US08370481B2
A system may receive parameters for provisioning a resource object and may select network resources that correspond to the resource object based on the parameters, inventory information, and configuration information. In addition, the system may configure the selected network resources in accordance with the parameters and may monitor the selected network resources to obtain information on the selected network resources. Further, the system may update the inventory information and the configuration information based on the obtained information to reflect changes in state and configuration of the selected network resources.
US08370472B2
A method for efficient machine selection for job provisioning includes receiving a job request to perform a job using an unspecified server machine and determining one or more job criteria needed to perform the job from the job request. The method further includes providing a list of one or more server machines potentially operable to perform the job. For each server machine on the list of one or more server machines, a utilization value, one or more job criteria satisfaction values, and an overall suitability value are determined. The overall suitability value for each server machine is determined from the one or more job criteria satisfaction values and the utilization value, and may include a numeric degree to which each server machine is suitable for performing the job. Furthermore, the overall suitability value for each server machine may be included on a list of one or more overall suitability values.
US08370450B2
A system for granting or denying access to nodes on a network, includes a first node including a list of nodes that can be granted or denied access to the first node, and at least one other node. The first node and the at least one other node are connected across the network. When the at least one other node attempts to gain access to the first node, the first node reviews the list of nodes to determine whether access should be granted or denied to the at least one other node.
US08370446B2
Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for to advertisement forwarding storage and retrieval network. A method includes, in a network of interconnected computer system nodes, directing advertisement to a computer memory, directing data to a computer memory, continuously forwarding each of the unique data, independent of each other, from one computer memory to another computer memory in the network of interconnected computer system nodes without storing on any physical storage device in the network, continuously forwarding each of the unique advertisements, independent of each other, from one computer memory to another computer memory in the network of interconnected computer system nodes without storing on any physical storage device in the network, and retrieving one of the advertisements in response to an activity.
US08370431B1
A network meeting application for providing network meetings, such as web conference meetings, runs on a presenter device. In response to a request for a network meeting from an attendee device, the presenter device creates a secure desktop separate from a working desktop. The presenter may use the secure desktop to share documents, presentations, or other applications with the attendee device. The attendee device is blocked from accessing the working desktop of the presenter device. A presenter using the presenter device may switch between the working desktop and the secure desktop. Security policies, downloaded to the presenter device from a server, determine the applications the attendee may run on the secure desktop. The secure desktop thereby protects the integrity of the presenter's working desktop during a web conference meeting, while allowing documents, presentations, or other applications to be shared with attendees via the secure desktop.
US08370428B1
The present invention teaches a system & methods for developing & administering composite mobile applications communicating in real-time with enterprise computing platforms comprising combinations of the steps of transmitting a data message, intended for delivery to a mobile client device, from an enterprise server computer to a gateway computer system, receiving at the gateway computer system the data message, recording receipt of the data message in a transaction log at the gateway computer system, determining a mode of delivery of the data message from the gateway computer system to the mobile client device, transmitting the data message from the gateway computer system to the mobile client device via the determined mode of delivery, and recording the transmission of the data message to the mobile client device in the transaction log at the gateway computer system.
US08370420B1
A method and apparatus for displaying locally stored content objects is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises running an agent on a machine and integrating one or more locally stored objects in a page being displayed using information from the agent.
US08370419B2
The disclosed embodiments relate generally to the submission of metadata content and digital content, such as media content, to a media distribution system. The media content can include, for example, audio, video, image, or podcast data. In accordance with one embodiment, a client submitting metadata content can validate the metadata content prior to submission of the metadata content and/or associated media content. A media distribution system receiving metadata content can also validate the metadata content.
US08370411B2
In a first embodiment of the present invention, a method for generating a random number for an instance of a hardware description language definition is provided, the method comprising: generating a unique signature for the instance; applying a message digest generation process on the unique signature to arrive at a message digest having a fixed length; and applying a random number generation process on the message digest.
US08370407B1
An exemplary system for providing a network resource address reputation service may comprise a server computer configured to determine whether an event associated with a network resource address matches event signature(s) in network security device(s). If the event matches a signature, a reputation score for the network resource address may be generated. If the network resource address is not present in a first malicious network resource address database, the network resource address in association with the reputation score may be stored in a second malicious network resource address database. If the network resource address is present in the first malicious network resource address database, the reputation score may be modified to indicate a more negative reputation for the network resource address. The network resource address may then be stored in association with the modified reputation score in a second malicious network resource address database.
US08370404B2
A quality level determining the extent to which each image file is compressed is automatically computed for each image file in a set to ensure that the total size of the compressed image files does not exceed a predefined limit. The compressed size of each image file is initially determined when compressed at a predefined minimum acceptable level and at a nominal level. The relative complexity of the image files is determined based upon their high frequency energy content. As a function of the image file complexity, and starting with the compressed sizes initially determined, the appropriate quality level is determined for compressing each of the image files in an iterative process that ensures the total size of the compressed image files does not exceed the predefined limit, while retaining acceptable quality. Thus, a set of image files can be compressed optimally to fit within a limited storage.
US08370399B2
A schema development system is provided. The system includes a location component to automatically determine members of a schema set. A processor component performs software development operations across the schema set. The members of the schema set can be implicitly determined from at least one development file, where the development file can be an XML file or an XSD file, for example.
US08370398B2
The size of lightweight JT data files containing CAD data is reduced by employing lossy compression where acceptable for portions of the CAD data, such as 3D geometry data. Dictionary-based lossless compression for the remaining portions is augmented by exploiting common repeated structures for some portions, such as precise Brep data, and compressing separate but similar data, such as all metadata for a given part and all scene graph data, together as a single block. The compressed data is then written in separate, uniquely identified data segments indexed in a table of contents, allowing quick access to any data segment for streaming.
US08370396B2
A system for correlating a user's interests to media content, said system comprising: (a) at least one data store comprising media content data relating to people, works, and tags; (b) a relationship generator configured to generate direct relationships among said people, works and tags; (c) a connection module to generate connections between a primary person, work or tag and a first set of said people, works, and tags, wherein each person, work and tag of said first set has a direct relationship with said primary person, work or tag; and (d) a display module for causing the display of at least a portion of said first set of said people, works and tags.
US08370389B1
A technique authenticates a user of a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG). The technique involves establishing a user database containing user information describing the MMORPG user based on a set of first transmissions received from a game provider of the MMORPG. The technique further involves (i) receiving a second transmission from the game provider, the second transmission including an authentication request to authenticate the MMORPG user, and (ii) providing a response transmission to the game provider in response to the second transmission. The response transmission includes an authentication result based on an adaptive authentication operation involving the user database. The authentication result controls whether the game provider provides the MMORPG user with current access to the MMORPG.
US08370381B2
Location based information may be provided. Data may be received having an entry predicate. The data may comprise, for example, a weblog (blog). The entry predicate may comprise location information defining an applicable zone for the data. Location information may be provided in the received entry predicate when it is determined that the location information is missing from the received entry predicate. Next, the data and the entry predicate may be saved. Then an application zone may be calculated, for the saved data, based on the entry predicate. Next, a request may be received comprising a reader predicate. In response to receiving the request, the data may be transmitted when the reader predicate corresponds to the application zone. The data may be transmitted to a request device from which the request was received. The request device may comprise a mobile device.
US08370369B2
Methods of processing record data are presented, together with a Central Management Node for processing record data, and Management Subsystem DataBases for providing a record data set and matching record data. Triggered by service related network fault event, a key table comprising at least one key type is determined, based on a focus target record and related to the network fault event is determined, which key table is used in the step matching the at least one key with record data sets in determined Management Subsystem DataBases. Matched results are merged, whereafter a service performance indicator may be determined, based on which a multi-layer water flow analysis of subsystem specific performance related indicators can be obtained. This analysis may be successfully used to reveal the location of the service related network fault.
US08370359B2
Computer-implemented methods for mapping an element of a source information model to an element of a target information model, forming a cluster of elements for mapping across information models, and evaluating a mapping of elements across information models, and a system and computer program product thereof. The method of mapping an element of a source information model to an element of a target information model includes: receiving information for mapping a first element in a source cluster to an element in the target information model; mapping the first element to the target element using the received information for mapping the first element to the target element; and mapping all other elements in the source cluster to the target element.
US08370353B2
A method of providing a searchable parts database includes collecting component part data from a plurality of users to form a component part database. An exclusive group is formed including a subset of the users. User members of the exclusive group are provided with access to the component part data contributed to the database by other user members of the exclusive group. Users excluded from the exclusive group are denied access to the component part data contributed to the database by the user members of the exclusive group. The user members in the exclusive group are enabled to provide images of desired component parts and to search the component part database based upon the images of desired component parts.
US08370344B2
An information processing apparatus is disclosed which determines, based on fitness to a specified condition, an order of displaying multiple to-be-searched information items which are pre-stored. The apparatus includes a specifying-condition information obtaining unit, an index-information obtaining unit, a population-limiting information obtaining unit, an index-information modifying unit, and a fitness calculating unit.
US08370331B2
Various embodiments of systems and methods for dynamic visualization of search results on a GUI are described herein. A search query received by a user is divided into a plurality of search parts. One or more search results for each of the plurality of search parts are retrieved. Further, a search result array is generated from the retrieved search results. Furthermore, Venn diagram graphical representation of the search results in the search result array is determined and the same is displayed on the GUI. The Venn diagram graphical representation defines display of search results in the Venn diagram and the relevancy ranking of the search results. In addition, the user can specify a weighting for each of the plurality of search parts, which dynamically determines display opacity of at least one of the associated search results and search part circles of the Venn diagram on the GUI.
US08370328B2
Method and apparatus for creating an electronic database of disambiguated entity mentions and relations from a corpus of electronic documents. The invention automatically extracts from the corpus of electronic documents mentions about entities (e.g., references to people, organizations or places), parses the entity mentions into “mention objects,” and executes a series of grouping, comparison and hierarchical fuzzy object clustering algorithms to cluster together in an electronic database all of the mention objects referring to the same entity and all of the mention objects (e.g. “people”) associated with each other by a relationship (e.g., “co-authors” or “family members”). The resulting electronic database of disambiguated entity mentions and relations, which may comprise, for example, an XML document, a relational database or hierarchical database, is structured to permit useful recordation, access, review and display of all of the mentions and relations associated with a particular entity or collection of entities.
US08370326B2
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method for the parallel computation of frequency histograms in joined tables is provided. The method includes reading data in a table row-by-row from a database system using a coordinator unit and distributing each read row to separate worker units. Each worker unit computes a partial frequency histogram for each column in the table in parallel. The partial histograms from the worker units are then merged and the coordinator unit sends the merged frequency histograms to the worker units.
US08370320B1
One or more computer assisted methods for using favicons to send queries to searchable webpages and obtain a search results page for each searchable webpage over a network are provided.
US08370317B2
Multi-threaded access to a collection is synchronized without locking the collection for long periods of time. In one implementation, a collection is locked briefly to allow safe creation of a resource entry (or a placeholder entry) in the collection and then unlocked prior to the start of the resource build operation. As such, the collection is unlocked during the potentially long period of time required to build the resource (e.g., a data object) into the collection. Furthermore, during the build operation, access attempts to the same resource in the collection by other threads are forced to wait until the resource build is completed. Nevertheless, the collection itself is not locked during the resource build operation, so that other threads can access other resources within the collection without waiting.
US08370315B1
A system and method for efficiently reducing latency of accessing an index for a data segment stored on a server. A server both removes duplicate data and prevents duplicate data from being stored in a shared data storage. The file server is coupled to an index storage subsystem holding fingerprint and pointer value pairs corresponding to a data segment stored in the shared data storage. The pairs are stored in a predetermined order. The file server utilizes an ordered binary search tree to identify a particular block of multiple blocks within the index storage subsystem corresponding to a received memory access request. The index storage subsystem determines whether an entry corresponding to the memory access request is located within the identified block. Based on at least this determination, the file server processes the memory access request accordingly. In one embodiment, the index storage subsystem is a solid-state disk (SSD).
US08370306B1
A computer-implemented method for recovering from continuous-data-protection blackouts may include identifying a continuous data protection system configured to copy each change made to a set of data. The computer-implemented method may also include identifying a set of changes made to the set of data but missed by the continuous data protection system. The computer-implemented method may further include identifying an alternate change-tracking system that tracks changes made to the set of data. The computer-implemented method may additionally include updating the continuous data protection system with the missed set of changes as tracked by the alternate change-tracking system. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
US08370303B1
Disclosed are various embodiments for generating snapshot data tables. Records are extracted from a predetermined plurality of tables in a master data store. The only records extracted are those which have changed since a last snapshot of the tables was taken. The extraction produces a corresponding plurality of working tables. For each of the working tables, any rows missing in the respective working table are determined. Those missing rows are filled in from the predetermined plurality of master tables based on a plurality of identifiers in working tables other than the one with the missing rows.
US08370294B2
An embodiment of a method includes determining a file size of each of multiple files to be included in a file system image. For each file having a file size less than a lower file size threshold of the storage device currently storing the file, the file is stashed in an alternate storage device having a throughput greater than a throughput of the current storage device. In an example embodiment, files that have sizes within a size range greater than the lower file size threshold are randomly selected for stashing in an alternate storage device. A system includes a file system image generator configured to selectively stash files based on file sizes and a lower file size threshold.
US08370282B1
An image quality subsystem computes quality scores for images that represent a measure of visual quality of the images. Initial quality scores and query specific quality scores can be computed for the images based on image feature values for the images and a transformation factor that represents a measure of importance of image quality for computing relevance scores for images. The initial quality scores are query independent quality scores that are computed for the images and can be used as a factor for computing relevance scores for the image relative to any query. Query specific quality scores are computed for images that are identified as relevant for a particular query based on the initial quality scores and a query specific transformation factor for the particular query. Adjusted relevance scores for the images can be computed based on the initial quality scores or the query specific quality scores.
US08370268B2
An automated vehicle rental system with individual vehicle transmitting sensors for keeping track of vehicle mileage, fill state of vehicle fuel tank, and localized position status in a rental lot. Sensors are linked to the vehicle odometer reading and to the vehicle fuel tank float sensor with compensation for types of driving and fuel fill-ups which affect float level readings. The sensors are integrated with or are linked with communicating tags operable in a defined site for ultimate communication of stored vehicle related sensor data, vehicle location and type to a central data base for automatically completely effecting check out, charges and state of vehicle readiness for renewed rental. The transmitting sensors are adapted to avoid interference between sensors of other vehicles during multiple transmissions. Also included is an in-vehicle check out and payment device operatively linkable to the transmitting sensor of the vehicle.
US08370265B2
A transaction processing service operates as an intermediary between acquirers of financial transaction requests and issuing institutions that process the financial transaction requests. The intermediary service enables a customer to selectively change the status of an account's associated with a payment instrument by activating or deactivating the account. The intermediary service may manage account status locally using a rules module. Alternatively, the issuing institution may manage account status, while the intermediary service provides an interface for customers. A customer communicates with the intermediary service to direct the service to change the account status. The intermediary service determines the account's issuing institution and provides an indication to the issuing institution of the current status of the account (or of the change in status). The intermediary service may provide the indication by transmitting a message to the issuing institution or by storing the account status information in its own database. The issuing institution may then request account status from the intermediary service whenever it needs the information, such as when it receives an authorization request.
US08370263B2
Methods, computer readable media, and apparatuses for providing trusted services management using a hybrid service model are presented. According to one or more aspects, a first transaction log of a first secure element included in a mobile computing device may be received. The first secure element may be provisioned with first secure information provided to a user of the computing device by a first entity, such as a first financial institution. Subsequently, a second transaction log of a second secure element included in the mobile computing device may be received. The second secure element may be provisioned with second secure information provided to the user of the computing device by a second entity different from the first entity, such as a second financial institution, for instance. In some arrangements, incentive offers may thereafter be provided to the user based on the first transaction log and the second transaction log.
US08370259B2
Computer-implemented method and system are provided for verifying a financial instrument. The method comprises performing a plurality of transactions using a source of electronically exchanged value identified by a user, recording details of the plurality of transactions, inviting the user to identify the details to a verification system, and verifying the source of electronically exchanged value based on the details provided by the user to the verification system.
US08370258B2
A first command is sent from a payment terminal assembly to a payment device with an on-device balance to compute a cryptogram to complete a putative transaction. It is detected that the cryptogram is not received as expected. In response, an identifier of the payment device and transaction recovery data associated with the putative transaction are stored in a storage area of a terminal memory of the payment terminal assembly. The payment terminal assembly obtains the identifier of the payment device, upon re-presentation of the payment device. Upon such re-presentation, the payment terminal assembly compares the obtained identifier of the payment device to contents of the storage area. Conditioned at least upon the comparing yielding a match, a second command is sent from the payment terminal assembly to the payment device to instruct the payment device to re-produce the cryptogram to complete the putative transaction.
US08370255B2
A system and method for upgrading existing credit cards with additional lines of credit is disclosed. Credit information associated with customers holding credit cards issued by a credit card issuer are analyzed to determine a level of risk associated with each customer. One or more extra line of credit may be established for selected customers based on the determined level of risk associated with each customer. Each extra credit line may be exclusively associated with a selected set of vendors that have a partnership agreement with the credit card issuer. The credit card issuer may allow customers to select vendors to be associated with the extra credit line or may automatically choose vendors for selected customers. Customers with established extra credit lines may purchase goods and/or service directly from vendor sites or at the credit card issuer's web sites. Purchases at selected vendor sites may be automatically applied to a customer's newly established extra credit line. Additionally, a customer may choose to apply purchases to their extra credit lines or their primary line of credit.
US08370250B2
The performance management system and method enable users to set performance targets and analyze performance measures for a company based on financial information. The system displays three template areas respectively containing historical financial data for a first time period, predicted financial data for a second time period, and financial performance measurement changes from the first time period to the second time period, where financial performance measures are displayed for each of the time periods. The second template area receives target input variables that include target NOPAT growth, target TRS, and target dividends per share. The system and method enable the recursive adjustment of at least one of the target input variables for a future time period until a percentage change in the target TRS displayed in the second template area is equal to a user selectable target TRS value.
US08370249B2
Methods and systems for engaging in enhanced parimutuel wagering and gaming. In one embodiment, different types of bets can be offered and processed in the same betting pool on an underlying event, such as a horse or dog race, a sporting event or a lottery, and the premiums and payouts of these different types of bets can be determined in the same betting pool, by configuring an equivalent combination of fundamental bets for each type of bet, and performing a demand-based valuation of each of the fundamental bets in the equivalent combination. In another embodiment, bettors can place bets in the betting pool with limit odds on the selected outcome of the underlying event. The bets with limit odds are not filled in whole or in part, unless the final odds on the selected outcome of the underlying event are equal to or greater than the limit odds.
US08370245B2
An automated information and analysis system and methods, including methods to acquire information, which may include financial market data such as rates or prices, from one or more external sources, and to process, enhance, extend or otherwise develop that information to derive additional, different, modified or otherwise developed information which, separately or together with the original acquired information, provides to users additional, different or modified utility relative to the utility that the original acquired information provides alone.
US08370236B1
A method, system and program product, the method in one embodiment comprising: A method, comprising: accessing databases comprising: client information for each of a plurality of respective clients, comprising a balance of funds of the client; a distribution percent value, Xi, for tranches; information for each of multiple government backed-insured aggregated time deposit instruments holding a tranche of client funds, comprising: a rate; an identification of the depository institution; a term; and determining a given client available distribution amount, Di; determining an amount of a client tranche to be deposited in each of Ni depository institutions based at least in part on the percentage, Xi, in order that the client tranches are approximately equal and are insured; determining Ni depository institutions to distribute the client tranches; allocating substantially equally respective client tranches to the Ni depository institutions; generating data for instructions to transfer the respective client tranches; updating, the databases.
US08370232B2
As banking transactions are processed by a bank teller, all of the relevant information with respect to the transaction (e.g., dollar amount) is captured in an electronic file. Each of the electronic files from the various branches of the bank are forwarded to a central back office processing center where the electronic files are combined into a single Transaction Repository. At the end of the branch day, all of the paper associated with the transactions is forwarded from the branches to the back office processing center. The paper transactions are imaged in the conventional manner and the Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) data is read from the paper. The present invention then automatically correlates the images and MICR data captured from the paper with the complete transaction record contained in the Transaction Repository. Most of the conventional back office processing can now be performed without the need to perform character recognition and without the need for excess human intervention.
US08370230B2
A system for identifying and expediting the release of held items, such as checks. Paying banks (having accounts against which the checks are drawn) provide paid item files to the system, and depository banks (where checks have been deposited) provide held item files to the system. If there is a match of a paid item file and held item file (indicating that a held check has been paid by the paying bank), the depository bank is notified that the item has been paid and that the hold may be released.
US08370225B2
The invention is a system and method of managing equipment. The system incorporates a tagging device to attach identification tags to each piece of equipment. A scanning device is used to read the identification tags and relay this information to an equipment server. An input device is used to input information to the equipment server. The equipment server runs the equipment management program. The system flags a potential asset assigned to an asset creating individual. Equipment is designated an asset after use in an asset creating event.
US08370220B1
A method of completing a transaction using payment information received from a personal wireless device. The method includes the steps of recording items for purchase, determining a total price of the items, displaying a prompt to provide payment for the total price, and wirelessly receiving payment information from a personal wireless device.
US08370215B2
Methods and systems for automated alternative selection for compound price quotes are provided. A requesting party submits a request that includes information regarding at least one specification. A database is searched based on the information provided by the request. The search results are evaluated to determine whether they meet a predefined target. When the search results do not meet a predefined target, an alternative specification is identified. At least a second set of search results is retrieved from the database that may be used to meet the target. Vehicles are selected for inclusion in a compound price quote. A compound price quote including multiple price quotes for each selected vehicles is generated.
US08370213B2
An electronic commerce system and method for processing auxiliary order information in an on-line open market are provided. The system includes an on-line market server for brokering the on-line transaction on the Internet, wherein the on-line market server, when entrusted with partial or full processing of acquisition of auxiliary order documents for an object for sale requested for purchase from the buyer, acquires the auxiliary order documents from an issuing authority and requests the seller to deliver the object for sale, based on the auxiliary order documents; and at least one database for storing information related to the buyer and the seller.
US08370204B2
In some embodiments, methods for providing advertisements from a communication gateway are providing, including: receiving a first request requesting content from a content server; analyzing the first request, including performing deep packet inspection; based on updatable profile information associated with a mobile node and on the analysis including the deep packet inspection, selecting an advertising category; based on the selected advertising category, retrieving an advertisement among a plurality of advertisements and sending the advertisement to the mobile node; updating the profile information to indicate the advertisement has been sent to the mobile node in response to the first request for content; receiving a second request for the content from the mobile node; retrieving the content; and in response to the second request and based on the profile information indicating the advertisement has been sent to the mobile node, sending the content to the mobile node.
US08370203B2
Improved user interfaces and methods are provided for presenting item recommendations to a user when the user selects an item to add to a shopping cart. In response to the user's selection, a page generation process generates and returns a page that includes a plurality of recommendations sections, each of which displays item recommendations generated using a different respective recommendation or selection algorithm (e.g., recommendations based on shopping cart contents, recommendations based on purchase history, etc.). These recommendation algorithms may be selected based on collected information regarding the user. The page may also include a shopping cart section which displays contents of the shopping cart.
US08370202B2
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for estimating segments from key values for advertising impressions.
US08370195B1
Methods and systems for hosting business and other e-commerce application services are provided which provide secure shared computing resources to multiple instances of e-commerce or other business applications. The shared computing resources are dynamically allocated among the instances of the applications, and the instances of the applications are logically separated from one another to provide additional security.
US08370193B2
Methods, computer readable media, and apparatuses for evaluating risk associated with a process are presented. Input corresponding to one or more risk elements may be received. An exposure score, an impact score, a likelihood score, and an element score may be determined for each risk element. One or more risk category scores may be determined based on the one or more element scores. One or more risk parameter scores may be determined based on the one or more risk category scores. An overall risk score may be determined based on the one or more risk parameter scores. A risk scorecard may be generated, and the risk scorecard may include a risk scorecard that visually depicts one or more of the determined scores.
US08370189B2
A method and computer program product for receiving an indication of a meeting being scheduled between a plurality of attendees. At least one of the attendees is designated a moderator of the meeting. The actions of the designated moderator are monitored to determine if the designated moderator is capable of performing one or more moderator responsibilities associated with being the designated moderator. If it is determined that the designated moderator is incapable of performing the one or more moderator responsibilities, an alternate moderator chosen from the plurality of attendees is designated.
US08370183B2
A comparative evaluation of a plurality of alternative candidates is performed by creating a plurality of evaluation criteria for evaluating the alternative candidates, comparing pairs of the evaluation criteria and assigning a relative weight to each compared pair of evaluation criteria, assigning an evaluation value to the evaluation criteria for each of the alternative candidates, and generating a relative ranking of the alternative candidates based at least in part on the assigned relative weights and the assigned evaluation values.
US08370173B2
A computer system and methods manages dispensing and replenishment of medications by a Contract Pharmacy for a Covered Entity. Participating Contract Pharmacies are associated with a Covered Entity, and each medication unit is associated with a code that corresponds to medication units dispersed by the Contract Pharmacies. The amount of medication units corresponding to the code and dispersed by the Contract Pharmacies is tracked. When the amount of medication units dispensed across the Contract Pharmacies to patients of the Covered Entity reaches a replenishment threshold, replacement medication units are ordered to replace inventory loaned by the Contract Pharmacies to the Covered Entity at the Covered Entity's available drug discount purchase price.
US08370169B2
Closed-loop control is applied to the field of automated on-line business bandwidth planning tools by comparing measured business bandwidth with a baseline for providing a difference indication, changing the baseline according to the difference, and reporting the change as an event relating to a service level agreement.
US08370162B2
In a voice processing system, a multimodal request is received from a plurality of modality input devices, and the requested application is run to provide a user with the feedback of the multimodal request. In the voice processing system, a multimodal aggregating unit is provided which receives a multimodal input from a plurality of modality input devices, and provides an aggregated result to an application control based on the interpretation of the interaction ergonomics of the multimodal input within the temporal constraints of the multimodal input. Thus, the multimodal input from the user is recognized within a temporal window. Interpretation of the interaction ergonomics of the multimodal input include interpretation of interaction biometrics and interaction mechani-metrics, wherein the interaction input of at least one modality may be used to bring meaning to at least one other input of another modality.
US08370160B2
Embodiments include methods and apparatus for synchronizing data and focus between visual and voice views associated with distributed multi-modal applications. An embodiment includes a client device adapted to render a visual display that includes at least one multi-modal display element for which input data is receivable though a visual modality and a voice modality. When the client detects a user utterance via the voice modality, the client sends uplink audio data representing the utterance to a speech recognizer. An application server receives a speech recognition result generated by the speech recognizer, and sends a voice event response to the client. The voice event response is sent as a response to an asynchronous HTTP voice event request previously sent to the application server by the client. The client may then send another voice event request to the application server in response to receiving the voice event response.
US08370157B2
A speech recognition system and a personal speech profile data (PSPD) storage device that is physically distinct from the speech recognition system are provided. In the speech recognition system, a PSPD interface receives voice training data, which is associated with an individual and the operating conditions of an aircraft, from the PSPD storage device. A speech input module produces a digital speech signal derived from an utterance made by a system user. A speech processing module accesses voice training data stored on the PSPD storage device through the PSPD interface, and executes a speech processing algorithm that analyzes the digital speech signal using the voice training data, in order to identify one or more recognized terms from the digital speech signal. A command processing module initiates execution of various applications based on the recognized terms. Embodiments may be implemented in various types of host systems, including an aircraft cockpit-based system.
US08370143B1
In general, the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods, systems, and program products. A computing system receives text that represents content input by a user. A computing system determines a randomness level for a portion of the text. A computing system determines whether the randomness level for the portion of text exceeds a threshold level. A computing system, responsive to determining that the randomness level does not exceed the threshold level, provides the portion of text for processing by a text processing system.
US08370142B2
Described herein are embodiments of systems, methods and computer program products for real-time transcription of conference calls that employ voice activity detection, audio snippet capture, and multiple transcription instances to deliver practical real-time or near real-time conference call transcription.
US08370136B2
A method and an apparatus for generating comfortable noises so as to improve user experience are disclosed. The method includes: if a received data frame is a noise frame, calculating a corresponding energy attenuation parameter based on the noise frame and a data frame received earlier than the noise frame; and attenuating noise energy based on the energy attenuation parameter to obtain a comfortable noise signal. An apparatus for generating comfortable noise is also provided.
US08370132B1
Apparatus and methods are provided for measuring perceptual quality of a signal transmitted over a communication network, such as a circuit-switching network, packet-switching network, or a combination thereof. In accordance with one embodiment, a distributed apparatus is provided for measuring perceptual quality of a signal transmitted over a communication network. The distributed apparatus includes communication ports located at various locations in the network. The distributed apparatus may also include a signal processor including a processor for providing non-intrusive measurement of the perceptual quality of the signal. The distributed apparatus may further include recorders operatively connected to the communication ports and to the signal processor, wherein at least one of the recorders processes the signal at one of the communication ports and the recorder sends the signal to the signal processor to measure the perceptual quality of the signal.
US08370122B2
A method and apparatus for segmenting geobodies extracted from three-dimensional geophysical survey data volumes. In one embodiment, the invention involves (a) obtaining a plurality of data elements, respectively corresponding to three-dimensional locations in a subsurface region, and generating a data volume consisting of discrete cells from the plurality of data elements (1); (b) identifying an initial geobody corresponding to a potential hydrocarbon reservoir within the data volume by grouping cells in the data volume according to a selected connectivity criterion (2); (c) selecting a rule (3) that characterizes stratigraphically reasonable geobodies (e.g. they cannot vertically overlap); and (d) in response to a determination that the initial geobody does not conform to the rule, segmenting the initial geobody into a plurality of fundamental geobodies via processing the data elements with an automated segmentation routine, wherein the fundamental geobodies each conform to the rule (4).
US08370110B2
Measuring performance of a performance measuring tool comprises: a first data loader acquiring a first set of network data for passing to a first data channel; the first data channel calculating a first set of performance metrics using the first set of network data and storing the first network data and performance metrics in a database; a first data viewer displaying the first set of performance metrics; time stamping all operations performed in one or more of the acquisition, calculation and storing steps and saving the time stamp and operation details in a log file; a second data loader acquiring the time stamped data; a second data channel, calculating a second set of performance metrics using the time stamped data, storing the time stamped data and second set of performance metrics in the database; and a second data viewer, displaying the second performance metrics from the database.
US08370104B2
A pointing device includes accelerometers and rotational sensors that are coupled to a processor. The processor samples the accelerometers and rotational sensors to detect gravity and pointing device motion and uses algebraic algorithms to calculate roll compensated cursor control signals. The processor transmits the cursor control signals to a receiver that is coupled to an electronic device that moves the cursor on the visual display.
US08370103B2
A moving context and a moving time of a user are specified by acceleration information while the user is moving. The moving context represents the user's moving status. The acceleration information is measured by an acceleration sensor carried with the user. The moving context and the moving time are stored in time series. The moving context and the moving time between a moving start time and an arrival time are set as a moving pattern. A tag is set to the moving context in the moving pattern. The tag identifies a function to be executed for the moving context. A moving estimation pattern is generated as the moving pattern having the moving context and the moving time specified by acceleration information measured when the user is newly moving. The function identified by the tag is executed, when the moving context set with the tag in the moving estimation pattern coincides with a moving context specified by acceleration information measured while the user is newly moving.
US08370101B2
The invention generally relates to a circuit card assembly testing system for testing and troubleshooting new and failed circuit card assemblies. Specifically, circuit card assemblies that are part of a guided missile and launcher test set are tested using a board testing system (BTS), the preferred embodiment, to isolate faults or to verify final assembly. The BTS is used for testing and troubleshooting a wide variety of circuit card assemblies at the end of final assembly and upon their return as a failed item from the field. The BTS is designed to rapidly isolate faults in failed circuit card assemblies that have been returned to a maintenance facility by providing an improved means of fault isolation. The BTS is designed to aid in the production of circuit card assemblies by providing an improved means of rapidly verifying the proper operation of circuit boards after final assembly.
US08370096B2
A method and system includes a first substrate and a second substrate, each substrate comprising a predetermined baseline transmittance value at a predetermine wavelength of light, processing regions on the first substrate by combinatorially varying at least one of materials, process conditions, unit processes, and process sequences associated with the graphene production, performing a first characterization test on the processed regions on the first substrate to generate first results, processing regions on a second substrate in a combinatorial manner by varying at least one of materials, process conditions, unit processes, and process sequences associated with the graphene production based on the first results of the first characterization test, performing a second characterization test on the processed regions on the second substrate to generate second results, and determining whether at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate meet a predetermined quality threshold based on the second results.
US08370091B2
Computer-implemented systems and methods for detecting ESD on a surface and determining an origination location of the ESD. A programmed computer device monitors time-varying current data related to the surface to detect ESD on the surface. The current profile for the surface may be compared to a catalog of ESD current profiles, where each ESD current profile in the catalog corresponds to a different location on the surface. The location on the surface whose corresponding ESD current profile best matches the actual current profile from the ESD may be determined to be the origination location of the ESD. Moderately different processes may be used to determine the ESD origination location depending on whether the surface is symmetrical or irregular, flat or curved, etc.
US08370088B2
The invention relates to a method for the real-time determination of the filling level of a cryogenic tank intended to house a two-phase liquid/gas mixture, in which at least one of the the level, volume or mass contained in the tank is calculated for the liquid or the gas at each time step. The method includes the use of a thermal model at each time step to calculate the average temperatures of the liquid and the gas in the tank on the basis of the measured pressure differential and at least one of the pressures of said differential; calculation of the change over time in at least the density of the liquid on the basis of the average temperature of the liquid and the pressures in the tank.
US08370087B2
A bicycle power meter has a strain gauge sensor assembly mounted on a relatively compressible portion of the end of the rear fork of the bicycle frame. The relatively compressible portion is near the rear hub and subject to the forces exerted by the cyclist to the crankset, and transferred via the chain, and sprocket assembly to the hub. The sensor assembly has two ohmically interconnected stretch sensors each having a first layer bearing a variable resistance element, whose resistance changes with displacement of the compressible portion, and a second layer for providing support for the first layer. The sensor assembly is connected in a bridge circuit to two other resistances to generate signals representative of cyclist applied force. These signals are processed along with velocity signals to generate power signals and the power signals are supplied to a display.
US08370079B2
The present invention is generally directed to powerful and flexible methods and systems for consensus sequence determination from replicate biomolecule sequence data. It is an object of the present invention to improve the accuracy of consensus biomolecule sequence determination from replicate sequence data by providing methods for assimilating replicate sequence into a final consensus sequence more accurately than any one-pass sequence analysis system.
US08370077B2
A system for optimizing a patient's insulin dosage regimen over time, comprising at least a first memory for storing data inputs corresponding at least to one or more components in a patient's present insulin dosage regimen, and data inputs corresponding at least to the patient's blood-glucose-level measurements determined at a plurality of times, and a processor operatively connected to the at least first memory. The processor is programmed at least to determine from the data inputs corresponding to the patient's blood-glucose-level measurements determined at a plurality of times whether and by how much to vary at least one of the one or more components in the patient's present insulin dosage regimen in order to maintain the patient's future blood-glucose-level measurements within a predefined range.
US08370072B2
BioMEMS/NEMS appliance biologically monitors an individual, using biosensors to detect cellular components. Data is simulated or analyzed using systems-biology software, which provides diagnostic or therapeutic guidance.
US08370067B2
A method and system and the use of a 3-D positioning system for monitoring a landfill and landfill material added thereto and undergoing compaction and measures in real time the relative density of the compressed landfill material. The method and system calculates thickness, volume, density during the landfill operation to ensure that the landfill is comprised of compacted layers of substantially optimized density.
US08370061B2
A navigation device stores road data in a storage part. The road data includes a consecutive connection of a plurality of links as a link queue, the plurality of links acquired by sectioning a road length into a plurality of pieces. The navigation device includes a guidance part that performs route search and guidance to a destination using the road data. The link queue includes a standard link for which, based on a sectioned link of a specific road stored in the storage part, information relating to the sectioned link is stored as road-related information in the storage part, and an invariance link for which the road-related information is not stored in the storage part if there is no difference in the road-related information compared to an adjacent link in the link queue. A navigation road data creating device is also provided.
US08370056B2
A collision warning apparatus includes sensors, output devices, memory locations, a GPS device, and a processor. The processor may receive information from the sensors. The processor may also process the information to identify a detected object as a present potential collision object. The processor may compare present GPS coordinates of the vehicle with stored vehicle GPS coordinates saved in memory, to determine whether or not the present GPS coordinates correspond to stored vehicle GPS coordinates associated with a previously identified potential collision object. If the present GPS coordinates correspond to stored vehicle GPS coordinates associated with a previously identified potential collision object, the processor is operable to suppress a potential collision warning.
US08370055B2
A driver assistance system includes a distance measuring device which detects distance values of objects from the surroundings of a vehicle. Based on a coordinate system that is fixed to the vehicle, the surroundings of the vehicle are subdivided into zones. Individual quality measures are assigned to distance values from the particular zones or measured quantities derived from these distance values. The individual quality measure is a function in particular of the variation of the component of the relative velocity in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.
US08370051B2
Method and systems are provided for controlling a vehicle system including an engine that is selectively deactivated during engine idle-stop conditions. One example method comprises, adjusting a brake torque applied to a deactivated rotating engine after an engine restart request, the brake torque applied to slow the engine to at least a predetermined threshold speed without stopping the engine, and engaging a starter to the still rotating engine to increase the engine speed and restart the engine.
US08370049B1
A control system of an internal combustion engine in which as fuel, a first fuel of ammonia and a second fuel easier to burn than ammonia are used. These two types of fuel are burned in the combustion chamber. A basic ammonia ratio is set in accordance with an engine load and engine speed. The set basic ammonia ratio is corrected based on at least one of a combustion state, knocking strength, temperature of an exhaust gas or temperature of a catalyst arranged in an engine exhaust passage, NOx concentration in the exhaust gas, actual compression ratio, air-fuel ratio, and fuel properties.
US08370041B2
A method is provided that includes determining a state of a vehicle ignition switch; determining a state of the vehicle, wherein the vehicle state including at least one of whether the vehicle is in a torque producing mode, whether the vehicle is moving, and whether the vehicle brake system is engaged; and, controlling the vacuum pump in response to the vehicle state and the ignition switch state.
US08370034B2
When an engine stop control is executed while an automatic ratio shift portion is in a neutral state, a switching clutch is operated, so that a differential portion carrier of a differential portion planetary gear device that is linked to an engine, and a differential portion ring gear linked the automatic ratio shift portion are integrally rotated. Therefore, along with the engine stop control, the rotation speed of the rotating elements of the differential portion planetary gear device is reduced while the rotating elements are integrally rotated or substantially integrally rotated. Since the rotating elements are rotated integrally or substantially integrally, the high rotation speed of the differential portion ring gear linked to the automatic ratio shift portion, which tends to have a heightened rotation speed particularly during the neutral state, is prevented.
US08370026B2
An activation device is configured to activate a protection apparatus for protecting an occupant. The activation device includes a front collision detection unit and a rear collision detection unit. The front collision detection unit outputs a front-collision-state activation signal to a front-collision protection apparatus so as to activate the front-collision protection apparatus when detecting front collision of the vehicle. The rear collision detection unit outputs a rear-collision-state activation signal to a rear-collision protection apparatus so as to activate the rear-collision protection apparatus when detecting rear collision of the vehicle. The rear collision detection unit prohibits output of the rear-collision-state activation signal to the rear-collision protection apparatus for a first period when the front collision detection unit detects front collision of the vehicle.
US08370025B2
A target value for yaw angle velocity gain is computed according to a map expressing a relationship between steering wheel angle and yaw angle velocity gain predetermined such that a direction as seen from a driver of a target destination point for vehicle travel at a predetermined time after a forward gaze and a direction as seen from the driver are caused to match each other, and a steering gear ratio is controlled accordingly. A target value for a steering wheel torque corresponding to the detected steering wheel angle and the acquired yaw angular velocity is set, based on a relationship between yaw angular velocity and resistance-feel level predetermined such that the resistance feel level for a driver monotonically increases with increasing yaw angular velocity. Control is then preformed so as to realize the steering wheel torque target value.
US08370023B2
A driver assistance system having a lane-keeping function, having a device for detecting the lanes on a roadway, and a control unit for intervening in the steering system of the vehicle for lane-keeping. Means are provided in the driver assistance system for detecting the position of the vehicle with respect to the lane marking of the lane. Furthermore, means are provided for detecting a travel of the vehicle through a curve. The control unit executes its control function as a function of the position of the vehicle on the lane and as a function of the cornering. The intervention depends on whether the vehicle is located on the inner side of the curve or on the outer side of the curve.
US08370022B2
A suspension system is provided to execute a control for avoiding a state in which an operation of an electric motor which is a power source of an electromagnetic actuator is kept halted at a certain operational position while the motor is generating a motor force. Where a target rotational position of the motor becomes equal to a specific operational position (e.g., a rotational position at which an electrifying current amount of one phase reaches a peak value), a control for shifting the target rotational position by δθ is executed. Where the rotational position of the motor is kept located at the certain position for a time period longer than a prescribed time, a control for changing the rotational position of the motor is executed.
US08370021B2
A distance measuring sensor is arranged to a vehicle door, and measures a distance to an object in a direction corresponding to a scanning angle. A memory stores a standard angle and a comparison distance corresponding to the scanning angle. A distance-shortest scanning angle is defined by the shortest value of the measured distance. When the distance-shortest scanning angle is different from the standard angle, the scanning angle is corrected. The object is determined to be an obstacle having a possibility to contact with the door, when the measured distance is equal to or shorter than a corrected comparison distance corresponding to the corrected scanning angle.
US08370019B2
A friction coefficient between at least one tire of a motor vehicle and a roadway is estimated recursively. A kingpin inclination angle is detected or measured. A model determines a lateral friction value by defining a functional correlation between that value and the angle such that a non-linear course of that value relative to the angle is dependant on an initial increase of that value relative to the angle and on a recursively determined estimated value of the friction coefficient. The initial increase is defined substantially independently from the recursively determined estimated value. In addition, a measurement variable of the driving dynamics is captured. Depending on the lateral friction value, the driving dynamics model variable is determined. Furthermore, a variance between the driving dynamics measurement variable and the driving dynamics model value is determined. The recursion when acquiring the estimated value includes that the estimated value is adjusted.
US08370016B2
An OBDII device and method and system which includes an inexpensive, user friendly way to determine a vehicle's readiness status for emissions testing. An audible or visual indication that may or may not be wirelessly connected to the tool is provided to alert the repair shop technician or driver that the vehicle has completed its drive cycle and may now be tested for compliance with state and federal emissions laws. The device also includes the ability to prevent the tool from discharging a power source of the vehicle when the device is coupled to the vehicle.
US08370015B2
A hybrid industrial vehicle including an engine, generator motor, battery, and a travel motor. A first generated power computation unit computes a deceleration rate based required generated power based on the travel power and charge power of the battery. A second generated power computation unit computes an actual power based required generated power based on used power used by the travel motor and the charge power of the battery. A generated power control unit controls the generator motor so that the generated power of the generator motor becomes equal to a total generated power determined from the deceleration rate based required generated power and actual power based required generated power. An engine rotation speed control unit controls rotation speed of the engine to be greater than or equal to a required cargo handling engine rotation speed.
US08370014B2
A control apparatus and method of controlling a hybrid vehicle are taught herein. The vehicle selectively switches between an EV mode wherein the vehicle travels by only a driving force produced by the motor/generator when an accelerator opening is less than or equal to an engine-stop line or a HEV mode wherein the vehicle travels by at least a driving force produced by the engine the accelerator opening exceeds the engine-stop line. A transition from the HEV mode to the EV mode is executed when the accelerator opening becomes less than or equal to the engine-stop line during the HEV mode and a given delay time has expired. The delay time is set to a shorter time as an accelerator return speed decreases.
US08370000B2
Systems and methods for increasing the power efficiency of cooling fans are disclosed. A method for providing power-efficient operation of a plurality of cooling fans may include testing a plurality of cooling fans over an operating range of delivered airflow to determine, in each of one or more regions of the operating range, a number of cooling fans to be enabled to provide the lowest power amount required to deliver the delivered airflow for such region.
US08369994B1
A method and/or apparatus providing for evaluation and illustration of the effects of installing and using specific features of an Energy Management System is disclosed. The system is typical of those utilized in Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) control systems. In one illustrated embodiment, cost savings that are achievable following installation of an HVAC system with certain selectable features are clearly illustrated and controllable in an easily understood and useful way, including from remote locations such as over the internet.
US08369988B2
A grain distributor including a timer coupled to a distribution spout that generates a series of particular time values. The control processor is programmed with an algorithm to pivot the distribution spout and to receive and record signals from the sensor as the sensor confronts each of the code clusters and each of the proof windows. The control processor is programmed with the algorithm to associate each signal from each code cluster with a particular time value generated by the timer and to memorize the particular time value associated with each code cluster in a long term memory and the control processor being programmed with the algorithm to associate each signal from each of the proof windows in a long term memory. The grain distributor is also self programming.
US08369985B2
A mail sorter, method, and software product are used for sorting inbound mail pieces and outbound mail pieces. The mail sorter includes sorter modules cooperatively engaged with each other, so as to receive mail pieces that are a mixture of both inbound mail pieces and outbound mail pieces, and so as to sort both the inbound mail pieces and the outbound mail pieces. The mail sorter also includes an unsorted mail piece path that is utilized by both the inbound mail pieces and the outbound mail pieces. The outbound mail pieces are mail pieces destined for sorting at a remote postal facility prior to delivery to destination addresses, whereas the inbound mail pieces are mail pieces that are not destined for sorting at a remote postal facility prior to delivery to destination addresses.
US08369976B2
A method for increasing overall yield in semiconductor manufacturing including routing wafers or wafer lots from tool to tool in a manner which at least partially neutralizes or compensates for processing variations. A system for increasing overall yield in semiconductor manufacturing includes a module for recording processing data from plural first and second types of tools and a module for routing wafers or wafer lots from tools of the first type of tools to tools of the second type of tools so as to at least partially neutralizes or compensate for processing variation.
US08369971B2
A media system is disclosed that uses preemptive recording of media files to reduce playback latency when media tracks are subsequently selected for playback during the recording process. The media system comprises a primary storage device capable of storing media files and a secondary storage device capable of reading digital media files from a removable storage medium. The system also includes a media player capable of playing media files stored on the primary storage device and a recorder that is connected to read digital media data from the secondary storage device. The recorder stores media files corresponding to the digital media data of the removable storage medium on the primary storage device. To reduce subsequent playback latency when media tracks are selected for playback during the recording process, the recorder automatically stores only predetermined portions of each media file read from the storage medium on the primary storage device when the removable storage medium is, for example, initially engaged with the secondary storage device. The preemptive recording may also occur at advantageous times other than the time at which the removable storage medium is initially engaged with the secondary storage device. Further, preemptive recording may be limited to the media files selected by the user for complete recording from the secondary storage device to the primary storage device.
US08369960B2
Systems and methods for wireless signal transfers between ultrasound-enabled medical devices are disclosed. An illustrative system includes a source device equipped with multiple transducer elements configured to transmit an acoustic wave, a target device including an acoustic transducer for receiving the acoustic wave from the source device, and a controller configured to determine adjustments to one or more transmission parameters of the source device for increasing the signal coherence of the acoustic wave at the target device.
US08369959B2
The present invention is related to active implantable medical devices comprising an antenna and a band diplexer connected to said antenna. The band diplexer comprises first filter means for a first signal to be transmitted and/or received in a first RF band and second filter means for a second signal to be transmitted and/or received in a second RF band. A method of bidirectional wireless communication is disclosed between an active implantable medical device and an external device, comprising the steps of: communicating unidirectionally from the external device to the implantable medical device over a first wireless link in a first RF band in the MI near-field and communicating unidirectionally from the implantable medical device to the external device over a second wireless link in a second RF band in the EM field.
US08369934B2
A method is provided for establishing contact of a medical device against a three-dimensional surface geometry within a subject body, the method comprising obtaining a three-dimensional tissue surface geometry of an anatomical region within the subject body, obtaining a target location on the surface for the device to contact, determining local surface geometry information in a neighborhood of the target location, and using this information to determine a change of at least one control variable for effecting an over-torque of the medical device to enhance contact of the device with the target surface.
US08369913B2
A living body measuring instrument having a sub-mount on which plural light-emitting devices oscillating at different wavelengths are mounted in proximity, one optical output monitoring device that detects the optical outputs of these light-emitting devices and a light source mounted on the same heat sink which are housed in one can-package, a light-receiving device that detects a signal from a living body, and a circuit that separates the optical output signals from the light-emitting devices, wherein at least one light-emitting device has a light-emitting layer including a In1-xGaxAsyP1-y quantum well layer and a barrier layer on a GaAs substrate, the strain ε satisfies 0.4%≦ε≦1.4%, wherein y in the composition satisfies 0.10≦y≦0.45, and the wavelength of the emitted light is from 700 nm to 760 nm.
US08369912B2
A superconducting cable (1; 10; 30) has a channel (4, 38) for a cooling liquid, a tubular support structure (5, 37), at least two layers (2, 3; 11-15; 31, 32, 35, 36) comprising high Tc conductors (2a, 3a) which comprise a high Tc material, and an insulation (7, 17), in particular a tubular insulation (7). The conductors (3a) of the outer layer (3; 13-15; 33, 36) comprise a first high Tc material that is different from a second high Tc material of the conductors (2a) of the inner layer (2; 11-12; 32, 35), wherein the first high Tc material exhibits lower AC losses as compared the second high Tc material, and that the high Tc conductors (3a) of the outer layer (3; 13-15; 33, 36) comprise normal-conducting interruptions (41, 42, 43). The superconducting cable exhibits reduced AC losses.
US08369909B2
Disclosed are a sliding opening and closing device and a portable terminal having the same. According to the first embodiment of the present invention, a slide plate is linked to a main plate to be slidable in one direction. Also, the main plate supports an elastic part so as to generate an elasticity power in one direction. A power transformation member receives the elasticity power of the elastic member, and transmits the elasticity power to the slide plate in the direction of the opening or the closing according to the position of the slide plate.
US08369898B2
A portable terminal with a touch screen and a method for displaying tags on the touch screen of the portable terminal are disclosed. The method includes: calculating a distance between the first and second touch points detected on the touch screen; identifying the number of tags that will be displayed, according to the calculated distance; and displaying at least one of the identified number of tags.
US08369897B2
A method and system for utilizing smart antenna in transmission of messages between nodes are disclosed. A wireless communication system includes a plurality of nodes, and each node is capable of being connected to each other node. At least a portion of the nodes are provided with a smart antenna configured to generate a plurality of directional beams. Each node maintains a list of other nodes and beam configuration information to be used in transmission of messages to other nodes. When a source node is required to transmit to a target node, the source node retrieves the beam configuration information and transmits with a directional beam directed to the target node.
US08369895B2
A method for aligning polling timer by a mobile station with a first subscriber identity card and a second subscriber identity card, executed by a processor of the mobile station, is provided. First, it is determined whether the second subscriber identity card is operated in an IDLE state when a first timer corresponding to the first subscriber identity card counts to a specific time period. Forthcoming periodic timings are adjusted for polling the first and second subscriber identity cards to be substantially consistent when the second subscriber identity card is operated in an IDLE state.
US08369894B1
A system is provided for confirming certification of combinations of secure elements and mobile devices. The system includes secure element data and a secure element component on a removable secure element. The secure element component detects insertion of the removable secure element in a mobile device, retrieves the secure element data, and retrieves mobile device data from the mobile device. The secure element component determines whether a combination of the removable secure element and the mobile device is certified based on a comparison of the secure element data and the mobile device data. The secure element component provides a certification alert via a user interface on the mobile device in response to a determination that the combination of the removable secure element and the mobile device is not certified.
US08369887B2
A mobile terminal and a method of controlling the mobile terminal are provided. The mobile terminal may generate a haptic effect whose intensity or pattern corresponds to the type and importance of an event occurred therein. Therefore, it is possible for a user to easily identify the event based on the haptic effect. Since the mobile terminal generates a haptic effect in response to a command input thereto by the user, it is possible to prevent a command from being accidently input to the mobile terminal.
US08369885B2
An apparatus and method for providing control information in a Multi User-Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) wireless communication system is provided. The method includes receiving a plurality of Resource Elements (REs) including Downlink Control Information (DCI), determining, using the DCI, a set of REs to which a plurality of Downlink Reference Signals (DRSs) may be mapped, determining remaining REs as REs to which data is mapped, and demodulating the data using a precoding vector of a DRS corresponding to the MS.
US08369882B1
Systems and methods for establishing a push-to-talk (PTT) call are provided. When a group call request that identifies a first and second destination mobile station is received from an originating mobile station, a location of the first destination mobile station is determined. The call is established between the originating mobile station and the first destination mobile station prior to a determination of a location of the second destination mobile station. When the group call involves mobile stations of two different networks, a gateway of the second network sends an acknowledgement message accepting the call to a gateway of the first network and the gateway of the second network receives an acknowledgement message accepting the call from the first destination mobile station. The acknowledgement message is received from the first destination mobile station subsequent to the sending of the acknowledgement message from the second gateway to the first gateway.
US08369881B2
A PTT server includes a controlling unit, a receiving unit, a medium converting unit, and a transmitting unit. The controlling unit controls pieces of connection setting information less than the number of a plurality of PTT terminals having different specifications by complying them with the plurality of PTT terminals. The receiving unit receives a medium coded data from any one of the PTT terminals. The medium converting unit converts the medium coded data with a converting method on the basis of the connection setting information compliant with a PTT terminal for transmission destination to produce an output coded data. The transmitting unit transmits the output coded data to the PTT terminal for the transmission destination.
US08369872B2
A method for improved determination of the position of a user device in a mobile-radio network is provided. In combination with adjacent, second user devices, the method is intended to achieve a relatively-accurate positioning even if only a relatively-inaccurate positioning method is available for the user device itself, especially if the latter is disposed inside a building. An absolute position of a second user device is determined with a first position-determining method. A relative position of the first user device relative to the second user device is then determined with a second position-determining method. Finally, the absolute position of the first user device is determined on the basis of the absolute position of the second user device and the relative position of the first user device relative to the second user device, wherein the first and the second position-determining methods are different methods.
US08369865B2
A method which can reduce loss in data transmission is provided. A data block is prepared in a high-level layer and the data block is transmitted in a low-level layer. Status report information associated with reception or non-reception of the data block is received through the low-level layer. When a receiver fails to receive data transmitted from a transmitter, the transmitter can rapidly recognize the reception failure and can retransmit the data.
US08369858B2
The present application describes methods involving one or more mobile units, one or more macrocells providing wireless connectivity to one or more first coverage areas, and one or more femtocell providing wireless connectivity to one or more second coverage areas overlapping with the first coverage area(s). One embodiment of the method includes determining, at the femtocell(s), whether to transmit one or more beacon signal from the femtocell(s) on one or more carriers associated with the macrocell(s) based on whether mobile unit(s) are located within the first coverage area(s).
US08369853B1
A method and system is disclosed for enhanced idle-state sector selection during hybrid-mode operation of an access terminal. A hybrid access terminal engaged in an IS-856 data communication session in a hybrid IS-2000/IS-856 wireless communication system will, responsive to a handoff of the IS-856 session, select a sector for its next, upcoming IS-2000 idle-state scan prior to the start of the scan. The selection will be made during an interval between IS-2000 idle-state scans, thereby reducing or eliminating the possible need for idle-state handoffs during idle-state scans, and resulting in shorter idle-state scans and better IS-856 performance.
US08369820B2
A frequency multiplier device comprises a first signal combiner having a first port for receiving a first input signal having a first frequency f1 and a second port for receiving a second input signal having a second frequency f2, the first signal combiner configured to provide an output signal having either a sum of the first frequency and second frequency or a difference of the first frequency and second frequency; and a frequency divider having a dividing ratio N, the frequency divider configured to output a divided signal, wherein the output signal from the first signal combiner is coupled to the frequency divider, the divided signal from the frequency divider is coupled to the second port of the first signal combiner, and the output signal from the first signal combiner has a frequency of (N/(N±1))×f1.
US08369813B2
An apparatus and a method for reducing cross-talk between audio channels in a mobile terminal are provided. The apparatus includes an ear jack, a radio signal tuner, a baseband, and a switching unit. The ear jack includes a common port for a reference potential of an earphone and a radio signal. The radio signal tuner processes a radio signal input via the common port. The baseband determines an on/off state of a radio reception function to output a control signal. The switching unit connects the common port of the ear jack to one of a ground and the radio signal tuner according to the control signal.
US08369812B2
A method and system for detecting intermodulation emissions, such as passive intermodulation emissions, is provided. The method comprises retrieving signal quality measurement (SQM) data, and determining whether there is an intermodulation hit in the SQM data. If there is no intermodulation hit, the SQM data is stored in a first data set; if there is an intermodulation hit, the SQM data is stored in a second data set. The method then determines whether there are one or more faults in the first data set. If there are, a confirmation count for an intermodulation failure is cleared, and the method starts again. If there are not one or more faults in the first data set, a determination is made whether there are one or more faults in the second data set. If not, the confirmation count is cleared, and the method starts again. An intermodulation failure can be confirmed if there are one or more faults in the second data set.
US08369803B2
A power correction module for use with an amplifier driving a load impedance is configured to sample the supply current and to cause a change in a control voltage, which corrects the supply voltage in response to a change in the load impedance. The supply voltage is corrected to cause the power amplifier to have a substantially constant output power. The power correction module is further configured to output a corrected peak voltage determined by an average value of the supply current.
US08369799B2
A receiving device embodiment receives a user command from an external source. The user command is directed to a remote target destination. A first interactive programming command communicator embodiment generates a mobile device command from the received user command, and communicates the mobile device command to a mobile device. A second interactive programming command communicator embodiment receives the mobile device command from the receiving device. A target destination is identified from information in the mobile device command, and information from the mobile device command is communicated to the target destination.
US08369797B2
A communication apparatus includes a transmitter for transmitting wireless signals, and a receiver for receiving wireless signals. A first communication functional unit uses the transmitter and the receiver to operate as a station in a first network operating on a first communication channel, while a second communication functional unit uses the transmitter and the receiver to operate as a station in a second network operating on a second communication channel different from that of the first network. A controller conducts time division data transfer by utilizing the respective time periods of receiver inactivity on the first and second channels in order to switch operation to the other channel and attempt to receive a signal on the corresponding other network. In so doing, the communication apparatus is able to fulfill dual roles on the networks operating on different channels with the use of a single modem.
US08369796B2
A wireless device using natural higher order harmonics on multi-band reconfigurable antenna designs where the antenna higher order resonance is used to build a multi-band to multi-band frequency reconfigurable antenna.
US08369794B1
Carrier sensing and power control, or trade-off among two or more communication parameters, can provide relative improvement in throughput. A sensing threshold or transmission power are varied, thus altering a sensing range and a transmission quality, thus maximizing a feasible transmission rate. Transmission power and rate are collectively altered to find a best throughput rate. A transmission rate can incremented after successful transmission and decremented after failed transmission, the described increment possibly being less than the described decrement. Thus, pairs of transmissions where one fails and one succeeds decrease the net transmission rate. Smaller increments, with larger decrements, cause increases to increase throughput without degrading quality, while causing decreases to restore transmission quality if an increase does degrade transmission quality.
US08369791B2
Techniques for determining interference-suppressing downlink transmission parameters in a wireless network using coordinated multi-point (CoMP) transmission are disclosed. In each of several iterations of an exemplary method, a tentative user-specific antenna beam-forming vector for the antennas of the first cell is formed for each of several first mobile stations served by the cell and for each of several second mobiles in neighboring cells, based on a most recent tentative virtual allocation of uplink transmitter power to each of the mobile stations and virtual uplink signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratios for the mobile stations that account for inter-cell interference. Further, a current tentative allocation of downlink transmitter power to each of the first mobile stations is determined for each iteration, based on the tentative user-specific antenna beam-forming vectors for the first cell, a pre-determined transmitter power constraint for the first cell, and target signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratios for the first mobile stations.
US08369784B2
Wireless devices may utilize a Bluetooth stack to setup a data transmission session with other devices. The data transmission session may include a Bluetooth physical layer or a medium access control/physical layer that permits wireless devices to perform discovery, pairing, and security setup operations. When a radio interface of a wireless device is insufficient to enable performing a required data communication, such as a high data rate communication, a data transmission session may be established with at least one medium access control/physical layer of a plurality of other medium access control/physical layers to accommodate the required data communication.
US08369780B2
A system is provided for non-contacting energy and data transmission from a first vehicle part to a second vehicle part. In this arrangement apart from a first inductive part in a hybrid transmitter for transmission of first data and energy an additional, second, data channel is installed in the first hybrid transmitter in such a manner that the second data channel is influenced as little as possible by the electromagnetic fields of the inductive part of the transmitter. To this effect a magnetic void can be created in the hybrid transmitters used. For the purpose of reception of not only the first data but also the energy and the second data a corresponding second hybrid transmitter is stated.
US08369771B2
A method and apparatus for synchronizing Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) are provided. An operation method of a first Mobile Station (MS) for synchronizing DMB includes sending a broadcast channel synchronization request message to a second MS, receiving a broadcast channel synchronization request grant message from the second MS, after broadcast channel synchronization, receiving information on a broadcast channel viewed by the second MS, tuning to the broadcast channel viewed by the second MS based on the broadcast channel information received from the second MS, and displaying the broadcast channel viewed by the second MS.
US08369765B2
An image heating rotatable member for heating an image on a recording material, includes a base layer, a heat generation layer, provided on the base layer, for generating heat by being supplied with electric power, an electrode layer, provided outside of the heat generation layer with respect to a widthwise direction and having an electric resistance which is smaller than that of the heat generation layer, for supplying the electric power to heat generation layer, an elastic layer provided on the electrode layer and having a length longer than that of the electrode layer measured in the widthwise direction, and a parting layer provided on the elastic layer.
US08369758B2
An image forming apparatus includes: an image carrier; a transfer member that transfers an image onto a recording medium; a leading-end holding member that holds a leading-end side of the recording medium, which is fed to the transfer member, between the leading-end holding member and an outer circumferential surface of the transfer member, in such a way to restrict displacement of the recording medium and to restrict movement of the recording medium in a direction away from the transfer member; and a rear-end holding member that holds a rear-end side of the recording medium, in the transporting direction thereof, between the rear-end holding member and the outer circumferential surface of the transfer member, in such a way to allow displacement of the recording medium in the transporting direction and to restrict movement of the recording medium in the direction away from the transfer member.
US08369757B2
An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of image bearing members; a rotatable intermediary transfer member for carrying toner images transferred from the plurality of image bearing members in contact with the plurality of image bearing members; a transfer member for press-contacting to the intermediary transfer member to form a transfer portion, at which the toner images on the intermediary transfer member are to be transferred onto a recording material; and a control portion for controlling an image forming operation so that, during execution of a continuous image forming mode in which images are formed on a plurality of recording materials conveyed with a preset minimum interval, a recording material passes through the transfer portion and thereafter transfer of a toner image to be formed on a subsequent recording material from an image bearing member, located upstream of the transfer portion and most downstream of the plurality of image bearing members with respect to a rotational direction of the intermediary transfer member, onto the intermediary transfer member is started.
US08369755B2
The developing device includes a developer charging member configured to charge a toner serving as a one developer; and a developer bearing member configured to bear and feed the charged toner while forming an electric field so that the toner hops. The developer bearing member includes an insulating substrate; plural electrodes arranged on the insulating substrate in a developer feeding direction to form the electric field; and an outermost layer covering the plural electrodes. The toner has a softening point of from 115 to 130° C.
US08369749B2
A developing device includes a developing member for developing an electrostatic latent image by adhering developer on an image carrier; a feeding member for feeding the developer to the developing member; and an interposing member that is interposed between the developing member and the feeding member during a period of when the developing device is not being used.
US08369747B2
A charging device is provided. A charging device includes a charging section and a discharge product adsorption removal section. The charging section includes a shield case having a shield opening, a discharge electrode, and a rotation shaft which is parallel to a rotation axis of a photoreceptor. The discharge product adsorption removal section has an adsorption layer that adsorbs a discharge product and is disposed downward in a vertical direction of the photoreceptor. The charging section is displaceable about an axial line of the rotation shaft from a position where the shield opening opposes to the photoreceptor to a position where the shield opening opposes to the discharge product adsorption removal section.
US08369744B2
Process cartridge including a photosensitive drum for an electrophotographic image forming apparatus
A process cartridge comprises a photosensitive drum, a developing roller, and a coupling member. The coupling member is capable of inclining relative to the photosensitive drum such that the coupling axis inclines relative to the drum axis. A regulating portion surrounds the coupling member so as to confine the range of inclination of the coupling member. The regulating portion is provided with a recess that recesses in a direction away from the drum axis and away from the developing roller. An angle between the coupling axis and the drum axis is larger when at least a part of the coupling member is in the recess than when the coupling member contacts another portion of the regulating portion.
US08369736B2
A developing device includes: a developer holding member that faces an image carrier on which a latent image is formed and rotating while holding developer; a developing housing with a holding member mount that mounts developer holding member, and accommodates developer; a developer container connected to the developing housing and containing developer that flows into the developing housing; a partition member disposed in the developer container and partitioning an inner space of the developer container; and a loosening member having a loosening portion disposed in the developer container and extending along one side surface and another side surface of the partition member to partition the developer container, and a drawing portion that is connected to the loosening portion and extends from a port formed in the developer container to the outside of the developer container. When the drawing portion is drawn out, the loosening portion moves to loosen the developer.
US08369735B2
An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming unit having a plurality of photoconductor drums arranged in tandem; an intermediate transfer belt arranged opposite to the photoconductor drums and configured to receive developer images formed on the photoconductor drums and to transfer the developer images onto a recording sheet; a cleaning unit comprising a cleaning member positioned in contact with the intermediate transfer belt and configured to collect substance adhering to the intermediate transfer belt, and a receptacle configured to store the substance collected by the cleaning member, wherein the cleaning unit is arranged on the same side as the image forming unit with respect to the intermediate transfer belt; and a support member configured to support the image forming unit and the cleaning unit and to be pulled out from a main body.
US08369724B2
An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of forming devices, a measuring device and a correcting device. In execution of a steady-deviation detection, the correcting device controls the forming devices to form a first pattern and detects a steady deviation amount of the image forming position on a basis of a measurement result of the first pattern. In execution of a varying-deviation detection, the correcting device controls at least one of the forming devices to form a second pattern and detects a varying deviation amount of the image forming position having a cycle on a basis of a measurement result of the second pattern. The correcting device determines necessity of executing the other one of the steady-deviation detection and the varying-deviation detection on the basis of the measurement result in the one of the steady-deviation detection and the varying-deviation detection.
US08369708B2
A data center for executing a data processing application includes processing units, sub-units or servers. Each of the processing units, sub-units or servers can execute a part or all of the data processing application. The processing units, sub-units or servers are electrical disjoint with respect to data communications, but can communicate with each other over free space optical links.
US08369705B2
In a passive optical network, a downstream transmission rate from an OLT to multiple ONTs can be optimized by matching a transmission scheme for frames addressed to a channel to the downstream transmission characteristics of the channel. An FEC coding can be made channel dependent so that channels with low error rates can use minimal protection, and therefore minimal overhead, while channels with high input bit error rates can use the level of FEC coding required to produce a desired output bit error rate.
US08369704B2
An apparatus for computing optical network characteristics may comprise: a plurality of network elements arranged into two or more domains; two or more optical computation engines, each of the two or more optical computation engine associated with a respective one of the two or more domains; and a centralized path computation engine configured to interface with the two or more optical computation engines to calculate one or more characteristics of the optical path. Each of the two or more domains may comprise one or more network elements sharing a common operational characteristic. The plurality of network elements may be in optical communication along an optical path, the optical path including a first network element at an origin of the optical path and a final network element at a terminus of the optical path. The two or more optical computation engines may be configured to perform calculations related to the optical performance of the network elements associated with the same domain as the optical computation engine.
US08369694B2
A vaporizing dispenser comprising a user-activatable chemical reaction heat source and a volatile compound inside a container such that convection currents from the activated heat source volatilize the volatile compound and carry it out of the container.
US08369692B2
A video and sound signal recorded on an optical disk is reproduced and when a read error of the video and sound signal occurs during the reproduction of the optical disk, reading of the video and sound signal is retried and when a read error of the video and sound signal occurs during the retry of the reading of the video and sound signal, a rotational speed of the optical disk is increased to retry reading of the video and sound signal and when the video and sound signal can be read by the retry of the reading of the video and sound signal, the rotational speed of the optical disk is returned to the original rotational speed and the video and sound signal recorded on the optical disk is reproduced.
US08369684B2
Disclosed is a data processing apparatus that includes a plurality of ports inputting and outputting a clip including a plurality of types of essence, a memory storing the clip when recording or playing back of the clip from a recording medium, and a generator storing types of essence in separate regions of the memory, and generate identification information identifying the types of essence, while generating linking information indicating an association between regions of the memory storing one of the types of essence as a master essence and regions of the memory storing the remaining types of essence. The apparatus further includes a control unit outputting the master essence in the regions and the remaining essence in the regions associated therewith via linking information from the designated ports when the master essence in the clip of the video data subjected to playback request designating the ports is stored in the memory.
US08369679B2
An assembly including a ground bar for coupling to a ground, a conductive contact for electrically connecting a wire to the ground bar, and a switch for selectively disconnecting the conductive contact from the ground bar to thereby selectively disconnect the wire from the ground bar when the wire is electrically connected to the conductive contact. The assembly may include a plurality of conductive contacts and a plurality of switches for selectively disconnecting an associated conductive contact from the ground bar. A method of using an assembly having a ground bar, a conductive contact, and a switch includes electrically connecting a wire to the conductive contact, and actuating the switch to selectively disconnect the conductive contact from the ground bar to thereby selectively disconnect the wire from the ground bar without electrically disconnecting the wire from the conductive contact.
US08369676B2
Disclosed herein is a printed circuit board for an optical waveguide, including: a substrate; an insulation layer having a through hole and formed on the substrate; a lower clad layer formed on a bottom of the through hole; core part formed on the lower clad layer; and an upper clad layer formed on the lower clad layer and the core part and thus covering an exposed surface of the core part.
US08369669B2
A method and apparatus for imaging using a double-clad fiber is described.
US08369662B2
A fiber optic rotary joint has at least one fiber optic collimator. The fiber optic collimator has a plurality of lenses on a micro lens array. Furthermore a plurality of optical fibers are attached to the micro lens array. The fibers are further fixed by a fiber support. A spacer is provided between the micro lens array and the fiber support, setting the micro lens array and the fiber support apart from each other. The optical fibers have between the micro lens array and the fiber support a excess length greater than the distance between the micro lens array and the fiber support. This results in a slight bending of the fibers between the micro lens array and the fiber support. A temperature related extension of parts of the fiber optic rotary joint can be compensated by the excess length and does not lead to mechanical tension on the fibers.
US08369654B2
To facilitate setting of development condition an image developing apparatus is provided. The image developing apparatus performs a development process to first image data generated by a digital camera, each pixel of which lacks a part of color information, the image developing apparatus carries out a first type of development process on the first image data to generate developed image data; and a second type of development process on the first undeveloped image data to generate for-display image data with lower resolution. The first type of development process includes: a first specific process performed on the first image data to generate second image data; and a first interpolation process performed on the second image data, the second type of development process includes: a process to generate third image data through a second interpolation process performed on the first image data and a resolution converting process; and a second specific process performed on the third image data.
US08369650B2
A method of automatically determining a need to service a digital image acquisition system including a digital camera with a lens assembly includes analyzing pixels within one or more acquired digital images according to probability determinations that such pixels correspond to blemish artifacts. It is automatically determined whether a threshold distribution of blemish artifacts is present within one or more of the digital images. A need for service is indicated when at least the threshold distribution is determined to be present.
US08369649B2
An image processing apparatus includes an image correction processing unit configured to correct an input image so as to generate a corrected image and a super-resolution processing unit configured to receive the corrected image generated by the image correction processing unit and increase a resolution of the corrected image through super-resolution processing so as to generate a high-resolution image. The image correction processing unit performs at least one of a time-direction noise removal process, a space-direction noise removal process, a compression noise removal process, and an aperture control correction process.
US08369643B2
The amount of time spent extracting linear noise components is reduced, when removing linear noise components from an image. A reduced image is generated, by reducing a radiation image in at least one of the vertical and horizontal directions. A linear noise image that represents linear noise components in the Y direction is generated, by extracting linear noise components from the reduced image. Thereafter, the generated linear noise image is enlarged to the image size of the original image; the linear noise components are removed from the radiation image, employing the enlarged linear noise image.
US08369638B2
In certain embodiments, to eliminate DC leakage into surrounding AC values, scaling stage within a photo overlap transform operator is modified such that the off-diagonal elements of the associated scaling matrix have the values of 0. In certain embodiments, the on-diagonal scaling matrix are given the values (0.5, 2). In some embodiments, the scaling is performed using a combination of reversible modulo arithmetic and lifting steps. In yet other embodiments, amount of DC leakage is estimated at the encoder, and preprocessing occurs to mitigate amount of leakage, with the bitstream signaling that preprocessing has occurred. A decoder may then read the signal and use the information to mitigate DC leakage.
US08369631B2
The method of coding a multidimensional digital signal, said signal comprising a plurality of samples denoted “initial”, characterized in that it comprises: —a step of determining at least one secondary signal representing said multidimensional digital signal, each secondary signal having a lower number of samples than the number of samples of the multidimensional digital signal; —a step of determining filtering orientations on the basis of at least one secondary signal and—a step of determining at least one tertiary signal representing the signal to code, each tertiary signal having a lower number of samples than the number of initial samples, by implementing, on said multidimensional digital signal, filtering that is oriented on the basis of said filtering orientations.
US08369626B2
A plurality of images inputted in an image signal input portion are divided into a plurality of regions by an image dividing portion, and a feature value in each of the plurality of regions is calculated by a feature value calculation portion and divided into a plurality of subsets by a subset generation portion. On the other hand, a cluster classifying portion classifies a plurality of clusters generated in a feature space into any one of a plurality of classes on the basis of the feature value and occurrence frequency of the feature value. And a classification criterion calculation portion calculates a criterion of classification for classifying images included in one subset on the basis of a distribution state of the feature value in the feature space of each of the images included in the one subset.
US08369625B2
Provided is a three-dimensional model classification method of classifying constitutions. The method includes correcting color values of a frontal image and one or more profile images to allow a color value of a reference color table in the images to equal a predetermined reference color value, through obtaining the frontal image and one or more profile images of a subject including the reference color table by a camera, the reference color table including one or more sub color regions, generating a three-dimensional geometric model of the subject by extracting feature point information from the frontal image and the profile image, matching the corresponding feature point information to extract spatial depth information, after removing the reference color table region from the frontal image and the profile image, and classifying a group of the three-dimensional geometric model of the subject by selecting a reference three-dimensional geometric model having a smallest sum of spatial displacements from the three-dimensional geometric model of the subject from a plurality of reference three-dimensional geometric models stored in the database and setting the group which the selected reference three-dimensional geometric model represents as the group where the three-dimensional geometric model of the subject belongs.
US08369622B1
The invention features a system wherein a recognition environment utilizes comparative advantages of automated feature signature analysis and human perception to form a synergistic data and information processing system for scene structure modeling and testing, object extraction, object linking, and event/activity detection using multi-source sensor data and imagery in both static and time-varying formats. The scene structure and modeling and testing utilizes quantifiable and implementable human language key words. The invention implements real-time terrain categorization and situational awareness plus a dynamic ground control point selection and evaluation system in a Virtual Transverse Mercator (VTM) geogridded Equi-Distance system (ES) environment. The system can be applied to video imagery to define and detect objects/features, events and activity. By adapting the video imagery analysis technology to multi-source data, the invention performs multi-source data fusion without registering them using geospatial ground control points.
US08369620B2
Provided are an object detection device and system. The object detection device includes an outline image extraction unit, a feature vector calculation unit, and an object judgment unit. The outline image extraction unit extracts an outline image from an input image. The feature vector calculation unit calculates a feature vector from the outline image by using histogram of oriented gradients (HOG) representing a frequency distribution of gradient vectors with respect to pixels of the outline image, and pixel coordinate information varying according to a spatial distribution of the gradient vectors. The object judgment unit judges a target object corresponding to the feature vector with reference to pre-learned data.
US08369609B2
Image processing herein reduces the computational complexity required to estimate a disparity map of a scene from a plurality of monoscopic images. Image processing includes calculating a disparity and associated matching cost for at least one pixel block in a reference image, and then predicting, based on this disparity and associated matching cost, a disparity and associated matching cost for a pixel block that neighbors the at least one pixel block. Image processing continues with calculating a tentative disparity and associated matching cost for the neighboring pixel block, by searching for a corresponding pixel block in a different monoscopic image over a reduced range of candidate pixel blocks focused around the disparity predicted. Searching over a reduced range avoids significant computational complexity. Image processing concludes with determining the disparity for the neighboring pixel block based on comparing the matching costs associated with the tentative disparity and the disparity predicted.
US08369604B2
A position detector, which detects the position of a mark formed on a substrate (W), comprises a creating unit (9), a search unit (13), and a correction unit (14). The creating unit (9) creates a template used for identifying a mark to be detected (WM) based on an image including the mark (WM). The search unit (13) searches an image by using the template created by the creating unit (9), and determines whether there is a pseudo pattern, other than the pattern of the mark (WM), whose degree of matching with the template is higher than a reference value. The correction unit (14) corrects the template based on the information of the pseudo pattern when it is determined that there is the pseudo pattern, and creates a corrected template whose degree of matching with the pseudo pattern is lower than the reference value.
US08369594B2
The methods described herein are methods to ascertain motion contrast within optical coherence tomography data based upon phase variance. The phase variance contrast observes the nanometer scale motion of scatterers associated with Brownian motion and other non-flow motion. The inventive method of calculating motion contrast from the phase variance can differentiate regions of different mobility based on the motion contrast differences, and can use the phase information to characterize mobility properties of the scatterers. In flow regions, the inventive method for acquiring and analyzing motion contrast can identify the regions as well as characterize the motion. Furthermore, the inventive method can determine quantitative flow estimation, the index of refraction variations, and absorption variations within flow regions.
US08369592B2
The present disclosure relates to a prostatic imaging system including steps of recording and processing images acquired by the ultrasonographic head of a rectal probe equipped with an active puncture guide, characterized in that it includes steps of processing at least a part of the images acquired by the probe for calculating transformations to a “reference image” repository relative to the initial position of the prostate, at least a part of the images acquired during the successive punctures including the location of the various positions of the needle being recorded with a view to visualising representations thereof on a single image including at least a part of the prostate. The present disclosure also relates to a system for the prostatic imaging implementing said prostatic imaging method.
US08369580B2
The present invention relates to a method for transforming a feature vector comprising a first and a second feature represented by a first and a second feature value, respectively, into a feature code using an encoder, said feature code usable in an algorithm and having a predetermined number of bits, said method comprising the steps of determining for each of the first and the second features the performance as a function of the length of the feature code, and using the dependency between the performance and the feature code length for each of the individual features derived in the step of determining to find feature code lengths for the first and the second features in such a way that the sum of the bit length of the first and the second feature codes has a length equaling said predetermined bit length. An advantage with the present invention is that it solves the problem in the case of template protection systems which only accept binary templates and where the resulting classification quality of the biometric system to a very large extend depends on the quality of the binary strings. Another advantage with the present invention is that it also solves the problem of matching time in an identification setting because binary strings can easily be compared. The present invention also relates to a similar arrangement for transforming a feature vector into a feature code.
US08369574B2
A person tracking method capable of tracking movements of a person captured by a camera through lighter processing in comparison with tracking processing that employs a Kalman filter or the like is provided. The method includes: detecting a head on each frame image; calculating a feature quantity that features a person whose head is detected on the frame images; calculating a relevance ratio that represents a degree of agreement between a feature quantity on a past frame image and a feature quantity on a current frame image, which belong to each person whose head is detected on the current frame image; and determining that, a head, which is a basis for calculation of a relevance ratio that represents a degree of agreement being a first threshold as well as being a maximum degree of agreement, is a head of the same person as the person having the head.
US08369567B1
A method for automatically detecting and mapping fires based on information extracted from commercial overhead EO/IR imagery, creating geo-referenced files which can be opened in most common geographic information system (GIS) software packages. The method creates a shapefile (*.shp & *.shx) and a Google Earth file (*.kmz) which contain the outlines of the areas from the image being processed with active fire in them, which types of files are typically very small compared to the size of the image file being processed. The method utilizes algorithms designed to process information contained in multi-spectral electro-optical imagery to classify pixels as ‘fire’ or ‘non-fire’. The method also has the ability to identify the approximate length, width, and area of the fires detected.
US08369566B2
A contactless system and method for estimating the mass or weight of a target object is provided. The target object is imaged and a spatial representation of the target animal is derived from the images. A virtual spatial model is provided of a characteristic object of a class of object to which the target object belongs. The virtual spatial model is reshape to optimally fit the spatial representation of the individual animal. Finally, the mass or weight of the target object is estimated as a function of shape variables characterizing the reshaped virtual object.
US08369565B2
In some aspects, message data is generated from a first representation of a message and a reference image. The message data is generated to hide the message such that generating a second representation of the message from the message data requires processing of a second image that is perceptually similar to the first image. In some examples, a degree to which the second representation of the message is perceptually similar to the first representation of the message is related to a degree to which the second image is perceptually similar to the first image.
US08369564B2
An automated method of generating sets of image processing instructions that identifies a region of picture elements for processing and a region of picture elements to be produced is described. The method receives a first set of image processing instructions for performing a transform operation, and, for the first set of image processing instructions, produces a second set of image processing instructions that identify a region of picture elements for processing from an input image and a third set of image processing instructions that identify a region of picture elements to be produced in an output image. The method associates the second and third sets of image processing instructions with the first set of image processing instructions, the association allowing the execution of the second and third sets of image processing instructions at run-time to facilitate the execution of the first set of image processing instructions.
US08369562B2
Watermarks for patterned magnetic media. The watermarks are used to demonstrate the unauthorized replication of a patterned magnetic media. The watermarks include a dibit, a pattern in an open region, shifting of data, shifting of a sync mark and large length scale perturbations. Also described are methods to determine if a watermark appears on a patterned media.
US08369560B2
The present disclosure provides a damper. The damper has alternating ridges and furrows thereon and has a through hole defined at a center of the damper. The ridges and furrows are concentric. The damper includes a matrix and at least one carbon nanotube structure disposed in the matrix. The present disclosure also provides a loudspeaker using the damper.
US08369550B2
Disclosed herein are an artificial ear and a method for detecting the direction of a sound source using the same. The artificial ear includes a plurality of microphones; and one or more structures disposed between the plurality of microphones. In the artificial ear, the amplitudes of output signals respectively inputted to the plurality of microphones are designed to be different based on the direction of a sound source. The method for detecting the direction of a sound source includes receiving output signals with different amplitudes from a plurality of microphones; determining front-back discrimination of the sound source from a difference between the amplitudes of the output signals of the microphones; and determining an angle corresponding to the position of the sound source from a difference between delay times of the output signals of the microphones.
US08369549B2
A hearing aid includes a microphone to convert sounds into electrical signals and a memory to store a plurality of voice prints and a plurality of sound-shaping instructions. Each of the plurality of sound-shaping instructions is associated with one of the plurality of voice prints. The hearing aid further includes a processor coupled to the microphone and the memory. The processor is configured to compare at least one sample from the electrical signals to the plurality of voice prints to identify a voice print. The processor selects sound-shaping instructions associated with the voice print and applies the sound-shaping instructions to selectively shape a portion of the electrical signals corresponding to the voice print to produce a shaped signal. The hearing aid further includes a speaker coupled to the processor and configured to reproduce the shaped signal as an audible output.
US08369548B2
A wireless earphone device capable of providing balanced stereo. The wireless headset includes a Bluetooth earphone device, an audio adaptor, and a stereo earphone device for giving balanced sounds on both left and right channels. When the Bluetooth earphone device and the stereo earphone device are connected with the audio adaptor respectively, an audio switching module of the Bluetooth earphone device determines to transmit stereo audio signal with first channel signal and second channel signal to the stereo earphone device through the audio adaptor. Otherwise, only one channel of the stereo audio signal is transmitted from the audio switching module to a mono speaker unit on the Bluetooth earphone device.
US08369528B2
A method and apparatus for providing an encrypted key based on a DRM type of a host device are provided. The method includes receiving available DRM type information of a host device, making a request for generation of a key object based on the received available DRM type information, and transmitting the generated key object to the host device.
US08369525B2
A method and system for dynamically changing password-keys in a secured wireless communication system includes initiating a password key change, generating a new password key, embedding the new password key and a password key indicator in a first message, encrypting the first message using an old password key, storing the new password key, sending the formatted encrypted first message over a wireless communication system, receiving a subsequent second message, and decrypting the subsequent second message using the new password key.
US08369518B2
An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic data encryption and decryption system allowing a privileged user to decrypt all encrypted data without using a plurality of secret keys but only by using a single secret key that the privileged user himself has. An electronic data encryption and decryption system includes: a privileged user device, a user device, and an encrypted data generation device. The privileged user device has: a privileged user key generation means for generating a privileged user secret key x and a privileged user public key x·P (P is a generator); a first session key generation means for generating a session key K; and a first decryption means for decrypting the encrypted data by using the session key K generated by the first session key generation means. The user device has: a user key generation means for generating a user secret key r, a user public key r·P, and a public key rx·P; a second session key generation means for generating the session key K; and a second decryption means for decrypting the encrypted data by using the session key K generated by the second session key generation means. The encrypted data generation device has: a third session key generation means for generating the session key K by using the public key rx·P, session key generation information s, and a random point Q; and a means for encrypting the input electronic data by using the session key K generated by the third session key generation means.
US08369510B2
A method and apparatus is provided for ring-trip detection in a line card having an analog-to-digital converter for processing voice signals. The method includes receiving a ringing control signal, transmitting a ringing signal to a subscriber line in response to the ringing control signal, and receiving a portion of the ringing signal from the subscriber line. The method includes converting the portion of the ringing signal to a digital signal using the analog-to-digital converter, and providing a ring-trip indication in response to the digital signal. The apparatus includes first circuitry capable of processing a voice signal, the circuitry including a analog-to-digital converter for processing the voice signal. The apparatus includes a ringing generator, second circuitry, and ring-trip detection logic. The generator is capable providing a ringing signal to a subscriber line in response to receiving a ringing control signal. The second circuitry is capable of delivering the portion of the ringing signal to the analog-to-digital converter of the first circuitry, wherein the analog-to-digital converts the portion of the ringing signal to a digital signal. The ring-trip detection logic is capable of providing a ring-trip indication in response to the digital signal.
US08369509B2
Provided herein is a system and method for assigning a service contact from a customer to a service agent. The method may include: generating a customer information record from the service contact; producing a result set of eligible service agents by use of the customer information record; sorting the result set of eligible service agents based upon a predetermined criterion, to produce a sorted result set of eligible service agents; assigning a service agent from the sorted result set of eligible service agents, to produce an assigned service agent; and monitoring a communication channel for a refusal message from the assigned service agent. If a refusal message is received from the assigned service agent, then the method may further include: classifying the assigned service agent as ineligible; and assigning another service agent from the sorted result set of eligible service agents, to produce an assigned service agent.
US08369507B2
A ringback replacement update system for creating or modifying ringback associations is disclosed. Communications devices activate and interact with the ringback update system to allow for modifications of the network service.
US08369500B2
A revenue management system for telecommunication systems is disclosed. The revenue management system can have multiple integrated modules. The modules can include a revenue generation module, a revenue capture module, a revenue collection module, a revenue intelligence module, and others. The revenue management system can also be configured to simultaneously manage revenue for prepaid, postpaid, now-paid payment models.
US08369491B2
A server device transmits a call to a user device; receives a signal in response to the call; receives speech when the call is answered; performs an operation to determine a signal factor and another signal factor based on a signal duration; performs another operation to determine a speech factor and another speech factor based on a speech duration; determines whether the speech contains key words; performs an action to determine a confidence factor and another confidence factor based on the speech; computes a factor based on the signal factor, the speech factor, and the confidence factor; computes another factor based on the other signal factor, the other speech factor, and the other confidence factor; determines that the party is the user device when the total factor is less than the other total factor; and outputs a non-interactive message based on the determination that the party is the user device.
US08369488B2
A voice based emergency call, such as a call to 911, is provided to a public safety answering point (PSAP) triggered from a non-voice based emergency call. When a non-voice based call is sent to a PSAP that does not accept non-voice based calls, upon determining that the PSAP can not handle non-voice based calls, the communication network is utilized to establish a voice based call with the PSAP.
US08369482B2
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for inspecting the electrodes of a battery, which inspects the arrangement state of anodes and cathodes in the battery in a non-destructive manner (using X-rays). The apparatus radiates X-ray beams onto a battery in which a plurality of plate-shaped anodes and a plurality of plate-shaped cathodes are alternately stacked and inspects an arrangement state of the anodes and the cathodes. The apparatus includes a first X-ray source part for radiating a first X-ray beam onto the battery. A first detector detects the first X-ray beam having transmitted through the battery. A control unit receives an image of the battery output from the first detector, calculates a step difference between each anode and each cathode, and then inspects an arrangement state of the anode and the cathode.
US08369481B2
An X-ray inspection device includes an X-ray detecting unit, a determining unit, and an output unit. The X-ray detecting unit is configured and arranged to detect a level of X-rays passing through an article. The determining unit is configured to determine a state of the article based on a detection level of the X-rays detected by the X-ray detecting unit using a plurality of thresholds including a first threshold and a second threshold for a single determination criterion. The output unit is configured and arranged to output a result of determination made by the determining unit.
US08369480B2
A dual isotope notch observer for isotope identification, assay and imaging with mono-energetic gamma-ray sources includes a detector arrangement consists of three detectors downstream from the object under observation. The latter detector, which operates as a beam monitor, is an integrating detector that monitors the total beam power arriving at its surface. The first detector and the middle detector each include an integrating detector surrounding a foil. The foils of these two detectors are made of the same atomic material, but each foil is a different isotope, e.g., the first foil may comprise U235 and second foil may comprise U238. The integrating detectors surrounding these pieces of foil measure the total power scattered from the foil and can be similar in composition to the final beam monitor. Non-resonant photons will, after calibration, scatter equally from both foils.
US08369474B2
A nuclear fission reactor, flow control assembly, methods therefor and a flow control assembly system. The flow control assembly is coupled to a nuclear fission module capable of producing a traveling burn wave at a location relative to the nuclear fission module. The flow control assembly controls flow of a fluid in response to the location relative to the nuclear fission module. The flow control assembly comprises a flow regulator subassembly configured to be operated according to an operating parameter associated with the nuclear fission module. In addition, the flow regulator subassembly is reconfigurable according to a predetermined input to the flow regulator subassembly. Moreover, the flow control assembly comprises a carriage subassembly coupled to the flow regulator subassembly for adjusting the flow regulator subassembly to vary fluid flow into the nuclear fission module.
US08369463B2
A receiver apparatus in a multi-user communication system and a control method are provided. The receiver apparatus includes a multi-user detector for creating a soft decision value by using multiple received signals and priori information output from a prior iteration, and a channel decoder for performing local iterative decoding on the soft decision value created by the multi-user detector, and updating the soft decision value. The receiver apparatus also includes a global decoding controller for checking the soft decision value updated by the channel decoder, and controlling whether or not to perform global iterative decoding. Accordingly, it is possible to minimize a processing time delay and to reduce the complexity through an interference cancellation processing for multiple user signals and an iterative decoding processing, and also it is possible to minimize the decoding delays of user signals by processing soft decision values for multiple user signals as many as a predetermined number of decoding iterations before terminating.
US08369454B2
A data receiving apparatus includes a measuring section configured to measure a first pulse width of a first pulse, a second pulse width of a second pulse, and a third pulse width of a third pulse. The first pulse, the second pulse, and the third pulse are sequentially and continuously received by putting a portion of a second signal level different from the first signal level between the first and second pulse and the second and third pulse. A first comparing section performs a first determination based on a measured value of the first pulse width and a measured value of the second pulse width, and a second comparing section configured to perform a second determination based on the measured value of the second pulse width and the measured value of the third pulse width, based on the first determination and the second determination.
US08369445B2
According to one embodiment, a method for communication includes receiving, by a receiver, a first modulated signal. The first modulated signal includes at least one error. The method also includes demodulating the first modulated signal. The demodulation includes compensating for the at least one error utilizing information related to a velocity of the receiver.
US08369443B2
The present invention discloses a single-wire asynchronous serial interface, and a method for transmitting commands and data through one transmission wire, wherein the transmission wire is capable of transmitting signals of three level states. The disclosed interface comprises a signal level extraction circuit receiving signals transmitted through the wire and outputting logic or functional bits according to the received signals; a clock extraction circuit generating clock signals according to the functional bits, and a memory circuit controlled by the clock signals and storing the logic bits. The disclosed method comprises: using two of the level states to represent logic 0 and logic 1, and the third of the states as a functional bit; and determining whether a group of signals is a command or data by the existence of a functional bit within the group.
US08369442B2
A transmitter modulator that is operable to modulate signals according to multiple modulation formats includes a first modulator, a second modulator, and a polarization beam combiner. The first modulator encodes a first signal according to a first modulation format. The second modulator encodes a second signal according to a second modulation format, the first signal orthogonally polarized with respect to the second signal. The polarization beam combiner combines the first signal and the second signal for transmission.
US08369439B2
Embodiments of the present invention include a system for transmitting a precoding codebook over an air interface. The system includes a first station configured to signal a set of indicators via at least one antenna to a second station from which the precoding codebook is derived at the second station based on the signaled set of indicators. The set of indicators includes less information than the precoding codebook.
US08369438B2
An iterative tree search-based preceding method for a multi-user Multi-Input Multi-Output (MIMO) communication system includes determining a reference value of a cumulative branch metric of a candidate symbol, eliminating candidates having values that exceed the determined reference value of the cumulative branch metric of the candidate symbol, and registering values, which do not exceed the determined reference value of the cumulative branch metric of the candidate symbol, as entries, and selecting the least value from the values registered as the entries. Thereby, the method has low complexity and similar performance compared to an existing Sphere Encoding (SE) technique.
US08369428B2
A method of synchronizing multi-carrier systems is provided, wherein the method comprises inserting a predefined frequency domain signal into a signal on a transmitter side of a multi-carrier system and multi-carrier modulating the signal. Furthermore, the method comprises transmitting the multi-carrier modulated signal via a carrier channel to a receiving side of the multi-carrier system, and synchronizing the multi-carrier modulated signal by using the predefined frequency domain signal portion of the multi-carrier modulated signal.
US08369425B2
An apparatus for archiving robust channel estimation in a communication system includes a training sequence generator to generate a training sequence. A formatter inserts the training sequence to a frame. A transmitting module is employed to transmit the frame. The training sequence generator further includes a symbol generator to generate a plurality of training symbols satisfying a predetermined constraint such that the training symbols are insensitive to synchronization error and a training sequence forming unit that forms the training sequence from the training symbols generated by the training symbol generator.
US08369419B2
An exemplary video decoder comprises: an entropy decoder; a spatial decoder; combining logic; and an inloop deblocking filter. The entropy decoder receives an incoming coded bit stream. The spatial decoder receives the output of the entropy encoder and produces an encoded picture comprising a plurality of pixels. The combining logic combines a current picture with a prediction picture to produce a combined picture. The inloop deblocking filter receives the combined picture. The inloop deblocking filter comprises: logic configured to filter a predefined pixel group; and logic configured to filter each of the remaining pixel groups in the plurality after the predefined pixel group, according to a corresponding set of taps in a plurality of sets of taps, if the predefined pixel group meets a criteria.
US08369412B2
A method comprises determining a plurality of time intervals Tp and Tn within a variable bit rate (VBR) representation of an image sequence. The time intervals Tp are those in which a number of blocks of information per unit time is greater than a baseline value. The time intervals Tn are those in which a number of blocks of information per unit time is less than the baseline value. A second representation of the image sequence is created in which some blocks of information Bp are removed from the time intervals Tp and interlaced with blocks of information Bn in the time intervals Tn to reduce a variation in a number of blocks of information per unit time between the time intervals Tp and Tn.
US08369409B2
A motion vector detection apparatus that obtains, for each of the blocks of a predetermined size into which one frame is divided, motion vector information in units of a plurality of partitions of differing rectangular shapes and differing sizes, up to the size of the blocks, has a partition connector means (23) that, when motion vectors for a plurality of partitions are obtained for one of the blocks, decides whether or not to connect a plurality of the partitions for which the motion vectors are obtained, and if the partitions are connected, includes motion vector information about the resulting connected partition in the motion vector information output from the motion vector detection apparatus. The motion vector encoding rate can be reduced.
US08369406B2
Provided are an apparatus and method for predictive coding/decoding for improving a compression rate of multiview video using one or two additional reference frame buffers. The predictive encoding apparatus includes: a multiview reference picture providing unit for providing a reference picture for a predictive encoding according to temporal and spatial GOP structure information; a prediction unit for creating a vector by predicting which part of the reference picture inputted from the multiview reference picture providing unit is referred by a picture to currently encode; a transforming and quantizing unit for obtaining a difference signal between the predicted signal inputted from the prediction unit and a picture signal to currently encode, transforming the obtained difference signal, quantizing the transformed signal, and compressing the quantized signal; and an entropy encoding unit for encoding the quantized signal and the vectors according to a predetermined scheme and outputting the encoded signal.
US08369405B2
A method and apparatus for video frame interpolation using a current video frame, at least one previous video frame, and a set of transmitted motion vectors is described. A first set of motion vectors is created as a function of the set of transmitted motion vectors. An intermediated video frame is identified, where the intermediate video frame having a plurality of non-overlapping blocks. Each non-overlapping block is assigned with at least one motion vector chosen from the first set of motion vectors to create a set of assigned motion vectors. Then, a second set of motion vectors is created as a function of the assigned set of motion vectors. A video frame is generated using the second set of motion vectors.
US08369404B2
Encoding and decoding are uniformly carried out for a plurality of chroma formats. Based on a control signal for providing a chroma format type of an input moving image signal, in the case of a chroma format of 4:2:0 or 4:2:2, a first intra prediction mode deciding unit and a first intra prediction image generation unit are applied to a luminance component of the input moving image signal, and a second intra prediction mode deciding unit and a second intra prediction image generation unit are applied to a chrominance component. In the case of a chroma format of 4:4:4, the first intra prediction mode deciding unit and the first intra prediction image generation unit are applied to all color components to carry out encoding, and a variable length encoding unit multiplexes the control signal as encoding data to be applied to a moving image sequence unit on a bit stream.
US08369402B2
An image coding apparatus determines an image pattern of image data and, based on the determined image pattern, selects a prediction mode for generating predicted pixel values by predicting pixel values in a frame using pixel values in the same frame. Alternatively, based on photographing information concerning input image data, an image coding apparatus selects a prediction mode for generating predicted pixel values by predicting pixel values in a frame using pixel values in the same frame.
US08369396B2
A communication signal receiver includes an adder, a slicer, and an infinite impulse response (IIR) filter. The adder performs an addition on a first signal and a filtered signal to generate an output signal. The slicer performs a hard decision on the output signal to generate a detecting result. The IIR filter is coupled to the slicer and the adder for processing the output signal to generate the filtered signal. The communication signal receiver further includes a decoder. The decoder receives and decodes the output signal to generate a decoded output signal, wherein the decoder is a Viterbi decoder.
US08369394B2
Through the use of a least squares minimization concept, the loop length, the number of bridged taps and length of the bridged taps on a transmission line can be determined from readily available modem data. In particular, the loop length, the number of bridge taps and the length of bridged taps can be estimated by comparing a measured frequency domain channel impulse response of the transmission line to a model of a loop that is comprised of multiple sections and multiple bridge taps.
US08369384B2
Aspects of a method and system for processing signals utilizing a programmable interference suppression module are provided. In this regard, a received signal may be iteratively processed to generate an interference suppressed representation of the received signal. The iterative processing may comprise a weighting iteration; an addback weighting and un-addback iteration, and an addback iteration. The weighting iteration may comprise generating one or more first estimate signals that estimate user signals present in the received signal. The addback, weighting, and un-addback iteration may comprise generating one or more incremental estimate signals based on the one or more first estimate signals and the one or more second estimate signals. The addback iteration may comprise generating an interference suppressed representation of the received signal based on at least the one or more second estimate signals.
US08369376B2
A system for chaotic sequence spread spectrum communications includes a transmitter (402) for transmitting information symbols using a chaotic sequence of chips generated at the transmitter, the information symbols having a duration of transmission based on a threshold symbol energy value and the chips. The system also includes a receiver (404) for extracting the information symbols from the transmitted signal using a chaotic sequence of chips generated at the receiver and the threshold symbol energy value. In the system, the chips generated at the transmitter and the receiver are identical and synchronized in time, where the duration of transmission of the information symbols in the carrier is a total duration of a selected number of the chips used for transmitting, and where the number of the chips is selected for the information symbols to provide a total chip energy greater than or equal to the threshold symbol energy value.
US08369372B1
A laser device includes a substrate, a lower cladding layer on the substrate, an active layer on the lower cladding layer, an upper cladding layer on the active layer, and a second order diffraction grating in a layer above the active layer and having dimensions of at least 100 μm by 100 μm. The second order diffraction grating diffracts and directs light generated in the active layer in a direction generally perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the upper cladding layer. A laser device further includes a first reflective film on a first end face of a resonator, and a second reflective film on a second end face of the resonator, the second end face being located at the opposite end of the resonator to the first end face.
US08369357B2
An apparatus for providing mobility in an Internet protocol (IP) network environment is provided that includes a cell site element operable to receive an address resolution protocol (ARP) signal from a base station. The ARP signal is associated with a selected mobile station that can roam between networks. In response to the signal, the cell site element evaluates a table that identifies a plurality of mobile stations and if the selected mobile station is not present in the table, then a mobility registration request is generated and communicated to a next destination.
US08369355B2
There is provided a communication control device comprising: a wired connection unit that makes a wired connection with a mobile terminal; a setting unit that sets a frequency of a communication signal transmitted to or received from the mobile terminal through the wired connection unit; and a protocol conversion unit capable of converting a protocol of the communication signal from a mobile communication protocol to an IP (Internet Protocol).
US08369344B1
A network switch includes a plurality of isolated ports, each associated with a private domain. The switch also includes a network port associated with the private domain. A memory in the switch maintains a hardware-based forwarding table for the private domain. Processing logic in the network switch prevents forwarding of packets between isolated ports within the private domain based at least in part on a privacy level associated with each entry in the hardware-based forwarding table for the private domain.
US08369343B2
Methods and apparatus for device virtualization and for communication between network devices are described. In one example, all devices on a first Local Area Network (LAN1) which are to communicate with devices on a second Local Area Network (LAN2) have a virtual presence on LAN2, and all the devices on LAN2 which are to communicate with devices on LAN1 have a virtual presence on LAN1, enabling these devices to communicate as if they were located in the same LAN. In another example, a device which uses different networking protocols to other devices on a network is virtualized on its own network, along with all the devices with which it communicates. In either example, the proposed virtualization technique may ensure that virtualized devices appear like physical devices to the other devices such that no modifications of the networking protocol is necessary to interact with a virtualized device.
US08369340B2
A device may receive a fragment of a fragmented data unit, determine a flow identifier that identifies a data flow with which the fragment is associated, and create a flow entry, based on the flow identifier, to store information associated with the data flow. The device may also determine a fragment key associated with the fragment, store a pointer to the flow entry based on the fragment key, correlate the fragment and another fragment, associated with the data flow, based on the fragment key and the pointer to the flow entry, and accumulate statistics associated with the fragment and the other fragment after correlating the fragment and the other fragment.
US08369337B1
Methods and systems for assigning a wireless communication device (WCD) to a wireless coverage are a based on early termination gain (ETG) are presented. In particular, a RAN may receive a request, from a WCD, for an assignment to one of a plurality of wireless coverage areas. In response to receiving the request, the RAN may select a wireless coverage area of the plurality that has a highest ETG, and assign the WCD to the selected wireless coverage area. Prior to selecting this wireless coverage area, the RAN may optionally remove one or more wireless coverage areas with high utilization from consideration.
US08369335B2
A system is provided for facilitating assignment of a virtual routing node identifier to a non-routing node. During operation, the system assigns to a non-routing node coupled to a switch a virtual routing node identifier unique to the non-routing node. In addition, the system communicates reachability information corresponding to the virtual routing node identifier to other switches in the network.
US08369331B2
A layer 1 network frame is disclosed that includes data of a layer 2 frame. A header of the layer 1 frame header includes: a packet length field to indicate a size of a payload portion of the layer 1 frame, a priority field to indicate a priority of the layer 1 frame, a protocol field to identify a protocol of the data in the layer 2 frame, a frame mode field to indicate a correspondence between the layer 1 frame and the layer 2 frame included within the payload, a stuff field to indicate whether stuff data is contained in the layer 1 frame, and a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) field to indicate a CRC result.
US08369329B2
A Dynamic Hierarchical Address Resource Management Architecture (DHARMA) coordinates a logical hierarchy of address spaces with a virtual topology of network elements using a manageable database environment. Address spaces are apportioned into hierarchical levels in accordance with a network policy. Network elements may be represented as objects, coupled via the logical address space. Both address space hierarchy definition and virtual topology modelling may occur independent from actual network deployment. As a result, multiple address space hierarchy definitions and virtual topologies can be pre-generated and stored for selective use during network deployment. With such an arrangement, a flexible addressing architecture is provided which may advantageously be used in any network that desires dynamic network configuration. The connection between the logical address hierarchy and the virtual network topology may advantageously be implemented through the use of a logical tag that links a virtual network element to a logical address hierarchy level.
US08369328B2
Disclosed is a system and method for the delivery of multi-unicast communication traffic. A multimedia router is adapted to analyze and identify contents which it handles and one or more access nodes are adapted to receive one or more of the identified contents, cache contents based on said identification; and use cached contents as substitutes for redundant traffic, received by the same access node.
US08369323B1
This disclosure relates to managing voice-based data communications within a clustered network environment using application-layer functionality, and more particularly to a primary network device within a cluster that manages transmissions related to a communication and synchronizes state information associated with the communication to other network devices within the cluster. One exemplary method includes receiving, by a network device in a cluster, information associated with a data communication between a first user device and a second user device, and analyzing, by the network device, the received information using application-layer functionality to identify a primary network device that manages the data communication. When the network device is not the primary network device, the network device forwards the received information to the primary network device. Upon receipt of the information, the primary network device provides updated state information for the communication with other network devices within the cluster for synchronization purposes.
US08369322B2
Described are a method and system for determining whether to establish a call over an internet protocol (IP)-based network. A network device inspects an IP packet to determine that the IP packet conveys a message to initiate a call. The network device determines a shortest path through a link-state network to be taken by traffic associated with the call if the call is admitted. The network device also determines whether each link in the shortest path through the link-state network is available for supporting the traffic associated with the call and issues a message that rejects admission of the call if at least one link in the shortest path through the link-state network is unavailable for supporting the traffic associated with the call.
US08369316B2
A protocol converter or translator between ANSI-41 ORREQs and VoIP V2 messaging. The protocol converter may alternatively (or also) provide conversion between GMS MAP and VoIP V2 messaging. Interaction of VSPs with a Mobile Positioning Center (MPC) or a Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) is permitted, as is interaction of wireless carriers with a Voice Positioning Center (VPC). In this way existing GMLCs or MPCs may be used to service VoIP 9-1-1 calls. Moreover, operators of Voice Positioning Centers (VPCs) who implement wireless offerings can re-use their existing VPCs to service wireless 9-1-1 calls.
US08369315B2
A call connection method in an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) is provided. The method includes the following steps. An entrance network element (NE) of a called network receives a session request carrying called user identification (ID) information from a calling network. When determining that the called user ID information is incomplete, the entrance NE of the called network sends a response message indicating that the called user ID information is incomplete to the calling network. The calling network updates the called user ID information according to the response message, and sends the updated called user ID information to the entrance NE of the called network. An interface NE, a called network system, a call connection system, and a method of informing a call connection failure are also provided.
US08369310B2
In a method for determining the status of a real-time transfer protocol (RTP) packet stream, several steps are performed. A time period elapsed since reception of the last RTP packet is determined, the content of the last received RTP packet is determined, and the status of the RTP packet stream based on the elapsed time period and the content of the last received RTP packet is categorized. The method is advantageous in that the risk of false detection of dead RTP packet streams is reduced.
US08369301B2
An OFDM/OFDMA frame structure technology for communication systems is disclosed. The OFDM/OFDMA frame structure technology comprises a variable length sub-frame structure with efficiently sized cyclic prefixes and efficient transition gap durations operable to effectively utilize OFDM/OFDMA bandwidth. Furthermore, the frame structure provides compatibility with multiple wireless communication systems. An uplink frame structure and a downlink frame structure are provided.
US08369298B2
A technique is provided for a seamless and transparent handoff from a user's mobile device to the user's stationary terminal of a network address of a remote device for the purpose of establishing a direct communication channel between the stationary terminal and a remote device, where the remote device first contacted the user's mobile device to initiate communications with the user.
US08369296B2
Systems and methods to forward data frames are described. A particular method may include generating a plurality of management frames at a controlling bridge. The management frames may include routing information. The plurality of management frames may be communicated to a plurality of bridge elements coupled to a plurality of server computers. The plurality of bridge elements are each configured to selectively forward a plurality of data frames according to the routing information.
US08369289B2
Methods and apparatus for processing received signals in a multi-carrier system are disclosed. An exemplary method includes estimating one or more first propagation channel coefficients based on a training sequence in each of one or more first slots received over a first radio channel, equalizing signal samples from one or more second slots received over a second radio channel immediately frequency-adjacent to the first radio channel, using the first propagation channel coefficients, and demodulating user data bits from the equalized signal samples. In some embodiments, the training sequence is located at a fixed position in each of the one or more first slots and user data bits are demodulated from a directly corresponding position in each of the second slots. Improved data rates are thus achieved by constraining radio carriers in a multi-carrier system to frequency-adjacent channels and eliminating training symbols from one of the signals.
US08369288B2
A bearer processing method is disclosed. The method includes these steps: a system border node receives a Packet Data Protocol (PDP) Context Request initiated by a universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS); the system border node adjusts a Request Bearer Resource Allocation message of a system architecture evolution (SAE) system or the PDP Context Request of the UMTS according to the received PDP Context Request to map the Bearer Resource Allocation procedure of the SAE system and the Bearer Resource Allocation procedure of the UMTS. The present invention can map the Bearer Resource Allocation procedure of the SAE system and the Bearer Resource Allocation procedure of the UMTS.
US08369286B2
A mobile station determines, in accordance with reception quality of a radio signal from a base station, a measurement cycle of a predetermined measurement on a link status and/or on/off of the predetermined measurement and controls execution of the predetermined measurement based on the determination.
US08369278B2
A method for sending control signaling, including: a transmitter using different states of one field in the control signaling to indicate the payload size or RV; and sends the control signaling indicative of the payload size or RV in the field. It is appropriate that some states of one field indicate different payload sizes, and the remaining states of the field indicate different RVs. An apparatus for sending control signaling is disclosed. The apparatus may be integrated in a base station, and may include a control signaling generating unit and a control signaling sending unit.
US08369272B2
A resource management apparatus adapted to implement resource management policies for the management of resources of a system, being susceptible of being assigned to entities requesting services to the system. The resource management apparatus includes: a configuration interface adapted to receive resource management configuration data from a user, the configuration data including a resource management decision logic adapted to specify a resource management policy; a resource management policy implementation unit responsive to service requests from the requesting entities and adapted to manage the assignment of the resources of the system to the requesting entities based on the resource management decision logic. The configuration interface is adapted to receive, and the resource management policy implementation unit is adapted to manage resource management decision logic structured as a set of one or more decision rules, each decision rule including: a description of at least one service request intended to be governed by the decision rule; a description of a state of the system in respect of which the decision rule is intended to apply; and action to be taken by the apparatus in case the decision rule applies.
US08369271B2
At least one base station of a wireless network adjusts its access area so as to drive at least one measure of utilization of a resource or resources of that cell toward, but not to exceed, a specified maximum level. The adjustment is dynamic in that it responds in real time to traffic fluctuations. The adjustment is autonomous in that it is not directed from outside the cell. The access area of the cell is determined by the received strength, at the respective users, of a beacon channel transmitted from the base station. In specific implementations, the access area may be adjusted by adjusting the effective signal transmit strength of the beacon signal, or by adjusting the tilt of the antenna that transmits to the cell.
US08369269B2
A radio communication system includes a base station device and a plurality of mobile station devices which radio-communicate with the base station device. The base station device allocates random access signal identifiers for identifying random access signals to the mobile station devices and decides an allocation period for each of the random access signal identifiers used by the mobile base stations. During the allocation period, each of the mobile station devices transmits a random access signal corresponding to the allocated random access signal identifier. Thus, it is possible to suppress a delay until the random access procedure using a dedicated preamble is complete.
US08369259B2
A network handover method, a communications system, and relevant devices are provided, so as to implement handover between a Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) network and a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) network. The method specifically includes the following steps. A user terminal determines a target network access point (AP) and acquires a tunnel destination address. A signaling transmission tunnel between the user terminal and the target network AP is established through a current network according to the tunnel destination address. The user terminal executes a network access operation with the target network AP through the signaling transmission tunnel. The communications system and the relevant devices are further provided. Thus, the handover between the WiFi network and the WiMAX network can be implemented.
US08369257B2
A reliable and deterministic video communication protocol is provided. In one aspect, a method of transmitting data, audio or video frames in a basic service set having a plurality of stations in a wireless local area network transmits a transmit opportunity information element to reserve a transmit opportunity time interval. The method further transmits the data, audio or video frames to a number of the stations in the basic service set during the reserved transmit opportunity time interval. In another aspect, a method of transmitting data, audio or video frames in a basic service set having a plurality of stations in a wireless local area network first transmits protection frames to reserve a time interval, then transmits frames during the reserved time interval or during a non-reserved time interval. In yet another aspect, a method of transmitting data, audio or video frames in a basic service set having a plurality of stations in a wireless local area network utilizes acknowledgement frames from the plurality of stations to acknowledge the transmission. A wireless communication device is also provided.
US08369252B2
Methods and systems for TDD hum noise cancellation are disclosed and may include correlating a received audio signal to a time division duplexed (TDD) envelope signal, controlling a feedback signal based on the correlating, and cancelling a TDD noise signal via the feedback signal. The amplitude and delay of the feedback signal may be configured for controlling. A least mean square (LMS) filter may be utilized for the correlating and may include a finite impulse response filter. The TDD envelope signal may be generated on the chip or may be received from a source external to the chip. The feedback signal may be added to the received audio signal for the cancelling.
US08369248B2
An information transmitting and receiving system having an information transmitting device including: an information reading section; an information processing section which divides the information into a plurality of information segments, and gives an identifier uniquely to each divided information segment; and an information transmitting section which repeatedly transmits a bundle of identifiers in a first period of time, and an information receiving device including: an information receiving section which receives the identifiers; an information selecting section which selects an information segment desired to read; a display section which displays the information segment desired to read; and a display control section which controls the information display section such that if the information receiving section does not receive the identifier given to the information segment desired to read within a second period of time, stops displaying the information segment.
US08369247B2
A conferencing system, method and communication device for facilitating a conference call between a plurality of terminal devices is presented. The conference system comprises: a conference server for establishing the conference call; and re-connection means adapted to detect if a terminal device is disconnected from the conference call and to re-connect a terminal device to the conference call if it is detected that the terminal device is disconnected from the conference call.
US08369238B2
A method, network, and computer program product are provided for traffic flow quality of service. A quality of service priority table is received for services defined by a user at the network, and the quality of service priority table includes quality of service levels for the services. Traffic flows are determined to correspond to packets being communicated over the network for the user. The traffic flows are mapped to services. The traffic flows are mapped to the quality of service levels for the services. The quality of service levels are assigned to the traffic flows as assigned quality of service levels corresponding to the services. Each of the traffic flows is routed over the network according to its assigned quality of service levels, respectively.
US08369237B2
An apparatus and a method for transmitting/receiving a packet in a dual modem mobile communication terminal support data communication using both a host modem and a slave modem by additionally driving the slave modem when packet traffic is heavy. In the method for transmitting/receiving, at a host modem, a packet in a mobile communication terminal that includes the host modem and a slave modem, when a packet is received under a state where only the host modem is driven, it is determined whether a buffer count of the host modem is greater than a reference value. When the buffer count of the host modem is greater than the reference value, the slave modem is additionally driven and the received packet is provided to the slave modem.
US08369219B2
A system for managing bandwidth use in a device. In a specific embodiment, the device is a network device that includes a first data scheduler that is adapted to initially share available device bandwidth among a first type of traffic and a second type of traffic on an as-needed basis. A traffic monitor communicates with the first scheduler and causes the first data scheduler to guarantee predetermined transmission characteristics for the second type of traffic. The first data scheduler includes one or more routines for prioritizing first type of traffic above the second type of traffic when the network device is in a first operational mode, and prioritizing the second type of traffic above the first type of traffic when the network device is in a second operation al mode. The minimum transmission characteristics include a minimum service rate and a minimum latency for the second type of traffic.
US08369213B2
In one embodiment, an intermediate node computes paths for a set of tunnels that do not include a particular link (e.g., and possibly a scaled-down bandwidth for each tunnel), considering all of the tunnels of the set. The intermediate node informs head-end nodes of the tunnels of the computed paths (e.g., and scaled bandwidth) and/or a time to reroute the tunnels.
US08369210B2
A technique and system are provided for executing retry procedures to resolve a packet connection failure during a CDMA 1xRTT packet session. In particular, the DTE is configured and controlled to retry based on either failure signals from the NAD or the Application Service Timer. Moreover, in one aspect, the DIE is configured and controlled to retry the packet connection selectively for traffic channel assignment failure, PPP connection failure, TCP/IP connection failure and Application service failure. In this way, the end user will experience a shorter service delivery time for packet-based telematics services.
US08369195B2
An information storage medium and a method and apparatus for recording/reproducing data on/from the information storage medium. The information storage medium includes a plurality of recording layers, each having a user data area, on which data can be recorded by a pickup. Data is recorded in the order of recording layers from closest to farthest from the pickup, and a recordable region in a user data area of a recording layer on which data is to be recorded is smaller than that in a recording layer between the pickup and the recording layer on which data is to be recorded. Each recording layer contains a recordable region in a user data area and a optimum power control (OPC) area in order to maintain the same recording/reproducing characteristics between the plurality of recording layers.
US08369194B2
Even when recording data which is continuously inputted at a high speed, it is possible to correct a recording error and reproduce preferable AV data without a noise upon reproduction. A recording error detection circuit (14) detects an error generation upon recording according to the fluctuation of amplitude of a tracking error signal or a focus error signal. A recording signal processing circuit (6) again records (performs skip recording) the same data in a region subsequently adjacent to a region where a recording error has occurred. When performing the skip recording, address information contained in the recording data is rewritten into address information on a new recording region. Moreover, an identifier (skip mark) indicating that a recording error has occurred is added to the pattern of the link region of the recording data.
US08369193B2
An optical-pickup apparatus includes: a first-objective lens; a second-objective lens; a lens holder including a first-lens barrel having the first-objective lens mounted on an end face thereof and a second-lens barrel having the second-objective lens mounted on an end face thereof; an actuator unit having the lens holder mounted thereon; and a housing having the actuator unit mounted thereon, the first and second objective lenses each being mounted on the lens holder such that a direction, in which wavefront of coma aberration on each lens face is most advanced in phase, is aligned with a radial direction of an information-recording medium, the actuator unit being mounted on the housing such that an optical axis of the first-objective lens is inclined in the radial direction at an inclination angle of the axis toward a recording surface of the medium required to cancel coma aberration of the first-objective lens to the surface.
US08369186B2
Methods and systems of extending battery life of remote battery-operated timekeeping devices by minimizing the number of required synchronizations per unit of time needed to maintain a predetermined accuracy of the devices. The number of synchronizations are minimized by first calculating a time error rate between the remote timekeeping device and a master device over a sample period. Then, a synchronization is delayed and the remote timekeeping device is compensated based on the time error rate. The compensation delays the need for a synchronization yet maintains the predetermined accuracy of the remote timekeeping device. In some embodiments, the remote timekeeping device is compensated and multiple synchronizations are delayed before a new synchronization is necessary to maintain the predetermined accuracy.
US08369181B2
A semiconductor IC device includes a command decoder that provides internal read and internal write command signals in response to external command signals, and a delay control unit that is connected with the command decoder and provides an internal read command delay signal by controlling an activation timing of the internal read command signal in response to a test mode signal in a read mode.
US08369174B2
A power-up signal generation circuit includes a fixed level transition voltage generation unit, a variable level transition voltage generation unit, a comparison unit, and a selective output unit. The fixed level transition voltage generation unit is configured to generate a fixed level transition voltage changing at a constant level of an external voltage. The variable level transition voltage generation unit is configured to generate a variable level transition voltage changing at a level of an external voltage which varies depending on temperature. The comparison unit is configured to compare the level of the fixed level transition voltage with the level of the variable level transition voltage, and generate a selection signal. The selective output unit is configured to output the fixed level transition voltage or the variable level transition voltage as a power-up signal in response to the selection signal.
US08369173B2
A method of changing a parameter in a semiconductor device is provided. The method includes receiving and storing data in a storage region; and changing at least one between a DC characteristic and an AC timing characteristic of a parameter, used to access a non-volatile memory cell included in a memory core of the semiconductor device, according to the data stored in the storage.
US08369169B2
A sense amplifier includes a first inverter having an input terminal connected to a first line and an output terminal connected to a second line, and a second inverter having an input terminal connected to the second line and an output terminal connected to the first line, wherein an NMOS transistor of the first inverter and an NMOS transistor of the second inverter have well biases different from each other.
US08369156B2
Techniques are disclosed herein for efficiently operating memory arrays of non-volatile storage devices. In one embodiment, when reading data from an MLC block, reading is sped up by not discharging bit lines between successive sensing operations. For example, all even bit lines are charged up and odd bit lines are grounded to set up sensing of memory cells that are associated with a first word line and the even bit lines. Then, memory cells associated with the first word line and the even bit lines are read by, for example, sensing the even bit lines. Then, while the even bit lines are still charged, memory cells associated with another word line and the even bit lines are read. Because the even bit lines remain charged between the two sensing operations, time is saved in not having to re-charge the bit lines to an appropriate level for sensing.
US08369153B2
A semiconductor memory device includes memory cells, word lines, a driver circuit, and a control circuit. The driver circuit repeats a programming operation of selecting any one of the word lines, of applying a first voltage to selected one of the word lines, and of applying a second voltage to unselected one of the word lines, to write data to selected one of the memory cells connected to the selected one of the word lines. The control circuit, while the driver circuit is repeating the programming operation, steps up the first voltage and keeps the second voltage constant until the first voltage reaches a first threshold. The control circuit steps up the second voltage after the first voltage has reached the first threshold.
US08369152B2
According to one embodiment, a semiconductor memory device includes a semiconductor substrate, memory cells without a source region and a drain region, and a first insulating film. The memory cells are arranged adjacent to one another on the semiconductor substrate and include a first gate electrode including a charge accumulation layer. A current path functioning as a source region or a drain region of a selected memory cell is formed in the semiconductor substrate when a voltage is applied to the first gate electrode of one of unselected memory cells. The first insulating film is formed on the semiconductor substrate to fill a region between the first gate electrodes of the memory cells adjacent to each other.
US08369150B2
A relaxed metal pitch architecture may include a bit line and a first active area string and a second active area string. The bit line may be directly coupled to the first active area string and to the second active area string. The relaxed metal pitch architecture may be applied to a non-volatile memory structure.
US08369148B2
An integrated circuit includes a memory cell structure including a first cell and a second cell. The first cell includes a first storage structure and a first gate over a substrate. The first gate is over the first storage structure. The second cell includes a second storage structure and a second gate over the substrate. The second gate is over the second storage structure. The first gate is separated from the second gate. A first doped region is adjacent to the first cell and is coupled to a first source. A second doped region is configured within the substrate and adjacent to the second cell. The second doped region is coupled to a second source. At least one third doped region is between the first cell and the second cell, wherein the third doped region is floating.
US08369140B2
A multi-Level Cell (MLC) can be used to store, for example, 4 bits per cell by storing two bits on each of two sides. Each side can store, e.g., four different current level states that can be determined by the number of holes injected into, e.g., nitride layer, during programming. As more holes are injected the current decreases for a given voltage. The current can be low, therefore, it can be advantageous in one embodiment to use a current amplifier. The current amplifier can be a BJT, MOS or other type of device.
US08369132B1
A method can include programming a selected programmable metallization cell (PMC) by coupling the anodes of a group of PMCs to a first power supply voltage and connecting a cathode of one of PMCs of the group to a second power supply voltage with a select device; and erasing a selected PMC by coupling the anodes of a group of PMCs to the second power supply voltage and connecting the cathode of one of PMCs of the group to the first supply voltage with the select device.
US08369125B2
A semiconductor integrated circuit device includes a semiconductor substrate; a plurality of word lines extending parallel to one another on the semiconductor substrate; a plurality of bit lines extending parallel to one another on the semiconductor substrate, arranged to cross with the word lines, and delimiting a plurality of crossing regions where the word lines intersect the bit lines and a plurality of unit memory cell regions with each cell region bounded by an adjacent pair of the word lines and an adjacent pair of the bit lines; and gate electrodes for the respective unit memory cell regions, each gate electrode electrically connected with any one of a pair of word lines which delimit a corresponding unit memory cell, and formed such that at least a portion of the gate electrode is bent toward a bit line direction.
US08369123B2
A three dimensional memory module and system are formed with at least one slave chip stacked over a master chip. Through semiconductor vias (TSVs) are formed through at least one of the master and slave chips. The master chip includes a memory core for increased capacity of the memory module/system. In addition, capacity organizations of the three dimensional memory module/system resulting in efficient wiring is disclosed for forming multiple memory banks, multiple bank groups, and/or multiple ranks of the three dimensional memory module/system.
US08369119B2
An inverter drive power supply circuit for driving a plurality of inverter switching devices that form an inverter circuit, includes a number N of transformers (N is an integer equal to or larger than 2) adapted to a push-pull method, each having a first winding and a second winding for a primary winding and a first winding and a second winding for a secondary winding, and supplying an output voltage of the secondary winding to the inverter switching devices.
US08369117B2
There is provided an integrated control method for eliminating a low frequency ripple in a power conversion system for a fuel cell, more particularly, a control method of a power conversion system capable of eliminating a low frequency ripple, controlling a DC link voltage, and controlling an output power and a system using the same control method. A power conversion system (PCS) that converts an output of a DC power supply received from an external power supply includes a converter that converts a voltage of the input power supply; an inverter that converts an output voltage of the converter into an AC voltage; and a converter control module that outputs a PWM signal for controlling a switch of the converter, and after receiving a power instruction value, the converter control module generates the PWM signal for controlling the converter based on the power instruction value.
US08369104B2
A cradling apparatus for a portable communication device which sets a cradling angle and provides a sense of click engagement to cradle a housing at a plurality of angles. The cradling apparatus includes a first housing, a second housing cradled at a slant angle while facing the first housing, and a cradling portion provided between the first housing and the second housing such that the cradling portion sets a cradling angle to cradle the second housing at a selected one of a plurality of cradling angles with respect to the first housing and further provides a sense of click engagement.
US08369100B2
A power converter is disclosed in which the structure of a connecting portion is highly resistant against vibration and has a low inductance. The power converter includes a plurality of capacitors and a laminate made up of a first wide conductor and a second wide conductor joined in a layered form with an insulation sheet interposed between the first and second wide conductors. The laminate comprises a first flat portion including the plurality of capacitors, which are supported thereon and electrically connected thereto, a second flat portion continuously extending from the first flat portion while being bent, and connecting portions formed at ends of the first flat portion and the second flat portion and electrically connected to the exterior.
US08369087B2
A computer server system includes a server cabinet, and at least one server accommodated in the server cabinet. The server forms a fixing structure at each of four corners thereof. In addition, the server cabinet includes fixing structures which are correspondingly matched with the fixing structures of the server. The fixing structure of the server cabinet can be in the form of protrusions, mounting holes, and engagement holes. The fixing structure of the server can be in the form of ears and mounting grooves. The server is mounted in the server cabinet by means of the fixing structures thereof.
US08369078B2
A locking apparatus of a CD-ROM drive includes a support and a transmitting wheel. The support includes a shaft and a clasp formed thereon. The support is arranged in a chassis of the locking apparatus. The shaft and the clasp are received in the transmitting wheel. The clasp is configured for clasping the transmitting wheel.
US08369075B2
A foldable electronic device includes a foldable casing and a flexible display. The flexible display is disposed in the foldable casing, and is connected to the foldable casing through an elastic member, and the elastic member provides the flexible display the extending flexibility when being unfolded or folded together with the foldable casing, such that the flexible display is capable of being used as a display screen of the foldable electronic device.
US08369072B1
A screen protector applicator includes a cradle having a bottom surface, a plurality of upstanding peripheral walls and an open top in communication with an interior chamber. The interior chamber is dimensioned and configured to tightly conform to the periphery of both an adhesive screen protector and a corresponding portable electronic device, such as a wireless phone. The protector includes an earpiece slit adjacent a top edge and a control button aperture proximal a lower edge that respectively align with a protrusion and a mound on the bottom surface of the cradle. To apply the screen protector, a user positions the protector within the cradle such that the protrusion is seated in the slit and the mound is received within the aperture. A protective layer on the film is removed to expose an adhesive, and the electronic device is superimposed, face-down, on the anchored film to adhesively bond the device thereto.
US08369066B2
A lamellar stacked solid electrolytic capacitor includes a plurality of capacitor units, a substrate unit and a package unit. Each capacitor unit is composed of a negative foil, an isolation paper with conductive polymer substance, a positive foil, an isolation paper with conductive polymer substance and a negative foil that are stacked onto each other in sequence, the positive foils of the capacitor units are electrically connected to each other, the negative foils of the capacitor units are electrically connected to each other, and the positive foils and the negative foils are insulated from each other. The substrate unit has a positive guiding substrate electrically connected to the positive foils of the capacitor units and a negative guiding substrate electrically connected to the negative foils of the capacitor units. The package unit covers the capacitor units and one part of the substrate unit.
US08369065B2
An electric double layer capacitor (EDLC) includes an electric double layer cell and first and second external electrodes. The electric double layer cell includes a separator and at least one first polarizable electrode and at least one second polarizable electrode. The first and second external electrodes are formed at first and second side surfaces of the electric double layer cell facing each other, respectively. The first polarizable electrode includes a first current collection layer and a first active material layer formed on either surface of the first current collection layer facing the separator and the second polarizable electrode includes a second current collection layer and a second active material layer formed on either surface of the second current collection layer facing the separator.
US08369060B2
A relay connection with at least two relays (K1, K2) connected in series or in parallel to a supply voltage (UV). In order to achieve a defined relay cut-out sequence should there be a dip in the supply voltage and consequently to increase safety, it is provided that the relays (K1, K2) have different minimum holding voltages (UHalt,min1; UHalt,min2) and/or inductive resistances (Rsp1; Rsp2).
US08369057B2
An electronically-activated roof access hatch is described that allows an operator to unlock the roof access hatch safely from the ground before ascending to the roof access hatch. The opening of the roof access hatch is controlled by a control panel that unlocks the roof access hatch and causes the roof access hatch to open.
US08369052B2
The present invention relates generally to a circuit breaker. More particularly, the invention encompasses a modular circuit breaker. The present invention is also directed to a novel a modular circuit breaker with a trip bar. The inventive two pole residential circuit breaker includes an Arc Fault and Ground Fault electronic detection system. The modular breaker design includes an electronic system used for tripping a designated mechanism pole which in turn trips the secondary mechanism pole. Electronic components are included that sense the continuous current flow through each mechanism pole simultaneously to determine when a trip event is needed. The electronic system of this invention includes a self diagnostic system with electronic visual indicators that display the method of which trip condition occurred.
US08369047B2
A flexure metal plate includes distal and proximal end side-center-support plate forming regions that are positioned on distal and proximal sides within an open section. To a distal end section of a supporting part that is positioned on a distal side of the open section, first and second-distal side-metal plates are fixed so as to be positioned on an outer side of the distal end side-center-support plate forming region in a width direction, and to a proximal end section of the supporting part that is positioned on a proximal side of the open section, first and second-proximal side-metal plates are fixed so as to be positioned on an outer side of the proximal end side-center-support plate forming region in the width direction. The first and second-distal side-metal plates form a distal end side-support plate in cooperation with the distal end side-center-support plate forming region.
US08369036B2
A lens apparatus is capable of adjusting only the inclination of an optical axis in a desired direction. A focus lens frame is movably supported by a first guide shaft and a second guide shaft. The first guide shaft is provided in a lens barrel with both end parts of the first guide shaft being fixed. A front end part of the second guide shaft is swingably supported, a rear end part thereof is fitted into a horizontal elongate hole, and the second guide shaft is movably supported only in a horizontal direction. The second guide shaft is inserted through a first elongate hole formed in a swinging frame, and when the swinging frame is swung, the second guide shaft is horizontally swung. Then, when the second guide shaft is horizontally swung, the focus lens frame is horizontally swung, whereby the horizontal inclination of the optical axis is adjusted.
US08369031B2
A single focus wide-angle lens module includes a fixed aperture diaphragm, a first, a second, a third and a forth lens arranged from an object side to an image side in the following sequence: the first lens, the fixed aperture diaphragm, the second lens, the third lens and the forth lens. The first lens has a negative refractive power, a concave surface toward the image side, and at least one aspheric surface. The second lens has a positive refractive power and a concave surface toward the object side, and said second lens is made of glass. Further, the third lens has a meniscus shape, a positive refractive power, a concave surface toward the object side, and at least one aspheric surface. The fourth lens has a positive refractive power, a convex surface toward the object side, and at least one aspheric surface.
US08369029B2
This invention provides an image capturing lens assembly in order from an object side to an image side comprising: a first lens group has only one first lens element with a positive refractive power, and a second lens group in order from the object side to the image side comprising: a second lens element with a negative refractive power, a third lens element, a fourth lens element and a fifth lens element; while a distance between an imaged object and the image capturing lens assembly changes from far to near, focusing is performed by moving the first lens group along the optical axis and a distance between the first lens group and an image plane changes from near to far. By such arrangement and focusing adjustment method, good image quality is achieved and less power is consumed.
US08369022B2
A variable magnification optical system of the present invention and an image pickup device and a digital apparatus including this are provided with a four-component optical system of negative-negative-positive-negative arrangement, wherein a first lens group thereof includes only one negative lens as a lens having an optical power, and a third lens group thereof satisfies a conditional expression of 1.4<β3t/β3w<4 when β3t and β3w respectively denote image magnifications of the third lens group at a telephoto end and at a wide-angle end. The variable magnification optical system, the image pickup device and the digital apparatus having such a construction can be further downsized.
US08369018B2
Provided is a spatial image display device capable of forming spatial images having a superior reality and high definition. A spatial image display device 10A is provided with: a display section 2 including a plurality of pixels 22, and generating a two-dimensional display image corresponding to a video signal; a first lens array 1 including a plurality of first lenses 11 provided in correspondence with the respective pixels 22, and allowing light passing through the respective pixels 22 to converge; and a second lens array 3 converting the converging light, which has passed through the first lens array 1, into parallel light or converging light, and allowing the converted light to pass therethrough. The light transmitting through the respective pixels 22 in the display section 2 is directed to the second lens array 3 after being converged by the first lens array 1. Accordingly, the light entering the second lens array 3 from the respective pixels 22 behaves like light emitted from a point source, and is converted easily into the parallel light or the converting light in the second lens array 3.
US08369014B2
Novel, polarization-insensitive, birefringent, broadband tunable filter arrangements that allow high throughput, based on a combination of tunable birefringent layers or polarization dependent filters, in combination with one or more of the following components (i) thin film achromatic quarter waveplates based on the form birefringence of dielectric subwavelength grating structures, (ii) nano wire-grid polarizers made of metallic wire grids; (iii) omnidirectional dielectric mirrors, (iv) polarization conversion mirrors, (v) reflective polarized beam splitters for circularly polarized light, (vi) metallic subwavelength gratings with lines having Gaussian profile, and (vii) Faraday mirror. All of these components may be implemented in thin film form on one or more substrates, such that a compact and cost effective filter can be produced. The birefringent layers can be any birefringent or magneto-optic layer but especially liquid crystals. The use of novel polarization conversion disposition of the components of the filter results in a filter having high throughput.
US08369005B2
A fiber light source includes an exciting light source to emit exciting light and an optical fiber to guide the exciting light. The optical fiber contains, in a portion in the longitudinal direction, phosphors that emit fluorescence in accordance with the application of exciting light. The optical fiber includes a high reflection film covering the outer surface of a portion through which fluorescence emitted from the phosphor travels.
US08369002B2
First and second laser beams are incident on a difference frequency mixing unit, and the two laser beams overlap in the difference frequency mixing unit, thereby generating a terahertz wave whose frequency is a frequency difference between the two laser beams. Each laser beam has a spatial spread in a frequency gradient direction, and a spatial frequency distribution of each laser beam is a distribution in which a magnitude of a frequency gradually increases in the frequency gradient direction. A frequency difference between the two laser beams is equal in each position in an overlapping region of the two laser beams. A terahertz wave of a single frequency is generated from this overlapping region. By spatially shifting the first laser beam and the second laser beam with respect to each other in the frequency gradient direction, the frequency difference in the overlapping region is changed, which changes the single frequency.
US08368983B2
A MEMS arrangement is provided that has a top plane containing a rotatable element such as a mirror. There is a middle support frame plane, and a lower electrical substrate plane. The rotatable element is supported by a support frame formed in the middle support frame plane so as to be rotatable with respect to the frame in a first axis of rotation. The frame is mounted so as to be rotatable with respect to a second axis of rotation. Rotation in the first axis of rotation is substantially independent of rotation in the second axis of rotation.
US08368982B2
A scanning optical apparatus includes a deflection element configured to deflect a laser beam emitted from a light source for scanning, a mirror member configured to directly reflect the laser beam deflected by the deflection element toward a surface to be scanned, and an optical box configured to house the deflection element and the mirror member. The optical box includes a bottom plate portion and a sidewall portion that encloses the bottom plate portion. The scanning optical apparatus further includes a plate-shaped connection portion configured to connect an opening surface of the optical box that faces the bottom plate portion from one side to the other side of the sidewall portion. The connection portion is provided at a position where it does not overlap with the mirror member in a direction orthogonal to the bottom plate portion.
US08368978B2
Methods and systems herein provide for color conversion of image data to another color space, such as that of a printer. Such color conversion includes linearly processing the color conversions when using radial basis functions for the conversions. One color conversion system herein includes a modeling module operable to generate a numerical model according to a radial basis function for converting the color values in the image data to the color space. The numerical model includes error approximations operable to form the radial basis function into a linear process. The system also includes a color converter operable to convert the color values in the image data to the color space based on the numerical model.
US08368974B2
A light source lights up at luminance associated with supplied electric current. An electric-current supplying section supplies the light source with electric current. A control section controls the electric-current supplying section. A reading section reads at least one sheet of an original document on which light from the light source is irradiated and generates image data. A determining section determines whether a change in the electric current flowing through the light source is large, based on a predetermined criterion, during a period when the reading section reads the at least one sheet of the original document. When the reading section reads the at least one sheet of the original document, the control section increases electric current supplied to the light source if the determining section determines that the change is large relative to electric current supplied to the light source when the determining section determines that the change is small.
US08368973B2
An image reading apparatus includes a sheet feeding unit configured to sequentially feed a plurality of documents loaded on a document positioning plate, a reading sensor arranged in a conveyance path configured to read a document of the plurality of documents fed by the sheet feeding unit, an acquisition unit configured to acquire an interval of the document between a trailing edge of a preceding document and a leading edge of a next document conveyed through the conveyance path, and a reading unit configured to execute a first reading mode using the reading sensor to read the document conveyed at a first conveyance speed, and a second reading mode using the reading sensor to read the document conveyed at a second conveyance speed that is lower than the first conveyance speed, wherein the reading unit executes the second reading mode after the first reading mode when the interval of the document is less than a predetermined interval.
US08368972B2
A surface-emitting semiconductor laser includes a substrate, a first semiconductor multi-layered reflector of a first conductivity type, an active region, a second semiconductor multi-layered reflector of a second conductivity type, a columnar structure, a current-confining layer including a conductive area surrounded with an oxidized area, a first electrode defining a light-emitting window, a first dielectric film covering the light-emitting window, and a second dielectric film formed on the first dielectric film. The second dielectric film has an asymmetrical shape having a long axis and a short axis, the second dielectric film is located at a position overlapping with the conductive area, the second refractive index n2 is greater than the first refractive index n1, the thickness of the first dielectric film is an odd multiple of λ/4·n1 (λ: oscillation wavelength), and the thickness of the second dielectric film is an odd multiple of λ/4·n2.
US08368970B2
Disclosed herein is an image reader. The image reader can include a reading unit receiving light reflected from a document to thereby read image of the document and an automatic document feeder configured to supply the document to the reading unit. The automatic document feeder can include a channel defined within the automatic document feeder along which the document is supplied to the reading unit such that the reading unit is able to read the image of the document as the document moves along the channel. The channel can include a component having a surface tension that is less than or equal to about 40 dyne-per-centimeter.
US08368962B2
A color look up table adjusting apparatus includes: a color gamut acquisition unit that determines a color gamut from an image output by an image forming apparatus, and determines, from an image output by another image forming apparatus, a position of input color values in a color space as a target point; an interpolation process unit that calculates a point corresponding to the target point within the color gamut of the image forming apparatus as an adjustment point; a color value adjustment table generating unit that generates a color value adjustment table for converting the input color values into input color values corresponding to a position of the adjustment point; and a table organization unit that converts arbitrary input color values based on the color value adjustment table, and inputs input color values obtained after the conversion as input color values based on a color look up table.
US08368960B2
An image processing apparatus is provided, the image processing apparatus including: an interpreting section that interprets instructions of a print control contained in print information, the instructions including a resolution instruction, a monochrome designation instruction indicating whether a monochrome designation is applied, and a page description language designation instruction; a selecting section that selects a binary-processing threshold matrix in response to at least the resolution instruction, the monochrome designation instruction, and the page description language designation instruction by any of ways including selecting and eliminating; and a binary-processing section that binary-processes a page description language contained in the print information by employing the binary-processing threshold matrix selected by the selecting section.
US08368955B2
As set forth herein, a computer implemented method is used to detect synchronized defects in documents. Profiles of single separation test targets are characterized for one or more toner colors. A spatially varying toner reproduction curve (TRC) is constructed for each profile on terms of an area coverage in versus area coverage out. A profile is extrapolated for each color of interest and a CMYK profile is applied to obtain a correlating L*a*b* profile for each color of interest.
US08368949B2
When using image scanners to capture images of originals and using printers to print same, four-sided borderless copying is enabled such that margins do not appear on printouts. An image scanner might capture an image corresponding to scan region 263 which might be somewhat larger than original 262. Image processing circuitry might then enlarge an image corresponding to scan region 266 (arrow 279), converting it into enlarged image 271. Within enlarged image 271, the image of original 262 might have been enlarged so as to become image 273, which might be somewhat larger than printing paper 274. This enlarged original image 273 which would be present within enlarged image 271 might then be printed by a printer.
US08368947B2
A print data creation apparatus may include an obtaining device, a decompressed data creation device, a band determination device, a deletion device, a data range storage device, a data range specifying device, and a print data creation device. The obtaining device obtains compressed data of one or more image objects. The decompressed data creation device decompresses the compressed data in partial units. The band determination device determines for which band the decompressed data is necessary. The deletion device deletes the decompressed data for which the band has been determined. The data range storage device stores an association of the band and a data range of the compressed data necessary for creating print data corresponding to the band. The data range specifying device specifies a data range of compressed data associated with a band. The print data creation device creates print data from compressed data within the data range specified.
US08368925B2
An image transmission system 1 includes a digital camera 10, a PC 40, and a Web server 50. This digital camera 10 stores therein a plurality of image data, print request information, and transmission request information. Further, the digital cameral 10 determines whether the connection destination is a printing device or an external apparatus different from the printing device, when a connection with the external unit is detected. The digital camera 10 transmits image data which is associated with the print request information to the print device, when it is determined that the connection destination is the print device, and transmits image data which is associated with the transmission request information to the external apparatus, when it is determined that the connection destination is the external apparatus. PC 40 receives the transmitted image data through a communication network connection 51 and transmits it to the Web server 50.
US08368913B2
In an image processing system, a charging process for an executed print process is executed using one of a first charging method and a second charging method. Especially, when executing a print process of an image including a plurality of pages, it is determined before the start of the print process of the image including the plurality of pages on the basis of balance information managed in advance whether execution of the print process of the image including the plurality of pages is possible. When the first charging method is selected, execution of the print process is controlled on the basis of the result of determination. When the second charging method is selected, the print process is executed without determination.
US08368911B2
Provided are an image forming apparatus and a method of controlling the same, an information processing apparatus and an information processing method, and a program for implementing these methods, in which the fact that a setting is to be changed can be reported to a host apparatus through a simple arrangement. The image forming apparatus for attaining this object includes storage unit for storing the latest set value of the apparatus, transmitting unit for transmitting the latest set value, which has been stored in the storage unit, to the host apparatus in response to a request from the host apparatus, and updating unit for receiving a print setting from the host apparatus and updating the latest set value stored in the storage unit.
US08368910B2
A printing system comprises a host computer, a laser printer of a paper ejecting type and another laser printer of a non-paper ejecting type, all connected to one another via a system bus. The host computer functions as the supply source of image information and as the data processor, and controls the laser printer of a paper ejecting type and the other laser printer of a non-paper ejecting type. A printing apparatus and method that can contribute to increasing the speed and convenience of secured print in this printing system are to be provided. To accomplish this, the laser printer of a paper ejecting type and the other laser printer of a non-paper ejecting type will execute interrupt print processing when the received job is a secured print job and there is any other job being processed if there are a plurality of paper discharging ports or execute promote print processing if there is only one paper discharging port.
US08368902B2
A method for calibrating an encoder in a lithographic apparatus, the encoder including a sensor and a grating, the encoder configured to measure a position of a moveable support of the lithographic apparatus, the method including measuring a position of the moveable support using an interferometer; and calibrating the encoder based on the position of the moveable support measured by the interferometer.
US08368894B2
A sensing system includes a housing having an inlet for receiving a fluid flow from a source and an outlet with for directing a fluid flow from the housing, wherein a longitudinal axis transverses a center of the inlet and the outlet; a flow conduit disposed in the housing and in fluid communication with the inlet and the outlet, the flow conduit having a cross-sectional area that is substantially the same as a cross-sectional area of the inlet and the outlet, wherein a first length of the flow conduit along a second axis, and wherein the first axis and the second axis are perpendicular to the longitudinal axis; a light source for illuminating the fluid in the flow conduit along the first axis; and a sensor for detecting contaminants in the fluid.
US08368893B2
An optical apparatus and method comprising a light source, an array detector for area imaging and an optical cell assembly. The optical cell assembly comprises a chamber which is arranged to receive a sample of a material including an analyte, a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet coupled to the chamber. A fluid dissolution medium stream passes through the chamber such that the sample can dissolve into the dissolution medium. The chamber is in at least one light path created between the light source and the array detector. The array detector comprises a two dimensional array of detector locations arranged to provide an output signal indicative of the light absorbance of the analyte within the chamber such that the output of the array detector is indicative of the concentration profile of the analyte near the surface of the sample.
US08368887B2
A rotation detection kit, comprising: a beam source; a receiver comprising at least one beam intensity sensor; a polarizer device for location in the path of a beam emitted from the beam source and received by the beam sensor; and a modulator. The modulator is configured to modulate at least one of i) the beam source and ii) a beam emitted by the beam source to create a discretely varying polarization orientation thereby defining first and at least second temporally spaced beam portions. The temporally spaced beam portions are incident on the polarizer device and the beam sensor and have substantially identical profiles and at least an initial common propagation axis toward the polarizer device.
US08368883B2
A sensor for detecting a drug substance (15) from exhaled breath of a subject in-situ. Its collecting surface has a Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS)-active layer (14) of a SERS-active material. The collecting surface is arranged as an outer surface of a waveguide (12) for contact with exhaled breath, such that at least traces of said drug substance (15) in said exhaled breath can contact said SERS-active layer for read-out of a Raman shift spectrum.
US08368877B2
An apparatus comprising at least one measuring cell (10) is disclosed. The measuring cell comprises a first cavity (16 and a second cavity (18) perpendicular to the first cavity, the first cavity and the second cavity comprising an overlap at first respective ends and a reflective surface (20) at the opposite respective ends. A beam splitter (15) is located in the overlap and an electromagnetic radiation source (12) is arranged to project a beam of electromagnetic radiation onto the beam splitter (15) such that the beam is projected into each of the cavities. A phase detector (22) for detecting a phase difference between the respective electromagnetic radiation reflected by the first and second cavity (16; 18) is also provided. In addition, the apparatus has a fluid channel (26), at least a part of which runs parallel to the first cavity (16) such that the electromagnetic radiation projected into the first cavity extends into said part of the fluid channel. This allows for the interferometric detection of particles in the fluid channel.
US08368876B1
Systems and methods for calibrating a LIDAR unit. In one embodiment, a system includes a light pulse detection unit, a delay unit and a two-dimensional target. The light pulse detection unit receives a light pulse from the LIDAR unit. The delay unit produces one or more delayed light pulses which are delayed by a known interval from the light pulse received from the LIDAR unit. The delayed light pulses are used to illuminate the target. Target illumination from each of the delayed light pulses returns to the LIDAR unit with a corresponding known delay. The delay of each delayed light pulse simulates a range that is greater than the actual physical distance from the LIDAR unit to the target. The delay of the light pulses from different parts of the target may be different to simulate different ranges for the different parts of the target.
US08368872B1
A method for determining the planting ball number of a camera module is provided. The camera module includes a substrate and a chip. The substrate includes an opening and a plurality of contact pads. The opening of the substrate has four rims. The method includes the following steps. Firstly, an image pickup device is used to detect an average contact pad distance of the distances from four specified contact pads of the substrate to the image pickup device. Then, a smallest opening distance among four opening distances from the four rims to the image pickup device is acquired. Then, plural actual contact pad distances from all contact pads to the image pickup device are acquired. The planting ball number for each contact pad is calculated according to these distances. Consequently, the quality of assembling the camera module is enhanced.
US08368866B2
A liquid crystal display device includes first and second substrates, liquid crystal molecules positioned between the first and second substrates, a heat generating electrode for generating heat in response to a direct current being supplied to the heating electrode, and a backlight unit for irradiating light onto the first and second substrates.
US08368860B2
The present invention provides a liquid crystal display panel and a method of manufacturing the liquid crystal display panel capable of reducing or eliminating metal erosion in an area in which a conductive dot is formed. In some embodiments, a display panel comprises a common electrode formed on an upper substrate, a first electrode formed on a lower substrate opposing the upper substrate and configured to receive a common voltage, a conductive dot formed between the upper substrate and the lower substrate and positioned to supply the common electrode with the common voltage, an insulating layer having a contact hole exposing the first electrode, and a second electrode formed on the insulating layer to connect the conductive dot and the first electrode, wherein a cross sectional area of the conductive dot between the upper substrate and the lower substrate is greater than a cross sectional area of an opening of the contact hole.
US08368849B2
There is provided a polarizer integrally containing view angle compensating film used in an in-plane switching liquid crystal display (IPS-LCD) filled with liquid crystal (Δ∈>0) having positive dielectric anisotropy and an in-plane switching liquid crystal display comprising the same. More particularly, there is provided an integrated polarizer capable of being used to manufacture a thin polarizer and securing a good view angle by employing a view angle compensating film as a protective film of a polarizing film forming the polarizer and an IPS-LCD comprising the same. The integrated polarizer comprises a polarizing film; a protective film attached to one surface of the polarizing film; and a +A plate coated with a +C plate attached to the other surface of the polarizing film. The +C plate is coated in the form of liquid crystals.
US08368840B2
A backlight assembly includes an optical member that diffuses light generated from lamps. The optical member includes first and second diffusion members that are designed to have light transmittance that complementarily vary according to areas. Thus, an optical member capable of supplying light having uniform brightness onto the whole display area of the LCD is easily designed.
US08368838B2
A planar light-emitting device enabling more precise local dimming has a plurality of light-emitting units each including a lightguide plate and a plurality of light sources disposed successively in the lateral width direction of the light-entrance surface and adjacently facing a light-entrance surface of the lightguide plate to emit light into the lightguide plate through the light-entrance surface. The light sources are divided into a plurality of groups successively arranged in the width direction, each group including at least one light source. The lightguide plates of the light-emitting units are mutually adjacently disposed with their light-exiting surfaces being flush with each other. The planar light-emitting device has a light source output control unit that controls the outputs of the light sources for each group.
US08368834B2
The present invention discloses a display device comprising a bezel, a cell, at least one film, a light bar and a composite backlight module. The composite backlight module comprises a plurality of connecting structures coupled with the bezel for fixing and protecting the cell, a containing space for containing the cell and the film, and a light guide portion for guiding light emitted by the light bar to a light exit surface of the composite backlight module. The composite backlight module is made of a same material by injection molding.
US08368824B2
A liquid crystal display device includes: a liquid crystal device; a first dust-proof plate made of a birefringent material, and disposed on one of a light entrance side and a light exit side of the liquid crystal device; and a second dust-proof plate made of an isotropic refractive material, and is disposed on the other of the light entrance side and the light exit side of the liquid crystal device.
US08368819B2
A remote control method controls a television (TV) set to perform functions using an electronic device. The method controls a camera connected with the electronic device to capture an image in front of the TV set when the TV set is turned on. The method analyzes the captured image to determine whether a hand image of a user exists in the captured image, and extracts the hand image from the captured image upon the condition that the hand image exists in the captured image to determine a hand sign of the user according to the extracted hand image. The method generates a remote control signal for controlling the TV set according to the determined hand sign, and controls the TV set to perform a function according to the remote control signal.
US08368804B2
An imaging control apparatus inputs an image signal from an image sensing unit, controls, based on a first image signal from the image sensing unit for a first region, a mechanical component which controls an aperture for image sensing by the image sensing unit, and electronically controls, based on the first image signal and a second image signal from the image sensing unit for a second region, the image luminance represented by an output from the image sensing unit for the second region.
US08368798B2
A dust-screening member is shaped like a plate as a whole. A vibrating member is adjacent to one side of the dust-screening member and arranged on the surface along the one side. A drive unit is configured to drive the vibrating member to produce a vibration having a vibrational amplitude perpendicular to the surface, on the surface, such that peak ridges of the vibration form a closed loop and an area including a center of the closed loop surrounded by a node area having almost no vibrational amplitude. When a length of a side in a dust-screening member virtual rectangle corresponding to a short side of a vibrating member virtual rectangle is assumed to be LFw, and a length of short side of the vibrating member virtual rectangle is assumed to be WE, WF/LFw has a dimension of 0.095 or greater and 0.105 or less.
US08368791B2
An imaging apparatus includes: a pixel signal read out unit for reading out a pixel signal and a reference signal, and for holding the read out pixel signal or the reference signal in a holding capacitor; a selection switch for successively selecting signals stored row by row in the holding capacitor of pixel signal read out unit, and for outputting the selected signal to any one of a plurality of signal lines; reset switches for resetting the plurality of signal lines to a reset voltage; a multiplexer for selectively outputting the signals of the signal lines; and a control unit for controlling the multiplexer and the selection switch. The control unit performs control based on the reference signal read out according to a period longer than a period according to which the pixel signal is read out.
US08368789B2
Systems and methods for providing one or more reference currents with respective negative temperature coefficients are provided. A first voltage is divided to provide a divided voltage, which is compared to a reference voltage (e.g., a bandgap reference voltage) to provide a control voltage. The first voltage and the one or more reference currents are based on the control voltage.
US08368778B2
An image-signal processor may be provided to support CCD image sensors. A timing generator may provide timing signals to CCD image sensors, to enable each of the CCD image sensors to output captured-image data in form of an analog signal that a corresponding A/D converter converts into a CYMG signal. Image-processing parts may receive the CYMG image signal from the A/D converter and convert the CYMG image signal into an YCbCr signal. An image-combination part may combine horizontally or vertically images in form of the YCbCr signal into a combination image and store the combination image in an internal memory, and scale down horizontally or vertically the combination image while reading out the combination image from the internal memory, storing the scaled-down combination image in an external memory, and outputting the scaled-down combination image in form of an YCbCr signal.
US08368773B1
A method for aligning and unwarping distorted images in which lens profiles for a variety of lens and camera combinations are precomputed. Metadata stored with images is used to automatically determine if a set of component images include an excessive amount of distortion, and if so the metadata is used to determine an appropriate lens profile and initial unwarping function. The initial unwarping function is applied to the coordinates of feature points of the component images to generate substantially rectilinear feature points, which are used to estimate focal lengths, centers, and relative rotations for pairs of the images. A global nonlinear optimization is applied to the initial unwarping function(s) and the relative rotations to generate optimized unwarping functions and rotations for the component images. The optimized unwarping functions and rotations may be used to render a panoramic image.
US08368772B2
An imaging apparatus is disclosed. The imaging apparatus includes an imaging device, wherein a frame of an image is divided into 3 or more fields, the fields are output one by one, and each field contains full color information, a drive circuit for driving the imaging device at predetermined timing, a timing generating circuit for generating the timing, and a signal processing unit for processing an output of the imaging device to generate a brightness signal and a color signal. With the imaging apparatus, an image that is signal-processed only with a first field of the imaging frame is stored in addition to an ordinarily signal-processed image.
US08368760B1
According to one embodiment, a target system includes a display module comprising a plurality of pixel elements operable to display target patterns. Each pixel element includes a display segment, a plurality of first charged pigments housed within the display segment each having a first charge, a plurality of second charged pigments housed within the display segment each having a second charge, wherein the first charge is opposite the second charge, and an electrical contact coupled to the display segment and operable to receive signals which cause an electric field to be present in the display segment. The system also includes at least one computer-readable tangible storage medium comprising executable code that, when executed by at least one processor, is operable to transmit signals to the display module that cause an electric field to be present in at least one pixel element of the plurality of pixel elements. In addition, the system includes a heating element coupled to the display module and operable to emit an infrared pattern that is modified by the plurality of pixel elements.
US08368752B2
A size estimation method is used with a document camera to estimate an object size. The document camera includes a lens and an image sensor. The size estimation method includes the following steps. Firstly, an object distance between the lens and the object is detected. According to the object distance and a viewable angle of the lens, a shooting zone size is estimated. Then, the object is shot by the lens and the image sensor, thereby acquiring a digital image including an image of the object. Then, an effective pixel number corresponding to the object image is counted. Afterward, the size of the object is estimated according to the effective pixel number, a total pixel number of the image sensor and the shooting zone size.
US08368749B2
An inspection apparatus can be operated to collect files during performance of an inspection. An inspection apparatus can associate metadata to a collected file. In one embodiment metadata associated with a collected file can include an article identifier. In one embodiment metadata that is associated with a collected file can include data input into an inspection apparatus by an inspector. In one embodiment metadata that is associated with a collected media file can include sensor output data. An inspection apparatus in one embodiment can include an application guiding an inspector in the performance of an inspection.
US08368743B2
The invention relates to an interface and circuit arrangement, in particular for transmitting digital image data to at least one holographic encoding unit (HEU), which generates complex hologram values from image data containing depth information and/or encodes the pixel values for controlling at least one light modulator element of a holographic reproduction device. The invention is characterized in that the interface transmits the depth map of the image data and the color map of said image data separately via transmission means (L1, L2) and communication protocols, said depth map comprising the depth information and the color map the color information of scanned images in an image sequence.
US08368742B2
An information processing apparatus is provided which includes a display unit that displays predetermined information, an imaging unit that is installed on a right side or left side of a central portion of an upper frame of an outer frame enclosing the display unit to obtain a pickup image of a user, and a control unit that detects a face area of the user from the pickup image obtained by the imaging unit to cut out the face area containing the detected face area.
US08368722B1
An interactive user interface element makes content (e.g., images, news, standard indexed Web content) available to a user of online map services (e.g., virtual globe program). In some implementations, when zoomed out on a feature displayed in map imagery (e.g., virtual globe imagery), the user sees a non-interactive user interface element (e.g., a feature label). As the user expresses greater interest in the feature by, for example, flying (“zooming”) toward the feature, the non-interactive user interface element is replaced by (or morphs into) an interactive user interface element (e.g., a feature label including a clickable icon). In some implementations, a user's interaction with the interactive user interface element (or navigation actions in the imagery) launches a content access portal (e.g., a balloon) for presenting content (e.g., text, digital photos, video, audio) and/or providing access (e.g., links) to related content.
US08368718B2
Display device, image forming apparatus, display method, and storage medium storing program therefor
A display device capable of informing a user of a plurality of condition information items correctly even if a display area is restricted. A determination unit determines whether a plurality of conditions should be displayed on a display unit. A first display unit displays the condition information items showing the respective conditions to be displayed in turn in contracted messages, which are created by contracting the respective condition information items so as to be fitted within a display area of the display unit, when the determination unit determines that the plurality of conditions should be displayed. A second display unit displays the condition information item showing the condition to be displayed in a detailed message, which does not contract the condition information item, when the determination unit determines that one condition should be displayed.
US08368717B2
Methods, apparatuses/systems, and software for comparing two drawings to create a compare drawing that includes options for highlighting added and deleted graphic objects, as well as unchanged graphic objects, and comparing one drawing to many or many drawings to many drawings, whether or not the drawings are similar. The invention includes a filtered zoom feature that enables the user to zoom in on a filtered set of graphic objects and to continue to zoom in until a single graphic object is depicted. Detailed information from selected graphic objects can be captured and placed in a list for generating schedule changes, bill of materials, and for other purposes. The invention further includes the ability to detect and report any variances between the drawings, including area differences between drawings depicting physical objects.
US08368715B2
An audio signal processing apparatus includes an examining unit and a generating unit. The examining unit examines, in each frequency band and at each localization angle, volume of an audio signal of two or more channels. The generating unit generates, on the basis of the examination result supplied from the examining unit, display data for showing the volume value in each frequency band and at each localization angle on an area that displays a frequency and a localization angle.
US08368714B2
A curved surface rendering method grids a curved surface to a plurality of triangles, and further divides the plurality of triangles to sub-triangles. Furthermore, the method determines surface triangles and inner triangles from all triangles of the curved surface, and displays the surface triangles on a display device.
US08368713B2
A figure drawing device includes; a device 2 for increasing/decreasing the number of pixels on a scanning line up to the final painting pixel by one pixel; a device 3 for increasing/decreasing the number of scanning lines for drawing by one line; a device 4 for outputting drawing pixel data based on the control by the devices 1 and 2; a stencil buffer 5 for holding figure data in an intermediate stage of sequentially drawing a figure; a device 6 for holding pixel data read from the buffer 5 and consecutive as plural pieces of pixel data; a device 7 for detecting the transit state of the data value in the device 6; and a device 8 for inverting/non-inverting the logical operation result of the output data of the device 4 and the data in the device 6 and writing a result to the buffer 5.
US08368712B2
Systems and methods are disclosed allowing data and other information from one model to be transferred to another model. A surface correspondence between meshes of the models can be created that provides a transfer or sharing of information to include all points of one mesh and all points of the other mesh. Additionally, a volume correspondence between the models can be created to transfer information found within corresponding volumes or other n-D spaces associated with the models. Mesh information and other data at, near, or otherwise within a volume or other n-D space associated with one model can be “pushed through” the volume correspondences to transfer the data to its designated location on, at, near, or otherwise within a corresponding volume or other n-D space associated with the other model.
US08368704B2
This invention provides a command system for efficiently performing information processing.An information processing apparatus 1000 includes a main processor 200 which exercises centralized control on the entire apparatus, a graphic processor 100 which performs image processing operations, and a main memory 50. The graphic processor 100 includes a control unit 20 which exercises centralized control on the graphic processor, and a graphic operation unit 40 which performs graphic processing in accordance with a command given through the control unit. The control unit 20 includes: an interface part 22 which exchanges data with the main processor 200; a command analysis part 24 which analyzes a command system included in data received from the main processor, the command system including a set of non-graphic processing type commands; and an execution part 26 which executes analyzed commands.
US08368701B2
Included are embodiments of systems and methods for processing metacommands. In at least one exemplary embodiment a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) includes a metaprocessor configured to process at least one context register, the metaprocessor including context management logic and a metaprocessor control register block coupled to the metaprocessor, the metaprocessor control register block configured to receive metaprocessor configuration data, the metaprocessor control register block further configured to define metacommand execution logic block behavior. Some embodiments include a Bus Interface Unit (BIU) configured to provide the access from a system processor to the metaprocessor and a GPU command stream processor configured to fetch a current context command stream and send commands for execution to a GPU pipeline and metaprocessor.
US08368696B2
A temporal parallax induced display includes the presentation of different views of a scene. The system likewise uses a model of the human visual system to modify the image to reduce the rocking artifacts.
US08368687B2
An image generating apparatus, which generates monitor image data from camera image data through a viewpoint transformation, includes a rear camera 1, an image processing controller 2, and a monitor 3. The image processing controller 2 sets a first virtual camera by viewpoint shift to have a downward viewpoint from a higher position than that of the rear camera 1, and sets a second virtual camera by rotating a viewpoint thereof upward or downward from the viewpoint of the rear camera 1, and generates the monitor image data of a close view viewed from the first virtual camera, and of an intermediate-to-distant view viewed from the second virtual camera, from the single camera image data captured by the rear camera 1. The monitor 3 displays a synthesis image in which a downward view of the close view and a perspective image of the intermediate-to-distant view are synthesized.
US08368683B2
A power-off control circuit adapted in a LCD panel comprising a gate pulse modulator and a level shifter is provided. The power-off control circuit comprises a logic gate and a control switch. The logic gate comprises a first input to receive an internal power supply, a second input to receive a power state signal and a logic output to generate a control signal. When the power supply is on, the internal power supply is on and the power state signal is in a first state to make the control signal turn off the control switch. When the power supply is off, the internal power supply is on and the power state signal is in a second state to make the control signal turn on the control switch to make the gate pulse modulator makes pixels of a pixel array to perform a discharge activity.
US08368678B2
A pixel circuit including a light emitting element, a driving transistor, connected to the light emitting element, that applies a drive current to the light emitting element, a holding circuit connected to a gate terminal of the driving transistor, and a switching transistor connected between the holding circuit and a data line through which a data signal to be held by the holding circuit flows, in which the driving transistor and the switching transistor are inorganic oxide thin film transistors whose OFF-operation threshold voltage is a negative voltage, and the holding circuit includes a first capacitor element connected between the switching transistor and the gate terminal of the driving transistor, and a second capacitor element connected between a point located between the first capacitor element and the gate terminal of the driving transistor and a voltage source that supplies a negative voltage.
US08368676B2
A light shield (204) for blocking light traveling toward a PIN photodiode (413) from a glass substrate (314) side is formed of a conductive material, and a reference electric potential (Vr−nVoc) equal to that of a cathode of the PIN photodiode (413) is applied to the light shield (204) from a power supply circuit (266). Thus, inductive noise for a photoelectric conversion device used for an ambient light sensor is further reduced in a display device.
US08368675B2
An organic light emitting display device comprising: a data driver supplying data signals to data output lines; a scan driver supplying scan signals sequentially to scan output lines; a light emitting control line driver supplying light emitting control signals to light emitting control output lines; and a pixel unit including a plurality of pixels connected to the output lines of each driver, at least one driver having a buffer circuit disposed at each output line. Each buffer circuit comprises a transistor having a gate layer, source and drain layers and a metal layer for shielding Electro-Static Discharge (ESD), wherein the metal layer is formed over the gate layer when the gate layer is overlapped by one of the source or a drain electrodes, or the metal layer is formed to not overlap the gate layer when the gate layer is not overlapped by the source or a drain electrodes.
US08368663B2
A touch panel is described which uses at least one infrared source and an array of infrared sensors to detect objects which are in contact with, or close to, the touchable surface of the panel. The panel may be operated in both reflective and shadow modes, in arbitrary per-pixel combinations which change over time. For example, if the level of ambient infrared is detected and if that level exceeds a threshold, shadow mode is used for detection of touch events over some or all of the display. If the threshold is not exceeded, reflective mode is used to detect touch events. The touch panel includes an infrared source and an array of infrared sensors.
US08368661B2
A method for manufacturing a patterned thin film layer on an uneven substrate is provided. The substrate having an outer surface and an inner surface. The method includes creating a cavity on the inner surface of the substrate, the cavity creating a cavity surface on a different plane as compared to the inner surface and a step between the cavity surface and the inner surface; forming a thin film layer on the inner surface of the substrate covering at least a part of the cavity surface, the step and the inner surface; performing laser ablation on the thin film layer to create patterns, at least some of which are created on the cavity surface, the step and the inner surface.
US08368658B2
Systems and methodologies for adapting input/output operation of an electronic device for left-handed and/or right-handed scenarios are provided herein. As described herein, sensors (e.g., capacitive, resistive, touch-sensitive, etc.) are applied to respective outer edges of a device to determine whether a device is in a user's left hand and/or right hand. Based on this determination, respective points along the sensors can be mapped to soft keys to automatically optimize input for left-handed and/or right-handed operation. As further described herein, points of contact with an input device such as a touch-screen can be corrected based on whether a user's left hand and/or right hand is holding an associated electronic device. For example, upon identifying contact between a touch-screen and a thumb of a hand being used to hold an associated device, the point of contact can be shifted to compensate for the angle of the thumb with respect to the touch-screen.
US08368654B2
Integrated touch sensor and solar panel configurations that may be used on portable devices, particularly handheld portable devices such as a media player or phone are disclosed. The integrated touch sensor array and solar cell stack-ups may include electrodes that are used both for collecting solar energy and for sensing on a touch sensor array. By integrating both the touch sensors and the solar cell layers into the same stack-up, surface area on the portable device may be conserved. In addition to being used for capacitive sensing, the integrated touch sensor and solar panel configurations may also be used for optical sensing.
US08368652B2
The invention provides an optical touch device, including a main body, a keyboard and a light emitting member. The keyboard, placed on the main body and having a first end portion and a second end portion, includes a supporting frame, a keycap and a stopping member. The keycap is connected to the supporting frame and moves between a first position and a second position. The stopping member is connected to the keycap and moves simultaneously with the keycap. The light emitting member generates a light beam to the keyboard. When the keycap is in the first position, the light beam passes through the first end portion to the second end portion, and when the keycap is in the second position, the light beam is terminated by the stopping member, such that the light does not reach the second end portion.
US08368649B2
A system for controlling multiple computerized medical devices includes a passive sterile mouse and an active mouse-sensing base for sensing a position of the passive sterile mouse and generating a control signal for controlling at least one computerized medical device. A sterile mouse pad is selectively positioned over the active mouse sensing base for sealing the active mouse-sensing base thereunder. A multiplexer is coupled to the active mouse-sensing base for receiving the control signal and providing the control signal to the at least one computerized medical device enabling control of the at least one computerized medical device, within a sterile field during an interventional procedure.
US08368646B2
A method and apparatus of user interface having multiple motion dots capable of detecting user inputs are disclosed. In one embodiment, a user interface (“UI”) device includes a first motion dot and a second motion dot. The first motion dot is capable of attaching to a first finger and the second motion dot is configured to attach to a second finger. The first finger, in one example, is a thumb and the second finger is an index finger. The first motion dot includes multiple accelerometers used for identifying the physical location of the first motion dot. The second motion dot, which is logically coupled to the first motion dot via a wireless communications network, is capable of detecting a user input in response to a relative physical position between the first and the second motion dots.
US08368640B2
Connection objects or other such data structures facilitate establishing and configuring connections between objects that model components in a process control system. A first set of data structures (e.g., the object connection type structures) identify valid types for component-to-component pairings and the respective roles of each component in the pairing (e.g., parent or child, source or sink). A second set of data structures (e.g., the parameter connection type structures) supply similar information for parameter-to-parameter connections. Together, these data structures can be used, for example, to validate component-to-component connections suggested by the user and to automatically configure parameter-to-parameter connections. Actual connections, both at the component or parameter level, are reflected using parameter overrides within the parameterized object model—with which the connection objects are constructed.
US08368639B2
A display device is provided including an optical waveguide, and a light source, and also a louver, a transparent/scattering state switching element, and a transmissive liquid crystal display panel, provided in order on the side of a light-emitting surface of the optical waveguide. The transparent/scattering state switching element switches between a state for scattering the incident light and a state for transmitting the light without scattering. The light source drive circuit causes the transparent/scattering state switching element to transfer from the transparent state to the scattering state, and when the viewing angle range of the display is switched from narrow to wide, the intensity of the light source is gradually increased in conjunction with the transition state of the transparent/scattering state switching element.
US08368635B2
A source driver for a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel in which during a first predetermined period immediately after polarity of a voltage according to image data is inverted, each column terminal of the LCD panel is shorted to a common line through an output terminal and a second switch element, a first output amplifying portion is set to a high impedance state, and an output signal of a second output amplifying portion is fed back to a differential amplifying portion through a third switch element. During a period after the first predetermined period and before inversion of polarity of a voltage according to the image data, an output signal of the first output amplifying portion is supplied to the output terminal without passing though a switch element, and is fed back to the differential amplifying portion through a fourth switch element. The output signal of the second output amplifying portion is fed back to the differential amplifying portion through the first and fourth switch elements.
US08368626B2
A liquid crystal display device with multiple pixels includes a first sub-pixel including, a first liquid crystal capacitance between a common electrode and a first pixel electrode, and a first auxiliary capacitance between the first pixel electrode and a first auxiliary capacitance electrode; a second sub-pixel including, a second liquid crystal capacitance between the common electrode and a second pixel electrode, a second auxiliary capacitance between the second pixel electrode and a second auxiliary capacitance electrode, and a step-down capacitance between the second pixel electrode and a step-down capacitance electrode; a first voltage application unit for applying a common first voltage to the common electrode, the first auxiliary capacitance electrode, and the second auxiliary capacitance electrode; and a second voltage application unit for applying a second voltage, which is different from the first voltage, to the step-down capacitance electrode.
US08368622B2
The present invention provides a display apparatus, including: a display section including a plurality of pixels disposed in a matrix and a plurality of signal lines and a plurality of scanning lines; and a horizontal driving circuit and a vertical driving circuit configured to drive the signal lines and the scanning lines of the display section to display an image on the display section; each of the pixels including a light emitting device; a signal level storage capacitor, a writing transistor, and a driving transistor.
US08368620B2
An organic EL display panel includes: a P-type drive transistor having a gate connected to a capacitor and a drain connected to an organic EL element; an N-type drive transistor having a gate connected to the capacitor and a source connected to the organic EL element; a first power source line for applying a first voltage to the P-type drive transistor; a second power source line for applying, to the N-type drive transistor, a second voltage higher than the first voltage. The P-type drive transistor has characteristics such that a first gate voltage value corresponding to a predetermined current value in current-voltage characteristics of the organic EL element is a minimum voltage of the data voltage, and the N-type drive transistor has characteristics such that a second gate voltage value corresponding to the predetermined current value is greater than a third gate voltage value corresponding to a minimum current value of the organic EL element.
US08368619B2
An exemplary pixel circuit includes an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a storage capacitance, a driving transistor and first through fourth switching transistors. The driving transistor is for generating a pixel current according to a charge amount stored on the storage capacitance to drive the OLED at a predetermined luminance. The on/off states of the first through fourth transistors are controlled by the same control signal. By means of particular electrical connection relationships of the first through fourth transistors in the pixel circuit, the pixel current flowing through the OLED is irrelevant to the power supply voltage and the threshold voltage of the driving transistor but is increased along with the increase of a cross-voltage of the OLED resulting from long-term use. The present invention also provides an active matrix OLED display using the above-mentioned pixel circuit and a driving method for the pixel circuit.
US08368618B2
An organic light emitting display (OLED) device capable of compensating for threshold voltage of a driving transistor in which this OLED device uses a scan driver to sequentially supply scan signals to scan lines. A data driver supplies data signals to data lines when the scan signals are supplied with pixels positioned at the intersections of the scan lines and the data lines. A common circuit unit formed in every horizontal line, receiving one or more external power sources required in driving the pixels and transferring the received external power to pixels positioned in the same horizontal lines.
US08368616B1
Control of multiple display screens associated with a computer, wherein the auxiliary screen display content that depends on conditions of the computer. During some times the auxiliary screen displays content associated with the presently executing program, and during other times the auxiliary screen displays history information. The rules can be automatically changed or manually changed.
US08368607B2
According to various aspects, exemplary embodiments are provided of antenna assemblies. In one exemplary embodiment, an antenna assembly generally includes at least one antenna element having first and second electrical paths. The antenna assembly may also include at least one reflector element spaced-apart from the antenna element for reflecting electromagnetic waves generally towards the antenna element.
US08368605B1
An antenna comprising a first current probe having an aperture; a first transceiver operatively coupled to the current probe; a signal enhancer disposed approximately inside the aperture, wherein the signal enhancer comprises an inlet, a first outlet, and a housing having an internal volume, and wherein the outer dimensions of the housing are nearly equivalent to the dimensions of the aperture; a pump configured to pump electrolytic fluid through the internal volume via the inlet and the first outlet; and a first nozzle hydraulically coupled to the first outlet so that when electrolytic fluid is pumped through the internal volume the electrolytic fluid exits the first nozzle in a stream.
US08368604B2
An apparatus for measuring radiated power of a terminal includes: an enclosure including a pair of couplers configured to couple an electromagnetic field radiated from the terminal or a substitution antenna and a measurement jig configured to rotate the terminal or the substitution antenna, the terminal or the substitution antenna being supposed to be arranged between the pair of couplers, with reference to at least one of X, Y, and Z axes; a driver installed outside the enclosure to drive the measurement jig; a signal generator configured to generate a feed signal transferred to the substitution antenna when the substitution antenna is arranged on the measurement jig; a feed signal transmitter configured to transfer the feed signal generated by the signal generator to the substitution antenna; and a spectrum analyzer configured to measure power of a radiated signal radiated from the terminal or the substitution antenna.
US08368599B2
Provided is a simply fabricable small zeroth-order resonant antenna with extended bandwidth and high efficiency. The zeroth-order resonant antenna includes a feeding patch, a transmission line, and a pair of ground patches. The feeding patch is disposed on a top surface of a substrate having a mono-layer structure, and is configured to receive a signal from the outside. The transmission line includes a unit cell disposed on the top surface of the substrate and is configured to transmit a signal delivered from the feeding patch. The pair of ground patches is longitudinally disposed on the top surface of the substrate in the same direction as a longitudinal direction of the transmission line around the transmission line. The unit cell includes an upper patch and an inductor unit. The upper patch is disposed on the top surface of the substrate and is configured to receive a signal.
US08368592B2
A GPS receiver for tracking a GPS signal. The receiver generates a mixed GPS signal by mixing the GPS signal with an oscillator signal, generates a first correlation signal by correlating the mixed GPS signal with a reference signal, and generates a filtered GPS signal from the GPS signal. The receiver also generates a filtered reference signal from the reference signal, generates a second correlation signal by correlating the filtered GPS signal with the filtered reference signal, and a generates a combined correlation signal by combining the first correlation signal with the second correlation signal. The receiver tracks the GPS signal by adjusting the phase of the oscillator signal based on the combined correlation signal.
US08368588B2
A method for updating a set of transformation information parameters used in a global navigation satellite system includes: obtaining at least one satellite navigation information for a satellite; and updating the set of transformation information parameters according to the obtained satellite navigation information. The method can extend the life time of the set of transformation information parameters, and used to generate better predictions of the satellite trajectory therefore the TTFF can be reduced while the positioning accuracy can also be improved.
US08368586B2
A system includes a multi-system approach to detecting concealed weapons and person borne improvised explosive devices (PBIED). A first and second radar system operate at different center frequencies to provide, respectively, isolation of a target of interest from clutter and fine detail information on the target, such as whether the target is a living person, whether a concealed object may be present, material composition of the object, and shape, size, and position of the target relative to the system. Circular polarized radar beam may be used to distinguish a suspect object from within a crowd of people. Radar image of the object may be overlaid on visual image of a person carrying the object. Radar tracking of the object is coordinated with visual tracking of the target provided by a camera system, with visual display and tracking of the target overlaid with the radar information.
US08368580B2
A tactical electronic counter measure system comprising a first retro-directional transceiver sub-system, receiving signals at a first frequency band, and first retro-directional transceiver re-transmitting a signal at least substantially toward the direction from which the sources signal was received, and first retro-directional transceiver sub-system including a plurality of blade antennas and a controller, coupled with and first retro-directional transceiver, and controller controlling the activity of and first retro-directional transceiver sub-system, and controller further managing the missions of and first retro-directional transceiver sub-system.
US08368575B2
A pipeline type A/D converter is capable of expanding an input range and increasing the number of bits of digital output signals, without increasing thermal noises or an open loop gain needed for an operational amplifier. The number of sample-hold capacitors is divided from M into N and the reference voltage is multiplied by N to increase the number of capacitors available to add to and subtract from the reference voltage. The input range is expanded and the number of bits of the digital output signals is increased. Because the analog signal is sampled by all the capacitors, thermal noise does not deteriorate. The open loop gain needed for the operational amplifier does not increase, since the ratio of the capacitors each used as a feedback element for amplifying the analog signal to the remaining capacitors is unchanged before and after the division of the capacitors.
US08368574B1
A Sigma-Delta analog-to-digital converter (ADC) having a direct time filter (DTF) in the feed-back path of the Sigma-Delta loop of the ADC. A Sigma-Delta ADC having a modified DTF in the feed-back path of the Sigma-Delta loop of the ADC is also disclosed. The ADC may also include a noise reduction block that splits an incoming RF signal, samples one of the split signals with a primary ADC, corrects for gain and delay inaccuracies and inverts the signal, applies the inverted signal to a primary digital-to-analog converter (DAC), combines the output of the DAC with the second split signal, which is then applied to a difference ADC.
US08368573B2
An A/D converter includes an adjusting circuit to adjust a total of an amount of change of ΣΔ modulated data output from a ΣΔ modulator and an amount of change of dummy data to be constant, and a level converting part supplied with the ΣΔ modulated data. The level converting part includes a first level converter to output the ΣΔ modulated data by converting a level of the ΣΔ modulated data, and a second level converter to receive the dummy data from the adjusting circuit and interpolate dummy noise, in order to cancel a frequency dependence of noise with respect to the ΣΔ modulated data.
US08368569B2
A data conversion device is provided with a data converting means that sequentially converts first data into second data of the number of second bits, wherein an analog signal is quantized into the first data by the number of first bits, and the first and second data can be first and second maximum values, respectively. The data converting means is comprised of a first conversion means (steps 21 and 23) that, when a value of the fast data is not the first maximum value, converts the first data to the second data by adding 0 to a lower bit side of the first data and a second conversion means (steps 21 and 24-26) that converts the first data to the second data so that, when a value of the first data is the fast maximum value, a value can be made larger, in accordance with a value be-fore or after the first data, than the data of the number of second bits obtained by adding 0 to the lower bit side of the first data. With the structure, when the data obtained by quantizing an analog signal is converted to data with the number of more bits, a rounding error by quantizing is improved as much as possible.
US08368552B2
A security device for detecting the position of a manhole cover includes a pinger device, such as an acoustic pinger, that transmits a signal in the direction of the expected position of the manhole cover. The device takes energy samples to determine if the signal has been reflected back by the manhole cover. If the device determines the signal has not been reflected, it determines that the manhole cover has been moved from the expected position. In response, the device captures an image of an area around the expected position of the manhole cover. In addition, the device can notify a remote security station via a network that the manhole cover has been moved.
US08368550B2
Some embodiments for a fault detection apparatus may include one or more monitors to detect at least three operating states of a sensor, such as pass, fail, and inoperative so as to enable a manufacturing facility to differentiate between situations in which a container does not have the appropriate machine readable label and situations wherein the sensor is actually inoperative. The fail state may be indicative of an object on a conveyor system not matching a predetermined description, identity or characteristic. The pass state may be indicative of an object on a conveyor system matching the predetermined description, identity or characteristic. The inoperative state may be indicative of a sensor output associated with a malfunction in the sensor itself. The fault detection apparatus may also include a fail-to-safe controller configured to detect these operating states.
US08368547B2
Systems and methods for indicating the unsafe service handling temperature of an information handling system component are disclosed. A method may include sensing a surface temperature of the component and comparing the surface temperature to a first and second threshold temperatures. The method may further include displaying various temperature warning by multiple temperature indicators if the surface temperature is above or below the threshold temperatures.
US08368545B2
A point-of-care computer system is provided, including a display positioned in a point-of-care location. The point-of-care computer includes hardware coupled to a frame of a hospital bed.
US08368543B2
An electronic article surveillance (EAS) system is comprised of a first EAS housing and a second EAS housing, each having electrically conducting tethers and a cover to hold the housing in place on an object to be protected. The covers have a surface with adhesive on it. Each housing is placed in a cover with the tethers extending through the cover, and the adhesive surface is pressed to the object. Switches on the bottom of the housing indicate contact with an object. The housings have apertures for receiving the ends of the tethers which are extended from the housings and inserted into the apertures of the other housing to complete circuits between the housings. Electronics within the housings monitor the circuits and switches for tampering and can generate alarms. External devices may arm and disarm the housings via wireless communication. A magnet releases a blocking mechanism to remove the housings.
US08368538B2
The invention relates to method for producing an RFID label. According to said method, a coupling antenna (2) arranged on a web-shaped support material (1) comprising an RFID chip (4) arranged thereon is glued onto a secondary antenna (10). The aim of the invention is to provide an RFID label that can be produced from few recyclable materials with little complication and in an environmentally friendly manner. The invention is characterized in that first the coupling antenna (2) comprising the chip (4) is glued onto a self-adhesive secondary antenna (10) in one step, the secondary antenna having a backing adhesive layer (12).
US08368530B1
Systems and methods for providing alerts to end users of networked enabled portable devices are provided so that the end users are made aware when broadcast emergency alerts are issued. The systems and methods provide a way for a portable device to receive information about an emergency alert broadcast of which the user should be aware, e.g., from the EAS, and to notify the user of the emergency alert. A flag provides an indication the EAS should be on and the systems and method override the settings made by a user to a portable device to enable EAS reception. The user may then be automatically taken to the emergency alert information by having the portable device automatically tune to the emergency broadcast information, or the user may optionally retrieve the emergency information by tuning to the emergency broadcast channel, or the user may otherwise be presented with a reference to the emergency data (e.g., a link to the information).
US08368520B2
The present invention is to provide a notification system for timed power supply, which includes a timed power supply device and a wireless notification device. The timed power supply device is able to receive a set time inputted by a user and stores the set time into a memory module, and then starts timing, providing power supply and generating an elapsed time, respectively. When the timed power supply device determines that the difference between the elapsed time and the set time reaches a threshold value, the timed power supply device issues a notification signal through a wireless transmitter module to the wireless notification device carried by the user, so as to ensure that the user will be notified, via an alert signal generated by the wireless notification device according to the notification signal, that the set time is coming to an end.
US08368517B2
A system and method for RFID privacy-preserving authentication is disclosed. The method first has a reader sending a request and a first random number to a tag. The tag then generates a second random number. A plurality of hash values are then computed at the tag. Each hash value uses the first random number, the second random number and at least one part of a key of the tag as inputs. The second random number and the computed hash values are then sent to the reader. Lastly, the reader identifies a validity of the tag from the received values. The hash values are all generated in parallel and are independent to each other.
US08368516B2
A method includes transmitting, from a base station, a first request and receiving, from a transponder, a first code transmitted responsive to the first request. The method includes transmitting, from the base station, first encoded transmission information comprising a base station code encoded using the first code and a first identification. The base station transmits a second request, and a second code, transmitted by the transponder responsive to receiving the second request and encoded using a base station code extracted from the first encoded transmission information using the first code and the first identification, is received. Second encoded transmission information, including a second identification encoded using the second code, is transmitted from the base station. The second identification information may be extracted using the second code, access to a transponder memory region provided based on comparing the extracted second identification information to a stored version of the second identification.
US08368514B2
An electronic device and a method of operating the device. The device receives a first signal having a first frequency and a predetermined signal strength and retransmits a signal after a latency period and during a time period. The device comprises an oscillation circuit operating in a sub-threshold area in a meta-stable, first mode of operation. When the first signal is received, the oscillation circuit is trigged and passes to an active mode in a second mode of operation, wherein the circuit oscillates. Finally, the device is reset to the first mode of operation. The device may have an identity, which is used for the purpose of the system, which may be an RFID system.
US08368513B2
Systems and methods for data separation, which may be employed to receive and process RFID tag data in RF signal environments where multiple RFID tags are tracked, localized and/or employed to transmit information. The disclosed systems and methods may be implemented for data separation in a high density aRFID environment using RFID tags in combination with spatial and/or frequency separation.
US08368507B2
The invention relates to electronic keys. The invention relates more particularly to an electronic key for secure access to an electronic cylinder. The invention relates to an electronic key (1) enabling control of access to a mecatronic cylinder, wherein said key comprises at least one memory (3) for storing access information, and a microprocessor. The invention is characterized in that said key comprises at least one means of wireless communication with a server (7), comprising an access profile data base, wherein said access information can be remotely modified according to the access profile associated with said key.
US08368506B2
A sensing device includes a situation acquisition unit acquiring information on situation of a site of interest sensed; a sensing range change unit changing sensing range of the situation acquisition unit; a position identification unit identifying position of the situation acquisition unit; and a sensing operation controlling unit which detects inhibited content, a subject of inhibition of transmission, from the information on the situation of the site of interest. If the inhibited content has been detected, the sensing operation controlling unit calculates position of the inhibited content based on the position identification information from the position identification unit. The sensing operation controlling unit controls the sensing range change unit, based on the position identification information including the position of inhibited content calculated, so that the position of inhibited content is not contained in the sensing range. An inhibited content detection unit outputs information on the site of interest to an operation terminal upon non-detection of inhibited content.
US08368502B2
A surface mount current fuse of the present invention includes a first base which has a recess and is smaller in width at the other end than at one end in the longitudinal direction, and a second base which has the same shape as the first base. The first base and the second base are combined to form a box-shaped body by joining the lower surface of the second base to the upper surface of the upper surface of the first base in such a manner that one end of the first base and the other end of the second base are in contact with each other. The recess of the first base and the recess of the second base form a space portion in which to dispose an element portion. The borderline between the first base and the second base passes through the center point on a side surface of the body. As a result, the surface mount current fuse has high production efficiency.
US08368498B2
[Task] There are provided a coil that is simple in structure and excellent in high frequency characteristics and a method for manufacturing the same.[Means for Resolution] The coil includes a plurality of conductor patterns 11 formed at an interval from each other on a substrate 21, and metal wires 12 that electrically connect an end of one conductor pattern of conductor patterns adjacent to each other with an end of the other conductor pattern that is an end opposite to the end of the one conductor pattern. One or more spiral shapes are formed by two or more conductor patterns 11 and one or more metal wires 12. The coil includes a core material 13 that is arranged at least in a portion inside a space surrounded by one or more spiral shapes to cover the outer peripheries of the metal wires 12 at least over a predetermined range.
US08368494B2
A hand-actuated magnetic coupling or closing device, consisting of elements that are integrally connected either to the objects that are to be coupled or applied to the objects. The coupling device comprises the following characteristics: Elements are coupled together by means of a coupling element; the coupling element can be displaced in two degrees of freedom; in the first degree of freedom, the coupling element can be displaced about the play between a coupling position and a decoupling position; in the second degree of freedom, the coupling element can be moved in a sliding manner by means of an input actuation. A magnetic element is arranged and a magnetic system is arranged in the coupling element. In the second degree of freedom and by means of the input actuation, the coupling element is displaced from the coupling position, in which the coupling element is attracted into the decoupling position, in which the coupling element is repelled and displaced about the play in the first degree of freedom.
US08368493B2
A plunger main body is fixed to a shaft to reciprocate together with the shaft in an axial direction within a predetermined range. An axial overlapped surface area between a rear stator main body and the plunger main body is reduced when the plunger main body is moved from a rear stator main body side toward a front stator main body side. A plunger projection radially outwardly projects from an outer peripheral wall of an end portion of the plunger main body, which is axially located on the rear stator main body side.
US08368492B1
A direct current electrical switching apparatus includes a first contact in electrical communication with first and third arc runners, a second contact in electrical communication with second and fourth arc runners, a movable contact, a first arc chamber including first arc plates having a first width, a second arc chamber including second arc plates having a greater second width, an operating mechanism, and a magnet assembly cooperating with the arc chambers to establish generally oppositely directed magnetic fields. The magnetic fields cause one of a first arc and a second arc to enter one of the arc chambers depending upon a direction of current flow between the contacts. The electrical switching apparatus is rated for a first magnitude of current flowing from the first contact to the second contact and for a greater second magnitude of opposite second current flowing from the second contact to the first contact.
US08368491B2
Systems and methods for providing high-capacitive RF MEMS switches are provided. In one embodiment, the invention relates to a micro-electro-mechanical switch assembly including a substrate, an electrode disposed on a portion of the substrate, a dielectric layer disposed on at least a portion of the electrode, a metal layer disposed on at least a portion of the dielectric layer, and a flexible membrane having first and second ends supported at spaced locations on the substrate base, where the flexible membrane is configured to move from a default position to an actuated position in response to a preselected switching voltage applied between the flexible membrane and the electrode, and where, in the actuated position, the flexible membrane is in electrical contact with the metal layer.
US08368482B2
In a dielectric waveguide-microstrip transition structure for mounting a dielectric waveguide on a printed-wiring board, one object of the present invention is directed to providing a further downsized structure as compared with a conventional structure, while maintaining an influence of displacement between the dielectric waveguide and the microstrip at a low level by means of non-contact coupling. The dielectric waveguide-microstrip transition structure has a dielectric waveguide containing a dielectric block and a conductor film covering an entire surface of the dielectric block, except a signal input/output portion, wherein a slot is formed in a bottom surface of the dielectric waveguide to expose the dielectric; a microstrip having an end which is openly terminated and disposed with opposing to and spaced apart from the slot of the dielectric waveguide; and a cavity containing a conductive wall surrounding the end of the microstrip and the slot of the dielectric waveguide, except a part of the microstrip being led out to connect to an external circuit.
US08368478B2
An integrated circuit frequency generator is disclosed. In some embodiments, the frequency generator comprises an electronic oscillator configured to generate an oscillator frequency, calibration circuitry configured to periodically calibrate the electronic oscillator with respect to a reference frequency at a first calibration frequency when at a steady state temperature and at a second calibration frequency when at a transient temperature, and circuitry configured to generate an output frequency from the oscillator frequency.
US08368472B2
A high-accuracy clock signal is generated even when the settings of the clock frequency are changed or there is a variation in power supply, temperature, or the like. A frequency-voltage conversion circuit includes a switch portion including switches, electrostatic capacitive elements, and other switches. The electrostatic capacitive elements have different absolute capacitance values, and are provided so as to cover a frequency range intended by a designer. For example, based on 4-bit frequency adjustment control signals, the other switches select the electrostatic capacitive elements having the electrostatic capacitance values thereof each weighted with 2 to perform the switching of a frequency.
US08368470B2
Designs and techniques associated with power amplifiers for amplifying RF signals to provide variable power amplification and improved linearity in various RF amplification circuits, including power amplifiers operated under the power back-off conditions.
US08368464B2
The balanced output signal generator uses four interconnected plus-type second-generation current conveyors, a couple of load resistors and a single input resistor that can provide both current- and voltage-mode outputs. No matching conditions are required.
US08368460B2
An internal voltage generation circuit includes an internal reference voltage generation unit configured to generate first and second reference voltages, a core voltage generation unit configured to receive the first reference voltage and to generate a core voltage based on the first reference voltage, and a bit line pre-charge voltage generation unit configured to receive the second reference voltage and to generate a bit-line pre-charge voltage based on the second reference voltage.
US08368459B2
A constant-voltage circuit includes: first and second field-effect transistors; a first node connected to the drains of the first and second field-effect transistors; a second node connected to the gates of the first and second field-effect transistors; a bipolar transistor whose collector is connected to the second node; a resistor connected to the source of the second field-effect transistor and the collector of the bipolar transistor; and a bias circuit that is connected to the source of the second field-effect transistor and supplies a bias voltage to the base of the bipolar transistor, wherein a power supply is connected to the first node and a constant voltage is outputted from the source of the first field-effect transistor.
US08368458B2
An impendence tuning apparatus is disclosed. The impendence tuning apparatus includes an operation amplifier, a reference resistor, a tuned resistor, a switching module, a current generator, a current detector and a controller. A first input terminal of the operation amplifier receives a basic voltage and the second terminal of the operation amplifier coupled to a first end. The switching module receives a control and coupled the first end to the tuned resistor or the reference resistor accordingly for generating a tuned current or a reference current separately. The current generator receives and mirrors the reference current or the tuned current to generate a first current and a second current. The current detector receives the first and the second currents and outputs current values the first and the second currents to the controller. The controller tunes an impendence of the tuned resistor according to the first and the second currents.
US08368442B1
A charge pump exhibiting a voltage compensation function is provided. The charge pump includes: a first current generator, a first semiconductor device, a second current generator, a second semiconductor device, and a voltage regulator. The voltage regulator dynamically adjusts a voltage level at the gate of the first or second semiconductor device so as to adjust a first current or a second current outputted to a current output node. In addition, the voltage regulator provides a bias voltage at the current output node when both the first and second semiconductor devices are turned off.
US08368441B2
An on-chip phase-locked loop circuit has reduced power consumption in a semiconductor integrated circuit. The phase locked loop circuit is equipped with a phase frequency comparator, a loop attenuator, a charge pump, a loop filter, a voltage controlled oscillator and a divider. The attenuator includes a sampling circuit and a counter. A sampling pulse and first and second output signals both outputted from the phase frequency comparator are supplied to the sampling circuit. The sampling circuit outputs a sampling output signal. When the counter completes a countup of a predetermined number of sampling pulses outputted from the sampling circuit, the counter outputs a countup completion output signal. The charge pump outputs a charging current or a discharging current to the loop filter in response to the countup completion output signal.
US08368433B2
The present invention discloses a transistor driving module, coupling to a converting controller, to driving a high side transistor and a low side transistor connected in series, wherein one end of the high side transistor is coupled to an input voltage and one end of the low side transistor is grounded. The transistor driving module comprises a high side driving unit, a low side driving unit, a current limiting unit and an anti-short through unit. The high side driving unit generates a high side driving signal to turn the high side transistor on according to a duty cycle signal, and the low side driving unit generates a low side driving signal turn the low side transistor on according to the high side driving signal. The current limiting unit is coupled to the high side transistor and the high side driving unit, and generates a current limiting signal when a current flowing through the high side transistor higher than a current limiting value. The high side driving unit is stopped to generate the high side driving signal when receiving the current limiting value. The anti-short through unit is coupled to the high side driving unit and the low side driving unit to control the generations of the high side driving signal and the low side driving signal to have the timings of the high side driving signal and the low side driving signal non-overlapped.
US08368431B2
A pulse edge selection circuit includes an input stage which selects and passes one clock from among a plurality of clocks and an output stage which outputs the clock to an edge detection circuit. The output stage has a combination of a plurality of NOR gates and a plurality of NAND gates, which are connected alternately, both the NOR gates and NAND gates having a plurality of input terminals. If the edge detection circuit is a type which detects falling edges of clocks and generates a pulse which rises on the falling edge of a first clock and falls on the falling edge of a second clock, a NOR gate is used as an output gate which outputs the first clock and the second clock. On the other hand, if a pulse is generated on rising edges, a NAND gate is used as an output gate.
US08368421B2
Micromagnetic elements, logic devices and methods of fabricating and using them to store data and perform logic operations are disclosed. Micromagnetic elements for data storage, as well as those providing output from a logic device, are at least partially covered with an optical coating that facilitates determination of the magnetic state. The disclosed logic devices perform one or more of AND, OR, NAND and NOR operations.
US08368411B2
The invention relates to a method for the determination of diffusion coefficients and/or exchange coefficient of a material having electronic and ionic conductivity. The material is permeable to at least one gas. It is the object of the invention to provide a cost-effective, accurate method for the determination of the diffusion coefficient and of the surface exchange coefficient which can be carried out in a short time and can thus be used for a screening of materials, in particular for application in the field of permeation membranes. The procedure is followed in accordance with the invention such that a sample of the material is arranged in a measurement chamber and has an electric current passed through it for a determination of the electric resistance. In this respect, a gas mixture in which the respective gas is contained is conducted through the measurement chamber as a gas flow and the partial pressure of the respective gas in the gas mixture is changed periodically at regular intervals. The change in the electric resistance of the sample is measured and a diffusion coefficient and/or exchange coefficient of the material can be determined for the respective gas from the determined change in the electric resistance.
US08368410B2
A transmission line substrate includes at least an insulating layer of a predetermined thickness, a pair of conductor layers arranged in a state of being opposed to each other such that the insulating layer is interposed between the conductor layers, the pair of conductor layers functioning as a high-frequency transmission line, and a fault part formed so as to make the conductor layer on one side disconnected, into which a sample to be measured can be introduced.
US08368405B2
A voltage indicating assembly for medium and high voltage systems includes a semiconductive cap configured for mounting on a test point, the test point including a test point terminal element configured to capacitively receive a voltage associated with a electrical component, where the electrical component is mounted in a first location. The semiconductive cap includes a contact element mounted therein configured to electrically communicate with the test point terminal element when the semiconductive cap is mounted on the test point. A cable is electrically coupled to the contact element. A remote test point assembly is electrically coupled to the cable in a second location remote from the first location, and the remote test point assembly includes a remote test point terminal element.
US08368397B2
A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus has a storage unit and a processing unit. The storage unit stores correction data of a position coordinate, in which the position coordinate in the reconstruction FOV is caused to correspond to a position coordinate in a display FOV included in the reconstruction FOV based on an intensity of a gradient magnetic field. If both of a first position coordinate and a second position coordinate, which is further from the center of the reconstruction FOV, correspond to same position coordinate in the display FOV, the correction data is data for causing only the first position coordinate to correspond to the position coordinate in the display FOV. The processing unit corrects a reconstructed image based on the correction data and obtains an image of the display FOV.
US08368395B2
A magnetic inspection device for nondestructively inspecting elongated objects, such as wire cables, pipes, and the like, for loss of metallic cross-section due to abrasion, corrosion, and external and internal discontinuities, having a magnet for inducing in sections of the object between the stations, magnetic flux at the saturation level. A magnetic flux detector having magnetic sensors positioned between the poles and laterally of the elongated object utilizes shields and flux decompressors to render the flux detector more sensitive to leakage flux caused by discontinuities in the objects.
US08368391B2
A stroke sensor has two magnets, which are magnetized in a cross-section direction and are displaced in a longitudinal direction, and two magnetism sensitive sections arranged parallel to the longitudinal direction. The magnets have circular-arc-shaped swelling end edges respectively and are magnetized such that the swelling end edges have opposite polarities. Thus, a distribution of a magnetic flux density on an arrangement axis substantially coincides with a sine curve. The magnetic flux having such the distribution is displaced in the longitudinal direction together with the magnets. The magnetism sensitive sections are arranged on the arrangement axis to be distant from each other by a distance of one fourth of a cycle of the sine curve. Thus, the stroke sensor that is not affected by temperature and that has high sensing accuracy can be provided.
US08368389B2
In a sensor of a sensor unit in which working voltage or calibration voltage is supplied through a single input end, working voltage can be stably supplied to the sensor after initial calibration. The sensor unit includes a voltage stabilizing circuit for stabilizing a voltage value of a supply power source to said working voltage, and a wiring for supplying said calibration voltage to the sensor, which are provided parallel to each other between the input end of the sensor and a power source connecting end for the sensor on the circuit board, and a switching portion which can disconnect the wiring, wherein an access hole is formed in the housing through which the switching portion is accessible to disconnect the wiring.
US08368388B2
Disclosed is an arrangement for the intrinsically safe detection of movements of a body, such as a wheel. The arrangement includes a magnetic encoder (5, 25) and a sensor (26), the magnetic encoder (5, 25) moving with the body and is magnetically coupled to at least two sensor elements (S1, S2) of the sensor (26) via a magnetic air gap. The sensor (26) has at least two mutually separate signal paths (S1, fl; S2, f2) which have at least one of the sensor elements (S1, S2) and a signal conditioning stage (28, 29). A primary measuring signal path (S1, f1) is constructed so that during normal operation represents an output signal the basic frequency of the encoder movement or the temporal profile of the output signal have patterns. The temporal occurrence of the patterns correspond to the basic relative speed between the sensor (26) and the pole pairs of the encoder (5, 25) which are detected by the sensor.
US08368385B2
Methods and systems to detect droop events on-chip, which may include a sensor circuit located adjacent to a voltage node to convert a corresponding voltage to a digital count or value indicative of the voltage. The sensor circuit may include an n-stage ring oscillator and an asynchronous counter. The sensor circuit may include circuitry to capture and convert a phase associated with a count to a binary fractional value to increase voltage resolution. Multiple counts associated with the node may be evaluated at the node to identify minimum and maximum counts and corresponding time stamps. More complex evaluation and control circuitry may be shared amongst a plurality of sensor circuits and may include circuitry to generate and compare counts to one or more variable thresholds, circuitry to average counts over time, and memory to store state values associated with the sensors.
US08368384B2
A method of reducing thermal stresses of a semiconductor component in a frequency converter, an arrangement in a frequency converter, and a frequency converter, wherein the semiconductor component is attached to a cooling element for cooling the semiconductor component and one or more resistive elements are attached to the cooling element. In the method, the cooling element is heated by the one or more resistive elements attached thereto by supplying current from the frequency converter through the one or more resistive elements for obtaining an elevated lowest temperature for the semiconductor component and thereby reducing the amount of temperature change between the highest and the lowest temperatures in the semiconductor component during use of the frequency converter.
US08368375B2
The present invention discloses a switching regulator with transient control function, and a control circuit and a method for controlling the switching regulator. The switching regulator with transient control function includes: a power conversion circuit for receiving an input voltage and converting the input voltage to an output voltage; a feedback circuit for detecting the output voltage and generating a feedback signal representing the output voltage; an output capacitor coupled to an output terminal of the power conversion circuit; and a control circuit for receiving the feedback signal and generating a control signal to control the conversion operation by the power conversion circuit accordingly, wherein the control circuit includes a voltage balancing circuit which discharges the output capacitor when the output voltage is higher than a first predetermined threshold, and charges the output capacitor when the output voltage is lower than a second predetermined threshold.
US08368373B2
To provide a control circuit of power supply unit, power supply unit and control method thereof capable of setting and adjusting a voltage value of output voltage flexibly corresponding to an instruction from outside, a voltage adjusting portion AD for adjusting first voltage setting information inputted from outside to real voltage information is provided and the voltage value of the output voltage of the power supply unit is controlled based on real voltage information outputted from the voltage adjusting portion AD. The first voltage setting information inputted from outside enables a desired output voltage to be set up by adjusting the real voltage information flexibly even if information relating to the setting of voltage set as output voltage to an external device which is a supply destination is different from actually necessary voltage value.
US08368372B2
A switch mode regulator includes a first switch for controlling a current supply to an output inductor of the regulator; a second switch for selectively providing a conductive path to ground for current flowing through the output inductor; and an inverting amplifier having an input connected to an output of the first switch and an output connected to a control input of the second switch. The switch mode regulator may alternatively include a first switch for controlling a current supply to an input inductor of the regulator; a second switch for selectively providing a conductive path to a load for current flowing through the input inductor; and an inverting amplifier having an input connected to an output of the first switch and an output connected to a control input of the second switch.
US08368371B2
A method is provided for controlling a converter of the multiphase interleaving type. According to the method, there is detected when a change of a load applied to an output terminal of the converter occurs. When detected, all of the phases of the converter are simultaneously turned off by the generation of suitable PWM driving signals. The PWM driving signals are controlled so as to force the turn-on of the phases at the same time and to zero a time phase shift of driving of the interleaving type of the PWM driving signals. The interleaving of the driving time phase shift is recovered and a normal operation of the converter is restarted. A controller for controlling a converter of the multiphase interleaving type is also provided.
US08368370B2
An example controller for use in a power supply in accordance with the present teachings includes a drive signal generator, a jitter signal generator and a compensator signal generator. The drive signal generator is coupled to output a drive signal having a switching period and a duty ratio to control switching of a switch that is to be coupled to the controller. The jitter signal generator is coupled to provide a jitter signal, where the switching period of the drive signal varies in response to the jitter signal. The compensator signal generator is coupled to provide a compensator signal responsive to the jitter signal, where the duty ratio of the drive signal is varied in response to the compensator signal.
US08368364B2
In order to achieve an object to reduce a surge voltage and suppress noise generation, the present invention provides a DC-DC converter with a snubber circuit, which boosts a voltage Vi of a DC power supply. The snubber circuit includes: a series circuit connected to both ends of a smoothing capacitor Co and including a snubber capacitor Cs and a snubber resistor Rs; a snubber diode Ds1 connected to a node at which the snubber capacitor Cs and the snubber resistor Rs are connected, and to a node at which a reactor Lr1 and an additional winding 1b of a transformer T1 are connected; and a snubber diode Ds2 connected to the node at which the snubber capacitor Cs and the snubber resistor Rs are connected, and to a node at which a reactor Lr2 and an additional winding 2b of a transformer T2 are connected.
US08368363B2
A current sensing circuit configured to sense current flowing through a switching transistor of a non-insulated switching regulator, the current sensing circuit includes a voltage divider circuit portion; a first transistor; a first impedance element; a second transistor; a third transistor; and a first voltage comparing circuit portion, wherein control terminals of the first transistor, the second transistor, and the third transistor are connected to each other and a connecting portion of the control terminals is connected to a connecting portion between the third transistor and the first constant current source.
US08368354B2
A monitoring unit outputs a first current detection value having a relatively wide measurement range and a relatively short detection cycle and a second current detection value having a relatively high resolution, to a charging ECU. When charging power calculated using the first current detection value exceeds a predetermined limit value, the charging ECU controls a charger to reduce charging power (protection control). Further, the charging ECU controls the charger such that a power storage device attains a predetermined fully charged state based on charging power calculated using the second current detection value (full charge control).
US08368351B2
An apparatus and method for coupling a charging station to a power line segment that is terminated at a first end by a charging terminal are disclosed. The apparatus includes multiple taps coupled to the power line segment and circuitry coupled to the charging station and coupled to the multiple taps. The circuitry is configured to differentiate between communication signals propagating on the power line segment in the direction from the first end to a second end of the power line segment and communication signals propagating on the power line segment in the direction from the second end to the first end based at least in part on multiple measurements of respective phase shifts associated with different portions of a communication signal, each portion received over at least a first tap and a second tap.
US08368346B2
Disclosed is a portable charger device that includes a chamber to hold at least one rechargeable charging battery, and at least one controller. The controller is configured to determine a first charging current level to apply to the at least one rechargeable charging battery such that the at least one rechargeable charging battery achieves a first predetermined charge that is reached within a first period of time of 15 minutes or less, apply to the at least one rechargeable charging battery a first charging current substantially equal to the determined first charging current level, determine a second charging current to apply to the one or more external rechargeable batteries, and apply to the one or more external rechargeable batteries a second charging current substantially equal to the determined second charging current level, the second charging current being drawn from the at least one rechargeable charging battery.
US08368339B2
A method of confining a robot in a work space includes providing a portable barrier signal transmitting device including a primary emitter emitting a confinement beam primarily along an axis defining a directed barrier. A mobile robot including a detector, a drive motor and a control unit controlling the drive motor is caused to avoid the directed barrier upon detection by the detector on the robot. The detector on the robot has an omnidirectional field of view parallel to the plane of movement of the robot. The detector receives confinement light beams substantially in a plane at the height of the field of view while blocking or rejecting confinement light beams substantially above or substantially below the plane at the height of the field of view.
US08368328B2
The present invention advantageously provides methods for manually and/or remotely controlling a motorized roller shade that includes a shade attached to a shade tube, a DC gear motor disposed within the shade tube and a microcontroller. One method includes detecting a manual movement of the shade using a sensor, determining a displacement associated with the manual movement, and, if the displacement is less than a maximum displacement, moving the shade to a different position by energizing the DC gear motor to rotate the shade tube. Another method includes receiving a command from a remote control, and moving the shade to a position associated with the command by energizing the DC gear motor to rotate the shade tube.
US08368326B2
A shakable lighting element includes a main unit, an inner seat, a conductive rod, a spring, a swing block, an LED and an outer shade. The inner seat is latched into the main unit and is installed with the spring and the LED. The spring is connected with the swing block, an end of the conductive rod penetrates the inner seat to be in contact with a battery and the other end is transfixed in the spring. When the main unit shakes, the swing block drives the spring to swing and when the spring touches the conductive rod, the LED illuminates.
US08368306B2
The present disclosure relates to a short arc metal halide lamp without outer jacket, whose arc tube has a specified aspect ratio and chemical filling, characterized in that it delivers a low color temperature and very high color rendering index, which are maintained during dimming.
US08368301B2
The present invention provides a light-emitting device including a light-emitting element over a substrate, the light-emitting element is partitioned from an adjacent light-emitting element by a partition wall, the light-emitting element comprising a first electrode, a layer formed over the first electrode, a light-emitting layer formed over the layer and a second electrode formed over the light-emitting layer, the layer contains an inorganic compound, an organic compound and a halogen atom, the partition wall contains the inorganic compound and the organic compound, and the layer. The light-emitting device provides higher reliability and fewer defects.
US08368300B2
Provided are a light emitting device, a light emitting device package, and a lighting system. The light emitting device includes a substrate, a light emitting structure on the substrate, the light emitting structure comprising a first conductive type semiconductor layer, a second conductive type semiconductor layer on the first conductive type semiconductor layer, and an active layer between the first and second conductive type semiconductor layers; a first electrode on the light emitting structure; and a patterned phosphor layer on the light emitting structure, wherein the patterned phosphor layer converts light generated from the light emitting structure into light having a wavelength longer than that of the light generated from the light emitting structure, and wherein the pattern of the phosphor layer exposes the first electrode.
US08368299B2
An organic light emitting diode (OLED) display including a substrate, a thin film transistor (TFT) formed on the substrate, an OLED, a colored polarizing member on the OLED, and a colored material on the OLED and having a color that is different from that of the polarizing member. The OLED includes a pixel electrode, an organic emission layer on the pixel electrode, and a common electrode on the organic emission layer, wherein the pixel electrode is coupled to the TFT.
US08368297B2
An organic light emitting device, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, includes a thin film transistor array panel including a pixel electrode, an organic light emitting member formed on the pixel electrode, a common electrode formed on the organic light emitting member, and a storage capacitor including a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer overlapping each other via the organic light emitting member. The first conductive layer may be formed with the same layer as the pixel electrode, and the second conductive layer may be formed with the same layer as the common electrode.
US08368288B2
In an actuator unit for an injection system of an internal combustion engine, the difference in the longitudinal extension when a change of temperature of the piezoelectric actuator element occurs affecting the actuator unit is equalized compared to the actuator housing due to different thermal expansion coefficient values in that a fastening element is arranged on the actuator housing. The fastening element is made of a different material than the actuator housing and thus affects a force acting counter to the change of length of the actuator housing.
US08368281B2
A multilayer brush, which essentially contains a composite having a graphite component and having a copper component, and a layered structure, a first layer being furnished with a high copper component and a further layer being furnished with a comparatively low copper component. It is provided that the copper component of the first layer in comparison with the copper component of the second layer corresponds to a ratio of ≦3/2.
US08368280B2
A case lid assembly is formed by integrally fitting a brush holder formed of resin and a terminal holder formed of resin to opposite sides of a metal plate which supports a bearing. The brush holder supports a pair of brush bases. The terminal holder supports a PTC element and a pair of electrically conductive members. The electrically conductive members have receptacle terminals and brush base connection portions. Tip ends of the brush bases pass through the metal plate, and come into contact with the brush base connection portions of the electrically conductive members to thereby be electrically connected thereto. The PTC element is accommodated within a PTC element insertion portion of the brush holder which extends through the metal plate in a thrust direction.
US08368278B2
A motor comprising a stator having a plurality of magnetic poles disposed in a circumferential direction along an outer periphery thereof, a rotor disposed rotatably around the outer periphery of the stator, and a magnet disposed in a circumferential direction along an inner periphery of the rotor. The stator is formed by laminating sheet-like plates. A plurality of the sheet-like plates including an outermost layer of this laminated body comprises a flat portion substantially perpendicular to the magnet, and an extended portion bent to a direction substantially parallel to the magnet. A part of the sheet-like plate having the extended portion disposed to the outermost side is formed into a thickness smaller than thicknesses of the other parts.
US08368273B2
A rotary electric machine includes a stator having stator windings; and a rotor rotatably disposed in the stator, said rotor having a rotor core provided with a plurality of magnets and a plurality of magnetic auxiliary salient poles formed between poles of the magnets. In this rotary electric machine: a magnetic air gap is provided in an axial direction of the rotor in a position shifted in a circumferential direction from a q axis passing through a center of the magnetic auxiliary salient pole within the magnetic auxiliary salient pole; and an amount of shifting the magnetic air gap from the q axis in the circumferential direction differs according to a position of the magnetic air gap in the axial direction so as to cancel torque pulsation in energization caused due to the magnetic air gap.
US08368264B2
An electric cutting tool including a housing (1) and a motor (2). The motor (2) is removably mounted in a cavity arranged at the back end of the housing (2), and the outer diameter of the motor (2) is matched with the diameter of the cavity. A turnover opening back cover (3) is hinged at the opening at the back end of the cavity. The back cover (3) is locked with the housing (1) by means of a locking structure arranged on its side, and presses against the back end of the motor (2) after closing. A pair of electrode posts (21) are provided at the front end of the motor (2), and a pair of electrode sockets (18) corresponding one-to-one with the pair of electrode posts (21) are provided in the bottom surface of the cavity. A circumferential stop structure is provided between the radial outer surface of the motor (2) and the inner wall of the cavity. The motor (2) is circumferentially fastened by the circumferential stop structure, causing the polarities of the electrode posts (21) and those of the electrode sockets (18) matching.
US08368261B2
The present invention provides a motor (M) including a rotor (1), a stator (S) having a winding wire (2) wound thereon, and an outer cylinder (3) for holding the stator (S) fitted into the inner circumference thereof. The stator (S), the outer cylinder (3), and a terminal (4) having one end (4a) connected to the winding wire (2) are integrated together by a mold resin (12) by insert molding while closing one end side of the outer cylinder (3) by the mold resin (12), and protruding the other end (4b) of the terminal (4) out of the motor (M) through the mold resin (12).
US08368259B2
The invention relates to a linear motor equipped with a field element and an armature and adapted to produce a force causing the field element and the armature to be relatively displaced along a given axial direction by interaction of magnetic fluxes generated between the field element and the armature during an operation of supplying electric power to the armature. In one typical aspect of the invention, the linear motor is provided with: a stator which is formed as one of the field element and the armature; a mover which is formed as the other of the field element and the armature; a frame member which defines the axial direction; a rail which is adapted to guide the mover allowing only to reciprocate in a linear direction; a first positioning portion which is provided on the frame member to set a fixing position of the stator with respect to the frame member; and a second positioning portion which is provided on the frame member to set a fixing position of the rail with respect to the frame member in such a manner as to allow the mover to reciprocate along the axial direction with a given gap formed between the mover and the stator positioned by the first positioning portion.
US08368256B2
A voice coil motor (VCM) is disclosed. The VCM includes a base formed with an opening; a movable body including a bobbin arranged on the base and formed with a hollow hole and a coil arranged along a periphery of the bobbin; a stator including a frame-shaped magnet arranged on the base, the magnet being discrete from the coil and wrapping a periphery of the coil; and a case covering an upper surface and an outer surface of the magnet, the case being coupled to the base.
US08368248B2
An active low-pass current filter apparatus and method reduces conducted emissions above a predefined cutoff frequency at high power levels. The apparatus and method use a bidirectional DC-DC converter to minimize current fluctuations on a power lead that may result in conducted emissions above the predefined cutoff frequency. The bidirectional DC-DC converter absorbs current from the power lead and feeds current to the load lead as needed to compensate for the current fluctuations on the power lead. Power to the DC-DC converter is provided by a separate auxiliary power source. A monitoring circuit compares the voltage level of the auxiliary power source to a reference voltage and compensates for variations in the voltage level of the auxiliary power source without interfering with the suppression of the conducted emissions.
US08368242B2
A submersible power generation plant includes a water turbine standing freely on a support structure in an ambient flow; an electric generator which is driven at least indirectly by the water turbine; at least one generator component of the electric generator is enclosed by at least one corrosion protection element which seals against ambient water, with cavities within the corrosion protection element each being filled with a heat-conductive medium; at least one pass-through duct being provided for dissipating waste heat from the electric generator, which the pass-through duct conducts the ambient water and leads through the corrosion protection element without entering into any material exchange with a region encapsulated by the corrosion protection element, and a growth protection system arranged on a flow input of the pass-through duct on an upstream side.
US08368241B2
A power generator using a floating object and exhibiting further improved power generation efficiency includes a floating object including a floating body arranged to catch wind, a plurality of posture control strings, and a posture control instrument, at least one first control string connected to the posture control instrument, a first control string take-in device arranged to take the at least one first control string into a first base body, a forward/backward movement control device arranged to control forward/backward movements of the posture control strings, a first winding device arranged to wind a proximal send of the at least one first control string, a second control string connected to the posture control instrument, a second control string take-in device arranged to take the second control string into a second base body installed apart from the first base body, and a second winding device around which a proximal end of the second control string is wound. The at least one first control string or the posture control instrument that mounts a communication device is arranged to control a front/rear inclination angle θ of the floating object, and the second control string is reeled out/taken up in accordance with the front/rear inclination to generate electric power.
US08368238B2
It is an object to provide a wind turbine generator system that can promptly restore the system voltage in the event of, for example, a low voltage phenomenon. A controller 21 detects the power factor state of a generator when a normal operation mode is switched to a low-voltage control mode and sets a condition for switching from the low-voltage control mode to the normal operation mode depending on the detected power factor state.
US08368231B2
A method for manufacturing chip stack packages may include: providing at least two wafers, each wafer having a plurality of chips, and scribe lanes formed between and separating adjacent chips; forming a plurality of via holes in peripheral portions of the scribe lanes; forming connection vias by filling the via holes; establishing electrical connections between the chip pads and corresponding connection vias; removing material from the back sides of the wafers to form thinned wafers; separating the thinned wafers into individual chips by removing a central portion of each scribe lane; attaching a first plurality of individual chips to a test wafer; attaching a second plurality of individual chips to the first plurality of individual chips to form a plurality of chip stack structures; encapsulating the plurality of chip stack structures; and separating the plurality of chip stack structures to form individual chip stack packages.
US08368227B2
The present disclosure relates to a semiconductor process, a semiconductor element and a package having a semiconductor element. The semiconductor element includes a base material and at least one through via structure. The base material has a first surface, a second surface, at least one groove and at least one foundation. The groove opens at the first surface, and the foundation is disposed on the first surface. The through via structure is disposed in the groove of the base material, and protrudes from the first surface of the base material. The foundation surrounds the through via structure. Whereby, the foundation increases the strength of the through via structure, and prevents the through via structure from cracking.
US08368220B2
An anchored conductive damascene buried in a multi-density dielectric layer and method for forming the same, the anchored conductive damascene including a dielectric layer with an opening extending through a thickness of the dielectric layer; wherein the dielectric layer comprises at least one relatively higher density portion and a relatively lower density portion, the relatively lower density portion forming a contiguous major portion of the dielectric layer; and, wherein the opening in the relatively lower density portion has a lateral dimension relatively larger compared to the relatively higher density portion to form anchoring steps.
US08368219B2
A buried local interconnect and method of forming the same counterdopes a region of a doped substrate to form a counterdoped isolation region. A hardmask is formed and patterned on the doped substrate, with a recess being etched through the patterned hardmask into the counterdoped region. Dielectric spacers are formed on the sidewalls of the recess, with a portion of the bottom of the recess being exposed. A metal is then deposited in the recess and reacted to form silicide at the bottom of the recess. The recess is filled with fill material, which is polished. The hardmask is then removed to form a silicide buried local interconnect.
US08368217B2
A chip layout isolates Rx terminals and Rx ports from Tx terminals and Tx ports. Tx terminals are grouped contiguously to each other, and are segregated as a group to a given edge of the package, Rx terminals are similarly grouped and segregated to a different edge of the package. Tx and Rx data channels are disposed in a respective single layer of the package, or both are disposed in a same single layer of the package. Rx ports and Tx ports are located at an approximate center of the package, with Tx and Rx ports disposed on respective opposite sides of an axis bisecting the package. Data signals received by, and transmitted from, the chip flow in a same direction, from a first edge of the package to the center of the package and from the center of the package to a second edge of the package, respectively.
US08368212B1
A semiconductor package includes a semiconductor substrate a semiconductor substrate having source and drain regions formed therein, an intermediate routing structure to provide electrical interconnects to the source and drain regions, a dielectric layer formed over the intermediate routing structure, and an under-bump-metallization (UBM) stack. The intermediate routing structure includes an outermost conductive layer, and the dielectric layer has an opening positioned over a portion of the intermediate layer routing structure. The UBM stack includes a conductive base layer formed over the dielectric layer and electrically connected to the outermost conductive layer through the opening, and a thick conductive layer formed on the base layer. A conductive bump is positioned on the UBM stack and laterally spaced from the opening.
US08368210B2
A semiconductor device package is formed of DBC in which thinned MOSgated and/or diode die are soldered to the bottom of an etched depression in the upper conductive layer. A via in the insulation layer of the DBC is filled with a conductive material to form a resistive shunt. Plural packages may be formed in a DBC card and may be separated individually or in clusters. The individual packages are mounted in various arrays on a support DBC board and heat sink. Integrated circuits may be mounted on the assembly and connected to the die for control of the die conduction.
US08368208B2
In some embodiments, a semiconductor cooling apparatus includes a monolithic array of cooling elements. Each cooling element of the monolithic array of cooling elements is configured to thermally couple to a respective semiconductor element of an array of semiconductor elements. At least two of the semiconductor elements have a different height and each cooling element independently flexes to conform to the height of the respective semiconductor element.
US08368198B2
Provided is a stacked package of a semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing the same. The stacked package of a semiconductor device may include at least one first semiconductor chip, at least one second semiconductor chip, at least one interposer between the at least one first semiconductor chip and the at least one second semiconductor chip, and a third semiconductor chip on the at least one first semiconductor chip. The at least one first semiconductor chip and the at least one second semiconductor chip may be configured to perform a first function and a second function and each may include a plurality of bonding pads. The third semiconductor chip may be configured to perform a third function which is different from the first and the second functions. The package may further include external connection leads may be configured to electrically connect the third semiconductor chip to the outside.
US08368194B1
An exposed die overmolded flip chip package includes a substrate. A die is flip chip mounted to an upper surface of the substrate. The package further includes a mold cap filling a space between an active surface of the die and the upper surface of the substrate. The mold cap includes a principal surface, sidewalls extending from the upper surface of the substrate to the principal surface, an annular surface coplanar with the inactive surface of the die and extending outward from a peripheral edge of the inactive surface of the die, and protruding surfaces extending between the principal surface and the annular surface. The mold cap does not cover the inactive surface of the die such that heat transfer from the die to the ambient environment is maximized and the package thickness is minimized.
US08368193B2
A chip package includes a bump connecting said semiconductor chip and said circuitry component, wherein the semiconductor chip has a photosensitive area used to sense light. The chip package may include a ring-shaped protrusion connecting a transparent substrate and the semiconductor chip.
US08368190B2
Disclosed is a light emitting diode (LED) package having an array of light emitting cells coupled in series. The LED package comprises a package body and an LED chip mounted on the package body. The LED chip has an array of light emitting cells coupled in series. Since the LED chip having the array of light emitting cells coupled in series is mounted on the LED package, it can be driven directly using an AC power source.
US08368186B2
An ESD device includes a first and second well regions disposed in a semiconductor substrate. The first well region comprises a plurality of N wells spaced at a predetermined length. A heavily doped P+ region and a heavily doped N+ region are disposed in each of the N wells. The heavily doped N+ region is coupled to Vdd and a heavily doped P+ region in an N well is electrically coupled to the heavily doped N+ region in an adjacent N well. The second well region comprises a P well abutting an N well. A heavily doped P+ region and a heavily doped N+ region are disposed in the P well. The heavily doped N+ region in the P well is electrically coupled to the heavily doped P+ region of the adjacent N well in common with an I/O circuit, and the heavily doped P+ region is coupled to Vss.
US08368184B2
There is provided a silicon device structure, comprising: a P-doped n+ type amorphous silicon film formed on a silicon semiconductor, and a wiring formed on the P doped n+ type amorphous silicon film, wherein the wiring is formed of a silicon oxide film which is formed on a surface of the P doped n+ type amorphous silicon film and is also formed of a copper alloy film, and the copper alloy film is a film obtained by forming a copper alloy containing Mn of 1 atom % or more and 5 atom % or less and P of 0.05 atom % or more and 1.0 atom % or less by sputtering.
US08368175B2
Provided is a capacitor that realizes a capacitance insulation film having a large relative permittivity and has sufficient capacitance even if an occupied space is small with a reduced amount of leakage current. A capacitor includes: a capacitance insulation film; and an upper electrode and lower electrode each formed on both sides of the capacitance insulation film. The capacitance insulation film is a complex oxide whose main ingredients are Zr, Al and O with the composition ratio of Zr to Al being set at (1−x): x (0.01≦x≦0.15) and is composed of a dielectric substance having a crystal structure. The lower electrode is composed of a conductor whose surface contiguous to at least the dielectric film has an amorphous structure.
US08368173B2
The present invention relates to a semiconductor package and a method for making the same. The semiconductor package includes a base material, a first metal layer, a first dielectric layer, a first upper electrode and a first protective layer. The first metal layer is disposed on a first surface of the base material, and includes a first inductor and a first lower electrode. The first dielectric layer is disposed on the first lower electrode. The first upper electrode is disposed on the first dielectric layer, and the first upper electrode, the first dielectric layer and the first lower electrode form a first capacitor. The first protective layer encapsulates the first inductor and the first capacitor. Whereby, the first inductor and the first lower electrode of the first capacitor are disposed on the same layer, so that the thickness of the product is reduced.
US08368168B2
A III-V-group compound semiconductor device includes a substrate, a channel layer provided over the substrate, a barrier layer provided on the channel layer so as to form a hetero-interface, a plurality of electrodes provided on the barrier layer, an insulator layer provided to cover an entire upper surface of the barrier layer except for at least partial regions of the electrodes, and a hydrogen-absorbing layer stacked on the insulator layer or an integrated layer in which an hydrogen-absorbing layer is integrated with the insulator layer.
US08368163B2
A semiconductor component, especially a solar cell comprises a semiconductor substrate of a planar design having a first side and a second side lying opposite thereto, at least one contact structure arranged on at least one side of the semiconductor substrate, the at least one contact structure exhibiting a diffusion barrier to prevent the diffusion of ions from the contact structure into the semiconductor substrate.
US08368159B2
An avalanche photodiode (APD) has a first semiconductor substrate having a first doping type. A first semiconductor layer is on top of the first semiconductor substrate. The first semiconductor layer is doped with the first doping type. A second epitaxial layer is on top of the first semiconductor layer. The second epitaxial layer is in-situ doped with the first doping type at a concentration higher than a concentration of the first doping type in the first semiconductor layer. A third epitaxial layer is on top of the second epitaxial layer. The third epitaxial layer is in-situ doped with a second doping type. The doping of the third epitaxial region forms a first p-n junction with the doping of the second epitaxial layer, wherein a carrier multiplication region includes the first p-n junction, and wherein the third epitaxial layer forms an absorption region for photons. A first implanted region is within the third epitaxial layer. The implanted region is doped with the second doping type.
US08368146B2
A finFET structure and method of manufacture such structure is provided with lowered Ceff and enhanced stress. The finFET structure includes a plurality of finFET structures and a stress material forming part of a gate stack and in a space between adjacent ones of the plurality of finFET structures.
US08368143B2
A method of forming a strained, semiconductor-on-insulator substrate includes forming a second semiconductor layer on a first semiconductor substrate. The second semiconductor is lattice matched to the first semiconductor substrate such that the second semiconductor layer is subjected to a first directional stress. An active device semiconductor layer is formed over the second semiconductor layer such that the active device semiconductor layer is initially in a relaxed state. One or more trench isolation structures are formed through the active device layer and through the second semiconductor layer so as to relax the second semiconductor layer below the active device layer and impart a second directional stress on the active device layer opposite the first directional stress.
US08368134B2
A nonvolatile memory device and method for fabricating the same are provided. The method for fabricating the nonvolatile memory device comprises providing a substrate. A tunnel insulating layer and a first conductive layer are formed in the substrate. A trench is formed through the first conductive layer and the tunnel insulating layer, wherein a portion of the substrate is exposed from the trench. A first insulating layer is formed in the trench. A second insulating layer is formed on sidewalls of the first insulating layer. A third insulating layer is conformably formed in the trench, covering the first insulating layer on a bottom portion of the trench and the second insulating layer on the sidewalls of the trench, wherein thickness of the third insulating layer on the sidewalls is thinner than that on the bottom of the trench. A control gate is formed on the third insulating layer in the trench.
US08368133B2
The invention includes a method of forming a semiconductor construction, such as an MRAM construction. A block is formed over a semiconductor substrate. First and second layers are formed over the block, and over a region of the substrate proximate the block. The first and second layers are removed from over the block while leaving portions of the first and second layers over the region proximate the block. At least some of the first layer is removed from under the second layer to form a channel over the region proximate the block. A material, such as a soft magnetic material, is provided within the channel. The invention also includes semiconductor constructions.
US08368126B2
Remote contacts to the polysilicon regions of a trench metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) barrier Schottky (TMBS) device, as well as to the polysilicon regions of a MOS field effect transistor (MOSFET) section and of a TMBS section in a monolithically integrated TMBS and MOSFET (SKYFET) device, are employed. The polysilicon is recessed relative to adjacent mesas. Contact of the source metal to the polysilicon regions of the TMBS section is made through an extension of the polysilicon to outside the active region of the TMBS section. This change in the device architecture relieves the need to remove all of the oxides from both the polysilicon and silicon mesa regions of the TMBS section prior to the contact step. As a consequence, encroachment of contact metal into the sidewalls of the trenches in a TMBS device, or in a SKYFET device, is avoided.
US08368124B2
In one embodiment, the invention provides a method for fabricating a microelectromechanical systems device. The method comprises fabricating a first layer comprising a film having a characteristic electromechanical response, and a characteristic optical response, wherein the characteristic optical response is desirable and the characteristic electromechanical response is undesirable; and modifying the characteristic electromechanical response of the first layer by at least reducing charge build up thereon during activation of the micro electromechanical systems device.
US08368113B2
According to one embodiment, a light emitting device includes a ceramics substrate, a metallic thermally-conductive layer formed on the substrate in which the substrate involves no electric connection, a light emitting element mounted on the metallic thermally-conductive layer, and a metallic bonding layer interposed between the metallic thermally-conductive layer and the light emitting element to bond the light emitting element to the metallic thermally-conductive layer.
US08368106B2
Method of manufacturing gradient composite material comprises steps of providing plural surface modified inorganic nanoparticles with functional groups or oligomers with functional groups; transferring the surface modified inorganic nanoparticles or oligomers with functional groups into an organic matrix to form a mixture; performing a photo polymerization step or a thermo-polymerization step for polymerizing and generating a gradient distribution of the surface modified inorganic nanoparticles or oligomers with functional groups in the mixture; and curing the mixture to solidify the organic matrix and form a structure with gradient composite, wherein the organic matrix is transferred into an organic polymer after curing.
US08368099B2
A light emitting device and a fabricating method thereof are described. The light emitting device includes a substrate, a light emitting chip, a tubular structure, and a fluorescent conversion layer. The tubular structure is formed on a surface of the substrate. The light emitting chip is disposed on the surface of the substrate and is surrounded by the tubular structure. The fluorescent conversion layer is disposed in the tubular structure and covers the light emitting chip. A ratio of a maximal vertical thickness and a maximal horizontal thickness of the fluorescent conversion layer at the light emitting chip is between 0.1 and 10. A distance for the light ray to pass through the fluorescent conversion layer is controlled by using the tubular structure, so as to solve a problem of the conventional art that fluorescent powder coating package technique results in non-uniform color temperature of the emitted light.
US08368090B2
An organic light emitting diode (OLED) display device includes: a base substrate on which OLEDs are formed; an encapsulation substrate disposed on the base substrate to cover the OLEDs; and a bonding member connecting the base substrate and the encapsulating substrate. The base substrate and/or the encapsulation substrate include bonding grooves in which the bonding member is disposed.
US08368071B2
A semiconductor device and a method for preparing the same that can solve crack of a semiconductor film, capacitance electrodes and the like due to stress when forming a source electrode and a drain electrode in a semiconductor device having a thin film transistor and a holding capacitance with three or more capacitance electrodes is provided. Before forming the source electrode and the drain electrode, a crystalline silicon film for relaxing the stress is formed, then a contact hole connecting to the semiconductor film of the thin film transistor is opened, and a metal film to be the source electrode and the drain electrode is formed.
US08368060B2
An object of the present invention is to provide a light emitting element having slight increase in driving voltage with accumulation of light emitting time. Another object of the invention is to provide a light emitting element having slight increase in resistance value with increase in film thickness. A light emitting element of the invention includes a first layer for generating holes, a second layer for generating electrons and a third layer comprising a light emitting substance between first and second electrodes. The first and third layers are in contact with the first and second electrodes, respectively. The second and third layers are connected to each other so as to inject electrons generated in the second layer into the third layer when applying the voltage to the light emitting element such that a potential of the second electrode is higher than that of the first electrode.
US08368059B2
An object of the present invention is to provide a light emitting element having slight increase in driving voltage with accumulation of light emitting time. Another object of the invention is to provide a light emitting element having slight increase in resistance value with increase in film thickness. A light emitting element of the invention includes a first layer for generating holes, a second layer for generating electrons and a third layer comprising a light emitting substance between first and second electrodes. The first and third layers are in contact with the first and second electrodes, respectively. The second and third layers are connected to each other so as to inject electrons generated in the second layer into the third layer when applying the voltage to the light emitting element such that a potential of the second electrode is higher than that of the first electrode.
US08368058B2
A photoelectric conversion element includes, in the following order: a substrate; a lower electrode containing titanium nitride; an organic layer including a photoelectric conversion layer; and an upper electrode containing a transparent electrode material.
US08368049B2
A nanowire transistor according to the present invention includes: at least one nanowire 13 including a core portion 13a that functions as a channel region and an insulating shell portion 13b that covers the surface of the core portion 13a; source and drain electrodes 14 and 15, which are connected to the nanowire 13; and a gate electrode 21 for controlling conductivity in at least a part of the core portion 13a of the nanowire 13. The core portion 13a is made of semiconductor single crystals including Si and has a cross section with a curved profile on a plane that intersects with the longitudinal axis thereof. The insulating shell portion 13b is made of an insulator including Si and functions as at least a portion of a gate insulating film.
US08368039B2
An apparatus includes a light source having a gain medium for producing an amplified light beam of a source wavelength along a beam path to irradiate a target material in a chamber and to generate extreme ultraviolet light; and a subsystem overlying at least a portion of an internal surface of the chamber and configured to reduce a flow of light at the source wavelength from the internal surface back along the beam path.
US08368030B2
A beam manipulating arrangement for a multi beam application using charged particles comprises a multi-aperture plate having plural apertures traversed by beams of charged particles. A frame portion of the multi-aperture plate is heated to reduce temperature gradients within the multi-aperture plate. Further, a heat emissivity of a surface of the multi-aperture plate may be higher in some regions as compared to other regions in view of also reducing temperature gradients.
US08368029B2
A multi-modality imaging system for imaging of an object under study, e.g., a whole body or parts of the body of animals such as humans, other primates, swine, dogs, or rodents, that includes a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and a cadmium zinc telluride (CZT)-family semiconductor, single-photon imaging apparatus within a magnetic field produced by the magnetic resonance imaging apparatus such that sequential or simultaneous imaging can be done with the two modalities using the same support bed of the object under study in the same, uninterrupted imaging session.
US08368028B2
A solid-state image pickup device 1 includes a semiconductor substrate 3A having a pixel array 10A with pixels arrayed in M rows and NA columns, a semiconductor substrate 3B having a pixel array 10B with pixels arrayed in M rows and NB columns, and a first column of which is arranged along an NA-th column of the pixel array 10A, and a signal output section 20. The signal output section 20 outputs digital values corresponding to the respective columns from the first column to the n-th column (2≦n
US08368027B2
A radiation detection apparatus comprises a plurality of pixels each including a conversion element which converts incident radiation into a charge, a switching element which transfers the charge, and an interlayer insulation film disposed between the conversion element and the switching element, a gate line to drive the switching element, and a signal line located to intersect with the gate line and configured to read out the charge transferred from the switching element, wherein Ca≧∈0×∈×S/d and 7d≦P/2 is satisfied, where P is a pixel pitch, Ca is a sum total of coupling capacitances between the signal line and the gate line, S is an overlapping area of the signal line and the conversion element, d is a thickness of the interlayer insulation film, ∈ is a relative dielectric constant of the interlayer insulation film, and ∈0 is a vacuum dielectric constant.
US08368026B2
A scintillator for an imaging device includes a plate made of a material capable of emitting photons according to an incident radiation. The scintillator further includes at least one block of a second material capable of emitting photons according to the incident radiation. The plate and the block are assembled via the edge of the plate by connecting means that absorbs all or some of the photons emitted by the plate and the block. A scintillator module and an imaging device with such a scintillator, and a method of manufacturing a scintillator are also disclosed.
US08368014B2
A technique for improving the mass-resolving power of an ion trap time-of-flight mass spectrometer is provided. At the final stage of a cooling process before the ejection of ions from an ion trap, the frequency of a rectangular-wave voltage applied to a ring electrode of the ion trap is increased for a few to several cycles. This operation reduces the confining potential depth of the ion trap and decelerates the captured ions. The turn-around time of the ions is shortened when the rectangular-wave voltage is halted and an accelerating electric field is created. Thus, the variation in the time of flight of the ions with the same mass-to-charge ratio is reduced. The time for increasing the frequency is determined so that a spread of the ions because of the depth reduction of the confining potential will fall within the range that can be corrected in the time-of-flight mass spectrometer.
US08368011B2
By detecting water clusters in expiration with high sensitivity, prevention of drink-driving and prevention of drowsy driving are performed. Also, device operation is performed in a non-contact manner. Problem: an effective method for prevention of drink-driving and prevention of drowsy driving for drivers has not been present. Effect: expiration can be sensed in a spatially-restricted place.
US08368008B2
Methods and apparatus (1100) for trapping fluid-borne object(s) (212) using one or more Fresnel zone plates (202) located in proximity to a fluid medium (208). Optical tweezers based on one or more Fresnel zone plates may be integrated with a microfluidic structure (e.g., chambers, channels) (1104) of various geometries so as to form one or more optical traps (215) within a fluid medium contained by the microfluidic structure(s). Three-dimensional trapping of objects can be obtained with stiffness comparable to that of conventional optical tweezers based on a microscope objective. In one example, a single Fresnel zone plate is particularly configured to form multiple optical traps upon irradiation, so as to trap multiple objects simultaneously. Exemplary applications of the methods and apparatus disclosed herein include determination of various fluid medium properties (e.g., velocity, refractive index, viscosity, temperature, pH) and object sorting.
US08368007B2
An imaging reader for electro-optically reading a target by image capture includes a window supported by a housing, a chassis mounted in the housing and having chassis walls bounding an optical compartment, and an imaging module in the optical compartment for capturing return light from the target through the window. A component seals the optical compartment and protects the window from shock forces. The component is mounted between the window and the chassis walls bounding an opening into the optical compartment, and surrounds a periphery of the window. The component is constituted of a compressible material that is compressed between the window and the chassis walls to isolate and seal the optical compartment from the housing.
US08368003B2
An image-capturing module for simplifying optical component and reducing assembly time includes a substrate unit, an image-capturing unit, a cover unit, a light-emitting unit and an optical imaging unit. The image-capturing unit has at least one image-capturing element electrically disposed on the substrate unit. The cover unit has at least one cover element disposed on the substrate unit and covering the image-capturing element, and the cover element has an opening for exposing the image-capturing element. The light-emitting unit has at least one light-emitting element electrically disposed on the substrate unit. The optical imaging unit has a light-guiding element disposed on the cover element for receiving light beams generated by the light-emitting element and an imaging element connected with the light-guiding element and disposed in the opening of the covering element. The light-guiding element and the imaging element are integrated with each other to form one piece.
US08367987B2
The flexible PTC heating element according to the invention has one of the following constitutions. A portion of an electrodes and a PTC resistor is impregnated into a flexible substrate. A flexible substrate is made of resin foam or rubber material having a concave/convex shape formed on the surface. The flexible PTC heating element has an elongation deformation portion disposed to at least one of an electrode and a PTC resistor. A flexible substrate has adhesiveness and either a flexible substrate or a flexible cover material has an elongation control portion. Therefore, the flexible PTC heating element is highly flexible and excellent in vibration durability.
US08367986B2
A positive temperature coefficient (PTC) superimposed impedance polymeric (SIP) compound including an electrically insulating matrix essentially consisting of a siloxane polymer in addition to first and second electrically conductive particles having different properties with respect to surface energies and electrical conductivities. A multi-layered, ZPZ, foil including a PTC SIP compound of the invention present between two metal foils, thereby forming a conductive composite body. A multi-layered device, including an essentially flat composite body made up from a PTC SIP compound according to the invention, two electrode layers adhering to the surfaces of the composite body, the electrode layers being metal foils prepared to connect to electrodes.
US08367975B2
A temperature adjustment method is provided to improve operating efficiency and reduce costs. Control of a heating unit in a thermal processing system including a heating control section is performed based on a first output control pattern obtained by subjecting a detection temperature provided by a first temperature detecting unit to an integral operation, a differential operation, and a proportional operation under a condition of a first set of temperature-setting conditions, a second output control pattern obtained by determining a first heat quantity in a period from the start of an increase in temperature detected by a second temperature detecting unit until the temperature inside the processing chamber reaches a maximum temperature, and using a second heat quantity obtained by subtracting the part of the output provided by the proportional operation from the first heat quantity.
US08367970B2
A method and device (1) for laser machining vehicle bodies or body parts (2) uses a laser beam (14) that is guided from a laser source (13) to a remote laser tool (15) on a robot hand by a guiding device (16). The robot (4) maintains the laser tool (15) in a suspended manner over the tool (2), at a focal length (F) and at a contact free distance and guides it along a machining path (30). The laser beam (14) is deviated, by movement of the hand axis (IV, V, VI), about a variable deviation angle (α), and the laser source (13), whose power is variable, is controlled according to the movement of the laser beam. The beam deviation of the hand axis (IV, V, VI) can be superimposed on an offset movement of the robot (4).
US08367966B2
The ceramic plasma reactor includes: a plurality of unit electrodes each of which comprises a plate-shaped ceramic dielectric body 4 and a conductive film 3 embedded in the ceramic dielectric body superimposing them each other with a gap which works as a discharge portion 11, and preferably being formed by sandwiching one unit electrode 2b having no through holes 15 by two unit electrodes having plural through holes 2a there between. A partition wall plate 9 is provided by facing one of unit electrodes on a side opposite to the gap and being held by a holding member 7 at a predetermined distance so as to form there between a gas introducing-circulating portion 21 for introducing and circulating gas in the through-holes 15 so as to send gas introduced to the gap between the unit electrodes as a discharge portion by applying a voltage thereto to generate plasma.
US08367961B2
The invention relates to a ground peg (10) which is made from a steel tube (11) and comprises an upper cylindrical section (12), a lower section (16) that tapers towards the bottom to form a tip (14), and an external thread (26) that extends along at least part of the lower section (16) and is formed from a continuous sheet metal strip (28) welded onto an external surface (32) of the ground peg (10) by means of a continuous or regularly interrupted fillet weld (34). The external thread (26) has a nearly constant pitch (S) and slope (a) relative to a longitudinal axis (40) of the ground peg (10) along the entire length of the external thread (26). The invention further relates to a method or producing such a ground peg (10). In said method, the external thread (26) is laterally fed to the external surface (32) of the rotating steel tube as an elongate sheet metal strip (28) and is welded onto said external surface (32), the steel tube (11) being moved relative to the feeding point of the sheet metal strip (28) at a regular advance (V) in the longitudinal direction of the steel tube (11). The invention finally relates to a device for producing such a ground peg (10). Said device comprises a mechanism for clamping and rotating the steel tube as well as a mechanism (44) for feeding the sheet metal strip (28) to the external surface (32) of the steel tube (11) such that the sheet metal strip (28) tangentially rests there against.
US08367943B2
A multilayered printed wiring board has a core substrate having a through hole opening with a radius R, a through hole structure formed at the through hole opening and including a lid-shaped conductive structure, a first interlaminar resin insulation layer formed over the core substrate and having a first via hole structure with a bottom radius r, and a second interlaminar resin insulation layer formed over the first interlaminar resin insulation layer and having a second via hole structure. The lid-shaped conductive structure is formed over the core substrate at an end portion of the through-hole opening and covering the end portion of the through-hole opening. The first via hole structure is formed on the lid-shaped conductive structure and has an electroless plated film and an electrolytic plated film. The second via hole structure has an electroless plated film and an electrolytic plated film. The first via hole has a gravity center at or beyond a radius D, where D=(R−r/3) and the radius D is measured from a gravity center of the through-hole opening, and the bottom radius r of the first via hole is larger than a bottom radius of the second via hole.
US08367939B2
Embodiments of the invention provide an interconnect substrate capable of improving the connection reliability and yield of a semiconductor device, a method of manufacturing the interconnect substrate, and a semiconductor device using the interconnect substrate. An interconnect substrate according to an embodiment of the invention includes: a substrate; an electrode pad formed over the substrate; an insulating film (solder resist film) formed over the substrate; an opening formed in the insulating film, in which the upper surface of the electrode pad is exposed on the bottom surface of the opening and a metal film formed over the upper surface of the electrode pad and side surface of the insulating film in the opening. At least a portion of the edge of an upper surface of the metal film is higher than the other portions of the upper surface of the metal film.
US08367938B2
A method of bonding electrodes and core wires capable of shortening the operation time and improving the bonding strength and an electronic unit formed by bonding the electrodes and the core wires are intended to be provided.After supplying a thermosetting resin 8a incorporated with solider particles 7a so as to cover a plurality of electrodes 3 on a substrate 2, arranging each of core wires 6 while opposing vertically to each of the electrodes 3 above the substrate 2, locating a sheet member 11 above the core wires 6, hot pressing each of the core wires 6 and the thermosetting resin 8a by way of the sheet member 11 by hot press bonding tool 12 from above the sheet member 11 to thermally cure the thermosetting resin 8a and melt the solder particles 7a contained in the thermosetting resin 8a, detaching the hot press bonding tool 12 from the thermally cured product 8 of the thermosetting resin 8a, bonding the core wires 6 and the electrodes 3 by the solidification product 7 of solder formed by solidification of a molten product of the solder particles (molten solder 7b) and, finally, peeling the sheet member 11 from the thermally cured product 8.
US08367928B2
A waterproof mechanism includes a housing having a base wall, at least one door plate, a first waterproof seal, and at least one return spring. The base wall is formed with an opening. The door plate is connected movably to the base wall for closing the opening in the base wall. The door plate is pushable to perform a motion relative to the base wall to thereby open the opening. The first waterproof seal is disposed between the base wall and the door plate and around the opening so as to establish a water-tight seal between the base wall and the door plate. The return spring is disposed between the base wall and the door plate for biasing the door plate to close the opening.
US08367925B2
Light-electricity conversion devices based on II-VI semiconductor materials are provided. The light-electricity conversion devices are able to cover a wide spectrum range.
US08367921B2
The invention relates to a method and system for assessing a performance of a musical composition in relation to a model performance of the same composition. In particular, as even a model performance does not follow a score of a composition precisely, the present invention initially correlates the model performance to a score of the performed composition. This allows for an accurate assessment of the timing of the assessable performance, relative to the timing of the model performance. The invention is of particular use where the assessable performance is performed along with the model performance, but the two performances are remote from each other.
US08367918B2
One embodiment of a drum rack system device of the type having an octagonal rail member (1), has internal muffling or foam (2), attached to a clamping body (3), and is secured with a screw (4). The clamping body (3) is secured to a clamping arm (6) with a pin (5). The clamping body (3) contains housing for a swiveling t-nut (8). A tension rod (9) will pass through a concave washer (10). In addition, a cylinder (11) will pass through a hole in an easy locking lever (12) and the tension rod (9) will pass through and screw into the swiveling hardware (8). The completed assembly will clamp on to a round tube leg rack, allow height adjustability, and fold up with a flip of an easy locking lever. There is a raised-geared teeth (13) design on the top and bottom face of the clamp portions that will interlock at various and precise angles with other geared clamps. Other embodiments are described and shown.
