluation circuit is configured to determine the position of the encoder based on a first measurement signal of the first magnetic field sensor and a second measurement signal of the second magnetic field sensor and a third measurement signal of the third magnetic field sensor.
US09347993B2
Aspects of the invention relate to test generation techniques for test-per-clock. Test cubes may be generated by adding constraints to a conventional automatic test pattern generator. During a test cube merging process, a first test cube is merged with one or more test cubes that are compatible with the first test cube to generate a second test cube. The second test cube is shifted by one bit along a direction of scan chain shifting to generate a third test cube. The third test cube is then merged with one or more test cubes in the test cubes that are compatible with the third test cube to generate a fourth test cube. The shifting and merging operations may be repeated for a predetermined number of times.
US09347986B2
A device for monitoring the latency of electronic circuits based on microtechnology and/or nanotechnology, said circuits to be tested being supplied with the aid of a voltage Vdd, having a low level and a high level, for the detection of delay faults of said circuits, comprises: at least one device of type I placed between the high level of the power supply voltage and the elements of the circuit to be tested, and/or at least one device of type II placed between the low level of the power supply voltage of the elements of the elements of said circuit to be tested, the device of type I and the device of type II comprising at least one low-latency electrical path, said low-latency path being connected in parallel with a high-latency electrical path, a test signal monitoring the opening of the low-latency paths while the high-latency electrical paths are open.
US09347979B2
A prober system comprises a chuck, sensor and processing circuit. The chuck is configured to horizontally move a semiconductor wafer having a plurality of dies to position a selected group of the dies for parallel testing and vertically move the wafer to press the selected group of dies in contact with probes of a tester probe card. The sensor is configured to measure the vertical movement of the chuck when the wafer is on the chuck. The processing circuit is configured to control the horizontal and vertical movement of the chuck to test different groups of the dies, determine a total number of touchdowns between the wafer and the probes based on the vertical movement of the chuck measured by the sensor and associate each of the touchdowns with a location of the wafer contacted by the probes during that touchdown. A corresponding test data analysis system is also provided.
US09347978B2
There is here disclosed a method and apparatus for detecting the occurrence of arcing of a conductor by monitoring the current on an AC power line. The signal detected is split and directed along four separate paths to generate four signals having separate characteristics which represent the current in the line. Upon the detection of arcing, an output signal can be generated to activate a circuit interrupting mechanism, sound an audio alarm and/or alert a central monitoring station.
US09347973B2
A stress control apparatus for managing effects caused by electrical stress in a high voltage environment, and methods of manufacturing the apparatus. A dielectric tube with a central bore coated with a conductive material has an outer conductive coating on a lower section that is grounded. The central bore carries a high voltage potential from a current-carrying conductor. The grounded coating transitions to the exposed outer dielectric surface along a gradually tapered transition. A conductive insert connects to the central bore and forms an electric field in a space between the insert and the grounded coating. When coated with an epoxy and inserted into the central bore, the insert forms a small gap between an outer surface of the insert and part of the central bore, such that there is no zero potential difference in the gap. Any epoxy that oozes out during insertion will collect in the gap.
US09347972B2
A voltage sensing system and method for use with ungrounded power line sensors deployed on each phase of a power line. The voltage of each phase is measured using the sensors. This measurement is used unless there is a snow event. A collector is powered by a transformer connected to the power line being monitored and a voltage measurement circuit is configured to measure the collector supply voltage which is then used to obtain an alternate voltage measurement for each phase. When the sensor measured voltage for any phase deviates from the alternate voltage measurement by a pre-established value, a snow event has occurred and the alternate voltage measurement may then be used.
US09347971B2
A probing device includes a circuit board, a reinforcing plate, at least one space transformer and at least one probe assembly. The reinforcing plate is disposed on the circuit board, and the reinforcing plate has a plurality of inner conductive wires electrically connecting to those of the circuit board. The reinforcing plate defines a plurality of receiving space therein. The space transformer is disposed on the reinforcing plate, and the space transformer has a plurality of inner conductive wires electrically connecting to those of the reinforcing plate via a plurality of first solder balls. The probe assembly is disposed on the space transformer, and the probe assembly includes a plurality of probes. The first solder balls are disposed in the receiving spaces, and the reinforcing plate abuts against the space transformer.
US09347965B1
A chemical autosampler is disclosed having a main control unit with a processing circuit that communicates with various electronic modules using wireless communications signals, which allows for easy expansion of the capabilities of the basic autosampler unit. The main control unit resides on a longitudinal rail module that allows many various accessory modules to be physically mounted to the rail. There is a head module that includes the sampling syringe, and also includes transport motors that allow the head module to move in three axes. The head module includes its own processing circuit to control various solenoids and valves to properly move liquids and gasses for the sampling procedures, and to control the various transport motors. The autosampler also includes a control routine to automatically detect and calibrate the position of each of the accessory modules that are installed by a user on the rail module.
US09347964B2
An apparatus, system for analyzing, and process for separating cuvettes supplied in bulk form are presented. The apparatus comprises a reservoir with an inlet for supplying cuvettes in bulk form to a reservoir space, a separator with an outlet for outputting separated cuvettes from a separator space communicating with the reservoir space, a reservoir spiral contained in the reservoir space to transport cuvettes to the separator space by rotating the reservoir spiral, and a separator spiral contained in the separator space to transport cuvettes to the outlet by rotating the separator spiral. Adjacent turns of the separator spiral have an inter-distance dimensioned such that a cuvette can be held in a holding position in which projections projecting outwards from a body for receiving liquid rest on adjacent turns, with the body dipping into a spiral groove between the adjacent turns.
US09347949B2
The present invention provides a compound represented by the formula (I): or a salt thereof; and a method of quantitatively analyzing an amino group-containing target substance, including labeling a target substance in samples by using, as a labeling compound, two or more of such compounds having a mutually different mass due to isotope labeling, to confer a mass difference to the target substance between two or more samples, and the like.
US09347944B2
Provided are a method and a kit for accurately and rapidly detecting ten types of targeting pneumonia bacteria: Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydophila pneumoniae, Legionella pneumophila, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Moraxella catarrhalis, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and Staphylococcus aureus. A set of primer pairs directed to their respective target regions contained in the DnaJ gene, etc., of the ten types of pneumonia causative bacteria is designed for the ten bacterial strains and used to amplify gene products. A set of bacterial strain-specific probe pairs is further designed for the ten bacterial strains such that the probe pairs hybridize with the amplification products via sequences in the respective target regions differing from the sequences hybridized by the set of primer pairs. A first probe-bound labeled high molecular carrier in which plural types of first probes for the pneumonia bacteria are bound to a labeled high molecular carrier and a solid-phase second probe-carrying developing support are used as the set of probe pairs to perform nucleic acid chromatography.
US09347942B2
The present invention relates to a novel cell based sensor useful for drug discovery that comprises a cell line with professional regulated exocytosis of secretory granules transfected with a protease as a reporter polypeptide stored in the regulated secretory granules of the cell line with professional regulated exocytosis and having either an endogenous or a heterologous molecule as a modulator of regulated secretory granules exocytosis, such said granule stored protease reporter having at least: a high resistance to conditions already present inside the granules such as low pH and proteolysis by other proteases; enzymatic activity after exocytosis; a highly specific cleavage sequence; a very low level of secretion under unstimulated or basal conditions; and a high signal to background activity in a media compatible with cell culture viability and granule exocytosis for a high throughput robust and sensitive detection.
US09347941B2
A method for diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis, based on the detection of citrullinated autoantigens in a test sample is disclosed. The method diagnoses rheumatoid arthritis more accurately and rapidly. Also disclosed is a kit for carrying out the method.
US09347940B2
A method of component assembly on a substrate, and an assembly of a bound component on a substrate. The method comprises the steps of forming a free-standing component having an optical characteristic; providing a pattern of a first binding species on the substrate or the free standing component; and forming a bound component on the substrate through a binding interaction via the first binding species; wherein the bound component exhibits substantially the same optical characteristic compared to the free-standing component.
US09347934B2
The present invention is based on applicants' discovery, disclosed herein, of agonists for the TAS2R receptors TAS2R1, TAS2R4, TAS2R9, TAS2R13, TAS2R14, TAS2R16, TAS2R44, TAS2R46, and TAS2R60. The assignment of agonists to these receptors makes assays for identifying compounds that modulate bitter taste possible. For example, the present invention provides methods of identifying compounds that inhibit the bitter taste due to these agonists. The present invention also provides methods of identifying compounds that selectively inhibit the bitter taste due to these agonists. The present invention further provides methods of identifying compounds that mimic the bitter taste due these agonists. The present invention also provides methods of identifying compounds that enhance the bitter taste due to these agonists.
US09347918B2
A method is provided in which radiussed components are scanned by moving the focal point of a curved array into the component, while keeping the geometric focal point of the array coincident with that of the radiussed component.
US09347916B2
The present invention relates to a process for determining mycotoxin production in an interior environment which includes a search for a chemical fingerprint comprising at least one target molecule that is a VOC, optionally cyclic, associated with mycotoxin production, preferably selected from the group comprising cububene, cadiene, copaene, ylangene, D germacrene, muurolane, 1,1-dimethylbutylbenzene, 1,1,2-trimethyl-propyl-benzene, 1-hexyltetradecylbenzene, tetratetracontane, 1-ethyldecylbenzene, hydroxytoluene butylate, 1-butyloctylbenzene, 1-propylnonylbenzene, 2-methylisoborneol and at least one sesquiterpene.
US09347914B2
A gas sensor includes a metal shell, a gas sensor element held in the metal shell, a metal portion arranged between a flange portion of the gas sensor element and a seat portion of the metal shell and a porous thermal spray layer formed on the gas sensor element. When viewed in cross section along the direction of an axis of the gas sensor, a corner of the metal portion axially overlaps in position with or radially outwardly protrudes from an outer surface of a part of the thermal spray layer located on a side surface of the flange portion and is brought into contact with the seat portion. A rear end-facing surface of the metal portion is brought into contact with an outer surface of the thermal spray layer at a position radially inside the side surface of the flange portion.
US09347913B2
A gas sensor control apparatus includes a heater regulating section to control the supply of electricity to a heater included in a gas sensor, an impedance sensing section to sense an impedance of the gas sensor cell, an impedance condition examining section to examine whether the impedance is greater than or equal to an abnormality threshold, a voltage condition examining section to examine whether a maximum effective voltage is applied to the heater, when the impedance is above the abnormality threshold, a duration measuring section to examine whether an application time duration of the maximum effective voltage becomes equal to or longer than a heater overheat preventing time, and a voltage decreasing section to decrease the heater voltage to such a lower effective voltage as to hold the temperature of the cell higher than or equal to 500° C. when the application time duration reaches the heater overheat preventing time.
US09347910B2
Methods for determining a concentration of an analyte in a sample, and the devices and systems used in conjunction with the same, are provided herein. In one exemplary embodiment of a method for determining a concentration of an analyte in a sample, a sample including an analyte is provided in a sample analyzing device having a working and a counter electrode. An electric potential is applied between the electrodes and a measurement of a parameter correlating to changes in a physical property of the sample analyzing device is calculated. A concentration of the analyte in view of the parameter correlating to a change in the physical property can then be determined. Systems and devices that take advantage of the parameter correlating to changes in a physical property to make analyte concentration determinations are also provided.
US09347904B1
A grain-bin monitoring system for monitoring relative humidity and temperature is described. The system includes a cable assembly with a support cable and two pairs of communication wires suspended in a grain bin. A plurality of sensor assemblies is coupled along the cable. The sensor assemblies include a housing that protects a sensor device and enables exposure to air within the bin. The sensor device is in electrical communication with a control unit through fasteners for the housing piercing the cable assembly and contacting the communication wires. Electrically conductive, elastomeric pads are disposed between electrical contacts on the sensor device and the fasteners to eliminate galvanic corrosion therebetween. The cable assembly and sensor assemblies are configured to minimize drag forces applied by grain particulate flowing along the cable assemblies. And the sensor assemblies and/or the sensor devices therein are easily replaceable on the cable assembly while in service.
US09347899B2
A system may include a fluid source fluidically coupled to a plenum; a thermal camera; at least one flow meter; and a computing device communicatively connected to the at least one flow meter and the thermal camera. The computing device may be configured to receive flow rate values from the at least one flow meter relating to flow testing of a first component fluidically coupled to the plenum; receive thermographic image data captured by the thermal camera during flowing thermographic testing of a second component fluidically coupled to the plenum; and associate the flow rate values with the thermographic image data to produce quantitative flowing thermographic image data.
US09347898B1
An in situ method for deriving the thermal properties of a layered structure represents physical layers by effective thermal layers. The method requires access to only one side of a structure and performs a series of tests wherein a periodic heat flux is applied to the surface of the structure. Each test employs a unique frequency, which is associated with an effective thermal layer of the structure. During the tests the temperature of the surface is monitored and a record of transient temperature is kept. A thermal model of effective layers is created based on the number of tests/frequencies available. The values of the applied heat fluxes are incorporated into this thermal model of effective layers. An optimization technique is used to find the thermal capacity and thermal resistance of the effective layers by best matching the predicted response to that of the measured transient temperature response.
US09347897B2
A method comprising characterizing the dimensions of structures on a semiconductor device having dimensions less than approximately 100 nanometers (nm) using one of scanning probe microscopy (SPM) or profilometry.
US09347892B2
The invention concerns an apparatus for inspection of products (3′, 3″), provided with a transport mechanism (2) configured to transport a continuous stream of products (3′, 3″) so that, on leaving the transport mechanism, the product stream (3′, 3″) follows a free-fall path along which it is fed in a single product layer through an inspection zone (16), which has a length (L) that at least corresponds to the width of the aforementioned single product layer, a light source (5, 5′) configured to illuminate said inspection zone (16), a detection unit (6), configured to optically scan the illuminated inspection zone (16), an analysis unit (17) and possibly a removal unit (7) and also a background element (10′), which is situated behind the falling product stream, seen from the position of the detection unit, positioned so that:—light beams from the light source impinge on an illumination zone (14) of the background element when these beams do not impinge on a product from the product stream (3′, 3″),—the detection unit can only receive an image of a detection zone (13) of the background element, characterized in that the background element is mounted so that the illumination zone (14) and the detection zone (13) are separated from each other.
US09347891B2
In an optical inspection tool, an illumination aperture is opened at each of a plurality of aperture positions of an illumination pupil area one at a time across the illumination pupil area. For each aperture opening position, an incident beam is directed towards the illumination pupil area so as to selectively pass a corresponding ray bundle of the illumination beam at a corresponding set of one or more incident angles towards the sample and an output beam, which is emitted from the sample in response to the corresponding ray bundle of the incident beam impinging on the sample at the corresponding set of one or more incident angles, is detected. A defect detection characteristic for each aperture position is determined based on the output beam detected for each aperture position. An optimum aperture configuration is determined based on the determined defect detection characteristic for each aperture position.
US09347890B2
A method of inspecting a sample at high speed includes directing and focusing radiation onto a sample, and receiving radiation from the sample and directing received radiation to an image sensor. Notably, the method includes driving the image sensor with predetermined signals. The predetermined signals minimize a settling time of an output signal of the image sensor. The predetermined signals are controlled by a phase accumulator, which is used to select look-up values. The driving can further include loading an initial phase value, selecting most significant bits of the phase accumulator, and converting the look-up values to an analog signal. In one embodiment, for each cycle of a phase clock, a phase increment can be added to the phase accumulator. The driving can be performed by a custom waveform generator.
US09347889B2
A CMOS optical detector includes a plurality of optical elements for a device for detecting parameters of moving yarn or another linear textile formation on textile machines by means of a perpendicular projection of yarn onto individual optical elements of a sensor with the aid of one source of radiation. The optical elements are arranged in two parallel rows perpendicular to the direction of the movement of the projection of yarn. Each optical element produces an output analog signal corresponding to the intensity of its irradiation. The individual optical elements of the first row are oriented to have their longer sides in the direction of the movement of the projection of yarn, whereas the optical elements of the second row are oriented to have their longer sides perpendicular to the direction of the movement of the projection of yarn.
US09347887B2
A wavelength variable interference filter includes a fixed substrate, a movable substrate, a fixed reflective film provided on the fixed substrate, a movable reflection film provided on the movable substrate and opposed to the fixed reflective film via an inter-reflective film gap, a fixed electrode provided on the fixed substrate, a movable electrode provided on the movable substrate and opposed to the fixed electrode via an inter-electrode gap, a fixed charging preventing electrode provided along the outer circumferential edge of the fixed electrode and in non-contact with the fixed electrode and grounded, and a movable charging preventing electrode provided along the outer circumferential edge of the movable electrode and in non-contact with the movable electrode and grounded.
US09347872B1
Methods and systems for determining a meta-model to correct model based measurements are presented. Such systems are employed to measure structural and material characteristics (e.g., material composition, dimensional characteristics of structures and films, etc.) associated with different semiconductor fabrication processes. In one aspect, model-based measurement parameter values are corrected based on a meta-model that maps specimen parameter values determined based on the measurement model to reference parameter values determined based on a more accurate reference measurement. In another aspect, parameters of a meta-model are determined such that errors between reference parameter values and specimen parameter values determined based on the measurement model are minimized. In some embodiments, the accuracy of a corrected parameter value is an order of magnitude greater than the uncorrected parameter value.
US09347865B2
An instrument (10) for gravimetric moisture determination has a housing (20) and a weighing device (40) arranged inside. The weighing device has a load receiver (60) onto which a sample (62) is placed. The housing has stationary (21) and movable (22) housing parts, the movable housing part alternately occupying a measuring and a loading position. wherein in the loading position the stationary housing part and the movable housing part are spaced apart from each other in such a way that a the sample can be put on the load receiver, wherein in the measuring position the respective housing parts form an essentially enclosed testing compartment (30) surrounding the load receiver (60), and wherein a sample-heating means (70) is arranged in the testing compartment to heat the sample on the load receiver. The instrument also has an electrical contact means (85) with first (86) and second parts (87). The first part is connected to the movable housing part and the second part is connected to the stationary housing part. In the measuring position an electrical connection exists by way of the respective parts of the electrical contact means and wherein in the loading position the same electrical connection is interrupted.
US09347862B2
Methods and systems for setting up a wafer inspection process using programmed defects are provided. One method includes altering a design for a dummy area of a production chip such that printing of the dummy area on a wafer results in printing of a variety of defects. Two or more of the defects have different types, one or more different characteristics, different contexts in the design, or a combination thereof. The dummy area printed on a wafer may then be scanned with two or more optical modes of an inspection system to determine which of the optical mode(s) are better for defect detection. Additional areas of the wafer may then be scanned with the optical mode(s) that are better for defect detection to determine noise information. The noise information may then be used to select one or more of the optical modes for use in a wafer inspection process.
US09347859B2
A system and method for sampling fluid from a top land piston crevice of a reciprocating piston engine. Access into the crevice is via a bore through the piston wall. A collector receives sampled fluid from the piston crevice, and has a housing, a valve, and a shuttle. The housing is an elongated hollow shell having a bore through its length, with the bore containing the valve and the shuttle. The valve opens to allow sampled fluid to pass along the bore toward the shuttle, when the valve is in an open position. The shuttle serves two purposes: it moves back and forth within the bore, thereby opening the valve, and also provides passages for storing sampled fluid within the housing.
US09347856B2
A key testing device is for testing a key with a keycap. The key testing device includes a loading unit and a sleeve. The loading unit includes a block and a rod. The rod includes a first end and a second end. The first end is detachably connected the block. The sleeve is sleeved around the loading unit, and the sleeve includes a partition plate with a through hole. The second end can pass through the through hole. When the sleeve is above the key and the second end contacts the keycap, the gravity of the loading unit is turned from the partition plate to be applied on the keycap. Consequently, since the key testing device can make the pressure pressing on the key be accurate via a loading unit, the probability of misjudgment is decreased.
US09347846B2
Techniques are described herein that perform capacitance-based pressure sensing using pressure vessel(s). A pressure vessel is an object that has a cross section that defines a void. The void has a shape that is configured to change based on a change of pressure difference between a cavity pressure in a cavity in which at least a portion of the pressure vessel is suspended and a vessel pressure in the pressure vessel. The pressure vessel may be formed in the shape of an enclosed loop (e.g., along a path that is perpendicular to the cross section), resulting in a looped pressure vessel. For instance, an end of the pressure vessel may be connected to another end of the pressure vessel to form the enclosed loop.
US09347840B2
This disclosure provides example methods, devices, and systems for a two dimensional material-based pressure sensor. A sensor device is provided that includes a substrate having a back electrode, a conductive layer in communication with the back electrode, and an insulating layer coupled to the conductive layer. The insulating layer includes one or more cavity regions. A sensor membrane comprising a two-dimensional material is disposed adjacent to the insulating layer and covering at least one of the one or more cavity regions. A first sensing electrode is in electrical communication with a first region of the sensor membrane, and a second sensing electrode is in communication with a second region of the sensor membrane. The sensor membrane is configured to respond to pressure changes exerted on the sensor device.
US09347839B2
A measuring element formed of a piezoelectric crystal of symmetry class 32 for measuring a force Fz, which acts perpendicularly on the plane x-y and causes a charge accumulation on surfaces of the plane x-y. Applications are measurements in which the transverse forces Fxy orthogonal to the force Fz, which generate an error signal at the measuring element, are expected on the measuring body. The measuring element includes at least four identical measuring element segments having straight edges. In the x-y plane the segments are arranged side by side and spaced apart by narrow gaps at the edges. Together, the segments form the shape of a disc or perforated disc for reducing the interference signals caused by the transverse forces Fxy on the measuring element. The crystal orientations in the x-y plane of all segments are oriented in the same direction or orthogonal to each other.
US09347838B2
A capacitive shear force sensor and a method for fabricating thereof are provided. The capacitive shear force sensor includes a first electric field shielding layer, a second electric field shielding layer, a driving electrode, a first sensing electrode, a second sensing electrode and a dielectric layer. The second electric field shielding layer is disposed under the first electric field shielding layer. The driving electrode is disposed between the first electric field shielding layer and the second electric field shielding layer. The first and the second sensing electrodes are disposed between the driving electrode and the second electric field shielding layer. The dielectric layer is disposed between the driving electrode and the first sensing electrode, and between the driving electrode and the second sensing electrode. The first sensing electrode and the driving electrode form a first capacitor. The second sensing electrode and the driving electrode form a second capacitor.
US09347837B2
An integrated circuit for implementing brushless DC motor control includes a substrate, a band gap temperature sensor, and a magnetic sensor. The substrate has a temperature output pin for connection to an external device and a magnetic sensor output pin for connection to the external device. The band gap temperature sensor is formed on the substrate and is configured to sense temperature and supply a temperature signal representative of the sensed temperature to the temperature output pin. The magnetic sensor is formed on the substrate and is configured to sense magnetic field variations and supply a sensor output signal representative thereof to the magnetic sensor output pin.
US09347826B2
An optical device, a method of configuring an optical device, and a method of using a fiber Bragg grating is provided. The optical device includes a fiber Bragg grating, a narrowband optical source, and at least one optical detector. The fiber Bragg grating has a power transmission spectrum as a function of wavelength with one or more resonance peaks, each comprising a local maximum and two non-zero-slope regions with the local maximum therebetween. The light generated by the narrowband optical source has a wavelength at a non-zero-slope region of a resonance peak that is selected such that one or more of the following quantities, evaluated at the resonance peak, is at a maximum value: (a) the product of the group delay spectrum and the power transmission spectrum and (b) the product of the group delay spectrum and one minus the power reflection spectrum.
US09347823B2
The present invention discloses a method for measuring absolute value of non-linear error and an apparatus thereof. The method comprises: placing N reflecting plates jointed together at the sample port of the optical measuring instrument at the same time, wherein each of reflecting plate has a same covering area at the sample port; placing an aperture along light paths of the optical measuring instrument; adjusting the number of reflecting plates as used according to a position in the measuring range of the optical measuring instrument where the non-linear error is required to be measured; following every adjustment, acquiring the output results when the adjusted reflecting plates are placed at the sample port; performing a computation processing for non-linear error to the output results; and acquiring the non-linear error of the output results of the optical measuring instrument.
US09347788B2
A mobile terminal and an method searches a point of interest (POI). The navigation apparatus of a mobile terminal includes a storage unit configured to store map data, a display unit configured to display the map data, and a controller configured to search a destination from the map data, display the searched destination on the display unit, and display an icon for searching points of interest near the destination.
US09347782B1
A system for sharing a travel itinerary with a plurality of members of a protective detail tasked with protecting the security of an individual, includes one or more processors, one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors. The program instructions include first program instructions to receive and storing data representative of an itinerary comprising at least one destination an individual intends to travel to. The program instructions further include second program instructions to identify a landmark based on the received itinerary. The program instructions further include third program instructions to associate the identified landmark with the itinerary. The program instructions further include fourth program instructions to communicate data representative of the itinerary and the associated landmark to members of a security detail.
US09347774B2
An improvement in workpiece-engageable devices for accurate workpiece angular formation including a plurality of spirit vials and an engager of a workpiece which establishes an intended bending plane. The plurality of spirit vials includes formation-angle vials adjacent to one another and supported in a respective plane parallel to the intended bending plane and in an orientation corresponding to a respective one of intended angles with respect to a base plane. At least one control vial is supported in a body of the device and aligned in a plane parallel to the base plane. The formation-angle vials may include four formation-angle vials each oriented at one of angles 10°, 22.5°, 30°, 45°, 90° and in some embodiments 60° with respect to the base plane.
US09347763B2
A hydraulic cylinder stroke operation diagnosis assisting device includes: movable portions that are sequentially supported by a vehicle body in a rotatable manner; a hydraulic cylinder between the vehicle body and each movable portion or between the movable portions to support the movable portions in a rotatable manner; a stroke sensor in the hydraulic cylinder to measure a stroke length of the hydraulic cylinder; a reset sensor measuring a reference reset point in which a value of the stroke length measured by the stroke sensor is reset; a stroke end detection unit detecting a stroke end position of the hydraulic cylinder; a calibration unit calibrating the measured value of the stroke length when the reference reset point and/or the stroke end position are detected; and a monitor displaying at least the measured value of the stroke length and a calibration state by the calibration unit.
US09347759B2
A method to fixture and inspect contoured aerodynamic surfaces of a part, such as an engine inlet lip skin, is provided. A controlled preload is applied to one or more discrete locations along the contoured surface to constrain the lip skin at the locations the lip skin would be constrained upon assembly on the airplane. The contoured surfaces are then inspected to dimensional requirements. The controlled preload can be applied by use of magnets or elastic bumpers.
US09347755B2
A detonator system is provided for use with explosives that utilizes two subsystems. A first subsystem functions as a non-explosives based detonator, which does not contain any explosives. The second subsystem is an initiating subsystem, which includes an initiating pellet. To set off an explosive event, the non-energetics based detonator is coupled to the initiating subsystem and the non-energetics based detonator is commanded to provide a suitable signal to the initiating subsystem that is sufficient to function the initiating pellet. Further, the initiating subsystem can be integrated directly into an associated explosive such as a booster that has been configured to receive the initiator subsystem without changing the hazard class of the booster.
US09347754B1
A munition has a fuze that is mounted nonparallel to the axis of the munition, for example having a largest extent that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the munition. Shocks from the fuze are transferred through a shock transfer device that is in contact with the fuze, to an initiation device that is also in contact with the shock transfer device. Shocks passing through the shock transfer device to the initiation coupler pass through a relatively narrow neck of the shock transfer device. In the shock transfer device the shock is concentrated and located precisely at the neck, before spreading out again and being transferred to the initiation device. In the initiation device the shock may detonate a high explosive material, which in turn is used to detonate a main explosive of the munition, such as a warhead.
US09347752B2
According to the invention, the rear part of the connecting element (1), which part is intended to be connected to a body (4) made of composite material, comprises at least one abutment (13) of annular shape, centered with respect to a longitudinal axis (10) and intended to come into contact with the front edge (14) of said body (4), and a longitudinal rearward extension (15) which is defined from said abutment (13) onward and which comprises a contact face (16) and has a shape and diameter suited to said body (4) so that its contact face (16) can come laterally into contact with a peripheral surface (17) thereof.
US09347747B2
A ballistic shield may include multiple ballistic plates. The first plate may be permanently connected to a second plate and drop vertically downward from the first plate. After dropping down, the second plate would overlap the first plate such that no gap exists between the two plates. A third plate may similarly drop with respect to the second plate. Side folding ballistic plates may be attached to the first and second plates to lock them in position and provide ballistic protection to the sides of the user. These side ballistic plates may overlap the first and second plates. The side plates can have another ballistic plate mounted on their unconnected ends such that another assembly of first, second and side ballistic plates identical as above may also be connected. After connecting this second assembly, the user(s) would have full 360 degree ballistic coverage.
US09347745B2
A multilayer armored panel comprising: (I) at least one layer that is non moldable when dry but moldable when wet; (II) at least one hydrogel based layer in contact with layer (I) which, when wet enables the molding of layer (I) but which is capable of drying out to leave a non moldable layer (I).
US09347739B2
An automatic adjustable buttstock system for a small arms weapon including a buttstock and a pair of parallel rails adapted to slidably mount the buttstock on a body of the weapon, each rail having a plurality of female locking slots along its length. A lock block is employed having a pivotable spring-loaded locking lever and a pair of locking tabs adapted to engage the female locking slots disposed along the length of each rail. A volute spring disposed between a rear wall of the lock block and a cavity in the buttstock is adapted to rearwardly bias the buttstock towards a fully extended position. The locking lever is adapted to be pivoted to disengage the pair of locking tabs from the female locking slots for displacement of the buttstock between a fully shortened configuration, in which the volute spring is fully compressed, to the fully extended position as urged rearwardly by the volute spring. The locking lever is adapted to be released causing the locking tabs to engage the female locking slots at a desired position along the parallel rails to lock the buttstock.
US09347728B1
A disrupter unit is used for explosive ordnance disposal by firing a slug into the ordnance to be destroyed. A method is shown to secure the disrupter unit to a sand bag or other stationary location during such firing of the disrupter unit. The present invention may also adapt the disrupter unit to shear wire, such as barbed wire, by attaching a wire cutter element to the disrupter unit through a robust cable during firing. Likewise, the disrupter unit may be used as a remote pull device or further to unearth a buried item via mechanical advantage, wherein a military shovel or another long rod is attached by a robust cable to the disrupter unit.
US09347721B2
A magazine for a firearm includes a body having a bottom end, a feed end side walls, first and second end walls, a channel on the first end wall, and vertically extending side ridges on the side walls; and a follower including a ridge configured to mate with the channel in the first end wall of the body; a plurality of vertically extending side channels configured to mate with the side ridges of the body; and an arcuate feed surface with an end point of a radius defining the arcuate feed surface being laterally offset from a vertically extending centerline of the follower; and a biasing member configured to urge the follower away from the bottom end.
US09347720B2
A new interface for a magazine follower and floor plate is used to provide greater stability to the round stack and a more sturdy system overall. The floor plate is designed with two opposite legs, the rear being shorter than the front leg so as to facilitate travel throughout the magazine and clearing of accumulated dirt and debris. The floor plate, in one embodiment, utilizes a lock plate that is shaped and sized to become a shoe for the compressed spring and associated follower. In an alternate embodiment, the floor plate itself serves the purpose and, with provided teeth, directly fastens to the magazine casing at notches manufactured in the magazine wall for that purpose. Other enhancements to the magazine include at least one matrix of divots to provide a paint surface, an over-insertion stop and a lower rear geometry to aid in clearing debris and grit.
US09347718B2
An apparatus is disclosed for supporting, rotating and advancing a rigid lance when cleaning the interior of a tube of a heat exchanger. The apparatus comprises a longitudinally extending aluminium body 10 defining a closed conduit 12 and a C-shaped channel 14 sharing a common partition wall and a rigid lance is located within the C-shaped channel. A first motor assembly 20 rotates the lance 26 and feeds water under pressure into the lance 26 through a rotary coupling 30. The first motor assembly 20 is slidable along, and guided by, the C-shaped channel 14, by a second motor assembly 30 which serves to advance and retract the lance 26. The second motor assembly 30 is connected to pull the first motor assembly in both directions along the C-shaped channel by a flexible drive element 34 having a run housed in the closed conduit 12.
US09347715B2
An evaporator (168) in a vapor compression system (14) (168) includes a shell (76), a first tube bundle (78); a hood (86); a distributor (80); a first supply line (142); a second supply line (144); a valve (122) positioned in the second supply line (144); and a sensor (150). The distributor (80) is positioned above the first tube bundle (78). The hood (88) covers the first tube bundle (78). The first supply line (142) is connected to the distributor (80) and an end of the second supply line (144) is positioned near the hood (88). The sensor (150) is configured and positioned to sense a level of liquid refrigerant (82) in the shell. The valve (122) regulates flow in the second supply line in response to the level of liquid refrigerant (82) from the sensor (150).
US09347714B2
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a battery assembly comprises: a battery module comprising a plurality of unit batteries; an exterior case for housing the battery module in an internal space; and a heat-dissipating film which is inserted between the plurality of unit batteries and fitted tightly against each of the plurality of unit batteries, and is attached to the inside surface of the exterior case; and the heat-dissipating film comprises: first and second heat-dissipating layers which are formed of a thermally conductive material and discharge the heat of the unit batteries; and an adhesive layer which is formed between the first and second heat-dissipating layers and adheres the first and second heat-dissipating layers.
US09347710B2
The invention relates to a method for controlling the thermal balance of a suspension smelting and to a suspension smelting furnace. The suspension smelting furnace, comprising a reaction shaft (1), a lower furnace (2), and an uptake (3), wherein the reaction shaft (1) having a shaft structure (4) that is provided with a surrounding wall structure (5) and a roof structure (6) and that limits a reaction chamber (7), and wherein the reaction shaft (1) is provided with a concentrate burner (14) for feeding pulverous solid matter and reaction gas into the reaction chamber (7). The shaft structure (4) of the reaction shaft (1) is provided with cooling means (8) for feeding endothermic material into the reaction chamber (7) of the reaction shaft (1).
US09347707B2
A rotary drum (302) for use within a vacuum chamber (212) in a vacuum freeze-dryer (204) for the bulkware production of freeze-dried particles is provided. The drum (302) is in open communication with the vacuum chamber (212) and comprises a main section (304) terminated by a front plate (306) and a rear plate (308), the rear plate (308) is adapted for connection with a rotary supporting shaft (312) for rotary support of the drum (302), and the rear plate (308) is permeable for sublimation vapor from freeze-drying the particles.
US09347704B2
A divider assembly for a refrigerated drawer includes a plurality of dividers to form a plurality of adjustable storage compartments. Each of the dividers has a slot formed therein to receive a guide portion of another divider. The guide portions of a first divider are configured to slidably engage the guide portions of a second divider. The slots form openings which allow a cooling airflow to circulate between the storage compartments.
US09347703B2
A refrigerator includes: a refrigerator main body having a cooling chamber; a cooling chamber door for opening and closing the cooling chamber; a shelf assembly provided within the cooling chamber such that a height thereof is adjustable; and a basket provided in any one of the refrigerator main body and the cooling chamber door such that a height thereof is adjustable. A space of the refrigerator main body or the cooling chamber door can be utilized to facilitate receiving and keeping food items.
US09347699B2
An air discharge structure for a packaged air conditioner includes a front air outlet (7) disposed on the mid-upper part of a body (1), and an upper panel (9) mounted on the front air outlet (7) and slidable up and down along the body (1). An upper decorative panel (10), height of which is matched with the stroke of the upper panel (9), is mounted above the front air outlet (7) and slidable back and forth along the body (1). An upper and lower limit mechanism for the upper decorative panel is disposed between the upper decorative panel (10) and the body (1). The application can facilitate increasing the range of air supply in the air conditioner and maintain stable air supply.
US09347696B2
Apparatus for thermal management of a precursor for use in substrate processing are provided herein. In some embodiments, an apparatus for thermal management of a precursor for use in substrate processing may include a body having an opening sized to receive a storage container having a liquid or solid precursor disposed therein, the body fabricated from thermally conductive material; one or more thermoelectric devices coupled to the body proximate the opening; and a heat sink coupled to the one or more thermoelectric devices.
US09347695B2
The present invention relates to refrigerant compositions containing trans-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (1233zd(E)) useful for chiller applications and processes using 1233zd(E).
US09347687B2
Provided is a light-weight, easy to install, use and remove solar collector that may be manufactured inexpensively from readily available common materials, and which may be installed, removed, moved, and reinstalled almost anywhere by almost anyone without special tools or skills. In one embodiment, the solar collector comprises one or more collection tubes formed from attaching clear or substantially translucent material, such as clear vinyl, along the edges and over the top of dark colored or otherwise solar-energy-absorbant material, such as black polyethylene plastic, black vinyl-coated polyester, or any other suitable material, which may be insulated by an insulative layer. A dark-colored or otherwise solar-energy-absorbant air-permeable layer may also be located in the collection tube to increase heating of the air flowing through the collection tube. In addition to the solar collector is a fan, which may take the form of a forced-air window unit with thermostatic controls.
US09347678B2
An indoor air quality (IAQ) control module may be provided for sensing and controlling the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) of a zone in a building. The IAQ control module may receive a supply air sample from a supply vent and a return air sample from a return vent, where the air samples are taken using the pressure created by a blower within the HVAC system. The IAQ control module may then compute a differential value for each of the sensed one or more air parameters and generate a control signal or command based on at least the differential value(s). The IAQ control module may then communicate the control signal to an airflow control device to control the airflow to and/or from the zone.
US09347669B2
The present invention discloses a novel apparatus and method for operating a gas turbine combustor having a structural configuration proximate a pilot region of the combustor which seeks to minimize the onset of thermo acoustic dynamics. The pilot region of the combustor includes a generally cylindrical extension having an outlet end with an irregular profile which incorporates asymmetries into the system so as to destroy any coherent structures.
US09347664B2
Described herein are embodiments of systems and methods for oxidizing gases. In some embodiments, a reaction chamber is configured to receive a fuel gas and maintain the gas at a temperature within the reaction chamber that is above an autoignition temperature of the gas. The reaction chamber may also be configured to maintain a reaction temperature within the reaction chamber below a flameout temperature. In some embodiments, heat and product gases from the oxidation process can be used, for example, to drive a turbine, reciprocating engine, and injected back into the reaction chamber.
US09347662B2
An apparatus in a steam generator that employs tube support plates within a shroud that is in turn disposed within a shell. The tube support plates are made of a material having a coefficient of thermal expansion lower than that of the shroud. The tube support plates are aligned during fabrication with minimal clearances between components. Using a tube support displacement system, a controlled misalignment is imposed on one or more tube support plates as the steam generator heats up. The tube support plate displacement system has only two parts, a spring bar and a push rod, that are internal to the steam generator shell and threadably engaged, thereby minimizing the potential of loose parts. The tube support plate displacement system can be used to provide controlled misalignments on one or more tube support plates, with one or more apparatus being provided for any individual tube support plate.
US09347657B2
An LED Christmas lamp includes a lamp base, in which a receiving cavity is formed and having coupling slots formed in a cavity wall to receive and retain metal plates on ends of four conductive wires. A light source holder has a top forming a light disposition section, in which three receiving holes are formed and has a bottom on which a fitting section having four bearing surfaces is formed. The fitting section has a bottom face including six through apertures. Three LED illuminants are provided, each having two terminal pins, and are respectively inserted into the three receiving holes with the terminal pins bent and positioned against the bearing surfaces of the fitting section so that when the light source holder is inserted into the receiving cavity, the terminal pins are set in electrical engagement with the metal plates of the conductive wires.
US09347650B2
A light emitting apparatus includes a first light source to generate light having a first main wavelength band, a second light source to generate light having a second main wavelength band, a first transparent layer surrounding the first and second light sources, a wavelength conversion layer disposed on the first transparent layer to convert at least one of the light having the first main wavelength band and the light having the second main wavelength band into light having a third main wavelength band, and a medium layer between the wavelength conversion layer and the first transparent layer. At least of the first or second light sources has a first refractive index, the first transparent layer has a second refractive index, the medium layer has a third refractive index, the wavelength conversion layer has a fourth refractive index, and the first to fourth refractive indexes are different from each other.
US09347641B2
An optical film including a substrate and a first material layer is provided. The first material layer includes a plurality of first optical structures and a plurality of first auxiliary optical structures. Each of the first optical structures includes a first base portion and a first rounded portion. The first base portion has a first bottom surface connected to the substrate and a first top surface opposite to the first bottom surface. The first rounded portion is disposed on the first top surface, and the first rounded portion has a first arc surface. Each of the first auxiliary optical structures has a first auxiliary arc surface. The first optical structures and the first auxiliary optical structures extend along a first extending direction and being alternately arranged on the substrate in an arranging direction perpendicular to the first extending direction.
US09347637B2
A vehicle lamp socket assembly includes a housing, a body, a sealant, and a terminal blade. The housing has a cavity and has a connector with a socket. The housing also has a pass-through spanning between the cavity and the socket. In assembly, the body is received in the housing and has a retainer that holds a vehicle lamp. The sealant is located at the pass-through and fills a section or more of the pass-through. And the terminal blade extends through the pass-through and through the sealant.
US09347632B2
The lighting fixture comprises a receptacle having a first sidewall and a second sidewall disposed in opposed relationship and a first end wall and a second end wall disposed in opposed relationship. A back wall extends from the first and second sidewalls from the first and second end walls. The sidewalls, end walls and back wall define a chamber. The u-shaped channel having a base and opposed legs extends from the first end wall to the second end wall. The base of the channel extends into the chamber. At least one Edison screw type base socket is positioned on at least one leg of the channel. The Edison screw type base socket is designed to accept a screw type light producing lamp.
US09347622B2
The proposed illuminator relates to white-light lamps based on LEDs with remote phosphor converters. The illuminator comprises a heat removing base with a radiation output opening, and the LEDs secured near the periphery of the opening, with, arranged in series at a distance from the LEDs, a concave phosphor converter layer, wherein the layer's concavity is oriented towards the LED's and the opening. White light formed as mix of reflected LED's radiation and phosphor's radiation exits via the opening, while white light formed as mix of LED's radiation passing through the layer and phosphor's radiation exits through the layer. The layer may have the form of a truncated ellipsoid of revolution, in particular a sphere, or a paraboloid, with a main axis perpendicular to the plane of the opening, or a cylinder truncated by the plane of the opening.
US09347621B2
A light emitting module includes a circuit board having a plurality of reflective portions arranged in one direction and connection portions connecting the plurality of reflective portions, light emitting devices mounted on the plurality of reflective portions, and lens units disposed to cover the light emitting devices within boundaries of surfaces, of the plurality of reflective portions, on which the light emitting devices are mounted. A width of each of the connection portions in the other direction, perpendicular to the one direction thereof, is smaller than a diameter of each of the lens units, thus reducing a generation of a dark portion.
US09347620B2
According to one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes a board, a controller chip, a semiconductor chip, a sealing portion, and a component. The board includes a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, the first surface comprising a terminal. The controller chip is on the second surface of the board. The semiconductor chip is on the second surface of the board. The sealing portion integrally covers the controller chip and the semiconductor chip and does not cover a region of the second surface of the board. The component is on the region of the second surface of the board to perform an operation with respect to the outside of the semiconductor device.
US09347611B2
Disclosed herein is a semi-submersible offshore structure having storage tanks for liquefied gas, which is constructed so as to improve workability in marine offloading of the liquefied gas stored in the storage tanks while reducing an influence of sloshing. The offshore structure is anchored at sea and has liquefied gas. The offshore structure includes a storage tank storing liquefied gas, a plurality of columns partially submerged under the sea level and each having the storage tank therein, and an upper deck located on the plurality of columns to connect the columns to each other.
US09347606B2
The invention relates to a holding device for securing at least one flat element, in particular a facade element, comprising at least one substructure securing means, at least one flat element securing means and at least one transversal force absorbing means which interconnects the substructure securing means and the flat element securing means and which absorbs forces that are effective in the plane defined by the flat elements, characterized in that the holding device comprises at least one to energy absorbing means which absorbs energy that is introduced into the holding device by forces that act perpendicularly to the plane defined by the flat elements.
US09347600B2
The invention relates to a machine foot (1a,1b), which comprises a top part (3a,3b) for attachment in a device such as a machine and a lower part (2) for contacting against a foundation, such as a floor, where the center axis of the top part (3a,3b) is movable a number of degrees (11) in relation to the center axis of the lower part (2), and where the lower part (2) comprises a housing (4), which preferably is made from a metal, and which at the bottom is provided with a polymeric material (5), where the polymeric material (5) is shaped as a ring that surrounds a plug (6), which is attached to the housing (4) by being glued to an annular contact surface (8) at the periphery of the plug (6).
US09347598B1
The present application includes a device and method for securing a sleeve around a pipeline in order to thicken an area of the pipe. The device includes a plurality of leg assemblies configured to pivot relative to one another in a scissor motion. Wheels are located at the bottom end of the leg assemblies and contact a surface of the upper sleeve half. A strap device is wrapped around the top and bottom sleeve halves and coupled to the device. A ratcheting device is used to controllably tighten the strap around the sleeve and pipeline. As the device tightens, the scissor motion causes the wheels to roll along the sleeve. Tightening the strap device generates a radial compressive force around the sleeve and holds it in place until the sleeve is permanently secured to the pipeline.
US09347595B2
Various systems, methods, and devices are provided for focusing particles suspended within a moving fluid into one or more localized stream lines. The system can include a substrate and at least one channel provided on the substrate having an inlet and an outlet. The system can further include a fluid moving along the channel in a laminar flow having suspended particles and a pumping element driving the laminar flow of the fluid. The fluid, the channel, and the pumping element can be configured to cause inertial forces to act on the particles and to focus the particles into one or more stream lines.
US09347593B2
A coupling device for fluid lines includes a female part having a rotatable locking arm with a cam, and a male part defining a longitudinal channel and a circumferential groove on its external surface, The male part is inserted into the female part by rotating the locking arm to its unlocked position, aligning the longitudinal channel with the cam, and sliding the cam within the longitudinal channel. The male part is locked into the female part by rotating the cam within the circumferential groove away from the longitudinal channel, and rotating the locking arm into its locked position so that the cam protrudes further into the circumferential groove. Even when the locking arm is rotated to its unlocked position, the cam engages the circumferential groove to retain the male part within the female part unless the cam is rotated within the circumferential groove into alignment with the longitudinal channel.
US09347592B2
A quick-disconnect coupling such as a camlock includes a hollow male plug with an external peripheral groove and a hollow female socket defining a duct for communication of a fluid with a locking arrangement for locking the male plug in the female socket. Protrusions are provided on either an inside surface of the female socket or on an outside surface of the male plug and corresponding recesses are provided on the other with the recesses and protrusions being cooperatively shaped and arranged to allow insertion of the male plug member into the female socket member to the locking position only when at least one recess and at least one protrusion match.
US09347590B2
A component for conducting or receiving a fluid, in particular a component of a fluid-conducting line system of an industrial plant, especially of a line system of a tertiary cooling circuit of a nuclear power plant, includes a wall having a supporting structure made of a glass-fiber-reinforced plastic. Electrically insulating inner and outer protective layers are disposed on respective inner and outer surfaces of the supporting structure. An electrically conductive inner intermediate layer lies between the inner protective layer and the supporting structure and is provided with an electrical terminal. An electrically conductive outer intermediate layer lies between the outer protective layer and the supporting structure, is provided with an electrical terminal and is electrically insulated from the inner intermediate layer. A method for testing the component is also provided.
US09347589B1
A method for applying a clamp for a construction strut that allows a pipe to be clamped to the construction strut in which the clamp has a fastener that is not exposed above the clamp curvature and in which the fastener head is easily accessible. Also the clamp has a retaining tab and a neck portion such that it can be installed by straight-in insertion at the top of a construction strut. Also, the method has an embodiment in that the clamp can be installed either on the open side of the construction strut or on the closed side using slots in the closed side by straight-in passing the retaining tab past the inturned flanges on the top of the construction strut and by a rotation at the bottom of the construction strut.
US09347582B2
A flow control system for a body of water includes a floating portion that is covered by a shroud and includes a buoyant member. The floating portion has an inlet portion within the shroud and the inlet portion is suspended distal from the floating portion forming a gap. A stationary portion is interfaced to a containment surface of the body of water and is in fluid communication with a drainage system. An extendable member is interfaced to the inlet portion, fluidly interfacing an orifice of the inlet portion to the stationary portion, and therefore to the drainage system. When in use, fluid from below a surface of the body of water flows through the gap, into the orifice, through the extendable member, and out through the drainage system. The flow rate of the fluid is constant through a range of depths of the body of water.
US09347576B2
A pressure relief device and method of making the same are provided. The pressure relief device includes an over-pressure relief area with a plurality of co-linear spaced apart recesses located thereon. Gap segments are interspersed between the recesses to define a line of opening having desired performance characteristics during opening of the over-pressure relief area.
US09347575B2
In one aspect, a fluid flow disruptor is provided. The fluid flow disruptor includes a base flange having an outer diameter and an inner diameter, the base flange configured to couple to a valve, and a cap extending from the base flange. The cap includes a proximal end coupled to the base flange about the inner diameter, a distal end, and a sidewall extending between the proximal end and the distal end. At least one aperture is formed in the sidewall, and the fluid flow disruptor is configured to direct a fluid flowing in an axial direction to flow around the cap distal end, through the at least one aperture, and through the base flange inner diameter into the valve, to thereby increase a turbulence of the fluid to decrease an axial momentum load of the fluid acting on the valve.
US09347564B2
A debris wiping device (15) for a piston rod-cylinder assembly (10) includes a wiper ring (16), which surrounds a central opening (19). The wiper ring (16) includes a flexible element (17) that surrounds the central opening (19). A retaining cap (21) includes a tubular segment (22, 23) that transitions at one end into an end wall (24), which has a through opening (25).
US09347563B2
The present invention relates to a gas lock for separating two gas chambers, which while taking up minimal space makes it possible to achieve the separation of gases without contact with the product/educt/transporting system. The gas lock according to the invention is distinguished in that at least one means for manipulation of the flow is present in a flow passage of the gas lock. Also, the present invention relates to a coating device which comprises a gas lock according to the invention. Also provided are possibilities for using the gas lock according to the invention.
US09347558B2
Aluminum-based alloys for casting or wrought processing having improved combinations of properties, including improved high temperature strength, are provided. The alloys generally comprise copper, magnesium, silver, and titanium, along with scandium and/or cobalt. Zirconium, zinc, and/or vanadium may also optionally be present in the alloy. When cobalt is present in the alloy, nickel may also optionally be present. Cast and wrought products, as well as methods of making the same using the alloys, are also disclosed.
US09347557B2
Methods and systems are provided for operating a vehicle with a transmission. In one example approach, a method for a vehicle comprises, during a transmission shift having a first engine speed profile, adjusting a transmission shift indication provided to a vehicle operator based on a desired perceived shift time and a desired engine deceleration rate.
US09347552B2
A method for operating a transmission device, which is transferable into different operating states through the actuation of shifting elements, is described. At least one of the shifting elements is designed as a positive-locking shifting element, which is supplied with operating pressure for presenting a defined operating state of the transmission device. Through a sensor device upstream of a valve device, which is connected to a transmission area essentially featuring ambient pressure, a value of a pressure signal corresponding to the operating pressure can be determined. Upon exceeding a threshold value of the pressure signal, currently in the area of the positive-locking shifting element, a change in operating state is determined, and, upon falling short of an additional threshold value of the pressure signal, the reaching of the requested operating state is established. In a non-actuated operating state of the positive-locking shifting element, the pressure in the transmission area is established by the sensor device. Upon the presence of a request for a change in operating state in the area of the positive-locking shifting element, the threshold value and the additional threshold value are determined from the sum of the pressure calculated in the transmission area prior to the presence of the request for the change in operating state and a pressure offset value.
US09347548B2
A shutter member that has a shutter with a substantially rigid wall. The shutter has a substantially arc-shaped side profile that is provided with a hole which is adapted to be engaged by a motor vehicle control lever. The substantially rigid wall is supported by a fastening device, fixing the shutter member to the control lever. The shutter has a tab, which defines a longitudinal extension of the substantially rigid wall and is elastically flexible.
US09347527B2
A planetary gear train of an automatic transmission for a vehicle may include an input shaft receiving torque, an output shaft disposed in parallel with and apart from the input shaft, a first planetary gear set having at least three rotation elements, a second planetary gear set having at least three rotation elements, a first rotation shaft, a second rotation shaft, a third rotation shaft, and a fourth rotation shaft.
US09347525B2
A transmission of the present invention has an input member, an output member, four planetary gear sets, a plurality of coupling members and a plurality of torque transmitting devices. Each of the planetary gear sets includes first, second and third members. The torque transmitting devices may include clutches and brakes. The torque transmitting devices are each selectively engageable in combinations of at least three to establish a plurality of forward speed ratios and at least one reverse speed ratio.
US09347523B2
To provide a chain which makes it possible to reduce friction loss during operation. [Means of Resolution] An endless silent chain 1 which comprises a plurality of links 2 having respective pairs of pin holes 22, which are linked in such a way as to be able to flex about one another by means of linking pins 3 that are inserted into the pin holes 22, wherein one or more projections 25, 26 is/are provided on one of the main surfaces 2A of the links 2 so that a specific gap C is formed between adjacent links 2 in the width direction of the chain, and these projections 25, 26 come into contact with the main surface 2B of the link 2 which is adjacent to that link 2 in the width direction of the chain.
US09347515B2
A reduced noise decoupler has a perimeter with a wavy form. This provides a significant reduction in the initial contact noise. Hydraulic pressure deforms the wavy edges, pressing the wavy edge flat and creating the necessary seal. The edge geometry is created such that pressure will flatten the decoupler perimeter without creasing, ensuring a proper seal without losses. This is achieved by drawing the wavy detail from the perimeter to an interior of the decoupler body in alternating fashion to create a pattern of peaks and troughs bounded by thicker sections, allowing the edges to easily deform without creasing.
US09347514B2
A magnetic viscous fluid damper includes: a cylinder; a piston that is slidably interposed within the cylinder; two fluid chambers that are partitioned by the piston; a hollow rod that is coupled to the piston; an electromagnetic coil that is formed with a magnet wire wound around the piston; two lead wires that extend from both ends of the magnet wire; and a coil assembly in which the electromagnetic coil and the two lead wires are embedded in a mold resin. The piston includes a hollow first core coupled to the rod and a second core that sandwiches the coil assembly with the first core. The two lead wires are passed through the inside of the first core and are electrically continuous with an electric wire passed through the inside of the rod.
US09347511B2
Provided is a continuous damping control shock absorber of a dual solenoid valve structure. The continuous damping control shock absorber of the dual solenoid valve structure includes a rebound solenoid valve and a compression solenoid valve. In the continuous damping control shock absorber, a separator tube for interworking prevention is installed to form a connection chamber at a position where the rebound separator tube and the compression separator tube are connected, thereby preventing interworking of the rebound solenoid valve and the compression solenoid valve 40. A communication hole is formed in the compression separator tube to communicate with the connection chamber. The separator tube for interworking prevention is configured such that the fluid discharged from the rebound solenoid valve flows into not the low-pressure reservoir chamber but the high-pressure compression chamber during the compression stroke, thereby improving the operational independence of the rebound solenoid valve and the compression solenoid valve. Therefore, it is possible to solve the problem that the compression damping force and the rebound damping force are interworked by the opening of the passage of the rebound solenoid valve during the compression stroke, and to effectively prevent a reduction in the compression damping force.
US09347508B2
Disclosed is an electronic disc brake. The electronic disc brake includes a caliper housing at which a piston is installed, a carrier coupled with the caliper housing, a pair of pad plates installed at the carrier to be slidable toward a disc, an adjuster to prevent the pad plates from moving away from the disc and maintain the pad plates at a certain distance from the disc, a push rod screw-coupled to the adjuster, a spindle unit coupled to the push rod and installed at a cylinder of the caliper housing, a spring case forming an accommodation space between the cylinder and the push rod, a low-pressure spring and a high-pressure spring arranged in parallel in the spring case, and a support plate slidably installed in the cylinder so that a gap is formed between the low-pressure spring and the high-pressure spring in the longitudinal direction.
US09347506B2
Disclosed herein is a disc brake. The disc brake which has a carrier in which a pair of pad plates are installed retractably and a caliper housing having a cylinder that is slidably installed in the carrier and in which a piston is installed retractably by a braking hydraulic pressure includes an adjuster that is installed inside the piston to prevent the pad plate from being away from the disc and maintain a predetermined running clearance between the disc and the pad plate, a push rod whose front portion is screwed to the adjuster and whose rear portion extends toward an inner circumferential surface of the cylinder so that rotation is prevented, and that includes a flange portion installed inside the cylinder, a ramp that is disposed on a front side of the flange portion, and in which a first elastic member for providing an elastic force to the push rod is integrally provided, a spring case whose one end is fixed to the cylinder, and that forms a predetermined accommodating space between the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder and the push rod, and a second elastic member that is provided in the accommodating space of the spring case to provide an elastic force to the ramp and the push rod. Here, the first and second elastic members are arranged in series, and the first elastic member is bent so that a part of the ramp is elastically deformed.
US09347505B2
A disc brake caliper comprises a caliper main-body. The caliper main-body includes a facing surface and an attachment structure. The facing surface is configured to face a mounting portion of a bicycle frame to which the disc brake caliper is attached. A connecting member is to be attached to the attachment structure. The connecting member is configured to be connected to a fluid hose. The attachment structure is provided on the facing surface.
US09347479B2
A method for integrally forming a drilling tip on a wire nail, in particular in order to produce a screw with the aid of a pair of pinching jaws, provides for the bulge formed by the displaced material during the integral forming of the drilling tip to be sheared off the drilling tip along the entire length of the cutting edges of the drilling tip produced and to be left connected to the drilling tip only along the longitudinal side edges of the latter by a predetermined breaking point.
US09347475B2
Fasteners are generally described. In some examples, a fastener may include at least one latch. The at least one latch may include an arcuate portion and a linking portion. The arcuate portion may be connected by the linking portion to a pivot point. The pivot point may be located with respect to the first member so that, as the linking portion pivots around the pivot point, the arcuate portion moves along an arcuate path between a non-fastening position and a fastening position. In the fastening position the arcuate portion may extend beyond the first member to engage with the second member to secure it to the first member.
US09347474B2
A clip for attaching a mounting component to a base component, and the clip comprises: a pin including a head portion for engaging the mounting component, and a shaft portion which is contiguous to the head portion, and a lock pins which extends downward from the head portion; and a grommet including a flange and a shank contiguous to the flange and partially defining an aperture operable to receive the pin in one of a temporary fitted position and a permanent fitted position; and wherein the temporary fitted position, the lock pin abuts a recessed portion in the grommet for maintaining the temporary fitted position, and wherein in the permanent fitted position, the lock pin collapses on the inside, and is contained on the inside of the shank portion of the grommet.
US09347466B2
An actuator, including a cylinder, an actuator piston displacably arranged in the cylinder, a pressure fluid circuit having a channel mouthing in the cylinder, an indirectly electrically controlled first valve body, arranged in the channel for controlling a flow of a pressure fluid in the channel, and a second valve body, arranged in or at the channel to open and close the channel, the second valve body being a member fixedly connected to the actuator piston, and the first valve body and the second valve body being arranged in series with each other in the channel. The actuator further includes an electrically controlled three-way valve that is arranged to alternately open for a pressure fluid flow from a high pressure source and a pressure fluid flow from a low pressure source, chosen pressure fluid flow being arranged to act against and admit displacement of the first valve body.
US09347455B2
A recirculation flow collector for a fan includes an arcuate housing; a first face with a first circular opening to receive flow; a second face with a second circular opening to allow flow in a normal fan operating condition; and an outlet in a bottom of the arcuate housing to allow recirculation flow.
US09347449B2
A submersible pump apparatus comprising a motor assembly, a pump assembly, and a plastic motor base. The motor assembly is either a canned motor assembly or a four inch motor assembly. The canned motor assembly is designed to prevent the immediate destruction of the submersible pump apparatus upon the occurrence of the breaching or leaking of the seals. The pump assembly is designed with either a single stage pump or double stage pump that utilizes a unique combination of propellers and intermediate flow straighteners, and driving mechanisms for the same. The plastic motor base is designed to accommodate attachment of either the canned motor assembly or the four inch motor assembly to the same pump assembly.
US09347436B2
One exemplary method of renewable energy storage includes converting a part of the electrical energy, from a generator, in accordance with an electrical grid; and using a control system to steer another part of the electrical energy, from the generator, to a heating module, to heat a substance in a tank, thereby increasing a pressure in the tank. The method also includes using the control system to introduce a transmission agent into a heat exchanger in the tank, and using the heated transmission agent to drive a turbine. A sensor provides information, about a renewable energy stream, to the control system. The control system, responsive to the information, acts to control a valve coupled between the heat exchanger and the turbine, thereby enabling a constant transfer of energy to the electrical grid.
US09347430B2
The adaptive pitch control system for wind generators is utilized in variable speed doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) systems. An adaptive neural network generates optimized controller gains for pitch control. The pitch controller parameters are generated using intelligent differential evolution, a type of genetic algorithm. A back propagation neural network is trained using the generated pitch controller parameters, thereby tuning the weights of the network according to the system states in a variable wind speed environment.
US09347428B2
According to the present invention, use is made of a drag-type blade in which the blade is constituted vertically and in multiple blocks while the inside thereof is formed so as to have an overlapping region, thereby achieving an aerodynamic characteristic whereby there is a large initial torque for rotating the blade of the wind energy electricity generator from the stationary state such that the rotational moment is increased. On the outside thereof, use is made of airfoil-type blades, thereby obtaining rapid rotational acceleration with tip-speed ratio no less than 1.0 and effecting wind energy electricity generation even with a low wind velocity regardless of the wind direction, and thus the present invention is economic and can be installed at low cost unaffected by place or position and is environmentally friendly while nevertheless being able to effect highly efficient wind energy electricity generation.
US09347419B2
An electric field generating apparatus for a combustion chamber, may include an electric field generator located within a space of the combustion chamber where combustion flames may be produced to create electric fields within the space of the combustion chamber through an applied predetermined voltage, a lead-in wire connected to the electric field generator to flow the predetermined voltage to the electric field generator, and a high voltage providing unit connected to the lead-in wire for selectively applying the predetermined voltage to the lead-in wire in accordance with an output signal of a controller generated depending on an operation condition of an engine.
US09347409B2
Proposed is a method for controlling and regulating an internal combustion engine (1) having a common rail system and having a passive pressure limiting valve (11) for discharging fuel out of a rail (6) into the fuel tank (2), in which method, in a first stage, the pressure limiting valve (11) is set as open when the rail pressure, proceeding from a steady-state rail pressure, exceeds a first threshold value and subsequently falls below a second threshold value within a first critical time, wherein the first threshold value characterizes a higher pressure level than the steady-state rail pressure and the second threshold value characterizes a lower pressure level than the first threshold value, and in which method the opening duration of the opened pressure limiting valve (11) is monitored.
US09347407B2
A manifold element (210) for a filtering cartridge (200) includes a shaped shell (215) provided with an internal volume (220) and a plurality of access ports (225, 230) communicating with said internal volume, among which a plurality of first access ports (225) and at least one second access port (230). Each of the first access ports (225) is adapted to be coupled with a respective filtering material element (205) so as to support it and be occluded thereby.
US09347392B2
A control system and a control method of a gasoline direct injection engine may include determining whether the engine is stopped and can improve NVH of a vehicle by keeping the fuel high-pressure pump input valve of the high-pressure pump operating for a predetermined time and preventing fuel from flowing backward to the low-pressure pump.
US09347389B2
It is determined that assisting is required when a deviation of a target matching engine speed and a current engine speed is equal to or more than a predetermined value, and for a predetermined period of time since the time point at which it is determined that assisting is required, a target assist engine speed is set at a high rotation target matching engine speed which is more than the target matching engine speed, and thereafter the target assist engine speed is set gradually closer to the target matching engine speed, and an assist torque command value is output to the generator assisting output of the engine, and the engine speed is controlled, so that the engine speed attains the target assist engine speed.
US09347385B2
Disclosed is a variable compression ratio device which changes a top dead center of a piston provided in an engine depending on a driving state of the engine. The variable compression ratio device may include: a lower piston reciprocally movable in a cylinder of the engine and connected with a connecting rod to rotate a crankshaft, an operation chamber, an upper piston disposed above the lower piston and partially inserted into the operation chamber, a push plate dividing the operation chamber into upper and lower spaces, a hydraulic pressure chamber which is the lower space, an elastic member provided in the upper space to push the push plate downward, a hydraulic pressure supply unit selectively supplying hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic pressure chamber, and a hydraulic pressure supply pathway connecting the hydraulic pressure supply unit and the hydraulic pressure chamber for supplying the hydraulic pressure.
US09347384B2
A control device for an internal combustion engine is provided with: a variable valve driving mechanism capable of changing a working angle of an intake valve while keeping a maximum magnitude of lift and opening timing constant; a reduction catalyst which absorbs nitrogen oxide in exhaust during lean combustion and reduces the nitrogen oxide absorbed during rich combustion; and a control unit changing, according to a load on the internal combustion engine, an amount of advance of closing of the intake valve at the time of switching to rich combustion.
US09347376B2
A system for supplying a gaseous fuel to a gas turbine includes a liquefied fuel source for supplying a liquefied fuel to a liquid fuel pump that is disposed downstream from the liquefied fuel source. The liquid fuel pump is sufficient to raise the pressure of the liquefied fuel to a substantially supercritical pressure. A supercritical liquefied fuel vaporizer is disposed downstream from the liquid fuel pump. A heat recovery system is in thermal communication with the liquefied fuel. The heat recovery system is positioned between the liquid fuel source and the supercritical liquefied fuel vaporizer.
US09347366B2
An exhaust gas exhausted from a combustion chamber of a two-stroke engine is fed to a turbine of a supercharger. Part of the exhaust gas that has passed through the turbine is extracted as an EGR gas by an exhaust gas recirculation part. The EGR gas is cooled by the heat of vaporization of liquid ammonia ejected from an ammonia ejection part, circulated into a suction gas in a suction path, pressurized by a compressor, and supplied as a scavenging gas into the combustion chamber. This recirculation of the exhaust gas can reduce the amount of nitrogen oxide exhausted from the two-stroke engine into the ambient air. Ejecting the liquid ammonia toward the EGR gas in a recirculation path facilitates cooling of the EGR gas, which is required for circulating the EGR gas into the suction gas.
US09347357B2
The honeycomb catalyst body includes a honeycomb structure having porous partition walls, outflow side plugged portions, inflow side plugged portions, and catalyst layers formed on the surfaces of the partition walls on the side of the outflow cells, the cells are formed so that an open area of each outflow cell is larger than an open area of each inflow cell, a porosity of the partition walls of the honeycomb structure is from 25 to 55%, and in a cross section parallel to the extending direction of the cells, a total area of the catalyst layers formed on the surfaces of the pores in the partition walls is 5% or less of a total area of the pores in the partition walls.
US09347351B2
A diesel engine exhaust treatment device includes an exhaust flow divider in an exhaust path. The flow divider causes exhaust to flow EGR gas with PM unevenly distributed and remaining discharged gas in a divided manner. EGR gas is recirculated to a combustion chamber, and the discharged gas is atmospherically discharged. First and second corona discharge passages are provided at the exhaust flow divider. Corona discharge in the first discharge passage causes the PM, water vapor, and oxygen in the exhaust to generate electron attachment. Electrostatic force causes the exhaust to flow the EGR gas with the electron-attached PM, water vapor, and oxygen unevenly distributed and the remaining discharged gas in a divided manner. The discharged gas is guided to the second discharge passage. Corona discharge in the second discharge passage causes gas molecules in the discharged gas to dissociate, and NOx in the discharged gas is reduced to nitrogen.
US09347340B2
A bearing block comprises a camshaft in an internal combustion engine and a valve drive. The valve drive may include at least one rocker arm mounted on a rocker arm shaft, wherein the bearing block is formed concurrently with the mounting of the at least one rocker arm.
US09347332B2
The dynamo of the present invention is provided in the flow field of a fluid, and has: a columnar oscillating body, one end of the oscillating body being supported in the flow field of the fluid by a shaft that is parallel to the flow direction of the fluid, and the oscillating body being moved reciprocally by self-excited oscillation about the shaft; and an electricity generation unit for generating electrical energy in response to the reciprocal oscillation of the oscillating body.
US09347324B2
A turbine vane includes a generally elongated hollow airfoil and a cooling system. The cooling system is positioned within the airfoil and includes a cooling chamber and an impingement insert positioned in the cooling chamber. The impingement insert and an inner surface of an outer wall of the airfoil define a cooling channel therebetween. The impingement insert includes a plurality of impingement nozzles extending toward the inner surface of the outer wall and a plurality of impingement orifices. At least one of the impingement orifices is arranged in a non-aligned pattern with respect to at least one adjacent impingement orifice such that cooling fluid passing out of the at least one impingement orifice does not directly flow into a centerline of a cooling fluid flowpath of cooling fluid passing out of the at least one adjacent impingement orifice.
