US09865900B2
An energy storage device comprising: (A) an anode comprising graphite; and (B) an electrolyte composition comprising: (i) at least one carbonate solvent; (ii) an additive selected from CsPF6, RbPF6, Sr(PF6)2, Ba(PF6)2, or a mixture thereof; and (iii) a lithium salt.
US09865897B2
An electrochemical cell assembly (500) includes a first cell and a second cell. The first cell can include a first anode (503) and a first cathode (504), wound in a first jellyroll assembly (501) with a first jellyroll assembly exterior defined by the first cathode. The second cell can include a second anode (512) and a second cathode (513), wound in a second jellyroll assembly (502) with a second jellyroll assembly exterior defined by the second anode. The first cell and the second cell can be arranged in a housing with the first jellyroll assembly exterior adjacent to the second jellyroll assembly exterior to improve energy density. The first cell assembly and the second cell assembly can have different widths to create differently shaped cell assemblies.
US09865896B2
A solid oxide fuel or solid oxide electrolysis cell Stack assembly (203) has an improved, simple, cost reducing and robust compression System, housing and Single sided System interface with a flexible-interface-fixture (204) which is rigid enough to fix the at least one cell Stack in the housing when not in Operation, but flexible enough to allow for transfer of the compression force from the flexible compression mat (211) in the top closed end of the housing (201), through the at least one cell Stack and further towards the interface counterpart of the System when in Operation.
US09865895B2
An iron redox flow battery system, comprising a redox electrode, a plating electrolyte tank, a plating electrode, a redox electrolyte tank with additional acid additives that may be introduced into the electrolytes in response to electrolyte pH. The acid additives may act to suppress undesired chemical reactions that create losses within the battery and may be added in response to sensor indications of these reactions.
US09865883B2
Methods of preparing fuel cell electrodes having catalyst with high density catalyst support are provided. One method of fabricating a fuel cell electrode comprises adjusting an active catalyst particle loading to increase catalyst layer thickness to within a desired range.
US09865881B2
Provided is an electrode assembly including: a negative electrode including a negative electrode current collector (NC) and a negative electrode active material layer (NAL) disposed on at least one surface of the NC; a positive electrode including a positive electrode current collector (PC), a positive electrode active material layer (PAL) disposed on at least one surface of the PC, and an undercoat layer being disposed between the PC and the PAL and being higher in resistance value than the PC. The negative electrode and the positive electrode are stacked on each other. In at least one side of the thus stacked negative and positive electrodes, the NAL projects from an edge of the PAL in a direction in which the NC and PC extend, and the undercoat layer projects from an edge of the NAL in the direction.
US09865880B2
According to the invention there is provided a component including a rechargeable battery and a method of producing same. The component uses one of an acid and an alkaline chemistry and the battery has an anode structure, a cathode structure, and a separator structure which separates the anode from the cathode and contains an electrolyte. The anode structure and the cathode structure are each formed from a composite material which includes electrically conductive fibres and electrochemically active material in a binder matrix including less than 50% w/w of an elastomer binder and the battery is formed to be structurally inseparable from the rest of the component.
US09865871B2
Silicon oxide which is an oxide containing at least silicon, in which part of silicon is replaced by boron, aluminum, or gallium, is provided.
US09865867B2
The volume density or weight density of lithium ions that can be received and released in and from a positive electrode active material is increased to achieve high capacity and high energy density of a secondary battery. In a lithium manganese composite oxide, each particle includes a first region including a crystal with a layered rock-salt crystal structure and a second region including a crystal with a spinel crystal structure. The second region is in contact with the outside of the first region. The lithium manganese composite oxide has high structural stability and high capacity.
US09865863B2
The present invention relates to a safety apparatus and a protection method of a secondary battery, which can prevent explosion and fire of the secondary battery using a switch or a rupture switch attached on the outside of the secondary battery if a swelling degree of the secondary battery reaches a predetermined value when the secondary battery is swelled due to abnormal usage such as overcharge, short-circuit, reverse-connection and heat-exposure of large-capacity lithium polymer battery.
US09865859B2
A structure with suppressed thickness and high-density when battery cells of a thin-film-solid secondary battery are stacked. Adjacent battery cells are stacked such that negative electrodes are in contact with each other and positive electrodes are in contact with each other, and arranged such that a taking-out lead electrode smaller than negative or positive electrode surfaces are sandwiched between two negative electrodes in contact with each other or two positive electrodes in contact with each other, and the lead electrodes sandwiched between electrodes of different layers are arranged such that there is no region where all of the lead electrodes simultaneously overlap one another as viewed in a planar arrangement. There are a strip-shaped lead electrode and a linear lead electrode. Further, a conductive sheet forming the electrode is extended to also serve as the taking-out electrode, thereby making it possible to reduce the number of lead electrodes.
US09865858B2
A lithium ion secondary battery according to an embodiment of this disclosure includes: a positive electrode mixture layer provided on a main plane of a positive electrode current collector; a negative electrode mixture layer provided on a main plane of a negative electrode current collector; and an insulator covering a region of a part of a surface of a gradually-decreasing portion included in the positive electrode mixture layer. The portion has thickness gradually decreasing toward a terminal of the positive electrode mixture layer; the surface of the portion has a tangent line in contact with the surface in at least two contact points, and has a depressed part between any adjacent two contact points on the tangent line; and an end of the insulator is positioned between the contact points closest to and farthest from the terminal of the positive electrode mixture layer along the tangent line.
US09865845B2
Disclosed is a case for a vehicle's battery pack. In an aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a stable and economic case for a battery pack including a plurality of secondary battery cells.
US09865833B2
An organic light-emitting device having a resonance structure includes a substrate; a first electrode and a second electrode on the substrate and facing each other; an emission layer between the first electrode and the second electrode; a first hole transport layer between the first electrode and the emission layer; and a second hole transport layer between the first hole transport layer and the emission layer. An electron mobility of the second hole transport layer is 5 times to 100 times greater than an electron mobility of the first hole transport layer, and a thickness of the second hole transport layer corresponds to a resonance distance of a wavelength of emission light of the emission layer.
US09865823B2
The present invention relates to an electrode layer comprising a porous film made of oxide semiconductor fine particles sensitized with a quinolinium dye having a fluorinated counteranion. Moreover the present invention relates to a photoelectric conversion device comprising said electrode layer, a dye sensitized solar cell comprising said photoelectric conversion device and to novel quinolinium dyes having a fluorinated counteranion.
US09865822B2
A blue phosphorescence compound and an organic light emitting diode using the same are disclosed. The blue phosphorescence compound is represented by Chemical Formula 1 below: wherein ‘A’ and ‘B’ are symmetrically or asymmetrically substituted at positions of Nos. 2 and 7 or Nos. 3 and 6 of dibenzofuran core and are independently formed of an aromatic cyclic compound or a heterocyclic compound.
US09865810B2
Provided is an electronic device including a semiconductor memory. The semiconductor memory may include: a substrate; a variable resistance element formed over the substrate; a top electrode formed over the variable resistance element; a barrier layer formed over the top electrode and including a groove; an interlayer dielectric layer formed over the substrate to have a layer structure in which the variable resistance element, the top electrode and the barrier layer are formed in the interlayer dielectric layer; and a metal wiring including a portion formed in the groove of the barrier layer.
US09865806B2
Electronic devices and systems having semiconductor memory are provided. In one implementation, for example, an electronic device may include a substrate; an under layer disposed over the substrate and including conductive hafnium silicate; a free layer disposed over the under layer and having a variable magnetization direction; a tunnel barrier layer disposed over the free layer; and a pinned layer disposed over the tunnel barrier layer and having a pinned magnetization direction, and wherein the free layer includes: a first ferromagnetic material; a second ferromagnetic material having a coercive force smaller than that of the first ferromagnetic material; and an amorphous spacer interposed between the first ferromagnetic material and the second ferromagnetic material.
US09865790B2
A thermoelectric material includes a composite having a first electrically conducting component and second low thermal conductivity component. The first component may include a semiconductor and the second component may include an inorganic oxide. The thermoelectric composite includes a network of the first component having nanoparticles of the second component dispersed in the network.
US09865782B2
A lens of an LED package structure includes a square-shaped base layer, a first light-guiding portion integrally connected to the base layer, a second light-guiding portion taperedly extended from the first light-guiding portion. The second light-guiding portion has an apex located away from the first light-guiding portion. The lens includes four side curved surfaces and four boundary curved surfaces connected to the apex. Four first projecting regions are defined by orthogonally projecting the four boundary curved surfaces onto the base layer, and the four first projecting regions are arranged on two diagonals of the base layer. Any two adjacent boundary curved surfaces are provided with one of the side curved surfaces there-between. Each boundary curved surface has a first radius of curvature (R1), a portion of each side curved surface arranged on the second light-guiding portion has a second radius of curvature (R2), wherein R1/R2=M√{square root over (2)} and M=0.8˜1.2.
US09865779B2
A method of manufacturing a package, the method comprising the steps of: preparing a resin compact having a recess, and including a pair of leads arranged at a bottom surface of the recess, a first resin body forming a lateral wall of the recess, and a second resin body arranged between the pair of leads; forming a reflective film entirely on at least the bottom surface of the recess and an inner surface of the lateral wall of the recess; and removing the reflective film formed on the pair of leads in the recess in the resin compact on which the reflective film has been formed.
US09865778B2
A light-emitting device discloses a light emitting structure layer including an active layer between first and second conductive semiconductor layers, a first electrode electrically connected to the first conductive semiconductor layer, a contact layer disposed under the second conductive semiconductor layer, a reflective layer disposed under the contact layer, a capping layer disposed under the reflective layer, and a conductive supporting member disposed under the capping layer. The reflective layer comprises a thickness that is greater than the thickness of the second conductive semiconductor layer and 90 or more times greater than the thickness of the contact layer.
US09865776B2
The invention relates to a method for separating regions of a semiconductor layer and for introducing an outcoupling structure into an upper side of the semiconductor layer, the outcoupling structure being provided to couple light out of the semiconductor layer. The upper side of the semiconductor layer is covered by a mask having first openings for introducing the outcoupling structure and at least a second opening, which is provided to introduce a separating trench into the semiconductor layer. With the aid of an etching method, the outcoupling structure is introduced into the upper side of the semiconductor layer in the region of the first openings and simultaneously a separating trench passing through the semiconductor layer is introduced into the semiconductor layer via the second opening, and a region of the semiconductor layer is separated.
US09865774B2
A method for producing a nitride semiconductor device. The method comprises providing a substrate made of a material other than a nitride semiconductor. The material has a hexagonal crystal structure. An upper face of the substrate has at least one flat section. The method further comprises growing a first nitride semiconductor layer on the upper face of the substrate. The first nitride semiconductor layer is made of monocrystalline AlN. The first nitride semiconductor layer has an upper face that is a +c plane. The first nitride semiconductor layer has a thickness in a range of 10 nm to 100 nm. The method further comprises growing a second nitride semiconductor layer on the upper face of the first nitride semiconductor layer. The second nitride semiconductor layer is made of InXAlYGa1-X-YN (0≦X, 0≦Y, X+Y<1). In an initial stage of growing the second nitride semiconductor layer, micronuclei are formed in multiple locations on the upper face of the first nitride semiconductor layer such that a plurality of upside-down hexagonal pyramid-shaped or upside-down hexagonal frustum-shaped recesses separate the micronuclei above the at least one flat section of the upper face of the substrate. After the initial stage of growing, further growth is performed to reduce a size of the recesses until the recesses are substantially eliminated. The further growth is performed such that the recesses are substantially eliminated before a thickness of the second nitride semiconductor layer grows to 800 nm. The second nitride semiconductor layer is grown to have an upper face with at least one flat section.
US09865762B2
The thin-film photoelectric conversion device of the present invention includes: a transparent electroconductive film having zinc oxide as a main component; a contact layer; a photoelectric conversion unit having a p-type semiconductor layer, an i-type semiconductor layer and an n-type semiconductor layer in this order; and a back electrode layer, in this order, on one main surface of a substrate. The contact layer has an intrinsic crystalline semiconductor layer and a p-type crystalline semiconductor layer in this order from the substrate side, and the intrinsic crystalline semiconductor layer of the contact layer and the transparent electroconductive film are in contact with each other. The p-type crystalline semiconductor layer of the contact layer is preferably a layer having as a main component a silicon alloy selected from the group consisting of a silicon oxide; a silicon nitride; and silicon carbide.
US09865760B1
A solar energy collection device includes a solar converting station housing having a concentrator for aiding in focusing the energy onto a photovoltaic material. The photovoltaic material is applied to a series of cylindrically shaped power cells. A series of the power cells are rotationally assembled to the solar energy collection device. The power cells rotate about the cell axles, providing a cooling process for the photovoltaic material. The rotation can be provided via any number of means. The series of the power cells can be built in a removable assembly, providing a power pack for the end user.
US09865758B2
An interconnected arrangement of photovoltaic cells is achieved using laminating current collector electrodes. The electrodes comprise a pattern of conductive material extending over a first surface of sheetlike substrate material. The first surface comprises material having adhesive affinity for a selected conductive surface. Application of the electrode to the selected conductive surface brings the first surface of the sheetlike substrate into adhesive contact with the conductive surface and simultaneously brings the conductive surface into firm contact with the conductive material extending over first surface of the sheetlike substrate. Use of the laminating current collector electrodes allows facile and continuous production of expansive area interconnected photovoltaic arrays.
US09865749B1
A Merged P-i-N Schottky device in which the oppositely doped diffusions extend to a depth and have been spaced apart such that the device is capable of absorbing a reverse avalanche energy comparable to a Fast Recovery Epitaxial Diode having a comparatively deeper oppositely doped diffusion region.
US09865747B2
Bonded semiconductor device structures and device structure fabrication processes to obviate the need for SOI wafers in many device fabrication applications are disclosed. In some examples, an etch stop layer is formed in situ during fabrication of an active device structure on a bulk semiconductor wafer. The etch stop layer enables the active device structure to be separated from the bulk semiconductor wafer in a layer transfer process in which the active device structure is bonded to a handle wafer. These examples enable the production of high-performance and low-power semiconductor devices (e.g., fully or partially depleted channel transistors) while avoiding the high costs of SOI wafers. In some examples, the gate masks the etch stop layer implant in a self-aligned process to create a fully depleted channel under the gate and deeper implants in the source and drain regions without requiring a separate masking layer.
US09865746B2
A highly reliable semiconductor device having stable electrical characteristics is provided. Oxide films each containing one or more kinds of metal elements included in an oxide semiconductor film are formed in contact with an upper side and a lower side of the oxide semiconductor film where a channel is formed, whereby interface states are not easily generated at an upper interface and a lower interface of the oxide semiconductor film. A material which has a lower electron affinity than the oxide semiconductor film is used for the oxide films in contact with the oxide semiconductor film, whereby electrons flowing in the channel hardly move in the oxide films and mainly move in the oxide semiconductor film. Thus, even when an interface state exists between the oxide film and an insulating film formed on the outside of the oxide film, the state hardly influences the movement of electrons.
US09865742B2
It is an object to provide a semiconductor device typified by a display device having a favorable display quality, in which parasitic resistance generated in a connection portion between a semiconductor layer and an electrode is suppressed and an adverse effect such as voltage drop, a defect in signal wiring to a pixel, a defect in grayscale, and the like due to wiring resistance are prevented. In order to achieve the above object, a semiconductor device according to the present invention may have a structure where a wiring with low resistance is connected to a thin film transistor in which a source electrode and a drain electrode that include metal with high oxygen affinity are connected to an oxide semiconductor layer with a suppressed impurity concentration. In addition, the thin film transistor including the oxide semiconductor may be surrounded by insulating films to be sealed.
US09865738B2
A method of fabricating a fin field effect transistor (FinFET) is provided as follows. A fin structure is formed on a substrate. A gate pattern and a source/drain (S/D) electrode are formed on the fin structure. The gate pattern and the S/D electrode are spaced apart from each other. A blocking layer is on the fin structure to cover the gate pattern and the S/D electrode. A sacrificial pattern is formed on the blocking layer and between the gate pattern and S/D electrode. The sacrificial pattern has a first thickness and a first width. A capping layer is formed on the sacrificial layer. An air gap is formed by removing the sacrificial layer through the capping layer. The air gap is formed between the gate pattern and the S/D electrode and has the first thickness and the first width.
US09865729B1
A power transistor is provided with at least one transistor finger that lies within a semiconductor material. The gate oxide is segmented into a set of segments with thick field oxide between each segment in order to reduce gate capacitance and thereby improve a resistance times gate charge figure of merit.
US09865728B2
A switching device including a semiconductor substrate including a trench (gate electrode) extending in a mesh shape is provided, and the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate is covered by the interlayer insulating film. Within an element range a contact hole is provided in an interlayer insulating film above each cell region while within a surrounding range an entire upper surface of each cell region is covered by the interlayer insulating film. The first metal layer covers the interlayer insulating film, and has recesses above the contact holes. The insulating protective film covers an outer peripheral side portion of the first metal layer within the surrounding range. The second metal layer covers the first metal layer within an opening of the insulating protective film. Within the surrounding range, a second conductivity-type region extending to below lower ends of the trench and is electrically connected to the body region, is provided.
US09865722B2
A semiconductor device includes a GaN FET with an overvoltage clamping component electrically coupled to a drain node of the GaN FET and coupled in series to a voltage dropping component. The voltage dropping component is electrically coupled to a terminal which provides an off-state bias for the GaN FET. The overvoltage clamping component conducts insignificant current when a voltage at the drain node of the GaN FET is less than the breakdown voltage of the GaN FET and conducts significant current when the voltage rises above a safe voltage limit. The voltage dropping component is configured to provide a voltage drop which increases as current from the overvoltage clamping component increases. The semiconductor device is configured to turn on the GaN FET when the voltage drop across the voltage dropping component reaches a threshold value.
US09865720B2
A nitride semiconductor device is disclosed. The semiconductor device provides the GaN channel layer, the InAlN barrier layer on the GaN channel layer, and the n-type AlGaN layer on the InAlN barrier layer. The source and drain electrodes are formed on the n-type AlGaN layer, while, the gate electrode is formed directly on the InAlN barrier layer. The n-type AlGaN layer has the aluminum (Al) composition greater than 20% at the interface against the InAlN barrier layer, which is greater than the aluminum (Al) composition at the interface against the source electrode.
US09865716B2
A semiconductor device cell is disclosed. The semiconductor device cell includes a transistor gate having a gating surface and a contacting surface and a source region contacted by a source contact. The semiconductor device cell further includes a drain region contacted by a drain contact, wherein the drain contact is not situated opposite the source contact with respect to the gating surface of the transistor gate. Additional semiconductor device cells in which the gate contact is closer to the source contact than to the drain contact are disclosed.
US09865714B2
A lateral bipolar junction transistor (LBJT) device that includes an intrinsic III-V semiconductor material having a first band gap; and a base region present on the intrinsic III-V semiconductor material. The base region is composed of an III-V semiconductor material having a second band gap that is less than the first band gap. Emitter and collector regions present on opposing sides of the base region. The emitter and collector regions are composed of epitaxial III-V semiconductor material that is present on the intrinsic III-V semiconductor material.
US09865699B2
A semiconductor device including a graphene layer and a method of manufacturing the same are disclosed. A method in which graphene is grown on a catalyst metal by a chemical vapor deposition or the like is known. However, the graphene cannot be used as a channel, since the graphene is in contact with the catalyst metal, which is conductive. There is disclosed a method in which a catalyst film (2) is formed over a substrate (1), a graphene layer (3) is grown originating from the catalyst film (2), an electrode (4) in contact with the graphene layer (3) is formed, and the catalyst film (2) is removed.
US09865696B2
A deposition technique for forming an oxynitride film is provided. A highly reliable semiconductor element is manufactured with the use of the oxynitride film. The oxynitride film is formed with the use of a sputtering target including an oxynitride containing indium, gallium, and zinc, which is obtained by sintering a mixture of at least one of indium nitride, gallium nitride, and zinc nitride as a raw material and at least one of indium oxide, gallium oxide, and zinc oxide in a nitrogen atmosphere. In this manner, the oxynitride film can contain nitrogen at a necessary concentration. The oxynitride film can be used for a gate, a source electrode, a drain electrode, or the like of a transistor.
US09865685B2
Semiconductor memory devices and methods of forming the semiconductor devices may be provided. The semiconductor memory devices may include a channel portion of an active pillar that may be formed of a semiconductor material having a charge mobility greater than a charge mobility of silicon. The semiconductor devices may also include a non-channel portion of the active pillar including a semiconductor material having a high silicon content.
US09865681B1
Multi-threshold voltage (Vt) nanowire devices are fabricated using a self-aligned methodology where gate cavities having a predetermined geometry are formed proximate to channel regions of respective devices. The gate cavities are then backfilled with a gate conductor. By locally defining the cavity geometry, the thickness of the gate conductor is constrained and hence the threshold voltage for each device can be defined using a single deposition process for the gate conductor layer. The self-aligned nature of the method obviates the need to control gate conductor layer thicknesses using deposition and/or etch processes.
US09865669B2
An organic light emitting diode (OLED) display includes: a substrate; a scan line on the substrate, extending in a first direction, and configured to transmit a scan signal; a data line on the substrate, extending in a second direction crossing the first direction, and configured to transmit a data voltage; a common voltage line in the same layer as the data line and configured to transmit a common voltage; a first electrode on the data line and an assistance member on the common voltage line, the first electrode and the assistance member being separated from each other in the first direction or the second direction; a second electrode on the first electrode and the assistance member; and an organic emission layer between the first electrode and the second electrode. The assistance member is separated from the data line in the first direction.
US09865662B2
A transparent organic light emitting display apparatus include a base substrate, a first electrode disposed on the base substrate, a second electrode disposed on the first electrode, the second electrode including a first portion disposed on the first electrode and a second portion which is disposed adjacent to the first portion, an oxygen content of the second portion being different from that of the first portion, and a light emitting structure disposed between the first portion of the second electrode and the first electrode.
US09865659B2
A light emitting device comprising: a pair of electrodes; two or more light emitting elements disposed between the electrodes in a stacked arrangement, wherein a light emitting element comprises a layer comprising an emissive material; and a charge generation element disposed between adjacent light emitting elements in the stacked arrangement, the charge generation element comprising a first layer comprising an inorganic n-type semiconductor material, and a second layer comprising a hole injection material. A charge generation element is also disclosed.
US09865657B2
A solid-state imaging device includes: a plurality of laminated photoelectric conversion sections; a reading section configured of a semiconductor region formed inside a semiconductor substrate and reading electric charge that has been subjected to photoelectric conversion in the photoelectric conversion sections; a charge accumulation section accumulating the electric charge read by the reading section; and a light shielding structure shielding, from light, a portion other than the reading section and the photoelectric conversion sections.
US09865653B2
A memory cell includes a substrate layer, with a plurality of silicided semiconductor fins stacked on the substrate layer and spaced apart from one another. A first metal liner layer is stacked on the plurality of silicided semiconductor fins and on the substrate layer. A plurality of first contact pillars are stacked on the first metal liner layer adjacent a different respective one of the plurality of silicided semiconductor fins. A configurable resistance structure covers portions of the first metal liner layer that are stacked on the substrate layer and portions of the first metal liner layer that are stacked on each of the plurality of silicided semiconductor fins. A metal fill layer is stacked on the configurable resistance structure. A plurality of second contact pillars ism stacked on the metal fill layer adjacent a space between a different pair of adjacent silicided semiconductor fins of the plurality thereof.
US09865650B2
Resistance elements, including Magnetic Tunnel Junction devices are configured as magnetoelectronic (ME) devices. These resistive devices are useable as circuit building blocks in reconfigurable processing systems, including as logic circuits, non-volatile switches and memory cells.
US09865644B2
With an image sensor in which the amplifier circuit is disposed at each pixel, there is such an issue that the threshold voltage of the transistor fluctuates so that the signal voltage fluctuates because a voltage is continuously applied between the source and the gate of the transistor at all times when using the amorphous thin film semiconductor as the transistor that constitutes an amplifier circuit. The gate-source potential of the TFT that constitutes the amplifier circuit is controlled so that the gate terminal voltage becomes smaller than the source terminal voltage in an integrating period where the pixels accumulate the signals, and controlled so that the gate terminal voltage becomes larger than the source terminal voltage in a readout period where the pixels output the signals.
US09865641B2
A solid-state imaging device includes: a first chip including a pixel array in which a plurality of photoelectric conversion portions converting incident light into an electric signal are disposed; a second chip having an area in a plan view less than an area of the first chip in the plan view and electrically and physically connected to the first chip; and a support portion provided to cover an entire region which is not covered with the second chip in a surface of the first chip connected to the second chip and configured to support the first chip so that flatness of the first chip may be maintained.
US09865640B2
A backside illuminated semiconductor image sensor that includes a Fabry-Perot resonator tuned to absorb near infrared (NIR) radiation; wherein the Fabry-Perot resonator comprises a front reflector, a back reflector and an active Silicon layer between the front reflector and the back reflector.
US09865635B2
An image sensor and a method of fabricating the same are disclosed. The image sensor may include a substrate including an active region defined by a device isolation layer, a photoelectric conversion layer, a well impurity layer, a floating diffusion region, and a transfer gate. When viewed in a plan view, a lower portion of the transfer gate may include a first surface in contact with the device isolation layer, a second surface substantially perpendicular to the first surface, and a third surface connected to the first and second surfaces. The third surface may face the floating diffusion region. A first portion of a gate insulating layer may be adjacent to the third surface and thinner than a portion adjacent to the first surface or the second surface, and this may facilitate more efficient transfer of an electron from the photoelectric conversion layer to the floating diffusion region.
US09865625B2
The present disclosure provides an array substrate and a method of manufacturing the same, and a display device. TA connecting portion is provided within the overlapping region between the first signal line and the second signal line, is electrically conductive and directly contacts the second signal line. Thus, even when the upper second signal line is broken due to the large step difference within the overlapping region between the first signal line and the second signal line, the connecting portion electrically connected with the broken second signal line can still electrically connect and conduct the broken second signal line, thereby avoiding transmission of signal from being adversely affected by the broken signal line within the overlapping region.
US09865610B2
The present disclosure relates to an integrated circuit (IC). The IC includes a substrate, which includes a periphery region having a first substrate surface and a memory cell region having a second substrate surface. The second substrate surface is recessed within the substrate relative to the first substrate surface. A high k metal gate (HKMG) transistor is disposed on the first substrate surface and includes a HKMG gate. Two neighboring flash memory cells are disposed on the second substrate surface and include a pair of flash memory cell control gates. Top surfaces of the HKMG gate and flash memory cell control gates are co-planar.
US09865608B2
Method of forming a device including a floating gate electrode and a layer of ferroelectric material
A method disclosed herein includes providing a semiconductor structure, the semiconductor structure comprising a semiconductor substrate and a gate stack, the gate stack comprising a gate insulation material over the substrate, a floating gate electrode material over the gate insulation material, a ferroelectric transistor dielectric over the floating gate electrode material and a top electrode material over the ferroelectric transistor dielectric, performing a first patterning process to remove portions of the top electrode material and the ferroelectric transistor dielectric and performing a second patterning process after the first patterning process to remove portions of the floating gate electrode material and the gate insulation material, wherein a projected area of an upper portion of the gate structure onto a plane that is perpendicular to a thickness direction of the substrate is smaller than a projected area of the lower portion of the gate structure onto the plane.
US09865605B2
A memory circuit includes a first column of memory cells arranged along a first direction, a first supply voltage line extending along the first direction in a first conductive layer of the memory circuit, a second supply voltage line, a first resistive device electrically connecting the first supply voltage line and the second supply voltage line, and a supply voltage source. Each memory cell of the first column of memory cells includes a supply voltage line segment. The first supply voltage line is made of at least the supply voltage line segments of the first column of memory cells. The supply voltage source is electrically coupled with first supply voltage line through one or more conductive paths, and the second supply voltage line and the first resistive device is in a lowest resistance path of the one or more conductive paths.
US09865603B2
A semiconductor structure includes a semiconductor substrate, at least one first elongated region of n-type or p-type, and at least one other second elongated region of the other of n-type or p-type, the first and second elongated regions crossing such that the first elongated region and the second elongated region intersect at a common area, and a shared gate structure over each common area.
US09865601B2
The present disclosure relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit. The semiconductor integrated circuit includes a substrate, a first transistor and a first patterned conductive layer. The first transistor has a source region, a drain region in the substrate and a gate region on the substrate. The first patterned conductive layer is electrically connected to the drain region of the first transistor. The first patterned conductive layer includes a first section, a second section and a fusible device.
US09865599B2
A method of fabricating a CMOS integrated circuit (IC) includes implanting a first n-type dopant at a first masking level that exposes a p-region of a substrate surface having a first gate stack thereon to form NLDD regions for forming n-source/drain extension regions for at least a portion of a plurality of n-channel MOS (NMOS) transistors on the IC. A p-type dopant is implanted at a second masking level that exposes an n-region in the substrate surface having a second gate stack thereon to form PLDD regions for at least a portion of a plurality of p-channel MOS (PMOS) transistors on the IC. A second n-type dopant is retrograde implanted including through the first gate stack to form a deep nwell (DNwell) for the portion of NMOS transistors. A depth of the DNwell is shallower below the first gate stack as compared to under the NLDD regions.
US09865592B2
A semiconductor structure comprises a semiconductor substrate and a shallow trench isolation (STI) feature over the substrate. The STI feature includes first and second portions. A top surface of the first portion is lower than a top surface of the second portion. The semiconductor structure further comprises fin active regions; conductive features on the fin active regions and the STI feature; and dielectric features separating the conductive features from the fin active regions. The semiconductor structure further comprises a first gate stack having a first one of the dielectric features and a first one of the conductive features overlying the first one of the dielectric features; and a second gate stack having a second one of the dielectric features and a second one of the conductive features overlying the second one of the dielectric features.
US09865581B2
A first insulating layer is formed on a substrate. An opening is formed in the first insulating layer. A barrier layer is formed on the first insulating layer and conforming to sidewalls of the first insulating layer in the opening, and a conductive layer is formed on the barrier layer. Chemical mechanical polishing is performed to expose the first insulating layer and leave a barrier layer pattern in the opening and a conductive layer pattern on the barrier layer pattern in the opening, wherein a portion of the conductive layer pattern protrudes above an upper surface of the insulating layer and an upper surface of the barrier layer pattern. A second insulating layer is formed on the first insulating layer, the barrier layer pattern and the conductive layer pattern and planarized to expose the conductive layer pattern. A second substrate may be bonded to the exposed conductive layer pattern.
US09865567B1
An example method of manufacturing a semiconductor assembly includes: forming first integrated circuit (IC) dies and dummy dies; forming an interposer wafer including a top side having first mounting sites for the first IC dies and second mounting sites for second IC dies; attaching the first IC dies to the interposer wafer at the first mounting sites and the dummy dies to the interposer wafer at the second mounting sites; processing a backside and the top side of the interposer wafer; removing the dummy dies from the top side of the interposer wafer to expose the second mounting sites; and attaching the second IC dies to the interposer wafer at the exposed second mounting sites.
US09865560B2
A method of forming a wire interconnect structure includes the steps of: (a) forming a wire bond at a bonding location on a substrate using a wire bonding tool; (b) extending a length of wire, continuous with the wire bond, to another location; (c) pressing a portion of the length of wire against the other location using the wire bonding tool; (d) moving the wire bonding tool, and the pressed portion of the length of wire, to a position above the wire bond; and (e) separating the length of wire from a wire supply at the pressed portion, thereby providing a wire interconnect structure bonded to the bonding location.
US09865557B1
An electrical contact upon an interposer and/or upon a processing device includes a minor axis and a major axis. The contact is positioned such that the major axis is generally aligned with the direction of expansion of the interposer and/or the processing device. The electrical contact may further be positioned within a power/ground or input/output (I/O) region of the interposer and/or processing device. The electrical contact may further be positioned within a center region that is surrounded by a perimeter region of the interposer and/or the processing device. The dimensions or aspect ratios of major and minor axes of neighboring electrical contacts within an electrical contact grid may differ relative thereto. Further, the angle of respective major and minor axes of neighboring electrical contacts within the electrical contact grid may differ relative thereto.
US09865542B2
In some embodiments, an interconnect structure includes first and second metal lines, and an end-to-end portion. The first metal line is formed in a first interconnect layer, extends in length substantially along a first direction and ends at a first end portion. The second metal line is formed in the first interconnect layer, starts from a second end portion, extends in length substantially along the first direction and is misaligned with the first metal line in the first direction. The end-to-end portion couples the first metal line to the second metal line, is formed in a second interconnect layer different from the first interconnect layer, and is overlapped with the first and second end portions. A width of the end-to-end portion at where the end-to-end portion is overlapped with the first end portion is wider than a width of the first end portion by at least about 10%.
US09865541B2
A memory device includes a substrate, and a peripheral circuit disposed on a first surface of the substrate. The peripheral circuit includes a first transistor. The memory device further includes a first wiring layer disposed on the peripheral circuit, a base layer disposed on the first wiring layer, a memory cell array disposed on the base layer, and a second wiring layer disposed on the memory cell array. The second wiring layer includes a first power wiring configured to supply a first voltage, a second power wiring configured to supply a second voltage, and a first wiring electrically connected to the first transistor. The first wiring is configured to be electrically connectable to either the first power wiring or the second power wiring.
US09865537B1
In described examples, an apparatus includes: an integrated circuit die having multiple terminals; the integrated circuit die positioned on a die pad portion of a leadframe having leads for external connections, at least some of the leads having an inner portion electrically coupled to at least one terminal of the integrated circuit die; a fuse element coupled between one of the leads of the leadframe and at least one terminal selected from the multiple terminals of the integrated circuit die; and encapsulation material surrounding the integrated circuit die and the leadframe to form a packaged integrated circuit including the integrated circuit die and the fuse element, and having a cavity in the encapsulation material surrounding the fuse element such that the fuse element is spaced from the encapsulation material.
US09865535B2
A semiconductor device includes a planar interconnection layer formed on a substrate and made of a semiconductor, a first pillar-shaped semiconductor layer formed on the interconnection layer, a semiconductor-metal compound layer formed so as to cover the entire upper surface of the interconnection layer except for a bottom portion of the first pillar-shaped semiconductor layer, a first gate insulating film surrounding the first pillar-shaped semiconductor layer, a first gate electrode surrounding the first gate insulating film, and a first gate line connected to the first gate electrode.
US09865525B2
Semiconductor method and device of forming a fan-out PoP device with PWB vertical interconnect units
A semiconductor device has a carrier with a die attach area. A semiconductor die is mounted to the die attach area with a back surface opposite the carrier. A modular interconnect unit is mounted over the carrier and around or in a peripheral region around the semiconductor die such that the modular interconnect unit is offset from the back surface of the semiconductor die. An encapsulant is deposited over the carrier, semiconductor die, and modular interconnect unit. A first portion of the encapsulant is removed to expose the semiconductor die and a second portion is removed to expose the modular interconnect unit. The carrier is removed. An interconnect structure is formed over the semiconductor die and modular interconnect unit. The modular interconnect unit includes a vertical interconnect structures or bumps through the semiconductor device. The modular interconnect unit forms part of an interlocking pattern around the semiconductor die.
US09865524B2
A semiconductor device includes a plurality of semiconductor die and a plurality of conductive vias formed in the semiconductor die. An insulating layer is formed over the semiconductor die while leaving the conductive vias exposed. An interconnect structure is formed over the insulating layer and conductive vias. The insulating layer is formed using electrografting or oxidation. An under bump metallization is formed over the conductive vias. A portion of the semiconductor die is removed to expose the conductive vias. The interconnect structure is formed over two or more of the conductive vias. A portion of the semiconductor die is removed to leave the conductive vias with a height greater than a height of the semiconductor die. A second insulating layer is formed over the first insulating layer. A portion of the second insulating layer is removed to expose the conductive via.
US09865520B2
A semiconductor device includes a mesa structure having vertical sidewalls, the mesa structure including an active area comprising a portion of its height. A stressed passivation liner is formed on the vertical sidewalls of the mesa structure and over the portion of the active area. The stressed passivation liner induces strain in the active area to permit tuning of performance parameters of the mesa structure.
US09865514B2
A through-silicon via (TSV) capacitive test structure and method of determining TSV depth based on capacitance is disclosed. The TSV capacitive test structure is formed from a plurality of TSV bars that are evenly spaced. A first group of bars are electrically connected to form a first capacitor node, and a second group of bars is electrically connected to form a second capacitor node. The capacitance is measured, and a TSV depth is computed, prior to backside thinning. The computed TSV depth may then be fed to downstream grinding and/or polishing tools to control the backside thinning process such that the semiconductor wafer is thinned such that the backside is flush with the TSV.
US09865501B2
Method and apparatus for reducing metal oxide surfaces to modified metal surfaces are disclosed. By exposing a metal oxide surface to a remote plasma, the metal oxide surface on a substrate can be reduced to pure metal and the metal reflowed. A remote plasma apparatus can treat the metal oxide surface as well as cool, load/unload, and move the substrate within a single standalone apparatus. The remote plasma apparatus includes a processing chamber and a controller configured to provide a substrate having a metal seed layer in a processing chamber, form a remote plasma of a reducing gas species where the remote plasma includes radicals, ions, and/or ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the reducing gas species, and expose a metal seed layer of the substrate to the remote plasma to reduce oxide of the metal seed layer to metal and to reflow the metal.
US09865499B2
A method for depositing a silicon-containing film is performed by causing a silicon-containing gas to adsorb on a first surface of a depression formed in a second surface of a substrate by supplying the silicon-containing gas to the substrate. A silicon component contained in the silicon-containing gas adsorbed on the first surface of the depression is partially etched by supplying an etching gas to the substrate. A silicon-containing film is deposited in the depression by supplying a reaction gas reactable with the silicon component to the substrate so as to produce a reaction product by causing the reaction gas to react with the silicon component left in the depression without being etched.
US09865490B2
The invention broadly relates to cyclic olefin polymer bonding compositions and release compositions, to be used independently or together, that enable thin wafer handling during microelectronics manufacturing, especially during a full-wafer mechanical debonding process. The release compositions comprise compositions made from siloxane polymers and copolymers blended in a polar solvent, and that are stable at room temperature for longer than one month. The cyclic olefin polymer bonding compositions provide high thermal stability, can be bonded to fully-treated carrier wafers, can be mechanically or laser debonded after high-temperature heat treatment, and are easily removed with an industrially-acceptable solvent. Wafers bonded according to the invention demonstrate lower overall post-grind stack TTV compared to other commercial bonding materials and can survive 200° C. PECVD processing.
US09865484B1
Semiconductor systems and methods may include methods of performing selective etches that include modifying a material on a semiconductor substrate. The substrate may have at least two exposed materials on a surface of the semiconductor substrate. The methods may include forming a low-power plasma within a processing chamber housing the semiconductor substrate. The low-power plasma may be a radio-frequency (“RF”) plasma, which may be at least partially formed by an RF bias power operating between about 10 W and about 100 W in embodiments. The RF bias power may also be pulsed at a frequency below about 5,000 Hz. The methods may also include etching one of the at least two exposed materials on the surface of the semiconductor substrate at a higher etch rate than a second of the at least two exposed materials on the surface of the semiconductor substrate.
US09865477B2
The present disclosure provides a semiconductor fabrication apparatus in accordance with one embodiment. The apparatus includes a wafer stage that is operable to secure and rotate a wafer; a polish head configured to polish a backside surface of the wafer; an air bearing module configured to apply an air pressure to a front surface of the wafer; and an edge sealing unit configured to seal edges of the wafer.
US09865476B2
A method and apparatus for pulse electrochemical polishing a wafer are disclosed. The method comprises steps of: establishing a duty cycle table showing all points on the wafer, a removal thickness corresponding to every point and a duty cycle corresponding to the removal thickness; driving a wafer chuck holding and positioning the wafer to move at a preset speed so that a special point on the wafer is right above a nozzle ejecting charged electrolyte onto the wafer; looking up the duty cycle table and obtaining the removal thickness and the duty cycle corresponding to the special point; and applying a preset pulse power source to the wafer and the nozzle and the actual polishing power source for polishing the special point being equal to the duty cycle multiplying by the preset power source.
US09865469B2
A method for performing epitaxial lift-off allowing reuse of a III-V substrate to grow III-V devices is presented. A sample is received comprising a growth substrate with a top surface, a sacrificial layer on the top surface, and a device layer on the sacrificial layer. This substrate is supported inside a container and the container is filled with a wet etchant such that the wet etchant progressively etches away the sacrificial layer and the device layer lifts away from the growth substrate. While filling the container with the wet etchant, the sample is supported in the container such that the top surface of the growth substrate is non-parallel with an uppermost surface of the wet etchant. Performed in this manner, the lift-off process requires little individual setup of the sample, and is capable of batch processing and high throughput.
US09865461B2
The present invention relates to a liquid-phase process for producing structured silicon- and/or germanium-containing coatings by the application to a substrate of at least one coating composition, the partial activation of the resulting coating on the coated substrate, and oxidation of non-activated coating on the substrate, to the coats produced by the process and to their use.
US09865456B1
Methods of forming silicon nitride. Silicon nitride is formed on a substrate by atomic layer deposition at a temperature of less than or equal to about 275° C. The as-formed silicon nitride is exposed to a plasma. The silicon nitride may be formed as a portion of silicon nitride and at least one other portion of silicon nitride. The portion of silicon nitride and the at least one other portion of silicon nitride may be exposed to a plasma treatment. Methods of forming a semiconductor structure are also disclosed, as are semiconductor structures and silicon precursors.
US09865453B2
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming a plurality of recess regions on an upper surface of a substrate, forming a first oxide layer in the recess regions, forming a polysilicon layer on the first oxide layer, forming a second oxide layer by oxidizing the polysilicon layer, and forming a gap-fill layer on the second oxide layer to fill the recess regions, wherein at least a portion of the polysilicon layer remains between the first oxide layer and the second oxide layer after forming the second oxide layer.
US09865450B2
In different embodiments, a low-pressure discharge lamp (1) is provided. The low-pressure discharge lamp has a discharge vessel (2) and a coating structure (7). The coating structure is formed on an inner face of the discharge vessel (2). The coating structure (7) has first fluorescent particles (34) which have at least one fluorescent substance that emits red light and the average particle size of which ranges from 0.5 μm to 1.9 μm, second fluorescent particles (36) which have at least one fluorescent substance that emits green light and the average particle size of which ranges from 0.6 μm to 2.8 μm or from 1 μm to 4 μm, and third fluorescent particles (38) which have at least one fluorescent substance that emits blue light and the average particle size of which ranges from 1 μm to 4 μm.
US09865445B2
To improve spatial and energy acceptance of multi-reflecting time-of-flight, open traps, and electrostatic trap analyzers, a novel ion mirror is disclosed. Incorporation of immersion lens between ion mirrors allows reaching the fifth order time per energy focusing simultaneously with the third order time per spatial focusing including energy-spatial cross terms. Preferably the analyzer has hollow cylindrical geometry for extended flight path. The time-of-flight analyzer preferably incorporates spatially modulated ion mirror field for isochronous ion focusing in the tangential direction.
US09865440B1
A sputtering apparatus includes a sputtering cathode and a target overlying the sputtering cathode. A shield overlies the target and forms an aperture configured to direct sputtering particles onto a substrate. The shield includes a lower shield portion overlying the target, a channel outlet overlying the lower shield portion, and an upper shield portion overlying the channel. In some embodiments the shield includes a first shield and a second shield. The first shield includes a front gas injection outlet. The second shield overlies the first shield and forms the aperture. In various embodiments, the second shield is operable to adjust plasma confinement between the first shield and the second shield.
US09865429B2
The present disclosure provides for various advantageous methods and apparatus of controlling electron emission. One of the broader forms of the present disclosure involves an electron emission element, comprising an electron emitter including an electron emission region disposed between a gate electrode and a cathode electrode. An anode is disposed above the electron emission region, and a voltage set is disposed above the anode. A first voltage applied between the gate electrode and the cathode electrode controls a quantity of electrons generated from the electron emission region. A second voltage applied to the anode extracts generated electrons. A third voltage applied to the voltage set controls a direction of electrons extracted through the anode.
US09865420B2
An electromagnetic relay includes a fixed contact portion including a fixed contact; a movable contact portion including a movable contact that contacts the fixed contact; and an electromagnetic device that operates the movable contact portion so that the movable contact contacts the fixed contact, and includes an armature that adsorbs to a magnetic core surface of the electromagnetic device and operates the movable contact portion by rotating with respect to a fulcrum, a hinge spring that pushes a part of the armature at an opposite side of the magnetic core surface while interposing the fulcrum therebetween so that the armature moves away from the magnetic core surface, and a fixed member that fixes an end portion of the hinge spring while having outside of a side surface of the armature as a fixed position, and wherein the fixed member is configured to fix the end portion of the hinge spring by moving the hinge spring from an upper side to a lower side of the armature, when attaching the hinge spring.
US09865413B2
In a switching control device of a vehicle control device, when a vehicle is in a non-traveling condition, an operating method for a pressing operation, which is carried out with respect to a push switch in relation to a switching control for switching an operating state of a drive source of the vehicle or a power supply state to a vehicle mounted device of the vehicle, in a case that the operating state of the drive source of the vehicle or the power supply state to the vehicle mounted device of the vehicle is switched from off to on, differs from an operating method for a pressing operation in a case that the operating state or the power supply state is switched from on to off.
US09865406B2
A switch actuation device for use in connection with electrical switch mechanism having an actuatable structure. The device includes an actuation mechanism in operable communication with the actuatable structure for use in urging the actuatable structure of the electrical switch mechanism from a first position to a second position. An actuatable electrical switch arrangement is also disclosed.
US09865404B2
An energy-storage device is formed from a first and a second yarn, each yarn including a plurality of nanowires including aluminum and/or a transition metal. An anode pad is in contact with the first yarn and a cathode pad is in contact with the second yarn. Alternatively, first and second metallic electrodes may be disposed substantially in parallel, with pluralities of nanowires including aluminum and/or a transition metal extending therefrom. In another embodiment, a supercapacitor may include a niobium yarn including a plurality of niobium nanowires. Each niobium nanowire may include at least (i) a first section comprising at least one of unoxidized niobium and niobium oxide; (ii) a second section comprises a niobium pentoxide layer; and (iii) a third section comprises a layer formed by coating the niobium nanowire in at least one of a conductive polymer and a liquid metal.
US09865402B2
An anode body for an electrolytic capacitor, prepared by sintering a tungsten powder to obtain a sintered body and subjecting the obtained sintered body to chemical conversion to form a dielectric layer comprising a tungsten trioxide compound on the surface of the sintered body, wherein the ratio of the hydration water in the tungsten trioxide compound becomes one molecule or less to 10 molecules of the tungsten trioxide compound. Use of the anode body of the present invention enables production of a tungsten capacitor, which is reduced in the capacitance change due to DC voltage (bias dependency).
US09865401B2
A method for manufacturing a solid electrolytic capacitor with excellent ESR properties and a solid electrolytic capacitor. A method for manufacturing a solid electrolytic capacitor, wherein an anode body is obtained by forming a dielectric oxide film on the surface of a sintered body that is formed by sintering a molded body formed of a valve acting metal powder or on the surface of a roughened valve acting metal foil, and a solid electrolyte layer is formed on the surface of the anode body. This method for manufacturing a solid electrolytic capacitor is characterized by steps for forming a solid electrolyte layer including a protrusion forming process where protrusions formed of manganese dioxide and having an average diameter of 10˜102 nm are formed on the surface of the dielectric oxide coating film so that the protrusions are scattered about like islands and the surface coverage is 1˜20% and a conductive polymer layer forming process where a conductive polymer layer is formed on the surfaces of the projections and the dielectric oxide coating film.
US09865400B2
A capacitor that includes a conductive porous base material; a dielectric layer; and an electrode. The conductive porous base material, the dielectric layer, and the upper electrode are laminated together to constitute an effective part that accumulates charges in the dielectric layer when a voltage is applied between the conductive porous base material and the electrode. The conductive porous base material includes at least one groove having a width of 10 μm or more at ½ of a depth of the at least one groove.
US09865396B2
A capacitor includes: dielectric layers including a first dielectric layer, a second dielectric layer, and at least one intermediate dielectric layer laminated between the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer; first interlayer electrode and second interlayer electrode arranged alternately with each other between at least two layers among the dielectric layers; a first external electrode disposed on lateral surfaces of the dielectric layers and coupled to the first interlayer electrode; and a second external electrode disposed on lateral surfaces of the dielectric layers and coupled to the second interlayer electrode, wherein the intermediate dielectric layer includes first internal electrodes coupled to the first interlayer electrode, arranged in a plane direction of the intermediate dielectric layer and spaced apart from each other, and second internal electrodes coupled to the second interlayer electrode, arranged alternately with the first internal electrodes and spaced apart from the first internal electrodes.
US09865391B2
A wireless power repeater for relaying power transmission between a wireless power transmitter and a wireless power receiver according to the embodiment includes a position detector for detecting a position of the wireless power receiver, a repeater resonator unit including a plurality of repeater resonators, and a controller for operating a specific repeater resonator, which is located closest to an extension line of the wireless power transmitter and the wireless power receiver, based on position information detected by the position detector.
US09865385B2
A linear solenoid has a coil, a plunger, a magnetic attractive core, and a magnetic delivery core. The coil generates a magnetic force when being energized. The plunger is supported to be movable in an axial direction on an inner side of the coil. The magnetic attractive core magnetically attracts the plunger in the axial direction by the magnetic force generated by the coil. The magnetic delivery core delivers a magnetic flux to an outer surface of the plunger. A shaft that is non-magnetic and extends in the axial direction is fixed on the inner side of the coil. The plunger has a shaft hole defined around an axial center of the plunger, and the shaft is inserted in the shaft hole. The plunger slides while being in contact with the shaft. One end of the shaft is fixed to the magnetically attractive core.
US09865383B2
A system for activating trapped field magnets in a superconducting material may include a superconducting material element and an electromagnet source disposed proximate the superconducting material element. The electromagnet source may be configured to produce a magnetic field pulse sufficient to activate the superconducting material element. The superconducting material element may be configured to retain a trapped magnetic field that is substantially equal to a magnetic field generated by the magnetic field pulse.
US09865374B1
A multi-core cable includes a plurality of coaxial wires, each coaxial wire including a center conductor whose sectional area is 0.0006 mm2 to 0.25 mm2, a wrapping tape configured to cover all of the plurality of coaxial wires, and a sheath configured to cover the wrapping tape. The sheath is configured by a resin material coated with polyparaxylylene or fluorine resin in a thickness of 0.5 μm to 3.0 μm.
US09865369B2
The present invention relates to a transparent chemically functionalized graphene with high electrical conductivity and which is stable in air. It also relates to a method of manufacturing a conductive and transparent graphene-based material.
US09865365B2
Disclosed is a decay heat removal system for cooling the decay heat of a reactor core and the spent fuel. The decay heat removal system including: a first heat pipe which is placed in an upper plenum of the reactor vessel and arranged in upward and downward directions corresponding to a position of an insertion hole formed on a top of the nuclear fuel assemblies; a control rod drive mechanism which is connected to an upper portion of the first heat pipe and drives the first heat pipe to move up and down so that the first heat pipe can be selectively inserted in a control rod insertion hole of the reactor core arranged in the nuclear reactor vessel; and a second heat pipe which is coupled to and in close contact with a bottom surface of the reactor vessel and removes the decay heat generated in the reactor core.
US09865361B2
A memory diagnostic system comprises a test engine and a miscompare logic. The test engine provides test instructions with expected data to a memory under test (“MUT”). The MUT processes such test patterns and outputs the results of such test patterns as stored data. The miscompare logic has local miscompare logics and a global miscompare logic. Each of the local miscompare logics compares a predefined range of bits of the expected data with a corresponding predefined range of bits of the stored data. One or more miscompare flags are generated for one or more miscompares determined by the local miscompare logics. The global miscompare logic monitors the one or more miscompare flags. When a total number of the miscompare flags exceeds a threshold number, the global miscompare logic generates a pause signal to the local miscompare logics to capture a current state of the local miscompare logics.
US09865358B2
Provided is a flash memory device capable of restricting power consumption in an erase operation. The invention includes a plurality of wells, a power supply device, and a coupling device. The power supply device applies erase voltages to the wells for performing an erase operation. The coupling device performs selective coupling between the wells. When performing the erase operation on the wells, the power supply device applies the erase voltage to one of the wells, and applies the erase voltage to the other one of the wells after the coupling device electrically couples the one of the wells to the other one of the wells.
US09865353B1
There is provided a memory device comprising a plurality of memory cells and a controller configured to receive data to be stored in a set of memory cells and map a first portion of the data to a selection of memory cells to be programmed from the set of memory cells, wherein the number of cells to be programmed k is less than number of cells in the set n. The controller is further configured to map a second portion of the data to a plurality of voltage levels to be programmed into the memory cells to be programmed and store the first and second portions of the data in the set of memory cells by programming each memory cell of the selection of memory cells to be programmed to a respective voltage level of the plurality of voltage levels.
US09865352B2
Apparatuses, systems, methods, and computer program products are disclosed for program sequencing. An apparatus includes a block of non-volatile storage cells having a plurality of word lines. The word lines are organized into a monotonically increasing sequence. The apparatus includes a controller for the block. The controller is configured to program a set of storage cells of a word line to one or more storage states above a predetermined threshold and to program a set of storage cells of a previous word line adjacent to and before the word line in the sequence, to one or more storage states below the predetermined threshold after programming the set or storage cells of the word line to the one or more storage states above the predetermined threshold.
US09865350B2
A content addressable memory according to the present invention includes plural index generators, an output unit, and a controller. The plural index generators generates a signature of an input vector using plural hash functions, and to generate index corresponding to the input vector by searching registered information for a registered vector based on the signature. The output unit combines each output of the plural index generators to produce the index corresponding to the input vector. The controller configured to control an update of the registered information. Each of the plural index generators is configured to generate a first signal indicating whether the index generated based on the signature exists as the registered information to supply the first signal to the controller, to generate the regenerated vector of the index vector by using the index generated based on the signature, to generate a second signal indicating whether the regenerated vector matches the input vector, and to supply the second signal to the controller.
US09865338B2
A controller executes a first data conversion for write data to be written into a first page. The first data conversion includes increasing a ratio of a number of a first value to a total number of pieces of data. The controller executes a second data conversion for write data to be written into a second page. The second data conversion includes increasing a ratio of the number of the second value to the total number of pieces of data.
US09865333B2
A memory circuit includes a wordline, memory cells connected to the wordline and a wordline driver circuit including a p-channel pull-up transistor. The memory circuit further includes a read assist circuit including an n-channel pull-down transistor having a source-drain path connected between the wordline and a ground node and an n-channel diode-connected transistor having a source-drain path connected between a positive supply node and a gate terminal of the n-channel pull-down transistor. The n-channel diode-connected transistor is configured to apply a biasing voltage to the gate terminal of the n-channel pull-down transistor that is a relatively lower voltage for relatively lower temperatures and a relatively higher voltage for relatively higher temperatures.
US09865325B2
Provided is a memory device with a reduced layout area. The memory device includes a sense amplifier electrically connected to first and second wirings and positioned in a first layer, and first and second circuits positioned in a second layer over the first layer. The first circuit includes a first switch being turned on and off in accordance with a potential of a third wiring, and a first capacitor electrically connected to the first wiring via the first switch. The second circuit includes a second switch being turned on and off in accordance with a potential of a fourth wiring, and a second capacitor electrically connected to the second wiring via the second switch. The first wiring intersects the third wiring and does not intersect the fourth wiring in the second layer. The second wiring intersects the fourth wiring and does not intersect the third wiring in the second layer.
US09865321B2
We describe the manufacturing process for and structure of a CPP MTJ MRAM unit cell that utilizes transfer of spin angular momentum as a mechanism for changing the magnetic moment direction of a free layer. The cell is formed of a vertically or horizontally series connected sequence of N sub-cells, each sub-cell being an identical MTJ element. A statistical population of such multiple sub-cell unit cells has a variation of resistance that is less by a factor of N−1/2 than that of a population of single sub-cells. As a result, such unit cells have an improved read margin while not requiring an increase in the critical switching current.
US09865319B2
Provided is an electronic device including a semiconductor memory. The semiconductor memory may include: an under layer including first and second metal layers and a barrier layer having a dual phase structure of different crystal structures and interposed between the first and second metal layers; a first magnetic layer positioned over the under layer and having a variable magnetization direction; a tunnel barrier layer positioned over the first magnetic layer; and a second magnetic layer positioned over the tunnel barrier layer and having a pinned magnetization direction, and the under layer may further include a barrier layer having a dual phase structure between the first and second metal layers.
US09865317B2
Apparatuses for controlling latencies on input signal paths in semiconductor devices are disclosed. An example apparatus includes: a clock input buffer that provides a reference clock signal and a system clock signal based on an external clock signal; a command decoder that latches command signals with the system clock signal and further provides a signal based on the command signals; and a command delay adjustment circuit including: a clock synchronizing circuit that receives the signal, latches the signal with the system clock signal and provides a clock-synchronized read signal responsive to a shift cycle parameter.
US09865306B2
A method to include an identifier as metadata associated with a captured image is provided. The method may include receiving, by a device, an image and a unique identifier associated with the image, wherein the received image is a frame associated with a video stream. The method may also include storing the unique identifier as metadata associated with the received image, whereby the metadata is linked to a specific frame in the video stream according to a plurality of parameters, and whereby the unique identifier is received from a unique ID reader which reads a tag attached to an object included in the image.
US09865302B1
Virtual video editing is disclosed. In some embodiments, a definition of a virtual clip of a source file is received from a user and saved for future playback of the virtual clip. The virtual clip is not encoded as a separate file. Rather, a portion of the source file specified in the definition of the virtual clip is played back when the virtual clip is played.
US09865296B1
A storage device performs a background operation involving seeking a read/write head between inner and outer diameters of a disk of the storage device. During the seeking, adjacent test tracks are written at a diameter between the inner and outer diameters of the disk. The adjacent test tracks are written using varying levels of laser power applied to the disk via the read/write head. An optimum value of the laser power is determined based on reading at least one of the adjacent test tracks.
US09865293B2
When waviness having a wavelength component of 10 to 500 μm in the circumferential direction of a main surface of a disk-shaped substrate is acquired and slopes are acquired from the waviness at an interval of 50 to 100 μm, the substrate being used in a magnetic disk on which recording or reading is performed using a DFH head, an average value of absolute values of the slopes is 0.45×10−4 or less. This magnetic-disk substrate is used in a magnetic disk and a magnetic-disk drive device.
US09865280B2
Systems and processes for structured dictation using intelligent automated assistants are provided. In one example process, a speech input representing a user request can be received. In addition, metadata associated with the speech input can be received. A text string corresponding to the speech input can be determined. The process can determine whether to perform natural language processing on the text string and whether the metadata identifies one or more domains corresponding to the user request. In response to the determination that natural language processing is to be performed on the text string and that the metadata identifies one or more domains corresponding to the user request, natural language processing of the text string can be constrained to the one or more domains. A result can be obtained based on the one or more domains and the result can be outputted from the electronic device.
US09865278B2
A frequency domain converter is configured to create a plurality of pieces of frequency domain information by individually converting a plurality of input audio signals, which is acquired at different positions, into frequency domain information. A relative value calculator is configured to calculate a relative value of time frequency components of at least one set of frequency domain information among the plurality of pieces of frequency domain information. A signal determiner is configured to determine whether or not each of the input audio signals includes an audio signal component, which is emitted from a predetermined position, based on whether or not the relative value is included in a range specified and based on a relative threshold value stored in a memory in advance.
US09865276B2
A processing unit of a voice processing apparatus first generates a target voice signal in a time domain by adjusting a fundamental frequency of a target voice signal to a fundamental frequency of an initial voice signal, so as to generate a spectrum of the target voice signal after pitch is adjusted. Second, the processing unit reallocates, along a frequency axis, the spectrum of the target voice characteristics by having the spectrum correspond to each of the fundamental frequencies of the initial voice signal. The processing unit then generates a converted spectrum by adjusting component values of the spectrum of the target voice characteristics, which spectrum has been reallocated, so as to correspond to the component values of the spectrum of the initial voice signal, and by adapting the component values of the spectrum of the initial voice signal to specific frequency bands of the spectrum of the target voice characteristics, with each specific frequency band including one of the harmonic frequencies corresponding to the fundamental frequency of the initial voice signal.
US09865270B2
An audio encoder comprises a multi-channel receiver which receives an M-channel audio signal where M>2. A down-mix processor down-mixes the M-channel audio signal to a first stereo signal and associated parametric data and a spatial processor modifies the first stereo signal to generate a second stereo signal in response to the associated parametric data and spatial parameter data for a binaural perceptual transfer function, such as a Head Related Transfer Function (HRTF). The second stereo signal is a binaural signal and may specifically be a (3D) virtual spatial signal. An output data stream comprising the encoded data and the associated parametric data is generated by an encode processor and an output processor. The HRTF processing may allow the generation of a (3D) virtual spatial signal by conventional stereo decoders. A multi-channel decoder may reverse the process of the spatial processor to generate an improved quality multi-channel signal.
US09865265B2
A speech recognition system for resolving impaired utterances can have a speech recognition engine configured to receive a plurality of representations of an utterance and concurrently to determine a plurality of highest-likelihood transcription candidates corresponding to each respective representation of the utterance. The recognition system can also have a selector configured to determine a most-likely accurate transcription from among the transcription candidates. As but one example, the plurality of representations of the utterance can be acquired by a microphone array, and beamforming techniques can generate independent streams of the utterance across various look directions using output from the microphone array.
US09865253B1
The present invention is a system and method for discriminating between human and synthetic speech. The method and system include memory for storing a speaker verification application, a communication network that receives from a client device a speech signal having one or more discriminating features, and a processor for executing instructions stored in memory. The execution of the instructions by the processor extracts the one or more discriminating features from the speech signal and classifies the speech signal as human or synthetic based on the extracted features.
US09865239B1
A first ferromagnetic piece of metal is attached to the inside surface of a stringed musical instrument such as an acoustic guitar, allowing an external magnetic mount to be attached to the musical instrument through the magnetic force of the magnetic mounts magnet on the first ferromagnetic piece of metal. One or more electronic device equipped with one or more ferromagnetic elements trapped, sandwiched, mounted on or made part of the device and/or a device protective case may then be softly, removably and firmly mounted to the outer surface of the instrument without chemically adhering to or disturbing the outer surface of the instrument through magnetic attachment to the magnetic mount. The inner-mounted ferromagnetic element may be attached permanently or removably to the inner surface of the instrument, so that the external magnetic mount may have its position adjusted for optimizing the position of the externally mounted device.
US09865236B1
The present invention is directed to a guitar pick or plectrum for use with a stringed musical instrument and which is constructed with generally two or three veneers which are adhered to each other such that each veneer is cross grain to each adjacently adhered veneer. In other embodiments, the tip portion of the plectrum has a gauge less than the grip portion of the plectrum.
US09865235B2
A musical instrument including a vibrating member, such as a string, and a clamping mechanism. The clamping mechanism can include a first clamping member and a second clamping member. The first clamping member and the second clamping member can move between a first, undamped position to a second, clamped position. The clamping mechanism divides the vibrating member into a first portion and a second portion when the clamping mechanism is in the second, clamped position.
US09865232B2
A source driving device includes a locking module, a controlling module and a decoding module. The locking module executes a locking process selectively in a first band or a second band according to a band setting signal in order to lock a first clock signal synchronized with a first display signal. The controlling module is coupled to the locking module for comparing a control voltage with a reference voltage in the locking process and generates the band setting signal accordingly. The decoding module is coupled to the locking module for generating a decoded signal according to the first display signal and the first clock signal.
US09865222B2
System and method for displaying digital content on a display device, including a display screen, a structural assembly, secured to the rear face of the display screen, and a processing controller within the structural assembly, including a memory, display processor, and power distribution and adaptation module. An external power assembly configured to connect to an external power supply, a connector cord configured to connect the power assembly and the power distribution and adaptation module, and a case for the display device, configured to couple to the display screen to provide structural rigidity during shipping, are also presented. An application is provided, configured to run on a computer with memory, processor, and user input device, and configured to communicate via the internet with the processing controller of the display device and a service cloud including a server, memory, and processor, to control the display of digital content on the display screen.
US09865220B2
The present disclosure discloses a gate driving circuit and a display device, to avoid power consumption arising from overlapping of voltages output by the output ends of gate drivers in the case that the gate driving circuit is configured with a plurality of clock signals. The gate driving circuit includes: a plurality of gate scan lines, and N stages of gate drivers connected in cascade. Each stage of gate drivers includes a reset end and an output end, which provides a gate scan signal to a corresponding gate scan lines. The output end of a m-th stage gate driver is connected provides a reset signal to the reset end of a (m−1)-th stage of gate drivers, N and m are positive integers, and m
US09865214B2
A shift register unit includes: a pull-up node control unit; a pull-down control node control unit connected with a first level output terminal, and configured to control an electrical potential at a pull-down control node to be a second level when an electrical potential at a pull-up node is a first level, and to control a pull-down control node to be connected with a first level output terminal when the electrical potential at the pull-up node is a third level; a pull-down node control unit; a gate driving signal output unit; and a carry signal output unit configured to control a carry signal output terminal to output a carry signal under the control of the pull-up node and the pull-down node. The carry signal output terminal provides an input signal to a shift register unit in an adjacent next stage.
US09865213B2
A scan driver circuit for driving scanning lines is proposed. The scan driver circuit includes a pull-down control module, a pull-down module, a recovering control module, a recovering module, a downlink module, a first bootstrap capacitor, a constant low voltage supply, and a constant high voltage supply. The present inventive scan driver circuit has advantages of simple structure and low power consumption.
US09865206B2
Provided are a liquid crystal display device and a driving method therefor that do not cause problems such as occurrence of flicker even when performing pause driving. When an off signal Soff instructing to turn off power is inputted, a polarity bias value W at the power-off is stored in a balance storage circuit. When the power is turned on again, the polarity bias value W is read from the balance storage circuit and provided to a balance control circuit. The balance control circuit starts insertion of a pause frame period to cancel out the polarity bias value W. By this, decrementing the polarity bias value W by “1” every insertion of a pause frame period is repeated. Then, at a point of time when the polarity bias value W becomes “0”, insertion of a pause frame period is ceased and normal pause driving is performed.
US09865203B2
A display apparatus includes pixels. A first pixel group of the pixels displays a first grayscale image on the basis of a first gamma curve during three sub-frame periods among consecutive first to fourth sub-frame periods and displays a second grayscale image based on of a second gamma curve during a remaining one sub-frame period of the first to fourth sub-frame periods. A second pixel group of the pixels displays a third grayscale image based on the first gamma curve during three sub-frame periods among the first to fourth sub-frame periods and displays a fourth grayscale image based on the second gamma curve during a remaining one sub-frame period of the first to fourth sub-frame periods. A sub-frame period in which the first pixel group displays the second grayscale image is different from a sub-frame period in which the second pixel group displays the fourth grayscale image.
US09865188B2
The image display device resolves inconsistency in the brightness of the image while effectively reducing local speckle noise that remains due to the laser scanning of which the scanning speed fluctuates. A waveform pattern (PT2) that includes an on period and an off period within the pixel displaying period (T2) is selected for the center pixel (P512). A waveform pattern (PT1) that includes an on period and an off period within the pixel displaying period (T1) that is longer than the pixel displaying period (T2) is selected for the side pixel (P1) or (P1023) that is scanned at a scanning speed slower than that for the center pixel (P512). Here, the on period in the waveform pattern (PT1) is segmented more than the on period in the waveform pattern (PT1), and the time ratio of the on period accounting for the waveform pattern (PT1) is smaller than the time ratio of the on period accounting for the waveform pattern (PT2).
US09865183B2
A labeling system that enables labels to be attached to medication dispensing products that lack adequate surface area for the labels. The labeling system utilizes a panel having a first planar surface with a geometric center. The first planar surface extends to a periphery having a polygonal shape. An opening is formed in the panel proximate the geometric center. The opening is sized to receive the medication dispenser. Labels are adhered to the first planar surface. The polygonal shape of the panel provides its periphery with a first number of flat side surfaces. The polygonal shape is a visual indicator, wherein the labels adhered to the first planar surface correspond in number to the flat side surfaces along the periphery.
US09865179B2
The Tactical Combat Casualty Care Trainer For Hyper-Realistic™ Emergency Medical Training (“TCCC”) of the present invention includes a tactical combat training device for the purpose of providing an emergency medical services provider hands-on training. The TCCC includes an artificial human skeleton having specific anatomical features which provide the trainee or provider with appropriate tactile response analogous to a real human patient, thereby increasing the fidelity of training and improving the skills necessary to conduct procedures such as cricothyrotomy, intrasosseous infusion, CPR and other medical services to human patients. The skeleton is covered by a realistic coating that simulates human skin, which adds to the TCCC's training value. The TCCC also includes a removable trachea module and training pucks located at the sternum as well as the left and right proximal humeral heads to simulate the use of infusion-type devices.
US09865171B2
A dispatch control system includes a data store with records of previously-attended geographical positions of a mobile unit indicating at least a duration of attendance. The dispatch control system is configured to calculate one or more stochastic characteristics for the durations of attendance representative of a variability of the durations of attendance at said past geographical positions, and generate data indicative of an order of attendance for the mobile unit based on travel and estimated durations of attendance. This data is re-ordered and volatility metrics for each set of modified data are determined. The set of volatility metrics is used to modify the data indicative of an order of attendance for the mobile unit. The dispatch control system is configured to transmit to the mobile unit data indicative of geographical positions corresponding to said modified generated data for use in generating routing instructions.
US09865164B2
A vehicle may traverse a portion of a vehicle transportation network, which may include a processor of the vehicle executing instructions to identify a first vehicle operation assistance information item, and, on a condition that an immanency for the first vehicle operation assistance information item is within a maximum relevant immanence and a utility metric for the first vehicle operation assistance information item indicates high utility, present a representation of the first vehicle operation assistance information item by, on a condition that a first urgency identified based on the immanency indicates a warning urgency or an advisory urgency, controlling a primary graphical display portion to present a first portion of a graphical representation of the first vehicle operation assistance information item, and controlling a secondary graphical display portion to present a second portion of the graphical representation.
US09865154B2
A security system includes a plurality of sensors installed at a premises to capture data from an environment in or around the premises, a memory configured to store data captured spanning at least a first period of time, and a processor configured to arm the plurality of sensors in an order determined based on a history of detected activity in the premises as indicated by the stored data.
US09865151B2
An observation system includes: a power supply unit having a battery; a sensor unit which detects a state of a structure on the basis of electricity from the power supply unit; a charging unit which charges the battery from renewable energy; and a processing unit which processes sensing information in one observation mode of a plurality of observation modes including at least a first observation mode and a second observation mode in which at least one of a sensor capability of the sensor unit and a load of computational processing using the sensing information is higher than in the first observation mode. The processing unit sets an observation mode on the basis of information for disaster occurrence estimation.
US09865148B2
Provided are a shopping party locator system and method. The system and method includes creating a shopping party for a group of customers entering a store, wherein creating the shopping party includes operating a shopping party application on a store computing system to take and store a photo of the group of customers and create a label for each member of the group of customers. The label of a member of the group of customers separated from the shopping party may be scanned by a scanning device. The label of any member of the shopping party may be scanned if a member is discovered missing. The system automatically notifies a designated caretaker and notifies all associates and customers in the store that the member is separated in order to find the separated person. Once found, the separated member's label may be scanned the identity verified.
US09865145B2
Systems (100) and methods (300) for selective device responsiveness using a plurality of control tags (132) affixed to a plurality of objects (102). The methods involve: receiving, by a plurality of control tags, a reporting command signal sent from an interrogation device via a communications link; and communicating a response to the reporting command signal from only those of the plurality of control tags which are (1) currently being moved, (2) have been moved within a first specified period of time, and/or (3) have a surrounding environment with at least one characteristic that has recently changed.
US09865138B2
Described are methods, systems, and media for adapting single player games of skill to a gaming environment. This game gaming comprises: accepting, through the gaming machine, initiation of play by a player; providing one or more games of video game skill, wherein a Playfield is chosen from a Playfield Selection Pool wherein the Playfield is set to have a Maximum Available Payout and games are chosen from that Playfield; evaluating and recording the results of the play of the said game session in the said Playfield; presenting a Paytable to the player, wherein the Paytable comprises one or more lines of payouts based on a player's play results; evaluating and distributing any payout earned according to the best play results and the Paytable; and managing the variance of Return To Player (RTP) of the Paytable, by adjusting selection weights of different Playfields presented to a player.
US09865137B1
A system, apparatus, and computer readable storage to implement a networked blackjack game that enables a plurality of players to wager on one or more dealers at different dealing stations dealing independent games simultaneously. A live video is captured on each dealing station and simulcast to player stations where players are playing at. Players can bet on any combination of the games that are being broadcast. Players at player stations can be playing in a tournament mode or in regular play using the same dealer stations. A touch screen display can be used at each dealer/dealing station in order to instruct the dealer as to which actions the dealer should take, such as dealing cards, etc.
US09865135B2
A system and method of selling pre-printed lottery tickets for random draw lotteries through the retailers POS without the use of additional lottery hardware. Pre-printed lottery tickets allow a consumer to purchase a lottery ticket for a subsequently occurring draw by including that ticket in their shopping basket. The pre-printed lottery ticket may be purchased as any other common product through the point of sale terminal. No specialized hardware such as lottery terminal, printer or dispensing device is necessary.
US09865125B2
Disclosed is a method for enabling a mobile augmented reality (AR) table betting system to facilitate game play with a table game and one or more players each using a mobile device. The method includes: enabling a player to register at an available betting spot on the table game using the player's mobile device; providing a dealer display that presents information to a dealer as game events occur on the player's associated mobile device; enabling a player to access funds from an electronic wallet associated with the player to place an initial bet at the table game; commencing game play at the table game; enabling a player to place an subsequent bet or game decision at the table game using the player's mobile device; in response to a winning table game outcome, transferring funds to the player; and in response to a losing table game outcome, transferring funds from the player.
US09865121B2
Gaming machines, gaming systems, modular gaming terminals, and methods for assembling modular gaming machines are disclosed. A gaming machine is presented which includes an input device for receiving wagers to play a wagering game, and a display module with a display device for displaying outcomes of the wagering game. The display device is coupled to a display module housing, which includes a male or a female mounting interface. The gaming machine also includes a core module with an electrical bus that electrically connects to the display device. A core housing, which stows the electrical bus and supports the display module, includes the other one of the male and female mounting interfaces. The female mounting interface receives the male mounting interface such that moving the male interface into the female interface automatically aligns the display module with the core module and removably attaches the core housing to the display housing.
US09865114B2
A settlement system includes a register having a reception unit that receives a manual input of information corresponding to at least a part of deposited money from a customer and a transmission unit that transmits a sum amount of money corresponding to the purchased product and manually input information manually input through the reception unit to a cash settlement device and the cash settlement device that calculates an amount of inserted money by recognizing and counting the inserted money, calculates a total amount of the money deposited from the customer by using the amount of the inserted money and the manually input information received from the register, calculates an amount of change based on the total amount of money and the sum amount of money received from the register, and dispenses change money.
US09865107B2
A method and an apparatus for performing authentication are provided. The method includes performing, by a first authentication unit in a first electronic device, authentication with respect to a second electronic device that requests authentication through a first communication mode and when the second electronic device is authenticated, transmitting first information used for controlling the first electronic device to the second electronic device through the first communication mode and transferring second information indicating that the second electronic device is authenticated to a second authentication unit in the first electronic device.
US09865104B1
A system and approach utilizing a multi-dimensional code on a card and a gesture applied to the card for a scan. The two-dimensional card may contain information about the card holder, other individuals, the facility or area at which access is desired, and a gesture relating to scanning the card. Appropriate information and a correct gesture applied to the card during a scan may enable a holder of the card to gain access to the facility or area. The gesture may legitimize the card holder.
US09865096B2
A computer-implemented method for medical device modeling includes accessing an electronic definition for a model of a three-dimensional item and an electronic definition of a three-dimensional spline relating to an internal anatomical volume; determining, with a computer-based finite element analysis system and using the electronic definitions, stresses created by the three-dimensional item along the three-dimensional spline, for different points along the three-dimensional spline; and displaying stress data generated by the finite element analysis system with a visualization system, the display of the stress data indicating levels of stress on portions of the three-dimensional item at particular locations along the three-dimensional spline.
US09865095B2
A data processing method for determining six parameters, corresponding to six degrees of freedom, of a contact position of a joint which connects two bones, comprising the steps of acquiring a 3D model of each bone, acquiring four of the six parameters as given parameters, selecting initial values for the two remaining parameters and varying the two remaining parameters virtually in order to achieve a virtual relative position between the two 3D models such that they are in contact with each other.
US09865093B1
A first display device determines a first device configuration of the first display device and a first context of a first AR application operating on the first display device. The first display device connects to a second display device and determines a second device configuration of the second display device and a second context of a second AR application operating on the second display device. The first display device generates a first collaboration configuration for the display device and a second collaboration configuration for the second display device. The first and second collaborations are based on the first device configuration, the first context, the second device configuration, and the second context. The second display device modifies an operation of the second AR application based on the second collaboration configuration. The first display device modifies an operation of the first AR application based on the first collaboration configuration.
US09865079B2
In generating a virtual endoscopic image, an interior of a lumen is made viewable even when the viewpoint position is changed. A virtual endoscopic image generation element generates a virtual endoscopic image by volume rendering based on three-dimensional data. An opacity curve setting element sets an opacity curve which defines the relationship between pixel values of the three-dimensional data and opacity values. A viewpoint position setting element sets a viewpoint position of a virtual endoscopic image. A movement amount determination element determines a movement amount of the opacity curve with respect to an opacity curve at a reference viewpoint position. When a virtual endoscopic image is generated by the virtual endoscopic image generation element, the opacity curve setting element sets an opacity curve obtained by moving the opacity curve by the determined movement amount in the virtual endoscopic image generation element.
US09865078B2
According to a method of processing an image, respective sampling rates of each tile included in a second frame is determined based on a corresponding rendering result of a first frame, and a pixel rendering process to implement rendering of pixels included in the second frame is selected by using geometric information of reference pixels of the second frame. The reference pixels of the second frame may be selected based on the respectively determined sampling rates.
US09865072B2
A method of transferring a facial expression from a subject to a computer-generated character and a system and non-transitory computer-readable medium for the same. The method can include receiving an input image depicting a face of a subject; matching a first facial model to the input image; generating a displacement map representing of finer-scale details not present in the first facial model using a regression function that estimates the shape of the finer-scale details. The displacement map can be combined with the first facial model to create a second facial model that includes the finer-scale details, and the second facial model can be rendered, if desired, to create a computer-generated image of the face of the subject that includes the finer-scale details.
US09865068B2
There is provided an image processing device including a recognition unit configured to recognize a plurality of users being present in an input image captured by an imaging device, an information acquisition unit configured to acquire display information to be displayed in association with each user recognized by the recognition unit, and an output image generation unit configured to generate an output image by overlaying the display information acquired by the information acquisition unit on the input image. The output image generation unit may determine which of first display information associated with a first user and second display information associated with a second user is to be overlaid on a front side on the basis of a parameter corresponding to a distance of each user from the imaging device.
US09865064B2
An image processing apparatus includes: a division unit configured to divide each of a plurality of frame images into a plurality of regions on a screen; a motion vector detection unit configured to detect a motion vector for each of the divided regions; a separation unit configured to separate a subject vector that indicates motion of a subject from a background vector that indicates motion of a background, based on a panning speed of the apparatus that was detected by a panning detection unit and the motion vector detected by the motion vector detection unit; and an identification unit configured to identify a subject region by weighting the subject vector based on information regarding a distance of the subject that was detected by a distance detection unit for each of the divided regions of the plurality of frame images.
US09865063B2
Image feature extraction includes extracting an cutout image that includes an object from an original image; filling borders of the cutout image with a single color as a background to generate a minimum square image; resizing the minimum square image into a resized square image having a first predetermined size; dividing the resized square image into sub-image blocks having a second predetermined size; computing luminosity derivatives of neighboring pixels in horizontal, vertical, positive 45°, and negative 45° directions for the sub-image blocks; obtaining a quintuplet characteristic vector for the sub-image block; and forming an image characteristic vector of the original image using the quintuplet characteristic vectors of the sub-image blocks.
US09865061B2
Disclosed is a method and system for constructing a 3D structure. The system of the present disclosure comprises an image capturing unit for capturing images of an object. The system comprises of a gyroscope, a magnetometer, and an accelerometer for determining extrinsic camera parameters, wherein the extrinsic camera parameters comprise a rotation and a translation of the images. Further the system determines an internal calibration matrix once. The system uses the extrinsic camera parameters and the internal calibration matrix for determining a fundamental matrix. The system extracts features of the images for establishing point correspondences between the images. Further, the point correspondences are filtered using the fundamental matrix for generating filtered point correspondences. The filtered point correspondences are triangulated for determining 3D points representing the 3D structure. Further, the 3D structure may be optimized for eliminating reprojection errors associated with the 3D structure.
US09865053B1
The disclosure concerns a method for extracting geographic distribution statistics from patient tissue samples assayed with a tissue-based test for the purpose of scoring the patient tissue samples and guiding treatment based on the score(s). The method described herein utilizes digital image analysis of an image of one or more tissue sections to extract object-based (e.g., cells) features to generate a data array representing said tissue numerically in image analysis feature space. The numerical representation of the image of the tissue section in image analysis feature space is further processed using one or more algorithm processes to extract sophisticated geographical distribution features of one or more object type or sub-type in the tissue. Statistics describing the geographic distribution features are summarized to generate a patient-specific diagnostic score, and this score can be evaluated to guide patient treatment decisions.
US09865047B1
Systems and methods for providing improved wafer geometry measurements are disclosed. A wafer geometry measurement system may utilize techniques that enable the wafer geometry measurement system to identify and reduce wafer surface errors caused by structures such as patterns on the wafers being measured. The wafer geometry measurement system may also utilize techniques that enable the wafer geometry measurement system to accurately reconstruct patterned wafer surfaces.
US09865039B2
A restoration filter generation device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes: an information acquisition unit that acquires information showing a difference that depends on a color of an optical transfer function of an optical system; and a restoration filter generation unit that generates a restoration filter, which weakens restoration strength according to the difference that depends on the color of the optical transfer function on the basis of the information acquired by the information acquisition unit, and makes the restoration strength of the restoration filter weaker than the restoration strength of an ideal filter decided assuming that the difference that depends on the color of the optical transfer function does not exist. As a result, the overcorrection is reduced.
US09865033B1
The display of images, such as panoramic images, in a limited display space can be aided through the use of motion-based control, whereby a user can rotate and/or translate a computing device in order to view different portions of the image, including translating or zooming within the image. Sensors can be used to determine the motion for adjusting the display. The same or other sensors can also assist a user in capturing such an image. For example, a compass can determine the relative orientation of the device and a gyroscope can determine rotation of the device, to determine an appropriate path of motion for the capture and any deviation from that path. The user can be provided with information enabling the user to follow the path with an appropriate device orientation.
US09865029B2
Contextual rendering systems, methods, and computer-readable media include circuitry configured to parse a graphics file into a plurality of graphics objects, determine whether one or more dynamic behavior attributes are present for each graphics object, extract at least one tag name for each graphics object having the one or more dynamic behavior attributes, assign an attribute weight to each dynamic behavior attribute, compute a sum of the attribute weights for each tag name-graphics object combination, rank each of the tag name-graphics object combinations according to the respective computed sum, and display a portion of a graphics view of one or more graphics objects for a first-ranked tag name-graphics object combination in context with other graphics objects.
US09865022B2
Provided is a method for selecting one of a plurality of convergence paths that may be drilled by a bottom hole assembly (BHA) comprising identifying, by a computer system, a plurality of geometric convergence paths, wherein each of the geometric convergence paths provides a convergence solution from a defined bottom hole assembly (BHA) location to a target drilling path of a well plan. An offset distance is calculated for drilling by the BHA each of the geometric convergence paths connecting the BHA location to the target drilling path. A drill path curvature associated with drilling each of the geometric convergence paths by the BHA is determined by the computer system. A time required for drilling each of the geometric convergence paths by the BHA is determined by the computer system. An optimal geometric convergence path of the plurality of geometric convergence paths is determined responsive to the offset distance for drilling each of the geometric convergence paths, the drill path curvature associated with each of the geometric convergence paths and the time required for drilling each of the geometric convergence paths. The determined optimal geometric convergence path is fed to a controller associated with a display of a drilling rig and used to control the display of the drilling rig to display the determined optimal geometric convergence path.
US09865010B2
A technique for effecting electronic commerce using a data network is described. The data network includes a plurality of subsystems which, together, form an integrated system for receiving customer orders for selected items via a data network, fulfilling the customer orders, and delivering the ordered products to the customers. Moreover, according to a specific embodiment, the integrated nature of the system architecture of the present invention allows the on-line merchant to provide a guarantee to the customer that the ordered items will be available to be delivered to the customer at the specified delivery date, time, and location.
US09865004B1
A system and method for advertisement impression volume estimation is herein disclosed. According to one embodiment, the computer-implemented method includes identifying a plurality of advertisement placements for an advertisement campaign based on a campaign parameter and a specified performance level for a past advertisement campaign, determining a first plurality of advertisement impressions from the plurality of advertisement placements based on a target geographic region, and estimating a second plurality of advertisement impressions from the first plurality of advertisement impressions based on a discount rate.
US09865000B1
A service provider may obtain information about a plurality of items offered for acquisition by a merchant. The service provider may identify one or more items of the plurality of items that are the same as one or more respective items included in a catalog of items associated with the service provider. The items included in the catalog of items may be available for acquisition via the service provider. Additionally, the service provider may communicate with the merchant to offer services in relation to the items included in the service provider catalog of items that match the items offered by the merchant.
US09864996B2
Systems and methods include an input interface that receives registration information including a contact number input into a mobile device of a user, a call interface that transmits a call signal to a call center system, wherein the call signal comprises the call signal contact number that placed a call associated with the call signal and a communication interface that transmits the registration information to a profile database that stores the registration information as a profile for authenticating the mobile device user and identifying information from the mobile device of the user during the call. The call center system includes a call authentication processor that retrieves the user profile, an authentication interface that receives the identifying information, and an authentication processor that compares the identifying information with the user profile, and routes the call on an authenticated call path if the identifying information at least partially matches the user profile.
US09864994B2
Devices, systems, and methods for securely converting a user's existing static payment card data into dynamic card data that can be authenticated by card issuers or by a stand-in service provider, such as a payment network or processor without requiring the card issuers to make infrastructure changes. The dynamic data can be provisioned onto a magnetic secure transmission device (MST) either directly from a card issuer or using a swiper type device. Devices, systems, and methods are also disclosed for securely provisioning a dynamic card onto the MST by the card issuer. These dynamic cards may be used to transmit modified one-time-use card track data from the MST to a point of sale using a dynamic-CVV methodology to provide higher levels of security during a transaction.
US09864993B2
A payment authentication service authenticates the identity of a payer during online transactions. The authentication service of the present invention allows a card issuer to verify a cardholder's identity using a variety of authentication methods, such as the use of passwords. Also, the only system participant requiring a certificate is the issuing financial institution. One embodiment of the invention for authenticating the identity of a cardholder during an online transaction involves querying an access control server to determine if a cardholder is enrolled in the payment authentication service, requests a password from the cardholder, verifies the password, and notifies a merchant whether the cardholder's authenticity has been verified. In another aspect of the invention, a chip card and the authentication service independently generate cryptograms that must match in order for the service to verify that the correct chip card is being used by the cardholder.
US09864990B2
A virtual payment system for paying for goods, services and content ordered over an internetwork is disclosed. The virtual payment system includes a commerce gateway. Buyers and sellers becomes registered participants by applying for virtual payment buyer and seller accounts. Once an account is established with the commerce gateway, a digital certificate is stored on the registered participant's computer. A buyer can then order a product, i.e., goods, services or content from a seller and charge it to the virtual payment account. When the product is shipped, the seller notifies the commerce gateway, which applies the charges to the buyer's virtual payment account. The buyer can settle the charges using a prepaid account, a credit account, or by using reward points earned through use of the virtual payment account. A buyer may create sub-accounts.
US09864989B2
A secure, closed virtual payment system comprising registered buyers and sellers for ordering and paying for goods, services, and content over an internetwork is disclosed. A buyer becomes registered by applying for a virtual payment account. A seller becomes registered by applying for a seller account. A credit processing component (53) immediately evaluates the buyer's application and assigns a credit limit to the account. Once an account is established, a digital certificate is stored on the registered participant's computer. The buyer can then order goods, services, or content from a seller and charge it to the virtual payment account. When the product is shipped, the seller notifies a commerce gateway component (52), which, in turn, notifies the credit processing server, which applies the charges to the buyer's virtual payment account.
US09864984B2
Methods for operating a portable electronic device to conduct a mobile payment transaction at a merchant terminal are provided. The electronic device may verify that the current user of the device is indeed the authorized owner by requiring the current user to enter a passcode. If the user is able to provide the correct passcode, the device is only partly ready to conduct a mobile payment. In order for the user to fully activate the payment function, the user may have to supply a predetermined payment activation input such as a double button press that notifies the device that the user intends to perform a financial transaction in the immediate future. The device may subsequently activate a payment applet for a predetermined period of time during which the user may hold the device within a field of the merchant terminal to complete a near field communications based mobile payment transaction.
US09864982B2
The present disclosure involves systems, software, and computer implemented methods for sending payment requests to one or more persons or entities based on images in which the persons or entities appear. In one example, the process may include identifying an image associated with a payment request, the identified image containing at least one recipient associated with the payment request, and wherein the payment request includes a value, analyzing the identified image to identify the at least one potential recipient of the payment request, identifying contact information associated with the at least one identified recipient of the payment request, and sending the payment request to the at least one identified recipient of the payment request via a destination associated with the identified contact information.
US09864974B2
A method of arranging a serendipitous meeting is disclosed. It is determined that a first person of an organization is within a physical proximity to a second person of the organization. A discussion topic is identified, the discussion topic being relevant to a first task pertaining to the organization and a second task pertaining to the organization, the first task being associated with the first person and the second task being associated with the second person. At least one of the first person and the second person is notified of the identifying of the discussion topic while the first person is within the physical proximity to the second person.
US09864970B2
The present disclosure is directed at systems, methods, and apparatus for precisely inventorying items placed within a user-portable container. The system may comprise one or more interrogators configured to repeatedly send interrogation signals to detect tagged items placed within the portable container by a user. The system may also comprise one or more readers configured to detect response signals produced by the tagged items in response to the repeated interrogation signals. The system may also comprise a communication interface configured to provide information regarding the detected response signals to an adjunct processor configured to analyze the signals and determine whether they originate from items within the user-portable container, as well as to maintain an inventory of items within the portable container.
US09864966B2
A business intelligence document provides functionality for testing a hypothesis on aggregated data in a business intelligence document (e.g., a spreadsheet-like document), wherein one or more of the input data values and transformation properties are designated as constrained (e.g., invariant or constrained within a range, set, enumeration, or domain). The hypothesis, which is articulated as a data mining assertion, is input through the user interface of the business intelligence document (e.g., via an expression interface or properties of a row, column, or cell) and solved over the aggregated data. The solution is then presented through the user interface of the spreadsheet-like document, such as in a table, graph, histogram, etc.
US09864964B2
An information processing apparatus includes a memory and a processor. The memory stores job information including execution order information of a plurality of jobs. With respect to each of the plurality of jobs, the processor calculates the number of preceding jobs that hand over processed data to the job and the number of succeeding jobs that take over the processed data from the job, on the basis of the job information. The processor generates a graph that selectively displays selected jobs from the plurality of jobs on the basis of the number of preceding jobs and the number of succeeding jobs.
US09864962B1
A pick rate planning system is utilized to determine pick rates needed for the picking of items in a materials handling facility. Critical pull times (“CPTs”) are determined which indicate times by which items must be picked from inventory. Multiple pick rates that overlap in time are made to have an overall total pick rate that is relatively constant, so as to avoid spikes or other undesirable fluctuations in the overall total pick rate, which improves labor planning. Pick rates for later CPTs are designated as being for that CPT or any earlier CPTs, and all of the pick rates are designated as minimum suggested pick rates. These designations provide the picking scheduler with greater flexibility that results in higher pick density and productivity.
US09864955B2
A wearable computing device is described that predicts, based on movement detected, over time, by the wearable computing device, one or more future periods of time during which the wearable computing device will not be used. Responsive to determining that the wearable computing device is not being used at a current time, the wearable computing device determines whether the current time coincides with at least one period of time from the one or more future periods of time. Responsive to determining that the current time coincides with the at least one period of time, the wearable computing device performs an operation.
US09864951B1
Features are disclosed for identifying randomized latent feature language modeling, such as a recurrent neural network language modeling (RNNLM). Sequences of item identifiers may be provided as the language for training the language model where the item identifiers are the words of the language. To avoid localization bias, the sequences may be randomized prior to or during the training process to provide more accurate prediction models.
US09864943B2
A wireless communication device includes a wireless IC device, a multilayer substrate including a stack of a plurality of dielectric layers, a resonant circuit that is connected to the wireless IC device and that includes a capacitance element provided in the multilayer substrate and an inductance element provided outside the multilayer substrate, and a radiation conductor connected to the resonant circuit.
US09864941B2
Magnetic core made of soft magnetic material with a data medium attached to, mounted on or integrated in the magnetic core, with data in machine-readable form being stored on the data medium, the data representing at least one magnetic parameter of the magnetic core or its corresponding electrical parameter, measured at at least two different temperatures.
US09864940B2
A system that includes a three-dimensional (3D) printing device, processor and computer-readable memory a 3D barcode and prints a three-dimensional object containing information embedded in the 3D barcode by: (i) receiving information to be embedded in the 3D barcode; (ii) determining a barcode symbology, wherein the barcode symbology includes at least one symbol character in a z-dimension; (iii) generating a build sequence that will cause the 3D-printing device to print the 3D barcode that embeds the received information in the 3D barcode in accordance with the barcode symbology; and (iv) using the build sequence to print the 3D object so that each symbol character of the symbology that is to appear in the z-dimension is printed as a physical representation in the z-direction on the 3D object.
US09864937B2
Provided is an image recording apparatus, including: a recording unit recording an image on a recording sheet; a conveying unit conveying a plurality of recording sheets in an overlapping state to the recording unit; and a setting unit setting an overlapping amount so that the image is prevented from being printed on a region of a predetermined range which includes a boundary between an overlapping portion, in which a subsequent sheet and a preceding sheet overlap each other, and a non-overlapping portion, in which the subsequent sheet and the preceding sheet do not overlap each other.
US09864934B2
The optical scanning device includes a storage unit configured to store information on a scanning time of laser light and an emitted position of the laser light in a sub-scanning direction, the laser light measured on a plane. A scanning time for forming one scanning line is set based on the information on the measured scanning time and the measured emitted position, which is stored in the storage unit, and a radius of a photosensitive drum. This allows a magnification error in a main scanning direction to be reduced with an inexpensive configuration while realizing downsizing of an apparatus.
US09864927B2
A method of detecting the structural elements within a scene sensed by at least one sensor within a locale, the method comprising: a) capturing data from the sensor, which data provides a first representation of the sensed scene at the current time; b) generating a second representation of the sensed scene where the second representation is generated from a prior model of the locale; and c) comparing the first and second representations with one another to determine which parts of the first representation represent structural elements of the locale.
US09864917B1
A system, device, and method for capturing avionics data are disclosed. The avionics data capturing system could include an indicating device(s), image capturing device(s), a processing unit (PU), and a user system(s). The PU may acquire image data captured by the image capturing device(s) such as a camera sensor and/or infrared sensor, where the image data may be representative of an image of an object image(s) of a vehicle component(s) being viewed by an occupant located in the vehicle; classify the object image(s) as a function of a contextual image classification algorithm; determine a location for each classified object image as a function of the classified reference scale image(s); generate output data representative of each classified object image; and provide the output data to the user system(s). When received, a user(s) of the user system(s) may be presented with information regarding the component(s) being viewed by the occupant.
US09864916B2
In a method for triggering a driver assistance function of a subject vehicle, image data of surroundings in front of the vehicle is generated by a camera and supplied to an analyzing unit. A driver assistance function is triggered upon detection of a brake light of an other vehicle in the image data. A geometric region of the detected other vehicle is determined as exhibiting the highest pixel brightness values and the color red. The geometric region is detected as a raised brake light of the other vehicle if the geometric region is positioned essentially in the middle of the horizontal structure of the other vehicle, or at least a predetermined height above the roadway, or at least a predetermined distance below a rear window of the other vehicle.
US09864915B2
An around-view monitoring (AVM) apparatus including a camera module for obtaining a plurality of video images from around a vehicle; a display unit for displaying an around-view video image; and a control unit for composing the plurality of video images to generate an around-view video image, detecting a first parking line and a second parking line from the around-view video image, tracking the detected first and second parking lines, and generating an imaginary parking line when any one of the first and second parking lines is not tracked to control the display unit to output the around-view video image.
US09864913B2
A device for safeguarding a monitoring area in which an automatically operating machine is arranged, having a camera system for monitoring the monitoring area, a configuration unit for defining at least one protection area within the monitoring area, and an analysis unit for triggering a safety-related function. The camera system supplies camera images of the protection area and the analysis unit analyzes whether a foreign object is present in the protection area or penetrates into the protection area. The analysis unit is configured to classify a foreign object, which is present in the protection area or penetrates into the protection area, by analysis of the camera images, to determine on the basis of one or more features characteristic of welding sparks whether the foreign object is a welding spark. The analysis unit triggers the safety-related function if the foreign object has not been recognized as a welding spark.
US09864910B2
A head mounted device (HMD) includes a transparent display, sensors to generate sensor data, and a processor. The processor identifies a threat condition based on a threat pattern and the sensor data, and generates a warning notification in response to the identified threat condition. The threat pattern includes preconfigured thresholds for the sensor data. The HMD displays AR content comprising the warning notification in the transparent display.
US09864908B2
A slow change detection system includes: an image acquisition unit adapted to acquire a photographed image including consecutive images of a monitored object; a reference image acquisition unit adapted to acquire a reference image corresponding to the photographed image of the monitored object; a reference image area extraction unit adapted to extract, from the reference image, a reference image area that is an area corresponding to a photographed area of the photographed image; a change detection unit adapted to acquire a change area that is an area of the photographed image which is different from the reference image area and acquire a slow change area by excluding, from the acquired change area, a sudden change area derived from a history of the change area; and a display control unit adapted to superimpose and display information indicating the slow change area on the photographed image.
US09864893B2
The present invention relates to an optical fingerprint sensor which can comprise: a backlight unit for irradiating light; an uneven surface layer onto which the light from the backlight unit is irradiated; and a photosensor unit arranged between the backlight unit and the uneven surface layer so as to detect the light irradiated from the backlight unit and reflected from a user's fingerprint coming into contact with the uneven surface layer.
US09864892B2
Decoding or encoding information in a two-dimensional barcode, the barcode comprising an orientation pattern and a payload data pattern both being compiled of first and second type elements. The decoding or encoding involves a two-dimensional transformation applying at least to the payload data pattern in connection with second information that forms together with first information the information encoded in the two-dimensional barcode.
US09864864B2
Systems, methods, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for facilitating communication in an industrial control network. A system includes an industrial control network, one or more controller devices, one or more emulators, and an encryption relay processor. Each controller device can be operable to control one or more operational devices connected to the industrial control network. Each emulator can be configured to communicate with a respective controller device, and each emulator can be configured to reference a respective profile that includes information about security capabilities of the respective controller device. The encryption relay processor can be operable to facilitate communication to and from each emulator over the industrial control network. The encryption relay processor can execute a cryptographic function for a communication between the emulator and a node on the industrial control network when the respective controller device is incapable of performing the cryptographic function.
US09864861B2
A system is disclosed and includes a processor to automatically execute enclave initialization code within a host application at run time of the host application. The enclave initialization code includes marshaling code to create a secure enclave separate from the host application. The marshaling code is generated at build time of the host application. The system also includes a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) including a dedicated DRAM portion to store the secure enclave. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US09864859B2
Technologies for bootstrapping virtual network functions in a network functions virtualization (NFV) network architecture include a virtual network function (VNF) bootstrap service (VBS) in secure network communication with a VBS agent of a VNF instance. The VBS agent is configured to execute a secure VNF bootstrap capture protocol in the NFV network architecture. Accordingly, the VBS agent can be configured to register with the VBS via secure communications transmitted between the VBS and the VBS agent. The secure communications include transmitting a security quote from a TEE of a platform on which the VNF instance is instantiated and a security credential request to the VBS, as well as receiving a security credential in response to validating the security quote and the security credential request. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US09864858B2
Technologies for managing security threats on a computing system include detecting a security threat to the computing system, determining a plurality of mitigation scenarios to employ on the computing system to mitigate the security threat, and implementing the plurality of mitigation scenarios. Each mitigation scenario includes one or more threat mitigation actions to be taken by the computing system, one or more response systems of the computing system to perform the threat mitigation actions, and a temporal sequence in which the threat mitigation actions are to be taken. The results of each mitigation scenario is evaluated and a validated mitigation scenario is determined based on the results. A user of the computing device may be subsequently trained or habituated to mitigate the security threat by requesting interaction from the user during the implementation of the validated mitigation scenario in response to a threat scenario designed to replicate the security threat.
US09864856B2
A data communication system comprises a Network Interface Card (NIC), Central Processing Unit (CPU), and Data Memory Buffer (DMB) to efficiently verify hardware-trust. The NIC, CPU, and DMB execute boot-up software, and in response, the NIC, CPU, and DMB execute hardware-trust software to assert control over their Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). The NIC, CPU, and DMB receive and hash hardware-trust data with their physically-embedded hardware-trust codes to generate hardware-trust results. The NIC, CPU, and DMB transfer their hardware-trust results for hardware-trust validation. The CPU may execute Network Function Virtualization Virtual Network Functions (NFV VNFs) for Software Defined Networks (SDNs).
US09864850B2
A method of relicensing digital encrypted radio media content transmitted via a network and received by a user electronic device includes receiving a request to relicense an encrypted digital media data file included within digital encrypted radio media content. The encrypted digital media data file is retrieved from the digital encrypted radio media content stored in a memory of the user electronic device. The encrypted digital media data file is decrypted using a radio encryption key to generate an unbound digital media data file. The unbound digital media data file is bound with the user electronic device to generate, a bound encrypted digital media data file. The bound encrypted digital media data file is stored in the memory of the user electronic device.
US09864849B2
Techniques related to view-based expiration of shared content are described. An online content management system receives a view access request from a client device. The view access request includes a shared link to a server-stored content item. A view access counter associated with the shared link is used to determine that the view access request is authorized. The shared link is resolved to the server-stored content item, and at least a portion of the server-stored content item is sent to the client device. Optionally, instructions that cause the client device to send an acknowledgement can also be sent to the client device. The acknowledgement indicates that one or more presentation conditions have been satisfied. The one or more presentation conditions can include presenting at least the portion of the server-stored content item at the client device. The online content management system receives the acknowledgement and increments the view access counter.
US09864848B2
A method and apparatus for updating a media list or a media list collection of a portable media player device is disclosed herein. In various embodiments, the updates are generated by a proxy or a third party server, based at least in part on data gathered for media preferences for a user of the portable media play device and one or more other users of one or more portable media player devices. In various embodiments, the method is practiced respecting the access rights of the media files (if access rights are required). Other embodiments may also be described and claimed.
US09864847B2
The invention provides an improved method to predict the solubility of a drug or other molecule in a solid polymer or other matrix at any temperature. The instant invention provides a method to determine the difference in specific enthalpy, specific entropy and specific Gibbs energy between a solid solution and the unmixed components, as well as a method to use those data to predict the solubility of a drug or other molecule in a solid polymer or other matrix. The method uses known thermodynamics equations and thermal analysis data, such as obtained from DSC (differential scanning calorimetry) at temperatures that are lower than the temperature at which the solubility is predicted. The method allows prediction of the drug-in-polymer solubilities without the use of elevated temperatures, but still avoids impractically long experiments. The instant invention can predict the solubility at many temperatures, but is particularly useful in the pharmaceutical sciences to predict the solubility of a drug in a polymer at typical storage temperatures, which are typically near room temperature or below.
US09864845B2
A simulation method for a macromolecular material comprises: a first calculation process for computing a Rouse parameter of a coarse-grained model; a second calculation process for computing a Rouse parameter of the a all-atom model; and a convert process for converting a unit system employed in a molecular dynamics calculation made by the use of the coarse-grained model into a unit system employed in the macromolecular chain, based on the Rouse parameter of the coarse-grained model and the Rouse parameter of the all-atom model.
US09864844B2
Systems and methods may provide for obtaining first wearable sensor data associated with a first fitness session and first fitness equipment and obtaining second wearable sensor data associated with a second fitness session and second fitness equipment. Additionally, an effort normalization may be conducted between one or more settings of the second fitness equipment and one or more settings of the first fitness equipment based on the first wearable sensor data and the second wearable sensor data. In one example, a user prompt is generated during the second fitness session via a user interface of one or more of the second fitness equipment or a wearable device based on the normalization.
US09864834B2
The present invention relates to a method and system for classifying high-resolution melt (“HRM”) curves, and, more specifically, to a method and system for classifying HRM curves by genotype where the curves are represented by a mathematical function with varying coefficient values.
US09864823B2
A cleansing system for improving operation of a petrochemical plant or refinery. The petrochemical plant or refinery may include a fractionation column, a condenser, and a pump. Equipment, such as condensers, receivers, reboilers, feed exchangerss, and pumps may be divided into subsections. Temperatures, pressures, flows, and other plant operations may be used for optimizing plant performance. A cleansing unit performs an enhanced cleansing process, which may allow early detection and diagnosis of the plant operating conditions based on one or more environmental factors.
US09864821B2
Downhole drilling tools designed and manufactured to reduce bit axial force and torque and to enhance drilling efficiency comprising laying out some cutters in one spiral direction of rotation about a bit rotational axis and other cutters in an opposite spiral direction of rotation; evaluating forces acting on cutters during simulated engagement with a downhole formation (straight and transitional drilling); and modifying cutter layout with respect to a spiral direction of rotation. Some embodiments further comprise, prior to simulation, placing cutters in cutter groups/sets at respective locations to obtain a level of force balance. Multilevel force balanced downhole drilling tools may be designed using five respective simulations: cutter group level, neighbor cutter group level, cutter set level, group of N (N=3 or N=4) consecutive cutters level and all cutters level. Cutter layout procedures and algorithms to minimize respective bit forces and in some embodiments to obtain force balance are described.
US09864820B2
Generator dynamic model parameter estimation and tuning using online data and subspace state space models are disclosed. According to one embodiment, a system comprises a sensor, a data acquisition network in communication with the sensor; a user console and an identification and tuning engine in communication with the data acquisition network, the user console, and a database. The database comprises one or more generator models, and the identification and tuning engine identifies and tunes parameters associated with a selected generator model.
US09864819B2
A three-dimensional (3D) model file, and a method and apparatus for providing the 3D model file are provided. The method may include generating a 3D model file comprising a first field defining information associated with a printing material of a 3D model to perform 3D printing, and providing the 3D model file.
US09864815B2
Certain examples provide systems and methods to determine client compatibility. An example method includes receiving a request at an image viewer from a client browser for display of medical image data. The example method includes providing a temporary view to the client browser in response to the request. The example method includes determining client compatibility with the viewer and an associated server in the background at a client device executing the client browser while the temporary view is displayed at the client browser. The example method includes requesting the image data from the server based on the client compatibility determination. The example method includes rendering the image data and providing to the client browser based on the client compatibility determination, the rendering and presentation of the image data modified to enable or disable capability of at least one of the viewer and the server based on the client compatibility determination.
US09864814B2
Systems and methods are provided methods for providing an online interface for displaying hierarchically or logically arranged user-generated content. One method including receiving, from a first user over a network, topical user-generated electronic content, the topical user-generated electronic content being related to a topic of a web page; displaying the topical user-generated electronic content received from the first user on the web page; receiving, from a second user over the network, responsive user-generated electronic content and an indication of a desire to post the responsive user-generated electronic content on the web page in association with the topical user-generated electronic content; and displaying, adjacent to the topical user-generated electronic content on the web page, a user element or link that a third user can manipulate to display the responsive user-generated electronic content adjacent to the topical user-generated electronic content.
US09864807B2
A computer determines social media influencers in a specific topic by receiving a dataset of information associated with a website, the information including a first list of users of the website and a list of content that each user posts on the website, wherein each user is associated with other users from the first list of users. The computer determines initial values representing variables of the dataset of information on the website, wherein the variables include one or more topics for the list of content that each user from the first list of users posts on the website. The computer performs an iteration of Gibbs Sampling utilizing the initial values. The computer determines the one or more new values representing variables of the dataset represent a distribution of the one or more topics for the list of content that each user from the first list of users posts.
US09864806B2
Particular embodiments access a search query submitted by a first user of a social-networking system; identify one or more web pages in response to the search query; for each of the one or more web pages, determine a value indicating a number of user clicks associated with the web page by one or more second users of the social-networking system who are connected to the first user within the social-networking system; and send a set of hyperlinks for the one or more web pages, wherein hyperlinks for web pages where the value is greater than zero are visually emphasized over other hyperlinks.
US09864805B2
A search engine system, including a slashtag server configured to detect at least a search operator in a search query, the search operator being associated with a category of content from a social network site. Also, a web server configured to, in response to detecting the search query, generate a first search result based on at least the category of content associated with the search operator, and display the first search result in a web browser.
US09864804B2
Disclosed herein is use of a preview of content from a target document, as provided by a content preview source such as a Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed, by a search engine. The content preview source includes the preview of the target document's content and a reference, e.g., a Universal Resource Locator (URL) or other link. A content preview document is generated using data extracted from the content preview source. The content preview document is made available in a searchable index used by a search engine to respond to a search query. A fetch operation is scheduled to fetch the target document using the reference provided in the content preview source. Once fetched, the data extracted from the content preview source can be associated with the target document, and can be used in presenting the target document in search results.
US09864802B2
Methods for product data management and corresponding systems and computer-readable mediums. A method for rules-based knowledge-driven search filters includes receiving metadata for a plurality of searchable objects, the metadata including at least one of an object type definition and object properties. The method includes defining search filter rules based on user properties and data conditions. The method includes performing a search according to a rule-based configuration, the rule-based configuration including filters for object properties and filter ordering rules. The method includes displaying search results according to the rule-based configuration.
US09864799B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide methods, computer program products, and systems for automatically generating a display to present different terms. Embodiments of the present invention can be used to identify a first and a second user using applications in a software as a service (SaaS) environment and store, for the first and the second user, a first term associated with the first user and a second term associated with the second user in the SaaS environment. Responsive to identifying the first term associated with the first user and the second term associated with the second user have functionally equivalent definitions, embodiments of the present invention can replace the second term associated with the second user with the first term associated with the first user and generate a display for the first term associated with the first user that replaced the second term associated with the second user.
US09864798B2
A view generator receives support text characterizing a support requirement for available information technology (IT) support, the support text being received in sentence form via a graphical user interface (GUI). A text analyzer performs natural language processing on the support text and thereby identifies at least one sentence part and at least one named entity within the support text. A support record generator relates each of the at least one sentence part and the at least one named entity to a support record type, and generates a support data record for the support requirement, including filling individual fields of the support data record using the at least one sentence part and the at least one named entity.
US09864797B2
A system, method and graphical user interface (GUI) for creating a new correlation search based on a set of displayed graph lanes. The graph lanes may provide graphical visualizations of key performance indicators (KPIs) associated with one or more services and may assist a user in identifying a situation (e.g., problem or a pattern of interest) in the performance of the services. A user may adjust (e.g., add graph lanes, zooming-in) the graph lanes in order to display the situation, at which point the user may submit a request to create a new correlation search to detect if the situation reoccurs. The system may generate the new correlation search by iterating through the set of graph lanes and analyzing the fluctuations of each KPI to determine triggering criteria. The system may then run the correlation search and generate a notable event or alarm when the situation reoccurs.
US09864794B2
A method, system and computer-readable medium for performing hybrid processing of prescribed and dynamically defined attributes for one or more entity instances is provided in one or more implementations of the present invention. The inventive architecture of the present invention including a data structure having a dynamic object abstraction layer configured to: provide for storage and retrieval of facet data independent of one or more prescribed database structures and proprietary object definitions; provide facet attributes in an application object model; provide for defining a number of fixed fields for one or more entities; and, provide for defining and storing one or more dynamic fields for each instance of the one or more entities. The present invention further provides for an application object model being independent of application storage.
US09864792B1
A method includes importing legacy data from a legacy application into a new system by storing the legacy data in a database separate from data native to the new system; displaying, to a user via a display screen, an interface configured to allow a user to view both legacy data and data native to the new system; displaying, to the user via a display screen, an interface including information of the legacy data that is associated with a particular patient account, one or more interface elements configured to allow the user to perform limited actions with respect to the particular patient account associated with the information, and a user interface element configured to allow a user to selectively activate the patient account.
US09864781B1
A computer-perceptible search input, whether typed, spoken, based upon machine vision, detection and/or interpretation of gestures, for example, may be received by a computing device from a single user. The received input by the single user may be matched with one or more stored digital items based upon prior inputs by the single user that previously led the single user to access the digital item(s). That is, it may be determined whether the received input is the same or similar to a previous input or inputs that led the computing device to search for, select and present digital items that were subsequently accessed (e.g., opened) by the user, which action signifies a successful search.
US09864779B2
A controller analyzes a tuple in an operator graph. The controller determines that the tuple includes one or more selected characteristics. These characteristics signify preferred data. The controller determines operations of the operator graph which can be suppressed. The controller suppresses the one or more operations. The controller suppresses those operations in response to the tuple including one or more of the selected characteristics.
US09864777B2
To provide efficient table partitioning, a database is described for distributively locating a plurality of sub-tables resulting from partitioning of a table in a database. This includes an acquiring section that monitors access occurrences to each of the sub-tables to acquire a history of access occurrences. Also a deciding section decides a table storage area in which a sub-table is to be located, based on the history of access occurrences to each of the sub-tables.
US09864775B2
A user interface is presented that is configured for receiving a user search criteria and search filter limit for a search request. An indicator is presented. Presenting the indicator includes changing appearance of the indicator to indicate increasing strength of the search request.
US09864773B1
Systems and methods are disclosed for object-based commands with data integrity identifiers. In an embodiment, an apparatus may comprise a data storage device configured to store data as objects, each object including a data field with a variable size to store user data, and to receive a command including an operation directed to an object and a data integrity identifier to perform the operation based on a hash value of the user data. Commands may be directed towards put, get, or delete operations, among others.
US09864772B2
Methods, systems and program products for log-shipping data replication from a primary system to a communicatively-coupled standby system. Embodiments of the invention may receive transactional log data at a standby system, from the primary system, and before the transactional log data is written to storage on the primary system. Embodiments may then receive a notification from the primary system indicating that the corresponding log data was written to storage on the primary system, and responsive to receiving the notification, may process the received transactional log data.
US09864771B2
The invention relates to a method of synchronizing a plurality of clients accessing a database, each client executing a plurality of tasks on the database, wherein the method comprises for each of the clients the steps of accumulating the time of one or more tasks performed by the client after the issuance of a synchronization request and rejecting a request for the opening of a new task of the client, if the accumulated task time exceeds a maximum accumulated task time.
US09864763B2
In an example, data from a source location is merged into a target location containing existing data, in which both the source location and the target location contain tuples of data. For each tuple in the source location, during a single operation, a determination is made as to whether there is a matched tuple in the target location that satisfies a predetermined condition. For each matched tuple that satisfies the predetermined condition, the matched tuple in the target location is updated with a count value that is equal to a count of the matched tuple in the source location and the target location. In addition, for each tuple that does not have a matched tuple that satisfies the predetermined condition, the unmatched tuple is inserted into the target location.
US09864752B2
A policy language for an information management system has a three-layer structure that allows specifying one or more policies using policy abstractions. The policies and policy abstractions are in two different layers and decoupled from one another, so policies and policy abstractions may be specified and altered separately from each other. A third layer includes entity objects. A policy may refer to any number of policy abstractions. Multiple policies may reference a single policy abstraction, and a change to that policy abstraction will result in multiple policies being changed. Further, policy abstractions may be nested, so one policy abstraction may reference another policy abstraction, and so forth.
US09864744B2
Technology is disclosed for mining training data to create machine translation engines. Training data can be mined as translation pairs from single content items that contain multiple languages; multiple content items in different languages that are related to the same or similar target; or multiple content items that are generated by the same author in different languages. Locating content items can include identifying potential sources of translation pairs that fall into these categories and applying filtering techniques to quickly gather those that are good candidates for being actual translation pairs. When actual translation pairs are located, they can be used to retrain a machine translation engine as in-domain for social media content items.
US09864734B2
An approach for creating a clickable link within a presentation during a live collaborative web meeting is provided. The approach identifies one or more uniform resource locators within the presentation. The approach retrieves metadata for each of the one or more uniform resource locators within the presentation. The approach presents the metadata for each of the one or more uniform resource locators with a corresponding image from the presentation. The approach creates the clickable link for each of the one or more uniform resource locators with the corresponding image.
US09864724B2
A method for serial data transfer in a bus system having at least two bus subscribers that exchange messages via the bus, the transmitted messages having a CAN standard ISO 11898-1 structure, where for a first marker (EDL), the control field of the messages, divergently from ISO 11898-1, encompasses more than 6 bits, and for the EDL, the data field of the messages, divergently from ISO 11898-1, may encompass more than 8 bytes, the values of the 4 bits of the data length code being interpreted divergently from ISO 11898-1 to establish the data field size, and for a second marker (BRS), the bit length for at least one predefined or predefinable region within the message assumes a value that is shortened as to the bit length used before the second marker was present, the region beginning at the earliest with the second marker and ending at the latest with the CRC delimiter, and the BRS occurring only when the EDL is present, and occurring in the control field of the messages which encompasses more than 6 bits.
US09864721B2
For simplified projection of a cascaded fieldbus system which includes a first fieldbus with a plurality of first bus devices, a second fieldbus subordinate to the first fieldbus with a plurality of second bus devices and a third fieldbus subordinate to the second fieldbus with a plurality of third bus devices, an example embodiment of the invention provides that the second fieldbus is connected to the first fieldbus via a fieldbus access node device, and therefore bus devices of the second fieldbus are presented as virtual modules of the first fieldbus, and that a connection device, via which the third fieldbus is connected to the second fieldbus, is presented as a virtual fieldbus access node module of the first fieldbus, and therefore the remaining bus devices of the third fieldbus are presented as virtual modules of the first fieldbus.
US09864720B2
A data processing circuit includes a delay circuit configured to delay a data signal and generate delayed data signals each having a different delay; and an output control circuit configured to output a first data signal among the delayed data signals as a data signal sampled at a first edge of a sampling clock signal, and output a second data signal among the delayed data signals as a data signal sampled at a second edge of the sampling clock signal.
US09864717B2
The present disclosure provides an electronic device that includes a lower device configured to process local input/output communications between the electronic device and a host, wherein the lower device is stateless. The electronic device also includes a memory comprising a data flow identifier used to associate a data flow resource of the host with a data flow resource corresponding to the lower device. A data packet sent from the lower device to the host includes the data flow identifier.
US09864715B2
The invention relates to a bus system for transmitting data between data processing units in a network, by means of a bus that consists of two signal lines. The signals at said bus are analog signals which lie within a plurality of non-overlapping frequency bands assigned to the individual data processing units, and these data processing units use a digital communication protocol to communicate with a signal processor unit that comprises a polyphase filter bank, a D/A Converter and a bus-coupling unit being connected downstream of said bank in order to couple the data signal into the bus in a galvanically-isolated manner. The proposed bus system has a simple design with regard to cabling, allows the use of a Standard communication protocol such as Ethernet for the data processing units, and additionally allows data to be transmitted between all network subscribers simultaneously and without restriction.
US09864712B2
A method for communicating data in a processing architecture comprising a plurality of interconnected IP blocks. Transmitting IP blocks may transmit messages to a shared receive queue for a first IP block. Receipt of the messages at the shared receive queue may be controlled based on receive credits allocated to each transmitting IP block. The allocation of receive credits for each transmitting IP block may dynamically managed such that the allocation of receive credits may be dynamically adjusted for each transmitting IP block based at least in part on message traffic associated with each transmitting IP block and/or a priority associated with each transmitting IP block.
US09864709B2
Techniques described herein are generally related to data transfer in multi-core processor devices. A core of a multi-core processor device may be configured to receive a request for a data block, which may be stored in a private cache of the core. The data block in the private cache may be evaluated by a coherence module of the core to determine when the data block is in a ready state. A program slice associated with the data block may be identified by the coherence module when the data block is determined to be in an unavailable state and the identified program slice may be executed by the core to update the data block from the unavailable state to the ready state. The data block may be sent to an interconnect network in response to the received request when the stored data block is determined to be in the ready state.
US09864702B2
Techniques to prelink software to improve memory de-duplication in a virtual system are described. An apparatus may comprise a processor circuit, a memory unit coupled to the processor circuit to store private memory pages for multiple virtual machines, and a dynamic linker application operative on the processor circuit to link a binary version of a software program with associated program modules at run-time of the binary version on a virtual machine. The dynamic linker application may comprise a master prelink component operative on the processor circuit to relocate a first set of program modules for a first binary version of the software program for a first virtual machine using a first set of virtual memory addresses from a first private memory page allocated to the first virtual machine, and store relocation information for the first set of program modules in a global prelink layout map for use by a second virtual machine. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US09864698B2
A method, system, and computer program product for resolving cache lookup of large pages with variable granularity are provided in the illustrative embodiments. A number of unused bits in an available number of bits is identified. The available number of bits is configured to address a page of data in memory, wherein the page exceeding a threshold size, and the page comprising a set of parts. The unused bits are mapped to the plurality of parts such that a value of the unused bits corresponds to existence of a subset of the set of parts in a memory. A virtual address is translated to a physical address of a requested part in the set of parts. A determination is made, using the unused bits, whether the requested part exists in the memory.
US09864695B2
A method and controller for implementing storage adapter enhanced write cache management, and a design structure on which the subject controller circuit resides are provided. The controller includes a hardware write cache engine implementing hardware acceleration for storage write cache management. The hardware write cache engine monitors cache levels used for managing cache destage rates and thresholds for destages from storage write cache substantially without using firmware for greatly enhancing performance.
US09864688B1
Described are techniques for processing data. A notification is sent from an application to a cache manager to invalidate any cache location storing data for a first logical address. Responsive to receiving the notification, first processing is performed by the cache manager comprising determining whether data for the first logical address is stored in a cache location; and if it is determined that data for the first logical address is stored in the cache location, designating the cache location as any of free and available for reuse. The foregoing processing for invalidation may also be performed to invalidate a set of cache locations for data from multiple logical addresses.
US09864687B2
An application processor is provided. The application processor includes a cache coherent interconnect, a first master device connected to the cache coherent interconnect, a second master device, and a master-side filter connected between the cache coherent interconnect and the second master device. The master-side filter receives a snoop request from the first master device through the cache coherent interconnect, compares a second security attribute of the second master device with a first security attribute of the first master device which is included in the snoop request, and determines whether to transmit an address included in the snoop request to the second master device according to a comparison result.
US09864683B1
A technique for managing a cache in a data storage system includes creating metadata that associates cache pages with respective data objects and storing the metadata in a location accessible to a manager of the cache. Upon a failure in the cache, the cache manager checks the metadata to identify any data objects for which the cache stores dirty pages. The cache manager then coordinates with other system resources to take the identified data objects offline.
US09864679B2
The method includes identifying a test report log for a regression test. The method further includes identifying one or more errors in the identified test report log. The method further includes determining a severity category for the one or more identified errors in the identified test report log. The method further includes determining a severity category for the identified test report log based on the determined severity category for the one or more identified errors in the identified test report log.
US09864673B2
An information handling system for resolving integrated business process system errors includes a processor executing instructions to scrub an error message for an integrated business process system error from an integrated business process event to remove user specific information. The information handling system further includes a processor interface device for transmitting a search request to a multi-user community scrubbed system error database at a storage device for scrubbed resolution articles using the scrubbed error message. The information handling system includes the processor interface device sending the scrubbed resolution articles in a rank-order to display, via an error resolution graphical user interface.
US09864667B2
Methods and apparatus relating to techniques for flexible and/or dynamic frequency-related telemetry are described. In an embodiment, logic, coupled to a processor, communicates information to a module. The communicated information includes a duration counter value corresponding to a duration in which an operating characteristic of the processor is controlled. Other embodiments are also disclosed and claimed.
US09864665B2
Examples of systems, devices, and methods related to assets and asset operating conditions involve determining health metrics that estimate the operating health of an asset or a part thereof, analyzing health metrics to determine variables that are associated with high health metrics, and modifying the handling of operating conditions that normally result in triggering of abnormal-condition indicators, among other examples.
US09864663B2
A storage controller failover system includes servers, storage controllers coupled to storage subsystems, and a switching system coupling the servers to the storage controllers. A storage controller configurations and storage controller caches for each of the storage controllers are stored in one or more database. A failure is detected of a first storage controller that has provided first storage communications along a first path between a first server and a first storage subsystem and, in response, a second storage controller that is configured to take over the first storage communications from the first storage controller is determined based on its second storage controller configuration. A first storage controller cache for the first storage controller is provided to the second storage controller, and the second storage controller is caused to provide the first storage communications along a second path between the first server and the first storage subsystem.
US09864658B1
A method for automation of deduplication storage capacity sizing and trending analysis is provided. The method includes collecting all file system directories of at least one system for which a deduplication backup storage capacity for files in the all file system directories is to be determined. The method includes determining file counts, file sizes and file types of the files in the all file system directories and obtaining a deduplication ratio of each of the file types. The method includes deriving the deduplication backup storage capacity from the file counts, the file sizes and the file types of the files in the all file system directories, based on the deduplication ratio of each of the file types.
US09864656B1
Files from a master file table are identified. A key/value database based on the identified files is generated where the key includes directory information and the value includes file metadata. The key/value database is stored in a storage device. Identifying files from a master file table includes parsing a VMDK to isolate a master file table region.
US09864655B2
Methods and apparatus are provided for providing testing as a service. A loading computing device can receive a request to restore a testing computing device to a known software configuration. The loading computing device, after receiving the request to restore the testing computing device, can restore the testing computing device by at least: obtaining a software image storing the known software configuration, where the software image includes security-context data having security contexts associated with the plurality of software components, and where a particular security context can have an identity, a role, and a domain or type; storing at least part of the obtained software image onto the testing computing device, and after storing at least part of the obtained software image onto the testing computing device, setting security contexts for the obtained software image stored on the testing computing device using the security-context data.
US09864653B2
Mirrored memory scrubbing is optimized to reduce system power consumption and increase system performance. A memory scrub operation scrubs a first portion of the mirrored memory to detect and correct soft errors. The scrub rate of a second portion of the mirrored memory is eliminated, minimized, or reduced, relative to the scrub rate of the first portion. The reduced scrub operation preserves power consumed in association with scrubbing the second portion.
US09864644B2
An application programming interface (API) is disclosed for interfacing a vehicle electronic component with a smartphone, wherein the vehicle electronic component and the smartphone each make use of a short range wireless transceiver for wirelessly communicating with the other, and wherein the smartphone includes an application running thereon. The API has an interconnect API disposed in the electronic component. The interconnect API also has a software library of command and function definitions that are able to be implemented by the API. A connect library is also used which resides within the smartphone and which is configured to communicate with the application running on the smartphone. The interconnect API and the connect library cooperatively operate as a translation mechanism to implement a plurality of functionalities when communicating with the application, according to the electronic device's capabilities.
US09864643B1
Embodiments are directed to methods for allowing an I/O path of a data storage system to directly modify an object model while bypassing the highly-contested transaction lock used by a control path. This may be done by introducing a local lock to be used for individual resources within the object model. The control path also uses this local lock mechanism (in the context of a transaction lock) for essential resources that might be accessed by the I/O path in order to avoid accessing a given essential resource at the same time as the I/O path. A data storage system, apparatus, and computer program product for performing similar methods are also provided.
US09864639B2
Resources in a computing environment are managed, for example, by a hardware controller controlling dispatching of resources from one or more pools of resources to be used in execution of threads. The controlling includes conditionally dispatching resources from the pool(s) to one or more low-priority threads of the computing environment based on current usage of resources in the pool(s) relative to an associated resource usage threshold. The management further includes monitoring resource dispatching from the pool(s) to one or more high-priority threads of the computing environment, and based on the monitoring, dynamically adjusting the resource usage threshold used in the conditionally dispatching of resources from the pool(s) to the low-priority thread(s).
US09864630B2
According to an example, a method includes: before a first process exits, a kernel receives a connection holding request carrying a File Descriptor (FD) transmitted by the first process, with respect to the FD carried by the connection holding request, the kernel increases a reference count of a file object corresponding to the FD and puts the file object into a cache, the kernel returns cache position information to the first process, such that the first process puts a corresponding relationship between the cache position information and identifier information of a communication connection pointed to by the FD in a predefined storage area; when a second process starts, the kernel receives an FD obtaining request carrying the cache position information transmitted by the second process, reads the file object from the cache, assigns a new FD to the file object and returns the new FD to the second process.
US09864624B2
Methods, computing systems and computer program products implement embodiments of the present invention that include initializing, by a hypervisor executing on a processor, first and second virtual machines. A first software application configured to provide a service is executed on the first virtual machine, and a logical data connection is established between the first and the second virtual machines. Examples of the logical connection include physical and virtual serial connections, and physical and virtual data networking connections. A second software application configured to enable remote monitoring of the first software application via the logical data connection is executed on the second virtual machine. In some embodiments, the second software application can remotely monitor the first software application via an interface such as a command line interface, a graphical user interface and an application programming interface.
US09864600B2
A method of virtualizing an application to execute on a plurality of operating systems without installation. The method includes creating an input configuration file for each operating system. The templates each include a collection of configurations that were made by the application during installation on a computing device executing the operating system. The templates are combined into a single application template having a layer including the collection of configurations for each operating system. The collection of configurations includes files and registry entries. The collections also identifies and configures environmental variables, systems, and the like. Files in the collection of configurations and references to those files may be replaced with references to files stored on installation media. The application template is used to build an executable of the virtualized application. The application template may be incorporated into a manifest listing other application templates and made available to users from a website.
US09864598B2
Supplemental functionalities may be provided for an executable program. In some embodiments, documentation associated with a business or technical asset may be collected. Business objects may be extracted from the associated documentation. The business objects may be converted to one or more data sets having a pre-defined format. One or more relationships between the data sets may be defined. An ontology may be generated based on the data sets and the relationships. Supplemental information may be generated for an executable program based on the ontology. The supplemental information may be related to one or more functionalities of an application. The supplemental information may be provided as input to the executable program, where the supplemental information causes the functionalities of the application be made available via the executable program.
US09864597B1
The present invention comprises systems and methods, and computer readable media comprising the methods, for updating software applications. The systems and methods of the present invention provide automation and flexibility to the updating process. Processor usage and network usage are monitored and software updates are initiated and/or continued during periods where processor and/or network usage are low. The update process may be halted when the processor and/or network connection are called upon for other uses. Processor and/or network usage may also be throttled, for example limiting the bandwidth available for the download to maintain sufficient processor share and/or bandwidth for other tasks. Adverse impact on a computer user is minimized.
US09864590B2
A method of program compilation to improve parallelism during the linking of the program by a compiler. The method includes converting statements of the program to canonical form, constructing a traversable representation, such as an abstract syntax tree (AST), for each procedure in the program, and traversing the program to construct a graph by making each non-control flow statement and each control structure into at least one node of the graph.
US09864585B2
A device may determine use case information associated with a use case for a development project. The device may determine a set of use case objects associated with the use case based on the use case information. The device may select an abstract machine model. The abstract machine model may be associated with modeling the development project based on the set of use case objects. The abstract machine model may be selected from a set of abstract machine models associated with modeling development projects. The device may generate program code for the development project based on the abstract machine model and the use case information. The device may provide information associated with the generated program code.
US09864584B2
A processing network including a plurality of lookup and decision engines (LDEs) each having one or more configuration registers and a plurality of on-chip routers forming a matrix for routing the data between the LDEs, wherein each of the on-chip routers is communicatively coupled with one or more of the LDEs. The processing network further including an LDE compiler stored on a memory and communicatively coupled with each of the LDEs, wherein the LDE compiler is configured to generate values based on input source code that when programmed into the configuration registers of the LDEs cause the LDEs to implement the functionality defined by the input source code.
US09864575B2
A method and system for creating and navigating linear hypermedia resource programs are disclosed. The system includes a distributed hypermedia resource network having a plurality of hypermedia resources residing on one or more remote information nodes. A common remote information node is in communication with a subscriber station and the remote information nodes in the distributed network. The common remote information node contains at least one linear hypermedia resource program consisting of pre-selected media elements from one or more hypermedia resources linked with exclusive linear links, each media element in the linear program having only one forward link to the next media element. The method includes the steps of downloading and displaying a media element in the linear program and responding to user commands to download and display the next media element in the linear program.
US09864564B2
An information processing device includes: an image output unit which outputs a screen displayed on a display unit to an image display device; a display control unit which displays a first screen including a user interface screen at least in a part of the screen; a detection unit which detects that the user interface screen is switched from a first state that does not include predetermined information to a second state that includes the information; and an output control unit which outputs a second screen that does not include the user interface screen, instead of the first screen displayed by the display control unit, to the image output unit, if it is detected that the user interface screen is switched from the first state to the second state.
US09864560B2
A data processing system composites graphics content, generated by an application program running on the data processing system, to generate image data. The data processing system stores the image data in a first framebuffer and displays an image generated from the image data in the first framebuffer on an internal display device of the data processing system. A scaler in the data processing system performs scaling operations on the image data in the first framebuffer, stores the scaled image data in a second framebuffer and displays an image generated from the scaled image data in the second framebuffer on an external display device coupled to the data processing system. The scaler performs the scaling operations asynchronously with respect to the compositing of the graphics content. The data processing system automatically mirrors the image on the external display device unless the application program is publishing additional graphics content for display on the external display device.
US09864559B2
A method and system are provided for generating imagery of a virtual window within an aircraft cabin. The method may be implemented using computer executable instructions, loaded onto a personal entertainment device (PED) for configuring the PED to link to an aircraft inflight entertainment system (IFE) and access imagery, such as imagery from at least one camera directed to an environment outside of the aircraft. The imagery is displayed on a surface visible to the passenger, and formatted to simulate an aircraft window.
US09864548B2
According to one embodiment, a memory module includes a volatile memory, a nonvolatile memory, and a controller. The volatile memory is data readable and writable. The nonvolatile memory is data readable and writable and stores therein correspondence information containing an attribute indicating any of volatile, nonvolatile, and both of volatile and nonvolatile associated with an address in an address space assigned to the volatile memory and the nonvolatile memory. The controller reads data from and writes data to the volatile memory or the nonvolatile memory, referring to the correspondence information.
US09864547B2
According to one embodiment, a storage device includes a processor which executes first processing, second processing and third processing. The second processing includes processing for relaying a command issued by a host device, and an execution result of the first processing corresponding to the. command, between the host device and the first processing. The third processing includes processing for causing the second processing to transition from a first state to a second state of lower energy consumption than the first state, when a first period in which the second processing is in an idle state exceeds a second period. The third processing further includes processing for maintaining the first state under a first condition, when the first period exceeds the second period.
US09864539B1
Systems and method are disclosed for provisioning storage for a logical storage device. At least one storage capability profile is provided. A request to provision the storage for the logical storage device is received. A plurality of candidate storage resource configurations are determine based on the at least one storage capability profile and the storage policy profile, where a first candidate storage resource configuration specifies thick provisioning in a first storage pool and a second candidate storage resource configuration specifies thin provisioning in the first storage pool. A ranking of the plurality of candidate storage resource configurations is provided, the ranking indicating the first candidate storage resource configuration has a higher priority than the second candidate storage resource configuration. It is determined that the first storage pool has insufficient storage for thick provisioning. The storage of the logical device is provisioned in accordance with the second candidate storage configuration.
US09864534B1
A peer to peer remote copy operation is performed between a primary storage controller and a secondary storage controller, to establish a peer to peer remote copy relationship between a primary storage volume and a secondary storage volume. Subsequent to indicating completion of the peer to peer remote copy operation to a host, a determination is made as to whether the primary storage volume and the secondary storage volume have identical data, by performing operations of staging data of the primary storage volume from auxiliary storage of the primary storage controller to local storage of the primary storage controller, and transmitting the data of the primary storage volume that is staged, to the secondary storage controller for comparison with data of the secondary storage volume stored in an auxiliary storage of the secondary storage controller.
US09864530B2
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.
US09864518B2
Embodiments are directed to assigning a home memory location for a function call parameter. A method may include determining whether a caller is configured to allocate a memory location for a parameter passed to a callee. The caller is a module that includes a function call to the callee and the callee is a function. The method may include inserting instructions in the callee to allocate a home memory location for the parameter in response to determining that the caller is not configured to allocate a memory location for the parameter. In addition, the method may include inserting instructions in the callee to set the memory location as a home location for the parameter in response to determining that the caller is configured to allocate a memory location for the parameter.
US09864513B2
A method comprises a processor detecting a person's finger moving across an unrendered portion of a touch-sensitive display. As a result of detecting the finger moving, the method further comprises the processor causing data to be rendered as a virtual keyboard image on the display.
US09864509B2
In some embodiments, a device performs character recognition based on spatial and temporal components of touch input detected on a touch-sensitive surface. In some embodiments, a device provides feedback about handwritten input and its recognition by the device. In some embodiments, a device presents a user interface for changing previously-inputted characters.
US09864507B2
A method and device are provided for measuring force on a force enabled input device having a touch surface. The method includes detecting force information associated with an input object contacting the touch surface, and determining a push event if the force information is either greater than a predetermined static push threshold value, or a substantially monotonic increase of at least a dynamic push threshold value above a low baseline value. The method thereafter determines a release event if the force information either decreases below a predetermined static release threshold value, or decreases from a maximum baseline value by an amount greater than a dynamic release threshold value. The method initiates a first type of user interface action associated with the input object based on a determination of the push event and the release event, wherein the first type of user interface action may comprise determining a virtual button click.
US09864504B2
A user interface display method and apparatus of a touch-enabled device is provided. The user interface display method includes detecting a touch gesture; analyzing at least one of a contact position, a movement direction, a contact area size, a contact area shape, and an occurrence frequency of the touch gesture; determining one of a left hand grip state and a right hand grip state of the device based on a result of the analysis; and displaying a user interface corresponding to the determined one of the left hand grip state and the right hand grip state.
US09864502B1
A method for reviewing a document using a computing device, the computing device comprising a display for displaying the document in a user interface (UI) and one or more processors, the processor for executing a plurality of computer readable instructions, the computer readable instruction for implementing the method, the method includes displaying to a user within a document one or more pinned indicators, each of the one or more pinned indicators associated with respective certain information in the document, detecting the selection of one of the one or more pinned indicators, directing the user to the certain information associated with the selected pinned indicator, and receiving a confirmation that the user has reviewed the certain information associated with the selected pinned indication.
US09864498B2
Automatic scrolling of content displayed on a display device in response to gaze detection. Content may be displayed in a window rendered on a display screen. Gaze detection components may be used to detect that a user is gazing at the content and to determine a gaze point. At least one scroll zone relative to the display screen and a scroll action associated with each scroll zone may be determined. In response to determining that the gaze point is within a scroll zone, an associated scroll action may be initiated. The scroll action causes the content to scroll within the window until at least one of: expiration of a defined period, determining that a portion of the content scrolls past a defined position within the window, determining that the gaze point is outside of the scroll zone, and detecting an indicator that the user begins reading the content.
US09864487B2
According to various embodiments, a viewing event may be detected, the viewing event corresponding to a user viewing a content item. A view reason associated with the viewing event may be determined, the view reason indicating how the user was notified of the content item or how the user accessed the content item. A privacy value associated with the viewing event may be determined, the privacy value indicating an inferred sensitivity of the user to publication of the viewing event. Further, metadata describing the viewing event may be generated. Moreover, the metadata may be associated with the content item.
US09864486B2
Disclosed are a mobile terminal and controlling method thereof, by which saved image data can be effectively searched. The present invention includes a memory configured to store at least one image data, a touchscreen, and a controller outputting a thumbnail list for the stored image data on a 1st scale through the touchscreen, the controller receiving a scroll input to the outputted thumbnail list plural times, the controller, if the scroll input received plural times meets a scale change condition, changing the 1st scale of the outputted thumbnail list into a 2nd scale.
US09864483B2
The present document describes methods and apparatuses for managing and viewing calendar event items in an electronic calendaring application. For example, calendar event items may be viewed in an “agenda” view. A calendar event item may have a date and include any information relating to a corresponding calendar event. According to some example embodiments, a list of calendar event items and a list of dates are each displayed in a navigable format. The list of dates may include at least dates in a date range defined by the dates of the calendar event items. A navigation position of the list of calendar event items and a navigation position of the list of dates may be coordinated.
US09864481B2
Provided is an electronic apparatus including: a storage to classify images into each of groups, and to store the classified images; an output unit to output, as a representative image of the group, a thumbnail image of each of the images, which are extracted one by one for each of the groups from the images classified into the groups; an operation detecting unit to detect a predetermined operation by the user with respect to the output representative image; and a controller to control, when the predetermined operation is detected, the output unit to output the thumbnail images of the images classified into the group in which the representative image is extracted, together with the output representative image, the thumbnail images being arranged in a predetermined direction, and to scroll the thumbnail images in the predetermined direction.
US09864480B2
An image processing apparatus that is capable of displaying a WEB top button without deteriorating the quality of appearance even if the display size of the WEB top button is changed. A display unit displays a button, to which a URL is assigned, on an operation screen. An acquisition unit accesses a Web server that is identified by the URL and to acquire a plurality of icons in different sizes. The display unit selects an icon, which corresponds to a display size of the button, from among the icons acquired by the acquisition unit, and displays the selected icon together with the button.
US09864476B2
An electromagnetic touch three-dimensional grating comprising: an upper substrate and a lower substrate opposite to each other; a plurality of first strip electrodes located on a side of the lower substrate facing the upper substrate; and a plurality of second strip electrodes located on a side of the upper substrate facing the lower substrate and intersected with the first strip electrodes; wherein, during a touching period, the plurality of first strip electrodes are used as first electromagnetic touch electrodes, and the plurality of second strip electrodes are used as second electromagnetic touch electrodes; and during a three-dimensional displaying period, the plurality of first strip electrodes are used as first three-dimensional driving electrodes, and the second strip electrodes are used as a surface electrode, or, the plurality of second strip electrodes are used as second three-dimensional driving electrodes, and the first strip electrodes are used as a surface electrode.
US09864475B2
A method of detecting an input of an input marking apparatus includes generating and outputting a number signal to be written to the input marking apparatus, detecting the input marking apparatus in which the number signal is written, by detecting a response signal output from the input marking apparatus, and detecting a position of the input of the input marking apparatus of which the response signal is detected.
US09864474B2
A contact hole that penetrates a protective insulating film, an interlayer insulating film, and a transparent cap film and has a surface of a low-reflection film uncovered as a bottom surface is formed in a lead-out wiring region. A lower-layer terminal portion is formed by the low-reflection film and a low-resistance conductive film below the bottom surface of the contact hole. A contact hole that penetrates the protective insulating film and a transparent cap film and has a surface of a low-reflection film uncovered as a bottom surface is formed in the lead-out wiring region. An upper-layer terminal portion is formed by the low-reflection film and a low-resistance conductive film below the bottom surface of the contact hole.
US09864473B2
There are provide a display panel with a touch detection function, in which display operation is less affected by touch detection operation, a method of driving the display panel with a touch detection function, a driving circuit, and an electronic unit having the display panel with a touch detection function. The display panel with a touch detection function includes: one or more display elements; one or more drive electrodes; one or more touch detection electrodes; and a drive section selectively applying a DC drive signal or an AC drive signal to the drive electrodes.
US09864471B2
The method and processor for analyzing two-dimension information are disclosed. A 2-D information generated from a touch panel/screen is obtained, wherein the 2-D information comprises a plurality of values distributed over a plurality of reduced 2-D coordinates. Then, an approaching/touching range on the touch panel/screen approached or touched by an approaching/touching object is detected, wherein a minimum of the plurality of values distributed over a boundary of the approaching/touching range is greater than a maximum of the plurality of values inside the approaching/touching range except the boundary.
US09864466B2
A processing system configured for capacitive sensing includes sensor circuitry with functionality to acquire an absolute capacitive profile for sensor electrodes, and acquire a transcapacitive image using the sensor electrodes. The processing system is configured to create a first estimate of common mode noise using the absolute capacitive profile and the transcapacitive image, determine a location lacking an input object in the transcapacitive image using the first estimate of common mode noise, create a second estimate of common mode noise based on the location and the transcapacitive image, determine positional information of the input object using the second estimate of common mode noise, and process the positional information.
US09864462B2
In a liquid crystal display device, a second substrate includes a detection electrode of a touch panel, pixels include pixel electrodes and counter electrodes, the counter electrodes are divided into a plurality of blocks, the counter electrodes of the divided blocks are provided in common to the pixels on a plurality of display lines being side by side, the counter electrodes of the divided blocks are used as scanning electrodes of the touch panel as well, the liquid crystal display device includes a semiconductor chip configured to supply a counter voltage and a touch panel scanning voltage to the counter electrodes of the divided blocks, the semiconductor chip includes a first terminal group formed on a side of a display area side configured by the plurality of pixels.
US09864447B2
A display having a touch sensor comprises: a plurality of pixel areas disposed in a matrix manner on a substrate; a routing line running along a first direction on the substrate; a first passivation layer covering the routing line; a touch electrode covering the routing line and corresponding to a grouped pixel areas on the first passivation layer; a touch contact hole exposing some portions of the routing line by penetrating the touch electrode and the first passivation layer; a second passivation layer covering the touch electrode; a passivation contact hole exposing the touch contact hole and some portions of the touch electrode around the touch contact hole by penetrating the second passivation layer; and a touch terminal connecting the touch electrode and the routing line on the second passivation layer.
US09864436B2
A computer capable of recognizing gesture commands is disclosed. Suppose that a user makes a gesture of swinging a hand from side to side in front of a camera associated with a computer. A camera module receives frames with shots of the gesture in order. The camera module calculates a gradation difference between corresponding pixels of each frame and a background image to generate a set of binarized differential images. The camera module then combines differential images to generate composite images. In response to a determination that any of the composite images matches a reference pattern, the camera module outputs a computer command. The computer command can be used to control the power state of the computer or start a specific application within the computer.
US09864435B2
Techniques are described for notebook hinge sensors. For example, a computing device may comprise a housing having a processor circuit and an input device, the input device arranged on a side of the housing, a lid having a digital display arranged on a side of the lid, a hinge arranged to couple the housing and the lid, and a sensor module coupled to the processor circuit, the sensor module arranged inside the hinge and operative to capture motion input outside of the computing device.
US09864433B2
Described herein is a method for enabling human-to-computer three-dimensional hand gesture-based natural interactions from depth images provided by a range finding imaging system. The method enables recognition of simultaneous gestures from detection, tracking and analysis of singular points of interests on a single hand of a user and provides contextual feedback information to the user. The singular points of interest of the hand: include hand tip(s), fingertip(s), palm center and center of mass of the hand, and are used for defining at least one representation of a pointer. The point(s) of interest is/are tracked over time and are analyzed to enable the determination of sequential and/or simultaneous “pointing” and “activation” gestures performed by a single hand.
US09864432B1
An electronic device receives a first set of one or more inputs corresponding to user interface elements displayed on the display and a first set of one or more tactile outputs, and also receives a second set of one or more inputs corresponding to one or more hardware elements and a second set of one or more tactile outputs. In response, in accordance with a determination that the first set of one or more tactile outputs and the second set of one or more tactile outputs overlap, the device outputs, with one or more tactile output generators, a modified tactile output sequence that is modified so as to emphasize the second set of one or more tactile outputs relative to the first set of one or more tactile outputs.
US09864430B2
Examples are disclosed herein that are related to gaze tracking via image data. One example provides, on a gaze tracking system comprising an image sensor, a method of determining a gaze direction, the method comprising acquiring image data via the image sensor, detecting in the image data facial features of a human subject, determining an eye rotation center based upon the facial features using a calibrated face model, determining an estimated position of a center of a lens of an eye from the image data, determining an optical axis based upon the eye rotation center and the estimated position of the center of the lens, determining a visual axis by applying an adjustment to the optical axis, determining the gaze direction based upon the visual axis, and providing an output based upon the gaze direction.
US09864428B2
Embodiments of apparatus and methods for human-computer interaction are described. An apparatus for human-computer interaction may have one or more processors, multiple sensors to measure motion of a body part of a user, a communication module to communicate with a remote computing device, and an interpretation module to interpret the motion of the body part of the user to be associated with an indication of a user input to the remote computing device. The components may be encased in a body configured to be worn by the user. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.
US09864423B2
Apparatus and methods may provide for characterizing a plurality of similar components of a distributed computing system based on a maximum safe operation level associated with each component and storing characterization data in a database and allocating non-uniform power to each similar component based at least in part on the characterization data in the database to substantially equalize performance of the components.
US09864419B2
A handheld device including a circuit board including at least one electronic component, a heat pipe disposed on the electronic component to absorb heat generated from the electronic component and to release the absorbed heat in a direction opposite to the electronic component, and a heat sinking material configured to bond the circuit board and the heat pipe to each other. The heat pipe includes an evaporation section disposed on the main processor to absorb heat generated from the main processor, a connection section disposed on a side region of the main board to transfer the absorbed heat in a direction opposite to the main processor, and a condensation section configured to release the transferred heat.
US09864413B2
An accessory suitable for an electronic device is provided. The electronic device has a display area. The accessory includes a coupling portion and a cover portion. The coupling portion is suitable to be coupled to the electronic device. The cover portion is connected to the coupling portion and is suitable for covering the display area of the electronic device. The cover portion has a plurality of light-transmitting areas, and the light-transmitting areas are arranged on the display area in an array. An image generated by the display area is projected out of the cover portion through the light-transmitting areas. Moreover, an electronic assembly containing the electronic device and the accessory is also provided. Furthermore, a control method is also provided for controlling the electronic assembly. A method is also provided for forming an accessory.
US09864410B2
A foldable device and a method of controlling the same are provided. The foldable device includes: a flexible display which includes a main display area and an edge display area; and a controller which is configured to determine, based on an angle at which the foldable device is unfolded, a range of a partial activation area of the main display area, wherein the range of the partial activation area is partially bounded by a boundary between the edge display area and the main display area.
US09864404B2
Multiple unique configurations for a computer tablet holding device are disclosed. One of device's configurations allows for multiple viewing angles through the use of multi-configurable assembly. Another configuration is a multi-positional computer tablet holding device that can be used within a folio, with the benefit of working cooperatively with an accessory such as a keyboard or wrist rest, or removed and used independently of the folio. The holding device and other accessories may be retained on the folio by judiciously placed magnets. The folio of the invention includes a first and second flap, the first flap including a plurality of magnets arranged in a matrix, the magnets being spaced apart at a distance, the riser including a base having a pair of magnets, said individual magnets of the pair of magnets being spaced apart at the distance, the riser being selectively attachable at positions corresponding to the magnet positions of the folio. The cooperatively working feature aids in the use of these items functioning cooperatively with each other when assembled together as well as aiding for the easy transportability of these items when they are within proximity of each other.
US09864403B2
Electronic devices may be provided having internal components mounted to a structural glass support member. The structural glass support member may have a planar front surface that forms a front surface of the device. The structural glass support member may have bent portions that form sidewall surfaces of the device. Portions of the structural glass support member may form a transparent display cover layer. A rigid or flexible display may be mounted to the structural glass support member. Additional internal device components may be mounted to the display. A thin enclosure for enclosing the internal components in the device may be mounted to the structural glass support member. The thin enclosure may be mounted to the structural glass support member using a peripheral member. The thin enclosure may be free from attachments to internal components or may be adhesively bonded to one or more internal components.
US09864399B2
In an embodiment, an integrated circuit such as an SOC (or even a discrete chip system) includes one or more local timebases in various locations. The timebases may be incremented based on a high frequency local clock that may be subject to variation during use due. Periodically, based on a lower frequency clock that is subject to less variation, the local timebases may be synchronized to the correct time, using hardware circuitry. In particular, the correct timebase value for the next synchronization may be transmitted to each local timebase, and the control circuit for the local timebase may be configured to saturate the local timebase at the correct value if the local timebase reaches the correct value before the synchronization occurs. Similarly, if the synchronization occurs and the local timebase has not reached the correct value, the control circuit may be configured to load the correct timebase value.
US09864397B2
An operating member 3 has a shaft portion 31 and a fulcrum portion 32. A first swinging member 4 has a concave fitting portion 42. Inside the fitting portion, engaging surfaces and guide surfaces 45, 46 are included. The engaging surfaces are formed to be engageable with the fulcrum portion. The guide surfaces allow the fulcrum portion to swing with respect to the first swinging member. The second swinging member 5 includes an engaging portion 63 which includes a long hole, and which covers the fulcrum portion while passing the shaft portion through the long hole in a manner that the shaft portion is movable in the longitudinal direction of the long hole, in such a manner that the engaging portion and the fitting portion cooperate to sandwich the fulcrum portion. The engaging portion is coupled with the second swing shaft, and configured to be engageable with the shaft portion.
US09864396B1
Highly maneuverable utility vehicles having Mecanum wheels capable of traveling in a variety of different directions and turning in a zero turn manner may include one or more controllers in communication with drive units for powering the Mecanum wheels. A multi-axis interface, such as a joystick, may be connected to the controller for proportionally controlling the direction and speed of the vehicle, and for providing different manners in which the vehicle may enter zero-turn mode. The joystick may include at least one pushbutton for switching between programmed travel modes or selecting an auxiliary function. The controller may be programmed to permit the vehicle to operate in different operating modes.
US09864392B2
A CMOS voltage reference is disclosed. The CMOS voltage reference may include a PTAT current bias circuit including a start-up circuit, a core module implementing high order non-linear curvature compensation and an output stage supplying the reference voltage. The CMOS voltage reference may include a PTAT current bias circuit having a start-up and a CTAT feedback loop and a PTAT feedback loop and a compensating circuit summing the current from the CTAT feedback loop and the PTAT feedback loop.
US09864390B2
A power supply system and a power supply method thereof are disclosed. The power supply system includes a master power supply device and a slave power supply device. When a master power detection module detects that a current value of a master power signal generated from a master power supply module increases to a first loading proportion, a master micro-controlling module will notices a slave micro-controlling module via a controlling pin to enable a slave power supply module to generate a slave power signal. When a slave power detection module detects that a current value of the slave power signal decreases to a second loading proportion, the slave micro-control module will control the slave power supply module to stop generating the power signal.
US09864388B2
A reference voltage generator may include the following elements: a first power supply terminal configured to receive a first power supply voltage; a second power supply terminal configured to receive a second power supply voltage; a reference voltage output node configured to provide a reference voltage; a first switch electrically connected between the first power supply terminal and the reference voltage output node; a second switch electrically connected between the second power supply terminal and the reference voltage output node; a first positive feedback module electrically connected to both the reference voltage output node and the first switch and configured to provide a first feedback voltage to the first switch; and a second positive feedback module electrically connected to both the reference voltage output node and the second switch and configured to provide a second feedback voltage to the second switch.
US09864381B2
Pulling eyes are provided with integrated wiring systems suitable for installing conductors or cables. The pulling eyes may include body portions that define interior cavities that are sized to snugly engage outside portions of the conductors or cables. The body portions are sized to be deformably crimped onto the outside portions of the conductors or cables. The pulling eyes may also include head portions joined to the body portions, with the head portions defining apertures for receiving a strength member for installing the conductors or cables. These apertures place the interior cavities in communication with the exteriors of the pulling eyes.
US09864380B1
An extremum-seeking control system for formation flight that uses blended performance parameters in a conglomerate performance function that better approximates drag reduction than performance functions formed from individual measurements. Generally, a variety of different measurements are taken and fed to a control system, the measurements are weighted, and are then subjected to a peak-seeking control algorithm. As measurements are continually taken, the aircraft will be guided to a relative position which optimizes the drag reduction of the formation. Two embodiments are discussed. Two approaches are shown for determining relative weightings: “a priori” by which they are qualitatively determined (by minimizing the error between the conglomerate function and the drag reduction function), and by periodically updating the weightings as the formation evolves.
US09864377B2
A method for generating a navigation map of an environment in which a plurality of robots will navigate, includes obtaining an image of the environment defined by a plurality of pixels, each having a cost value. The environment includes an image of a fixed object having a set of pixels corresponding to its location and having a first defined cost value. The method includes obtaining a planned path image for the robots, which include a first set of pixels corresponding to the location of each robot in the environment and a second set of pixels adjacent to the first set of pixels and extending along a planned path of travel toward a destination. The first set of pixels of each robot having the first defined cost value and the second set of pixels having a second defined cost value. The second defined cost value is less than the first defined cost value.
US09864369B2
A robotic vehicle is provided with vertical ball cannon and a ball deflector. The ball deflector is mounted over the vertical ball cannon on a vertical linear slide. The deflector redirects a ball shot from the cannon toward a desired target, such as a cylindrical goal. The vehicle further includes a rotating goal-grabber for anchoring a goal adjacent to the vehicle and underneath the output of the deflector. A pair of counter-rotating helical screws capture a ball from the ground and raise it into the ball cannon. The cannon launches the ball toward the deflector, which redirects the ball's upward vertical motion away from the cannon into a downward vertical motion toward the desired target.
US09864367B2
A mounting pin straightness management system is provided. The system includes a sensor unit that is configured to measure 3-dimensional coordinates (a(Ta, La, Ha), b(Tb, Lb. Hb)) for a first and a second center point (a, b) of two approximate circles formed from intersections of an exterior surface of the at least one mounting pin and two parallel planes (PA and PB) perpendicular to a target length direction of the at least one mounting pin and spaced apart at a predetermined distance (H) from each other. A controller is configured to calculate a straightness index (S.I.) related to a maximum distance (Lmax) between the first and the second center point under a straightness management tolerance (r) and an actual distance (Lactual) between the first and the second center point by receiving the 3-dimensional coordinates of the first and the second center point from the sensor unit.
US09864364B2
A method includes receiving notifications associated with batch execution instances executed by multiple devices. The notifications identify events occurring in an industrial process control and automation system. The method also includes creating a unique namespace for association with the notifications. The method further includes storing records identifying the notifications in a unified activity hierarchy based on the unique namespace. Creating the unique namespace could include creating an initial namespace using one or more fields associated with a parent process being executed. The parent process can activate a child process, and a namespace for the child process can contain the initial namespace and use one or more fields associated with the child process. The child process can activate a grand-child process, and a namespace for the grand-child process can contain the initial namespace and the namespace for the child process and use one or more fields associated with the grand-child process.
US09864363B2
A process control method is provided for performing a deposition process on a plurality of wafers of a batch. The process control method includes: deciding a placement location of the wafers of the batch according to the history information of a tool and the product information of the batch; calculating a target value of each placement location according to the placement location of the wafers of the batch and the history information of the tool; calculating a process parameter according to the history information of the tool, the product information of the batch, and the target value of each placement location; and performing a deposition process according to the placement location of the wafers of the batch and the process parameter.
US09864351B2
System, method and apparatus for resupplying fast moving consumable goods associated with appliances
A consumable-goods reordering system in which a system controller has access to the signals transmitted by each smart appliance relevant to the environment being monitored, such as a home. Each appliance monitors a particular physical condition that is related to the appliance's usage of a consumable good, senses changes in the condition being monitored, and reports states of the condition. Meanwhile, the system controller memorizes and maintains the states of various processing events, such as when an appliance reported a particular state of the monitored condition. By considering the information reported by the multiple smart appliances, as well as by accounting for the states corresponding to the various events, the system controller is able to continually update a representation of the state of the monitored environment. Having such context awareness enables the system controller to generate intelligently various reorder messages for transmission to the various suppliers of the consumables.
US09864350B2
In at least one illustrative embodiment, a building automation system may comprise a communication network compatible with at least one building automation system communication protocol, a control system coupled to the communication network, and a building automation server coupled to the communication network. The building automation server may be configured to receive at least one event message over the communication network from the control system in response to a corresponding condition occurring on the control system, access past event messages generated by the control system in response to past occurrences of the corresponding condition, and generate event alert data as a function of the received at least one event message and the retrieved past event messages, the event alert data identifying (i) a name of the corresponding condition, (ii) a real-time status of the control system, and (iii) a quantitative summary of the past occurrences of the corresponding condition.
US09864348B2
A processor-implemented method, system, and/or computer program product optimizes operations of an electronic system. The electronic system receives first operational inputs from a first user device, which control operations of the electronic system. The electronic system also receives second operational inputs from a second user device, which are overridden by the first operational inputs at the electronic system, such that the second operational inputs initially do not control operations of the electronic system. Operational input qualities of the first operational inputs and the second operational inputs are compared according to how efficiently the electronic system functions. In response to determining that the operational input quality of the second operational inputs is equal to or greater than the operational input quality of the first operational inputs, the second operational inputs are unblocked and the first operational inputs are blocked, such that the unblocked second operational inputs now control the electronic system.
US09864326B2
An image forming apparatus comprises a developing unit and a developing unit attaching portion that is provided in an apparatus main body. The developing unit and the developing unit attaching portion are provided with an insertion guide. The insertion guide makes the developing unit a state it is inclined from a normal posture so as to be moved on a position departed from a photoreceptor drum during a period from a start of insertion of the developing unit into the developing unit attaching portion until just before completion of the insertion, and makes, during a period from just before completion of the insertion until completion of the insertion, the developing unit turn according to an insertion operation of the developing unit so as to be brought close to the photoreceptor drum, whereby the developing unit is positioned so as to take the normal posture.
US09864325B2
In an image forming apparatus, a cover has a pivot shaft and is pivotally movable between a closed position and an open position. The link member is slidingly movable in a direction parallel to the pivot shaft in response to depression of a button. The locking member provides locking engagement between the cover and a housing, and is pressed by the link member in accordance with the sliding movement of the link member to release the locking engagement. The push member is movable in a direction opposite to an opening direction of the cover to be pressed against the housing when the cover is at the closed position in accordance with the sliding movement of the link member. The depression of the button causes both unlocking and movement of the cover in the opening direction when the cover is at the closed position.
US09864324B2
According to an embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes a case having a door which can be opened and closed. A first rotating body, provided in the case, is exposed from the case when the door is opened. A second rotating body, provided in the case, is exposed from the case when the door is opened. The second rotating body forms a nip with the first rotating body. A spacer, detachably provided in the case, separates the first rotating body and the second rotating body when the spacer is attached. The second rotating body forms a nip with the first rotating body when the spacer is detached.
US09864320B2
A cleaning device includes a housing, a cleaning blade, and first and second sealing members. The housing has formed therein an opening facing an image carrying member. The cleaning blade removes toner that remains attached to the image carrying member while being in contact with the circumferential surface of the image carrying member. The first and second sealing members prevent waste toner inside the housing from leaking out through a gap between the housing and the image carrying member, owing to the first and second sealing members abutting on the circumferential surface of the image carrying member.
US09864319B2
The image forming apparatus includes a slide member configured to slide with a transfer material in a case that the transfer material is brought into contact with a transfer member, a grounding member configured to be electrically connected to the earth, and a connection member having conductivity and configured to be electrically connected to the slide member. The connection member includes a deforming portion deformed by an electrostatic force acting between the grounding member and the connection member, the slide member is conducted to the grounding member via the connection member in a case that the deforming portion is deformed and abuts on the grounding member, and the slide member is electrically insulated from the grounding member in a case that the deforming portion is separated from the grounding member.
US09864318B2
An imaging forming apparatus includes a positive high-voltage circuit that generates voltage having a positive polarity, a negative high-voltage circuit connected in series with the positive high-voltage circuit and generates voltage having a negative polarity, a transfer roller to which the voltage generated by the positive high-voltage circuit or the negative high-voltage circuit is supplied, neutralizing pins to which the voltage generated by the negative high-voltage circuit is supplied, a current detection circuit that detects current flowing into the transfer roller, and a diode connected between the transfer roller and the neutralizing pins and that separates a path for the current flowing into the transfer roller and a path for current flowing into the neutralizing pins from each other.
US09864317B2
An image forming apparatus includes a housing, a registration roller pair, a first guiding portion, a second guiding portion, a resistor, and a grounding conductive mechanism. The housing is made of metal and has a grounded inner wall. The registration roller pair is located between the paper sheet feeder and the transfer member in the sheet conveyance path, includes a metallic registration roller and a facing roller that is constituted of an elastic material, and rotates in abutting contact with the registration roller, so as to convey the sheet toward the transfer nip portion. The first guiding portion is made of metal. The second guiding portion is made of a conductive resin material. The grounding conductive mechanism electrically conducts the registration roller, the first guiding portion, and the second guiding portion to the inner wall via a resistor.
US09864316B2
According to one embodiment, a paper conveyance apparatus includes: a paper feed section on which paper is placed; a first roller configured to be arranged at the upstream side of a reading position where the paper is read to convey the paper at a first speed; a second roller configured to be arranged between the first roller and the paper feed section to convey the paper at a second speed faster than the first speed; a motor; a fourth roller configured to be arranged between the first roller and the reading position and driven by the motor to convey the paper to the reading position at the first speed; and a transmission section configured to always transmit a rotation driving force of the motor to the first roller and the fourth roller.
US09864301B1
An image forming apparatus includes a developer container, a development device, a developer replenishment device and a control part. The control part obtains a replenishment amount (X) of the developer replenished by the developer replenishment device from a last-time replenishment until a this-time replenishment and a predicted consumption (Y) of the developer, calculated based on the image data output from the last-time replenishment until the this-time replenishment, and informs abnormality when an absolute value of a difference of the replenishment amount (X) and the predicted consumption (Y) is larger than a threshold value.
US09864289B2
An electrostatic latent image developing toner includes a plurality of toner particles each including a core containing a binder resin and a shell layer covering a surface of the core. The shell layer contains a copolymer of at least two vinyl compounds including a compound represented by the following formula (1). The toner contains a ring unopened oxazoline group in an amount of at least 0.10 μmol/g and no greater than 100 μmol/g.
US09864285B2
Provided is an electrophotographic photosensitive member comprising a support, an intermediate layer formed on the support, a charge generating layer formed directly on the intermediate layer, and a charge transporting layer formed on the charge generating layer, in which the intermediate layer contains a compound represented by the formula (1).
US09864281B2
Movable pressing and light-shielding mechanism for digital stereo image printing and method therefor
A movable pressing and light-shielding mechanism for digital stereo image printing comprises a base (1), multiple gantries (2), a photosensitive platform (3) and an exposure system device (4); wherein the base (1) has a groove inside which the photosensitive platform (3) is provided. The number of the gantries (2) is two. The two gantries (2) are provided in parallel and fixed on the base (1) and a slideway (22) is provided between the two gantries (2). A screw is provided in the slideway (22). One end of the screw is connected with a second motor (12). The motor (12) is connected with the exposure system device (4). A top end face of the exposure system device (4) is connected with the screw. A laser scan line opening is provided on a bottom surface of the exposure system equipment (4).
US09864279B2
An imprint lithography apparatus having a first frame to be mounted on a floor, a second frame mounted on the first frame via a kinematic coupling, an alignment sensor mounted on the second frame, to align an imprint lithography template arrangement with a target portion of a substrate, and a position sensor to measure a position of the imprint lithography template arrangement and/or a substrate stage relative to the second frame.
US09864275B2
An improved resist material and a technique for patterning a workpiece such as an integrated circuit workpiece that offers improved resistance to environmental contaminants is provided. In an exemplary embodiment, the method includes receiving a workpiece and applying to the workpiece a resist material containing a protectant disbursed throughout. A thermal process is performed on the workpiece that causes the protectant to become concentrated in an upper region of the resist material. The resist material is exposed in a lithographic process and the exposed resist material is developed to define a pattern within the resist material. In some such examples, the protectant is selected to reduce an effect of an environmental contaminant without affecting an acid/base ratio of the resist material. In some such embodiments, the protectant includes a hydrophobic functional group.
US09864274B2
The invention relates to a method for forming a liquid radiation curable resin capable of curing into a solid upon irradiation comprising at least one thermally sensitive visual effect initiator. The liquid radiation curable resin is capable of curing into three-dimensional articles having selective visual effects. The resulting three-dimensional articles possess excellent color and/or transparency stability and excellent mechanical properties.
US09864271B2
A lithographic apparatus is disclosed that has a first substrate table arranged to hold a substrate and a second substrate table arranged to hold a substrate, an imprint template holder arranged to hold an imprint template, and an imprintable medium dispenser, wherein the first substrate table is moveable between a first position located at or adjacent to the imprintable medium dispenser, and a second position located at or adjacent to the imprint template holder, and the second substrate table is moveable between the first and second positions, such that the first and second substrate tables swap positions.
US09864270B2
A method for manufacturing a pellicle includes: providing a supporting substrate; forming an oxide layer over the supporting substrate; forming a metal layer over the oxide layer; forming a graphene layer over the metal layer; and removing at least a portion of the supporting substrate and the oxide layer. An associated method includes: providing a supporting substrate; forming a first silicon carbide (SiC) layer or a diamond layer over the supporting substrate; forming a graphene layer over the SiC layer or the diamond layer; and removing at least a portion of the supporting substrate and the first silicon carbide (SiC) layer or the diamond layer; wherein the pellicle is at least partially transparent to extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation. An associated pellicle is also disclosed.
US09864268B2
In order to form a fine mask pattern with high accuracy, in a mask blank in which a light-semitransmissive film, a light shielding film, and a hard mask film are laminated in the stated order on a transparent substrate, the light-semitransmissive film containing silicon and additionally nitrogen, the hard mask film containing silicon or tantalum, and additionally oxygen, the light shielding film having the laminate structure of a lower layer, an intermediate layer, and an upper layer and containing chromium, conditions on the light shielding film are adjusted so that etching rates using a mixture gas of chlorine and oxygen are the lowest for the upper layer and the next lowest for the lower layer.
US09864267B2
To provide a reflective mask blank which may inhibit a variation in reflectance with respect to EUV light due to counter diffusion between a protective film and a material of an adjacent phase-shift film pattern caused by thermal diffusion even if the power of an exposure light source of an EUV exposure machine becomes high; a reflective mask manufactured therefrom; and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device. The reflective mask blank comprises a multilayer reflective film 13, protective film 14, and phase-shift film 16 for shifting a phase of the EUV light, which are formed in said order on a substrate 12. The protective film 14 is made of a material containing ruthenium as a main component, the phase-shift film 16 has a tantalum-based material layer comprising tantalum, and an anti-diffusion layer 15 comprising ruthenium and oxygen is formed on a surface of the protective film 14, or as a part of the protective film 14 on a side adjacent to the phase-shift layer 16, so as to inhibit counter diffusion in relation to the phase-shift film 16, thereby inhibiting the thermal diffusion between the protective film 14 and the material of the phase-shift film pattern.
US09864266B2
A photomask blank comprising a transparent substrate and a chromium-containing film is provided. The chromium-containing film is constructed by one or more chromium compound layers which are formed of a chromium compound containing Cr, N and optionally O, and have a composition having a Cr content ≧30 at % and a total Cr+N+O content ≧93 at %, and meeting the formula: 3Cr≦2O+3N. A chromium compound layer meeting a first composition having an N/Cr atomic ratio ≧0.95, a Cr content ≧40 at %, a total Cr+N content ≧80 at %, and an O content ≦10 at % is included to a thickness of more than 70% to 100% of the overall thickness of the chromium-containing film.
US09864259B2
Provided is a beam projector including: an image generation unit configured to generate an image light for an image signal; an optical unit configured to enlarge the image light to project toward a screen; a housing provided with the image generation unit; a motion sensor configured to detect movement of the housing; and a compensation driving unit configured to move at least one of the image generation unit and the optical unit so as to countervail the movement.
US09864254B2
A device for generating a modulation of an optical signal is provided which has a first electro-absorption modulator including a first P-doped semi-conductor area, a first N-doped semi-conductor area, and a first active portion, along with a second electro-absorption modulator including a second P-doped semi-conductor area in electric contact with the first N-doped semi-conductor area, a second N-doped semi-conductor area, and a second active portion, and a connector for introducing electric modulation. In the device, the connector for introducing electric modulation is in contact with the first N-doped semi-conductor area and the second P-doped semi-conductor area.
US09864252B2
Variable transmittance optical filters capable of transitioning from a light state to a dark state on exposure to UV radiation and from a dark state to a light state with application of an electric voltage are provided. The optical filters comprise a switching material that comprises one or more chromophores that have electrochromic and photochromic properties.
US09864247B1
A TFT device of a liquid crystal display and a manufacturing method therefor are provided. The TFT device has: a substrate; a first metal layer formed on the substrate on which a first silicon nitride protective film is deposited; a second metal layer deposited on the first silicon nitride protective film on which a second silicon nitride protective film is deposited; and a conductive film deposited on the second metal layer where the second silicon nitride protective film is etched, and connected with the first metal layer through a contact hole which passes through the first and second silicon nitride protective films, so that the first and second metal layers are connected. Thus, the connecting distance of the conductive film between the different metal layers and the contact resistance between metals are decreased, so as to enhance the product yield rate and the competitive capability of the product.
US09864243B2
A display provides increased contrast and resolution via first LCD panel energized to generate an image and a second LCD panel configured to increase contrast of the image. The second panel is an LCD panel without color filters and is configured to increase contrast by decreasing black levels of dark portions of images (making them blacker or darker) using polarization rotation and filtration. Preferably, the second LCD panel is of higher resolution than the first LCD panel. The panels may be directly illuminated or edge lit, and may be globally or locally dimmed monochrome or multi primary lights that may also include individual control of color intensities for each image or frame displayed. The panels may be placed in any order, but preferably are arranged such that active layers in each panel are as close together as possible. Brightness is maintained by the combination of reusing polarization between the panels and by not going through more than one set of color filters. Improved contrast is a result of using multiple light modulators in series.
US09864242B2
A display device includes: a display panel including a display area and a non-display area; a at least one pad in the non-display area of the display panel; a driving chip connected to the at least one pad, the driving chip including a driving circuit and at least one bump therein, wherein the at least one bump has an inclined surface facing toward a central portion of the driving chip.
US09864240B2
The present invention provides a fringe field switching (FFS) mode liquid crystal display device that makes it possible to improve transmittance when a voltage is applied. The fringe field switching mode liquid crystal display device of the present invention includes: a first substrate; a second substrate arranged facing the first substrate; and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein the first substrate includes, in order, a plurality of pixel electrodes, an insulating film covering the plurality of pixel electrodes, and a common electrode that is layered on top of the plurality of pixel electrodes and has a plurality of parallel slits formed therein, wherein steps that protrude towards a liquid crystal layer side are formed in the first substrate in at least sides of regions between the plurality of pixel electrodes that are parallel to a lengthwise direction of the plurality of parallel slits, and wherein the common electrode covers at least side faces of the steps.
US09864233B2
In a liquid crystal display device, a reflecting surface is attached to a portion, which overlaps with a periphery portion of a light guiding plate where the light incident section is position in a surface on the light guiding plate side in the dispersing sheet which is positioned farthest to the light guiding plate side among a plurality of optical sheets which are positioned between the light guiding plate and a liquid crystal panel. As a result, light which is emitted from the periphery portion of the light guiding plate is returned into the light guiding plate by being reflected by the reflecting surface, and after this, is emitted as illumination light from a light emitting surface while progressing within the light guiding plate.
US09864227B2
A display device includes a first substrate on which a thin film transistor is formed and which is divided into a display area and a non-display area outside thereof, a second substrate arranged to face an upper surface of the first substrate, a light-shielding film provided in an area between the first substrate and the second substrate, and a circuit provided on an upper surface of the second substrate and in an area facing the display area. The second substrate includes a terminal part of the circuit, which is provided on the upper surface of the second substrate and in an area facing the non-display area. The terminal part is connected with a circuit driving substrate, which drives the circuit through an anisotropic conductive film covering the terminal part. The light-shielding film is provided to avoid at least part of an area facing the terminal part.
US09864223B2
A display device for displaying an image on a display surface includes a liquid crystal panel having the display surface, the liquid crystal panel with a first through hole formed in the display surface, a backlight disposed oppositely to the liquid crystal panel, the backlight with a second through hole formed at a position overlapping with the first through hole, and a cap inserted into the first through hole and the second through hole. The cap includes a tube portion with a third through hole formed, the third through hole parallel to the first through hole and the second through hole, and a flange portion formed at least one end of the tube portion, the flange portion having an outer diameter larger than a diameter of the first through hole, and larger than a diameter of the second through hole.
US09864222B2
A curved display panel, a curved display device, and a method for fabricating the same are disclosed. Both the light output face and the light input face of the curved display panel are continuously curved surfaces. The curved display panel with a continuously curved surface has a bending degree which is closer to the natural bending degree of a liquid crystal panel, so that a relatively small stress is generated on the curved display panel, and the problem of serious peripheral light leakage caused by deformation of the curved display panel is alleviated. Besides, since the curvature radius of each point on the continuously curved surface changes slowly, the problem of serious peripheral light leakage caused by deformation of the curved display panel is alleviated, the complexity of the fabricating process is reduced, the fabricating process is simplified, and the production of the product is improved.
US09864220B2
Provided is an optical sensor mounting structure for use in image display device devices that can accurately measure the amount of light from a backlight by measuring leak LED light, without having to modify an image display panel module itself. In an image display device using an image display panel module in which a wire drawing port for drawing a wire from a backlight is formed in a panel sheet metal, an optical sensor mounting structure includes an optical sensor configured to measure leak light from the backlight and a positioning member (intermediate connector) positioning the optical sensor. The optical sensor is disposed near the wire drawing port and measures the leak LED light from the wire drawing port.
US09864208B2
In an optical display system that includes a waveguide with multiple diffractive optical elements (DOEs), one or more of the DOEs is configured with gratings that have varying depth and varying directions for depth modulation, in which the modulation direction is aligned with the steepest change (i.e., slope) of grating depth. Depth modulation direction may change at a point of transition between different regions in the DOE. For example, with a zero axis being defined along a line parallel to a long side of a DOE, the depth modulation direction can change from a negative angle, with respect to the axis in the plane of the waveguide in one region, to a positive angle in another region, or vice versa. By varying depth modulation direction in a DOE, display uniformity in the optical display system may be increased.
US09864200B2
The present application provides a head-mounted display, including a display device comprising a display body and two support arms extending from opposite ends of the display body, a headphone device comprising two headphone bodies, and two connection mechanisms connected to the two support arms respectively and rotatably connected to the two headphone bodies respectively. A head-mounted bracket is connected to the two connection mechanisms via two connection portions. Each connection mechanism includes a first rotation member for connecting a support arm to a corresponding headphone body and a second rotation member rotatably connected to the first rotation member and connected to a corresponding connection portion, respectively. The display device is driven to rotate relative to the head-mounted bracket under the first rotation member rotating relative to the second rotation member, which enables the display device to be folded together with the head-mounted bracket to improve portability of the product.
US09864197B2
A display device includes: a stepping motor; a concave mirror that moves in accordance with the operation of the stepping motor, the concave mirror reflecting display light emitted from a display unit toward the windshield; a lever part that moves together with the concave mirror; a drive unit for driving the stepping motor by a microstep drive system; a control unit for controlling the movement of the concave mirror by controlling the drive unit; and a stopper unit provided within the range of movement of the lever part. The drive unit is configured to detect the counter-electromotive force generated by the stepping motor when the lever part comes into contact with the stopper unit. The control unit determines the reference position when the movement of the concave mirror is controlled in accordance with the counter-electromotive force detected by the drive unit.
US09864191B2
A viewer includes a varifocal lens and a lens controller that adjusts a focal length of the varifocal lens, and can adjust a focal point in accordance with eye movement of the user. When a 3D image viewing detector detects 3D image viewing by the user, a focal length fixing section instructs a lens controller to fix a focal length of the varifocal lens irrespective of eye movement of the user.
US09864187B2
A reflector micromechanical structure includes a frame with a window. The frame is elastically connected to an anchorage structure by first elastic elements. An actuation structure operatively coupled to the frame is configured to generate a first actuation movement of the frame about a first actuation axis. A mobile mass is positioned within the window and elastically coupled to the frame by second elastic elements. A mass distribution is associated to the mobile mass such as to generate, by an inertial effect in response to the first actuation movement, a second actuation movement of rotation of the mobile mass about a second actuation axis.
US09864184B2
Certain aspects pertain to Fourier ptychographic imaging systems, devices, and methods that implement an embedded pupil function recovery.
US09864169B2
An optical image capturing system, sequentially including a first lens element, a second lens element, a third lens element and a fourth lens element from an object side to an image side, is disclosed. The first lens element has negative refractive power. The second through third lens elements have refractive power. The fourth lens element has positive refractive power. At least one of the image side surface and the object side surface of each of the four lens elements are aspheric. The optical lens elements can increase aperture value and improve the imagining quality for use in compact cameras.
US09864168B2
A first optical imaging system includes, in order from the object side to the image side, a first lens element, a second lens element, and a third lens element, arranged along an optical axis. A second optical imaging system includes, in order from the object side to the image side, a first lens element, a second lens element, a third lens element, and a fourth lens element, arranged along an optical axis. A third optical imaging system is a telecentric lens system having only lens elements having a refractive power and a chief ray angle smaller than 1 degree. The lens elements of the optical imaging systems may be made of the same material having absorption in visible wavelengths and high transmission in near infrared radiation. The lens elements may be coated with an antireflective coating that is optimized for near infrared radiation.
US09864167B2
An image forming lens is formed by sequentially arranging, from an object side to an image side, a first lens group having positive refractive power, an aperture stop, a second lens group having positive refractive power, and a third lens group having positive or negative refractive power. When focusing is performed from a long distance to a short distance, the third lens group is fixed relative to an image surface, and the first lens group, the aperture stop, and the second lens group are moved integrally to the object side. In the image forming lens, the third lens group is formed by sequentially arranging, from the object side to the image side, two lenses in order of a negative lens and a positive lens, and a conditional expression is satisfied: 0.20
US09864162B2
A lens barrel according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes the lens frame which holds the lens, and the holding frame which holds the lens frame in a state where the lens frame is movable in a plane orthogonal to the optical axis. A biasing means which generates a force in the direction that the lens frame is lifted up against the gravity is provided to at least the holding frame out of the holding frame and the lens.
US09864152B1
The present invention is directed to an optical assembly that comprises a coupler and a connecting structure. The coupler comprises first optical waveguides, a male alignment feature and optical connection means. The first optical waveguides extend parallel from a first end to a second end and form a planar end portion at the level of the second end. The male alignment feature, to which said planar end portion is secured, protrudes transversally to an average plane of the planar end portion, at the level of said planar end portion. The optical connection means are arranged at the level of said first end. The connecting structure comprises second optical waveguides that extend parallel to said plane and a female alignment feature, which is configured to receive said male alignment feature, and extends transversally to said plane at the level of the planar end portion.
US09864149B1
The cleaning nozzle is used for cleaning an optical fiber connector using a cleaning fluid. The optical fiber connector includes a connector housing. A ferrule is supported within the interior of the connector housing. The nozzle has inner and outer housing members that respectively define an inner channel and an outer channel. The inner channel is sized to accommodate a front-end section of the ferrule. The inner and outer channels are in fluid communication through the interior of the connector housing when the front-end section of the ferrule resides within the inner channel. The nozzle assembly includes the nozzle and the optical fiber connector. Methods of cleaning the interior of the optical fiber connector as well as the ferrule end face, the optical fiber end face and the ferrule outer surface are also disclosed.
US09864148B1
An optical device includes at least three optical ports. An optical arrangement arranges an optical beam received from any of the optical ports into a first polarization state. A dispersion element spatially separates the optical beam into a plurality of wavelength components. An optical power element converges each wavelength component in at least one direction. A programmable optical phase modulator steers the wavelength components through the optical arrangement, the dispersion element and the focusing element to a selected optical output. The programmable optical phase modulator includes an active area that performs the steering and a non-active area surrounding the active area. A polarizing arrangement located in an optical path between at least one of the optical ports and at least a portion of the non-active area of the programmable optical phase modulator is configured to arrange optical energy into a second polarization state orthogonal to the first polarization state.
US09864145B2
A Mux/Demux subassembly includes a stamped optical bench, which includes an array of stamped reflective surfaces for redirecting optical signals. Alignment features and components of the Mux/Demux subassembly are integrally formed on a stamped optical bench, defining a desired optical path with optical alignment at tight tolerances. The optical bench is formed by stamping a malleable stock material (e.g., a metal stock), to form precise geometries and features of the optical bench.
US09864142B2
A double mirror (Mi) of a light-guiding device of the present invention is made of (i) a first mirror (Mi1) that is mounted on a top surface of a base plate (B) and has a reflective surface (S1) entering an input beam reflected by the reflective surface (S1) and (ii) a second mirror (Mi2) that is mounted on a top surface of the first mirror (Mi1) and is a prism having a reflective surface (S2) reflecting the input beam that has been reflected by the reflective surface (S1), the input beam reflected by the reflective surface (S2) being totally reflected inside the prism.
US09864141B1
A compact polarization beam rotator includes a converter waveguide comprising a first segment and a second segment both in corresponding taper rib shapes sharing a first middle plane and configured to receive an input optical signal with TM polarization mode from an input plane and convert the TM polarization mode to TE1 polarization mode comprising a first arm mode and a second arm mode at a second middle plane. The polarization beam rotator additionally includes a splitter waveguide coupled to the second middle plane for separating the first arm mode and the second arm mode at a third plane respectively coupled to a first branch waveguide to deliver the first arm mode in phase and a second branch waveguide to reverse the second arm mode phase by 180°, and a 2×1 MMI coupler waveguide to combine both arm modes in phase to an output optical signal with TE polarization mode.
US09864139B1
A waveguide includes a segment with a substantially uniform cure profile and related methods and systems for making and using the same. The waveguide is formed by modifying a laser beam used to write the waveguide to provide a substantially uniform cure profile in the waveguide. A marker characteristic of laser writing may be present in the waveguide. A method or system modifies an intensity profile or a shape profile of a laser beam to proactively compensate for exposure convolution based on the characteristics of the laser beam spot profile. A convolution compensator is positioned in the path of the laser beam to modify the beam spot profile during writing to form the one or more segments of the waveguide in a photo-curable layer.
US09864137B2
An optical waveguide element according to an exemplary aspect of the invention includes a first optical waveguide configured by combining a plurality of first element waveguides; and a second optical waveguide configured by combining a plurality of second element waveguides each of which having the same structure as the plurality of first element waveguides.
US09864133B2
The embodiments herein describe a photonic chip (formed from a SOI structure) which includes an optical interface for coupling the optical components in the photonic chip to an external optical device. In one embodiment, the optical interface is formed on a separate substrate which is later joined to the photonic chip. Through oxide vias (TOVs) and through silicon vias (TSVs) can be used to electrically couple the optical components in the photonic chip to external integrated circuits or amplifiers. In one embodiment, after the separate wafer is bonded to the photonic chip, a TOV is formed in the photonic chip to electrically connect metal routing layers coupled to the optical components in the photonic chip to a TSV in the separate wafer. For example, the TOV may extend across a wafer bonding interface where the two substrates where bonded to form an electrical connection with the TSV.
US09864127B2
Arrangement for use with a touchscreen, includes a substrate, such as an optically substantially transparent film or a film defining a through hole, the substrate including support electronics, such as printed electronics including a number of printed conductors, for providing power, control and/or communications connection to further electronic components, a number of emitters and detectors arranged on the substrate into contact with the support electronics, for emitting and detecting light, respectively, and a lightguide arranged onto the substrate such that the emitters and detectors, and optionally at least part of the support electronics, are substantially immersed in the lightguide material, the properties of the lightguide including the refractive index of the lightguide material being selected and the emitters and detectors being configured so as to enable, when in use, total internal reflection (TIR)-type propagation of light within the lightguide between the emitters and detectors and recognition of a touch on the basis of a drop in the TIR performance as determined from the detected light. A related method of manufacture is presented.
US09864125B2
An illuminated light guide assembly includes a first light guide panel coupled to a first light source; a first light-extracting system on the first light guide panel; a second light guide panel coupled to a second light source different from the first light source; a second light-extracting system offset from the first extracting system; and a first optical isolator coupled to the first light guide panel with a first lamination interlayer and coupled to the second light guide panel with a second lamination interlayer.
US09864120B2
A multilayer optical film (130) has a packet of microlayers that selectively reflect light by constructive or destructive interference to provide a first reflective characteristic. At least some of the microlayers are birefringent. A stabilizing layer attaches to and covers the microlayer packet proximate an outer exposed surface of the film Heating elements (122) can physically contact the film to deliver heat to the packet through the stabilizing layer by thermal conduction, at altered regions of the film, such that the first reflective characteristic changes to an altered reflective characteristic in the altered regions to pattern the film The stabilizing layer provides sufficient heat conduction to allow heat from the heating elements to change (e.g. reduce) the birefringence of the birefringent microlayers disposed near the outer exposed surface in the altered regions, while providing sufficient mechanical support to avoid substantial layer distortion of the microlayers near the outer exposed surface in the altered regions.
US09864118B2
The present disclosure is directed to solar control films containing a photochromic layer. For example, in certain embodiments, a solar control film includes a photochromic layer comprising an inorganic photochromic material and an infrared control layer.
US09864110B2
A light diffuser and its use are provided, which not only reduces a color change in a source light when the light diffuser is disposed on an optical path of a light source, but also has a good light transmission property and a good light diffusion property. The light diffuser contains a thermoplastic resin and transparent particles added thereto. The total light transmittance of the light diffuser is 75% or more. The degree of dispersion of the light diffuser is 2° or more, the degree of dispersion being defined as a transmission angle at which a light transmittance is 50% of a rectilinear light transmittance when light is emitted to a surface of the light diffuser in a direction normal to the surface. The difference between the rectilinear light transmittance at 460 nm and the rectilinear light transmittance at 580 nm of the light diffuser is 0.96% or less.
US09864108B2
The present invention general related to a reusable mold for making a contact lens comprises a first mold half having a first mold surface in contact with a polymerizable and/or crosslinkable silicone containing lens forming composition and a second mold half having a second mold surface in contact with the lens-forming composition, and the first mold half and the second mold half are configured to receive each other such that a cavity is formed between the first mold surface and the second mold surface. The cavity defines the shape of a contact lens to be molded. The reusable mold has at least one of the mold halves being made from an oxide glass comprising fluorine and/or fluoride. The mold made by oxide glass comprising fluorine and/or fluoride demonstrates improving mold cleanability with water based cleaning process.
US09864100B1
A metafilm coating having omni-directional bending of electromagnetic waves to the normal direction includes at least one medium having an effective relative permittivity of epsilon-near-zero, ∈. The real component of the effective relative permittivity along the z-axis, (∈z), perpendicular to the x-y plane, of the at medium, is about zero. At least one receptor is associated with the medium.
US09864097B2
A method for modeling shallow water multiples modeling using a predicted sea floor reconstruction is provided. A seafloor reflectivity image is reconstructed using acquired seismic data. Surface multiples are determined by evaluating a seismic wave equation using, as an input, the reconstructed seafloor reflectivity image. The determined surface multiples are subtracted from the acquired seismic data.
US09864095B2
Multiplexed microvolt sensor systems and methods are described. An example system may include a pulsed light source, a first optical waveguide segment operatively coupled to the pulsed light source, an optical circulator including a first port, a second port, and a third port, the first port being operatively coupled to the first optical waveguide segment, a second optical waveguide segment operatively coupled to the second port of the optical circulator, and an array of sensor elements. Each of the sensor elements may include a detector and an electro-optical modulator, the electro-optical modulator being operatively coupled to the second optical waveguide segment. The example system may further include a third optical waveguide segment operatively coupled to the third port of the optical circulator, a compensating interferometer operatively coupled to the third optical waveguide segment, and a time division multiplexed demodulator operatively coupled to the compensating interferometer and the pulsed light source.
US09864092B2
Disclosed herein methods for determining a property of a formation, for example, when well logging, by feeding a gadolinium tracer fluid into the formation, applying an emitted radiation to the formation to thereby produce a signal, such as a neutron signal, and capturing the signal from the formation.
US09864088B2
Disclosed are methods and apparatus for adaptive source electromagnetic (EM) surveying. In accordance with one embodiment, a source waveform signal is generated, and an outgoing EM signal which is based on the source waveform signal is transmitted using an antenna. A responsive electromagnetic signal is detected using at least one electromagnetic sensor, and a receiver waveform signal based on the responsive electromagnetic signal is obtained. A feedback control signal which depends on at least one input signal is determined. Based on the feedback control signal, the source waveform signal is adapted. Other embodiments, aspects, and features are also disclosed.
US09864087B2
A circuit includes a sensing circuit for a first antenna and a second antenna, the sensing circuit including an adjustable characteristic that is based on a proximity of an object to the first or second antenna used to transmit a transmit signal. An evaluation circuit is coupled to the sensing circuit. The evaluation circuit is configured to monitor the characteristic of the sensing circuit and to determine whether the characteristic fulfills a predetermined criterion.
US09864086B2
A method for estimating saturation using mCSEM data and stochastic petrophysical models by quantifying the average water saturation in a reservoir given the transverse resistance (TR) obtained from mCSEM data, including the following steps: a) obtaining mCSEM survey data from a subsurface region of interest, b) performing an inversion of the obtained mCSEM data, c) subtracting a background resistivity trend from the mCSEM inversion data from the resistivity trend of the mCSEM inversion data from inside a hydrocarbon reservoir, d) estimating the location of an anomaly in the mCSEM inversion data, e) estimating the magnitude of the transverse resistance associated with an anomaly from the mCSEM inversion data, f) estimating an initial average reservoir saturation corresponding to transverse resistance using a stochastic petrophysical model and Monte Carlo simulation connecting reservoir parameters to transverse resistance, and g) integrating the obtained saturation distribution as a function of transverse resistances over the assumed distribution of transverse resistances to obtain a final estimation of the fluid saturation probability.
US09864083B2
A full wave inversion (FWI) may utilize an Amplitude-Frequency-Differentiation (AFD) or a Phase-Frequency-Differentiation (PFD) operation to form a velocity model of a subterranean formation utilizing recovered low wavenumber data. Received seismic data is processes to isolate two data signals at different frequencies. In an AFD operation, the two data signals are summed and the data of the envelope of the summed function is used for the FWI. In a PFD operation, the phase data of the quotient of the two data signals is used for the FWI. The FWI proceeds iteratively utilizing either the AFD or PFD data or with single frequency data until the cost function of the AFD or PFD is satisfied.
US09864082B2
A method for migrating three dimensional seismic data in tilted transversely isotropic media (“TTI”) is based on generating numerical solutions to an exact relationship for a three dimensional dispersion relationship of seismic energy traveling through TTI media. The numerical solutions use selected input values of polar angle and azimuth angle of a transverse isotropic axis of symmetry, and selected values of Thomsen anisotropic parameters to generate tables of numerical values. Based on the tables of numerical values, optimized coefficients for a finite-difference relationship are estimated along multiple splitting directions. The seismic data are then migrated using a three dimensional Fourier finite difference extrapolation algorithm.
US09864080B2
Embodiments related to restriction of gas flow in a marine acoustic vibrator to compensate for gas spring effects. An embodiment provides a marine acoustic vibrator, comprising: an outer shell; and a variable gas flow restrictor disposed within the outer shell; wherein the marine acoustic vibrator has a resonance frequency selectable based at least in part on the variable gas flow restrictor.
US09864079B2
According to an embodiment, a radiation detection device includes a scintillator layer, a plurality of detectors, a setting unit, an identifier, and a corrector. The scintillator layer is configured to convert radiation into scintillation light. The detectors are arranged along a first surface facing the scintillator layer to detect light. The setting unit is configured to set one of the detectors as a first detector to be corrected. The identifier is configured to identify, out of the detectors, a second detector that detects a synchronization signal synchronizing with a first signal detected by the first detector. The corrector is configured to correct an energy spectrum of light detected by the first detector on the basis of a second signal serving as the synchronization signal in signals detected by the second detector, the first signal, and characteristic X-ray energy of a scintillator raw material constituting the scintillator layer.
US09864071B2
A device has planar components forming part of a stack on a support frame, such as a substrate and upper layer, for example a fiber optic scintillator/fiber optic plate, bonded together by an adhesive layer of well-defined thickness. The device is made by providing a trench in a peripheral recess extending in a marginal portion of the support frame. Excess adhesive is applied to one of the planar components, which are then brought together such that the adhesive layer of well-defined thickness is formed between the two components and surplus adhesive is collected in the trench.
US09864069B2
A Geiger-Mueller charge particle rate measurement system includes a clock management unit in combination with multiple oscillators and rate feedback controller to allow for reactive switching between the different oscillator frequencies to optimize system use. Controlling the clock management unit to send the appropriate frequency (clock signal) to the timers in response to measured rate date from the rate feedback controller facilitates operation at different clock speeds, which helps reduce power consumption when operated at lower speeds.
US09864067B2
Method for determining a current position (5) of a motor vehicle (6) in a geodetic coordinate system from a time series of first geodetic position data (2) recorded particularly by a position sensor (8) associated with a global navigation satellite system, and proper motion data (3) recorded by at least one proper motion sensor (9), wherein the position is determined by applying a transformation into the geodetic coordinate system to the displacement vector of the motor vehicle (6), which is derived from the most current proper motion data (3) starting from a reference time to which the transformation relates, wherein the transformation is determined in the context of a regression analysis as optimal mapping of a progression of displacement vectors determined over a defined time period onto a progression of the position data (2) determined for the same time period.
US09864064B2
An object of the present invention is to provide a positioning device which can more reliably and frequently correct a own vehicle position earlier, reliably detect an error matching state or a straying state earlier and correct the position to a correct position. The positioning device according to the present invention includes a GPS receiver, a GPS position calculating unit which calculates pseudo distances to the GPS satellites based on the transmission signals, and calculates a re-calculated GPS position which is the own vehicle position based on the pseudo distances, and a multipath influence evaluating unit which evaluates a multipath influence on the GPS position based on a difference between the GPS position calculated by the GPS receiver and the re-calculated GPS position calculated by the GPS position calculating unit.
US09864061B2
The invention relates to a portable observation device having an observation path for optical targeting of a target object, and comprising an optoelectronic rangefinder for measuring the distance in the direction of the targeting. The rangefinder includes a transmission unit for emitting a temporal sequence of pulses of optical radiation, a reception unit for receiving a portion of the optical radiation cast back by the target object and for determining signal information and an electronic evaluation unit, which a distance to the target object can be determined on the basis of a signal travel time between emission and reception of the optical radiation. When a trigger is actuated manually, the distance is determined including the signal information from a specified minimum number of pulses, which define a minimum length of a time window of the distance measurement.
US09864060B2
A laser radar system using collocated laser beams to unambiguously detects a range of a target and a range rate at which the target is moving relative to the laser radar system. Another aspect of various embodiments of the invention may relate to a laser radar system that uses multiple laser radar sections to obtain multiple simultaneous measurements (or substantially so), whereby both range and range rate can be determined without various temporal effects introduced by systems employing single laser sections taking sequential measurements. In addition, other aspects of various embodiments of the invention may enable faster determination of the range and rate of the target, a more accurate determination of the range and rate of the target, and/or may provide other advantages.
US09864051B2
A method of estimating a local plot density in a radar system observing an observation volume, the radar system configured to generate plots with plot attributes, by establishing a non-empty set of M-dimensional basis functions and corresponding coefficients, and repeatedly updating at least one coefficient based on at least one plot as obtained from the radar system, adjusting the basis functions and corresponding coefficients to represent a number of plots in a predetermined adjusting interval, and estimating the local plot density at a given point in the observation volume.
US09864048B2
A GT-TOF camera that illuminates a scene with a train of light pulses to determine amounts of light reflected from the transmitted light pulses by features in a scene for each of N different exposure periods and determines a distance to a feature in the scene responsive to a direction in an N-dimensional space of an N-dimensional vector defined by the amounts of reflected light determined for the feature for the N gates.
US09864046B2
The mathematical majorize-minimize principle is applied in various ways to process the image data to provide a more reliable image from the backscatter data using a reduced amount of memory and processing resources. A processing device processes the data set by creating an estimated image value for each voxel in the image by iteratively deriving the estimated image value through application of a majorize-minimize principle to solve a maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimation problem associated with a mathematical model of image data from the data. A prior probability density function for the unknown reflection coefficients is used to apply an assumption that a majority of the reflection coefficients are small. The described prior probability density functions promote sparse solutions automatically estimated from the observed data.
US09864044B2
Methods and systems that reduce the effect of phase noise in radar receivers. The received phase noise spectrum is modulated with periodic nulls due to the two way range delay function. The system and method include strategically positioning the nulls of the delay function to cancel portions of phase noise power spectral density, the portions of the power spectral density of the phase noise being selected so that effect of phase noise in radar sensitivity is reduced.
US09864043B2
Methods and devices are disclosed of using a Frequency-Modulated-Continuous-Wave (FMCW) radar unit for data communication by receiving a signal with a phase encoded data channel, and processing the signal with the phase encoded data channel to simultaneously determine data and timing information.
US09864042B2
Heatmap data, such as Angle-of-Arrival heatmap data, is generated and stored for a plurality of antennas of wireless communication device. A centroid of the plurality of antennas is determined. A heatmap is computed for the centroid for a measured parameter across a plurality of bins at coordinates within a region of interest. Heatmap data for the centroid is stored. For a given one of the plurality of antennas, a difference is computed between a heatmap for the given antenna and the heatmap for the centroid. The difference data representing the difference is stored for the given antenna.
US09864025B2
MRI systems with a new concept and hardware modality configured for parallel transmit, receive, and shim to address B0 and B1 inhomogeneity, both of which increase with field strength. This invention benefits from a number of advantages over existing technologies: it can save valuable space within the MRI magnet bore, largely reduce the manufacturing cost of MRI scanners, and avoid the electromagnetic interference issue associated with existing technologies.
US09864017B2
A performance deterioration detecting apparatus configured to detect a performance deterioration start state of an energy storage device. The performance deterioration start state is an initial state of deterioration in performance of the energy storage device. The apparatus includes a performance deterioration determiner configured to determine that the energy storage device is in the performance deterioration start state based on a displacement of peak position in a capacity-voltage property of the energy storage device with time. The capacity-voltage property indicates a relation between a capacity variation amount (dQ/dV) and a voltage (V).
US09864012B2
This invention pertains to determining the proper discharge level of lithium sulfur, as well as to determine the state of charge and remaining capacity of battery cells. In particular, this invention provides for a method for determining the charge and/or discharge level of a lithium sulfur cell. Also, this invention provides for a method for determining the capacity of a battery cell charge and/or discharge level of lithium sulfur cell. Further, this invention provides a method for determining the impedance of a lithium sulfur battery cell.
US09864006B1
Generating a unique die identifier for an electronic chip including placing the electronic chip in an identifier generation state, wherein the electronic chip comprises a set of test circuits, wherein each of the set of test circuits is attached to a corresponding component on the electronic chip; obtaining an ordered list of race pairs of the set of test circuits; for each race pair in the ordered list of race pairs of the set of test circuits: selecting the race pair of test circuits; executing a race between the selected race pair; and adding an element to the unique die identifier based on an outcome of the executed race; and returning the electronic chip to an operational state.
US09863988B1
One embodiment includes and I/O bus including a signal line coupled to a signal source and multiple line switches, each line switch to couple a corresponding I/O port to the signal line. Switch logic coupled to the I/O bus may programmatically switch the multiple line switches to couple at least one of the signal source and measurement circuitry to the respective I/O port.
US09863982B2
The embodiments described herein relate to an improved circuit technique for sensing current conducting in a power transistor coupled with an input power supply. The circuit includes a bi-directional current sensing circuit using current sensing transistor gate control. The circuit includes a forward current sensing transistor to sense current conducting in the power transistor during forward mode current of the circuit and a reverse boost current sensing transistor to sense current conducting during reverse current mode of the circuit. A level shifter is also provided with complementary outputs to either turn on the forward current sensing transistor or turn off the reverse boost current sensing transistor when the circuit is in forward current mode, or to turn off the forward current sensing transistor and turn on the reverse boost current sensing transistor when the circuit is in reverse current mode.
US09863981B2
A circuit and a method for sensing a current flowing from a supply voltage into an electric load are presented. The current sensing circuit comprises a first circuit branch connected between the supply voltage and the electric load, a second circuit branch connected between the supply voltage and ground, and an equalization circuit for equalizing a first voltage drop across a first resistive element and a second voltage drop across a second resistive element and for generating an indication of a current flowing through the second circuit branch.
US09863978B2
An electrical contacting device for electrical physical contact with a specimen, particularly wafers, taking place in a contacting direction, with at least one conductor substrate which can be electrically connected to a testing device, at least one contact distance transformer and at least one contact head having electrical contact elements, particularly resilient contact elements, preferably serving to compensate different physical contact distances existing in the contacting direction particularly at the contact elements.
US09863975B2
An apparatus for the imaging of gaseous fluid motion is disclosed. The apparatus includes a sub-nanosecond pulsed laser. The sub-nanosecond pulsed laser is configured to cause a particle species to fragment and for the recombining fragments subsequently to fluoresce. The apparatus also includes a gaseous fluid comprised of particle species. The apparatus also includes a time gated camera. The time gated camera configured to capture at least one image of the fluorescence from the recombining particle fragment species displaced after a specific time lapse following the laser pulse. Additionally, a fluid velocity can be calculated from a comparison of the image of the displaced particle species to an initial reference position and the time lapse. A Femtosecond Laser Electronic Excitation Tagging (FLEET) method of using the disclosed apparatus is also disclosed.
US09863970B2
A novel solution is proposed for processing a test tube transported on a test tube carrier by a conveyor so that spilling of the liquid in the test tube is reduced or even prevented, particularly an arrangement for sequencing and guiding travel of test tube carriers transported on at least one conveyor. The arrangement includes at least one rotatable deviator positioned to intersect the at least one conveyor. The deviator includes a horizontal deviator plate including at least one grip for receiving a test tube carrier. One contact surface is positioned vertically at a distance from the deviator plate and aligned with the grip. The contact surface is formed to contact the test tube carrier at a distance from the contact level of the grip and the carrier.
US09863966B2
The invention provides novel haptens and immunogens for the preparation of novel monoclonal antibodies, which detect the synthetic opioid meperidine and its active metabolite normeperidine. These antibodies enable methods and kits, which are useful in an immunoassay for therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) and in extending the window of detection for cases of abuse and drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA).
US09863958B2
The present invention provides a method for diagnosing venous thromboembolism (VTE), comprising: detecting the level of an integrin β1 subunit, an integrin β2 subunit, and/or an integrin β3 subunit in a blood sample. Also provided is a reagent kit for diagnosing VTE, comprising a substance capable of specifically binding to the integrin β1 subunit, the integrin β2 subunit, and/or the integrin β3 subunit.
US09863954B2
The present invention provides the use of RNA removal to initiate protein aggregation of a plurality of proteins in a cell or cell lysate. This may be used to create an in vitro model of a disease, such as a neurodegenerative disease. The present invention also provides a method for determining the efficacy of a potential anti-protein aggregation agent comprising the following steps: i) using RNA removal to initiate the aggregation of a protein in a cell or cell lysate, ii) treating the cell or cell lysate with the potential anti-protein aggregation agent before, after or during RNA removal; and iii) comparing protein aggregation in equivalent samples with and without step ii) treatment in which a decrease in protein aggregation associated with step ii) treatment indicates that the potential anti-protein aggregation agent is effective in preventing and/or reversing protein aggregation.
US09863952B2
Disclosed is a method of diagnosing the presence of higher grade astrocytoma/glioblastoma (GBM) or lower-grade astrocytoma (DA or AA) in a human subject using secreted or plasma membrane associated biomarkers, which involves the detection of the expression levels of said genes, alone or in combination, in either tumor tissue samples or body fluids and a diagnostic kit thereof.
US09863951B2
The present invention provides a rare cell isolation device including: a first body which is disposed above a filtration membrane and includes a first inlet for injecting a biospecimen; and a second body which is disposed under the first body and bonded to the filtration membrane, wherein the first body and the second body have a disk-shaped structure to be rotatable around their centers, and the filtration membrane is disposed to be separated from the center of the second body in a radial direction.
US09863945B2
The present invention provides an immunochromatography detection method capable of suppressing non-specific reactions. The present invention relates to an immunochromatography detection method including: a step of adding an analyte dilution solution containing an analyte to a chromatography medium; a step of recognizing a detection target by a labeling substance modified with gold nanoparticles, which is dry-retained at a labeling substance retaining part; a step of developing a composite of the labeling substance and the detection target as a mobile phase; and a step of detecting the detection target in the developed mobile phase at a judgment part, wherein the labeling substance is protected with a polyalkylene glycol having one or more mercapto groups and/or a derivative thereof and then dry-retained together with arginine and casein at the labeling substance retaining part.
US09863944B2
Provided is an immunochromatographic diagnostic kit which renders prompt diagnosis possible, has high analysis sensitivity, and gives test results with excellent reproducibility. The immunochromatographic diagnostic kit includes: a conjugate pad that contains a conjugate containing chromogenic particles which have an average particle diameter of 100-1,000 nm and attain a color intensity of 1.0-10.0, 10-90 wt % of the particles being derived from cellulose and 90-10 wt % of the particles being derived from a colorant; and a sample pad for an in vitro diagnostic reagent, the sample pad being constituted of nonwoven fabric that has a basis weight of 10-150 g/m2 and a thickness of 0.07-1.00 mm and comprises regenerated cellulosic fibers.
US09863943B2
A method for detecting pork in heated food by immunochromatographic detection with high performance and high sensitivity without causing non-specific reaction. The method provides a convenient and high-accuracy detection method using a polyclonal antibody. When a target to be detected in a sample, pork-derived protein in heat-processed food, is detected by immunochromatography, a polyclonal antibody specifically recognizing a protein of approximately 23 kD (molecular weight: 23000) contained in heat-treated pork is used as at least one or both detection antibodies.
US09863931B2
Embodiments disclosed herein relate to a sensor comprising an on-board control system and a testing system. The on-board system can determine viability of the control system or the testing system. Also disclosed are methods of using such a sensor.
US09863930B2
Various molecular barcoded bi-stable switches are provided that can be used to detect various analytes. An electrical current is provided through a pore to electrophoretically draw at least a portion of one or more molecular barcoded bi-stable switches from one volume through one or more pores to another volume. Each molecular barcoded bi-stable switch includes a status identifier that provides an indication when a binding material is bound to the analyte. Each molecular barcoded bi-stable switch also includes a barcode that can be read as it passes through the pore to ascertain the identity of the particular molecular barcoded bi-stable switch.
US09863914B2
A gas sensor includes a first chamber containing a plurality of evenly spaced rods having voltages applied thereto to cause gas ions in the first chamber to move in a direction from a first end of the first chamber to a second end of the first chamber and a second chamber coupled to the second end of the first chamber and having at least one ion detector, where ions pass from the first chamber to the second chamber through a plurality of channels between the first chamber and the second chamber and are detected by the at least one ion detector. The voltages applied to the rods may include a first voltage applied to a first subset of the rods and a second voltage applied to a second subset of the rods, each of first and second voltages containing a DC component and an AC component.
US09863911B2
A diagnostic Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) procedure is applied to measure values of impedance-related parameters for one or more sensing electrodes. The parameters may include real impedance, imaginary impedance, impedance magnitude, and/or phase angle. The measured values of the impedance-related parameters are then used in performing sensor diagnostics, calculating a highly-reliable fused sensor glucose value based on signals from a plurality of redundant sensing electrodes, calibrating sensors, detecting interferents within close proximity of one or more sensing electrodes, and testing surface area characteristics of electroplated electrodes. Advantageously, impedance-related parameters can be defined that are substantially glucose-independent over specific ranges of frequencies. An Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) enables implementation of the EIS-based diagnostics, fusion algorithms, and other processes based on measurement of EIS-based parameters.
US09863902B2
A resistive microelectronic fluid sensor implemented as an integrated voltage divider circuit can sense the presence of a fluid within a fluid reservoir, identify the fluid, and monitor fluid temperature or volume. Such a sensor has biomedical, industrial, and consumer product applications. After fluid detection, the fluid can be expelled from the reservoir and replenished with a fresh supply of fluid. A depression at the bottom of the sample reservoir allows a residual fluid to remain undetected so as not to skew the measurements. Electrodes can sense variations in the resistivity of the fluid, indicating a change in the fluid chemical composition, volume, or temperature. Such fluctuations that can be electrically sensed by the voltage divider circuit can be used as a thermal actuator to trigger ejection of all or part of the fluid sample.
US09863894B1
Seed sensors that surround the conventional mounting location on existing seed tubes. The seed sensors sense seeds using electromagnetic fields, including RF and microwave fields. In one embodiment, a first seed sensor has a coaxial Fabry-Perot resonant cavity which is formed between two coaxial portions of a conduit that surround the seed tube. Another seed sensor uses a capacitive design. In one embodiment, the driving signals are applied 180 degrees out of phase. The detected phase shift between the reference and reflected signals provides reliable seed counting. Electronics extract the signal from the sensing field.
US09863892B2
Provided herein is an apparatus, including a photon emitter configured for sequentially emitting a first set of photons and a second set of photons onto a surface of an article. In addition, a photon detector array is configured to focus the first set of photons scattered from surface features of the article in a first focal plane. The photon detector array is further configured to focus the second set of photons scattered from surface features of the article in a second focal plane, wherein the first set of photons scattered is different from the second set of photons scattered. The photon detector array is further configured to provide information for distinguishing foreign surface features of the article from native surface features of the article.
US09863891B1
A vehicle for external inspection of tubing conformed by a body with a magnetic traction arrangement in its lower part and at least one inspection device mounted on the body; In which the magnetic drive arrangement includes two front magnetic wheels, a rear magnetic wheel coupled to two servomotors, one for controlling longitudinal advancement and another rudder servomotor for controlling the spin or rotation of this third wheel, and wherein the magnetic drive arrangement Inspection consists of a laser sensor coupled to a linear actuator.
US09863888B2
A multispectral imaging system and method and a system for composite layup are provided in order to detect foreign object debris during the fabrication of a composite structure. In the context of a method, a surface of a composite material is illuminated with near infrared light. The method also detects the near infrared light following interaction of the near infrared light with the composite material. Following detection, the method analyzes a spectrum of the near infrared light to detect foreign object debris upon the composite material. The method analyzes the spectrum of near infrared light by distinguishing between different types of foreign object debris as a result of comparing the spectrum of near infrared light to predefined spectral signatures of a plurality of different types of foreign object debris. The method may also determine the size and location of the foreign object debris.
US09863886B2
A sensor system, and a method of detecting a target analyte, comprises a chemically functionalized block copolymer, and a target analyte. The block copolymer exhibits a color change in the visible spectrum upon exposure to the target analyte.
US09863871B2
An illumination device for a color sorter includes an LED substrate placed on a longitudinal chassis for heat radiation and a light source in which many LED elements are linearly aligned in the longitudinal direction on the LED substrate, and the light source is an integration of at least two light sources provided together, one of the light sources illuminating a side on which items-to-be-sorted flow down and the other one of the light sources illuminating a side of a background arranged to face a camera.
US09863860B2
An apparatus for measuring rheological properties of a multi-phase fluid is provided. The apparatus includes a static chamber configured to contain a multi-phase fluid having at least a first phase and a second phase. The apparatus also includes a rotor member submersed in the multi-phase fluid in the static chamber. The rotor member is rotatable about a horizontal rotational axis within the static chamber and the static chamber and the rotor member are oriented in a substantially horizontal direction.
US09863857B2
An embodiment of the invention relates to a device for detecting an analyte in a sample. The device comprises a fluidic network and an integrated circuitry component. The fluidic network comprises a sample zone, a cleaning zone and a detection zone. The fluidic network contains a magnetic particle and/or a signal particle. A sample containing an analyte is introduced, and the analyte interacts with the magnetic particle and/or the signal particle through affinity agents. A microcoil array or a mechanically movable permanent magnet is functionally coupled to the fluidic network, which are activatable to generate a magnetic field within a portion of the fluidic network, and move the magnetic particle from the sample zone to the detection zone. A detection element is present which detects optical or electrical signals from the signal particle, thus indicating the presence of the analyte.
US09863853B2
A measuring device comprises a measuring unit and a synchronization unit. In this context, the measuring unit is embodied to implement a measurement task on the basis of first measurement parameters. The synchronization unit is accordingly embodied to synchronize the first measurement parameters with a further measuring device. The measuring device is then embodied to implement the measurement task jointly with the further measuring device on the basis of at least the first measurement parameters.
US09863852B2
Some of the embodiments provide a method comprising: during an operation phase, operating a rotating device at a first speed; during the operation phase, monitoring a first current consumed by the rotating device to operate at the first speed; comparing the first current to a second current measured during a calibration phase while rotating the device at a second speed, wherein the first speed is substantially equal to the second speed; and based on comparing the first current and the second current, predicting a possible failure of the rotating device.
US09863851B2
An exhaust gas measuring information processing apparatus of the present invention detects troubles etc. of a flow sensor during a flow rate measurement and performs predetermined processing relevant to maintenance and check of the flow sensor. The exhaust gas measuring information processing apparatus includes a reception circuit that receives a flow rate measurement signal indicating a flow rate measurement value of exhaust gas flowing through an exhaust gas tube of an internal combustion engine and an operational state signal indicating an operational state of the internal combustion engine, and a processing executing circuit that executes predetermined processing relevant to maintenance and check of the flow sensor that outputs the flow rate measurement signal when a predetermined correlation is not satisfied between an index value for the operational state indicated by the operational state signal and the flow rate measurement value indicated by the flow rate measurement signal.
US09863845B2
Method/apparatus for performing the following acts on a system that includes an electrical motor followed by a gear, and a speed output unit: monitoring a first set of frequencies from the system over a measurement period when the system is in a known good operating condition; storing the first set of monitored frequencies or derivatives thereof as reference data in a long-term storage system; monitoring a second set of frequencies from the system over a measurement period when the system is in an unknown operating condition; comparing the second set of monitored frequencies with the first set of monitored frequencies in a frequency domain; in the frequency domain, detecting changes between corresponding frequencies resulting from the second set of monitored frequencies and the first set of monitored frequencies.
US09863840B1
Systems and methods for providing a multi-direction wind tunnel, or “windball,” are disclosed. The system can have a series of fans configured to provide air flow in a plurality of directions to enable accurate testing of aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and other vehicles capable of multi-dimensional flight. The system can comprise a spherical or polyhedral test chamber with a plurality of fans. The fans can be arranged in pairs, such that a first fan comprises an intake fan and a second fan comprises an exhaust fan. The direction of the air flow can be controlled by activating one or more pairs of fans, each pair of fan creating a portion of the air flow in a particular direction. The direction of the air flow can also be controlled by rotating one or more pairs of fans with respect to the test chamber on a gimbal device, or similar.
US09863838B2
The present invention provides an air tightness detection device for an aluminum alloy wheel hub, which is characterized by precision air pressure sensors, a lower clamp, a cone cylinder pressure plate, air pipes, a pressure plate, guide posts, an air inlet pipe, and a compressed gas control and detection system. A technical solution of the present invention has the following advantages that the cone cylinder pressure plate of the detection device reduces the space of an inner cavity of the wheel hub to further reduce inflating volume, thereby increasing detection efficiency; the characteristics of readily availability for preparation, no pollution and low cost are achieved by taking compressed air as a leakage indication gas.
US09863829B2
A sensor has an electronic chip and a sensor chip which are arranged within a functional volume which is at the most 4-5 mm long, a maximum 2-3 mm wide, and the maximum height is 0.5-0.8 mm, thereby potentially providing a compact sensor.
US09863827B2
Collecting data includes generating a sensor signal from each of a plurality of sensors located on a sensing roll, wherein each signal is generated when each sensor enters a region of a nip between the sensing roll and mating roll during each rotation of the sensing roll; wherein a web of material travels through the nip and a continuous band, which also travels through the nip, contacts a region of the web of material upstream from or in the nip. A periodically occurring time reference is generated associated with each rotation of the continuous band and the signal generated by each sensor is received so that the one of the plurality of sensors which generated this signal is determined and one of a plurality of tracking segments associated with the continuous band is identified. The signal is stored to associate the respective sensor signal with the identified one tracking segment.
US09863823B2
Sensors and sensor systems incorporating piezoresistive materials for integration with footwear are described.
US09863821B2
A calibrator for calibrating devices with a temperature function, e.g. thermometers or thermal switches has an input and display unit. The calibrator has a capacitive touchscreen with the input and display unit.
US09863807B2
A non-removable fixed protective cover, of protective covers of a machine tool, is fitted with a light-projecting unit and a light-receiving unit, while a removable fixed protective cover and a movable protective cover are each fitted with a reflector. The light-projecting unit, light-receiving unit, and reflector are disposed so that light emitted from the light-projecting unit reaches the light-receiving unit only when the removable fixed protective cover is mounted in a proper position and the movable protective cover is fully closed.
US09863802B2
A photoelectric switch includes first and second shell halves respectively having first and second coupled surfaces which confront each other along an axis in either a horizontal direction or an upright direction. The coupled surfaces respectively have first and second recessed regions aligned with each other to confine a rolling chamber for a roller to be rollable therein, and define left and right holes at two opposite ends of the rolling chamber, and emitter and receiver accommodating chambers outwardly of the left and right holes for accommodating a light emitter and a light receiver such that a light passage is defined by the left and right holes and the rolling chamber.
US09863786B2
A sensor interface operates to communicate a sensed quantity along one or more processing pathways and in different data representations. The signal representations can be swapped along one or more locations of the signal processing branches. These branches are independent from one another and combined at an interface component for transmission along a single path or node for a control unit.
US09863782B2
The present invention provides a method for calibrating a geodetic instrument, an instrument and a computer program product thereof. In the method and geodetic instrument of the present invention, a value of at least one parameter affecting the measurements made by the instrument is detected and compared with a predetermined threshold. On the basis of the comparison between the detected value and the predetermined threshold, the instrument aims at a reference target and a calibration is performed using the reference target. The present invention is advantageous in that the accuracy and reliability of the measurements performed by the instrument are increased. Further, the present invention is advantageous in that the requirements on mechanical stability are reduced.
US09863764B2
According to one embodiment, a recording medium records a shape calculation program that causes a computer to calculate a shape of a periodic structure. The shape calculation program causes the computer to extract a second scattering profile from a first scattering profile obtained when the electromagnetic waves are incident and to extract a fourth scattering profile from a third scattering profile calculated using a second periodic structure that is virtually set. The shape calculation program causes the computer to perform fitting between the second scattering profile and the fourth scattering profile and to calculate the shape of the first periodic structure on the basis of the result of the fitting.
US09863758B2
The present disclosure is generally directed to methods and systems for measuring the thickness of coatings or thin films on various substrates. For example, one disclosed method includes the steps of providing and directing light waves of varying wavelengths toward a moving substrate comprising a coating, linearly polarizing the light waves, converting the linearly polarized light waves to circularly polarized light waves, analyzing elliptically polarized light waves reflected by the moving substrate, capturing analyzed light waves, generating light wave data based on the captured light waves, and determining a thickness of the coating based on the light wave data.
US09863754B2
A wafer alignment apparatus includes a light source, a light detection device, and a rotation device configured to rotate a wafer. The light source is configured to provide light directed to the wafer. The light detection device is configured to detect reflected light intensity from the wafer to locate at least one wafer alignment mark of wafer alignment marks separated by a plurality of angles. At least two of those angles are equal.
US09863741B2
Accessory for the installation, positioning and fixing of a telescopic sight or any other aiming accessory on an air rifle or firearm. The referred rifle or firearm comprises a series of longitudinal grooves (11) on its upper part, facing said accessory (10) and characterized in that said accessory comprises: first longitudinal support (14), with at least one orifice (17) perpendicular to the air rifle (12) or firearm, through which positioning means (16) pass that are housed on the rifle (12) or firearm, defining a firm supporting position between chamber (26) of said firearm and said first longitudinal support (14).
US09863740B2
A sight mechanism for firearms such as pistols, rifles and the like. The sight mechanism includes a sight member that has a rear sight that is vertically adjusted. The sight member can be mounted on a vertically moveable member that has a fixing member that sets the vertical position of the sight member. The vertically moveable member may, without limitation, be a pivoting member. The sight mechanism includes magnets that bias the vertical member against the fixing member so that the magnets maintain the sight at the vertical position defined by the fixing member.
US09863739B2
A munitions dispenser employs a plurality of launch tubes mounted in an array as a segmented dispenser assembly. Each tube in the array is configured to carry a selected munition releasably coupled in a cylindrical bore of the tube for substantially vertical release through a lower aperture. A frame, mountable to an air vehicle, carries the array of launch tubes. A skin covers the array of launch tubes with the skin and frame with the array configured for nested engagement of multiple segmented assemblies.
US09863736B2
An archery release assembly and method are disclosed herein. The assembly, in an embodiment, includes a body having a first structure having a first finger engagement surface and a second structure defining a recess and an axial space. The assembly also includes a hook pivotally coupled to the body and an extension having a protrusion configured to be inserted into the recess. Also, the assembly includes a member configured to be at least partially positioned within the axial space.
US09863730B2
A modular trigger and hammer assembly having a hammer, a trigger, a disconnector and a hammer spring for use in a weapon including at least a lob including a firing notch, a safety notch; and a curved landing flat. Also including a trigger needle bearing and a hammer needle bearing.
US09863725B1
Ammonium carbamate-based methods and systems for management of thermal loads, particularly low-quality, high-flux thermal loads. The increase in temperature in heat sensitive devices is mitigated by the endothermic decomposition of ammonium carbamate into carbon dioxide and ammonia gases. This process has an energy density an order of magnitude greater than conventional thermal management materials and is particularly useful for temperatures between 20° C. and 100° C. Systems incorporating ammonium carbamate may be controlled by regulating the fluid flow, overhead pressure, temperature, or combinations thereof.
US09863720B2
A cooling pad support system for holding a cooling pad may include a support array; a pivoting platform configured to be pivotably connected with respect to the support array and a support finger configured to be pivotably connected to the pivoting platform. The cooling pad may be sandwiched between the support finger and support array.
US09863712B2
A heat pipe includes a reservoir of liquid that is connected to a horizontal portion of the heat pipe via a capillary connection. The heat pipe includes a temperature sensor in proximity to a heat interface in the horizontal portion and a controller that controls a heater for the reservoir. As power into the heat pipe increases, the controller turns on the heater, causing the temperature of the liquid in the reservoir to rise. Liquid then passes from the reservoir through the capillary connection into the horizontal portion, thereby dynamically increasing the amount of liquid in the heat pipe, which increases performance of the heat pipe at higher power levels. When the heater is off, as the heat pipe cools, the liquid condenses and flows back through the capillary connection into the reservoir. The result is a heat pipe that provides demand-based charging of the liquid based on power level.
US09863710B2
A laminated total heat exchange element that includes a plurality of laminated plates, a first spacing member forming a first flow path between the laminated plates, and a second spacing member forming a second flow path between the laminated plates, wherein the first flow path is formed to allow fluid to pass from one side to another side of the laminated total heat exchange element, the second flow path is formed to allow fluid to pass from the another side to the one side of the laminated total heat exchange element, a third flow path, which communicates with the first flow path on the one side and extends substantially parallel to a lamination direction of the laminated plates, is formed, and a fourth flow path, which communicates with the second flow path on the another side and extends substantially parallel to the lamination direction of the laminated plate, is formed.
US09863709B2
A device for measuring the temperature of a melt, particularly of a molten metal, includes an optical fiber and a guiding tube having an immersion end and a second end opposite to the immersion end. The optical fiber is partially arranged in the guiding tube. An inner diameter of the guiding tube is larger than an outer diameter of the optical fiber. A first plug is arranged at the immersion end of or within the guiding tube proximate the immersion end of the guiding tube. The optical fiber is fed through the first plug and the first plug reduces a gap between the optical fiber and the guiding tube.
US09863696B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a process for liquefaction of a natural gas. The process includes cooling the natural gas with a first refrigerant provided by a first cooling system and cooling the natural gas with a second refrigerant provided by a second cooling system. The second cooling system is a single phase cooling system. The first and second cooling systems operate independently from each other. The second refrigerant is cooled with the first refrigerant so that the cooling capacity of the second refrigerant and the second cooling system is increased.
US09863692B2
Disclosed herein are a refrigerator capable of reducing a manufacturing cost by reducing the number of members constituting a sliding apparatus to simplify the sliding apparatus. A refrigerator includes a main body, a storage chamber provided in the inside of the main body, wherein the front part of the storage chamber opens, a storage box accommodated in the storage chamber, and including side surfaces and a bottom surface, a guide rail coupled with the storage box, and configured to guide the storage box to be slidingly pushed into and pulled from the storage chamber and a closing apparatus configured to accumulate an elastic force when the storage box is pulled, and to transfer, when the storage box is pushed, the accumulated elastic force, thereby assisting the pushing of the storage box, wherein the closing apparatus is directly coupled with the bottom surface of the storage box.
US09863691B2
A hinge device for a door of a refrigerator, etc. moves the center of rotation of the door by interlocking with the opening/closing operations of the door, while stabilizing the opening/closing operations without any hindrance such as rattling. The hinge device comprises: a shaft member which is mounted on a refrigerator main body and comprises a hinge pin; a bearing member which is mounted on a door and comprises a long hole which is in contact with the hinge pin to be relatively movable or relatively rotatable with respect to the hinge pin; and a cam which is installed on the hinge pin and constitutes a cam unit by contacting a cam follower of the bearing member.
US09863688B2
A refrigerator includes a compressor, a cold storage medium, a power supply to convert AC power supplied from an outside of the refrigerator, and to receive DC power during interruption of electric power, and a controller to perform a control operation to supply a cooling capacity to an interior of the refrigerator by driving the compressor based on the supplied AC power when no interruption of electric power occurs, and to perform a control operation to supply a cooling capacity to the interior of the refrigerator based on the supplied DC power and the cold storage medium during the interruption of electric power. Accordingly, consumption of electric power during interruption of electric power is reduced.
US09863684B2
An ice maker includes, among other things, an ice cube mold, an ice cube remover and a force sensor comprising a piezo dielectric elastomer (PDE). The ice cube mold has at least one cavity for receiving liquid. The ice cube remover is configured to apply a removal force to either the mold or an ice cube. The force sensor is provided on either the mold or the remover and provides an output indicative of the removal force. Upon the removal of an ice cube from the cavity, the ice cube remover applies a removal force to the mold or the ice cube to effect the removal of the ice cube from the cavity and the force sensor outputs a signal indicative of the removal force.
US09863681B2
Systems and methods of controlling an HVAC system electronic expansion valve (EEV) include determining an optimal EEV position for the HVAC system as a function of a variable related to an ambient environment enthalpy and operating the HVAC system as a function of the optimal EEV position.
US09863674B2
An evaporator system that includes: a first evaporator coil at a first evaporator temperature and pressure; a second evaporator coil at a second evaporator temperature and pressure that is less than the first evaporator temperature and pressure where the first evaporator and second evaporator are configured to be thermally disjointed; and a plurality of thermally conductive spaced apart evaporator fins having a plurality of spaced apart thermal break portions positioned between the first evaporator coil and the second evaporator coil that thermally disjoin the first evaporator and the second evaporator.
US09863672B2
Disclosed is an air conditioning system that operates in a heating mode, a cooling mode or a demisting mode. In some embodiments, the system includes a first circuit for circulating a first medium therein, a second circuit for circulating the first medium or a second medium therein and a thermoelectric module having a first surface in thermal contact with the first medium.
US09863670B2
Variations of the devices and methods disclosed herein pertain to an extended travel spiral flexure bearing having spiral arms, each of the spiral arms including an attachment point at the inner end thereof and at the outer end thereof. Variations of the bearing may also include a bearing clamp to be attached to the spiral flexure bearing at the attachment points, the bearing including an outer bearing portion to be disposed on the outer periphery of the flexure bearing and an inner bearing portion to be disposed at the center of the flexure bearing. Variations also pertain to a micro check valve assembly that includes a valve base, a valve cover, and a flexure that are all bonded together. The valve being closed when the valve door rests on the valve seat and open when the valve door is lifted from the valve seat.
US09863667B2
In an example, the present invention provides a solar tracker apparatus. In an example, the apparatus comprises a center of mass with an adjustable hanger assembly configured with a clam shell clamp assembly on the adjustable hanger assembly and a cylindrical torque tube comprising a plurality of torque tubes configured together in a continuous length from a first end to a second end such that the center of mass is aligned with a center of rotation of the cylindrical torque tubes to reduce a load of a drive motor operably coupled to the cylindrical torque tube. Further details of the present example, among others, can be found throughout the present specification and more particularly below.
US09863664B2
A deviation between an inlet-outlet temperature difference of a first superheater part and an inlet-outlet temperature difference of each of second superheater parts can be reduced so that a difference in thermal expansion between the first superheater part and the second superheater part can be reduced. It is therefore possible to avoid damage on heat transfer pipes. A solar collector for a solar heat boiler is provided with: cylindrical headers (1,3,5) which are connected to opposite end portions of heat transfer pipes; and a solar heat collection portion including the heat transfer pipes and membrane bars fixing the heat transfer pipes to one another; wherein: the cylindrical headers include an inlet header (1) into which a fluid to be heated flows, an intermediate header (3) which is disposed in a position opposed to the inlet header (1) with interposition of the heat transfer pipes, and two outlet headers (5,5) which are provided to extend on opposite end sides of the inlet header and through which the fluid from the intermediate header can be discharged to the outside; and the solar heat collection portion includes a first superheating portion (2) which has a group of the heat transfer pipes connected between the inlet header (1) and the intermediate header (3) so as to form a center region of the solar heat collection portion, and second superheating portions (4,4) which have groups of the heat transfer pipes connected between the intermediate header (3) and the two outlet headers (5) so as to be formed on opposite sides of the first superheating portion (2) respectively.
US09863663B2
Disclosed herein is a heat exchanger, comprising at least one electric resistance heating element, at least two conductors which are connected to the at least one electric resistance heating element in an electrically conductive manner in order to conduct electric current through the at least one electric resistance heating element and thereby heat the electric resistance heating element, at least one thermally conductive element for transferring heat from the at least one electric resistance heating element to a fluid to be heated, at least one electrically insulating element, which electrically insulates the at least two conductors, and at least one pipe, wherein the at least two conductors and the at least one electric resistance heating element are arranged within a cavity bounded by the pipe and the pipe lies on the at least one electrically insulating element under a compressive force at at least one contact surface.
US09863656B2
A sensor assembly has a housing with at least two ventilation openings, a sensing element, a passage within the housing, and an electrokinetic transducer. The passage extends between the at least two ventilation openings, and is in fluid communication with the sensing element. The electrokinetic transducer is configured to move air in a first direction with the passage.
US09863644B2
A grilling apparatus for bacon or other thinly sliced meat. The apparatus includes a base with sidewalls extending from opposite ends of the base. A pair of doors are coupled to opposite sides of the base and movable from an open position to a closed position. A pair of grill plates are removably connected to a corresponding one of the doors. A heating element extends from the base between the side walls. A removable grill is placed over the heating element between the said side walls. When the doors are in the closed position, the grill and the grill plates form an enclosed space, so that when power is supplied to the heating element, heat generated by the heating element is provided by convection to the grill and the grill plates.
US09863643B2
A heating cooker includes: a top plate on which a cooking container to be heated is placed; an outer case as a main body having an upper surface on which the top plate is placed; a heater heating the cooking container; and a light emitting device disposed in the outer case, for displaying the heating state. The top plate includes: a glass substrate having a transparent light-transmitting low-expansion crystallized glass made mainly of Li2O—AL2O3—SiO2 and having β-quartz solid solution, having a crystal size smaller than the wavelength of visible light; a design layer having a black-based color disposed on an undersurface of the glass substrate; a diffusion region disposed partially on an undersurface of the design layer, for diffusedly emitting light from the light emitting device; and a light-blocking layer disposed on the undersurface of the design layer other than the diffusion region, for blocking light from below.
US09863641B2
A heater includes: a controller; a user input operatively connected to the controller; and a lighting system operatively connected to, and controlled by, the controller, the lighting system configured to illuminate outside the heater along a length of the heater. A method of displaying light includes: attaching a lighting system to a heater; operatively connecting the lighting system to a controller; operatively connecting a user input device to the controller; and configure the controller to illuminate the light system to provide indirect lighting to a room in which the heater is located.
US09863628B2
Various embodiments may relate to a semiconductor retrofit bulb, in particular a retrofit festoon bulb, having connecting elements that are arranged on two sides. The semiconductor retrofit bulb may include at least a tubular cooling body having at least one outer face support surface, wherein there is arranged on the support surface at least one semiconductor light source, in particular a light diode, a driver housing that is introduced into a hollow space of the tubular cooling body. At least one flow channel is provided between the driver housing and the cooling body.
US09863625B2
A modular cube shaped light emitting diode (LED) luminaire that can be cascaded, or interconnected, to create a larger, higher power LED luminaire that produces more light than the modular LED luminaire is disclosed. Each modular LED luminaire comprises a housing, a heat sink, a power/control circuit board (PCB-A) and an LED circuit board (PCB-B). An optional fan and a metallic heat sink are also enclosed inside the modular LED luminaire housing/shell. The modular LED luminaire provides optical expansion across interconnected modular LED luminaires. The LEDs and heat sinks are easily removable for defect replacement, LED light replacement and upgrade, without uninstalling the entire luminaire. Secondary side processor control of the feedback regulator allows sensor, radio module, user inputs etc. to reside on the “safe” isolated (low voltage) secondary side of the supply can then be used to safely make changes (an allowable UL approval) in the regulated output drive to the LEDs.
US09863624B2
A gas-filled LED bulb manufactured by SMT includes a shell, a lamp holder, a holder, and a filament assembly. The shell defines a chamber therein. The lamp holder is positioned outside the chamber and assembled to the shell. The holder is secured in the chamber and fixed to the shell. The filament assembly includes a plurality of LEDs packaged in a SMD or CSP and a bendable circuit board. The LED is mounted on the circuit board by SMT and arranged on the circuit board sequentially, the circuit board has an elongated shape, and opposite ends of the circuit board are fixed to the holder.
US09863623B2
A lighting device may include a light irradiation portion, a main control module, and a second connector. The light irradiation portion may generate and irradiates light. The light control portion may control power applied to the light irradiation portion. The main control module may include an antenna to communicate with an external device by a wireless communication and control the light control portion according to a control signal from the external device. The second connector may be provided in the main control module and may connect the main control module and the light control portion by a wired communication. The second connector may include a first printed circuit board having a mode pin (for determining a control mode of the light control portion) and a power pin (for supplying power from the light control portion to the main control module), and a second printed circuit board having a control pin (for supplying a control signal from the main control module to the light control portion).
US09863599B2
The present invention discloses a lighting device provided with an electronic lamp cover (30) surrounding a light emitting component (20). The electronic lamp cover (30) can present different light transmitting states according to different voltage values applied thereto within an operation voltage range so as to change the illumination angle and illumination brightness of the illumination light of the lighting device.
US09863590B2
Environmental lighting assemblies are disclosed that may include a structural element, which may be a tubular J-shaped element or other shape or structure, as well as a driver module and an LED lighting engine assembly with a removable locking assembly for generating output light to streets, the ground, trees, or other surfaces, objects, or structures.
US09863587B2
A lighting device can include a base substrate, a plurality of LED light sources disposed in a center area of the base substrate in a first direction, and a resin layer stacked in a structure which covers the plurality of LED light sources. One or more printed circuit boards can be disposed on the base substrate.
US09863584B2
An LED lighting apparatus is disclosed. The LED lighting apparatus includes a board having a principal surface, a plurality of LED chips mounted on the principal surface of the board, and a wiring pattern which is formed on the principal surface of the board and makes electrical conduction with the plurality of LED chips. Further, the LED lighting apparatus includes a frame-like bank which is provided on the principal surface of the board and surrounds the plurality of LED chips. In this case, the wiring pattern has one or more pads having a first portion interposed between the bank and the plurality of LED chips. The LED lighting apparatus further includes a protective layer covering at least a portion of the pads.
US09863572B2
A lifting device configured to adjustably hold a display device at a certain height includes a support frame configured to support the display device, a shaft, a toothed gear, and a rack secured on the support frame. The shaft includes a wide portion secured on the display device and a narrow portion carrying the toothed gear, friction between the wide portion and the narrow portion being sufficient to hold the static weight of the display device. The toothed gear meshes with the rack. An upward or downward push on the display device drives the gear to move up and down along the rack to adjust the height of the display device.
US09863571B2
Disclosed are apparatus, systems and methods for maintaining desired thermal properties of a flowing hydrocarbon fluid in a subsea pipeline. An insulating layer including a plurality of elongated hollow elements containing an insulation material can surround the pipeline. The apparatus can be located on a seabed and connected to a source of hydrocarbon fluid at one end and to a facility for processing hydrocarbon fluid at another end. One method includes spirally winding an elongated hollow element containing an insulation material around the subsea pipeline. One method includes wrapping the subsea pipeline with a connecting layer which includes surface protrusions protruding radially outwards. An insulating layer having surface features reversibly engageable with the surface protrusions of the connecting layer can be reversibly attached to the connecting layer by engaging the surface features of the at least one elongated hollow element with the surface protrusions of the connecting layer.
US09863570B2
A hopper tee for redirecting the flow of material from one passage to another passage includes a radius providing a transition between the passages. A port at the exterior of the radius includes an upwardly-open cavity having a bottom wall disposed within the radius and forming a sacrificial wall extending between the bottom wall and the inner surface of the radius. The cavity provides an indication that material moving through the tee has worn the wall of the radius by the creation of a passage between the interior of the tee and the cavity and expelling material through the passage to the exterior of the tee. A plug may be secured within the cavity allowing a user to continue to use the tee until the tee is rotated or replaced. The radius may include a thickened wall for providing added structural support and sacrificial material.
US09863565B2
An expandable hose assembly that is able to expand one or more of longitudinally along the length-wise axis of the hose between hose ends and radially, to an expanded state in response to application of at least a minimum fluid pressure to an inner tube of the hose. Once the fluid pressure falls below the minimum fluid pressure, the hose will contract. The hose includes a thermoplastic elastomer inner layer and a slip coating layer thereon having lubricating properties that increases the life of the hose assembly. The hose assembly can include an outer sheath or covering that covers the inner tube and slip coating layer.
US09863564B2
In a clamp device, a main clamp body includes an elongated tightening groove delimited by groove-forming wall sections. First and second lobe parts are disposed in the vicinity of end portions of two such tightening grooves. The main clamp body presents a ring shape when bolt and nut are mounted in position on the lobe parts disposed facing each other. Each of the lobe parts includes sidewall sections respectively contiguous to the groove delimiting wall sections that delimit the tightening groove. Each lobe part also includes a curved outer end wall section interconnecting the sidewall sections at an outer end of each lobe part and a seat surface wall section contiguous to the sidewall sections and to the outer end wall section. The seat surface wall section provides a bolt/nut seat surface. An arcuately shaped fulcrum part is formed on the curved outer end wall section of each lobe part.
US09863562B2
A clamp assembly for temporarily applying compressive force to a flange connection assembly, such as a bolted pipe flange. Frame members are pivotally attached to interconnecting linkage members to form an elongate assembly having joinable ends. When installed around the circumference of a flange connection assembly, interchangeable cuff members removably attached to the frame members apply compressive forces to a flange connection assembly in order to facilitate a fluid-pressure seal.
US09863561B2
A pipe clamp assembly includes a band having an inner annular seal element wrappable around a pipe, opposing clamp members extending from the band, and tightening elements for clamping together the clamp members. The tightening elements are positioned at or near opposite ends of each of the clamp members. A stiffening element is constructed of an elongate beam with mounting holes near opposite ends of the beam. The tightening elements pass through the mounting holes of the stiffening element. There are no tightening elements along a length of the stiffening element between the mounting holes.
US09863559B2
An exhaust component assembly includes a first pipe that defines a center axis and has a first end, and a second pipe that has a second end inserted into the first end of the first pipe such that an outer surface of the second end is in contact with an inner surface of the first end. At least one axial weld connects the first and second ends together.
US09863553B2
A laser target assembly, which doubles as a pipe plug, has an outer sheath with a first end that fits within the end of a cut section of pipe, and a second, larger-diameter end that fits into the bell of an uncut section. A circular interior panel, made of tough plastic, is positioned in about the middle of the sheath perpendicular to its central axis. A lower half of the panel, which functions as the target, is opaque; the balance is transparent. A target scale, having evenly-spaced linear markings, is provided on the opaque portion of the panel. A bubble level, positioned within the larger-diameter end adjacent the panel, enables a pipe layer to position the target scale in a vertical orientation. Interior handles are used to adjust axial alignment of target assembly and remove the target assembly when it is installed within a bell.
US09863551B2
A valve assembly having a dynamic stem seal assembly includes a valve stem for moving a valve member from a closed position to an open position, the valve stem extending through a stem opening of a valve assembly body and having an axis. A packing assembly seals between the valve stem and the stem opening. The packing assembly has a seal assembly circumscribing the valve stem at a portion of the valve stem with a reduced outer diameter. The packing assembly also has a packing retainer assembly releasably secured to the valve stem at the portion of the valve stem with the reduced outer diameter. The packing assembly is axially static relative to the valve stem.
US09863549B2
Apparatuses for providing a visual indication outside a blowout preventer (BOP) relative to a position of ram blocks inside the BOP, and methods of adding such apparatuses to existing blowout preventers are provided. An apparatus has an indicator rod, a detectable portion and a sealing assembly. The indicator rod has an end extending outside an end cap of the BOP, and is configured to engage with a tail rod of a ram block of the BOP, and to switch between a first position when the BOP is in a close state, and a second position when the BOP is in an open state. The detectable portion is located outside the end cap and is configured to provide a visual indication relative to a current position of the indicator rod. The sealing assembly is configured to seal a space inside the end cap from an environment in which the BOP operates.
US09863544B2
A pressure-regulating valve assembly includes a sleeve body and a spool. The sleeve body has an interior surface and a sense port. The spool has an external surface and is slideably received within the sleeve body such that the external spool surface and the sleeve body interior surface define therebetween a plurality of sleeve body chambers. A first of the sleeve body interior chambers is a deadheaded chamber in fluid communication with the environment external to the sleeve body through the sense port for controlling pressure of fluid traversing the pressure-regulating valve assembly.
US09863534B2
A piston ring having a hard carbon coating film is provided that can be easily formed in the same batch, does not cause delamination, and is excellent in initial running-in and wear resistance.A hard carbon coating film is formed at least on an outer peripheral sliding surface of a piston ring base and contains substantially no hydrogen, wherein the hard carbon coating film has an sp2 content ratio ranging from 40% to 80% measured in a TEM-EELS spectrum where transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) are combined together, and an area ratio of contained macro particles on a surface of the hard carbon coating film ranges from 0.1% to 10.0%.
US09863529B2
A method for controlling a shift process of an automatic gearbox for a vehicle with an internal combustion engine as its engine, including specifying a shift strategy in a controller, by continuously predictively determining the behaviour of the engine following any shift process into a target gear on the basis of a current detected vehicle dynamic value, a current detected vehicle specific actual value, and/or a current detected engine specific actual value. The prediction results are taken into account and adapted shift thresholds are determined and specified as upshift thresholds or downshift thresholds for a fuel efficient shift. A control command for a corresponding automatic shift process is output after exceeding a shift threshold. The current temperature of at least one component of the engine exhaust system is taken into account during the specification of an adapted shift threshold.
