US09425324B2
A semiconductor device having a composite structure is disclosed, which includes a channel structure having an inner core strut that extends substantially along a channel direction of the semiconductor device and an outer sleeve layer disposed on the inner core strut. The inner core strut mechanically supports the sleeve member across a channel length of the semiconductor device.
US09425316B2
The present description relates to the field of fabricating microelectronic devices having non-planar transistors. Embodiments of the present description relate to the formation of source/drain contacts within non-planar transistors, wherein a titanium-containing contact interface may be used in the formation of the source/drain contact with a discreet titanium silicide formed between the titanium-containing interface and a silicon-containing source/drain structure.
US09425298B2
A bipolar junction transistor comprises a semiconductor layer disposed on an insulating material, at least a portion of the semiconductor layer forming a base region. The bipolar junction transistor further comprises a transistor emitter laterally disposed on a first side of the base region, where in the transistor emitter is a first doping type and has a first width, and wherein the first width is a lithographic feature size. The bipolar junction transistor further comprises a transistor collector laterally disposed on a second side of the base region, wherein the transistor collector is the first doping type and the first width. The bipolar junction transistor further comprises a central base contact laterally disposed on the base region between the transistor emitter and the transistor collector, wherein the central base contact is a second doping type and has a second width, and wherein the second width is a sub-lithographic feature size.
US09425295B2
In a transistor including an oxide semiconductor film, a metal oxide film which has a function of preventing electrification and covers a source electrode and a drain electrode is formed in contact with the oxide semiconductor film, and then, heat treatment is performed. Through the heat treatment, impurities such as hydrogen, moisture, a hydroxyl group, or hydride are intentionally removed from the oxide semiconductor film, whereby the oxide semiconductor film is highly purified. By providing the metal oxide film, generation of a parasitic channel on the back channel side of the oxide semiconductor film in the transistor is prevented.
US09425289B2
One illustrative method disclosed herein includes forming a recessed fin structure and a replacement fin cavity in a layer of insulating material above the recessed fin structure, forming at least first and second individual layers of epi semiconductor material in the replacement fin cavity, wherein each of the first and second layers have different concentrations of germanium, performing an anneal process on the first and second layers so as to form a substantially homogeneous SiGe replacement fin in the fin cavity, and forming a gate structure around at least a portion of the replacement fin.
US09425284B2
A semiconductor device in which sufficient stress can be applied to a channel region due to lattice constant differences.
US09425281B2
Enhancement mode III-nitride HEMT and method for manufacturing an enhancement mode III-nitride HEMT are disclosed. In one aspect, the method includes providing a substrate having a stack of layers on the substrate, each layer including a III-nitride material, and a passivation layer having high temperature silicon nitride overlying and in contact with an upper layer of the stack of III-nitride layers, wherein the HT silicon nitride is formed by MOCVD or LPCVD or any equivalent technique at a temperature higher than about 450° C. The method also includes forming a recessed gate region by removing the passivation layer only in the gate region, thereby exposing the underlying upper layer. The method also includes forming a p-doped GaN layer at least in the recessed gate region, thereby filling at least partially the recessed gate region, and forming a gate contact and source/drain contacts.
US09425266B2
In one embodiment, a floating diode structure includes a p-type semiconductor substrate. An n-type doped region is disposed between the semiconductor substrate and a p-type doped region of the first conductivity type adjacent the first doped region. An n-type cathode region is disposed within the p-type doped region and a p-type anode region is disposed within the cathode region. An anode electrode is connected to the anode region and a cathode electrode is connected to the cathode region. In one embodiment, the cathode electrode is further connected to the p-type doped region. The n-type doped region is configured as a floating region that facilitates the diode operating in both a forward and reverse bias mode and both below ground and above ground with respect to the p-type semiconductor substrate.
US09425246B2
An organic light emitting display device includes a substrate including a display area and a non-display area, a plurality of scan lines extended in a first direction on the substrate, a plurality of data lines extended in a second direction intersecting the first direction, a plurality of first switching elements in the display area, the plurality of first switching elements being connected to the scan lines and data lines, organic emission layers connected to the first switching elements, first dummy lines between corresponding adjacent ones of the plurality of scan lines, the first dummy lines extending in the first direction, second switching elements disposed in the non-display area, the second switching elements being adjacent to first ends of the first dummy lines, and second dummy lines extended in the second direction, the second dummy lines being adjacent to the second switching elements.
US09425245B2
Embodiments of the present invention disclose an array substrate comprising a plurality of pixel units disposed on a base substrate, the pixel units comprising: a thin film transistor structure formed on the base substrate; and an OLED driven by the thin film transistor structure, the OLED disposed in a pixel region of the pixel units, the OLED comprising sequentially in a direction away from the base substrate a first electrode which is transparent, a light-emitting layer and a second electrode which reflects light; a transflective layer disposed between the OLED and the thin film transistor structure; a color filter disposed between the second electrode of the OLED and the transflective layer; the second electrode of the OLED and the transflective layer constitute a microcavity structure.
US09425244B2
A display device is provided including a display region arranged with a plurality of the pixels in a matrix, the plurality of pixels including a light emitting region, a first light shielding layer, and a second light shielding layer, wherein the first light shielding layer includes a plurality of first apertures opening the light emitting region, and a plurality of second apertures opening a non-light emitting region between the plurality of the pixels, and the second light shielding layer is arranged below the first light shielding layer and includes a plurality of third apertures opening the light emitting region, the second light shielding layer being arranged with a light shielding region below the second apertures.
US09425241B2
A display device includes a first electrode, an organic layer including a light emitting region, and a second electrode. The display device also includes a conductive layer electrically connected to the second electrode and including an opening corresponding to the light emitting region.
US09425236B2
A light emitting device includes: a ceramic substrate; a plurality of LED chips; a printed resistor(s) connected in parallel with the plurality of LED chips; a dam resin made of a resin having a low optical transmittance; a fluorescent-material-containing resin layer; and an anode-side electrode and a cathode-side electrode, (a) which are provided on a primary surface of the ceramic substrate so as to face each other along a first direction on the primary surface and (b) which are disposed below at least one of the dam resin and the fluorescent-material-containing resin layer. With the configuration in which a plurality of LEDs, which are connected in a series-parallel connection, are provided on a substrate, it is possible to provide a light emitting device which can achieve restraining of luminance unevenness and an improvement in luminous efficiency.
US09425233B2
An image sensor is described. The image sensor includes a pixel array having a unit cell that includes visible light photodiodes and an infra-red photodiode. The visible light photodiodes and the infra-red photodiode are coupled to a particular column of the pixel array. The unit cell has a first capacitor coupled to the visible light photodiodes to store charge from each of the visible light photodiodes. The unit cell having a readout circuit to provide the first capacitor's voltage on the particular column. The unit cell having a second capacitor that is coupled to the infra-red photodiode through a transfer gate transistor to receive charge from the infra-red photodiode during a time-of-flight exposure. The unit cell has a back-drain transistor coupled to the infra-red photodiode.
US09425230B2
There is provided a solid-state imaging device including: an imaging pixel including a photoelectric conversion unit which receives incident light; and a phase difference detection pixel including the photoelectric conversion unit and a light shielding unit which shields some of the light incident to the photoelectric conversion unit, in which the imaging pixel further includes a high refractive index film which is formed on the upper side of the photoelectric conversion unit, and the phase difference detection pixel further includes a low refractive index film which is formed on the upper side of the photoelectric conversion unit.
US09425229B2
This solid-state image sensor includes a photosensitive cell array including first through fourth photosensitive cells 2a to 2d, a dispersing element array including first and second dispersing elements 1a and 1b arranged to face the first and third photosensitive cells 2a and 2c, respectively, and a microlens array including first and second microlenses 4a and 4b. The first dispersing element 1a makes parts of incoming light that have come through the first microlens 4a and that have first and second color components incident on the first and second photosensitive cells 2a and 2b, respectively. The second dispersing element 1b makes parts of incoming light that have come through the second microlens 4b and that have third and fourth color components incident on the third and fourth photosensitive cells 2c and 2d, respectively. In addition, light that has not passed through the first and second microlenses 4a and 4b is also incident on the second and fourth photosensitive cells 2b and 2d.
US09425225B2
Unit pixel cells each includes: a photoelectric conversion film; a transparent electrode; a pixel electrode; an amplification transistor; a reset transistor; and an element isolation STI and a leakage suppression region for electrically isolating the amplification transistor and the reset transistor, the first isolation region being in a silicon substrate, between the amplification transistor and the reset transistor, the reset transistor including: a gate electrode; and a drain region which is connected to the pixel electrode, and is in the silicon substrate, between the gate electrode and element isolation STI and the leakage suppression region, in which a depletion layer formed by a first PN junction between the drain region and its surrounding region and in contact with a surface of the silicon substrate is narrower than a depletion layer formed by a second PN junction between the drain region and its surrounding region and formed in the silicon substrate.
US09425224B2
A semiconductor light detection element has a plurality of channels, each of which consists of a photodiode array including a plurality of avalanche photodiodes operating in Geiger mode, quenching resistors connected in series to the respective avalanche photodiodes, and signal lines to which the quenching resistors are connected in parallel. A mounting substrate is configured so that a plurality of electrodes corresponding to the respective channels are arranged on a third principal surface side and so that a signal processing unit for processing output signals from the respective channels is arranged on a fourth principal surface side. In a semiconductor substrate, through-hole electrodes electrically connected to the signal lines are formed for the respective channels. The through-hole electrodes and the electrodes are electrically connected through bump electrodes.
US09425221B2
A circuit-on-wire (CoW) is provided that is made from a flexible metal wire with an outer surface, and a plurality of discrete electrical control devices formed in series along the metal wire outer surface. Each control device may have an electrical contact accessible through the metal wire. In one aspect, the control device may have a via through the metal wire from the top surface to the bottom surface with a second electrical contact accessible through the via. In addition, the control devices may have a top surface with an accessible third electrical contact. For example, the control device may be a first thin-film transistor (TFT), with a gate electrode accessible through the metal wire, wherein the second electrical contact is a first source/drain (S/D) electrode, and wherein the third electrical contact is a second S/D electrode. Using the above-described CoW, a woven active matrix array can be fabricated.
US09425217B2
Defects in an oxide semiconductor film are reduced in a semiconductor device including the oxide semiconductor film. The electrical characteristics of a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor film are improved. The reliability of a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor film is improved. A semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor layer; a metal oxide layer in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer, the metal oxide layer including an In-M oxide (M is Ti, Ga, Y, Zr, La, Ce, Nd, or Hf); and a conductive layer in contact with the metal oxide layer, the conductive layer including copper, aluminum, gold, or silver is provided. In the semiconductor device, y/(x+y) is greater than or equal to 0.75 and less than 1 where the atomic ratio of In to M included in the metal oxide layer is In:M=x:y.
US09425216B2
The present disclosure relates to a thin film transistor substrate having a metal oxide semiconductor for the fringe field type flat panel displays and a method for manufacturing the same. The thin film transistor substrate having an oxide semiconductor layer can include a substrate including pixel region; a gate element formed on the substrate; a gate insulating layer covering the gate element; a channel layer on the gate insulating layer, a source area expanded form a first side of the channel layer, a drain area expanded from a second side of the channel layer, and a pixel electrode expanded from the drain area to the pixel region; an etch stopper formed on the channel layer; a data element formed on the etch stopper; and a common electrode formed on the passivation layer and within the pixel region.
US09425205B2
According to one embodiment, a semiconductor memory device includes a stacked body; a semiconductor body; and a charge storage film. The stacked body includes a plurality of electrode layers crosswise extending in a first direction and second direction crossing the first direction, the plurality of electrode layers separately stacked each other in a third direction crossing the first direction and second direction. The semiconductor body extends in the third direction and provided in the stacked body. The charge storage film is provided between the semiconductor body and the plurality of electrode layers.
US09425204B2
A non-volatile memory has an array of non-volatile memory cells. Each of the non-volatile memory cells includes a coupling device formed on a first well, a read device, a floating gate device formed on a second well and coupled to the coupling device, a program device formed on the second well, and an erase device formed on a third well and coupled to the first floating gate device. The read device, the program device, and the erase device are formed on separate wells so as to separate the cycling counts of a read operation, a program operation and an erase operation of the non-volatile memory cell.
US09425190B2
Techniques for providing a direct injection semiconductor memory device are disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a method for biasing a direct injection semiconductor memory device. The method may comprise applying a first voltage potential to a first N-doped region via a bit line and applying a second voltage potential to a second N-doped region via a source line. The method may also comprise applying a third voltage potential to a word line, wherein the word line is spaced apart from and capacitively coupled to a body region that is electrically floating and disposed between the first N-doped region and the second N-doped region. The method may further comprise applying a fourth voltage potential to a P-type substrate via a carrier injection line.
US09425187B1
Apparatuses and methods for modulating current/voltage response using multiple semi-conductive channel regions (SCR) produced from different integrated semiconductor structures are provided. In particular, embodiments include systems and methods for controlling current or mitigating electromagnetic or radiation interference effects using combined integrated functions of a lateral double-diffused metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (LDMOSFET) and junction field effect transistor (JFET) disposed in proximity of a LDMOSFET's SCR within a certain orientation forming a second SCR.
US09425170B2
An inventive semiconductor device includes: a first semiconductor chip; a second semiconductor chip having a front surface opposed to a front surface of the first semiconductor chip; a first electrode region including a first electrode provided between the first semiconductor chip and the second semiconductor chip to electrically connect the first semiconductor chip to the second semiconductor chip; and a juncture portion provided between the first semiconductor chip and the second semiconductor chip as surrounding the first electrode region to connect the first semiconductor chip to the second semiconductor chip.
US09425157B2
According to an exemplary embodiment, a substrate having a first area and a second area is provided. The substrate includes a plurality of pads. Each of the pads has a pad size. The pad size in the first area is larger than the pad size in the second area.
US09425154B2
A device includes a substrate having a front surface and a back surface; an integrated circuit device at the front surface of the substrate; and a metal plate on the back surface of the substrate, wherein the metal plate overlaps substantially an entirety of the integrated circuit device. A guard ring extends into the substrate and encircles the integrated circuit device. The guard ring is formed of a conductive material. A through substrate via (TSV) penetrates through the substrate and electrically couples to the metal plate.
US09425149B1
An integrated circuit package substrate may include a core layer and dielectric layers formed on top and bottom surfaces of the core layer. Routing traces such as stripline structures may be formed in some of the dielectric layers, whereas plated through hole (PTH) structures may be formed through the core layer. A first pair of PTHs that carry a first differential signal may be orthogonally intertwined with a second pair of PTHs that carry a second differential signal. Solder balls formed at the surface of the package substrate may include a first pair of solder balls that convey a first differential signal that is orthogonally intertwined with respect to a second pair of solder balls that convey a second differential signal. The package substrate may be mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB). Differential PCB vias could use the same BGA orthogonal pattern described above.
US09425140B2
In one embodiment, a capacitor includes a first via level having first metal bars and first vias, such that the first metal bars are coupled to a first potential node. The first metal bars are longer than the first vias. Second metal bars and second vias are disposed in a second via level, the second metal bars are coupled to the first potential node. The second metal bars are longer than the second vias. The second via level is above the first via level and the first metal bars are parallel to the second metal bars. Each of the first metal bars has a first end, an opposite second end, and a middle portion between the first and the second ends. Each of the middle portions of the first metal bars and the second ends of the first metal bars do not contact any metal line.
US09425139B2
Some of the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a Quad Flat No-Lead package comprising: an outer row of outer peripheral leads disposed on an outer periphery of a bottom surface of the Quad Flat No-Lead package; and an inner row of inner peripheral leads disposed on an inner periphery of the bottom surface of the Quad Flat No-Lead package, wherein each of the inner peripheral leads has a substantially rectangular shape, and wherein the substantially rectangular shape has two rounded corners adjacent to the outer row of outer peripheral leads.
US09425130B2
Consistent with an example embodiment, there is leadless packaged semiconductor device having top and bottom opposing major surfaces and sidewalls extending there between. The leadless packaged semiconductor device comprises a lead frame sub-assembly having an array of two or more lead frame portions each having a semiconductor die arranged thereon. There are at least five I/O terminals wherein each of said terminals comprise a respective metal side pad wherein the respective metal side pad is disposed in a recess. A feature of this embodiment is that the each of the side pads is electroplated. The electroplated side pads accept solder and the solder menisci are contained by the recesses.
US09425124B2
A heat sink includes a plurality of layers being disposed substantially parallel with a surface of a heat source. The layers include a plurality of pin portions spaced apart from each other in a planar arrangement wherein the pin portions of the layers are stacked and bonded to form pin fins extending in a transverse direction relative to the heat source to sink heat. A compliant layer is disposed between the pin fins and a mechanical load. The compliant layer provides compliance such that the pin fins accommodate dimensional differences when interfacing with the heat source.
US09425123B2
An electronic device includes a semiconductor module, a wiring substrate, a case member and a heat conducting member. The heat conducting member thermally connects predetermined portions of wiring patterns and a heat conducting pattern of the wiring substrate to a predetermined heat conduction region of a surface of the case member opposing to the wiring substrate. The predetermined heat conduction region is located further from the wiring substrate than a surface of a body portion opposing to the case member. The heat conducting pattern is disposed adjacent to at least one of non-terminal projecting surfaces of the body portion on a surface of the wiring substrate. The heat conducting pattern has a surface that is not covered with solder resist at least at a part. As a result, an area of a heat conducting passage increases and heat radiation performance can be increased.
US09425120B2
A manufacturing method for a semiconductor device in which connection portions of a semiconductor chip are electrically connected to connection portions of a wiring circuit substrate or a semiconductor device in which connection portions of a plurality of semiconductor chips are electrically connected to each other, the method comprising a step of sealing at least part of the connection portions with an adhesive for a semiconductor comprising a compound having a group represented by the following formula (1): wherein R1 represents an electron-donating group.
US09425119B2
A package structure is provided, which includes: a wafer having a surface with a groove, a thin film closing an open end of the groove and electrical contacts; a chip having a surface with a conductive layer and an opposite surface with a concave portion and a seal ring located at a periphery of the concave portion, the chip being disposed on the wafer with the seal ring surrounding the thin film and the electrical contacts located outside the seal ring; an encapsulant formed on the wafer for encapsulating the chip and the electrical contacts; a plurality of sub-conductive wires embedded in the encapsulant with one ends exposed from a top surface of the encapsulant and the other ends in electrical connection with the electrical contacts; and a through hole penetrating the wafer and communicating with the concave portion, thereby reducing the fabrication cost and size of the package structure.
US09425117B2
A package includes a package substrate, which includes a middle layer selected from the group consisting of a core and a middle metal layer, a top metal layer overlying the middle layer, and a bottom metal layer underlying the middle layer. All metal layers overlying the middle layer have a first total metal density that is equal to a sum of all densities of all metal layers over the middle layer. All metal layers underlying the middle layer have a second total metal density that is equal to a sum of all densities of all metal layers under the middle layer. An absolute value of a difference between the first total metal density and the second total metal density is lower than about 0.1.
US09425111B2
A semiconductor package includes a package substrate; a semiconductor chip mounted on a top surface of the package substrate; a chip pad disposed on a bottom surface of the semiconductor chip to face the top surface of the package substrate, the chip pad including a connection pad and a measurement pad; and a chip bump including a first bump provided between the package substrate and the connection pad and a second bump provided between the package substrate and the measurement pad. An interconnection disposed within the package substrate is not connected to the second bump to be electrically isolated from the second bump.
US09425110B1
A three-dimensional wafer level packaged (WLP) integrated circuit that includes a pair of opposing circuit cells fabricated on separate wafers that have been bonded together to provide vertical circuit redundancy. The integrated circuits on each of the separate wafers are performance tested prior to the wafers being bonded together so as to designate good performing circuits as active circuit cells and poor performing circuits as inactive circuit cells. The inactive circuit cell for a particular pair of integrated circuits is metalized with a short circuiting metal layer to make it inoperable. The WLP integrated circuit implements a yield-enhancing circuit redundancy scheme on spatially uncorrelated wafers that avoids wasting valuable wafer x-y planar area, which provides cost savings as a result of more wafer area being available for distinct circuits on each wafer rather than sacrificed for traditional side-by-side redundant copies of circuits.
US09425103B2
A method that involves forming a high-k gate insulation layer, a work-function adjusting metal layer and a metal protection layer in first and second replacement gate cavities, wherein the metal protection layer is formed so as to pinch-off the first gate cavity while leaving the second gate cavity partially un-filled, forming a first bulk conductive metal layer in the un-filled portion of the second gate cavity, removing substantially all of the metal protection layer in the first gate cavity while leaving a portion of the metal protection layer in the second gate cavity, forming a second conductive metal layer within the first and second replacement gate cavities, recessing the conductive metal layers so as to define first and second gate-cap cavities in the first and second replacement gate cavities, respectively, and forming gate cap layers within the first and second gate-cap cavities.
US09425089B2
Conductive element structures and methods of manufacture thereof are disclosed. In some embodiments, a method of forming a conductive element in an insulating layer includes: forming a recess in a metal layer disposed over the insulating layer; selectively forming a metal liner on a sidewall of the recess; and etching a via in the insulating layer using the metal layer and the metal liner as a mask.
US09425087B1
A method for forming a semiconductor device structure is provided. The method includes forming a dielectric layer over a semiconductor substrate. The method includes forming a mask layer over the dielectric layer. The mask layer has an opening exposing a portion of the dielectric layer. The method includes removing the portion of the dielectric layer through the opening to form a recess in the dielectric layer. The method includes removing the mask layer. The method includes performing a plasma cleaning process over the dielectric layer. The plasma cleaning process uses a carbon dioxide-containing gas.
US09425081B2
The disclosure relates to a method for implantation of atomic or ionic species into a batch of substrates made of semiconductor material, in which: each substrate made of semiconductor material is positioned on a respective support of a batch implanter, each substrate comprising a thin layer of electrical insulator on its surface; and a dose of at least one ionic or atomic species is implanted over the whole surface of the substrates, through their layer of insulator, so as to form a fragilization region within each substrate and to bound there a thin layer of semiconductor material between the thin layer of insulator and the fragilization region of the substrate, the implantation method being characterized in that, during the method, each support on which a substrate is positioned has at least two separate inclinations with respect to the plane orthogonal to the direction of implantation of the species in order to improve the implantation depth of the species in the substrate. The disclosure also relates to structures of the semiconductor-on-insulator type obtained by the implementation of the implantation method.
US09425079B2
A metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) with integrated passive structures and methods of manufacturing the same is disclosed. The method includes forming a stacked structure in an active region and at least one shallow trench isolation (STI) structure adjacent to the stacked structure. The method further includes forming a semiconductor layer directly in contact with the at least one STI structure and the stacked structure. The method further includes patterning the semiconductor layer and the stacked structure to form an active device in the active region and a passive structure of the semiconductor layer directly on the at least one STI structure.
US09425076B2
Embodiments of apparatus for supporting a substrate are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, an apparatus for supporting a substrate includes a support member; and a plurality of substrate contact elements protruding from the support member, wherein each of the plurality of substrate contact elements includes: a first contact surface to support a substrate when placed thereon; and a second contact surface extending from the first contact surface, wherein the second contact surface is adjacent a periphery of the substrate to prevent radial movement of the substrate, wherein the first contact surface is at a first angle with respect to the support member and the second contact surface is at a second angle with respect to the support member, and wherein the first angle is between about 3 degrees and 5 degrees.
US09425075B2
The present disclosure suppresses oxidation of a base film on a substrate surface during the formation of an oxide film. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present disclosure includes forming an initial layer including a predetermined element and having a thickness of several atomic layers on a substrate in a process chamber by supplying a predetermined-element-containing gas to the substrate, and forming an oxide film including the predetermined element on the initial layer by performing a cycle a predetermined number of times, the cycle including supplying a precursor gas including the predetermined element to the substrate in the process chamber and supplying an oxygen-containing gas and a hydrogen-containing gas to the substrate heated in the process chamber under a pressure lower than an atmospheric pressure.
US09425071B2
A film forming method for obtaining a thin film by laminating molecular layers of oxide on a surface of a substrate in a vacuum atmosphere includes performing a cycle a plurality of times. The cycle includes: supplying a source gas containing a source to the substrate in a vacuum vessel to adsorb the source onto the substrate; forming an ozone atmosphere containing ozone having a concentration not less than that where a chain decomposition reaction is caused in the vacuum vessel; and forcibly decomposing the ozone by supplying energy to the ozone atmosphere to generate active species of oxygen, and oxidizing the source adsorbed onto the surface of the substrate by the active species to obtain the oxide.
US09425069B2
Electronic modules are formed by encapsulating microelectronic dies within cavities in a substrate.
US09425064B2
Techniques are described herein for a dip soldering process which provides a low-profile, low-cost solder bump formation process which may be implemented to promote package thickness scaling (e.g., reduce the overall package thickness). For example, the dip soldering process disclosed herein may enable ultra-thin wafer-level packages (WLP), ultra-thin wafer level quad-flat no-leads (WQFN) packages, or the like.
US09425061B2
The present disclosure relates to method of forming a MIM (metal-insulator-metal) structure having a buffer cap layer that reduces stress induced by an overlying stress-inducing protective layer, and an associated apparatus. The method is performed by forming a lower conductive layer over a semiconductor substrate, forming a dielectric layer over the lower conductive layer, and forming an upper conductive layer over the dielectric layer. A buffer cap layer is formed over the upper conductive layer and a stress-inducing protective layer is formed onto the buffer cap layer. The buffer cap layer reduces a stress induced onto the upper conductive layer by the stress-inducing protective layer, thereby reducing leakage current between the lower and upper conductive layers.
US09425045B2
It is an object to provide a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor, which has stable electric characteristics and high reliability. An oxide semiconductor film serving as a channel formation region of a transistor is formed by a sputtering method at a temperature higher than 200° C., so that the number of water molecules eliminated from the oxide semiconductor film can be 0.5/nm3 or less according to thermal desorption spectroscopy. A substance including a hydrogen atom such as hydrogen, water, a hydroxyl group, or hydride which causes variation in the electric characteristics of a transistor including an oxide semiconductor is prevented from entering the oxide semiconductor film, whereby the oxide semiconductor film can be highly purified and made to be an electrically i-type (intrinsic) semiconductor.
US09425042B2
Systems and methods are provided for fabricating a semiconductor device structure. An example semiconductor device structure includes a first buffer layer, a second buffer layer, a n-type transistor structure, and a p-type transistor structure. The first buffer layer having a first germanium concentration is formed on a substrate. The second buffer layer having a second germanium concentration is formed on the substrate, the second germanium concentration being larger than the first germanium concentration. The n-type transistor structure is formed on the first buffer layer, and the p-type transistor structure is formed on the second buffer layer.
US09425041B2
Methods for controlled isotropic etching of layers of silicon oxide and germanium oxide with atomic scale fidelity are provided. The methods make use of NO activation of an oxide surface. Once activated, a fluorine-containing gas or vapor etches the activated surface. Etching is self-limiting as once the activated surface is removed, etching stops since the fluorine species does not spontaneously react with the un-activated oxide surface. These methods may be used in interconnect pre-clean applications, gate dielectric processing, manufacturing of memory devices, or any other applications where accurate removal of one or multiple atomic layers of material is desired.
US09425040B2
A method of forming a laminated film includes forming a silicon oxide film on a plurality of target objects loaded in a reaction chamber, and forming a silicon oxynitride film on the plurality of target objects by supplying a silicon source, an oxidizing agent and a nitride agent to the reaction chamber, wherein forming the silicon oxide film and forming the silicon oxynitride film are repeatedly performed for a predetermined number of times on the plurality of target objects to form a laminated film including the silicon oxynitride film and the silicon oxide film.
US09425038B2
A method for forming a silicon oxycarbonitride film includes supplying a gas containing a silicon precursor having an oxygen-containing group onto a process surface of a workpiece, supplying a gas containing a carbon precursor onto the process surface, and supplying a nitriding gas onto the process surface subjected to the supplying a gas containing a silicon precursor and the supplying a gas containing a carbon precursor. The silicon oxycarbonitride film is formed on the process surface by the supplying the gas containing the silicon precursor, the supplying gas containing the carbon precursor and the supplying a nitriding gas without performing an oxidation process.
US09425034B2
A multi-reflecting time-of-flight (MR-TOF) mass spectrometer, which includes two quasi-planar electrostatic ion mirrors extended along drift direction (Z) and is formed of parallel electrodes, separated by a field-free region. The MR-TOF includes a pulsed ion source to release ion packets at a small angle to X-direction which is orthogonal to the drift direction Z. Ion packets are reflected between ion mirrors and drift along the drift direction. The mirrors are arranged to provide time-of-flight focusing ion packets on the receiver. The MR-TOF mirrors provide spatial focusing in the Y-direction orthogonal to both drift direction Z and ion injection direction X. In a preferred embodiment, at least one mirror has a feature providing periodic spatial focusing of ion packets in the drift Z-direction.
US09425029B2
A processing apparatus includes a supply source including a first supply source and a second supply source arranged to respectively face a first surface of a substrate and a second surface on an opposite side of the first surface. The supply source is configured to supply a material to apply a process to the substrate. A shield member includes a first shield provided around the first supply source and a second shield provided around the second supply source, the first shield and the second shield being arranged to sandwich the substrate. A moving device is configured to move the first shield and the second shield to set one of a close state in which the first shield and the second shield are close to each other and a separate state in which the first shield and the second shield are separate from each other.
US09425025B2
A method for processing substrate in a chamber, which has at least one plasma generating source, a reactive gas source for providing reactive gas into the interior region of the chamber, and a non-reactive gas source for providing non-reactive gas into the interior region, is provided. The method includes performing a mixed-mode pulsing (MMP) preparation phase, including flowing reactive gas into the interior region and forming a first plasma to process the substrate that is disposed on a work piece holder. The method further includes performing a MMP reactive phase, including flowing at least non-reactive gas into the interior region, and forming a second plasma to process the substrate, the second plasma is formed with a reactive gas flow during the MMP reactive phase that is less than a reactive gas flow during the MMP preparation phase. Perform the method steps a plurality of times.
US09425005B2
A vacuum interrupter is disclosed with transition areas between metal housing parts and ceramic housing parts covered by insulating material. To enhance dielectric performance and field grading behavior, the insulating material can extend as a tube or a multilayer tube design over at least nearly a complete length of the vacuum interrupter or vacuum device arrangement. The insulating material can be filled or at least covered at an inner surface which comes into close contact with the vacuum interrupter or vacuum device surface, with metal and/or conductive metal oxides.
US09425004B2
A circuit breaker according to the present disclosure may include a movable contact configured to be brought into contact with or separated from the stationary contact; and a switching mechanism configured to switch the movable contact, wherein the switching mechanism includes a shaft rotatably installed therein; a transfer link configured to transfer a driving force from the shaft to the movable contact; and a pin configured to hinge-couple the shaft to the transfer link and insulate them from each other, and the pin is installed with a wear resistant member at a portion brought into contact with the shaft.
US09424995B2
An apparatus is disclosed which includes an electrolytic capacitive element with multiple capacitor sections.
US09424981B2
A multilayer body 12 includes nonmagnetic sheets SH1a and SH1b each having an upper surface provided with a plurality of linear conductors 16, a magnetic sheet SH3 having an upper surface provided with a plurality of linear conductors 18a, and a nonmagnetic sheet SH4 having an upper surface provided with a plurality of linear conductors 18b, which are stacked one on top of another. Via-hole conductors or side-surface conductors are disposed with the multilayer body 12 so as to connect these linear conductors to one another and form an inductor. The plurality of linear conductors have a pattern that is common among at least two sheets adjacent to each other in a stacking direction.
US09424977B2
A thermally conductive silicone adhesive composition for a reactor, having good fluidity even when containing a large amount of thermally conductive filler to obtain a thermally conductive silicone adhesive composition, permitting potting of fine substrates, having good properties after curing, having little change in properties even with heat or moist-heat aging, and giving good adhesiveness to metals and organic resins, and a reactor potted by this composition, can be provided by making a thermally conductive silicone adhesive composition having a viscosity of 100 mPa·s at 25° C. and containing a liquid organohydrogenpolysiloxane having 2-10 hydrogen atoms bonded with silicon atoms in the molecule, containing no alkoxy groups, having at least one epoxy group bonded with a silicon atom via an alkylene group, having a polysiloxane degree of polymerization of 15 or lower, and containing a polysiloxane skeleton having a cyclic structure.
US09424974B2
A dry-type electrical transformer includes a coil assembly having at least one winding wound into a plurality of concentric turns, at least one cooling sector defined between adjacent concentric turns, spacers positioned inside the cooling sector and spaced from each other to allow a plurality of air ducts each defined between two adjacent spacers, and at least one electrical shield positioned in the cooling sector and arranged to electrically shield the air ducts. At least one electrical shield is positioned in the cooling sector and arranged to electrically shield the air ducts. The electrical shield include a first end edge connected to the turn at the inner side of the cooling sector, a second end edge which is free and electrically insulated from the surrounding parts, and a central portion extending between the first and second end edges and is positioned at the outer side of the spacers.
US09424968B2
A magnetic material for antennas including: an M-type hexagonal ferrite represented by the following general formula (1) as a main phase, MA.Fe12-x.MBx.O19 (wherein MA is at least one kind selected from the group consisting of Sr and Ba, MB is MC or MD, MC is at least one kind selected from the group consisting of Al, Cr, Sc and In, MD is an equivalent mixture of at least one kind selected from the group consisting of Ti, Sn and Zr and at least one kind selected from the group consisting of Ni, Zn, Mn, Mg, Cu and Co, X is a number from 1 to 5), and an average crystal particle diameter is equal to or greater than 5 μm.
US09424947B2
A program method of a three-dimensional nonvolatile memory device is provided which includes executing at least one program loop including an operation of programming selected memory cells of a selected string turned on by a selected string selection transistor and an operation of verifying whether programming of the memory cells is passed; and applying a negative counter voltage to a selected word line connected to the selected memory cells of the selected string at least once during an interval of the verify operation where there are turned on string selection transistors of unselected strings connected through the same bit line as that of the selected string.
US09424945B2
Technologies are generally described herein for linear programming based decoding for memory devices. In some examples, a cell threshold voltage level of a memory cell is detected. An interference voltage level of an interference cell that interferes with the memory cell can be determined. The cell threshold voltage level can be decoded in accordance with a set of beliefs to determine the value of the memory cell. The set of beliefs can include a minimization of an objective function of a linear program representing inter-cell interference between the memory cell and the interference cell.
US09424943B2
The present invention provides a data reading device capable of preventing erroneous writing during an operation of reading data from a non-volatile memory element. The data reading device includes a dummy reading circuit provided with a non-volatile memory element, the writing voltage of which is lower than that of a non-volatile memory element of a data reading circuit, and a state detection circuit that detects a written state of the non-volatile memory element of the dummy reading circuit. Upon detection of erroneous writing to the non-volatile memory element of the dummy reading circuit during a data reading operation, the data reading operation is immediately terminated.
US09424937B2
A method of programming a flash memory is described. The method includes partitioning a flash memory into a first group having a first level of write-protection, a second group having a second level of write-protection, and a third group having a third level of write-protection. The write-protection of the second and third groups is disabled using an installation adapter. The third group is programmed using a Software Installation Device.
US09424935B2
A semiconductor device according to an embodiment may include a memory string including a drain selection transistor, memory cells and a source selection transistor all coupled between a bit line and a common source line, and the drain selection transistor, the memory cells and the source selection transistor configured to operate, respectively, in response to voltages applied to a drain selection line, word lines and a source selection line. The semiconductor device may include an operation circuit configured for performing a program operation. The operation circuit may be configured for sequentially performing a first operation, a second operation, and a third operation. In the first operation memory cells adjacent to the drain selection transistor may be programmed. In the second operation memory cells adjacent to the source selection transistor may be programmed. In the third operation remaining memory cells may be programmed.
US09424933B2
An operating method of a nonvolatile memory system including first and second areas is provided. Data stored in the first area is migrated to the second area when a first booting operation is performed. The data stored in the second area is reprogrammed. The first booting operation is a booting operation performed when the nonvolatile memory system is first powered on after mounted on a printed circuit board. The reprogramming is a program operation performed on the data stored in the second area without performing an erasing operation on the data stored in the second area.
US09424930B2
Methods, storage controllers, and systems for non-volatile storage element programming are described. One method includes programming user data in pages associated with a set of wordlines of an erase block of a non-volatile, solid-state storage element. The method further includes selecting at least one of the wordlines of the set programmed with the user data and restricting further programming of user data in the pages associated with the selected wordline. In some embodiments, the selected wordline occurs subsequent to the pages associated with the other wordlines of the set in a page programming order for the erase block.
US09424920B2
Some embodiments include methods in which a memory cell is formed to have programmable material between first and second access lines, with the programmable material having two compositionally different regions. A concentration of ions and/or ion-vacancies may be altered in at least one of the regions to change a memory state of the memory cell and to simultaneously form a pn diode. Some embodiments include memory cells having programmable material with two compositionally different regions, and having ions and/or ion-vacancies diffusible into at least one of the regions. The memory cell has a memory state in which the first and second regions are of opposite conductivity type relative to one another.
US09424917B2
Methods for operating memory are disclosed. A method includes applying a select word line voltage to a word line node of a first resistive random access memory (RRAM) cell; applying a first programming voltage to a source line node of the first RRAM cell; and setting the first RRAM cell comprising applying a second programming voltage to a bit line node of the first RRAM cell. The first programming voltage is greater than zero volts, and the second programming voltage is greater than the first programming voltage. Other disclosed methods include concurrently setting and resetting RRAM cells.
US09424913B2
According to one embodiment, a semiconductor storage device includes a memory cell array and a controller. The memory cell array includes a first memory cell, a second memory cell, a third memory cell, and a fourth memory cell. The controller writes data having n values (n is natural numbers of 2 or more to k or less) in the second memory cell and simultaneously writes the fourth memory cell, after writing the data having the n values in the first memory cell. When reading the data from the first memory cell, the controller reads data of the first memory cell and the third memory cell which is selected simultaneously with the first memory cell and, changes a read voltage of the first memory cell based on the data read from the third memory cell.
US09424907B2
Disclosed herein is a device includes a command generation circuit that activates first and second command signals, an internal circuit that includes a plurality of transistors that are brought into a first operation state when at least one of the first and second command signals is activated, and an output gate circuit that receives a first signal output from the internal circuit, the output gate circuit being configured to pass the first signal when the second command signal is deactivated and to block the first signal when the second command signal is activated.
US09424906B2
A semiconductor storage device according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of memory units respectively comprising a plurality of memory cells. A data bus is shared by the memory units and transfers data from the memory units or to the memory units. A timing controller includes a delay time unit shared by the memory units sharing the data bus. The timing controller is configured to output a control signal for driving the memory units after a predetermined delay time elapses since receiving an input signal.
US09424903B2
To provide a memory apparatus capable of operating at high speed with less current and inhibiting a decrease in an amplitude of a readout signal.A memory apparatus includes a memory device at least including a memory layer, a magnetic fixed layer, and an intermediate layer made of a non-magnetic body disposed between the memory layer and the magnetic fixed layer; current being capable of flowing in a lamination direction; a wiring for supplying current flowing to the lamination direction; and a memory control unit for storing information by flowing standby current at a predetermined level to the memory device via the wiring to incline the magnetization direction of the memory layer from the direction perpendicular to a film surface and flowing recording current that is higher than the standby current via the wiring to change the magnetization direction of the memory layer.
US09424893B2
The present disclosure provides systems and methods for storing, reading, and writing data using particle-based acoustic wave driven shift registers. The shift registers may physically shift particles along rows and/or columns of wells through the interactions of two parallel surfaces. A transducer may generate an acoustic wave to displace one or more of the two parallel surfaces. The particles may be transferred to and/or otherwise constrained by a buffer surface during at least a portion of the acoustic wave, such that the particles may be shifted during one or more cycles of the acoustic wave. In various embodiments, the amplitude of the acoustic wave may correspond to the spacing distance between each of the wells. The wells may be physical and/or potential wells.
US09424891B2
Methods, apparatuses and systems are disclosed involving a memory device. In one embodiment, a memory device is disclosed that includes a command error module of the memory device operably coupled to at least one of a command signal and an address signal and configured to detect and report a parity error on the command signal, the address signal, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, a memory device may include a temperature sensor operably coupled to a mode register. The temperature sensor may be configured to sense a device temperature and report a temperature status. Furthermore, the memory device may be incorporated into a memory module, which may be included in an electronic system.
US09424884B2
A video system (10) includes a digital viewing device (22) having a display (32), a plurality of discrete video clips that are each associated with a first stack, and a video clip display sequencer defining an order for sequential display of the video clips in the first stack on the display (32) of the digital viewing device (22). The video clips in the first stack are unrelated to each other in terms of plot, and associations of each of the video clips with the first stack are selectively defined using the digital viewing device (22). At least a portion of the order for sequential display is determined substantially randomly by the digital viewing device (22).
US09424881B2
Methods and apparatus are disclosed for selecting the placement of a progress bar that is displayed on top of audiovisual content being presented on a display device when a viewer issues a “trick-play” command to change the rate at which the audiovisual content is being presented, such as rewind, pause, or fast-forward. The placement of the progress bar is selected such that it does not obscure audiovisual content used by the viewer to determine how long to issue the trick-play command.
US09424879B1
A data storage device can have one or more data bits that are stored on a data storage medium and accessed with a transducing head. The data bits may be organized on the data storage medium to provide a surface data capacity. A performance degradation can be predicted for the transducing head by a controller connected to the transducing head. In response to the predicted performance degradation, the surface data capacity of the data storage medium is decreased.
US09424875B2
A content receiver comprises: an acceptance unit for accepting a designation of a recording medium to which contents are to be output; a license information acquiring unit for acquiring output license information describing the output requirements of the contents; and an output unit for outputting the contents to the designated recording medium. The output license information includes usage time limit information indicating the time limit of using the contents in an output destination. The output unit acquires the usage time limit information from the output license information for the contents, and sets the acquired usage time limit information to a management information storing area in the designated recording medium, thereby managing the time period of using the contents in the recording medium even if the copyright protection of the recording medium, which is an export destination, has a function to manage the time period of using the contents.
US09424865B2
A method for annealing a metal antenna of a near field optical transducer of a magnetic write element without inadvertently heat damaging the read element. A heating element is placed within a write head build in a cerf region outside of the active area of the read and write heads. A layer of thermally conductive, electrically insulating material is formed over the heating element to separate the heating element from the antenna. The thermally conductive, electrically insulating layer is preferably in contact with the antenna. A current can be applied to the heating element to heat the antenna to a temperature that is at or above the operating temperature of the optical transducer. After annealing, the heater element can be removed by the lapping process that is used to define the media facing surface of the head.
US09424864B2
Managing data stored on media of a Data Storage Device (DSD) using zone relocation. At least a portion of the media is logically divided into a plurality of zones and zones are identified with access counts greater than or equal to a threshold. The access count for each of the identified zones indicates a number of times data in the zone has been read or written. Data is relocated from at least one zone of the identified zones to at least one destination zone on the media to reduce a data access time between the identified zones.
US09424859B2
A vocal effect processing system may include an effect modification module configured to selectively and dynamically apply effects to an input audio signal in accordance with a degree of likelihood that the input audio signal includes a vocal signal and/or based on a proximate location of a source of vocal audio with respect to a vocal microphone. Determination of the degree of likelihood that the input audio signal includes a vocal signal and/or the proximate location may be based on processing of the input audio signal or a plurality of input audio signals. Determination of the proximate location may alternatively, or in addition, be estimated based on a proximity sensor. The effect modification module may dynamically and selectively adjust the effects in response to changes in the degree of likelihood that the vocal signal is included in the input audio signal and/or changes in the estimated proximate location.
US09424854B2
A method for processing audio data includes determining a first common scalefactor value for representing quantized audio data in a frame. A second common scalefactor value is determined for representing the quantized audio data in the frame. A line equation common scalefactor value is determined from the first and second common scalefactor values.
US09424850B2
A method and an apparatus for allocating bits in an audio signal. The method includes dividing a frequency band of an audio signal into a plurality of subbands, quantizing a subband normalization factor of each subband; and an energy attribute of an audio signal of the corresponding group; allocating coding bits to at least one group, where a sum of coding bits allocated to the at least one group is the number of coding bits of the audio signal; and allocating the coding bits allocated to the at least one group to each subband in each group of the at least one group. In a case of a low or medium bit rate, the embodiments of the present invention can, by means of grouping, ensure relatively stable allocation of previous and subsequent frames and reduce impact of global allocation on partial discontinuity.
US09424848B2
A secure transaction method involves establishing an electronically accessible verification site authorized by the holder of a credit or debit card, and accessing the verification site by a merchant to determine whether a request for goods or services is authorized. The request for goods or services is based upon the use of the credit or debit card, but the card is not physically presented. The verification site is an electronic mail account which may be established by the merchant, card holder or other authorized person or entity. An authorization message is preferably sent from the site to the merchant in response to the step of accessing the verification site by the merchant. The verification site may also be wirelessly accessible, enabling an authorization message to be delivered through a cellular telephone, personal digital assistant, or other mobile device.
US09424847B2
A bandwidth extension parameter generation device includes: a derivation unit which derives a high-band signal representing a high-band portion of an input sound signal; and a calculation unit which calculates a tone parameter and a floor parameter, the tone parameter indicating a magnitude of energy of a tone component of the high-band signal, the floor parameter indicating a magnitude of energy of a floor component obtained by subtracting the tone component from the high-band signal.
US09424842B2
A speech recognition system is to be used on a human subject. The speech recognition system includes an image capturing device, an oral cavity detecting device and a speech recognition device. The image capturing device captures images of lips of the subject during a speech of the subject. The oral cavity detecting device detects contact with a tongue of the subject and distance from the tongue of the subject, and accordingly generates a contact signal and a distance signal. The speech recognition device processes the images of the lips and the contact and distance signals so as to obtain content of the speech of the subject.
US09424839B2
A system has a speech recognition unit 2 including a first recognition engine capable of recognizing predetermined word strings and a second recognition engine capable of recognizing parts of the word strings; and a deciding unit 4 that selects, in accordance with a difference between the durations of first and second recognition resulting candidates, which are recognition results of the speech recognition by the first and second recognition engines 2a and 2b, one or more probable recognition resulting candidates from the first and second recognition resulting candidates.
US09424837B2
A method for configuring a speech recognition system comprises obtaining a speech sample utilized by a voice authentication system in a voice authentication process. The speech sample is processed to generate acoustic models for units of speech associated with the speech sample. The acoustic models are stored for subsequent use by the speech recognition system as part of a speech recognition process.
US09424834B2
A non-transitory processor-readable medium stores code representing instructions to be executed by a processor. The code causes the processor to receive a request from a user of a client device to initiate a speech recognition engine for a web page displayed at the client device. In response to the request, the code causes the processor to (1) download, from a server associated with a first party, the speech recognition engine into the client device; and then (2) analyze, using the speech recognition engine, content of the web page including text in an identified language to produce analyzed content based on the identified language, where the content of the web page is received from a server associated with a second party. The code further causes the processor to send a signal to cause the client device to present the analyzed content to the user at the client device.
US09424831B2
A voice synthesizing apparatus includes a manipulation determiner configured to determine a manipulation position which is moved according to a manipulation of a user, and a voice synthesizer configured to generate, in response to an instruction to generate a voice in which a second phoneme follows a first phoneme, a voice signal so that vocalization of the first phoneme starts before the manipulation position reaches a reference position and that vocalization from the first phoneme to the second phoneme is made when the manipulation position reaches the reference position.
US09424821B2
A piccolo comprising a conical-bore headjoint, and a cylindrical-bore main body having toneholes of particular size disposed at particular intervals along the length of the body.
US09424817B2
A tuning apparatus for a musical instrument is provided. The apparatus includes a clamp, a plurality of string-contacting members, and a string-contacting member spacing adjustment mechanism. The clamp removably attaches to a desired longitudinal position on the instrument's neck. Each member is rotatably supported by the clamp and rotates thereon independently of the other members. Each member also adjustably impinges upon and urges a given string or course thereof on the instrument toward a user-selectable one of three different longitudinal positions on the neck's front surface, these positions including a home position, a home−1 position, and a home+1 position. The mechanism allows a user to adjust the location of the members as a group on the clamp so as to substantially center the plane of rotation of each member over a different string or course thereof, and to maintain substantially equal spacing between each different adjacent pair of members.
US09424808B2
The invention discloses an image cropping manipulation method for use in a portable electronic device. The portable electronic device comprises a touch screen and an image processing unit. The method comprises: displaying a sub-image on the touch screen, the sub-image is cropped from a digital image; receiving a user input from the touch screen; in response to the user input, map the user input to an operation on the digital image; and performing the operation to update the sub-image.
US09424806B2
A method for displaying data in a graphical overlay includes overlaying a first lens, including a first dataset, on a first region of the graphical overlay while a second lens, including a second dataset, overlaps the first lens. The first and second datasets are simultaneously displayed, and a correlation between the datasets is determined. Separation of the first and second lenses preserves a circumscribed region within each lens. The first dataset corresponds to first orientation position of the first lens. Rotation of the first lens to a second orientation position reconfigures the first dataset to provide a modified first dataset which corresponds to the second position. A rotational position may also be associated with points in time, a first position corresponding to a first point in time and the first dataset representing the first dataset at the first point in time.
US09424802B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide an approach for processing a color image for a color blind person to perceive color variation within the color image. Specifically, in a typical embodiment, a color image is received from an image capture device or other means. Each area of the color image having one of a specific color or color combination is determined. A pattern is generated based on the one of the specific color or color combination. A pattern overlay of the generated pattern is rendered on a display device.
US09424781B2
An organic light emitting display is disclosed. The organic light emitting display includes a display panel having subpixels; a data driving part for supplying a data signal to the display panel; a compensation circuit part for sensing the subpixels; a power generation part for generating and outputting power to be supplied to the display panel and the data driving part; a voltage line wired between an output terminal of the power generation part and the display panel, the voltage line to transmit a voltage output from the power generation part to the display panel; and a power control part for controlling the voltage line.
US09424779B2
An organic light emitting display device includes a scan driving unit supplying a first scan signal and a second scan signal to each of a plurality of scan lines; a data driving unit supplying data signals to each of a plurality of data lines to be synchronized with the second scan signal; pixels positioned at intersections of the scan lines with the data lines, receiving bias power when the first scan signal is supplied, and receiving the data signals when the second scan signal is supplied.
US09424777B2
An organic light-emitting diode display is disclosed. In one aspect, the display includes a display panel including pixels and having first and second end portions opposing each other, and a center portion therebetween. First and second power supply voltage lines extend from the first end portions to the second end portions. A third power supply voltage line having first and second ends are respectively formed in the first and center portions. A fourth power supply voltage line has first and second ends respectively formed in the first and second end portions. A power supply unit is formed adjacent to the first end portion and configured to apply a first power supply voltage to the first ends of the first and second power supply voltage lines and a second power supply voltage to the first end of the third power supply voltage line.
US09424768B2
A signal format definition data appropriate for a rendering device used to present alternate-frame sequencing based 3D material is identified and the identified signal format definition data is thereafter used to decode received synchronization signals associated with the rendering device. A shutter of a universal viewing device may thus be controlled as a function of the decoded synchronization signals associated with the rendering device to thereby allow for viewing of the alternate-frame sequencing based 3D material.
US09424766B2
A method of displaying stereoscopic images includes synchronizing a first image frame with a first shutter in accordance with a first shutter control signal and synchronizing a second image frame with a second shutter in accordance with a second shutter control signal, adding a first modification voltage to the first and second shutter control signals for a first time period after a start point of a shutter open period, adding a second modification voltage to the first and second shutter control signals for a second time period before an end point of the shutter open period, and alternately opening the first shutter and the second shutter based on the first shutter control signal and the second shutter control signal.
US09424764B2
A sign holder assembly comprises a support member and a mounting member. The support member includes a substantially planar panel and a plurality of rails. The plurality of rails rearwardly extend from a surface of the substantially planar panel and define at least one reception track extending between two adjacent ones of the plurality of rails. The mounting member includes a main body, a coupling rail, and a magnet. The main body includes a bottom end and two opposing side surfaces. The magnet is secured to the bottom end and is configured to selectively and magnetically couple with a top spine of a separate display fixture. The coupling rail is coupled to one of the two opposing side surfaces of the main body. The coupling rail is slidably secured within the at least one reception track such that the support member is supported relative to the separate display fixture.
US09424763B2
A messaging sign apparatus is provided. The messaging signs includes a frame, and a moveable article. The frame includes an article receiving section along an inner body thereof and an article receiving opening on an outer surface and leading into the article receiving section. The moveable article is positioned in the article receiving section and moveable through the article receiving opening. The moveable article includes a first position notch positioned between a distal end and a leading end of the moveable article to engage the frame and secure one end of the moveable article within the frame and an opposite end positioned outside the frame.
US09424754B2
Methods and systems are provided for providing procedure information associated with an aircraft procedure onboard an aircraft. An exemplary method involves obtaining a briefing sequence for the aircraft procedure and providing the procedure information via the output device, wherein the procedure information is provided in accordance with the briefing sequence. When the output device is realized as an audio output device, the procedure information is sequentially provided auditorily via the audio output device. In one or more embodiments, the procedure information is sequentially indicated on a display device onboard the aircraft in concert with the auditorily provided procedure information.
US09424750B2
A vehicle control system includes: an anti-collision safety control unit executing anti-collision safety control for avoiding or alleviating a collision with an object including a reflection point on the basis of positional information about the reflection point, output from a positional information output unit; and a cancellation unit calculating an index value that increases with a duration of a state where a variation in a position of the reflection point in a direction perpendicular to a vehicle travelling direction is smaller than a predetermined amount and that, when the index value exceeds a threshold, issues a command such that the anti-collision safety control unit does not execute anti-collision safety control over the reflection point. When it is determined that the vehicle is travelling near a curve entrance, the cancellation unit increases the threshold as compared with when it is determined that the vehicle is not travelling near a curve entrance.
US09424747B2
This disclosure provides method and systems of recording a predetermined event associated with a moving object, the predetermined event captured with an image capturing unit and one or more of the associated frames compressed, producing one or more motion vectors. According to one exemplary embodiment, vehicle counting is performed based on motion vectors produced during the data compression process, either inline or offline.
US09424746B2
A system and method for setting a warning reference of an advanced driver assistance system are provided. The method includes receiving, by a controller, vehicle information based on a driving condition from a telematics terminal and calculating statistical data for each item of the vehicle information based on the collected vehicle information. In addition, the controller is configured to store the statistical data in a database and calculate at least one time series risk index based on statistical data and a computation weight table stored in the database. The time series risk index is then transmitted to the telematics terminal.
US09424744B2
A method for determining travel time of a vehicle on a road, wherein the vehicle is operable within a mobile communication network, comprising: collecting historical communication events of a mobile user in order to obtain travel samples, wherein the historical communication events indicate when the mobile user travelled along a monitored road; determining a cell handover sequence from the historical communication events; determining from the cell handover sequence, one of more road segments of the monitored road; determining the travel time of the one or more road segments according to the travel time samples; selecting, for an undetermined road segment of the monitored road for which the real-time travel time is not determined from the collected historical communication events, a candidate mobile user that is most likely to appear on the undetermined road segment; actively positioning the candidate mobile user to obtain positioning information; and returning to the step of collecting communication events of a mobile user currently on a monitored road with the active positioning as one communication event for the candidate mobile user, to determine the real-time travel time of the undetermined road segment.
US09424742B1
Various methods and systems are directed to a meter alert system that provides surveillance of meters and other components of a utility system. The meter alert system obtains, via a user interface, specification of one or more meter conditions among a list of meter conditions. The meter alert system generates a rule for a utility metering device according to the meter conditions, wherein the rule is associated with a utility metering device identifier of the utility metering device. The meter system executes the rule, wherein an execution of the rule generates an alert in response to at least one of the first meter condition being satisfied or the second meter condition being satisfied. The meter alert system transmits a notification message in response to the alert being generated.
US09424741B2
In an exemplary implementation, a detection circuit for regulating a power converter is configured to receive a combined sense signal comprising a first sense signal from the power converter superimposed with a second sense signal from the power converter. The detection circuit is further configured to generate a first detect signal from the combined sense signal and generate a second detect signal from the combined sense signal. The first detect signal can correspond to the first sense signal and the second detect signal can correspond to the second sense signal. The detection circuit can generate a filtered signal corresponding to the first sense signal from the combined sense signal to generate the first detect signal from the combined sense signal. Also, the detection circuit can generate an offset signal based on the combined sense signal to generate the second detect signal from the combined sense signal.
US09424739B2
Apparatus for a self-powered wireless transmitter system. One such system includes an inductor, a delay circuit, and a transmitter with an antenna. The magnet interacting with the inductor generates both power and a trigger signal. The inductor generates sufficient power for the transmitter to transmit a wireless signal corresponding to when the magnet interacts with the inductor. Precise timing is insured by the inductor being connected to the trigger input of the transmitter unit and the delay circuit adding a short delay to the signal from the inductor with the delayed signal connected to the supply voltage connection of the transmitter. The transmitter transmits the wireless signal upon being energized through the delay circuit.
US09424738B2
A method includes detecting that a particular media device is communicatively coupled to one or more media devices in a set of media devices; in response to detecting that the particular media device is communicatively coupled to the one or more media devices in the set of media devices: automatically sending one or more remote operating codes, for remotely controlling the particular media device, to a remote control device.
US09424737B2
A system and method for managing a response to an alarm event for an alarm system monitoring a premises are provided. The premises is associated with at least one user device. The system includes a monitoring device including a processor programmed to: determine whether an alarm event has triggered at the premises, determine whether a user response message associated with the at least one user device has been received, and in response to receiving the user response message, cause an indicator at a remote monitoring center to indicate whether the user wants at least one response action.
US09424736B2
In an approach for asset management, a processor identifies the location of an asset. A processor receives information specific to the location of the asset. A processor determines that an alert is required based on at least the asset, the location of the asset, and the information specific to the location of the asset. A processor generates an alert.
US09424726B2
Systems and methods are provided herein describe a global safety system for workers in hazardous locations such as electrical Class 1/Division 1 locations. In at least one example, a user will carry a user device that is approved for the hazardous electrical locations. This device will monitor for safety-triggering events such as a lack of user movement, a press of an emergency button, or any other indication of an emergency. Once a safety-triggering event is detected, the user device will transmit an alert to a user station outside of the hazardous electrical location. In turn, the user station will transmit an alert to a remote station regarding the status of the user device.
US09424722B2
Tracking device embodiments, comprising: portable housing with a locking mechanism; band latched about a wrist; tampering detection device to detect tampering with the band, comprising: power source; latch configured to latch one end of the band within the housing; a shape memory material component connected to the latch; an electrical circuit for controlling the power source to heat the shape memory material component to cause the shape memory material component to change from a first length/shape to a second length/shape during supply of power to perform a locking function; a timer; two-way network communication device; a tracking element; tampering signal generation circuit. In embodiments, a tamper resistant container cap, comprises: cap housing releasably lockable to an open end of a container and a locking mechanism using a shape memory material component.
US09424718B2
A method and apparatus of aggregating a randomly distributed number of symbol images to a population of consumers using mobile communication devices to scan consumer products or promotional messages. The virtual game card puzzles on the communication devices are populated by the symbols in an order to complete a card and earn a prize or an entry for a drawing to win a prize.
US09424713B2
Portable wagering media may be utilized to alter play of wagering games.
US09424709B2
A gaming machine with more gaming excitement is provided. The gaming machine includes: a lamp body provided with LEDs so that the lighting state thereof is viewable from the outside; a sensor configured to detect a player's gesture with respect to the lamp body 132; and a controller used to start a game, the controller starting the detection of the player's gesture by the sensor at a timing corresponding to the state of the game, and causing the LEDs to emit light in a light emission mode in sync with the detected player's gesture while the player's gesture is being detected.
US09424708B2
A parking meter comprises a meter base (50), a meter cover (60), and a meter mechanism (10). A coin path (20) is provided at a lower section of a front panel (11) of a shell of the meter mechanism (10), the lower section of the front panel (11) comprising a first panel (111) and a second panel (112) in a step form, the first panel (111) protruding relative to the second (112). The parking meter further comprises a slider (30) comprising an slider upper section (31) and a slider lower section (32) in a step form. A through hole (114) facilitating passing through of the slider (30) is provided on a joint wall (113) of the first panel (111) and the second panel (112) and below the coin path (20); a sliding groove (40) facilitating upward and downward sliding of the slider (30) is provided on the second panel (112).
US09424701B2
A locking device comprises a key that comprises a key power coil and a key data coil and an electronically-actuatable lock comprising a lock power coil and a lock data coil. The key power coil and the lock power coil are coaxial and at least partially overlapping one another when the key engages the lock. The key data coil lies in a first plane and the lock data coil lies in a second plane. The first plane and the second plane are substantially parallel to one another.
US09424700B2
An electronic lock that requires the user complete a wear leveling action prior to entering in the passcode. The wear leveling action causes the user to touch one or more portions of the touch interface that may not be associated with the passcode to distribute wear of the touch interface. These area(s) of the touch interface selected for the wear leveling actions could be determined based on a pseudorandom number generator and/or by tracking usage of the touch interface to identify less used areas.
US09424699B2
A method and system that allows authorized individuals access into controlled access locations and the ability to grant temporary and limited access to guests into these locations. The method and system allows for navigational services to be provided to members and guests, and real-time tracking and confirmation to members and administrators that guests have arrived at their destination and did not enter any unauthorized areas. The method preferably can work through a system of wireless radio, sound and/or light-based beacons communicating with member and guest's electronic devices. Members and administrators can send one or more temporary electronic access keys to a guest's smartphone or other electronic device. Wireless radio, sound and/or light-based beacons provide an access control and location tracking system with real-time data about the member and guest whereabouts, allowing for the confirmation and tracking.
US09424695B2
A diagnostic tool and method are provided wherein the diagnostic tool can be configured to communicate a message including indicators to indicate the condition of the vehicle using a database and the DTCs present in the vehicle. The message can indicate for each DTC retrieved from the vehicle, the level of repair urgency and whether the vehicle can be driven without damaging the vehicle through one or both of a display and a speaker.
US09424686B2
A graphics processing circuit includes a buffer, a first vertex shader, and a second vertex shader. The first vertex shader generates at least coordinate values of a plurality of vertices to the buffer. The second vertex shader reads at least a portion of buffered coordinate values from the buffer, and reuses at least the portion of the buffered coordinate values to generate a value of at least one user-defined variable.
US09424684B2
A system, method, and computer program product are provided for simulating light transport. In operation, a distribution function is decomposed utilizing a technique for sampling from a probability distribution (e.g. the Alias Method, etc.). Additionally, light transport associated with at least one scene is simulated utilizing information associated with the decomposed distribution function.
US09424681B2
The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program for realizing an intuitive operation to issue an instruction to move an object in a virtual three-dimensional space or the like, to an operator who performs operations while looking at an image of the virtual three-dimensional space.The information processing device in this disclosure includes a control unit that controls a CG image generating unit in response to an input of parameters of three axial directions through a three-dimensional operating unit. The control unit changes the amount of control of the CG image generating unit in accordance with the input parameters, to cause an image of the virtual three-dimensional space to vary between where a virtual camera is associated with the three-dimensional operating unit and where an object is associated with the three-dimensional operating unit. This disclosure can be applied to a video editing device for editing broadcast video images.
US09424674B2
Tomographic reconstruction is performed of cross-sectional images of downhole or surface multiphase flows containing water (brine), oil, and gas phases. Measures are obtained of digital transmission (or analog attenuation) and also of analog transit time to form two views of the same cross sectional flow in a location of interest in a flow conduit. The measures are then merged by synthesizing a composite image of the multiphase flows. Rather than performing a complex tomographic reconstruction requiring a large number of calculations, measures are also obtained directly from the tomographic pattern which can be used to reconstruct an approximation of the cross sectional flow by the superposition of circles of variable position, radius and density representing flow patterns.
US09424665B1
A system and method for safe communication in a complex scattering environment is achieved by means of providing a passive nonlinear object in the wave propagation environment which nonlinearly interacts with the waves to create an exclusive communication channel between the nonlinear object and any point where the waves can be collected. Excitations generated by the nonlinearity in the time-reversal mirror are gathered, time-reversed, and retransmitted into the environment. The retransmitted signals arrive and are reconstructed exclusively at the location of the nonlinear object or linear object depending on the linearity or nonlinearity of the retransmitted sonas. The principles of the system and method are useful in numerous applications where signal communication or power delivery is desired to an object whose location is not known or dynamically changed in an exclusive, highly localized, precise, and secure fashion.
US09424660B2
A method and system for media encoding using changed regions. The method includes detecting the changed regions and a static portion of a desktop of a computing device. The amount of changed regions may be determined. The changed regions may be encoded in response to the amount of changed regions.
US09424651B2
Disclosed are a method and an apparatus for tracking a marker. The method of tracking a marker by an electronic device includes: detecting a position of a marker in a first frame; tracking a position of the marker in a second frame based on the position of the marker detected in the first frame; and estimating a 3D position based on the tracked position of the marker. Further, the method of tracking a marker is implemented through various embodiments.
US09424647B2
A method includes: receiving sensor measurements from a pre-processing module, in which the sensor measurements include image data and inertial data for a device; transferring, using a processor, information derived from the sensor measurements, from a first set of variables associated with a first window of time to a second set of variables associated with a second window of time, in which the first and second windows consecutively overlap in time; and outputting, to a post-processing module, a state of the device based on the transferred information.
US09424642B2
One of the preferred embodiments includes: (a) creating a summed 3D nuclear medicine imaging data by summing a plurality of 3D nuclear medicine imaging data pixel by pixel; (b) determining pixels corresponding to myocardial regions in the summed 3D nuclear medicine imaging data; (c) defining a plurality of tracing directions based on the summed 3D nuclear medicine imaging data, and determining a reference myocardial center base point, a reference inner myocardial wall base point and a reference outer myocardial wall base point for each of the tracing directions; (d) determining a phase-specific myocardial center base point for each of the tracing directions for each of the phases; and (e) seeking a difference between the reference myocardial center base point and the phase-specific myocardial center base point, and determining a phase-specific inner myocardial wall base point and a phase-specific outer myocardial wall base point.
US09424637B2
A vessel segmentation method includes acquiring an image of a blood vessel, including cross sections, using a contrast medium. The method further includes setting a threshold value for each of the cross sections based on data of an intensity of the contrast medium. The method further includes performing vessel segmentation based on the image and the threshold value for each of the cross sections.
US09424628B2
Examples of the disclosure accurately define a gray region for automatic white balancing. Ratios corresponding to possible gray areas are white balanced before color distance metrics are calculated with respect to white points under different light sources. The color distance metrics of each point in the image data are compared with a predetermined threshold value to identify a gray region. Gray points within a captured image are identified using the gray region and input to any AWB method to accurately white balance the captured image.
US09424625B2
Provided are a method and apparatus for interpolating an image. The method includes: selecting a first filter, from among a plurality of different filters, for interpolating between pixel values of integer pixel units, according to an interpolation location; and generating at least one pixel value of at least one fractional pixel unit by interpolating between the pixel values of the integer pixel units by using the selected first filter.
US09424609B2
Embodiments of the invention are directed to a computer-implemented interactive account management system operated in cooperation with a financial institution on behalf of multiple account holders. The interactive account management system may include a financial networking engine implemented by a processor for defining a financial network for each account holder and for identifying each member of an account holder financial network based on stored account information and account holder input. The system may additionally include interactive processing components for processing information to provide collaborative interaction between the members of the account holder financial network defined by the financial networking engine and user interface presentation tools for displaying financial guidance and collaborative interaction interfaces and inviting active participation from the financial network members.
US09424608B2
Delivery of a wrap package “on the fly” in reply to a vehicle onboard diagnostic (OBD) system triggered event. When a notice of the event is received, a wrap package, including custom content presented within a plurality of cards arranged in one or more linear sequences, is automatically authored. The custom content encompasses, but is not limited to, one or more media types, application functionality and/or e-commerce related services. In one embodiment, the custom content pertains to a specific code generated by the OBD system that corresponds to the event. In another embodiment, the triggered event is an accident.
US09424603B2
Embodiments of the invention are directed to systems, apparatuses, and methods for determining the location of a mobile merchant, and performing further processing based on the determined location. Transaction data for a transaction conducted by a mobile merchant is electronically received at a server computer. The server computer determines a location of the mobile merchant based on the transaction data, and performs further processing based on the location of the mobile merchant.
US09424599B2
A process stores, at a data storage device within a product and/or a product package, data associated with a bundle of products and/or services. Further, the process sends, from a proximity-based device within the product and/or the product package, the data to a mobile device when the mobile device is within a proximity to the proximity-based device.
US09424598B1
Various embodiments enable a customer to quickly search additional information (e.g., product variations, sizes, price and availability) related to a specific product. For example, the customer can request additional information of a specific product by submitting an image of the specific product from a computing device. In one embodiment, location of the customer can be determined based on the image submitted by the customer. Product features can be extracted from the image according to various imaging processing and text recognition algorithms and then used to match products that are within view of the customer. A search results with additional information of the specific product can be provided to the computing device for presentation to the customer.
US09424589B2
Systems, methods, and computer-readable mediums, consistent with principles of some embodiments of the present invention provide for remote ordering of goods within a shopping establishment including enabling selection between a plurality of counter services, receiving information relating to the selected counter service, enabling customization of the order for the selected counter service, transmitting the selection information, customization information and order identifying information to one of a plurality of remote devices to be fulfilled, and receiving completion data from the one of the plurality of remotes devices when the order is fulfilled.
US09424588B2
Systems and methods are described for collecting data at a merchant's point of return for use in processing a merchandise return transaction that is being requested by a customer. In various embodiments, the data may be collected using a wide variety of data collection technologies and may be used in conjunction with stored data, including data collected from other merchants, by a return authorization system to make a determination whether to accept or deny the requested merchandise return and whether to provide a coupon to the customer. The data may additionally or alternatively be used to determine whether to issue a warning to the customer about limitations on future return transactions presented by the customer. Examples of data categories that may be collected include, but are not limited to, information about: the merchant, the customer, the requested transaction, the merchandise being returned, one or more receipts, a clerk processing the transaction, and other general applicable information.
US09424580B2
Computer implemented systems store descriptions of multiple different types of marketplace items as a collection of parameter-value pairs, using a table having a plurality of rows and columns, wherein values for at least two of the items are stored in cells of first and second ones of the rows, respectively; keys that provide information that can be used to decipher differential mappings of a plurality of the columns to a plurality of parameters in different ones of the rows; and one or more interfaces that collectively display previously stored parameters and values to a human end-user.
US09424576B2
A method of creating a secure audit trail for transactions may include, by a host electronic device, for each of a plurality of transactions, receiving, from a client electronic device, a transaction details document that summarizes the transaction, generating a document hash by performing a first cryptographic hash function on the received transaction details document, and identifying metadata associated with the transaction. The method may include generating an entry hash associated with the plurality of transactions by performing a second cryptographic hash function on at least the document hash of each transaction in the plurality of transactions and the metadata associated with each transaction in the plurality of transactions, and storing the entry hash in an entry in a transaction log database.
US09424571B1
A computer-implemented system and method for providing offers to a mobile device includes receiving at least one offer from at least one merchant at an offer computer system and determining, by the offer computer system, an offer to present on the mobile device based on at least one characteristic of a user of the mobile device, the offer providing the user a discount from a price of a product or service. The method includes receiving a request for a code to provide to a merchant, the code being generated for the mobile device that belongs to the user. The method includes receiving, from a mobile device, an indication from the user to use the offer and sending, by the offer computer system, to the mobile device an offer code to be displayed on the mobile device to be received by a merchant.
US09424567B2
A method and system capable of authenticating transactions involving at least one service provider and one or more users who are each in electronic communication. This electronic communication can be, for example, SMS, MMS, e-mail or online account messaging. Certain embodiments provide for the transaction to be an authentication and/or verification of an entity. Examples of such entities are products, actions and users.
US09424566B2
A payment processing system and method comprising a POS module providing an interface to effect sales of FGS in a retail environment, a device module operatively connected to at least one retail device configured to supply FGS and comprising a card reader adapted to receive a first payment card data for payment for the FGS, wherein the device module is adapted to control operation of the at least one retail device, and a payment system module operatively connected to the POS module and the device module, the payment system module adapted to validate payment for the FGS. The payment system module and the device module are separated from the POS module in order to segment a portion of the payment processing system configured to handle payment card data from a portion of the system that does not handle payment card data.
US09424561B2
A system for scheduling resources and rules for routing includes a server connected to a network, a scheduling application executable from the server, and at least one programmable software agent for scheduling routing rules. The scheduling application receives statistics about forecast arrival rates for incoming interactions and current resource availability data and schedules resources and routing rules according to the forecast requirements the software agent propagating the portion of scheduling relative to the routing rules.
US09424558B2
In particular embodiments, a client computing device of a user provides for presentation a user interface that includes one or more components. The client computing device may receive an indication of a message to the user. The client computing device may automatically modify the user interface to accommodate presentation of an interactive element associated with the message. The client computing device may modify the user interface at least in part by automatically modifying one or more of the components. The client computing device may automatically provide for presentation the user interface as modified and the interactive element associated with the message.
US09424550B2
IMS networks and methods are disclosed for charging for operator-assisted sessions. To perform the charging, an operator assistance application server (AS) acts as an interface between an operator system (legacy or IMS) and charging systems for the IMS network. When an operator-assisted session is initiated in the IMS network, the operator assistance AS receives a session initiation message in SIP, and transmits the session initiation message to the operator system to allow the operator system to collect charging information from an end user. The operator assistance AS then receives a service request message from the operator system that includes the collected charging information, and detects a charging event. The operator assistance AS generates a Diameter charging request message, maps the charging information from the service request message to the Diameter charging request message, and transmits the Diameter charging request message to a charging system to charge for the operator-assisted session.
US09424545B1
Methods, systems, computer-readable media, and apparatuses for providing geospatial worksite management for large-scale construction projects are presented. In some embodiments, a computing device may receive a geographic map of a construction site and a construction schedule including multiple tasks. The computing device may display the geographic map and receive a selection of a geographic location on the geographic map. The computing device may determine that a first set of tasks is associated with the geographic location and may display an object associated with the first set of tasks overlaid on the geographic map at the determined geographic location. The object may represent a structure to be constructed at the construction site.
US09424544B2
A method for archival management of business processes in a cloud environment is provided. In one aspect, the method comprises archiving managed pool including one or more versions of a business process instance or business process execution in a cloud computing environment. The method further comprises a provisioning manager of the cloud computing environment that requests or tasks provisioning, deprovisioning, decommissioning or deleting the one or more versions of a business process instance or business process execution. For each of the requests or tasks, a restore manager of the cloud environment determines, if the managed pools of virtual instances contain a business process management environment or a business process archive manager environment. The restore manager further recreates a previous version of the one or more versions of the business process instance or business process execution based on the determination.
US09424542B2
A system for communicating between a commercial aircraft and the base of the airline that chartered the same when the aircraft is itself located on the ground during the flight preparation phases and before unloading the commercial freight or passengers. A method implements such a communication system by the commercial flight staff and/or the aircraft captain to prepare a flight and the commercial freight unloading phase.
US09424539B2
Methods, systems, and computer program products are provided for managing best practices in modeling information technology (IT) services. An architecture for validating a service model using a plurality of best practices (PBPs) provides separation of concern between the service model and selection of best practices by enabling an independent selection of the service model and the PBPs. A best practice precedence (BPP) is configured to disambiguate conflicts between the PBPs and select a selected best practice (SBP) from the PBPs. A validation engine validates a compliance or non-compliance of the service model with the SBP. A refined service model is generated by combining selective portions of the SBP with the service model.
US09424533B1
Specification covers new algorithms, methods, and systems for artificial intelligence, soft computing, and deep learning/recognition, e.g., image recognition (e.g., for action, gesture, emotion, expression, biometrics, fingerprint, facial, OCR (text), background, relationship, position, pattern, and object), large number of images (“Big Data”) analytics, machine learning, training schemes, crowd-sourcing (using experts or humans), feature space, clustering, classification, similarity measures, optimization, search engine, ranking, question-answering system, soft (fuzzy or unsharp) boundaries/impreciseness/ambiguities/fuzziness in language, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Computing-with-Words (CWW), parsing, machine translation, sound and speech recognition, video search and analysis (e.g. tracking), image annotation, geometrical abstraction, image correction, semantic web, context analysis, data reliability (e.g., using Z-number (e.g., “About 45 minutes; Very sure”)), rules engine, control system, autonomous vehicle, self-diagnosis and self-repair robots, system diagnosis, medical diagnosis, biomedicine, data mining, event prediction, financial forecasting, economics, risk assessment, e-mail management, database management, indexing and join operation, memory management, and data compression.
US09424530B2
Methods, computing systems and computer program products implement embodiments of the present invention that include selecting a training dataset including training instances having respective training features, and applying a classifier to the training dataset, thereby generating a training classification that assigns, to each of the training instances, one of a plurality of categories, the classifier having an expected classification. A classification bias is detected in the training classification relative to the expected classification, and in response to the classification bias, a calibration matrix is defined based on the training features, and the classification bias. A production dataset including production instances is selected, and the classifier and the calibration matrix are applied to the production dataset, thereby generating a production classification quantification that assigns, to each of the production instances, one of the plurality of categories.
US09424529B2
Systems and methods use machine learning techniques to resolve location ambiguity in search queries. In one aspect, a dataset generator generates a training dataset using query logs of a search engine. A training engine applies a machine learning technique to the training dataset to generate a location disambiguation model. A location disambiguation engine uses the location disambiguation model to resolve location ambiguity in subsequent search queries.
US09424527B2
An information processing system separately generates sample sequences from a posterior distribution of each random variable in a probability model representing the structure of a template network that serves as a template for a plurality of networks whose network structures are to be learned, and from a posterior distribution of each random variable in a probability model representing the structures of the plurality of networks, using learning data and hyperparameters relating to the plurality of networks. Next, the information processing system derives a predictive value of the strength of a link specified by an external variable based on the external variable and on the sample sequences.
US09424525B1
An embodiment of the invention may include a method, computer program product and computer system for forecasting future states of a multi-active cloud. The method, computer program product and computer system may include a computing device that determines the operating state of the passive server. The operating state of the passive server is one or more of a deploying state and a smoke testing state. The computing device may determine the probability of the operating state successfully completing. The computing device may delay the second asynchronous workflow until the operating state successfully completes based on the probability of the operating state successfully completing exceeding a predetermined value.
US09424523B2
A computer-based system includes a computer-processable definition of a region in a data set. The system identifies a region of the data set based on the definition of the region. The system provides output to a user representing a question and the identified region of the data set. The system may also automatically generate an answer to the question based on the question and the data set, and provide output to the user representing the answer. The system may generate the answer based on a subset of the data set, and provide output to the user representing the subset of the data set. The user may provide feedback on the first answer to the system, which the system may use to improve subsequent answers to the same and other questions, and to disable the system's automatic question-answering function in response to disagreement between the user and the system.
US09424521B2
A computer-implemented system and method of analyzing spatial, temporal and contextual elements of data for predictive decision-making. The computer-implemented method includes receiving a first set of rules and receiving first data and second data including spatial, temporal and contextual elements. The computer-implemented method also includes identifying each rule of the first set for which the received first data and the received second data is a respective candidate. For the identified rules for which the received first data is a candidate, and for the identified rules for which the received second data is a candidate, the respective received first data and received second data is indexed by its temporal, spatial or contextual elements as a function of the identified rules. The computer-implemented method also includes identifying an event as satisfying an identified rule in memory using the indexed first and second data.
US09424516B2
Technologies for a human computation framework suitable for answering common sense questions that are difficult for computers to answer but easy for humans to answer. The technologies support solving general common sense problems without a priori knowledge of the problems; support for determining whether an answer is from a bot or human so as to screen out spurious answers from bots; support for distilling answers collected from human users to ensure high quality solutions to the questions asked; and support for preventing malicious elements in or out of the system from attacking other system elements or contaminating the solutions produced by the system, and preventing users from being compensated without contributing answers.
US09424497B2
There is provided a printer system including a printer apparatus configured to be controlled by a controller having a configuration of which at least a part is different for each client. A printing processor is configured to execute printing processing on a medium. A tray state detector is configured to detect a tray state indicating whether or not there is the medium on a destination tray to which the medium on which the printing processing has been executed is discharged. A printing processing control unit is configured to control whether or not to execute the printing processing in the printer apparatus on the basis of the tray state, when the controller is changed.
US09424483B2
A method of measuring lean on a container driven in rotation comprises: taking at least one image of the container to obtain images of the left and right edges of the ring, the matrix images of the left and right edges of the heel, of the shoulder, and/or of the base of the neck; analyzing the images of the left and right edges of the ring to determine the real position of the ring; and the matrix images of the left and right edges to determine a left positioning point Tg and right positioning point Td; and determining the theoretical position of the ring on a perpendicular to the straight line segment passing through the left and right positioning points; and based on variations in the differences between the real position and the theoretical position of the ring, deducing a measurement of the lean of the container.
US09424464B2
A monitoring system for monitoring a target is described. The monitoring system extracts features of a person's face from an image obtained from the face of the person and determines whether the person's face matches a person included in a list containing facial features of multiple individuals.
US09424462B2
To provide an object detection device and an object detection method in which incorrect grouping based on a range image can be prevented, processing is implemented including: generating a range image based on a pair of gray-scaled images (S603); grouping adjacent regions having range data representing close distances in the range image (S604); calculating differences between the luminance values of pixels in a vertical line below a ground plane above which objects are imaged and the luminance values of pixels in a vertical line above the ground plane in the gray-scaled images and dividing the group region into laterally separated sub-regions (S605); and determining whether or not there is a section without vertical edge in either of the left and right areas of each of sub-regions made based on the gray-scaled images and merging sub-regions whose areas including a section without vertical edge are next to each other (S607).
US09424461B1
Various embodiments utilize two-dimensional (“2D”) and three-dimensional (“3D”) object features for purposes such as object recognition and/or image matching. For example, a user can capture an image (e.g., still images or video) of an object and can receive information about items that are determined to match the object. For example, the image can be analyzed to detect visual features (e.g., corners, edges, etc.) of the object and the detected visual features can be combined to generate a combined visual feature vector which can be used for object recognition, image matching, or other such purposes. Other approaches utilize the image to generate a 3D model of the object represented in the image, which can be used to determine at least one object or types of objects that match the object represented in the image.
US09424458B1
Technologies are presented herein in support of a system and method for performing fingerprint recognition. Embodiments of the present invention concern a system and method for capturing a user's biometric features and generating an identifier characterizing the user's biometric features using a mobile device such as a smartphone. The biometric identifier is generated using imagery captured of a plurality of fingers of a user for the purposes of authenticating/identifying the user according to the captured biometrics and determining the user's liveness. The present disclosure also describes additional techniques for preventing erroneous authentication caused by spoofing. In some examples, the anti-spoofing techniques may include capturing one or more images of a user's fingers and analyzing the captured images for indications of liveness.
US09424442B2
The embodiments of the present invention disclose a nonvolatile memory and an electronic device, where each time the nonvolatile memory is powered on, an exchanger is used to implement a random exchange of at least one address subsignal and its inverted signal in a bank decoder and/or a row decoder in a bank and/or a column decoder in a bank, which causes that data stored before the nonvolatile memory is powered off is interrupted when the nonvolatile memory is powered off and then powered on and that data stored in the nonvolatile memory cannot be read sequentially from original storage addresses to achieve an encrypting effect and increase security of the data stored in the nonvolatile memory.
US09424438B2
A client device securely transfers personal information to a third-party website. The client device stores personal information of a user and encrypts personal information requested by the third-party website, so that the third-party website can decrypt and retrieve the personal information, and so that a remote proxy server facilitating the transfer of personal information from the client device to the third-party website cannot read the encrypted personal information and has no access to unencrypted personal information.
US09424435B2
One embodiment provides a system that facilitates the execution of a web application. During operation, the system allocates a storage space on one or more storage devices for use by the web application. Next, the system creates, for the web application, a private filesystem comprising a private root directory within the storage space. Finally, the system enables access to the private filesystem for the web application through the private root directory in a manner that does not allow access to a host filesystem associated with the one or more storage devices from the web application.
US09424431B2
In a pre-operating system environment on a device prior to loading and running an operating system on the device, a policy identifying configuration settings for the operating system is obtained. The operating system itself is prevented from changing this policy, but the policy can be changed under certain circumstances by components of the pre-operating system environment. The policy is compared to configuration values used by the operating system, and the operating system is allowed to boot with the configuration values if the configuration values satisfy the policy. However, if the configuration values do not satisfy the policy, then a responsive action is taken.
US09424428B2
Method and system using a designated known secure computer for real time classification of change events in a computer integrity system are disclosed. In the embodiment of the invention, the known secure computer, having only inbound connection, is dedicated for providing permissible change events, which are compared with change events generated on client operational computers. An alert is generated when the change event at the client operational computer and the respective permissible change event provided by the known secure computer mismatch.
US09424419B1
A system and method for a credentials agent that automatically rotates and stores security credentials usable at least in part to authenticate calling applications with a computing resource service provider. Upon determining that a first set of credentials are due to be rotated, the credentials agent may obtain a second set of credentials and store the second set of credentials in a data store. The credentials agent may give notice to a calling application that the first set of credentials is due to be rotated, whereupon the calling application may obtain the second set of credentials and be authenticated to access a resource of the computing resource service provider at least in part by providing the second set of credentials. The authorization system provides visualizations and alerts to administrators of unexpected states that may be caused by misconfigured applications or malicious users.
US09424418B2
The present invention discloses an information processing device and the switching method for the password input mode thereof. The information processing device includes a usage scene monitoring unit configured to monitor the usage scene or the usage environment of the information processing device and a password input switching unit, configured to judge the usage scene or the usage environment of the information processing device 1 based on the output of the usage scene monitoring unit and to determine whether the password input mode should be switched based on the judgment result.
US09424417B2
Methods, devices, systems, and non-transitory processor-readable storage media for authenticating a computing device to access functionalities. An embodiment method may include operations for receiving in the computing device a signal from a proximity beacon device, obtaining from the received signal information that indicates whether the proximity beacon device has detected movement, determining whether the obtained information matches stored data corresponding to the proximity beacon device, performing an abbreviated authentication operations for the computing device to access the functionalities when it is determined that the obtained information from the received signal matches the stored data, and performing a normal authentication operations for the computing device to access the functionalities when it is determined that the obtained information from the received signal does not match the stored data.
US09424407B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer program product for supporting weak password authentication in a multi-user application environment. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for supporting weak password authentication in a multi-user application environment can be provided. The method can include acquiring log in data for a log in attempt by an end user amongst end users in a multi-user application. The method also can include messaging the log in data to others of the end users for subjective analysis by the others of the end users in detecting an unauthorized log in attempt.
US09424406B2
A system and method of managing a plurality of assets by associating a smart card with a compute subsystem by installing a database on the smart card and embedding an identifier of the compute subsystem. The system and method, in turn, may receive a request to access an asset of a compute subsystem; verify that a feature of the database is enabled in response to the request, the feature corresponding to the asset; and grant the access to access the asset upon the verifying of the feature.
US09424396B2
Computer-based systems and computer-implemented methods are described for monitoring medication events for an individual. Computer-based systems include systems for monitoring medication events relating to an individual, including: circuitry for analyzing data for an identifier of a first medication event for an individual; circuitry for analyzing the data for at least one attribute of an individual; circuitry for analyzing the data for at least one attribute relating to a medication during the first medication event; circuitry for analyzing the data for at least one feature of visual information and at least one feature of non-visual information relating to the individual during the first medication event; circuitry for analyzing the received data for a time associated with the first medication event; circuitry for determining a compliance likelihood for the first medication event based on the analyzes of the received data; and circuitry for indicating the determined compliance likelihood.
US09424395B2
Methods for determining cardiovascular information for a patient include receiving patient-specific data regarding a geometry of the patient's vasculature; creating an anatomic model representing at least a portion of the patient's vasculature based on the patient-specific data; and creating a computational model of a blood flow characteristic based on the anatomic model. The method also includes identifying one or more of an uncertain parameter, an uncertain clinical variable, and an uncertain geometry; modifying a probability model based on one or more of the identified uncertain parameter, uncertain clinical variable, or uncertain geometry; determining a blood flow characteristic within the patient's vasculature based on the anatomic model and the computational model; and calculating, based on the probability model and the determined blood flow characteristic, a sensitivity of the determined fractional flow reserve to one or more of the identified uncertain parameter, uncertain clinical variable, or uncertain geometry.
US09424393B2
A method for accessing, processing, presenting, and/or storing electronic medical record (EMR) information on a touch-sensitive display includes reading EMR information, displaying at least a portion of the EMR information on a touch-sensitive sliding timeline, detecting finger swipe or similar gestures, and scrolling the sliding timeline so that a different portion of the EMR information is displayed chronologically on the touch-sensitive sliding timeline. The resolution of the timeline can be expanded or collapsed in response to pinch gestures. The timeline is divided into a columns, each column including icons representing medical related events. A second timeline having a different time resolution from the first timeline is used for navigating the medical related events. Different levels of detail regarding the medical related events can be viewed in different detail panes. An EMR access device and system are also disclosed, which are configured to access and present EMR information.
US09424388B2
In an approach to determine one or more exposure areas in a reticle field and associated lithography process parameters for the one or more exposure areas, a computer receives a semiconductor design and sends the semiconductor design to a design analysis program. Additionally, the computer receives data from the design analysis program. Furthermore, the computer determines the one or more exposure areas in the reticle field, and at least one lithography process parameter for each exposure area of the one or more exposure areas in the reticle field based, at least in part, on the data received from the design analysis program, the semiconductor design, and one or more clustering algorithms associated with the design analysis program.
US09424377B2
A state of a particle which was in a liquid state at a first time is calculated at a second time after the first time when a continuum including a liquid and a solid is represented by the plurality of particles. It is determined whether the particle has become a first solid particle at the second time. The first solid particle and all particles belonging to a solid which includes a second solid particle arranged in a predetermined range from the first solid particle are defined as particles belonging to the same solid when it is determined that the particle which was in the liquid state at the first time has become the first solid particle at the second time. The state of each of the particles belonging to the same solid is calculated using an equation of motion of a rigid body.
US09424376B2
Illustrative embodiments provide for the operation and simulation of the operation of fission reactors, including the movement of materials within reactors. Illustrative embodiments and aspects include, without limitation, nuclear fission reactors and reactor modules, including modular nuclear fission reactors and reactor modules, nuclear fission deflagration wave reactors and reactor modules, modular nuclear fission deflagration wave reactors and modules, methods of operating nuclear reactors and modules including the aforementioned, methods of simulating operating nuclear reactors and modules including the aforementioned, and the like.
US09424366B1
The present disclosure describes systems and techniques relating to accessing data stored in Ternary Content Addressable Memory (TCAM). According to an aspect of the described systems and techniques, a device includes: several blocks of TCAM (Ternary Content Addressable Memory); a hash RAM (Random Access Memory); and processor electronics configured to pre-process control records to (i) identify a subset of bits of the control records, giving priority to bits with no X value, (ii) load the hash RAM based on the identified subset of the bits to be used for hashing of search records to find locations in the several blocks of TCAM, and (iii) order the control records in the several blocks of TCAM in accordance with the identified subset of the bits.
US09424364B2
A method and a device are disclosed including an integrated connection between a Social Business Network (SBN) and a webpage configured to provide context-based relevant information about content and/or metadata associated with the webpage. A SBN provides business-oriented information in a social networking environment. In some embodiments, SBN connection automatically provides information about the webpage's owner, or is used used or to start a conversation with another user. In still other embodiments, the SBN connection may retrieve information from external sources such as Facebook®, web, and databases associated with the SBN, including prior relevant conversations, project information, participant information, articles, historical data, and the like. In various embodiments, the SBN connection is in the form of a browser plugin component, which may be enhanced by custom software cartridges developed by customers of SBN to dynamically alter the behavior or add functionality to the SBN plugin component.
US09424363B2
Some embodiments provide a content delivery network (CDN) solution that affords the CDN control over those elements of customer content that are delivered by third parties. The CDN integrates a distributed set of monitoring agents. Each monitoring agent monitors the delivery performance of third parties to the region in which the agent operates. The CDN uses the performance monitoring information to dynamically manage the content tags to the third-party delivered elements of CDN-customer content. Specifically, a CDN server retrieves the parent page for requested CDN-customer content. The CDN server identifies the region from where the request originates and retrieves the logs from the monitoring agents monitoring from that region. The CDN server then modifies the base page by dynamically removing the tags to the third-party delivered elements that are reported in the monitoring agent logs as being unavailable, inaccessible, or underperforming in the identified region.
US09424362B2
Aspects are disclosed for publishing contents of a content store. A storage operation is performed, and a completion of the storage operation is detected. Here, the storage operation redundantly stores contents of a content set onto instances associated with a content store. The contents stored in the instances are then published in response to the completion of the storage operation. In another aspect, a dataset table is generated to facilitate storing contents of a content set, which include payload and metadata. The payload is stored onto a payload table, and the metadata is stored onto a metadata table. For this embodiment, the dataset table includes a first foreign key to the payload table, whereas the metadata table includes a second foreign key to the dataset table. The dataset table is monitored to determine a storage status of the contents, and the contents are subsequently published based on the storage status.
US09424358B2
Provided are a method, computer program product and system for classifying and displaying information. A boundary within an electronic map is determined, based on a drawn closed shape. At least one geographic object, at least partially within the boundary, is identified. Each geographic object is representable by one or more geographic coordinates. A search is performed, on an external data source, for unstructured information associated with the at least one geographic object and a plurality of search results are received. The plurality of search results are classified and displayed according to a user topic of interest.
US09424350B2
A video processing device includes a metadata authoring device, that generates time-coded metadata in response to content recognition data and in accordance with at least one time stamp of a video signal. A metadata association device generates a processed video signal from the video signal, wherein the processed video signal includes the time-coded metadata.
US09424339B2
Embodiments of the invention form an information set from the current set of index information available by the operations of the Pre-Search and RunTime Search components of the search engine. A search request that contains search terms and/or other search criteria (e.g. date or file type) is entered by a user through an input interface. The search terms and the information set are worked through the search engine modules to provide the actual results sought by the user. These results are provided to the user via a Return Interface. Embodiments involve a search engine that forms a numeric code index that includes grammar embedded rules from a plurality of documents, converts a search request into the same format as the index, and then compares the index and the search request to form the search results.
US09424336B2
In accordance with embodiments, there are provided mechanisms and methods for facilitating distributed data processing for dynamic and efficient generation of search results in a multi-tenant environment according to one embodiment. In one embodiment and by way of example, a method includes receiving, at a data processing platform, extracted data occurrences from a database coupled to a server computing device, where each data occurrence may be assigned a classification according to a category. The method may further include mapping values to the data occurrences based on classifications of the data occurrences, mapping prefixes to the data occurrences based on identifying names of the data occurrences, and generating search data based on the mapped values and mapped prefixes, where the search data may represent autosuggestions.
US09424334B2
A text messaging computer-implemented system is disclosed for providing embedded multi-element (text message and the inclusion of any audio recorded or video recorded) content by authenticating a mobile device compatible with multiple transport technologies (such as 4G and 5G networks) and operable to render a text message with an integrated audio and/or video embedded message within a text message originating from a first mobile device.
US09424331B2
Techniques described herein generally relate to processing data sets. The data sets can each include multiple indexed data values that can be partitioned into first and second portions. Each data value in each of the first portions of the data sets may have a greater magnitude than each data value in each of the second portions of the data sets. The first portions and second portions of the data values can be further processed by either different processors, or different processor cores as may be desirable.
US09424320B2
Mechanisms are provided that: identify topics associated with a plurality of pieces of media content presented in a session; calculate a distance metric for pairs of topics, wherein each of the pairs of topics includes a first topic associated with a first piece of media content and a second topic associated with a second piece of media content, and wherein the second piece of media content was presented within a given span of the presentation of the first piece of media content; for each first topic of the pairs of topics, generate a rank-ordered list for all corresponding second topics; for each of the plurality of pieces of media content, generate a single rank-ordered list of all second topics; and for each of the plurality of pieces of media content, identify one or more other pieces of media content as recommended media content based on the single rank-ordered list.
US09424319B2
A method for selecting a social media network user. The method comprises obtaining one or more parameters indicative of quality of social media network content from the social media network user, ranking the social media network user based on the one or more parameters, and determining whether the social media network user is selected based on the ranking.
US09424314B2
Implementations of the present disclosure involve a system and/or method for joining read requests for the same data block sent to a storage appliance. The system and method is configured to receive the first read request for the data block at an I/O layer of the storage appliance. The I/O layer is configured to manage obtaining data blocks from one or more storage devices on the storage appliance. The system and method may then receive a second read request for the data block at the I/O layer of the storage appliance. The first and second read request may then be joined at I/O layer and only a single copy of the data block is returned to a cache in response to the first and second read requests.
US09424309B2
The present disclosure proposes the method for optimizing the performance of data base/web-service backed applications by automatically prefetching query results. The proposed system and methods automatically insert prefetch instructions at the earliest possible points across procedure calls in application source code, in presence of conditional branching and loops. A data flow analysis technique called anticipable expressions analysis is extended, to analyze anticipability of queries. The benefit of prefetching is limited due to the presence of assignment statements and conditional branches that precede the query execution statement. Enhancements such as code motion, chaining and rewriting prefetch requests are devised to increase benefits of prefetching. These techniques perform equivalence preserving program and query transformations.
US09424307B2
This invention is a computerized method which unites a multivariate dataset and then performs various operations, including data analytics. The set is stored in a “bipartite synthesis matrix” (BSM), e.g., a rectangular matrix with rows of data objects and columns of variable attributes, defined by a plurality of partitions (each with a numerical range and a characteristic scale). Links within the matrix between data objects and attribute(s) are based on shared correspondences within partitions. The process exploits mode reduction in which shared correspondences of a BSM (or its graph) interrelate data objects by producing an adjacency matrix or its associated graph. The partition scale is repeatedly and incrementally altered, varying the density of shared correspondences within the data, based on partition number and size; therefore, a fully connected and weighted unipartite network may be established. Shared correspondences' given scale and variable attribute provide distance metrics for edges within the network.
US09424291B2
Methods, computer systems, and computer-storage media are provided for increasing the efficiency of a multi-tenant geospatial data index. Efficiency is increased by using a multi-tenant model for storing and serving the data, processing raw geospatial data received from tenants into a runtime-optimized format, and by partitioning tenant geospatial data into a processor memory portion and a file system memory portion. Efficiency is also increased by executing a staged upload of the processor memory portion and the file system memory portion to a subset of host machines in order to check for invalid data before uploading the data to the remaining host machines. Additionally, efficiency is increased by optimizing geospatial search queries using query filters stored in a query filter cache, and executing the query filters initially against the processor memory.
US09424288B2
A method, system, and computer program product for analyzing performance of a database cluster. Disclosed are techniques for analyzing performance of components of a database cluster by transforming many discrete event measurements into a time series to identify dominant signals. The method embodiment commences by sampling the database cluster to produce a set of timestamped events, then pre-processing the timestamped events by tagging at least some of the timestamped events with a semantic tag drawn from a semantic dictionary and formatting the set of timestamped events into a time series where a time series entry comprises a time indication and a plurality of values corresponding to signal state values. Further techniques are disclosed for identifying certain signals from the time series to which is applied various statistical measurement criteria in order to isolate a set of candidate signals which are then used to identify indicative causes of database cluster behavior.
US09424281B2
In various embodiments, an exemplary system for viewing a content object through a web-based interface comprises a content object management module, an import/export module, a conversion module, and a GUI module. The content object management module may be configured to manage storage of the content object in the system. The import/export module may be configured to receive the content object from a database or an application external to the system, index the content object for viewing access by a user, and provide the computer readable material to the content object management module for management. The conversion module may be configured to convert the content object, received through the importation module, from a native format to a format viewable by the user through the system. The GUI module may be configured to present the content object to the user, through the web-based interface, in the viewable format.
US09424259B2
There is provided a method of managing content within a rich multimedia interaction comprising identifying a set of content objects associated with the rich multimedia interaction, determining a display subset and a reserve subset from the set of content objects, displaying the display subset, activating the reserve content objects in a minimized state, and providing a content control virtual tool configured to group and present a count of the reserve content objects according to their content object classes. The content control virtual tool is further configured to enable a user of the rich multimedia interaction to reassign content objects between the display subset and the reserve subset. A system for managing content within a rich multimedia interaction comprises a content server, a content object database, and a content management software application stored on a data storage unit.
US09424253B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer program product for the domain specific normalization of a corpus of text. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for domain specific normalization of a corpus of text is provided, including an industrial, organization, demographic or geographic domain. The method includes loading a corpus of text in memory of a computer and determining a domain for the corpus of text. The method also includes retrieving a lexicon of replacement words for the determined domain. Finally, the method includes text simplifying the corpus of text using the retrieved lexicon. In one aspect of the embodiment, the domain is determined through inference based upon words already presence in the corpus of text. In another aspect of the embodiment, the domain is determined based upon meta-data provided with the corpus of text.
US09424251B2
A method of extracting the semantic distance from the mathematical sentence and classifying the mathematical sentence by the semantic distance, includes: receiving a user query; extracting at least one keyword included in the received user query; and extracting a semantic distance by, indexing one or more of natural language tokens and mathematical equation tokens including semantic information, extracting the semantic distance, between the at least one extracted keyword and the one or more indexed semantic information by referring indexed information, and acquiring a similarity of the received user query and the semantic information.
US09424250B2
A semantic tagging method may add context to a sentence in order to increase search efficiency. Regardless of an author's writing style, translating semantic concepts into tags may increase search efficiency. Automatic semantic tagging of documents may allow semantic search and reasoning. Text for semantic tagging may include an email, a website chat room, an internet forum, or a text message. Additional texts may include aggregating general consensus of an emailed topic across multiple emails, whether in the same email chain or separate emails. To increase search efficiency, the analysis of prior communications within the body of text may comprise analyzing structured contextual information to facilitate with homophora resolution. The structured contextual information may include at least one of a sender email address, one or more recipient email addresses, a subject field, a message date and time stamp, and an attachment title.
US09424247B1
Methods and apparatus related to determining an association between a message trail and a task entry of a user and associating an n-gram with the task entry, wherein the n-gram is based on one or more messages of the message trail. A similarity score between the n-gram and one or more aspects of the associated task entry may be determined. The similarity score may be utilized, for example, to determine when to associate the n-gram with the task entry and/or how to utilize the associated n-gram with the task entry.
US09424245B2
A computer-implemented method, implemented, at least in part, by hardware in combination with software, the method includes (A) obtaining text from a document; (B) parsing said text using at least one parallel sentence parsing process to obtain sentence data from said text; (C) parsing said sentence data using at least one parallel noun parsing process to obtain text data from said sentence data; (D) scoring said text data using at least one term scorer process and a known word list to obtain scored terms corresponding to said text data; and (E) determining known word scores corresponding to said text data, using said known word list, wherein said known word scores comprise base scores and category penetration scores; wherein steps (B), (C), (D), and (E) operate in parallel for at least some of the text from the document.
US09424243B1
Techniques to process a form are disclosed. An attribute associated with a child data model is recognized in a first set of form data associated with a form an attribute associated with a child data model. A data value associated with the attribute is used to obtain a second set of form data associated with the child data model. The second set of form data is associated with the form.
US09424221B2
A method is provided for cabling a plurality of hardware components. A chassis controller establishes a wireless connection to a wireless device. The chassis controller, via a wireless interface, transmits a chassis map to the wireless device over the wireless connection. The chassis controller, via the wireless interface, transmits to the wireless device, an indication of a first port to be cabled over the wireless connection, the first port. The first port is of a first hardware component of the plurality of hardware components. The chassis controller tests the first port to determine whether cabling of the first port has been performed correctly.
US09424219B2
A system includes a PCIe controller coupled to a device through a nontransparent PCIe bridge. The controller is operable to direct I/O operations to the device on behalf of a host system. The system also includes a PCIe driver operable within the host system to generate I/O request descriptors that specify movement of data from the PCIe controller to the host system as well as from the host system to the PCIe controller. The PCIe controller processes the I/O request descriptors and determines which device is involved in the specified movement of data. The PCIe controller generates I/O commands that contain routing information for the device (e.g., memory addresses and steering information) to route the data between the memory address of the host system and the memory address of the device, bypassing a memory of the PCIe controller.
US09424218B1
A SAS expander includes a switch core, a number of SAS expander phys coupled to the switch core, an SMP originator coupled to the switch core and an SMP receptor coupled to the switch core. In an embodiment, the SMP originator is configured to only send connection requests and the SMP receptor is configured to only receive connection requests. Program instructions stored in non-transient digital storage media include code segments detecting a new connection request, code segments determining whether the new connection request is in conflict with an existing connection request and code segments determining if there is a free destination receptor phy. In an embodiment, the free destination receptor phy is never operationally used for an origination of a connection request.
US09424215B2
In a virtualized desktop system an interfacing module is coupled to peripheral ports of a target device. The interfacing module is connected to a network. A digital user station is connected to the network. The digital user station is configured to be coupled to peripherals. The interfacing module and digital user station use respective hardware engines to communicate via said network.
US09424213B2
Embodiments of a multi-processor array are disclosed that may include a plurality of processors, local memories, configurable communication elements, and direct memory access (DMA) engines, and a DMA controller. Each processor may be coupled to one of the local memories, and the plurality of processors, local memories, and configurable communication elements may be coupled together in an interspersed arrangement. The DMA controller may be configured to control the operation of the plurality of DMA engines.
US09424209B2
Dynamic heterogeneous hashing function technology for balancing memory requests between multiple memory channels is described. A processor includes functional units and multiple memory channels, and a memory controller unit (MCU) coupled between them. The MCU includes a dynamic heterogeneous hashing module (DHHM) that includes multiple specific-purpose hashing function blocks that define different interleaving sequences for memory requests to alternately access the multiple memory channels. The DHHM also includes a hashing-function selection block. The hashing-function selection block is operable to identify a requesting functional unit originating a current memory request and to select one of the specific-purpose hashing function blocks for the current memory request in view of the requesting functional unit.
US09424204B2
A caching method for a distributed storage system, a lock server node, and a lock client node is disclosed. When the lock server node receives a first lock request sent by the first lock client node for locking a first data stripe, if the lock server node determines that the first lock request is a read lock request received for the first time on the first data stripe or a write lock request on the first data stripe, the lock server node records the owner of the first data stripe is the first lock client node in recorded attribute information of data stripes, and returns to the first lock client node a first response message indicating that the owner of the first data stripe is the first lock client node, and instructing the first lock client node to cache the first data stripe.
US09424196B2
A controller receives a request to perform a release space operation. A determination is made that a new discard scan has to be performed on a cache, in response to the received request to perform the release space operation. A determination is made as to how many task control blocks are to be allocated to the perform the new discard scan, based on how many task control blocks have already been allocated for performing one or more discard scans that are already in progress.
US09424194B2
A computer cache memory organization called Probabilistic Set Associative Cache (PAC) has the hardware complexity and latency of a direct-mapped cache but functions as a set-associative cache for a fraction of the time, thus yielding better than direct mapped cache hit rates. The organization is considered a (1+P)—way set associative cache, where the chosen parameter called Override Probability P determines the average associativity, for example, for P=0.1, effectively it operates as if a 1.1-way set associative cache.
US09424193B2
The MSMC (Multicore Shared Memory Controller) described is a module designed to manage traffic between multiple processor cores, other mastering peripherals or DMA, and the EMIF (External Memory InterFace) in a multicore SoC. The invention unifies all transaction sizes belonging to a slave previous to arbitrating the transactions in order to reduce the complexity of the arbitration process and to provide optimum bandwidth management among all masters. Two consecutive slots are assigned per cache line access to automatically guarantee the atomicity of all transactions within a single cache line. The need for synchronization among all the banks of a particular SRAM is eliminated, as synchronization is accomplished by assigning back to back slots.
US09424188B2
A method of operation of a non-volatile memory packaging system includes: addressing an integrated circuit package having a system interface; accessing a module controller, in the integrated circuit package, through system interface; accessing a random access memory, in the integrated circuit package, by the module controller for storing data from the system interface; writing to a non-volatile memory, in the integrated circuit package by the module controller, with the data from the random access memory; and monitoring an address look-up register, by the module controller, for reading the data from the non-volatile memory or the random access memory through the system interface.
US09424187B1
Some embodiments are directed to an object addressable storage (OAS) system that stores a plurality of objects, a method for use in an OAS system and at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium encoded with instruction that, when executed by a computer perform a method for use in an OAS system. A tiered storage environment comprising a plurality of storage tiers may be used. In response to a command, metadata associated with the object and a policy may be accessed. A storage tier may be selected for one or more portions of the object based on the policy and the metadata associated with the object.
US09424183B2
An operating method of a data storage device includes receiving a write request, determining whether it is possible to perform a first write operation of simultaneously writing a plurality of bits in each of memory cells coupled to one word line of a nonvolatile memory apparatus, and performing a garbage collection operation for the nonvolatile memory apparatus, according to a determination result, and generating first merged data.
US09424178B2
A method and system for optimizing flash memory without dedicated parity area and with reduced array size. The memory size of a multi level cell (MLC) flash is reduced and controller operation is simplified. Simplified operation includes the controller being able to program each host data page to an integer number of flash pages. A maximal available information bits per cell (IBPC) is maintained in a flash device while also maximizing the programming throughput of the flash. Features include the ability to dynamically select which number of cell states is used by flash memory cells.
US09424168B2
Disclosed herein is a system and method for automatically generating a test for a design process. The present system and method compares a keyword list associated with a design process and keyword lists associated with kernels and/or algorithms, temporarily associating matching kernels and/or algorithms with the design process, testing the kernels and/or algorithms with an input and designates the best output as the expected output.
US09424167B2
A system for automatically testing an application system graphical user interface (GUI) includes first and second application servers communicatively connected across a communication network. The second application server retrieves a GUI page provided by the first application server as part of the application system, and identifies text elements and user input objects in an image of the retrieved GUI page. Each user input object is then associated with a text element. Test parameter values are retrieved from a database storing test parameter data, and the application system is tested. In particular, for each user input object of the GUI page, a respective test parameter value is provided that is associated in the database with a same text element as is associated with the user input object. A response of the application system is then monitored.
US09424159B2
Performance measurement of hardware accelerators, where one or more computer processors are operably coupled to at least one hardware accelerator, and a computer memory is operatively coupled to the one or more computer processors, including operating by the one or more processors the accelerator at saturation, submitting data processing tasks by the processors to the accelerator at a rate that saturates the data processing resources of the accelerator, causing the accelerator to decline at least some of the submitted tasks; and while the accelerator is operating at saturation, measuring by the processors accelerator performance according to a period of time during which the accelerator accepts a plurality of submitted tasks.
US09424155B1
Techniques are disclosed herein for paging I/O translation table entries. A host bridge of system hardware receives a request to fetch a first segment of an I/O translation table associated with one of a plurality of logical partitions executing in a computing system. The host bridge identifies a control register associated with the first segment. The control register includes a time base and an indication of whether the first segment is paged out to a storage volume. Upon determining that the first segment is paged out to the storage volume, a second segment is paged out from a location in memory to the storage volume. The first segment is paged in to the location.
US09424154B2
A system for and method of system state analysis of a computational system. The method is comprised of capturing selective state information of a computational system configured to operated with one or more guest machines running on a virtual machine layer and configured to output state information. The state information is then analyzed to for compliance checking. The system for system state analysis is comprised of a storage system, computation hardware configured to run the guest machines and the virtual machine layer, guest machines, a virtual machine layer configured to output guest machine state information, a system state snapshot server configured to control the virtual machine layer for the capture of state information.
US09424151B2
An administrator provisions a virtual disk in a remote storage platform and defines policies for that virtual disk. A virtual machine writes to and reads from the storage platform using any storage protocol. Virtual disk data within a failed storage pool is migrated to different storage pools while still respecting the policies of each virtual disk. Snapshot and revert commands are given for a virtual disk at a particular point in time and overhead is minimal. A virtual disk is cloned utilizing snapshot information and no data need be copied. Any number of Zookeeper clusters are executing in a coordinated fashion within the storage platform, thus increasing overall throughput. A timestamp is generated that guarantees a monotonically increasing counter, even upon a crash of a virtual machine. Any virtual disk has a “hybrid cloud aware” policy in which one replica of the virtual disk is stored in a public cloud.
US09424137B1
A block-level backup of a selected file on a source volume is done in an efficient manner by taking a snapshot copy of the source volume, and creating, mounting, and formatting a dynamically-extended backup volume, creating a sparse backup file on the backup volume, and then consolidating extents of the selected file while copying the extents at the block level from the snapshot copy of the source volume to the backup file on the backup volume. For an incremental block backup, only extents of changed blocks of the selected file are copied, and the changed blocks are identified by a modified block map of a previous snapshot copy of the source volume.
US09424134B2
According to one configuration, computer processor hardware retrieves boot data stored in the non-volatile memory system. The boot data includes executable boot code and corresponding error correction information. The computer processor hardware applies first error correction decoding to the retrieved boot data. In response to detecting an inability to decode the retrieved boot data via application of the first error correction decoding, the computer processor hardware applies second error correction decoding to the retrieved boot data to configure the computer processor hardware.
US09424133B2
Systems and methods which provide for obtaining snapshots of one or more nodes, while having minimal impact on performance and throughput of the storage network are provided. Embodiments may involve a method of obtaining snapshots of individual node data within a clustered storage network having a plurality of nodes without requiring quiescing of every node. The snapshots may be obtained in a rolling fashion, e.g., moving across the individual nodes of a cluster either sequentially or non-sequentially. In other embodiments snapshots may be obtained in an asynchronous manner. The obtained snapshots then collectively define an eventually consistent view of the entire system. Such a view may be utilized to provide for mirroring functionality, e.g. to provide for DR and/or HA capabilities.
US09424130B2
A method includes determining whether a substantially similar data object to a data object is stored in a dispersed storage network (DSN). When the substantially similar data object is not stored in the DSN, the method includes dividing the data object into a plurality of data segments; encoding the plurality of data segments to produce a plurality of encoded data segments, wherein an encoded data segment of the plurality of encoded data segments includes a first number of data blocks and a second number of parity blocks; arranging the data blocks and the parity blocks of the plurality of encoded data segments into a matrix; establishing a set of encoded data slices from the matrix; and outputting the set of encoded data slices to storage units of the DSN for storage therein.
US09424129B2
Methods and systems that include receiving data to be written to a NAND array in a controller; and writing the data to the NAND array, the NAND array including both type A NAND cells and type B NAND cells, wherein the type A NAND cells and the type B NAND cells have at least one structural difference.
US09424128B2
A solid state drive (SSD) employing a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) scheme includes a flash memory chip, erasable blocks in the flash memory chip, and a flash controller. The erasable blocks are configured to store flash memory pages. The flash controller is operably coupled to the flash memory chip. The flash controller is also configured to organize certain of the flash memory pages into a RAID line group and to write RAID line group membership information to each of the flash memory pages in the RAID line group.
US09424117B1
A technique performs virtual storage processor (VSP) failover. The technique involves accessing, by a first physical storage processor of the data storage apparatus, a VSP to create an operating environment for a host file system from the first physical storage processor. The technique further involves, after accessing the VSP to create the operating environment for the host file system from the first physical storage processor, detecting a failure of the first physical storage processor. The technique further involves accessing, in response to detecting the failure of the first physical storage processor and by a second physical storage processor of the data storage apparatus, the VSP to re-create the operating environment for the host file system from the second physical storage processor.
US09424106B2
A system for distributed information processing and interaction includes a plurality of output devices arranged to produce a respective output portion of a system output, a plurality of application processors and a state server in data communication with the plurality of application processors. Each respective output portion is defined by context information. Each application processor is configured to process one or more respective application programs and is responsive to the context information. Each application processor is coupled with an associated respective output device for controlling the output device in producing the respective output portion. The state server provides the context information to the plurality of application processors. The architecture is extended to a more general system in which output devices produce a variety of outputs including device actuations, as well as video displays, and receive a variety of inputs.
US09424102B2
In an approach to grouping tasks initialized by a first user, one or more computer processors receive a first task initialization by a first user. The one or more computer processors determine whether one or more additional tasks contained in one or more task groups are in use by the first user. Responsive to determining one or more additional tasks contained in one or more task groups are in use, the one or more computer processors determine whether the first task is related to at least one task of the one or more additional tasks. Responsive to determining the first task is related to at least one task of the one or more additional tasks, the one or more computer processors add the first task to the task group containing the at least one related task of the one or more additional tasks.
US09424101B2
Embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of communications network technologies and provide a method and an apparatus for synchronization processing based on a multi-core system, which can improve efficiency in system scheduling and consume fewer resources. According to the solutions provided in the present invention, an initialization setting is sent by any processing device in a first group of processing devices that synchronously process a same current task and initialization is performed; then a notification message sent by any processing device in the first group of processing devices is received and 1 is subtracted from a value of a counting semaphore; and when the value of the counting semaphore is 0, a control message is sent to a second group of processing devices through a message sending interface. The solutions provided in the present invention are applicable to processing synchronization and communication between multiple modules.
US09424087B2
Optimizing collective operations including receiving an instruction to perform a collective operation type; selecting an optimized collective operation for the collective operation type; performing the selected optimized collective operation; determining whether a resource needed by the one or more nodes to perform the collective operation is not available; if a resource needed by the one or more nodes to perform the collective operation is not available: notifying the other nodes that the resource is not available; selecting a next optimized collective operation; and performing the next optimized collective operation.
US09424080B2
A multithreaded application that includes operations on a shared data structure may exploit futures to improve performance. For each operation that targets the shared data structure, a thread of the application may create a future and store it in a thread-local list of futures (under weak or medium futures linearizability policies) or in a shared queue of futures (under strong futures linearizability policies). Prior to a thread evaluating a future, type-specific optimizations may be performed on the list or queue of pending futures. For example, futures may be sorted temporally or by key, or multiple operations indicated in the futures may be combined or eliminated. During an evaluation of a future, a thread may compute the results of the operations indicated in one or more other futures. The order in which operations take effect and the optimization operations performed may be dependent on the futures linearizability policy.
US09424073B1
Techniques and mechanisms handle transactions between various components of a memory controller. For example, a memory controller may include a component implemented in configurable logic and another component implemented in hard logic.
US09424069B2
A communication terminal has communication circuit, a processor and a storing module operable to store a plurality of application programs. The terminal includes comprising: a table that a plurality of timer times are registered, a notifying module operable to notify expiration when reaching at a timer time that is registered in the table, an executing module operable to execute at least two or more application programs when the expiration is notified by the notifying module, and an enabling module operable to enable the communication circuit when executing the application program by the executing module. Communication is performed by the at least two or more application programs while the communication circuit is being enabled.
US09424056B1
Restoring a virtual machine is disclosed. An indication of the virtual machine of a primary site to be restored at a remote site using a copy stored at the remote site of a backup data of the virtual machine of the primary site is received. The virtual machine is restored to the remote site using a backup application deployed at the remote site as a virtual appliance managed using a virtual environment management platform.
US09424054B2
A method for creating an offline script format driver file from an INF file includes replacing variables with associated value data. Version data and a unique identifier are captured and stored. Disk identification data is retrieved and combined with data that references the disk identification data in order to create and store a list of disk names and files within those disk names. A list is created of all possible models sections from value data included in a manufacturer value name to determine which models sections support which operating systems. Information that describes which models section is compatible with which operation system is created and stored. For DDInstall sections that include device driver installation details, sections directives that include registry actions or file actions are processed. The method provides an offline script format driver file that is operable to provide for offline driver installation in an information handling system (IHS).
US09424053B2
A method of displaying a user interface (UI), wherein the displaying is performed by a client, is provided. The method includes receiving UI data from a server, generating the UI to be displayed based on the received UI data and characteristics of the client and displaying the generated UI.
US09424049B2
Methods, media and systems that use an encoded opaque pointer in an API between a client process and a library process. An encoded opaque pointer, in one embodiment, can be received by the library process from the client process, and the library process can decode the opaque pointer to obtain an address in memory containing a data structure pointed to by the opaque pointer. The library process can operate on the data structure to create a revised or processed data structure, stored in the same or different address in heap memory or stack memory, and the library process can encode and return a new opaque pointer, for the processed data structure, to the client process.
US09424045B2
An apparatus and method includes execution circuitry including a wide operand execution unit configured to allow up to N bits of operand data to be processed during execution of a single instruction. Decoder circuitry decodes and generates, for each instruction, at least one control data block identifying an operation to be performed by the execution circuitry and at least two re-combineable control data blocks for the instruction. Issue queue control circuitry then allocates a slot in the issue queue for each of the at least two data blocks and up to M bits of associated operand data, and marks those allocated slots to identify that they contain re-combineable control data blocks. The issue queue control circuitry issues the combined block to said wide operand execution unit along with the operand data contained in each of the allocated slots for said at least two control data blocks.
US09424044B1
A method, system, and computer program product of utilizing branch prediction logic in a system that processes instructions that include a branch are described. The method includes identifying the branch as conventionally predictable or not conventionally predictable, and based on the branch being identified as not conventionally predictable according to the identifying, either foregoing branch prediction and reallocating, using a processor, the branch prediction logic to another thread of the instructions or performing, using the processor, the branch prediction and speculative execution of one or more of the instructions following the branch to obtain prediction information. Based on the performing the branch prediction and the speculative execution, the method also includes verifying a match between a branch end according to the instructions and a branch end according to the branch prediction prior to providing the prediction information to a second processor processing the instructions.
US09424040B2
An LSI includes an address decoder in which combinations of IP cores and control registers simultaneously accessed according to an operation mode signal are set in advance, so that the plurality of control registers can be accessed with a single system address signal. Therefore, it is unnecessary that the CPU is provided with selection signals whose number is equal to that of the combinations of the control registers. This reduces coding work for operating CPU, reducing work in developing a program of the CPU.
US09424032B2
Disclosed is a list vector processing apparatus (LVPA) or the like which can process the indirect reference at a high speed.The LVPA includes: a gather processing unit processing a first gather instruction to store a value of a storage area accessed by only a self information processing apparatus (SelfIPA) in a plurality of information processing apparatuses according to a list vector storing an address representing a storage area read from a storage apparatus into a register, and a process of generating reference access information indicating whether being a storage area accessed by both of the SelfIPA and another information processing apparatus; a communication unit for related information; an access information operating unit to calculate an area accessed by the information processing apparatus; and a scatter processing unit processing a first scatter instruction to store a value stored in the register into the storage area accessed by only the SelfIPA.
US09424024B2
A system and method for elasticity management of services for use with a cloud computing environment. In accordance with an embodiment, a cloud platform enables provisioning of enterprise software applications within a cloud environment, including packaging enterprise applications as service definition packages (SDP), and instantiating the services using service management engines (SME). In an embodiment, an elasticity manager can be used to determine the health of the services, and to take appropriate actions, including detecting events, issuing alerts and/or notifying the orchestration engine to manage the service lifecycle, e.g., to respond to an increased demand for particular services.
US09424023B2
An integrated software and hardware system is described that implements a unified lifecycle for the hardware and the software components therein. In the context of adding, removing or moving a hardware appliance, this allows the system to create, coordinate and manage a single lifecycle for each appliance together with its software processes, that is being moved or changed. The system includes a chassis with multiple enclosures for computing blades. Each blade in the chassis is assigned either a worker or bootstrap role. The worker blades perform the core processing of the service broker functionality and the bootstrap blades are used to provide the bootstrapping and administration of the worker blades. In particular, the administration features include an administration console that is provided by the bootstrap blade, which provides hardware management and process management.
US09424016B2
Apparatuses, systems and methods are presented. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving a graphical user interface part of a deployment file on a first computer, the deployment file configured to cause a second computer to perform a computer-implemented job. The method may also include loading the graphical user interface part of the deployment file on the first computer. Additionally, the method may include displaying an interactive graphical user interface on a display device in data communication with the first computer.
US09424012B1
A method, computer program product, and system performing a method that includes a processor compiling a description including information to be utilized by programmable logic to recognize a code fingerprint in a program executing in the runtime environment. The method also includes the processor configuring the programmable logic, by loading the description into the programmable logic at a predefined time and obtaining, during runtime of the program, an alert that the programmable logic recognized the code fingerprint in the program.
US09424010B2
Extraction of functional semantics and isolated dataflow from imperative object oriented languages, in one aspect, may include identifying one or more methods and/or classes associated with one or more of a plurality of property labels in a computer code written in object oriented language to extract functional and isolation characteristics in the computer code. The plurality of property labels supported by one or more checking rules, are used to verify that the one or more methods and/or classes identified with the plurality of property labels have isolation characteristics. An object oriented language compiler is provided for supplying the plurality of property labels and checking rules. The object oriented language compiler further may include capability to transform methods into compute tasks and connect the compute tasks so as to create a dataflow graph.
US09424005B1
A system and method provides top-down programming in a graphical programming environment. A developer may utilize a component constructor to create a graphical skeleton component that represents a template for a procedure. The graphical skeleton component may include one or more hole elements that mark locations in the component at which functions may be specified. An instance of the component may be included in a graphical model, and one or more functions specified for the hole elements, thereby completing the component. The one or more functions may refer to model parameters, and bindings may be captured among the parameters. Upon execution or simulation of the model, the one or more functions specified for the component are executed, and the parameters evaluated. The functionality of the completed may depend on the one or more functions specified for the hole elements.
US09424001B2
A creation, editing, and display tool for complex diagrams may enable portions of the diagram to be updated without having to update the entire diagram. The tool may use a set of rules that define the positioning and layout of various elements and relationships between elements in the diagram. The update mechanism may enable the rules to be applied to a subset of the diagram and may not update some portions of the diagram, such as those elements outside the viewing area. In some embodiments, a background or low priority process may apply the rules to those portions not updated. The tool may be used for various diagrams, including sequence diagrams and other complex, highly restrained diagram types.
US09424000B2
A machine instruction is provided that includes an opcode field to provide an opcode, the opcode to identify a perform pseudorandom number operation, and a register field to be used to identify a register, the register to specify a location in memory of a second operand to be used. The machine instruction is executed, and execution includes obtaining a modifier field of a register associated with the machine instruction; based on the modifier field having a first value, performing a deterministic pseudorandom number seed operation, which includes obtaining seed material based on information stored in the second operand; using a 512 bit secure hash technique and the seed material to provide one or more seed values; and storing the one or more seed values in a parameter block.
US09423997B2
An electronic device and a corresponding method for analyzing and playing sound signals are provided. The electronic device includes a microphone, a processor, and a speaker. The microphone receives a sound and generates a sound signal according to the sound. The processor is coupled to the microphone for analyzing the sound signal to obtain an analysis parameter, determining a dynamic range parameter according to the analysis parameter, and adjusting the sound signal according to the dynamic range parameter. The speaker is coupled to the processor for playing the adjusted sound signal.
US09423996B2
Apparatus and methods are directed to the use and customization of user interfaces associated with vehicle navigation systems, including “skins,” selection of context for clarification, and autocompletion functions. The navigator may be a wireless client server navigation system comprising mobile clients used for requesting and receiving guidance from a central server that houses databases of geographical information. Customization may include images, icons, controls, menus, colors, symbols, or shapes that are added, removed, or moved on the display. Options may be selected using equipment external to the navigation system. If a word, or phrase is not understood, the method proceeds with the steps of: searching a database for potential matching letters, words, or phrases; querying the user with the potential matching words, or phrases; and, if the user selects one of the potential matching words, or phrases: performing an operating associated with the potential matching words, or phrases.
US09423995B2
A method (400) for resizing an active area of a flexible display or reconfigurable device (100) can include a screen (104 or 210) and a controller (202) coupled to the screen. The controller can initiate (402) a re-sizing program upon detection of an altered shape for the display or device and control (411) the active area of the display based upon the altered shape. The controller can further resize (414) fonts or graphic elements or both in correspondence to the dimensions of the active area. The controller can initiate the resizing program by altering the flexible display away from a flat position to a non-flat position for example. The flexible display can further include a switch (106) that detects the mating of a first end (111) of the flexible display with a second end (112) which initiates the resizing program.
US09423985B2
A MFP includes a Web application and an encoded data generator that is configured to generate encoded access data for the Web application. The encoded access data is generated based upon access data that specifies data for accessing the Web application over a network. The generation of the encoded access data may be initiated in response to installation of the Web application on the MFP, in response to a change in configuration of the MFP or the Web application, or in response to the satisfaction of other criteria. Encoded access data may also be re-generated in response to a change to the access data for a Web application, a change to the configuration of an MFP, or in response to satisfaction of other criteria. The encoded access data for the Web application may be made available to users via a user interface of the MFP, printed by the MFP on a printed medium or transmitted to a client device of a user.
US09423981B2
Methods, apparatus and computer program products implement embodiments of the present invention that enable a computer to receive a request to allocate one or more logical regions to a logical volume, and to verify, in response to the request, an availability on one or more storage devices of a number of physical regions corresponding to the one or more requested logical regions. In response to the verification, the one or more logical regions can be activated for write operations to a cache, so that any data written to the logical regions is stored to the cache. Subsequent to activating the one or more logical regions, one or more actual physical regions can be allocated to the logical volume. Upon allocating the one or more actual physical regions, any data stored in the cache can be destaged to the one or more actual physical regions.
US09423978B2
Apparatuses, systems, methods, and computer program products are disclosed for managing a journal. A method may include reordering storage commands based on different storage volumes associated with the storage commands. A method may include reordering storage commands based on different snapshots associated with the storage commands. A method may include adjusting a frequency of writing data from a write buffer based on a rate of write requests. A method may include adjusting a ratio of storage capacity for storing mirrored write data to storage capacity for storing non-mirrored read data.
US09423971B2
Systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided that dynamically reassign counters (or other memory monitors) in a memory. A plurality of counters may be assigned to different address ranges within an overall address range of a memory. The value of the counter may be indicative of activity, such as reads, within a respective assigned address range. Depending on the value of the counter, the respective address range of the counter may be dynamically changed. For example, a counter with a high value (indicating higher activity within the address range) may have its respective address range divided, with two counters being assigned to each of the divided address ranges. Likewise, counters with low values (indicating less activity within the address ranges) may have their respective address ranges combined, with a single counter being assigned to the combined address ranges. Thus, in subdividing and combining address ranges, the number of counters assigned may remain the same, while still monitoring the activity with the overall address range.
US09423970B2
A method and system are disclosed for improved block erase cycle life prediction and block management in a non-volatile memory. The method includes the storage device tracking information relating to a first erase cycle count at which the block erase time exceeded a predetermined threshold relative to a first erase cycle at which this occurred in other blocks. Blocks having a later relative erase cycle at which the erase time threshold is exceeded are assumed to have a greater erase cycle life than those that need to exceed the erase time threshold at an earlier erase cycle. This information is used to adjust wear leveling in the form of free block selection, garbage collection block selection and other block management processes. Alternatively or in combination, the predicted erase cycle life information is used to adjust program and/or erase parameters such as erase voltage and time.
US09423964B1
Disclosed are systems, computer-readable mediums, and methods for transforming data in a file system. As part of a recycling process, a determination is made that transformations should be attempted. A data block is determined to be in use by at least one user of the storage system. If a transformation should be attempted on the data block is determined. Parameters associated with the performance of the file system can be used in this determination. A type of transformation to be done is determined. The data block is transformed based upon the selected transformation. The transformed data block is written to the storage system. As part of the recycling process, the transformation requires no additional input/output requests.
US09423962B1
Various embodiments for managing data objects stored in a tiered data object storage environment, by a processor device, are provided. In one embodiment, a method comprises using an application to provide directives to the tiered data object storage environment for manipulating and managing stored data objects such that data objects with a pending management operation are refrained from being migrated from a higher storage tier to a lower storage tier.
US09423958B2
A system and a method for managing an expansion read-only memory (ROM), and a management host thereof are provided. The management host is connected with a computer host through a bridge. The management host establishes an address lookup table to assign a virtual function and an expansion ROM corresponding to the virtual function. When a request is issued by the computer host to obtain a size of the expansion ROM, the management host provides data in a shadow register block corresponding to the expansion ROM to the computer host according to the address lookup table. The computer host assigns a memory block in the computer host to the expansion ROM according to the data in the shadow register block. When a request is issued by the computer host to obtain data of the expansion ROM through the bridge, the management host provides the data of the expansion ROM to the computer host according to the memory block.
US09423954B2
Methods, computer software, apparatuses, and systems are described in connection with a mobile device including at least one processor operatively coupled to a touchscreen and memory. The memory stores a first application and a second application. The mobile device is configured for: presenting, utilizing the touchscreen, at least one menu including a plurality of interface elements including a first application interface element associated with the first application and a second application interface element associated with the second application; detecting, utilizing the touchscreen, a first user input in connection with the first application interface element associated with the first application; in response to the first user input, presenting, utilizing the touchscreen, a first visual component for presenting first data associated with the first application; detecting, utilizing the touchscreen, a second user input in connection with the second application interface element associated with the second application; in response to the second user input, presenting, utilizing the touchscreen, a second visual component for presenting second data associated with the second application, such that a first border of the first visual component corresponds to a second border of the second visual component; detecting, utilizing the touchscreen, a third user input; and in response to the third user input, automatically changing, utilizing the at least one processor and the touchscreen, the presentation of the first visual component and the second visual component, such that the first border of the first visual component corresponds to the second border of the second visual component.
US09423945B2
A method and system are disclosed in which a group of people are able to replicate the physical world experience of going with a group of friends to pick a movie, watch the movie together, and provide commentary on the movie itself in the virtual world on a virtual couch while each user is sitting in different physical locations. Additionally, the virtual representation of the destination that the group of people are watching the movie together in can be themed to allow users to watch movies in different locations pivoting on special events or by the users choice.
US09423943B2
A system is provided that performs automatic variable zooming. The system displays a project plan timeline within a user interface, where a project plan timeline includes one or more tasks and a timeline includes one or more time units. The system further receives an instruction to invoke automatic variable zooming on the displayed project plan timeline. The system further receives a criteria. The system further calculates one or more scores for the one or more time units of the project plan timeline based on the criteria. The system further adjusts a zoom level for one or more portions of the project plan timeline based on the one or more calculated scores.
US09423936B2
A system and method for displaying an electronic program schedule guide is provided. The system has areas for displaying program schedule information. In addition, the system also has areas that may be used for advertising programs, products or services. In another embodiment, the system has areas for displaying messages to the user.
US09423931B2
A thumbnail display apparatus includes a display that displays, one by one, thumbnail images corresponding to plural pages included in a document, the thumbnail images being generated by reducing images of the corresponding pages included in the document to a predetermined size, a detecting unit that detects a sliding operation of an object, the sliding operation being performed when the thumbnail image displayed by the display being touched by the object, and a controller that performs, in response to detection of the sliding operation by the detecting unit, page switching so as to sequentially switch the page of the document whose thumbnail image is being displayed by the display to other pages.
US09423920B2
The present disclosure involves systems, products, and methods for modifying elements within a user interface (UI). One method includes operations for identifying an instance of a UI text element for modification within a UI associated with a software application, wherein the UI is displayed to at least one user; retrieving a set of metadata associated with the identified instance of the UI text element, where each instance of the UI text element is associated with the retrieved set of metadata; receiving at least one modification to the retrieved set of metadata associated with the identified instance of the UI text element; and persisting the modified set of metadata associated with the UI text element.
US09423919B2
A touch panel includes an upper electrode substrate having a rectangular shape and having an upper conductive film formed thereon, a lower electrode substrate having a rectangular shape and having a lower conductive film formed thereon, a first power feeding terminal, a second power feeding terminal, a third power feeding terminal, and a fourth power feeding terminal disposed on the lower conductive film at four respective corners of the lower electrode substrate, a first potential detecting unit configured to detect a potential of the second power feeding terminal, a second potential detecting unit configured to detect a potential of the fourth power feeding terminal, and a third potential detecting unit configured to detect a potential of the third power feeding terminal.
US09423917B2
A capacitive touch panel includes a first transparent substrate, a second transparent substrate, and an isolation layer. First and second sensing electrode serials are disposed on surfaces of the first and second transparent substrates, respectively. The first sensing electrode serials are formed by cascading first sensing electrodes. A first hollow region is formed between two adjacent first sensing electrodes. A first compensating electrode is formed in the first hollow region on the surface of the first transparent substrate. The second sensing electrode serials are formed by cascading second sensing electrodes. A second hollow region is formed between two adjacent second sensing electrodes. A second compensating electrode is formed in the second hollow region on the surface of the second transparent substrate. The isolation layer is disposed between the first and second transparent substrates.
US09423915B2
A flexible touch screen panel includes a window substrate, a polarizing functional layer, sensing patterns and sensing lines. The window substrate is flexible. The polarizing functional layer is attached on a first surface of the window substrate, and is divided into an active area and an inactive area positioned outside of the active area. The sensing patterns are formed in the active area on a first surface of the polarizing functional layer. The sensing lines are formed in the inactive area on the first surface of the polarizing functional layer, and are connected to the sensing patterns. In the touch screen panel, the polarizing functional layer has a laminated structure in which a polarizer and a retardation compensation film are attached on the first surface of the window substrate.
US09423913B2
A device and method to control measurements of light intensity are described. The device includes two or more ambient light sensors arranged at respective surface locations of the device, each of the two or more ambient light sensors measuring the light intensity at the respective surface location. The device also includes a processor to control operation of the two or more ambient light sensors.
US09423904B2
A portable device and method of manufacturing a display device includes a display panel having a glass substrate and a polarizer adhered to the glass substrate, a touch panel which is made of resin material and adhered to the polarizer of the display panel by a first adhesive material, and a front window which is made of glass and adhered to the touch panel by a second adhesive material. One of the first adhesive material and the second adhesive material is an adhesive sheet, and an other of the first adhesive material and the second adhesive material is an ultraviolet-curing adhesive material.
US09423896B2
A method for representing a tactile image and providing a touch function and a haptic feedback function to a tactile touch panel includes: applying a touch driving voltage to the tactile touch panel; and applying a tactile voltage corresponding to an image to be displayed to the tactile touch panel in a blanking interval when the touch driving voltage may be not applied to a plurality of touch driving lines of the tactile touch panel, when a touch sensing voltage corresponding to a touch on the tactile touch panel may be received through a plurality of touch sensing lines of the tactile touch panel.
US09423884B2
A KVM (K: Keyboard, V: Video, M: Mouse) switch includes: a plurality of first ports each of which is connected to at least one of a computer and another KVM switch, the another KVM switch having a plurality of third ports connectable to a computer; a second port; a connection unit that selects a first port from the plurality of first ports, and connects the selected first port to the second port; and a control unit that transmits a control signal to the another KVM switch via the selected first port when the first port connected to the computer is connected to the second port, the control signal being a signal for selecting a third port to be connected to the second port from the third ports.
US09423882B2
A keyboard is provided having 26 letters assigned to only 16 to 21 keys, and preferably 21 keys. This advantageous system of typing makes use of either one or two hands. The 26 letters of the English alphabet are all displayed. Five keys have two letters—those letters are PQ, JK, UW, VX and YZ for a total of ten letters. Sixteen keys have one letter assigned to each key—namely the letters A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, L, M, O, N, R, S and T for a total of sixteen letters assigned to a specific key—for a total of 26 letters.
US09423876B2
Embodiments of the present invention relate to systems, methods and computer storage media for detecting user input in an extended interaction space of a device, such as a handheld device. The method and system allow for utilizing a first sensor of the device sensing in a positive z-axis space of the device to detect a first input, such as a user's non-device-contacting gesture. The method and system also contemplate utilizing a second sensor of the device sensing in a negative z-axis space of the device to detect a second input. Additionally, the method and system contemplate updating a user interface presented on a display in response to detecting the first input by the first sensor in the positive z-axis space and detecting the second input by the second sensor in the negative z-axis space.
US09423871B2
A method and system are provided for determining if a control button on a touch screen controller (TSC) was inadvertently touched. A user gaze point is determined using gaze detection apparatus, and the level of functional significance of the control button is identified. User gaze boundary values for the control button are then determined, and the gaze boundary values are altered to reflect the level of functional significance.
US09423865B2
A mechanism is provided for an integrated circuit with power gating. A power switch is configured to connect and disconnect circuits to a common voltage source. A capacitor tank is configured to supply wakeup charge to a given circuit. A controllable element is connected to the given circuit and to the capacitor tank. The controllable element is configured to controllably connect and disconnect the capacitor tank to the given circuit in order to supply the wakeup charge to the given circuit. The controllable element is configured to, responsive to the power switch disconnecting the given circuit from the common voltage source and to the given circuit being turned on to wakeup, supply the wakeup charge to the given circuit being turned on by transferring the wakeup charge from the capacitor tank to the given circuit. This reduces the electrical charge transferred from the circuits connected to the common voltage source.
US09423860B2
To provide a microcontroller that can operate in a low power consumption mode. The microcontroller includes a CPU, a memory, and a peripheral circuit such as a timer circuit. A register of the peripheral circuit is formed at an interface with a bus line. A power gate is provided for control of power supply, and the microcontroller can operate in the low power consumption mode where some circuits alone are active, in addition to in a normal operation mode where all circuits are active. A register with no power supply in the low power consumption mode, such as a register of the CPU, includes a volatile memory and a nonvolatile memory.
US09423851B2
A power management integrated circuit comprises a plurality of power source circuits power received at a power supply input terminal to supply power to a plurality of power supply output terminals. A plurality of power source circuits is coupled between the power supply input terminal and the respective power supply output terminals. The power management integrated circuit comprises an active configuration memory and a communication interface with at least one terminal for uploading configuration data from outside the power management integrated circuit into the configuration memory. A control circuit controls operating parameters of respective ones of the power source circuits dependent on the configuration data from the active configuration memory. Thus, the power management integrated circuit is able to switch between different power supply states in a dynamically configurable way, without requiring external control over the configuration during switching.
US09423849B2
The HEMS of each consumer transmits the amount of surplus electricity that is expected by to be generated by a PV system, and/or the amount of electric power that is needed by a controllable load, in a predetermined time slot on a predetermined date, to a server apparatus. The server apparatus, based on the notified amount of surplus electricity and the amount of electric power that is needed by the controllable load, combines a first consumer and a second consumer so that the amount of electric power needed by the controllable load will be equal to or greater than the amount of surplus electricity. Then, under the control the HEMS of the second consumer, the surplus electricity that is generated by the first consumer is consumed by each controllable load.
US09423842B2
Aspects of the present invention relate to thermal management systems for head-worn computers.
US09423840B2
A desktop computing system having at least a central core surrounded by housing having a shape that defines a volume in which the central core resides is described. The housing includes a first opening and a second opening axially displaced from the first opening. The first opening having a size and shape in accordance with an amount of airflow used as a heat transfer medium for cooling internal components, the second opening defined by a lip that engages a portion of the airflow in such a way that at least some of the heat transferred to the air flow from the internal components is passed to the housing.
US09423837B2
A portable electronic apparatus includes a base, two linkage assemblies disposed on two sides of the base, and a first component and a second component pivoted respectively on the base. Each linkage assembly includes a lever and a dual axis rotating module combined between a first end and a second end of the lever, and each dual axis rotating module disposes on the side of the base. The lever rotates along the side of the base and along a first plane being substantially perpendicular to the side relative to the base by the dual axis rotating module. During the first component rotates relative to the base from an open state to a close state, the first end of each lever is pushed to rotate along the first plane, and the second component is clipped by the second end of each lever.
US09423823B2
A security apparatus for securing a portable electronic device to an immovable object includes a head having a base. The head also includes a plurality of engagement elements extending from the base and configured to be inserted into an aperture of the portable electronic device. The plurality of engagement elements is movable relative to the body while inserted into the aperture to engage a portion of the portable electronic device. The head further includes a linear element positioned between the plurality of engagement elements. The linear element is movable relative to the plurality of engagement elements to push the plurality of engagement elements radially outward. The security apparatus also includes a security device attached to the head and configured to engage the immovable object.
US09423822B1
Embodiments of the disclosed subject matter can provide techniques for synchronizing data acquisition (DAQ) modules in a data acquisition system. In data acquisition systems where multiple DAQ modules are in use, it can be desirable to synchronize the DAQ modules to facilitate the analysis of signals captured by sensors coupled to those DAQ modules. This way, a signal processing platform, such as a computer, can analyze different sensor signals (e.g., an audio sensor and vibration sensor) without separately compensating for the time difference between the audio and vibration signals. In some embodiments, the synchronization techniques can include an automatic or a semi-automatic mechanism for temporally synchronizing the sensors and for arbitrating the sampling rate between the data acquisition systems.
US09423804B2
Embodiments relate to controlling a temperature of a solid state memory device using queue depth management by monitoring an operating temperature of each of a plurality of solid state drives of the solid state memory device. Based on a determination that the operating temperature of one of the plurality of solid state drives exceeds local device threshold values, the method includes receiving an indication that one or more local measures have been taken by the solid state memory device. Based on a determination that the operating temperature of one of the plurality of solid state drives exceeds a secondary global threshold value, the method includes reducing a queue length for the solid state memory device.
US09423802B2
An electronic control unit reduces output of an engine using a detection value of an acceleration sensor such that acceleration of a vehicle does not exceed a predetermined threshold value. In a case where there is an abnormality in the acceleration sensor, the electronic control unit sets the acceleration threshold value to be greater than that in a case where there is no abnormality, and the electronic control unit limits the vehicle speed to a predetermined value or slower.
US09423801B2
A continuous system for manufacturing a composition that contains an active ingredient that includes a base manufacturing portion and an addition portion. The system can manufacture compositions having different levels of the active ingredient. A base is formed that contains a first level of the active ingredient that is desired for any composition to be manufactured. The addition portion can be used to add more of the materials for the composition to lower the level of the active ingredient, or more active ingredient can be added to increase the level of the active ingredient. The system is controlled by a sensor that measures an amount of associated material that is associated with the active ingredient. This is useful when the active ingredient is not detectable by the sensor.
US09423799B1
An information processing system and method for adaptively selecting an aircraft descent flight path for an aircraft, are provided. The system receives flight adaptation parameters, including aircraft flight descent time period, aircraft flight descent airspace region, and aircraft flight descent flyability constraints. The system queries a plurality of flight data sources and retrieves flight information including any of winds and temperatures aloft data, airspace/navigation constraints, airspace traffic demand, and airspace arrival delay model. The system calculates a set of candidate descent profiles, each defined by at least one of a flight path angle and a descent rate, and each including an aggregated total fuel consumption value for the aircraft following a calculated trajectory, and a flyability constraints metric for the calculated trajectory. The system selects a best candidate descent profile having the least fuel consumption value while the flyability constraints metric remains within aircraft flight descent flyability constraints.
US09423797B2
Disclosed are a robot cleaner and a method for controlling the same. Firstly, an obstacle may be detected by using a light pattern sensor, and a user's inconvenience due to irradiation of a light pattern may be solved. Secondly, an obstacle may be precisely detected in a three dimensional manner by using the light pattern sensor. This may allow precise creation of a cleaning map. Thirdly, a user's eyes may be prevented from being continuously exposed to a light source. This may enhance the user's convenience.
US09423793B2
System, method and computer program for pattern based intelligent control, monitoring and automation
The present invention relates to control, monitoring, and automation. The present invention more specifically relates to pattern-based intelligent control, monitoring and automation. The invention performs pattern-based monitoring. It collects signal data from one or more signals. The signal data define signal data streams. It then transforms each of the signal data streams into trends. It also discovers patterns based on the trends within each signal data stream and/or across the signal data streams. The patterns are optionally used for diagnostics and root cause analysis, online plant monitoring and operation control, plant optimization, and other environments where a causal link or correlation may exist between related inputs, states and/or outputs.
US09423787B2
A programming tool provides an interface between an industrial controller and a motor drive that allows the logic development tool used to program the industrial controller to be used to configure the motor drive and its supported components directly. This allows a programmer to configure the topology for the motor drive and provide configuration data that can be verified directly from within the controller programming software rather than requiring separate programming and diagnostic tools.
US09423785B2
A tool trajectory display device capable of displaying an inversion position of a servo axis on a tool trajectory. The display device has a position information obtaining part and velocity information obtaining part which obtain position information and velocity information of at least one servo axis, respectively, from numerical controller; a tool coordinate calculating part which calculates a coordinate value of a tool center point based on the position information and information of a mechanical constitution of the machine tool; an inversion position calculating part which calculates an inversion position where a polarity of a velocity of the servo axis is changed, based on the velocity information and the calculated coordinate value; and a displaying part which displays a trajectory of the tool center point based on the calculated coordinate, and displays the inversion position of the servo axis on the trajectory.
US09423783B2
Disclosed is a method for the prevention of erroneous actuator access in a multifunctional general electronic control system wherein the actuator access requirements emanate from different system services (1), a rights management (2), which determines the authorization of actuator access requirements, a mode of operation control unit (4), and an access management (6) are integrated into the general control system. The rights management (2), in the event of an access requirement by a system service (1), brings about an adjustment or a change of the mode of operation according to predefined rules in consideration of the instantaneous mode of operation of the general system and reports the current mode of operation to the access management (6). Depending on the reported general mode of operation, the access management (6) allows actuation of the actuator by means of the ‘authorized’ system service (1) and processes the actuator access requirements of the system services (1) according to predefined arbitration rules.
US09423781B2
A method to control an power generation plant including: applying control settings to operate the plant; collecting plant data indicative of the performance of the plant; applying the control settings to a model of the plant; collecting prediction data from the model; comparing the plant data to the predicted data and adjusting the control settings applied to the plant and model; perturbing the control settings and applying the perturbed control settings to operate the plant and the model; collecting perturbed plant data and perturbed prediction data, and modifying the model if the perturbed plant data represents an improvement as compared to the perturbed prediction data.
US09423777B2
A command value generating circuit determines an acceleration profile indicating changes in acceleration of a mechanical load over time. The acceleration profile is determined such that the mechanical load is accelerated from a stop at a first position to a peak velocity, and is decelerated from the peak velocity to stop at a second position, and that the absolute value of an acceleration during accelerating and decelerating the mechanical load is equal to or less than an upper limit acceleration, and that the acceleration is maintained at the upper limit acceleration for a period of time from starting to accelerate the mechanical load, and then, gradually decreased from the upper limit acceleration. The command value generating circuit determines a velocity profile indicating changes in the velocity of the mechanical load over time, according to the acceleration profile, and generates a position command value, according to the velocity profile.
US09423774B2
An electronic timepiece includes a display section which displays time information and a light emitting section which illuminates a display surface of the display section by emitting light. A light emitting control section performs control to turn on the light emitting section by gradually increasing a light emitting amount of the light emitting section to a peak value in a predetermined brightening time according to a predetermined light emitting condition.
US09423773B2
Clock movement (2) comprising a mechanism (3) for indicating and storing the time information, the mechanism comprising a member (S′) for displaying the stored seconds and/or stored fractions of seconds, a first device (MEM1) for storing seconds and/or fractions of seconds, the storage device comprising a first storage mobile (M1) provided with a first storage element (MC1) in direct mesh with an element (12) of a geartrain (11, 12, 13, 14, 15) of the clock movement or a first storage element fixed to an element of a geartrain of the clock movement.
US09423769B2
A process cartridge includes an image carrying member cartridge and a developing cartridge. The image carrying member cartridge includes a first handle. The developing cartridge includes a second handle. In a state where the developing cartridge is attached to the image carrying member cartridge, a one edge of the first handle is located at substantially the same position as a one edge of the second handle in a direction, and the second handle is spaced apart from the first handle.
US09423766B2
The present invention provides an image forming apparatus including: a first moving member pressed and moved by an openable/closable member when the openable/closable member is opened, and switching a cartridge from a state where the cartridge is positioned in an image forming position to a state where the positioning is released; and a second moving member pressed and moved by the openable/closable member when the openable/closable member is opened, and moving the exposure member from an exposure position to a retracted position, wherein when the positioning of the cartridge is released, a reaction force applied from the first moving member to the openable/closable member reaches a first peak, when the exposure member is moved to the retracted position, a reaction force applied from the second moving member to the openable/closable member reaches a second peak, and timing of the first peak is different from timing of the second peak.
US09423750B2
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit including a containing unit; a replenishment unit replenishes the containing unit with the toner; a first determination unit determines an amount of the toner consumed in the containing unit; a detection unit detects a toner amount in the containing unit; a first calculation unit calculates a difference between the toner amount and a target amount; a second calculation unit calculates a cumulative value of the difference; a second determination unit determines a determination value; a prevention unit prevents the second calculation unit from accumulating the difference at second timing following the first timing; and a controller controls the replenishment unit, based on the determination value, in a case where the first determination value is less than a threshold, the second calculating unit is prevented from accumulating the difference at the second timing, on the cumulative value calculated at the first timing.
US09423748B1
A processor receives a print job, identifies possible extension marking materials to use to print the print job, and optimizes the order in which the extension marking materials will be used in multiple printing passes. A user interface outputs instructions to insert, into a receptacle, a first interchangeable supply container containing a first extension marking material that is in addition to base marking materials. A printing engine prints first markings (using the first extension marking material) that comprise a first portion of the print job. The user interface outputs instructions to return the partially printed print media to a sheet supply and to insert a second interchangeable supply container containing a second extension marking material. The printing engine prints second markings (using the second extension marking material) that comprise a second portion of the print job, on the partially printed print media, to produce the finally printed print media.
US09423746B2
An image forming apparatus includes a latent image bearer that carries a latent image and a developer carrier including a developer carrying member that carries a developer on a surface thereof. The developer carrier conveys the developer to a developing position opposite to the latent image bearer by moving the developer carrying member so as to develop the latent image carried by the latent image bearer. In a startup operation after a stop operation performed during a developing operation by the developer carrier, the developer carrying member is rotated for a predetermined time while the latent image bearer is set in a stopped state before starting a rotation.
US09423743B2
A unit checking device is provided which checks whether a unit detachably provided to a device body is new or old. The unit checking device includes a transistor for checking provided in the unit and configured to be destructed by power supplied from the device body; and an inspection device provided in the device body and configured to determine whether or not the transistor is destructed by applying a voltage to the transistor.
US09423742B1
An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion and a fixing device. The image forming portion forms a developer image on a recording medium. The fixing device is removably mounted to an image forming apparatus body, and fixes the developer image formed by the image forming portion to the recording medium. The fixing device includes a first rotator, a second rotator, and a pressing mechanism. The second rotator contacts the first rotator to form an interposition region in which the recording medium is interposed between the first rotator and the second rotator. The pressing mechanism presses the first rotator and the second rotator against each other. The image forming apparatus further includes a change mechanism that changes a force with which the pressing mechanism presses the first rotator and the second rotator against each other. The change mechanism is mounted to the image forming apparatus body.
US09423736B2
A heater usable with an image heating apparatus including first and second terminals includes: a first connector connectable with the first terminal; a second connector connectable with the second terminal and positioned with a gap from the first connector in a longitudinal direction of the substrate; a third connector connectable with the second terminal; a fourth connector connectable with the second terminal and positioned with a gap from the third connector in the widthwise; and heat generators arranged in the longitudinal direction. The heat generators include heat generators activatable by the first connector and the second connector, by the first connector and the third connector, and by the first connector and the fourth connector. A gap between the third connector and the fourth connector in the widthwise direction is smaller than a gap between the first connector and the second connector in the longitudinal direction.
US09423732B2
An image fixing device includes an elastic roller; a back-up unit forming a fixing nip with the roller therebetween, the back-up unit including a cylindrical film, a film guide, extending inside the film, for guiding the film, and an end portion guiding member including a guiding portion for guiding an inner surface of an end portion of the film. The film guide includes plural ribs contacting the film and arranged in a generatrix direction at positions upstream of the fixing nip with respect to a feeding direction of a sheet. The ribs have free end portions retracted more toward a downstream side with respect to the feeding direction of the recording material than the guiding portion of the end portion guiding member. An inside rib has a free end portion which is retracted more toward the downstream side than free end portions of the opposite end ribs.
US09423727B2
The intermediate transfer member is an intermediate transfer member for electrophotography, including a surface layer having a surface for carrying toner, in which: the surface layer contains a fluorine-modified curable resin having one of an acryloyl group and a methacryloyl group, and electro-conductive inorganic particles; and the surface layer has a ratio of the number of atoms of an element derived from the electro-conductive inorganic particles to the total number of atoms to be detected through analysis of the surface by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of 2.5 atomic % or more and 10 atomic % or less, and a peak detected at a position corresponding to a mass-to-charge ratio [m/z] of one of m/z=71 and m/z=85 in analysis of the surface by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry.
US09423712B2
Disclosed is a toner for electrostatic image development having excellent low-temperature fixability and high-temperature off-set resistance, attaining good image density, and having excellent homogeneity in image density. The toner comprises toner particles containing a binder resin which contains an amorphous resin (A) and an amorphous polyester resin (B) different from the resin (A) and a colorant, wherein the toner particles have a domain-matrix structure having the resin (B) as a domain phase dispersed in a matrix phase comprising the resin (A), and in a cross-sectional image of the toner particles, the number average domain diameter of the domain phase of the resin (B) having a domain diameter of 100 nm or more is 100 to 200 nm and an area ratio of the domain phase having a domain diameter of 500 nm or more relative to the total area of the domain phase is 0 to 10%.
US09423708B2
A method for producing a toner particle having high charging stability and durability under environments at high temperature and high humidity is provided.A method for producing a toner particle including an step of adhering a resin particle to surface of a toner base particle containing a binder resin and a colorant in an aqueous medium, wherein the resin particle contain a resin having an ionic functional group and having an acid dissociation constant pKa of 6.0 or more and 9.0 or less, and the pH (hydrogen ion concentration) of the aqueous medium is equal to or greater than pKa of the resin particle−2.0.
US09423706B2
An electrophotographic photosensitive member includes a support and a photosensitive layer formed on the support. A surface layer of the electrophotographic photosensitive member contains a polymerized product of a composition that contains a charge transporting compound having a particular group (polymerizable functional group).
US09423705B2
While a wafer stage linearly moves in a Y-axis direction, a multipoint AF system detects surface position information of the wafer surface at a plurality of detection points that are set at a predetermined distance in an X-axis direction and also a plurality of alignment systems that are arrayed in a line along the X-axis direction detect each of marks at positions different from one another on the wafer. That is, detection of surface position information of the wafer surface at a plurality of detection points and detection of the marks at positions different from one another on the wafer are finished, only by the wafer stage (wafer) linearly passing through the array of the plurality of detection points of the multipoint AF system and the plurality of alignment systems, and therefore, the throughput can be improved.
US09423703B2
In an exposure apparatus exposes a substrate with an energy beam via a projection optical system, a substrate stage system has a movable body that holds the substrate and is driven to move the substrate. An encoder system measures positional information of the movable body by irradiating each of four areas of a grating section with a beam via each of four heads. A controller controls driving of the movable body based on the positional information measured by the encoder system. As the movable body moves, a relationship between the grating section and the heads changes between a first state, in which the four heads respectively face the four areas, and a second state, in which only three of the heads respectively face three areas of the four areas. At least three areas of the four areas are always faced by three of the heads at least during substrate exposure.
US09423701B2
A lithographic method of determining a sensitivity of a property of a pattern feature to change in optical aberrations of a lithographic apparatus used to provide that pattern feature. The method includes controlling a configuration of the lithographic apparatus to establish a first aberration state, forming a first image of the pattern feature with that lithographic apparatus when the lithographic apparatus is in that first aberration state, measuring a property of the image, controlling a configuration of the lithographic apparatus to establish a second, different, aberration state, forming an image of the same pattern feature with that lithographic apparatus when the lithographic apparatus is in that second aberration state, measuring a same property of the image, and using the measurements to determine the sensitivity of the property of the pattern feature to changes in the aberration state.
US09423684B2
To provide a process for producing an EUV mask blank, whereby the deformation of a substrate due to film stress in a Mo/Si multilayer reflective film can be reduced, and the change with time of the film stress in the Mo/Si multilayer reflective film can be reduced.A process for producing a reflective mask blank for EUVL, which comprises forming a multilayer reflective film for reflecting EUV light on a film-forming surface of a substrate, then forming an absorber layer for absorbing EUV light, on the multilayer reflective film, to produce a reflective mask blank for EUV lithography, wherein the multilayer reflective film is a Mo/Si multilayer reflective film, the uppermost layer of the multilayer reflective film is a Si film, and after forming the absorber layer, the substrate on which the absorber layer is formed is subjected to heating treatment at a temperature of from 110 to 170° C.
US09423675B2
A projector includes an armor housing including an opening section through which an image is transmitted and a shutter device configured to open and close the opening section. The shutter device includes a blade member, a moving section configured to move the blade member, and movement regulating sections configured to regulate the movement of the blade member. The blade member includes first blades and second blades arranged to overlap each other and configured to move in the same direction each other to close and open the opening section. The second blades are moved in the same direction as the first blades by frictional resistance with the first blades. The movement regulating sections include second-blade regulating sections configured to come into contact with the second blades moved in the closing direction to predetermined positions and regulate further movement of the second blades in the closing direction.
US09423670B2
There is provided an imaging device including an imaging control unit that executes imaging control in first and second self-timer modes in which an automatic focusing process and an imaging process are executed in order after reception of an imaging start instruction. A first period from the reception of the imaging start instruction to execution of the automatic focusing process in the first self-timer mode is shorter than a second period from the reception of the imaging start instruction to execution of the automatic focusing process in the second self-timer mode.
US09423659B2
An array substrate, a liquid crystal display panel (20) and a display device. The array substrate comprises: a substrate (10); a first transparent conductive layer (11) disposed on the substrate (10); an insulating layer (12) disposed on the first conductive layer (11); and a second transparent conductive layer (13) disposed on the insulating layer (20) and configured for forming a horizontal electric field with the first transparent conductive layer (11); the second conductive layer (13) comprises a plurality of transparent electrodes (14), adjacent transparent electrodes (14) possess a slit structure therebetween, and two ends of each transparent electrode each possess a bent structure (16).
US09423653B2
A backlight unit includes: a bottom chassis including a lower portion and side portions enclosing the lower portion; a light source plate to which a light source is attached; a diffuser configured to diffuse light generated from the light source; an optical sheet disposed on the diffuser and adapted to further diffuse the light diffused by the diffuser; and a first mold including a first inclined portion which is disposed between the diffuser and the optical sheet and may prevent the diffuser and the optical sheet from contacting each other, the first inclined portion may reflect light transmitted by the diffuser and emitted from the side of the diffuser toward the bottom chassis.
US09423648B2
A transflective display panel, a method for fabricating the same and a display device are provided. The transflective display panel comprises an array substrate and a color film substrate cell-assembled with each other and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the array substrate and the color film substrate. A plurality of pixel units correspondingly formed on the array substrate and the color film substrate. Each pixel unit comprises a reflective region and a transmissive region. Disposed inside the reflective region are a first reflection layer disposed on the side of the array substrate that is close to the liquid crystal layer and a diffuse reflection layer disposed on the side of the color film substrate that is close to the liquid crystal layer. The diffuse reflection layer and the first reflection layer are disposed opposite each other.
US09423635B1
Described herein is an integrated Faraday modulator and Faraday compensator (IFMC) system. Further described are methods of making an IFMC system, methods of customizing an IFMC system for a specific application, and methods of optimizing an IFMC system for a specific application. Further described is a robust 3D Finite Element Model (FEM) for designing and optimizing an IFMC system. Further described are optical instruments comprising an integrated Faraday modulator and Faraday compensator requiring only one optical crystal.
US09423629B2
An imaging apparatus includes a driver which drives a front lens element, on the object side of a reflector, to reduce image shake. The driver includes voice coil motors, each having a coil and a permanent magnet. A coil-and-magnet combination is positioned on each opposite side of a first reference plane. Centers of each permanent magnet and coil are positioned on one side of a second reference plane, including the first optical axis and orthogonal to the first reference plane, a second optical axis extending on the other side of the second reference plane. Magnetic pole boundary lines of the permanent magnets are inclined to approach the first reference plane away from the second reference plane. The magnetic sensors are positioned on opposite sides of the respective coils from the first lens element side.
US09423627B2
Provided are a projection device and a projection-type video display device capable of displaying a plurality of videos, allowing speckles to be inconspicuous, and miniaturizing an optical system. A projection device includes an optical element including light diffusion elements capable of diffusing light, an irradiation device configured to irradiate the optical element with illumination light beams, each illumination light beam scanning the corresponding light diffusion element, spatial light modulators, each spatial light modulator being illuminated with illumination light beam which is incident from the irradiation device to each light diffusion element to be diffused, and projection optical systems, each projection optical system projecting modulation image obtained on each spatial light modulator on corresponding screen. The illumination light beam, which is incident to each position of each light diffusion element to be diffused, overlappedly illuminates on corresponding spatial light modulator.
US09423622B2
A dichroic beamsplitter has a composite prism that has at least first and second prism elements that are coupled together along facing surfaces, wherein the respective facing surfaces of the first and second prism elements are equidistant from each other. The composite prism has a first flat external surface that lies within a first plane, a second flat external surface that lies within a second plane that is perpendicular to the first plane, a third flat external surface that lies within a third plane that is parallel to the second plane, and a coated surface internal to the composite prism and having a multilayer thin-film dichroic beamsplitter coating, wherein the coated surface lies within a fourth plane that intersects at least one of the first, second, and third planes at an angle that is less than about 25 degrees.
US09423621B2
Prism beam expansion system which having two or more right angle prisms with the same structure. The incident light beam enters via an incident inclined plane and exits as an exit light beam that is perpendicular to an exit right angle plane of the same right angle prism. The vertex angle α of all the right angle prisms are the same and satisfies the expression α = arcsin ( n 1 n 2 × sin θ 1 ) , where n1 and n2 represent the refractive indexes of the laser beam respectively in the incident media and in the right angle prism.
US09423620B2
A head mounted display (HMD) configured to provide a surrounding image is disclosed. The HMD includes a display unit configured to display a section of the surrounding image corresponding to a front direction of the HMD, a first sensor group including at least one sensor configured to sense motion of the HMD, a second sensor group including at least one sensor provided to the HMD to capture a circumjacent image, and a processor configured to control the display unit, the first sensor group and the second sensor group to acquire first sensing information from the first sensor group and second sensing information from the second sensor group, wherein the processor detects a state of the HMD using at least one of the first sensing information and the second sensing information, the state of the HMD including a static state in which an absolute position of the HMD does not change and a moving state in which the absolute position changes, detects, when the state of the HMD is detected as the static state, a direction in which a front of the HMD faces based on the first sensing information or on the first sensing information and the second sensing information, detects, when the state of the HMD is detected as the moving state, the direction in which the front of the HMD faces based on the second sensing information or based on the second sensing information and the corrected first sensing information, and displays an image of a section of the surrounding image corresponding to the detected direction.
US09423611B2
A light incident surface of a lens is determined to have a shape of a virtual light incident surface (SF1). The virtual light incident surface (SF1) is defined based on normal directions (ni) respectively calculated at a plurality of light incident points (Pi) of the virtual light incident surface (SF1) such that lights emitted from a first light emitting point (S1) and incident on the respective light incident points (Pi) are projected onto a first projection point (r1) and that lights emitted from a second light emitting point (S2) and incident on the respective light incident points (Pi) are projected onto a second projection point (r2) spaced in a predetermined direction from the first projection point (r1).
US09423607B1
An array of electrowetting elements comprising: a first electrowetting element with a first subpixel and a second subpixel, and a second electrowetting element with a third subpixel and a fourth subpixel. The first subpixel and the third subpixel are located on a first column axis having a column axis angle offset substantially 45° from a predetermined display horizon.
US09423601B2
An image acquisition system 1 includes: a light source 3 which outputs illumination light; an optical scanner 7 which scans a sample S with the illumination light; an optical scanner control unit 9; a detection optical system 15, 17 which focuses fluorescence from the sample S; an imaging device 19 which has a light receiving surface 19c in which a plurality of pixel rows 19d are arranged, and an imaging control section 19b, and which can perform signal readout of each of the plurality of pixel rows 19d from the light receiving surface 19c; and a calculation unit 21 which calculates an interval of signal readout between adjacent pixel rows 19d, based on a moving speed of an illuminated region on the light receiving surface 19c; the imaging control section 19b controls signal readout of each pixel row 19d, based on the interval of the signal readout thus calculated.
US09423592B2
An imaging lens includes: a first lens group; a stop; a positive second lens group; and a negative third lens group which is fixed while focusing, in order from the object side. The first lens group includes at least one positive lens, at least one cemented lens, and a negative meniscus lens having a concave surface toward the image side, in order from the object side. The second lens group includes a cemented lens formed by a biconcave lens and a biconvex lens and a biconvex lens, in order from the object side. The third lens group includes a negative meniscus lens having a convex surface toward the object side, a biconcave lens, and a biconvex lens, in order from the object side. The first lens group, the stop, and the second lens group move integrally along the optical axis to focus from an infinite to a finite distance.
US09423591B2
A metal elastic member to be used for beams 4 for supporting a movable unit 3 at respective ends with respect to a fixed unit 2 in a miniature machine including at least one movable unit 3, the fixed unit 2 and the beams 4 , and capable of swinging the movable unit about an axis P with the beams 4 serving as torsional rotation axes, includes a metal bar 4a having a predetermined length, a fixed unit pad 4b that is provided at a first end of the metal bar 4a and is fixed to the fixed unit 2, and a movable unit pad 4c formed on the other end side of the metal bar 4a and fixed to the movable unit 3. At least the metal bar 4a is molded to have a sectional area of 1 mm2 or less by using a physical or chemical processing method excluding a mechanical processing method and swings the movable unit 3 within a frequency of 150 Hz to 500 Hz.
US09423590B2
The invention relates to an optical element for a projection exposure apparatus for semiconductor lithography comprising an optically active surface and at least one cooling component for cooling the optical element, wherein the cooling component is connected to at least two separate cooling circuits and embodied in such a way that the optically active surface can be cooled to a greater extent in at least one partial region than in a further partial region. The invention furthermore relates to a projection exposure apparatus comprising an optical element according to the invention.
US09423589B2
A lens driving device in which the lens holder is employed, a camera device and an electronic device are also disclosed. The lens holder includes portions formed as having the respective different outer circumferential diameters between the upper side and the lower side of the vertical direction and provided in predetermined areas located in the circumferential direction of the outer circumferential wall of the lens holder around which a coil is to be wound, and a flanged portion that protrudes from the outer circumferential wall of the lens holder toward the radially outward side, wherein the diametrically larger portion among the portions formed as having the respective different outer circumferential diameters between the upper side and the lower side of the vertical direction and the flanged portion are arranged so that they can be spaced away from each other by a predetermined gap.
US09423588B2
Methods and apparatus for performing a zoom operation are described using multiple optical chains in a camera device. At least one optical chain in the camera device includes a moveable light redirection device, said light redirection device being one of a substantially plane mirror or a prism. The moveable light redirection device is moved to a position in accordance with a zoom setting, and a portion of a scene area of interest in captured. Different discrete zoom setting values correspond to different positions of the moveable light redirection device resulting in different capture areas. In some embodiments, multiple optical chains with moveable light redirection devices are used to capture different portions of a scene of interest. A composite image is generated from a plurality of captured images corresponding to different optical chains. A higher zoom setting corresponds to more overlap between captured images of different optical chains.
US09423580B2
An ESD protection device for an electro-optical device may include an optical waveguide segment being in semiconductor material and including a central zone of a first conductivity type, and first and second wings of a second conductivity type different from the first conductivity type and being integral with the central zone. The ESD protection device may include a first conduction terminal on the first wing for defining a first protection terminal, a second conduction terminal on the second wing for defining a second protection terminal, and a resistive contact structure of the first conductivity type having a transverse arm integral with the central zone, and an end in ohmic contact with the first conduction terminal, the resistive contact structure being electrically insulated from the first wing.
US09423578B2
A semiconductor device includes a first chip, a dielectric layer over the first chip, and a second chip over the dielectric layer. A conductive layer is embedded in the dielectric layer and is electrically coupled to the first chip and the second chip. The second chip includes an optical component. The first chip and the second chip are arranged on opposite sides of the dielectric layer in a thickness direction of the dielectric layer.
US09423577B2
Optical receptacles having compliance for facilitating alignment with fiber optic connectors during insertion, and related components, systems and methods are disclosed. In one example, an optical receptacle disposed in a receptacle optical assembly optically connects to a fiber optic component, for example, a ferrule, for facilitating transmission of an optical signal from the optical receptacle to the exemplary ferrule. A support interface between the optical receptacle and receptacle housing contains a compliance feature that permits the optical receptacle to move with respect to the receptacle housing during insertion of the fiber optic connector. An insertion force of the fiber optic connector causes the optical receptacle to be able to move into optical alignment with the connector during insertion of the fiber optic connector, thereby moving ferrule(s) of the fiber optic connector into optical alignment with the ferrule(s) of the optical receptacle.
US09423575B2
A small form-factor pluggable connector is disclosed. A locking and unlocking mechanism of the SFP connector includes a rotating member rotatable mounted on a cover, a fastening shaft pivoting the rotating member on the cover, a spring member providing an elastic force for locking and unlocking, an actuator slideably mounted on the cover, and an U-shaped connecting member connecting the rotating member and the actuator. The spring member is located under a latching arm of the rotating member. When the latching arm is forced to rotate downward under an external force, the spring member is compressed. When the external force is removed, the spring member can be restored to its original state and push the latching arm upward. The SFP connector of the present invention is easy to be operated and can efficiently realize the locking and unlocking functions.
US09423568B2
A device for electro-optical sampling of a microwave frequency signal is disclosed. In one aspect, the device includes a microwave transmission line for transmitting a microwave signal, the microwave line including an interruption zone configured to be rendered conducting under the effect of an optical control signal so as to carry out a function of optically controlled interrupter switch. The device also includes, in the interruption zone, a layer of nanostructured semiconductor material, including a periodic or quasi-periodic tiling of nanostructures. The layer of nanostructured semiconductor material is placed, at the level of the interruption zone, in suspension or on a dielectric material of lower refractive index than the refractive index of the semiconductor material, the layer of nanostructured semiconductor material being able to carry out the function of optically controlled interrupter switch.
US09423563B2
A semiconductor structure is provided in which a plurality of waveguide structures are embedded within a semiconductor handle substrate. Each waveguide structure includes, from bottom to top, a bottom oxide portion, a waveguide core material portion and a top oxide portion. An oxide capping layer is present on topmost surfaces of each waveguide structure and a topmost surface of the semiconductor handle substrate. A plurality of semiconductor devices is located above a topmost surface of the oxide capping layer. The structure has thicker buried oxide regions defined by the combined thicknesses of the top oxide portion and the oxide capping layer located in some areas, while thinner buried oxide regions defined only by the thickness of the oxide capping layer are present in other areas of the structure.
US09423547B1
Balloons, including lighter than air balloons and heavier than air balloons, are provided with optical fiber light apparatuses, in which the optical fiber light apparatuses have at least one optical fiber and at least one fluorescent color applied to the at least one optical fiber, such that black light moving through the at least one optical fiber produces fluorescent colored light as the black light is emitted through the fluorescent color applied to the at least one optical fiber.
US09423543B2
A display device includes a display panel, a first pressure sensitive adhesive positioned on the display panel, a quarter wavelength (λ/4) wave plate positioned on the pressure sensitive adhesive, a linear polarizer positioned on the λ/4 wave plate, and a first base layer positioned on the linear polarizer.
US09423534B2
An optical module is disclosed. The optical module includes: a package substrate; an optical device disposed on the package substrate; a clear mold disposed on the package substrate and the optical device; an light blocking mold disposed on the package substrate, surrounding an optical device on the package substrate, and having an opening above the optical device; and a flexible buffer layer disposed on the light blocking mold. The light blocking mold and the flexible buffer layer are integrally formed of light blocking materials different from each other. An optical module including a plurality of optical devices is also disclosed.
US09423529B2
An antireflection coating has a band ranging from the visible light range to the near infrared range. The antireflection coating has a deposition structure made up of twelve layers in which layers of a high refractive index material having a refractive index nH of 1.95 to 2.32 and layers of a low refractive index material having a refractive index of 1.35 to 1.46 are deposited alternately, wherein the reflectance of the antireflection coating is not higher than 1.5% in the wavelength range of 400 nm to 680 nm and not higher than 2.0% in the wavelength range of 680 nm to 1350 nm.
US09423527B2
A cleaning device for cleaning a marine element towed in water and related methods are provided. The cleaning device includes a body configured to enclose the marine element; at least one wing attached to the body and configured to impart translational and rotational motion to the body when interacting with the water; a switching and locking mechanism configured to change an orientation of the at least one wing between a first orientation and a second orientation when contacting a stopper and also to lock the selected orientation; rotating means attached to an internal surface of the body and configured to contact the marine element, the rotating means having axles that make a fix angle with a longitudinal axis of the body; and a cleaning tool attached to the body and configured to clean the marine element.
US09423526B2
Methods for managing an intelligent field, are provided. An exemplary method can include, for example, the steps of receiving well instrument data, processing the data, detecting a missing or faulty data period, applying a rule set and logics, estimating values for the missing or faulty data, validating the estimated values, and inserting the data in the data period.
US09423517B2
An X-ray imaging apparatus includes an X-ray generator configured to generate and emit X-rays, an X-ray detector configured to detect the X-rays and count a number of photons having energy equal to or greater than threshold energy per pixel among photons contained in the detected X-rays, a map generator configured to extract corrected threshold energy corresponding to target threshold energy mapped to each pixel, and a data correction unit configured to calculate corrected X-ray data corresponding to the corrected threshold energy per pixel from a plurality of X-ray data acquired based on a plurality of images of a target object obtained by using a plurality of approximate energies equal or approximate to the target threshold energy as threshold energy of the X-ray detector.
US09423511B2
When designing detector arrays for diagnostic imaging devices, such as PET or SPECT devices, a virtual detector, or pixel, combines scintillator crystals (10, 20, 40) with photodetectors (12) in ratios that deviate from the conventional 1:1 ratio. For instance, multiple photodetectors can be glued to a single crystal to create a virtual pixel (10, 20, 40) which can be software-based or hardware-based. Light energy and time stamp information for a gamma ray hit on the crystal can be calculated using a virtualizer processor or using a trigger line network and time-to-digital converter logic. Additionally or alternatively, multiple crystals (54) can be associated with each of a plurality of photodetectors (52). A gamma ray hit on a specific crystal is then determined by a table lookup of adjacent photodetectors (52) that register equal light intensities, and the crystal (54) common to such photodetectors (52) is identified as the location of the hit.
US09423509B2
A moving platform INS range corrector (“MPIRC”) module and its method of operation for providing navigation and positioning information. The module comprises: means, such as a receiver, for receiving a first set of absolute navigational information from an external source (such as satellites in case of GNSS); an inertial sensor unit for generating a second set of navigational information at the module; and a transceiver, for receiving and/or transmitting signals and estimating distance measurement from a known position and receiving position coordinates. The navigational information is used by a processor programmed with a core algorithm, to produce a navigation solution (which comprises position, velocity and attitude). The system has the following attributes: the solution is produced seamlessly, even if one source of navigational information is temporarily out of service; the accuracy of the solution is assisted by use of distance and position coordinate measurement from a known position.
US09423508B2
A system and method for determining transmission delay in a communications system. In some embodiments, satellite positioning information may be received for a mobile device and enhanced cell identification (E-CID) positioning information received for the mobile device. A location of the mobile device may be determined as a function of the received satellite positioning information, and transmission delay between a node serving the mobile device and an antenna serving the mobile device determined as a function of the received E-CID positioning information and the determined location of the mobile device.
US09423507B2
The present invention relates generally to methods and apparatuses for estimating and correcting for multipath in GNSS navigation systems. According to some aspects, the invention operates in situations where position and estimated position error are reasonably stable so as to detect when large multipath errors are present with confidence. After detection, the slowly varying biases from multipath or other un-modeled sources can be modeled separately from the navigation state. The measurements are kept in the solution without biasing the navigation state thereby ignoring the long-term biases for use over short-term periods with minimized pseudorange error when necessary.
US09423499B2
A laser scanner (10) is provided which has a light transmitter (12) for transmitting a light signal (16) into a monitored zone (20), a light receiver (26) for generating a received signal from the light signal (22) remitted by objects in the monitored zone (20), a movable deflection unit (18) for the periodic deflection of the light signal (16, 22) to scan the monitored zone (20) in the course of the movement, and an evaluation unit (34) for detecting the objects with reference to the received signal and for testing the signal path from the transmission of the light signal (16) up to the detection of the objects. In this respect, the evaluation unit (34) is configured also to detect objects in angular positions of the deflection unit (18) in which the signal path is tested.
US09423493B2
In one embodiment, a transducer controller is configured to form an integrated distance measuring and diagnostic cycle that includes measuring a decay time of a transducer and to selectively adjust a period of the transmitted signal responsively to a value of a reverberation period.
US09423485B2
A method includes detecting a signal at a first set of receivers of a plurality of receivers of a device. The plurality of receivers includes the first set of receivers and a second set of receivers. The first set of receivers corresponds to selected receivers and the second set of receivers corresponds to non-selected receivers. The method includes predicting, based on the signal, an expected blockage of a signal path between a source of the signal and a first selected receiver of the first set of receivers, and selecting a particular receiver of the second set of receivers as a newly selected receiver in response to predicting the expected blockage.
US09423482B2
A sensor arrangement has a current regulator, a reference resistance a feed current scaler and a sensor element having an internal resistance, the internal resistance of the sensor element and the reference resistance having a predetermined ratio. The current regulator is implemented to provide a reference current by the reference resistance and to change the reference current in response to an interference influence-conditioned change of the reference resistance such that the voltage decreasing across the reference resistance remains in a predetermined range around an applied set voltage. The current regulator is implemented to provide a feed current to the feed current scaler and to change a magnitude of the feed current depending on a magnitude of the reference current. The feed current scaler is implemented to feed a scaled feed current into the sensor element to scale a voltage according to the scaling of the feed current.
US09423471B2
One embodiment of the present invention relates to a vertical Hall-effect device. The device includes at least two supply terminals arranged to supply electrical energy to the first Hall-effect region; and at least one Hall signal terminal arranged to provide a first Hall signal from the first Hall-effect region. The first Hall signal is indicative of a magnetic field which is parallel to the surface of the semiconductor substrate and which acts on the first Hall-effect region. One or more of the at least two supply terminals or one or more of the at least one Hall signal terminal comprises a force contact and a sense contact.
US09423470B2
A control system for controlling a synchronous motor having a magnet in a rotor includes an inverter configured to output an AC current for driving the motor, a gate command generating unit configured to generate a gate command for controlling the inverter, a current detecting unit configured to detect the AC current output by the inverter, a magnetic pole position estimating unit configured to estimate a magnetic pole position based on the AC current detected by the current detecting unit and generate an estimation signal, a current command generating unit configured to generate a current command and an estimation command for controlling the inverter to output an AC current with a predetermined level, and a magnetic polarity determination unit configured to determine the polarity of the magnet based on the estimation signal.
US09423466B2
In a semiconductor circuit, a high frequency level detecting unit detects a level of a high frequency component adjusted with a first adjusting unit, and a first control unit controls a first gain of the adjusting unit according to the level of the high frequency component thus detected. Further, a low frequency level detecting unit detects a level of a low frequency component adjusted with a second adjusting unit. A second control unit controls a second gain according to the level of the high frequency component and the level of the low frequency component thus adjusted, so that a difference between the level of the high frequency component adjusted with the first adjusting unit and the level of the low frequency component adjusted with the second adjusting unit becomes smaller than a specific level determined in advance.
US09423455B2
A digital electronic circuit (DCCT) configured for testing in accordance with a Design-for-Test (“DFT”) technique such as a hierarchical, compressed random access scan (“CRAS-N”) DFT technique and, in particular, a segmented, random access scan a (“SRAS”) DFT technique.
US09423442B2
Device, circuit, system, and method for arc suppression. A contact separation detector is configured to output an indication of a separation state of a pair of electrical contacts. A contact bypass circuit, coupled to the contact separation detector, is configured to provide an electrical bypass between the pair of contacts based on the indication.
US09423437B2
The invention relates to an arrangement for identifying a switching position of a switch (on an internal combustion engine in a handheld work apparatus. An energy source for supplying power to an inductive electrical load is provided, it being possible to connect the load to the energy source in order to be switched on and off via a controller. The switch is arranged in a voltage branch which is connected in parallel with the inductive load and in which a zener diode is also connected. The zener diode is activated or inactivated via the switch as a function of the switching position of the switch. The amplitude of the switch-off voltage, which is induced when the inductive load is disconnected, is limited by the zener diode, so that it is possible to read from the magnitude of the amplitude whether the switch is closed or open.
US09423432B2
A system for tracking usage patterns of electrical appliances is disclosed. The system comprises a central database configured to receive and store information; a plurality of energy sensors each of the plurality of sensors being configured to measure a change in electrical energy use by a corresponding one of a plurality of electrical appliances; at least one presence sensor configured to determine when at least one user is proximate to the plurality of electrical appliances and send presence information to the central database; and a processor configured to extract features from such information and create at least one user profile corresponding to the at least one user and a pattern of electrical energy use associated with the at least one user based on said features.
US09423431B2
A method and apparatus for discriminating between electric field sources. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a mobile detection system comprising a sensor probe for remotely measuring an electric field generated by an electric field source in a patrolled area; and a processor, coupled to the sensor probe, for processing data received from the sensor probe to generate a first field strength and at least a second field strength for determining whether the electric field source is potentially hazardous.
US09423416B2
Provided is a scanning probe microscope that takes measurements at high spatial resolution on physical information such as array structure of water molecules at a specimen-culture fluid interface in a culture fluid as well as irregularities of the surface of a specimen and composition distribution and array structure of molecules, proteins, etc. even in the atmosphere, an ambient air, vacuum, among others. The scanning probe microscope includes: a probing needle (1); a specimen holder (11) in which a specimen (3) is mounted; an oscillator (2) that produces a periodic oscillation to change the probing needle position; a pulse oscillation type laser light source (27, 28) that emits light toward a spot, which is put under measurement by the probing needle, on the specimen; a detector (25) that measures intensity of output light which is output from the specimen by energy spectroscopy; and a control device (26). The control device decreases amplitude of the periodic oscillation to change the probing needle position by the oscillator, shortens a relative distance between the probing needle and the specimen, and synchronizes shortening of the distance between the probing needle and the specimen and emission of pulse oscillation laser light, thus optimizing efficiency of tip-enhanced detection.
US09423404B1
Methods and compositions are provided for enhancing beige fat adipogenesis, and screening for agents having this activity An adipocyte progenitor cell is contacted with an effective dose of an antagonist of unliganded vitamin D receptor (VDR) activity. The contacting may be performed under adipogenic conditions.
US09423400B2
A method of analyzing protein-protein interactions includes binding the first proteins to the substrate where the first proteins are tagged with the first markers which bind specifically to the biomolecules immobilized on the substrate or the first proteins bind specifically to the biomolecules immobilized on the substrate; incubating the substrate bound first proteins with cell lysate containing the second proteins which are tagged with second markers; analyzing the interactions between the first proteins and the second proteins in the cell lysate, and obtaining the first analytic value representing the kinetic picture of the interactions; incubating the substrate bound first proteins with cell lysate mixture of a cell lysate consisting of the second markers-tagged second proteins and another cell lysate comprising other proteins including unlabelled second proteins and obtaining the second analytic value; comparing and analyzing the first and the second analytic values.
US09423394B2
The present invention provides a retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) primary cell culture system on a material surface seeded at a high density that produces a layer of subcellular deposits, wherein the RPE primary cells are harvested from non-fetal tissue. The present invention additionally provides methods of making and using the PRE primary cell culture system.
US09423381B2
An inspection apparatus and method for inspecting an inner surface of a hollow composite part. The inspection apparatus may have a support frame, at least one transducer attached to the support frame, an ultrasound gel pad attached to an outer surface of the transducer, and a sponge attached to the support frame. The transducer may send and receive ultrasound waves and the sponge may be positioned to leave a trail of water when moved along the inner surface of the hollow composite part, such that the water rests between the ultrasound gel pad and the inner surface once the inspection apparatus reaches a location to be inspected. The ultrasound waves may thus be transmitted through the ultrasound gel pad and then through the water before bouncing off of the inner surface of the hollow composite part. The ultrasound waves bounced off of the inner surface may be detected by the transducer and analyzed to determine if there is a defect in the composite part.
US09423378B2
Methods for the detection of biologically relevant molecules that comprise concentrating such molecules into microscopic holes in a sheet of chemically inert material, restricting the openings, and measuring the electric current through the holes or the fluorescence near the hole openings. The electric current or fluorescence will change as the molecules diffuse out of the holes, providing a measure of the diffusion rate and thereby detecting the presence and characteristics of the molecules. For molecules that interact, the diffusion rate will be slower than for molecules that do not interact, yielding a determination of the molecular interaction. Capping the population of holes and inserting into a mass spectrometer allows identification of the molecules.
US09423376B2
A differential pair sensing circuit (300) includes control gates (306, 316) for separately programming a reference transistor (350) and a chemically-sensitive transistor (351) to a desired threshold voltage Vt to eliminate the mismatch between the transistors in order to increase the sensitivity and/or accuracy of the sensing circuit without increasing the circuit size.
US09423371B2
Device (1) for measuring moisture of materials flowing in the shape of dried, liquid or gaseous granulates, or in the shape of powders in at least one duct disposed at least partially along an axis (X-X) through which the material of which the moisture has to be measured flows, comprising: at least one capacitor (Cx) wherein the material of which the moisture has to be measured flows, characterized in that the capacitor (CX) comprises: at least two metallic rings (3) coaxially mounted to said axis X-X and adjacent to an inner wall of the duct through which the material of which the moisture has to be measured flows; at least one dielectric element (5) having: dielectric constant substantially linear with the temperature changing, and thermal expansion lower than α=27×10−6/° C.
US09423368B2
Among first and second swaged sections, the second swaged section begins to be swaged prior to the first swaged section. Hence, a strong force can be prevented from acting on a rubber plug in a free state at a time and the first swaged section can begin to be swaged in such a state that a portion of the rubber plug that corresponds to the second swaged section is aligned as compared to the case where the first and second swaged sections begin to be simultaneously swaged. This prevents the position of the rubber plug from being significantly varied during swaging and also prevents the rubber plug from protruding from an outer tube.
US09423367B2
A flow-through measuring cell for accommodating measuring means for measuring chemical and/or physical properties of a fluid which is flowing through the measuring cell, the measuring cell having an inlet opening for entry of the fluid, an outlet opening for exit of the fluid, a, especially single, measuring space which is located between the inlet opening and outlet opening, a radiation measurement region for measuring the interaction of the fluid in the measuring cell with electromagnetic radiation from outside the measuring cell, a conductivity measurement receiver for accommodating conductivity measuring means for measuring the conductivity of the fluid in the measuring cell and/or a pH measurement receiver for accommodating the pH value measuring means for measuring the pH value of the fluid in the measuring cell.
US09423366B2
Corrosion sensor apparatus for detection of contamination affecting metal based components and devices. For example, an apparatus includes: a set of corrosion sensor elements, wherein a width of a first corrosion sensor element is different than a width of a second corrosion sensor element, wherein each corrosion sensor element is susceptible to corrosion caused by an operating environment of the corrosion sensor elements; and a set of reference elements wherein a width of a first reference sensor element is substantially equal to the width of the first corrosion sensor element and a width of a second reference sensor element is substantially equal to the width of the second corrosion sensor element, wherein each reference sensor element is not substantially susceptible to corrosion caused by the operating environment of the corrosion sensor elements.
US09423363B2
A method for monitoring objects for example for facilitating the identification and/or authentication of objects comprises: in a first recording phase: irradiating an object with a suitable source of radiation, collecting intensity information about radiation emergent from the object, resolving the intensity information spectroscopically between at least two energy bands, and storing the resultant dataset as a reference dataset; and in a second verification phase: irradiating an object with a suitable source of radiation, collecting intensity information about radiation emergent from the object, resolving the intensity information spectroscopically between at least two energy bands, and using the resultant dataset as a test dataset; identifying the object and retrieving its corresponding reference dataset; comparing the test dataset and the reference dataset within predetermined tolerance limits, and: in the event that the reference dataset and the test dataset correspond within the predetermined tolerance limits, treating the object as verified or in the event that the reference dataset and the test dataset differ by more than the predetermined tolerance limits, in a third identification phase: numerically processing the resolved intensity information from the test dataset to derive therefrom a dataset of information characteristic of the composition of the object, and using this information to identify the composition of the object.
US09423355B2
A plural camera images capturing and processing apparatus includes a plurality of cameras that capture images of a plurality of adjacent imaging regions which overlap each other, a plurality of laser devices that give a marker to each common imaging region in which imaging regions overlap each other, an imaging control unit that controls each camera and each laser device and acquires a markerless image group to which no marker is given and a marker-given image group to which the marker is given, a non-visible light image processing unit that calculates a correction parameter, which is information for aligning the inclinations, sizes, and positions of the imaging regions, on the basis of the marker-given image group, and a visible light image processing unit that composes the markerless image group to generate a composite image, on the basis of the correction parameter.
US09423335B2
Devices for detecting particle sizes and distributions using focused light scattering techniques, by passing a sample through a focused beam of light, are disclosed. In one embodiment, the devices include one or more lasers, whose light is focused into a narrow beam and into a flow cell, and dispersions are passed through the flow cell using hydrodynamic sample injection. In another embodiment, a plurality of lasers is used, optionally with hydrodynamic sample injection. Particles pass through and scatter the light. The scattered light is then detected using scatter and extinction detectors, and, optionally, fluorescence detectors, and the number and size of the particles is determined. Particles in the size range of 0.1 to 10 μm can be measured. Using the device, significantly smaller particles can be detected than if techniques such as EQELS, flow cytometry, and other conventional devices for measuring biological particles.
US09423329B2
A strength testing apparatus has a plurality of testing axes, each of which breaks a test piece in a central area thereof. The apparatus has a plurality of 1-axis testing structures each having: an actuator, which is configured to move linearly, thereby to apply a load onto a test body; an actuator fixing base, which is configured to fix the actuator at a predetermined position; a reaction base comprising a chucking tool, which is configured to chuck a test piece, in a chucking tool, which is provided at an end portion of the actuator; and a base, which is configured to connect the actuator fixing base and the reaction base, wherein all of the testing axes, each almost passing through an axial center of each actuator, come across at one (1) point, and the 1-axis testing structures are arranged so that they are included in a same plane.
US09423323B2
Chemically reactive carbocyanine dyes incorporating an indolium ring moiety that is substituted at the 3-position by a reactive group or by a conjugated substance, and their uses, are described. Conjugation through this position results in spectral properties that are uniformly superior to those of conjugates of spectrally similar dyes wherein attachment is at a different position. The invention includes derivative compounds having one or more benzo nitrogens.
US09423318B2
Motion detection devices and systems are described herein. One motion detection device includes an inertial measurement unit (IMU) configured to measure velocity, orientation, and gravitational forces of the motion detection device and a computing component. The computing component can be configured to determine spectrum parameters of a mobile vehicle associated with the motion detection device using measurements from the IMU, determine IMU orientation parameters using measurements from the IMU, and estimate motion of the mobile vehicle using the spectrum parameters, the IMU orientation parameters, measurements from the IMU, and a motion estimation function.
US09423309B2
A pressure sensor comprising: a base film on which a conductor pattern having one or more electrodes is formed; a cover film laminated on the base film so as to cover the electrodes of the conductor pattern; and a spacer disposed between the cover film and the base film so as to form a hollow portion having a predetermined gap between the electrode and the cover film; wherein a portion corresponding to the hollow portion of the cover film is constructed such that it has a pressure sensing part which is able to deform in a direction to move toward and away from the electrode in accordance with pressure, and of which contact resistance changes in accordance with a contact pressure thereof with the electrode, so that the pressure sensing part detects the pressure by a change of the contact resistance.
US09423307B2
The described system and method uses data from interaction between a known wave and an unknown wave to analyze or characterize the unknown wave using cross correlation frequency resolved optical gating (X-FROG). The system may obtain X-FROG trace data from the interaction between the two waves. The system analyzes the X-FROG trace data using a modified principal component generalized projection method strategy to invert the X-FROG trace data, analyzing or characterizing the unknown wave. Results of the analysis can be provided in real time and displayed.
US09423305B2
A test apparatus for testing an IR sensor of train undercarriage temperatures is disclosed. The IR sensor may be used to obtain infrared IR emission data by sensing a wheel or a wheel bearing of a rail vehicle. The test apparatus may comprise a heat emitter for supplying IR emissions at a reference temperature to the IR sensor. A support may support the heat emitter at a position spaced from the passage of the rail vehicle and in an orientation for directing the IR emissions at the IR sensor.
US09423299B2
An exposure apparatus is provided with a light source for emitting pulse light and exposes a substrate via to the pulse light an original. Further, the exposure apparatus comprises a detection unit for detecting the light quantity of the pulse light and a controller for controlling the light source and the detection unit. Here, the controller is configured to execute a first calibration process for obtaining a relation between a control input to the light source and a light quantity of a pulse light from the light source, based on light quantities of a plurality of pulse lights detected by the detector by causing the light source to emit the plurality of the pulse lights with a plurality of the control input, in parallel with execution of a second calibration process which is different from the first calibration process and executed using the plurality of pulse lights.
US09423294B2
A display device includes an upper substrate, a lower substrate disposed opposite to the upper substrate, a photosensor disposed between the upper substrate and the lower substrate, a polarizer disposed on the upper substrate, and a retarder disposed on the polarizer, where light of elliptical polarization from outside is converted by a λ/4 phase difference, and transmitted to the photosensor sequentially through the retarder and the polarizer.
US09423290B2
An effective value operation unit calculates an effective value of a vibration waveform of a bearing, the vibration waveform being measured by using a vibration sensor. An envelope processing unit performs envelope processing on the vibration waveform measured by using the vibration sensor, thereby generating an envelope waveform of the vibration waveform. An effective value operation unit calculates an effective value of an AC component of the envelope waveform generated by the envelope processing unit. A diagnostic unit diagnoses an abnormality of the bearing based on the effective value of the vibration waveform calculated by the effective value operation unit and the effective value of the AC component of the envelope waveform calculated by the effective value operation unit.
US09423287B2
An apparatus and method for determining at least one process variable of a medium in a container or in a pipeline. The apparatus including: at least a first element and a second element, which are necessary components of the apparatus for determining the process variable and which contact at a contact location, which is exposed to a process temperature. The first element comprises a first material, and the second element comprises a second material. The first material and the second material are selected and matched to one another in such a manner that at the contact location between the first material and the second material a thermovoltage dependent on the difference between the process temperature and a reference temperature arises; and a temperature determining unit measures the thermovoltage and determines the process temperature therefrom.
US09423284B2
An exemplary method and apparatus for function testing of plastic containers which have been produced in an extrusion blow molding method and include an ascending tube. The apparatus being configured to determine the flow rate of a fluid medium through the ascending tube. The determined flow rate is compared to a set flow rate range, and when upper and lower boundaries for the flow rate are not reached or are exceeded, the container is excluded from further processing and removed from the process.
US09423278B1
Techniques are disclosed for tracking the position of moving parts and assemblies using 3D laser projection, and projecting templates and other information onto the parts and assemblies based on position. The projected template may then be used, for example, to assist in fabrication of an assembly by indicating where to put a next component or layer, or to assist in post-fabrication inspection of an assembly by indicating where the various components or layers should have been placed. Reference targets can be used as fiducial points for aligning a laser projector with the work piece in question. When the work piece rotates or is otherwise moved to a next manufacturing or inspection position, the relative position of the laser projector and the work piece is updated by bucking-in to the reference targets. The laser projector can then project patterns or other information onto the work piece at the appropriate locations.
US09423277B2
An optical position sensing system and method for sensing a gimbal position in a gimbal-based optical system. One example of an optical position sensing system includes an off-gimbal light source that generates a position sensing light beam and transmits the position sensing light beam along an optical coude path of the optical system, and an on-gimbal optical element that causes a change in an intensity of the position sensing light beam based on rotation of the gimbal about the axis. The system further includes an off-gimbal detector configured to receive the position sensing light beam returned from the optical element and to detect the change in the intensity of the position sensing light beam, and a controller coupled to the detector and configured to determine the gimbal position based on a correlation between the change in the intensity of the position sensing light beam and the gimbal position.
US09423276B2
A measurement apparatus includes: a detector which detects modulated light from the target object and outputs a periodic pattern signal; and a calculation unit which determines positions of two extreme values from the signal output from the detector, calculates a first total sum by multiplying the signal by first reference data in a region between the positions of the two extreme values, and adding the multiplication results, calculates a second total sum by multiplying the signal by second reference data with a phase difference of 90° with respect to the first reference data in the region, and adding the multiplication results, calculates a phase of the signal based on the first and second total sums, and calculates the position of the target object based on the calculated phase.
US09423275B2
The invention relates to a capacitive position encoder (1), comprising at least one capacitor with a first capacitor plate and a second capacitor plate, a dielectric modulator that is movably arranged between said first capacitor plate and said second capacitor plate, a signal source (11) for providing a phase-shifted excitation signal to the first capacitor plate of said at least one capacitor, and a charge amplifier (20) that is electrically connected to the second capacitor plate of said at least one capacitor, wherein a feedback loop (21) of the charge amplifier (20) comprises a feedback capacitor (Cf), wherein the capacitive position encoder (1) also comprises a shock cancellation circuit (30) that forms a parallel circuit with the feedback loop (21) including the feedback capacitor (Cf) and that the shock cancellation circuit (30) comprises a low pass filter (31).
US09423265B2
A system and method is provided for displaying a map having a close known location and a destination and for providing navigation recommendations for traveling from the close known location to the destination. A user may use a mobile device to submit a request for navigation instructions for navigating from a starting point to a destination. The request may be submitted to a web server, to the mobile device itself, or to another device that can provide navigation instructions. The web server/mobile device or other device determines a recommended route based on the starting point and the destination, and attempts to locate a close known location to the destination near the recommended route. Navigation instructions are provided to the user including directions from the close known location to the destination.
US09423264B2
A navigation system (NS) can determine a junction between a current position of a user and a maneuver point of a route. Additionally, the NS can determine, change, and output an explicit notification not to turn at the junction.
US09423254B2
Systems and methods are disclosed herein for extracting system parameters from nonlinear periodic signals from sensors. A sensor such as an inertial device includes a first structure and a second structure that is springedly coupled to the first structure. The sensor is configured to generate an output voltage based on a current between the first and second structures. Monotonic motion of the second structure relative to the first structure causes a reversal in direction of the current.
US09423253B2
A MEMS gyroscope is provided. A substrate can be formed with a substantially planar surface, a substantially hemispherical cavity extending into the surface, an actuation electrode, and a plurality of sensing electrodes. A resonator formed from a substantially hemispherical shell can be suspended within the cavity by a stem coupling the center of the bottom of the cavity to the center of the bottom of the shell. An electronic processor can be configured to cause a voltage to be applied to the actuation electrode, receive signals from the sensing electrodes, and process the received signals to determine rotation of the MEMS gyroscope.
US09423250B1
A method includes initializing an inertial measurement unit (IMU) at a starting location and gathering acceleration and rotational data as the IMU is moved to an intermediate location. An indication that the IMU is at the intermediate location is received. The method includes gathering acceleration and rotational data as the IMU is moved to an ending location and calculating a position of the ending location based on a known position of the starting location and the acceleration data. The method includes calculating corrected acceleration data based on a difference between the calculated position of the ending location and a known position of the ending location, and calculating a position of the intermediate location based on the corrected acceleration data are provided.
US09423246B2
A three-dimensional measurement system includes a measurement platform, a projection module, an image-capturing module, and a control unit. The measurement platform carries a test object. The projection module includes a light-emitting unit, a light-shielding rotary disc, a grating unit, and an optical-reflective ring structure. The light-emitting unit generates a light beam. An aperture formed in the light-shielding rotary disc is located at different rotational positions time-sequentially while the light-shielding rotary disc rotates, and the light beam passes through the aperture to form light beam segments. The grating unit transforms the light beam segments into stripe-patterned structure-light beams. The optical-reflective ring structure reflects the stripe-patterned structure-light beams onto the test object. The image-capturing module captures stripe-patterned images formed after reflection of the stripe-patterned structure-light beams from the test object. The control unit measures a three-dimensional shape of the test object using the stripe-patterned images.
US09423236B2
An optical interferometric measurement apparatus includes an interference optical system to output a monitoring interference signal and a measurement interference signal in accordance with light emitted from a wavelength-swept light source, and a controller to measure a movement of an object to be measured. The controller has a storage to store monitoring data acquired by sampling the monitoring interference signal in each period of the light source and measurement data acquired by sampling the measurement interference signal in each period of the light source and Fourier transformation unit to apply Fourier transform to the measurement data. The controller determines a phase of the measurement interference signal based on the Fourier-transformed measurement data and measures the movement of the object based on the phase.
US09423232B2
A touch probe (1;1′;1″;1″′) for applications in machine tools or measuring machines includes a support frame (2) with a protective casing (3), and a movable armset (5) with a feeler (11) to touch a part to be checked (13). The probe includes a laminar piezoelectric transducer (25) made of polymeric material, such as polyvinylidene fluoride, which is connected to the support frame and fixed at a bearing and locating area (7) on which the movable armset rests in a position defined by an isostatic rest system (17). A thermal insulation system is placed between the protective casing and the piezoelectric transducer and preferably includes at least one element (28) made of thermal insulating material, such as fiberglass, between the piezoelectric transducer and the support frame.
US09423228B2
A fragmentation structure is provided with improved performance e.g., fragmentation, projectile generation, storage, and manufacturing. An embodiment can include an open fragmentation structure that can be separated into individual components that can include a structure body section with a compartment, a removable initiator or detonator, a top cap section having an aperture configured to accept the removable initiator or removable detonator, and an explosive. An exemplary explosive can be preassembled to fit within the structure without a need for pouring in an explosive. An exemplary structure or top cap of the structure can receive an embrittlement treatment increasing its fragmentation characteristics. An ability of the structure to be easily disassembled allows for safer storage and a longer shelf life. A design of an exemplary embodiment of the structure allows it to be used with a wide range of explosive materials in addition to many types of removable initiators or detonators.
US09423222B1
A less-than-lethal (LTL) cartridge is disclosed. The LTL cartridge includes a case, a sabot that includes an end portion configured to fit within the case, and an interior volume configured to contain a teardrop-shaped bladder. The sabot is configured to release the teardrop-shaped bladder subsequent to exiting a barrel of a firearm. The teardrop-shaped bladder includes a leading end, a tapered body with weakened sections to facilitate rupturing of the tapered body upon impact with an object, a trailing end, and a drogue tail coupled to the trailing end.
US09423217B2
A fluid lubricated projectile trap includes a substantially cylindrical chamber defined by a forward concave wall and a rearward concave wall. A bullet funnel extending forwardly therefrom. The funnel having a lower panel connecting to the forward concave wall in conjunction with an end plate defines a pressurized fluid containment with discharge outlets directed to the rearward concave wall. All plumbing may be secured below the ramp and forward of the chamber.
US09423202B1
As a compound archery bow (binary cam or hybrid cam; having first and second pulley members, a draw cable, and a single, continuous secondary cable) is drawn and its pulley members rotate: (i) both pulley members let out the draw cable; (ii) a take-up pulley of the first pulley member takes up a first end segment of the secondary cable; (iii) a let-out pulley of the second pulley member lets out a portion of an intermediate segment of the secondary cable; and (iv) a take-up pulley of the second pulley member takes up a portion of the intermediate segment of the secondary cable. Engagement of the intermediate segment with the second pulley member substantially prevents slippage of the secondary cable.
US09423201B2
A compound bow includes a first and second pulley, each of which is operative, when the bow is drawn, to unwind a portion of a bow string from a bow string groove and to take up a portion of a bow cable so as to decrease its effective length. At least one of the pulleys includes a cable controller which operates to modify the rate at which the effective length of the bow cable is decreasing so that during an initial portion of the draw of the bow, the rate is greater than it would be in the absence of the controller, and during a second portion of the draw, the rate is less than it would be in the absence of the controller. Use of the controller provides a bow which has an inherently balanced draw.
US09423199B2
A gun stand comprising a base for supporting a gun and a ribbon of stiff material including a coiled portion and an uncoiled portion (e.g., having a curved lateral cross-sectional shape). A lock mechanism (e.g., movable between an engaged position and a released position) can be used to inhibit movement of the ribbon relative to the base. Preferably, the lock mechanism further includes a trigger for selectively moving the lock mechanism between the engaged and released positions. The gun stand can comprise two ribbons, each having a coiled portion and an uncoiled portion. At least one of the ribbons can include a releasable securing mechanism (e.g., magnets) for securing the uncoiled portions of the ribbons to each other. A foot brace can be secured to a free end of the ribbon. A releasable attachment mechanism (e.g., a strap) can be provided to secure the gun to the gun stand.
US09423198B1
A firearm flash hider can include a base module and at least one vented flash control module. The base module can have a longitudinal boreline which is fluidly coupleable to a muzzle end of a firearm to allow a projectile to pass therethrough. The base module can also have an inlet port which is operable to receive at least a portion of a flash generated by firing the projectile. The vented flash control module can be arranged along the longitudinal boreline distal to the muzzle end. The vented flash control module can also have a flash chamber bounded by at least one wall that at least partially defines a geometry of the flash chamber and extends both radially and longitudinally from the boreline and translates circumferentially as it extends longitudinally. The flash chamber terminates at a circumferential angle of rotation from the inlet port where the circumferential angle of rotation being less than 180 degrees. The flash hider can typically have from one to four vented flash control modules oriented in series.
US09423197B2
A firearm including a barrel, receiver, indirect gas system and an adjustable gas block designed to interface with the indirect gas system is provided. Four indexable positions of adjustment are provided for on the adjustable gas block. Positions of adjustment are selected based on the use of a silencer, use of under-powered ammunition, the presence of un-burnt powder and debris in the host firearms operating system, or if the weapon is being fired under “ideal” circumstances. The provided gas block is designed to function with an indirect gas operating system. Excess gas from the operating system is not vented from the gas block thereby generating excess flash and sound. No tool is required to manipulate the adjustment mechanism of the gas.
US09423190B2
A refrigerant distributor for a heat exchanger is disclosed. The refrigerant distributor comprises: a pipe for distributing a refrigerant, the pipe having a channel therein in which the refrigerant flows. The channel has at least one portion having reduced cross-section area. With the above configuration, the distributor relieves the layering of refrigerant flowing in a distributing pipe and mixes the vapor-liquid refrigerant relatively uniformly.
US09423189B2
A fluid heat exchange apparatus including a casing, and a heat-dissipating device is provided. The casing includes a chamber, an inlet, and an outlet. The chamber includes a first channel including a first entrance and a first exit and a second channel including a second entrance and a second exit. The cross-sectional area of the first channel decreases from the first entrance to the first exit and the cross-sectional area of the second channel decreases from the second entrance to the second exit. The heat-dissipating device is located between the first exit and the outlet. A first fluid flows from the inlet and flows through the first channel and the heat-dissipating device and then flows to the outlet. Part of the first fluid flowing through the heat-dissipating device absorbs heat and forms bubbles moving to the second channel and then forms a second fluid converging into the first channel.
US09423181B2
An apparatus for drying sporting equipment has at least two hangers removably positionable in a spaced-apart configuration on a substantially horizontal hanger support. Each hanger has one or more hanger protrusions and/or hanger apertures for hanging sporting equipment. At least one flexible connector mounted on each of the hangers connects a shelf to the hangers so that the shelf is suspended below the hangers when the hangers are positioned on the horizontal hanger support. The shelf has a plurality of interior through apertures through which sporting equipment may hang supported by the shelf and the shelf further has one or more shelf protrusions for hanging sporting equipment. A system for drying sporting equipment has a free-standing base, spaced-apart telescoping struts connected to and extending upwardly from the base, a substantially horizontal hanger support connecting the telescoping struts and an apparatus as described above configured to hang from the hanger support.
US09423180B2
An industrial plant such as a disc dryer is constructed or retro-fitted with discs each comprising two annular plates connected to one another around their outer edges, each plate comprising one or more integral ribs extending between its inner edge and outer edge. The integral ribs may comprise folds in the annular plates, and each plate may be formed from a length of sheet material, by roll forming for example, so that the integral ribs are deeper towards the inner peripheral edge than the outer peripheral edge of the annular plates forming the disc.
US09423179B2
The invention relates to an installation having a process chamber which comprises an inner space having a receiving region for workpieces. The process chamber has an opening for the supply or discharge of workpieces. The process chamber is constructed so as to have a device for the introduction of gaseous fluid into the inner space, which device has at least one nozzle or aperture for the production of a fluid stream curtain between the opening and the receiving region for workpieces. The process chamber has a device for supplying fresh air, with which device fresh air can be introduced into the receiving region at a side of the fluid stream curtain, which side faces away from the opening.
US09423177B2
Systems and methods are provided for balancing air flow in dryers of printing systems. The dryer includes a heating element, top flow generator, and bottom flow generator. The heating element is within the dryer, and heats a web of printed media. The top flow generator directly projects a first jet of gas onto a top side of the web. The first jet of gas deflects air proximate to the web. The bottom flow generator directly projects a second jet of gas onto an opposing side of the web. The second jet strikes the web at substantially the same location as the first jet, and compensates orthogonal force applied to the web by the first jet. Furthermore, the top and bottom flow generators are both oriented to project the jets partially in the direction of travel of the web.
US09423168B1
An ice cooler system includes a body configured to form a fluidly sealed cavity, a first row of tubes and a second row of tube in fluid communication with the fluidly sealed cavity, the first row and the second row of tubes being configured to receive beverages, and a door pivotally attached to the body and in fluid communication with the fluidly sealed cavity. The door is configured to allow ice to pass therethrough to the cavity, which in turn is placed in contact with the first row and the second row of tubes.
US09423167B2
A refrigerator having an ice and water dispenser has a seal to sealingly engage the ice compartment when the refrigerator door is closed. The seal is flexible to accommodate manufacturing tolerance. The seal may be impregnated with a friction reducing agent to increase life of the seal.
US09423165B2
A control system for controlling a refrigeration system having an operating point, comprising: a memory configured to store a relationship of at least an evaporator efficiency, an evaporator heat load, a refrigerant amount in the evaporator, and a variable dependent on a non-volatile liquid mixed with refrigerant in the evaporator an input port configured to receive a signal corresponding to at least a measured evaporator heat load during operation; an output port configured to present an output to selectively alter an operating point of the evaporator, by altering the refrigerant amount in the evaporator and thereby changing the variable; and a processor, configured to receive the signal, access the memory; and generate the output to selectively move toward an optimum operating point. A corresponding method and refrigeration system are provided.
US09423164B2
Method and device for defrosting of an evaporator (1) in a heat pump (2) connected to an air handling unit (9), which comprises a controllable heat recovery device (10). The heat pump (2) comprises a refrigerant system (3) with a refrigerant (4), a compressor (5), a condenser (6), a first expansion valve (7) and an evaporator (1). A four-way valve (8) is arranged after the compressor (5) and before the condenser (6), for changing a flow direction of the refrigerant (4) to the evaporator (1) instead of the condenser (6). The heat recovery device (10) recovers energy from first air stream (11) and transfer energy to second air stream (12). When frost formation occurs, the refrigerant temperature is increased and the recovery device (10) is regulated down so that heating of the evaporator (1) is accomplished, both from inside and outside to defrost the evaporator (1).
US09423157B2
Selective solar absorbent coating and manufacturing method, with solar absorption and low emissivity properties. The coating comprises a substrate (1) of metal, dielectric or ceramic material, at least one highly reflective metal layer (2) in mid-far infrared applied to the substrate itself which provides low emissivity properties, a multi-layer structure of alternating dielectric and metallic layers (3) of subnanometric thickness applied to the reflective metal layer and at least one dielectric layer (4) that acts as an anti-reflective layer for the solar spectrum. The coating is applicable as a selective absorbent coating in absorbent tubes for parabolic-trough solar collectors, in solar panels for hot water, heating or domestic cooling, both in the form of absorbent tubes and absorbent sheets, in capture systems in tower solar thermoelectric power plants, and in capture systems in Stirling disk systems.
US09423152B2
A method is provided for controlling heating of an aerosol precursor arrangement of an electronic smoking article. An average power is directed from a power source to a heating device arranged to heat the aerosol precursor arrangement and a heating time period commensurately initiated. The average power corresponds to a selected power set point associated with the power source. An actual power directed to the heating device is determined as a product of a voltage at, and a current through, the heating device. The actual power is compared to the average power, and the average power is adjusted to direct the actual power toward the selected power set point. The actual power is periodically determined and compared to the average power, and the average power adjusted toward the selected power set point, until expiration of the heating time period. An associated apparatus and computer program product are also provided.
US09423138B2
A method for modifying an open-top burner system to a radiant burner system involves providing a stovetop having an open top burner system which includes a grate, burner head, and a venturi burner. The venturi burner includes an open top annular channel about a central opening. Further provided are a central hole plug, an emitter, and a radiant burner head assembly. To modify the stovetop, the grate and burner head are removed from the stovetop and the central plug is used to block airflow through the central opening. The radiant burner head assembly is next positioned over the venturi burner and the emitter is positioned over the radiant burner head assembly. This series of steps thereby converts the assembly from a traditional open-top burner system to a radiant burner system. A kit may be provided to facilitate the process.
US09423136B2
A bundled tube fuel injector includes a fuel distribution module, a tube bundle having a plurality of pre-mix tubes that extend in parallel downstream from the fuel distribution module and a support plate disposed substantially adjacent to the fuel distribution manifold. The plurality of pre-mix tubes extends through the support plate. A retention sleeve is coupled to the support plate at a first end. A second end of the retention sleeve includes a plurality of radially extending retention features that are circumferentially arranged around the second end. The bundled tube fuel injector also includes an aft plate having a retention collar. The retention collar is configured to engage with the retention features. The retention sleeve and the retention collar partially define a cartridge passage that extends through the bundled tube fuel injector.
US09423126B1
A computer program product to minimize the formation of volatile organic compounds by creating an emission control flare stack and informing users connected to a controller of the emission control flare stack, wherein the computer program product includes a library of preset limits, computer instructions to: (i) monitor inlet of gas and oxygen/air to a shell; (ii) control ignition of the gas forming an intermediate gas; (iii) control temperature of the intermediate gas, (iv) control neutralization of volatile organic compound components in the intermediate gas forming an emission within 40 CFR part 63, effective 2015, and (v) providing information to users via a network continuously on compliance, such as with an executive dashboard.
US09423125B2
The present invention relates to a burner for a combustion chamber of a gas turbine plant. The burner includes a lance for introducing gaseous fuel into the burner. A shaft of the lance has at least one nozzle for introducing gaseous fuel into the burner. A main injection direction of the respective nozzle is oriented onto a portion of a burner wall. An introduction device for a diverting fluid is provided, which is designed for introducing a diverting fluid counteracting an impingement of the fuel flow on the burner wall.
US09423124B2
A fire display assembly has a burner tray with a porous non-combustible material located in the burner tray positioned adjacent, on or in a non-combustible structure. A source of a combustible liquid positioned a distance from the burner tray is provided with conduits for flowing liquid fuel between the sources and trays. The conduits can include an adjustable valve to control the amount of fluid flowing there-through. The valves can be preprogrammed to provide a preset flow over time or controlled from a remote location by a flow controller. Ignited fuel from the porous non-combustible material provides the appearance of a burning surface on the non-combustible structure. The arrangement provides a continuous but variable feed of fuel to the porous non-combustible material and allows the fuel feed rate to be varied to provide a variable flame height or to vary the location of the flame in a controlled manner.
US09423121B2
Provided is a superheated-steam generator device, in which the steam-loop-back structure of a steam-heating pipe is simplified and heaters can be individually attached to or removed from the device. The device includes a first disc, a second disc, a third disc, a fourth disc, and a fifth disc; multiple through-holes respectively are provided to the first disc, the third disc, and the fourth disc; at least one long through-hole and one through-hole are provided to the second disc; multiple steam-heating pipes are attached to the through-holes of the third disc and to the through-holes of the fourth disc; loop-back grooves and one through-hole are provided to the fifth disc; heaters that have spiral fins are attached into the through-hole of the first disc so as to cover the through-hole of the first disc; a steam-supply pipe; and a steam-discharge pipe.
US09423114B1
A light system is provided that can be removably coupled to a layer of material, such as clothing, to provide hands-free illumination for tasks and activities (e.g., while walking, running, reading, writing) at low level light conditions. The light system includes a light module with one or more light sources, a power source and one or more magnetic elements or magnetically responsive modules. The light system also includes a backing plate removably coupleable to the light module so that the layer of material is interposed between the light module and the backing plate. The backing plate has one or more magnetic elements or magnetically responsive modules. When removably coupled to said layer of material, the light module and backing plate remain substantially in place even when the layer of material is under motion.
US09423113B2
The light fixture includes a frame configured to define a first channel, and a substantially flat light emitting diode (LED) panel disposed within the frame. Power circuitry is disposed within the first channel, the power circuitry being configured to electrically couple the substantially flat LED panel to an external AC power supply. The power circuitry is sized to be positioned within the first channel and has a length and a width, the length-to-width ratio being at least 5 to 1, and optionally at least 10 to 1. The power circuitry is configured to convert an AC input into a DC output suitable for powering the substantially flat light emitting diode (LED) panel. The substantially flat light emitting diode (LED) panel includes an optically transmissive panel, and an array of LEDs disposed adjacent to an edge of the optically transmissive panel and disposed adjacent at least one edge of the frame.
US09423110B1
The present disclosure provides an LED luminaire capable of providing full cutoff illumination in a base configuration, without the addition of reflectors or refractors. The LED luminaire is also interchangeably couplable to one or more different reflectors and refractors. In certain example embodiments, the present disclosure provides a dusk to dawn luminaire operable as a full cutoff luminaire in a base configuration and which is also compatible with an American Nation Standards Institute (ANSI) dusk to dawn reflector/refractor assembly. In an example embodiment, the LED luminaire also includes a housing with a front pivoting door configured to swing away from a mounting structure when opened.
US09423109B2
A display module includes a substrate, a plurality of light emitting elements provided on the substrate, a bank provided on the substrate at a position separated by a predetermined distance from an outer circumferential edge of a display region on which the plurality of light emitting elements are arranged, the bank being configured to enclose at least a part of the outer circumferential edge of the display region, and an outer circumference protection part provided on the bank and on an outer circumferential region of the bank, the outer circumference protection part being formed of a resin material.
US09423089B2
A head lamp for a vehicle may include a light source emitting a light, a reflective mirror reflecting the light emitted from the light source, a shield implementing a low beam by transmitting a part of the light that is emitted from the light source and/or reflected by the reflective mirror and projected toward a front of the vehicle and shielding other part of the light that is emitted from the light source and/or reflected by the reflective mirror and projected toward the front of the vehicle, a main hole formed at the shield to allow the part of the light pass through, a main lens transmitting the part of the light that has passed through the main hole of the shield toward the front of the vehicle, a reflective surface reflecting the other part of the light, and a sub lens transmitting the light reflected by the reflective surface.
US09423086B2
The present disclosure is directed to a light emitting diode (LED) signal light. In one embodiment, the LED signal light includes at least one visible LED, at least one infrared (IR) LED, a reflector, wherein the reflector collimates a light emitted from the at least one visible LED and a light emitted from the at least one IR LED and a power supply powering the at least one visible LED and the at least one IR LED.
US09423085B2
There is provided a light emitting module (1) having at least one light emitting element (3) which is arranged to emit light of a primary wavelength, and a wavelength converting element (5) arranged at a distance from the at least one light emitting element (3). The wavelength converting element (5) is arranged to convert at least part of the light of a primary wavelength into light of a secondary wavelength. Further the module (1) comprises a first optical component (7) having surface structures (11) on a surface facing away from the light emitting element (3). Light rays incident on the first optical component (7) at small angles are reflected and light rays incident on the first optical component (7) at large angles are transmitted and bent towards a normal of the first optical component (7). The invention is advantageous in that it provides a compact and efficient light-directing module.
US09423083B2
A lighting apparatus includes a housing structure, a light source supported within the housing structure, and a light coversion layer disposed above the light source. The light conversion layer comprises a plurality of non- or low-self absorbing quantum dots (QDs) embedded in a matrix material, each QD having a different light emission profile that is a function of a size and/or composition of the QD, each of the plurality of QDs selected to achieve a defined spectral emission profile for the lighting device when the plurality of QDs is illuminated by the light source.
US09423076B2
A pressure vessel for receiving at least one fluid medium has a first shell (1) and a second shell (3) at least partially encompassing the first shell (1). The first shell (1) has, at least at one of its ends, a collar portion (5) having a securing element (15) that forms an opening (13) for supplying and discharging the medium. A support element (19) in the form of a split ring surrounds the opening (13), is provided inside the container and has a contact surface (39) adapted to the curved shape of the first shell (1) inner side attached to the collar portion (5). The contact surface is able to be pressed onto the first shell inner side attached to the collar portion (5). The contact surface is able to be pressed onto the first shell (1) using a pressing device (43, 45).
US09423074B2
A tool for liquid disposal is provided for collecting liquids and for changing engine oil or other hydrocarbon containing products, whereby the liquid, spent oil, or hydrocarbon is encapsulated in a non-biodegradable substance rendering the kit safe for disposal in a non-hazard or controlled substance landfill. A disposable container with a diffuser may be composed of rows of apertures that are used to channel the liquid to all levels of the container so that liquids can be exposed to the maximum surface area of the non-biodegradable substance contained in layered pouches containing the absorbent for total encapsulation.
US09423073B2
A drain pan for catching lubricant as the lubricant is drained from the wheel hub of a vehicle. The drain pan comprises lug openings, which allow the drain pan to be removably secured to the lugs of vehicle wheels in a manner preventing the drain pan from being unintentionally moved during the draining process.
US09423060B2
Provided are a fixing device for a lower-stage member which facilitates a leveling operation for making upper surfaces of lower-stage members coplanar, and can further enhance a vibration absorbing effect generated by an elastic member, and a fluid control device which includes the fixing device. A fixing device for a lower-stage member is configured such that respective lower-stage members are fixed once and, thereafter, a desired lower-stage member is moved upwardly against an elastic force so as to finely adjust positions of upper surfaces of a plurality of lower-stage members. The elastic member is formed of an annular body made of rubber or a synthetic resin. A cutout which imparts the elastic deformation by bending when a force in the vertical direction is applied to the elastic member is formed on an upper portion and a lower portion of an inner peripheral surface of the elastic member.
US09423059B1
A coupler apparatus for use with concrete segments has a first duct having an end and an exterior surface, a first coupler member having a connector, a second duct having an end and an exterior surface, a second coupler member having a connector, and a gasket received in the connectors of the first and second coupler members for forming a liquid-tight seal between the first and second ducts. The first duct and first coupler member are embedded in a first concrete segment. The second duct and second coupler member are embedded in a second concrete segment. The gasket has a generally annular shape. The gasket has a bulge portion positioned between a first end and a second end. Each concrete segment has an end surface. The bulge portion fits between the end surfaces of the concrete segments.
US09423056B2
Provided is a fluid control device which can shorten an assembling time by facilitating positioning of a line support member and can suppress the increase of a height of a portion which supports fluid control equipment. A base member is formed in a rectangular frame shape by an upper lateral frame member, a lower lateral frame member, and left and right longitudinal frame members which are orthogonal to the upper and lower lateral frame members. A positioning portion for positioning each line support member is provided to the respective lateral frame members. Upper and lower end portions of each line support member are clamped between the respective lateral frame members and upper and lower cover members detachably mounted on the base member in a state where the upper and lower end portions of each line support member are positioned by the positioning portions provided to the respective lateral frame members.
US09423052B2
A valve formed with a valve sleeve formed with at least a first port, at least a second port and a pressure-compensated valve tappet movable between a closed position and at least one open position. The valve tappet is formed as two parts that move relative one another and are acted upon relative to one another by a hydrostatic pressure present at the first port.
US09423043B2
A valve body arrangement for a hydraulic or pneumatic valve comprises two elements between which a valve body is retained. The two elements are welded together in a first region, preferably by the laser transmission method, and clamp the valve body in a second region with a force.
US09423037B2
A durable diaphragm valve has a single-layer structure consisting of rubber materials. The single-layer structure has a membrane part deforming and moving up and down with opening and closing of a flow channel and a flange part which is provided around said membrane part and sandwiched between a valve body and a bonnet. The flange part has an annular ridge consisting of an upper ridge protruding upward and a lower ridge protruding downward from a position corresponding to said upper ridge. The upper ridge has an inner upper ridge and an outer upper ridge with its protruding height being lower than the inner upper ridge, which are consecutively formed in a staircase pattern.
US09423034B2
A locking poppet valve that is reusable and can be pyrotechnically actuated includes an actuating mechanism and a valve assembly that are in fluid communication. A fluid channel traverses through a valve body and fluidly connects the actuating mechanism to a poppet valve positioned within the valve body. When the actuating mechanism is fired, a piston is displaced within an actuator housing, which in turn displaces hydraulic fluid within the actuator housing and the fluid channel. The displaced hydraulic fluid acts to push a valve spool along a valve stem, opening the poppet valve and allowing fluid to flow through the valve body. Additionally, the piston is held in a fired position by a locking mechanism, such that the poppet valve remains open. The poppet valve can be reset by disengaging the locking mechanism and allowing the hydraulic fluid to re-displace within the fluid channel and the actuator housing.
US09423033B2
A dust cover made of resin comprising a bellows tube portion and a mating tube portion provided to one axial side of the bellows tube portion. The mating tube portion includes: a circumferential groove that opens onto an inner peripheral surface of the mating tube portion and is configured to receive a catch claw that projects from a cylinder to an outer peripheral side to be inserted into the circumferential groove from an opening of the mating tube portion; and at least one bent portion that has a mountain-shaped cross section projecting to the outer peripheral side while opening to an inner peripheral side of the mating tube portion and extends in an axial direction so that the mating tube portion is substantially enlarged in diameter via elastic deformation of the bent portion to expand in a circumferential direction.
US09423019B2
A manual park release assembly includes a housing defining an inner cavity and an opening in communication with the inner cavity. The manual park release assembly further includes a locking device at least partially disposed in the inner cavity. The locking device is movable relative to the housing between a locked position and an unlocked position. Further, the manual park release actuator assembly includes a manual park release actuator coupled to the locking device. The manual park release actuator is movable relative to the housing between a first position and a second position when the locking device is in the unlocked position. The manual park release actuator includes an actuator body sized to be at least partially received in the opening and a plurality of mechanical stops coupled to the actuator body.
US09423018B1
A variator and methods for making the variator are disclosed. The variator includes a plurality of spheres and a plurality of fluid conduits. The plurality of spheres are arranged circumferentially about a central axis and configured to be positioned between an input disc and an output disc. The plurality of fluid conduits each include (i) an inlet positioned radially outward of the plurality of spheres and (ii) an outlet positioned radially inward of the inlet and fluidly coupled to the inlet to deliver fluid received by the inlet to at least one of the plurality of spheres.
US09423008B2
A multi-stage transmission for a vehicle, may include an input shaft and an output shaft, a first planetary gear device, a second planetary gear device, a third planetary gear device, and a fourth planetary gear device provided between the input shaft and the output shaft to transfer a torque and each planetary gear device including three rotating elements, and at least six shifting elements connected to the three rotating elements of the first, second, third and fourth planetary gear devices,
US09422987B2
A constant velocity (CV) joint includes a shield to protect a J-boot from damage due to projectiles such as stones and to prevent ballooning. A rigid portion of the shield is fixed to a ring, which is adapted for fixation to a powertrain component such as a transmission. A flexible portion of the shield prevents projectiles from entering through the opening created by non-coincident axes of the shaft and ring. The flexible portion has a number of truncated conical panels with alternating orientation that accommodate the variable size opening by flexing in an accordion-like fashion.
US09422969B2
A system for fastening a first object to one or more other objects that prevents unfastening due to vibration until unlocked. The locking system includes: (a) girder having a first end that has an externally threaded terminus defining an internally counter-threaded bore; (b) a nut having an essentially planar top surface and an internally threaded bore for rotational engagement with the terminus of the girder, wherein the essentially planar top surface comprises at least two notches on opposite sides of the threaded bore of the nut; and (c) a counter-threaded bolt having a diameter smaller than the bore of the nut and a length sufficient to rotationally engage the bore of said girder while inserted through the bore of the girder, wherein the bolt comprises a head cooperating with the at least two notches for preventing substantial relative rotation of the bolt with the girder.
US09422963B2
Embodiments of the present disclosure include extendable structures and methods of forming an extendable structure. In accordance with an embodiment, an extendable structure includes a first chain of interlocking components including a first interlocking component, a second chain of interlocking components including a second interlocking component configured to mate to the bottom surface the first interlocking component, and a third chain of interlocking components including a third interlocking component configured to mate to the bottom surfaces of the first interlocking component and the second interlocking component. The extendable structure may include more than three chains of interlocking components and each chain of interlocking components may comprise three or more interlocking components.
US09422953B2
The invention relates to a flow measuring device for measuring a parameter of a flow formed from a fluid which flows in a main direction of flow in a line, comprising a first line section for conducting the fluid out of the main direction of flow; a second line section for conducting the fluid back into the main direction of flow; a line connection section for connecting the first line section to the second line section; at least one ultrasound device for transmitting and/or receiving ultrasound waves; and an evaluation unit for carrying out a transit-time difference measurement and for determining the parameter, wherein at least one swirl generating unit for generating a swirl is provided which is arranged downstream of the first line section such that the generated swirl is directed in a direction which is opposite to a direction of a swirl present downstream of the first line section and upstream of the swirl generation unit.
US09422932B2
A roller pump including a drive shaft, a motor, a roller head assembly, a stator housing, and an occlusion adjustment assembly. The drive shaft is coupled to the motor. The roller head assembly includes a hub, a slide body, and a roller. The hub is mounted to the drive shaft, and maintains the slide body and the roller. The stator housing forms a raceway receiving surface. The occlusion adjustment assembly includes an actuator knob, an actuating structure, and a ground shaft. The actuating structure interfaces with the slide body, and thus the roller, with rotation of the knob. The ground shaft supports the knob and is rotationally isolated from the drive shaft. A user and optionally a control system can adjust occlusion while the pump continuously delivers a fluid medium.
US09422929B2
The disclosure relates to an energy-saving silencer assembly, which includes: a silencer connected to a discharge side of a pump section, which pumps reaction by-product gas into a vacuum pump, so as to pass the pumped reaction by-product gas from a rear end portion to a front end portion; an outer pipe surrounding the outer peripheral surface of the silencer at an interval so as to provide a heating space between the silencer and the outer pipe; a nitrogen gas supply section for supplying nitrogen gas to the heating space; and a nitrogen gas injection section for injecting heated nitrogen gas to the inside of the silencer by the contact with the outer peripheral surface of the silencer in the heating space.
US09422927B2
A swash plate, for a swash plate compressor, which is excellent in resistance to the occurrence of seizing in a condition where an extreme pressure is generated owing to local contact between the swash plate and a shoe which slides thereon and in a condition where lubricating oil is depleted, capable of preventing cavitation-caused erosion of a resin film when the swash plate is operated at a high surface pressure and a high speed in the presence of the lubricating oil and the swash plate compressor having the swash plate. A swash plate (3) for a swash plate compressor is so constructed that inside a housing (1) where a refrigerant is present, the refrigerant is compressed and expanded by converting a rotational motion of the swash plate (3) mounted perpendicularly and obliquely on a rotational shaft (2).
US09422911B2
A gasket for attaching a spark plug to an internal combustion engine, the gasket having an annular portion. The annular portion is annular to surround the spark plug, and has contact surfaces on both axial ends, one of the contact surfaces being to contact the spark plug, the other being to contact the internal combustion engine. The annular portion is composed of copper alloy containing aluminum oxide. The aluminum oxide content of the copper alloy is 0.3 wt % or more, and 0.7 wt % or less.
US09422910B2
For the electrical protection of a current control device 12 against overcurrents, a starting current limitation system is proposed with a first electrical connection 4 connectable to a motor vehicle battery pole 9, a second electrical connection 6 connectable to a starter 10, and a parallel circuit connected between the first connection 4 and the second connection 6, comprising a branch with a current control device 12 and a branch with an electrical resistor 14, in such a way that, at the beginning of a warm start of the motor vehicle, a starter current is conducted via the resistor 14 and that, after the beginning of the warm start, the starter current is conducted via the current control device 12 and the resistor 14.
US09422904B2
Vehicle engine starting apparatus of automatically restarting an engine by quickly responding to a subsequent engine restart request even if engagement of a pinion gear with a ring gear is failed in the process of a stop of the engine. Pinion gear is displaced such that the pinion gear is engaged with the ring gear at a timing (when rotation speed of the pinion gear and rotation speed of the engine are nearly synchronized with each other with a signal from a control device when a predetermined condition is met. Where an engagement sensor has transmitted a signal “H” indicating engagement failure, when restart of the engine becomes necessary, the pinion gear is displaced toward a ring gear side by the control device.
US09422898B2
Methods and systems are provided for a direct injection fuel pump. The methods and system control pressure within a compression chamber so as to improve fuel pump lubrication.
US09422896B2
Various methods and systems are provided for diagnosing the position and function of a valve in an engine system. In one embodiment, a method for an engine comprises determining a position of a valve in an engine system based on a turbine speed response upon commanded actuation of the valve.
US09422895B2
A fuel tank evaporative emissions control and diagnostic system includes a fuel tank, a canister in fluid communication with the fuel tank to receive vapor escaping from the fuel tank, at least one isolation valve positioned between the fuel tank and the canister, a pressure sensor in fluid communication with the canister, a purge valve positioned between the canister and an internal combustion engine to be in fluid communication with the canister and the internal combustion engine, a canister vent valve positioned on an air inlet of the canister for allowing air to purge vapor from the canister to exit the and into the internal combustion engine, and one or more electronic controllers coupled to the pressure sensor, the isolation valve, the purge valve, and the canister vent valve for controlling the valves according to a preset diagnostic test for checking for malfunctions in the system.
US09422891B2
A throttle valve device ideal for small, inexpensive implements is provided. The throttle valve device having a damping member for slowly closing a throttle valve. The throttle valve device (1) has a throttle valve (4) that is fixed to a throttle shaft (5) pivotably supported in an air intake passage (2) and that is urged towards the closed direction, the throttle valve (4) adapted for adjusting the amount of air passing through the air intake passage (2). A through-bore (31) penetrating a shaft bore of the throttle shaft (5) is formed in a body, and a damping member (8) having frictional capabilities is inserted into and supported in the through-bore (31) in a state of pressing against the throttle shaft (5) inserted through the shaft bore (51).
US09422889B2
A combined engine includes a turbopump including a pump injecting hydrogen into a heater arranged in an outer casing downstream from a central body, and a subsonic turbine driving the pump, which turbine receives partially-expanded hydrogen collected at an outlet from the heater to apply the hydrogen to a supersonic turbine to operate the engine as a turbojet. The hydrogen from the supersonic turbine is collected in tubes inside the central body to be sent to a combustion chamber defined downstream from the central body, while the hydrogen that is partially expanded in the subsonic turbine is sent directly to the combustion chamber via injectors to operate the engine as a ramjet.
US09422886B2
An cylinder head assembly is disclosed. The cylinder head assembly may include a cylinder head having a stepped bore associated with a valve opening. The cylinder head assembly may also include an insert configured to engage the stepped bore, and a cooling passage at least partially formed by the insert and the stepped bore.
US09422885B2
The present invention relates to a method for reducing the particle emissions of an internal combustion engine over its service life. The number of cylinders of the internal combustion engine in which post-injection is carried out is incrementally increased during the service life of the internal combustion engine. The increase in the number of cylinders receiving a post-injection may depend upon at least one parameter, which may be a running time, a distance performance, a particle concentration in exhaust gas, a load profile, or other parameter. The individual cylinders receiving post-injection may be changed to distribute wear.
US09422884B2
The internal combustion engine control system includes an injector to supply fuel to an internal combustion engine, control section for calculating power distribution time for the injector, a sensor to detect a valve opening of the injector, and control section calculating and storing valve opening delay time, which is a difference between a power distribution start time and a valve opening detection time.When a power distribution time determination section determines that the power distribution time for the injector is not less than a predetermined value, the valve opening delay time is calculated and stored. When the power distribution time for the injector is less than the predetermined value, the power distribution time for the injector is controlled based on the valve opening delay time stored in storing means to perform control to increase the injector power distribution time.
US09422881B2
A vehicle control apparatus includes a condition determination section that determines whether or not an execution permission condition to permit coasting of a vehicle is satisfied, a first control section that causes the vehicle to shift to a first inertia running state by stopping the engine and disengaging the clutch device when the execution permission condition is determined to be satisfied, an auxiliary drive request determination section that determines whether or not an auxiliary drive request to drive the auxiliary has occurred, and a second control section that causes the vehicle to shift to a second inertia running state by starting the engine keeping the clutch device disengaged when the auxiliary drive request is determined to have occurred while the vehicle is running in the first inertia running state.
US09422877B2
A system includes a reciprocating internal combustion engine with one or more reaction zones configured to receive a charge flow that is configured to react within the one or more reaction zones, thereby forming an exhaust gas flow, and a controller. The charge flow includes an oxidant flow, a fuel flow, and a recirculated portion of the exhaust gas flow. The controller is configured to control a ratio of the recirculated portion of the exhaust gas flow to a fuel mixture. The controller controls the ratio based at least in part on a first temperature, a second temperature of the charge flow, and a third temperature of the recirculated portion of the exhaust gas flow. The fuel mixture includes the oxidant flow and the fuel flow. The first temperature includes one or any combination of a sensed temperature of the oxidant flow, the fuel flow, or the fuel mixture.
US09422875B2
The invention relates to a method of controlling an internal-combustion engine (1) equipped with an exhaust gas recirculation circuit and with variable timing means, having a first actuator (8) and of a second actuator (9). The method comprises acquiring a torque setpoint for the engine Tqsp determining a position setpoint for the first actuator (8) VVTint and a position setpoint for the second actuator (9) VVTexh by using a burnt gas flow model (MEGB) that relates the position setpoints of the actuators to the engine torque setpoint Tqsp . The burnt gas flow model (MEGB) comprises a cylinder filling model (MR), the burnt gas fraction in the cylinder is controlled by applying position setpoints VVTint and VVTexh to the variable timing means (8 and 9).
US09422874B2
A system for the delivery of ethanol or other solution additives to the intake manifold of compression ignition diesel engines comprising an electronic control module containing a microcomputer capable of monitoring SAE J1939 serial data, receive a signal from an additive monitoring sensor and have outputs to turn on a pump relay, indicator lamp and from 1 to n pulse width modulated electrical fluid injectors.
US09422873B2
Systems and methods for improving operation of an engine are presented. In one example, a threshold torque at which deactivated engine cylinders are reactivated is adjusted in response to a varying engine compression ratio. In other examples, the torque threshold is adjusted in response to a rate of change in engine torque and engine compression ratio.
US09422871B2
An intake system mounted to a vehicle controls an opening angle of a variable flap according to an RPM of an engine, an intake pressure, and an opening angle of a variable flap to optimize performance in various operation regions by detecting engine RPM and an intake air pressure, and determining an operation region based on the RPM of the engine; applying the intake pressure to determine a target amount of air and an opening angle of a variable flap for an operation region; driving an actuator to adjust an opening angle of the variable flap to a target opening angle; and analyzing an operation position of the actuator to detect an opening angle of the variable flap, and, when the target opening angle is not followed, correcting a drive of the actuator such that an opening angle of the variable flap follows the target opening angle.
US09422869B2
A method of tuning a gas turbine includes receiving a first plurality of operating parameters as the gas turbine engine is operated at a first operating state. Further, the method includes operating the gas turbine engine at a second operating state to measure a second plurality of operating parameters at the second operating state. In addition, the method includes operating the gas turbine engine at a third operating state to measure a third plurality of operating parameters at the third operating state, wherein the first, second, and third operating states are different from each other. Additionally, the method includes generating a correction factor based on the first, second, and third plurality of operating parameters. The method also includes adjusting the operation of the gas turbine engine based on the correction factor.
US09422861B2
A vehicle air-conditioning control apparatus has: an air mix damper; an actuator for driving the air mix damper; a target opening degree determination device operable to determine a target opening degree of the air mix damper; a drive frequency reduction device operable, during automatic stop of an engine, to reduce a drive frequency of the actuator; a target opening degree correction device operable, during automatic stop of the engine and when a current target opening degree is greater than a previous target opening degree, to increase the current target opening degree, and, when the current target opening degree is less than the previous target opening degree, to reduce the current target opening degree; and a drive control device operable, during running of the engine, to control the actuator based on the target opening degree, and, during automatic stop of the engine, to control the actuator the corrected target opening degree.
US09422860B2
Various methods and systems are provided for engine operation with a degraded turbocharger. In one embodiment, a method for an engine comprises reducing mass flow through a first turbocharger while continuing engine operation and adjusting operation of a second turbocharger in response to detected degradation of the first turbocharger.
US09422858B2
A turbocharger includes an annular bypass passage with an annular bypass valve disposed therein. The bypass valve includes a fixed annular valve seat and a rotary annular valve member disposed against the valve seat. The valve member is rotatable about the axis for varying a degree of alignment between orifices in the valve seat and valve member so as to form flow passages having a flow area A for exhaust gas. The orifices are shaped to provide a first phase of evolution of the flow area A from zero up to a value A1 and then a second phase of evolution from the value A1 up to a value A2, and such that the first and second phases have distinctly different slopes on a curve of flow area versus rotational position of the valve member, with a distinct break point in the curve between the first and second phases.
US09422855B2
Methods and systems are provided for removing condensate from an intercooler of a turbocharged internal combustion engine. Using valves to drain condensate may create a direct fluidic connection between the compressed air of the intercooler and ambient exterior air, allowing both condensate and compressed air to escape due to valve design or failure of valve actuation devices. To provide a simple and reliable method for removing condensate without removing compressed air, a hollow valve is used to shuttle condensate from the intercooler to the exterior environment.
US09422853B2
A quantity of soot trapped in a particulate filter in an engine exhaust system is calculated for use in a regeneration control strategy by drawing electric current from an electric power supply through a circuit which comprises in series an internal portion of the particulate filter and an electric impedance external to the filter. At least one electric measurement device connected to the circuit provides circuit-related data sufficient to enable a processor to calculate temperature-adjusted electric resistance of soot trapped in the internal portion of the particulate filter by calculating non-temperature-adjusted electric resistance of soot trapped in the internal portion of the particulate filter and temperature-adjusting a calculation of non-temperature-adjusted electric resistance of soot trapped in the internal portion of the particulate filter based on temperature data from a source of temperature data indicative of an internal temperature of the particulate filter.
US09422850B2
Apparatuses and methods for urea dosing of an exhaust after treatment system are disclosed. Exemplary apparatuses include a chamber configured to receive pressurized gas at a first inlet, receive urea solution at a second inlet, and provide a combined flow of pressurized gas and urea to an outlet, a flow passage extending from the first inlet to a seating surface, and a valve member configured to move between an open position in which the valve member is spaced apart from the seating surface and a closed position in which the valve member contacts the seating surface. As the valve member moves from the open position to the closed position the valve member contacts the seating surface at a first location and wipes an area of the seating surface extending from the first location in a direction toward the flow passage.
US09422837B2
A camshaft assembly, including a camshaft phaser with: stator; rotor including first plurality of circumferentially aligned ramps; and second plurality of circumferentially aligned ramps offset from the first plurality of ramps in a first axial direction; first and second wedge plates radially disposed between the rotor and the stator; and camshaft non-rotatably connected to the rotor. In a drive mode: the stator is arranged to receive first torque and to rotate in a first direction; the assembly is arranged to operate in successive cycles of a first phase followed by a second phase; in the first phase the first wedge plate non-rotatably connects the stator and the rotor while the second wedge plate is rotatable with respect to the stator; and in the second phase, the second wedge plate non-rotatably connects the stator and the rotor while the first wedge plate is rotatable with respect to the stator.
US09422833B2
A camshaft assembly for an internal combustion engine includes a camshaft, a first lobe set, and a second lobe set, extending along, and rotatable about, a cam axis. The first lobe set includes a first, second, and third lobe. The second lobe set includes a first and second lobe. The first lobe set is movable along the cam axis between a first, second, and third position. The second lobe set is movable along the cam axis between a first and second position. The first and second position of each of the first and second lobe sets corresponds to lift of a respective valve stem in the engine. The third position of the first lobe set corresponds to zero lift of the respective valve stem to provide cylinder deactivation of a corresponding cylinder within the engine.
US09422831B2
A condenser 10 is disposed under a steam turbine 100 including a downward exhaust-type exhaust chamber. The condenser 10 includes: a condenser main body part 20; a connecting body part 30 connecting the exhaust chamber 122 and the condenser main body part 20 and having a pair of lateral sidewalls 31, 32 whose inner wall surfaces 31a, 32a are inclined more outward in terms of the perpendicular direction as they go more downstream; and a pair of plate-shaped members 40a, 40b, 41a, 41b which are provided on inner wall surfaces 35a, 36a of longitudinal sidewalls 35, 36, the pair of plate-shaped members 40a, 40b, 41a, 41b being located across a position of an inlet 33 of the connecting body part 30 and on more outer sides than the position of the inlet 33 in terms of the perpendicular direction, projecting in the turbine rotor axial direction, and extending downstream.
US09422820B2
A system includes a turbomachine that includes at least one rotor disk or stage having a peripheral portion disposed about a rotational axis of the rotor disk or stage. The peripheral portion includes a groove that extends circumferentially about the peripheral portion. The groove has a first groove surface and a second surface disposed opposite the first groove surface. The turbomachine also includes a closure bucket disposed adjacent at least one bucket within the groove. The closure bucket has a first surface that interfaces with the first groove surface and a second groove surface disposed opposite the first surface. The closure bucket blocks circumferential movement of the at least one bucket within the groove relative to the rotor disk or stage. The turbomachine further includes a single wedge disposed between and contacting the second surface of the closure bucket and the second groove surface to secure the closure bucket within the groove.
US09422818B2
A rotor wheel for a gas turbine engine, the wheel including: a metal holder disk including a plurality of teeth at its periphery, the teeth extending radially outwards from the disk; a plurality of composite material blades, each blade including a root engaged between two adjacent teeth of the holder disk and that is held against the teeth by a pivot connection; a clamp disk including a plurality of teeth at its periphery extending in an axial direction, the clamp disk being fastened against the holder disk and on the same axis, with each of its teeth taking up a circumferential position between a blade root and a tooth of the holder disk; and a mechanism exerting a clamping force in a circumferential direction urging the teeth of the clamp disk against the blade roots.
