US08775283B1
Systems, methods, and apparatus embodiments for electric power grid and network registration and management of physical and financial settlement for participation of active grid elements in supply and/or curtailment of power, wherein Internet Protocol (IP)-based messages including IP packets are generated by transforming raw data content into settlement grade content. Settlement is provided for grid elements that participate in the electric power grid following initial registration of each grid element with the system, preferably through network-based communication between the grid elements and a coordinator, either in coordination with or outside of an IP-based communications network router. Messaging related to settlement is managed through a network by a Coordinator using IP messaging for communication with the grid elements, with the energy management system (EMS), and with the utilities, market participants, and/or grid operators.
US08775277B2
The present invention provides a method, system, and program product for validating invoices for transactions between trading partners that occur across jurisdictional borders such as inter-country or inter-state transactions. Specifically, under the present invention, an invoice corresponding to a transaction between trading partners is electronically received for instance in an invoice processing system. Upon receipt, a purchaser tax jurisdiction and a seller tax jurisdiction corresponding to the transaction will be determined. Based on these jurisdictions and a set of categorization rules, a category of the transaction is determined. Using the category and a set of validation rules, a tax rate indicated on the invoice and other optional aspects, such as whether the invoice contains all required information will be validated. Based on this validation it will be determined whether the overall invoice is valid or invalid.
US08775272B2
A comprehensive platform for merchandising intellectual property (IP) and conducting IP transactions is disclosed. A standardized data collection method enables IP assets to be characterized, rated and valuated in a consistent manner. Project management, workflow and data security functionality enable consistent, efficient and secure interactions between the IP Marketplace participants throughout the IP transaction process. Business rules, workflows, valuation models and rating methods may be user defined or based upon marketplace, industry or technology standards.
US08775269B2
A system and method for conducting electronic business between buyers and sellers is provided. The system and method disclose a means for at least one buyer to request and receive online bids from one or more sellers of a particular product according to a price curve or price schedule. A price schedule or curve for a product defining a product's unit price as a function of the volume of product ordered. Upon receipt of a plurality of bids from sellers, a buyer can then select a seller-supplier based at least in part on the price schedule.
US08775265B2
A text message order processing system includes: means for receiving text messages from consumers purchasing products, each of the text messages being addressed to an address selected by the consumer and including an identification of the product being purchased and an identification of a device from which the text message was sent; means for parsing each text message to extract the identification of the product and the identification of the device; means for selecting a payment instrument to be used to pay for the purchase; means for establishing payment information related to the selected payment instrument and delivery information indicating where the purchased product is to be delivered; means for generating for each received text message an order including the established payment information, delivery information and identification of the product being purchased; and, means for submitting the generated order to an order management system of the merchant.
US08775261B2
In a network advertisement system, an information processing section includes a module to store, when sales or service operation is conducted for a first terminal, purchase history of articles or services of the first terminal; and a Social Network Service includes an extraction module to extract, on receiving from the module a notification of the reception of the article or service by the first terminal, registered users related to the user of the first terminal. The SNS notifies the reception of the article or service by the first terminal to terminals of the registered users thus extracted. When a second terminal receives purchase of an article or provision of a service on the basis of the notification of purchase information of plural users, a degree of contribution to the sales promotion is expressed by a numeric value for each of the plural users by referring to the shop server and the SNS to reflect the degree of contribution to the affiliate. Therefore, in the network advertisement system, when a user purchases an article, information of the article is notified to friends of the user to thereby automatically provide an amount of affiliate to the user or a plurality of users.
US08775258B1
A method and system for verifying inventory splits is disclosed. A server retrieves from a memory a first inventory policy provided by a first content provider. The server retrieves from the memory a second inventory policy provided by the second content provider. The server verifies that the first inventory policy and the second inventory policy are in agreement for at least one stipulation pertaining to a percentage of compensation to the first content provider for inventory owned by the first content provider and played by the second content provider. The server transmits the first inventory policy to a placement opportunity information service (POIS) communicatively connected to the second content provider. The server transmits the second inventory policy to a placement opportunity information service (POIS) communicatively connected to the first content provider.
US08775251B1
Methods, systems, and apparatus for allocating advertising budgets. In one aspect, a method includes receiving a set of candidate keywords specifying targeting keywords for content items. Each targeting keyword can be a phrase to be matched for a content item to be eligible to be provided in response to a content item request. For each of the targeting keywords, a probability distribution specifying likelihoods of specified user actions occurring in response to a content item is received. Based on the probability distributions, a set of final keywords with which distribution of the content items will be controlled is selected, the set of final keywords being one or more keywords for which a likelihood of a specified outcome occurring exceeds a threshold likelihood. The set of final keywords is a set which a total cost of distributing the content items is below a specified value.
US08775248B1
An advertising attribution system determines an attribution value for a set of advertising modalities associated with a conversion event. The modalities each provided an advertisement to a user who performed the conversion event. A conversion value associated with each of a plurality of modality subsets is determined representing the value to the advertiser of providing advertisements by the modalities in each modality subset. Based on the conversion value of each modality subset, a marginal value for each modality is determined for the set of modalities associated with the conversion event.
US08775244B2
Embodiments of the invention provide for managing attraction attendance levels through tracking current attendance levels and notifying patrons of incentives to alter their attraction selections in real-time. Examples identify an attraction queue that has a customer wait time failing to meet a threshold and determine a geographic relationship of a tracking device associated with a registered customer to the queue. Accordingly, an incentive is created from metadata associated with the queue and offered to the registered customer to urge the registered customer to take a queue balancing action. The queue balancing action may be leaving the queue if the customer wait time exceeds a threshold maximum wait time and the tracking device is within the queue, or choosing to enter the queue if the customer wait time is less than a threshold minimum wait time and the tracking device is outside of the queue.
US08775241B2
A system for facilitating reward selection and redemption for a loyalty program is disclosed. The system includes a point-of-sale (POS) device that is capable of monitoring and processing a reward redemption. The POS device informs a participant of the loyalty program as to what rewards are available for redemption. The participant is given an opportunity by the POS device to select the desired reward for redemption. Alternatively, the POS device allows the participant to defer redemption of the available rewards.
US08775240B2
A computer-implemented method and computing system for providing advertisement content and a computer-implemented method and computing system for exposing advertisement content are provided. A computer-implemented method of providing advertisement content, the method includes: receiving a bid request with respect to the advertisement content associated with digital broadcast content; determining an exposure ranking of the advertisement content using quality information of the advertisement content; and providing the digital broadcast content and the advertisement content arranged based on the exposure ranking, wherein the advertisement content is classified by an accounting method.
US08775237B2
In one embodiment, a system comprises a first element viewable on a web page on or near an advertisement and soliciting user reactions concerning the advertisement; and a second element displayed in response to selection of the first element, soliciting one or more user reactions concerning the advertisement, and displaying the advertisement or a substantial duplicate thereof. In one embodiment, a method comprises collecting user reactions concerning an advertisement on a web page and presenting a report of the reactions comprising a bar graph with each bar representing a characteristic of the advertisement. In one embodiment, a method comprises collecting user reactions concerning advertisements included on web pages and presenting a report of the reactions comprising a graph including multiple icons, each representing an advertisement; an axis corresponding to a quantity of reactions; and an axis corresponding to ratings associated with the reactions for characteristics of the advertisements.
US08775234B2
A sales force automation method (30), comprises providing instructions which operatively direct a computer system (100) to employ one or more predetermined input-parameters (60), wherein each input-parameter is applicable to one or more clients. Sets of input-values are operatively sorted to the input-parameters for a corresponding, individual client, and the input-values that pertain to a selected client-set (62) are operatively gathered. The computer system sorts the input-values from the client-set according to sales-parameters (64) that pertain to the selected client-set. The sorted input-values are compiled and analyzed to generate an actual sales-performance-value (84) for each sales-parameter. Upon a comparison between the sales-performance-value for a sales-parameter and a corresponding parameter-target-value or target-range, the computer system can determine an appropriate sales performance-rating. Upon such determination of the sales performance-rating, the computer system can be operatively directed to display a graphical indicator (68) that corresponds to the sales performance-rating.
US08775225B2
Methods and a system to provide telecommunications management services are provided. A method includes receiving a service request for change management or servicing a telecommunications equipment item, classifying the request to determine a policy associated with the request, determining customized workflows for executing the policy and servicing the request, identifying transactions required to service the request, and monitoring execution of the transactions until completion.
US08775220B2
The present invention relates to systems and methods for estimating economic losses from wind storms. Accordingly, provided herein are methods estimating roughness length of an area surrounding a structure, methods calculating local wind speed at a structure, methods of estimating wind pressure on a structure, and methods of calculating the insurability of a structure. Also provided are systems and computer-readable storage media configured for performing the disclosed methods.
US08775216B1
An insurance claim of an insured under a disability income insurance policy is processed. The policy contemplates that the insured has an occupation in which the insured performs a first set of duties and potentially other duties. In processing the insurance claim, the system and method focus on whether the insured is unable to perform the first set of duties. A threshold test may also be applied to ensure that the amount of the activities spent engaging in the first set of duties during a time period preceding a disability exceeds a threshold.
US08775214B2
The invention provides a system, method, machine readable program and a graphical user interface for managing multiple accounts associated with a user. The method includes receiving a first set of information associated with identification of a user, in response to the first set of information, identifying a second set of information relating to a financial account associated with the user, the financial account being associated with a financial institution, in response to the first set of information. The method also includes identifying a third set of information relating to a health account associated with the user, the health account being associated with a healthcare institution. A fourth set of information is generated based upon the second set of information and the third set of information. The method also includes sending a signal representative of the fourth set of information. The signal may be sent to the user or a designee of the user.
US08775213B2
A method for accessing, processing, presenting, and/or storing electronic medical record (EMR) information on a touch-sensitive display includes reading EMR information, displaying at least a portion of the EMR information on a touch-sensitive sliding timeline, detecting finger swipe or similar gestures, and scrolling the sliding timeline so that a different portion of the EMR information is displayed chronologically on the touch-sensitive sliding timeline. The resolution of the timeline can be expanded or collapsed in response to pinch gestures. The timeline is divided into a columns, each column including icons representing medical related events. A second timeline having a different time resolution from the first timeline is used for navigating the medical related events. Different levels of detail regarding the medical related events can be viewed in different detail panes. An EMR access device and system are also disclosed, which are configured to access and present EMR information.
US08775208B2
Outcomes from a patient plan of care are provided in conjunction with documentation of patient assessment items to assist clinicians in the healthcare process. A documentation area for documenting assessment items for a patient and having areas for entering patient assessment information is presented. Additionally, an outcome icon is presented in conjunction with at least one assessment item. The outcome icon relates to at least one outcome corresponding with the assessment item and is based on the patient plan of care. In response to receiving a user selection of the outcome icon, information associated with the outcome is presented in context of the documentation area.
US08775204B2
A comprehensive platform for merchandising intellectual property (IP) and conducting IP transactions is disclosed. A standardized data collection method enables IP assets to be characterized, rated and valuated in a consistent manner. Project management, workflow and data security functionality enable consistent, efficient and secure interactions between the IP Marketplace participants throughout the IP transaction process. Business rules, workflows, valuation models and rating methods may be user defined or based upon marketplace, industry or technology standards.
US08775200B1
A computer-implemented system and method utilizes patient claim data, including medical, pharmaceutical, laboratory claims, and self-report survey data to classify patients into one or more health management groups (HMGs) relating to one or more particular diseases, health conditions or health pre-conditions, each having an associated severity level that indicates the severity of the patient's condition. The HMGs assigned to each patient (e.g., health plan member) enable users of the system and method to identify patients having particular diseases, health conditions and pre-conditions based not only upon the patients' claim data but also based upon the patients' self-report survey data obtained from various sources. The HMGs assigned for each patient also enable the user to identify the severity of the patient's disease, condition or pre-condition to facilitate intervention and/or preventative care of the patient.
US08775192B2
A digital audio interface may include two signal inputs to transmit audio data. A first signal line may carry digital serial audio data. The second signal line may carry a word clock signal to differentiate the serial audio data transmitted over the first signal line. In the case of stereo audio data, the word clock signal may correspond to a left-right clock signal and may differentiate audio data intended for a right channel from that intended for a left channel. The audio data may also be differentiated differently depending on the configuration, such as in the case that the transmitted audio data include audio for more than two channels. The word clock signal may be scaled to regenerate a bit clock signal used to encode the serial audio data over the first signal line. The encoding bit clock signal need not be transmitted.
US08775187B2
A method for configuring a voice authentication system comprises ascertaining a measure of confidence associated with a voice sample enrolled with the authentication system. The measure of confidence is derived through simulated impostor testing carried out on the enrolled sample.
US08775184B2
Techniques for evaluating one or more spoken language skills of a speaker are provided. The techniques include identifying one or more temporal locations of interest in a speech passage spoken by a speaker, computing one or more acoustic parameters, wherein the one or more acoustic parameters capture one or more properties of one or more acoustic-phonetic features of the one or more locations of interest, and combining the one or more acoustic parameters with an output of an automatic speech recognizer to modify an output of a spoken language skill evaluation.
US08775174B2
It comprises analyzing audio content of multimedia files and performing a speech to text transcription thereof automatically by means of an ASR process, and selecting acoustic and language models adapted for the ASR process at least before the latter processes the multimedia file, i.e. “a priori”.The method is particularly applicable to the automatic indexing, aggregation and clustering of news from different sources and from different types of files, including text, audio and audiovisual documents without any manual annotation.
US08775167B2
Noise robust template matching may be performed. First features of a first signal may be computed. Based at least on a portion of the first features, second features of a second signal may be computed. A new signal may be generated based on at least another portion of the first features and on at least a portion of the second features.
US08775157B2
Methods and systems for sharing information on languages supported by portable electronic devices are disclosed. Some embodiments of the disclosed methods involve, for example, a first portable electronic device transmitting to a server, information identifying the first portable electronic device, and information related to one or more languages that the first portable electronic device is capable of displaying. The server stores the received information, and shares the information with electronic devices that subsequently request information on the language capabilities of the first portable electronic device.
US08775150B1
A method and system are provided for automatically creating an implicit literal value in a user defined enumerated data type by inserting an additional literal value, scanning the HDL design files for broken interdependencies or potential incompatibilities with the implicitly defined literal value, and modifying the HDL design files to be in accordance with the implicitly defined literal value while maintaining the semantics of the VHDL language reference model.
US08775146B2
The present invention provides the three-dimensional structure of human α-N-acetylglucosaminidase (NAGLU) protein. This crystallographic information is useful in the identification and development of novel binding compounds of NAGLU, NAGLU mutants, for example, those associated with Sanfilippo syndrome type B (mucopolysaccharidosis III B (MPS III-B)), and other NAGLU family members (family 89 α-N-acetylglucosaminidase) which may modulate the activity and/or stability of mutated NAGLU. Such compounds may be useful for the treatment of Sanfilippo syndrome type B (mucopolysaccharidosis III B (MPS III-B)).
US08775138B2
The invention relates to linear programming methods and systems. The linear programming model has at least one input streams, at least one intermediate stream, and at least one output stream. The linear programming model is utilized for simulating the effect of withdrawing at least a portion of an intermediate steam on one or more of the model's outputs.
US08775134B2
Patterns (e.g., such as images, waveforms such as sounds, electromagnetic waves, or other signals, etc.) are synthesized, modulated and/or analyzed through the use of a computer programmed with a novel mathematical formula. The formula acts as a linear operator and can be used to create a variety of shapes, waveforms, and other representations. The formula greatly enhances ability in computer operations and provides a great savings in computer memory and a substantial increase in computing power.
US08775133B2
Methods, devices and systems for virtual, remote and real-time collaboration between surgeons and engineers using system learning and intelligent and timely disbursement of design and performance information to engineering teams embarking on the preliminary design event of a personalized orthopedic implant or personalize surgical instrument utilizing a case-based reasoning expert system. Additive manufacturing technology and statistically controlled advanced manufacturing processes quickly produce personalized medical devices worldwide.
US08775129B2
A robot (1) having a workpiece mass measurement function for measuring the mass of a workpiece that is held, includes a force measurement unit (5) that measures the force that is applied to the tip part (2) of the mechanism part of the robot (1), and a mass estimation unit (11) that estimates the mass of the workpiece that is held by the robot (1), based on information about the force acquired by the force measurement unit (5) while the robot (1) is moving.
US08775125B1
The invention is directed to a computer-implemented method and system for improving processing performance for a group of computing resources, the method implemented on at least one computer having a processor and accessing at least one data storage area. The method comprises implementing the processor for calculating a benchmark for each computing resource in the group of computing resources and normalizing the benchmark across the group of computing resources to determine a number of performance units for each computing resource. The method additionally includes providing a graphical user interface for facilitating visual comparison for comparing processing performance indicators for multiple computing resources in the group of computing resources and reconfiguring at least some of the computing resources represented on the graphical user interface based on the comparison.
US08775124B2
A method for generating a set of analytical redundancy relations representative of a system with which a plurality of sensors is associated for the observation of variables indicative of operating conditions and adapted to enable detection and discrimination of faults. A complete set of analytical redundancy relations of the system is built from a set of intermediate relations established between observable and non-observable variables of the system, wherein each intermediate relation is generated by combining two predetermined relations Rj, Rk, each of which is expressed in an implicit form as a tuple (i) of a subset Sj of system variables, (ii) of the set Cj of the support components for said relation, and (iii) of the set Tj of the primary relations used to derive said intermediate relation.
US08775118B2
According to one embodiment, in the angle detection apparatus, the first A-D converter unit receives the first signal, and performs analog-to-digital conversion of the first signal. The second A-D converter unit receives the second signal orthogonal to the first signal, and performs analog-to-digital conversion of the second signal. The first delay circuit receives a third signal outputted by the first A-D converter unit, and performs a phase adjustment of the third signal. The second delay circuit receives a fourth signal outputted by the second A-D converter unit, and performs a phase adjustment of the fourth signal. The phase detection adjustment unit monitors phases of signals outputted by the first and second delay circuits, and gives phase adjustment commands to the first and second delay circuits, when a phase shift occurs.
US08775116B2
A computer-implemented method for determining the direction of a moving object across a sensor having a plurality of inputs is disclosed. The invention determines the direction of a moving object, such as a vehicle on a roadway, based on inputs provided by sensors along the object's path. The methods involve monitoring state changes of the inputs as the object passes the sensor and comparing the magnitude of state changes in the order in which a forward-moving object would cause inputs to switch to a particular state. For each state change comparison, a direction variable is adjusted to indicate forward or reverse movement. After passage of the object, a direction of movement is assigned to the moving object on the basis of the final value of the direction variable. The invention provides a high degree of accuracy, is simple to reconfigure, and more economical than other methods.
US08775106B2
A method for determining a parameter such as the resistance of at least one accumulator of a battery. The method includes the following steps: measuring a first voltage (U1) when the current is substantially equal to a predetermined value; conducting the plurality of voltage and current measurements (Un; In) during a current pulse; calculating a plurality of resistance values (Rn) from the first voltage and from the plurality of voltage and current measurements; determining a resistance value as the average of the calculated resistance values and an associated standard deviation; determining an absolute uncertainty on the value of the resistance as the product of the standard deviation and of a Student coefficient; if the relative uncertainty is less than or equal to a predetermined accuracy threshold, validating the resistance value (R).
US08775102B2
A system for use in installation of blown fiber for detecting a signal indicative of presence of at least one of a gas flow or an optical fiber at a remote location, comprising a gas vibration detector configured to acoustically couple with an installation duct through which the signal can travel after its generation at the remote location, and a processor arranged to receive an input from the vibration detector and to process the input to identify the signal present within the input; and a sensor for generating the signal upon sensing the presence of at least one of the gas flow or the optical fiber at the remote location. The signal can be provided by a whistle mounted on the remote end of the installation duct. The vibration sensor is typically a microphone.
US08775093B2
A method employing pattern recognition techniques for identifying the functional status of patients with Pulmonary Hypertension is described. This method describes a process by which sets of cardiopulmonary exercise gas exchange variables are measured during rest, exercise and recovery and stored as unique data sets. The data sets are then analyzed by a series of feature extraction steps, yielding a multi-parametric index (MPIPH) which reflects the current functional status of a patient. The method also employs a description scheme that provides a graphical image that juxtaposes the measured value of MPI to a reference classification system. An additional description scheme provides a trend plot of MPI values measured on a patient over time to provide feedback to the physician on the efficacy of therapy provided to the patient. The method will enable physicians to gather, view, and track complicated data using well-understood visualization techniques to better understand the consequences of their therapeutic actions.
US08775084B2
Disclosed is an adaptive borehole correction (ABC) technique based on an inversion approach that advantageously corrects shallow laterolog measurements for borehole effects, including determining and accounting for unknown tool eccentricity. The algorithm is based on simplex radial 1-D inversion where at every logging up to four unknowns are determined, namely tool eccentricity, Rt, Rxo, and Lxo. After that a borehole correction methodology is employed wherein the tool response in a borehole with real mud resistivity Rm is modified to a response in the borehole with virtual mud resistivity equal to Rxo.
US08775082B2
A computer-implemented method to provide stabilized and spatially smooth regression coefficients for weather forecast error correction from small training data sets. In accordance with the present invention, an MOS estimate of the regression coefficient calculated from a small data set can be optimally combined with a smooth prior estimate of the regression coefficient, an estimate of the spatial error covariance of that prior estimate, and an estimate of the spatial error covariance of the MOS estimate. The result is a filtered MOS (FMOS) regression coefficient which can be used to more accurately estimate and correct errors in weather forecasts even using only small data sets.
US08775074B2
A method and system for refreshing location code data is disclosed. The system includes a location code change system that receives map change data and location code change data. The location code change system processes the map change data, finds affected location codes, and updates the location code's information by manipulating the location code data or performing a geocoding operation. The updated location code data is stored in a location code system. The location code change system receives the location code change data from the location code system and provides information regarding the location code changes to a map change system, which facilitates map updates based on the location code changes.
US08775071B2
Methods and devices are disclosed for providing map information to a user. The map information corresponds to a field of view. In at least one embodiment, the navigation device includes an input device to receive an input for selecting a desired destination and a display device to display map information including a route to the desired destination, a ground level and at least one icon elevated above the ground level. The at least one icon represents an object within the field of view. In at least one embodiment, a method is disclosed for providing map information to a user via a navigation device and corresponding to a field of view is disclosed. In at least one embodiment, the method includes receiving at least one of an input and selection representing a desired destination and displaying map information including a route to the desired destination, a ground level and at least one icon elevated above the ground level. The at least one icon represents an object within the field of view.
US08775063B2
A method for estimating a projected path of travel for a vehicle on a road includes monitoring a plurality of sensor inputs, determining a road geometry in front of the vehicle based upon the monitored sensor inputs, determining a vehicle position in relation to the road geometry based upon the monitored sensor inputs, determining a plurality of particle points in front of the vehicle representing a potential path of travel from the road geometry and the vehicle position, and utilizing iteratively determined ones of the plurality of particle points to navigate the vehicle including omitting ones of the plurality of particle points passed by the vehicle.
US08775061B2
A vehicle control device includes: a road-to-vehicle communication device which acquires information regarding the volume of traffic in a predetermined section on a road where a vehicle travels and which transmits the traffic volume information to a determination section; a deceleration acquisition section which acquires deceleration of a vehicle in front in the predetermined section and transmits information regarding the deceleration to the determination section; the determination section which determines whether or not a lane change is necessary on the basis of the traffic volume information acquired by the road-to-vehicle communication device and the deceleration acquired by the deceleration acquisition section; and an instruction section which instructs at least either the host vehicle or a vehicle behind to change lane when the determination section determines that a lane change is necessary. Therefore, it is possible to provide a vehicle control device capable of suppressing the occurrence of a traffic jam.
US08775059B2
A system and method for multiple vehicles to be dispatched and routed to multiple destinations, with or without constraints, containing a software core, which uses bounded geographic regions (“BGRs”) and Node Pairs to explicitly optimize, in two dimensions, for user desired dependent variables, by analyzing variance due to standard and user-defined independent variables. The invention stores Node Pair data, and can use error function, feedback, and ANOVA/MANOVA to create a tightly convergent dispatching and navigation solution.
US08775058B2
A method for the injector-individual adaption of the injection time of motor vehicles is based on linking the IIC method and the MFMA method. Before starting to drive, the IIC method is carried out, and while driving MFMA measurements are carried out. The measurement points obtained are used as subsequent measurement points for the IIC function. Thus injector-individual characteristic fields can be determined, in which deviations due to manufacturing and also aging and wear of the components during the service life are considered.
US08775053B2
An internal combustion engine control device having a particulate matter sensor which has a pair of electrodes disposed at a distance from each other and measures the amount of particulate matter in a gaseous body, and elimination means for burning and eliminating particulate matter attached to the particulate matter sensor. The control device performs a particulate matter elimination process to judge whether the amount of particulate matter attached to the particulate matter sensor is smaller than a reference particulate matter amount that is predefined as the minimum amount of remaining particulate matter required to bring the pair of electrodes into electrical conduction at one or more spots. When the amount of particulate matter is judged to be smaller than the reference particulate matter amount, the control device causes the elimination means to terminate the particulate matter elimination process.
US08775048B2
The method for controlling a safety system (102-108) of a vehicle (10) determines a reference velocity from a first front wheel sensor (20A) and a second front wheel speed signal from a second front wheel sensor (20B). An axle speed sensor (20C) may be used to determine an axle speed signal. A first rear speed signal and a second rear speed signal are determined from the reference velocity, a slip effect and a yaw signal. The yaw signal may be determined from a yaw rate sensor (28). Safety system (102-108) may be controlled in response to the first rear wheel speed signal and the second rear wheel speed signal.
US08775039B2
A motorized vehicle includes a transmission system and an inch/brake device providing at least two ranges of motion. An engagement force of the transmission system is provided in a first range of motion of the inch/brake device, and a braking force of the motorized vehicle is provided in a second range of motion of the inch/brake device. An accelerator device moves between two or more positions, wherein moving the accelerator device from one position to another position causes an amount of overlap between the first and second ranges of motion of the inch/brake device to vary.
US08775036B2
When a capacity coefficient (Cre) of a torque converter is larger than or equal to a predetermined threshold (CreA), a speed ratio (e) is calculated on the basis of an actual power transmission efficiency (η) by referring to a predetermined unique relationship between a power transmission efficiency (η) and a speed ratio (e). Therefore, even in a second speed ratio variation range (R2) in which the capacity coefficient (Cre) is larger than or equal to the threshold (CreA) and the speed ratio (e) is not uniquely determined for the capacity coefficient (Cre), the speed ratio (e) is calculated using the unique relationship between the speed ratio (e) and the power transmission efficiency (η), so the speed ratio (e) may be calculated in all the speed ratio variation range of the torque converter.
US08775030B2
A vehicle seat belt system includes a reversible belt tensioner (12) adapted to apply a belt tightening force (F) on several predetermined levels to a belt strap (14) of a seat belt, a control unit (16) for controlling the belt tensioner (12) and a device (18) for detecting the course of a road (S1, S2) ahead of the vehicle and for identifying bends lying ahead of the vehicle. The control unit (16) causes the belt tightening force (F) to be kept on an increased level when in the course of the road a further bend follows a just taken bend within a predetermined distance.
US08775028B2
In normal times, a rotation angle restriction mechanism in a first state restricts a rotation angle of a steering member within a first rotation angular range. In the event of a failure, that is, when there is a malfunction in a steering angle sensor, the rotation angle restriction mechanism is switched into a second state by an electromagnetic clutch, and the rotation angle of the steering member is restricted within a second rotation angular range. A steering direction is detected on the basis of at which one of a pair of terminal ends of the second rotation angular range, the steering member is located. An ECU executes drive control on a steering system actuator on the basis of the detected steering direction.
US08775020B2
In at least one embodiment, an apparatus for transmitting vehicle information to an occupant communication device (OCD) is provided. The system comprises a communication module positioned within the vehicle. The communication device is configured to receive a transmission status signal indicative of a transmission mode for the vehicle. The communication device is further configured to transmit the transmission status signal over a wireless protocol to the OCD such that the OCD is disabled from being controlled by switches positioned thereon if the transmission mode enables movement of the vehicle.
US08775019B2
In an active anti-vibration supporting device (301), an ACM_ECU (200) for estimating an engine vibration state by using output data from a crank pulse sensor (Sa) and a TDC sensor (Sb) drives a driving unit (41) so as to extend and contract and thereby suppresses the transmission of vibration. The ACM_ECU (200) calculates the number of STGs (S1F) that is a quotient obtained when dividing the phase delay (P1F) of a target current value waveform by an average STG time ((T1)/4) in a first cycle (C1) of engine vibration and the remaining time (P′1F) of the phase delay (P1F), wherein the target current value waveform is used for suppressing the transmission of the engine vibration calculated using the output data from the crank pulse sensor (Sa) and the TDC sensor (Sb). The timing at which the elapse of the STG time equivalent to the number of STGs (S1F) in a third cycle (C3) of the engine vibration in the driving timing of the driving unit has been detected is set as a phase delay reference. Further, after the remaining time (P′1F) has elapsed, the target current value waveform is output.
US08775018B2
A driver's feeling control apparatus which includes: a steering detection unit which detects the amount of steering operation by a driver; a seat in which the driver sits, and which has a movable part displaceable in a perpendicular direction with respect to the longitudinal direction of a vehicle, or in a yaw direction; and a control unit which determines the amount of the displacement of the movable part in response to the amount of steering operation.
US08775015B2
A vehicle collision event announcing system is provided. The system includes: a processor; an image capturing unit, coupled to the processor, for capturing vehicle images from at least a part of the vehicle; a collision sensing unit, for detecting whether the vehicle is running into a probable collision event; and a feature image comparison unit, coupled to the processor, for when the collision sensing unit detects the probable collision event, comparing the vehicle images before and after the probable collision event to determine whether the probable collision event is a real collision event which causes damage to the vehicle and/or the seriousness of the damage of the real collision event.
US08775014B2
A method of conserving operating data of a vehicle, the method including the steps of collecting the operating data and recording it progressively on board the vehicle, detecting an event, as from a detection, transmitting to at least one external receiver firstly at least some of the data that is being collected and as it is being collected, and secondly at least some of the stored data in a chronological order that is the reverse of the order in which it was recorded, and recording the data received by said external receiver. A conservation system for implementing the method is also provided.
US08775007B2
In a motor ECU, a motor control unit detects an abnormality when a parking mechanism has not attained a target range within a predetermined period after control of the driving of a motor is started. A data memory unit stores diagnosis information when the motor control unit detects an abnormality. An abnormality check unit compares the state of a changeover mechanism outputted by the motor control unit with the target range and stores diagnosis information in the data memory unit, when the state of the parking mechanism has not attained the target range within a predetermined period after the state of the parking mechanism is outputted and when the motor control unit has not detected an abnormality.
US08775003B2
Methods and apparatus are provided for controlling a boost converter. In one embodiment, the method processes a command signal in a slew rate limiting circuit. The output of the slew rate limiting circuit is then processed using one or more feedback parameters from the proportional integrator to provide a processed command signal. The processed command signal is processed with a controlled signal to provide an error signal which is provided to the proportional integrator to provide a current command signal. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes an error generating circuit configured to provide a processed command signal using one or more feedback parameters from the proportional integrator, and to provide the error signal by subtracting a signal to be controlled from the processed command signal. A slew rate limiting circuit is used to receive a command signal and provide an output to the error generating circuit.
US08774998B2
Provided is a vehicle control device 1 for supporting deceleration in order to stop a vehicle at a predetermined stop location, the vehicle control device 1 including energy regeneration amount computation means 11 for computing an energy regeneration amount caused by deceleration, and operational timing determination means 12 for determining an operational timing in the deceleration based on the energy regeneration amount. It is possible to realize traveling of the vehicle with excellent fuel consumption without degrading the overall energy regeneration amount when the vehicle stops.
US08774997B2
In a charging system for a vehicle for charging a power storage device, including the vehicle having the power storage device, and a charging cable for transmitting electric power supplied from an external power supply outside of the vehicle to the power storage device, charging information about charging performed by a charging device is set based on a signal generated by operation of an operation switch provided on a charging connector. This configuration can improve operability during charging.
US08774995B2
There is provided an information processing apparatus including a travelable information display unit that displays before a discharge, regarding motor-driven movable bodies of a discharge source and a discharge destination driven by using electric power of batteries, information about places to which the motor-driven movable body of the discharge source can move using electric power of the battery left after the discharge by assuming, when information about a discharge amount discharged from the battery of the motor-driven movable body of the discharge source toward the motor-driven movable body of the discharge destination that receives power supply is input, a case in which the discharge amount is discharged from the battery.
US08774992B2
A next station state estimating unit estimates a preceding train position from information about a stop track circuit of a current train and from a signal aspect table. It estimates the time, at which the preceding train exits the next station and brake pattern before the station is canceled, from information about the preceding train position, from information about the occupied track circuit on which the current train is present and related information between track circuits and a station and information about occupied duration of the station, which are retained in a track database, and from a history of the preceding train position retained in a history retaining unit. The time estimated is sent to a driver's cab by a communication unit.
US08774991B1
The present invention relates generally to ground transportation systems. According to certain aspects, the present invention includes systems and methods that provide a higher degree of precision and a greater coordination of vehicle movement than is possible in conventional systems. For example, a control system according to the invention is designed to enforce vehicle movement along a route to a position versus time trajectory. The control system includes control equipment on the vehicle that reports its location on the track every 0.5 seconds. The controlling computer in the station receives the report, and knowing where the vehicle should be and how fast it should be traveling at that point in time via a run definition table prepared for the route, calculates a position and velocity error, and then calculates and sends a tractive effort (force) adjustment command to the vehicle that attempts to reduce the position and velocity error.
US08774989B1
A method and apparatus for displaying an energy state of an aircraft. The energy state of the aircraft is identified by a processor unit based on a speed of the aircraft and an altitude of the aircraft. An indication of the energy state is displayed by the processor unit.
US08774988B2
According to one embodiment, an aircraft part environmental stress analysis system includes a part failure repository, a part history repository, and a failure analysis engine. The part failure repository is configured to store a plurality of failure records, each failure record identifying a failed aircraft part. The part history repository is configured to store a plurality of part records, each part record storing, for a failed aircraft part, at least one measurement of an aspect of a natural environment of which the failed aircraft part was subject to. The failure analysis engine is operable to compare the plurality of failure records to the plurality of part records and identify at least one potential environmental cause of failure for a plurality of failed aircraft parts based on the comparison.
US08774976B2
A peak load management system and method take countermeasures to reduce the risk of a spike in grid power use above a target peak load due to battery exhaustion. The countermeasures replace or at least reduce the safety margins built into target peak load peak load management systems and increase the cost savings realized from peak load management.
US08774967B2
According to an embodiment, a target trajectory that takes into account the hardware constraints of a robot is generated, based on results obtained by calculating, temporally interpolating, and estimating image feature amounts from a captured image.
US08774962B2
An automated method for dispensing pharmaceuticals particularly tablets and capsules, and other small discrete objects, includes: receiving prescription information, selecting a container, labeling the container, dispensing the tablets or capsules into the labeled container, applying a closure to the filled, labeled container, and offloading the container to a designated location. Preferably, the tablets are dispensed with high speed dispensing bins that employ forced air to agitate and singulate the tablets. The other functions within the system are typically carried out at stations designed to offer speed, flexibility and precision to the dispensing operation.
US08774960B2
An RFID enabled paper roll includes a tubular core, a paper stock wound around the core, and a radio frequency integrated circuit electrically coupled to an antenna and positioned on the core. A system for reading a radio frequency integrated circuit positioned on an item of inventory in a warehouse comprises a material handling device and an RFID reader coupled to the material handling device. The material handling device has at least member for use in transporting an item of inventory. The reader is configured to read the radio frequency integrated circuit associated with the item of inventory when the item is in proximity to the material handling device.
US08774949B2
A present invention relates to a novel hybrid intelligent control system and method for power generating apparatuses, in which the control system comprises: a fuzzy sliding mode speed controller, embedded with a fuzzy inference mechanism so as to be used for controlling the speed of a power generating apparatus; and a radial basis function network (RBFN) pitch controller, being embedded with an on-line training RBFN so as to be used for controlling the pitch angle of a turbine coupled to the power generating apparatus. In a variable-speed energy conversion system using the aforesaid control system, the turbine can be driven to operate at its maximum efficiency by adjusting its blade pitch angle in response to the variation of the input flowing into the turbine, while allowing the shaft speed of the power generating apparatus to be controlled by a fuzzy interference mechanism so as to achieve its maximum power output.
US08774940B2
An implantable stimulation system including an epidural lead for spinal cord stimulation that includes a paddle having an array of electrodes coupled to conductors within the paddle body. The paddle is elongated in shaped with the distal end of the paddle having a tabbed or extended portion with the lead exiting the extended portion of the paddle an angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the paddle.
US08774927B2
The present application relates to a new stimulation design which can be utilized to treat neurological conditions. The stimulation system produces a combination of burst and tonic stimulation which alters the neuronal activity of the predetermined site, thereby treating the neurological condition or disorder.
US08774922B2
Methods and apparatus are provided for treating contrast nephropathy, e.g., via a pulsed electric field, via a stimulation electric field, via localized drug delivery, via high frequency ultrasound, via thermal techniques, etc. Such neuromodulation may effectuate irreversible electroporation or electrofusion, necrosis and/or inducement of apoptosis, alteration of gene expression, action potential attenuation or blockade, changes in cytokine up-regulation and other conditions in target neural fibers. In some embodiments, neuromodulation is applied to neural fibers that contribute to renal function. In some embodiments, such neuromodulation is performed in a bilateral fashion. Bilateral renal neuromodulation may provide enhanced therapeutic effect in some patients as compared to renal neuromodulation performed unilaterally, i.e., as compared to renal neuromodulation performed on neural tissue innervating a single kidney.
US08774917B2
A wearable defibrillator and method of monitoring the condition of a patient. The wearable defibrillator includes at least one therapy pad, at least one sensor and at least one processing unit operatively connected to the one or more therapy pads and the one or more sensors. The wearable defibrillator also includes at least one audio device operatively connected to the one or more processing units. The one or more audio devices are configured to receive audio input from a patient.
US08774909B2
The present disclosure is directed to the classification of cardiac episodes using an algorithm. In various examples, an episode classification algorithm evaluates electrogram signal data from a near-field channel and a far-field channel. The episode classification algorithm classifies the cardiac episode based on the evaluation of the electrogram signal data for at least one of the near-field and far-field channels. In some examples, a cardiac episode being classified may be an episode that resulted in treatment being provided by an implantable medical device. Possible classifications of the cardiac episode may include, for example, unknown, inappropriate, appropriate, supraventricular tachycardia, ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation or ventricular over-sensing.
US08774900B2
A method for performing computer-assisted orthopaedic surgery includes the steps of: (1) producing and displaying three-dimensional geometrical models of first and second bones, the first and second bones forming a joint; (2) identifying a zone of impingement between the first bone and the second bone on at least one of the bones; and (3) generating and displaying a color map of at least one surface of at least one bone, the at least one surface being within the zone of impingement, the color map including different colors representing different depths of bone to be removed in order to achieve an increased range of motion between the first and second bones.
US08774894B2
Embodiments described herein include devices and systems comprising sensor electrodes. Each sensor electrode comprises contacts positioned adjacent one another to form a pattern. Signal outputs are coupled to the contacts. A signal output is connected to each contact. One or more processors are coupled to the signal outputs. The processor separately processes each of the signal outputs.
US08774893B2
A biosensor is described which can obtain physiological data from an individual. The biosensor may collect electrodermal activity, skin temperature, and other information. The biosensor may be attached to the body through the use of a garment which may be fastened in multiple locations on the human body. The biosensor has replaceable electrodes which may be interchanged. The electrodes contact the body without having any wires or leads external to the sensor.
US08774890B2
Described herein are improved electrode array devices and improved active agent delivery devices. Further described are methods of making and using the improved devices. An improved electrode array device includes a substrate and a plurality of probes disposed on the substrate, wherein the probes are formed from a plurality of aligned carbon nanotubes that are not encapsulated by a structure-providing material. An active agent delivery device includes a substrate having an aperture therein, an active agent delivery member disposed on a first surface of the substrate and having an aperture therein, and an active agent chamber disposed on a second surface of the substrate configured to deliver an active agent through the aperture of the substrate and the aperture of the active agent delivery member.
US08774886B2
Systems and methods of use for continuous analyte measurement of a host's vascular system are provided. In some embodiments, a continuous glucose measurement system includes a vascular access device, a sensor and sensor electronics, the system being configured for insertion into a host's peripheral vein or artery.
US08774880B2
A mobile wireless communications device may include a portable housing that may include an electrically conductive continuous ring defining a perimeter of the portable housing. The electrically conductive continuous ring may be configured to function as an antenna. The mobile wireless communications device may further include a printed circuit board (PCB) carried by the portable housing and may include an electrically conductive layer defining a ground plane. The mobile wireless communications device may further include wireless transceiver circuitry carried by the PCB and coupled to the antenna. The mobile wireless communications device may also include an electrically conductive shorting member coupled between the electrically conductive continuous ring and the ground plane.
US08774876B2
A mobile electronic device includes: a housing that includes an opening part; a display part that includes a display area and that is disposed inside the housing, wherein the display area is visible from the outer section of the housing through the opening part; a touch panel that is stacked and disposed on the outer side of the housing facing the display area of the display part, and that is exposed to the outer section of the housing; and a vibration part that is disposed in the touch panel in the area that is on the outer circumferential side of the display part in the planar direction of the touch panel.
US08774875B1
Noise reduction is provided to audio captured by a headset by employing spatially separated microphones provided by a headset and a mobile phone. Primary audio is captured by a headset microphone and includes both voice audio and ambient noise. Secondary audio is captured by a mobile phone microphone and includes ambient audio. Noise reduction is performed using the primary and secondary audio to generate a noise-reduce audio.
US08774870B1
Compressed entertainment content such as audio or video or both includes additional aspects and operations associated their way. The compressed audio may be used to signal computers such as a telephone or reminder for an appointment. A melody line may be extracted from the audio, or the audio may be used exactly as it is. Another aspect stores traders within the entertainment content such as in MP3. Those traders are used to trigger the system to retrieve other parts of the content to be displayed at the same time that that particular part of the MP3 is being play. The content may include video or text, or maybe links to other content such as broadband content four times sensitive content. Another aspect describes encryption which is keyed to the disk ID to prevent playing oven illegally copied disk. Another aspect reads a specified amount of information then spins down the disk to conserve battery power.
US08774868B2
The present invention discloses a power-saving system and method for a mobile terminal. By way of monitoring the power level of the mobile terminal, the present invention adopts a high visual contrast power-saving mode while reducing the backlight lightness when the power level is low. The present invention achieves the object of increasing the display resolution and facilitating the user to obtain information while saving power.
US08774856B2
A multi-standby portable terminal reduces interference of the transmitting antenna by skewing electromagnetic waves of others antennas. The terminal includes: a plurality of communication modules for transmitting and receiving RF signals of different frequency bands to and from the plurality of RF communication networks; and a controller for controlling the plurality of communication modules so as to be coupled to an RF communication network selected by a user, via a communication module corresponding to the selected RF communication network. The controller performs a control operation such that the communication module corresponding to the selected RF communication network radiates electromagnetic waves corresponding to a frequency band of the selected RF communication network, and remaining communication modules radiate electromagnetic waves of frequency bands that differ from those of respective corresponding RF communication networks.
US08774853B2
A radiation power level control scheme for a wireless user equipment (UE) device. In one embodiment, a method comprises determining a time-average transmission power level, comparing the time-average transmission power level with a first time-averaged transmission power limit threshold, the first time-averaged transmission power limit threshold having a value that depends on a transmission power history for the UE device, and responsive to the time-average transmission power level meeting or exceeding the first time-averaged transmission power limit threshold, reducing a transmission power level of the UE device.
US08774851B2
The present solution is directed to establishing a group server for a group of mobile devices comprising a private mobile radio module. Each of the mobile devices of a group may have a private mobile radio module. A modular server unit detachable from and interfaced to a mobile device of the group is activated as a group server responsive to detaching the modular server unit from the mobile device. The modular server unit may include the private mobile radio which may be deactivated responsive to activating the modular server unit. The modular server unit may receive data from a plurality of mobile devices of the group of mobile devices and process the received data to consolidate the data. The modular server unit may transmit the consolidated data to each of the group's mobile devices.
US08774849B2
The present invention relates to wireless communication, and more particularly, to a method for a machine-to-machine (hereinafter abbreviated M2M) communication applied M2M device to update information in a wireless communication system and terminal thereof. In decoding superframe header subpacket information in an M2M (machine to machine) device in idle mode in a wireless communication system, the present invention includes comparing a paging cycle with a 1st cycle and if the paging cycle is equal to or greater than the 1st cycle, decoding the superframe header subpacket information, wherein the 1st cycle is determined using a following formula: I=C×2n, where the I indicates the 1st cycle, the C is a change cycle of a secondary superframe header, and the n is a bit size of a change count of the secondary superframe header.
US08774848B2
A method may include scheduling for the downlink control channel, by a first base station during a partial loading sub-frame, at least a first group of wireless communication devices present in the first cell, the first group of wireless communication devices comprising wireless communication devices determined by the first base station to be near an edge of the first cell. The method may additionally include scheduling for the downlink control channel, by the first base station during a normal loading sub-frame, at least one other group of wireless communication devices present in the first cell other than wireless communication devices in the first group of wireless communication devices, the at least one other group of wireless communication devices determined by the first base station to be in greater proximity to the first case station than wireless communication devices in the first class.
US08774840B2
A traffic reporting system and method for geographic area of interest. The system includes standard wireless telecommunication components configured to establish search criteria, determine a sample size, collect traffic information, calculate additional traffic information, and generate reports.
US08774839B2
Methods and systems that record the location of a user and transmit targeted content to a user based upon their current and past location. A network is configured to include a server programmed with a database of targeted content, a database of location information, a database of user information, a database searching algorithm, and a wireless communication system capable of communicating with the user's mobile device. The location of the mobile device is ascertained and recorded. The location information is analyzed to determine businesses visited by the user, and other behaviors of the user. Targeted content is sent to the mobile device of the user and whether the user visits the physical locations associated with the targeted content is monitored. Payment systems, phone exchange systems, and other features may also be integrated to provide detailed conversion tracking to producers of targeted content and business owners.
US08774830B2
A query device scans radio frequencies for visible transmitting devices. The querying device receives at least a signal strength and identifier information associated with each of the transmitting devices. The list of visible devices is used to query a database containing location information for a plurality of visible devices. The list may be sent to a locationing system that may perform a location analysis on the resulting data to return a location to the query device. The weighted average of the locations returned in the database query may be computed to determine the location of the querying device, with the weight for each of the locations being the current signal strength detected by the querying device. Neural network analysis may also be used to determine the location of the querying device. Learning and seeding operations many also be used to populate the database with location information for transmitting devices.
US08774829B2
Systems, methods, and devices are described for determining a physical location of a wireless device. A receiver may be configured to receive associations between anchor locations and sensor nodes, wherein each sensor node uses near field communications to identify an anchor location. The receiver may also receive signal strength measurements from the wireless device measuring the signal strength of wireless sensor nodes. Arrangements may also be configured to determine physical locations of the sensor nodes based on physical locations of anchor locations and utilize received signal strength measurements with the determined physical locations of the sensor nodes to determine the physical location of the wireless device.
US08774828B2
The invention relates to a system that enables power to be selectively applied to GPS circuitry in a cellular telephone or other mobile device only when a specific user input is detected. In one embodiment, power to the GPS circuitry may be enabled only when the user strikes the keys “9-1-1.” In other embodiments, other types of GPS enablement or disablement may be employed, such as selectively decoupling the GPS antenna. In another embodiment, the user may depress a privacy bypass button, which alternately enables and disables power to the GPS circuitry. Cellular telephones or other communication devices may therefore activate GPS location service during an emergency call, or when a user wishes to allow their location to be determined, but protect the privacy of that user's location and movement at other times.
US08774823B2
A method and system are disclosed for operation of a cellular network comprising a first base station, a second base station and a mobile station being served by the first base station. Load information is received from the second base station at the mobile station, the load information indicating a load placed on the resources of the second base station and a load indication based on the received load information is communicated from the mobile station to the first base station. The first base station may be a macrocell base station and the second base station may be a non-planned or femtocell base station.
US08774813B2
In a network containing a macro base station and wireless access points within the range of the macro base station, information from wireless access points are used to change the quantity of almost blank subframes delivered by the macro base station, adjust the cell range extension area of one or more of the wireless access points, or provide instructions to alter the number of wireless access points. The information is analyzed. The analysis allows determination of a capacity gain associated with using the wireless access points within an area associated with the macro base station and whether the capacity gain provides at least a threshold amount of gain permitting the macro base station and the wireless access points to provide service to mobile devices within the area.
US08774812B2
A method of detecting a cell spot of a first base station in a cellular communication network using a mobile device being moved through the cell spot is provided. The method includes performing a first handover of the mobile device from a second base station to the first base station. A first value indicative of a distance between the mobile device and the first base station is determined. A second handover of the mobile device from the first base station is performed. A second value based on the time between the first and the second handover is determined. Information indicative of the cell spot is stored after determining the first value is above the first threshold and the second value is below the second threshold. A subsequent handover request for performing a handover from the second base station to the first base station is rejected after the information is stored.
US08774805B2
Systems and methods for radio access technology specific routing for multi-mode mobile devices are provided. For each of a number of radio access technologies supported by a mobile device, the mobile device is configured to use respective routing information. This has the advantage of allowing radio access technology specific processing to be performed.
US08774802B2
An apparatus and method for Equivalent Public Land Mobile Network (EPLMN) list management in a mobile terminal are provided. The method includes receiving a message from a network after storing an EPLMN list having at least one PLMN entry, determining whether an EPLMN list is present in the received message, and performing EPLMN list management by maintaining, when an EPLMN list is not present in the received message, the stored EPLMN list. As a result, the mobile terminal may retain an accurate EPLMN list and efficiently perform cell selection/reselection.
US08774794B2
A method for providing telematics to a vehicle includes the steps of providing a user-removable telematics component that has a Global Positioning System device, a data pump, and a short range wireless personal area network transceiver (e.g., Bluetooth transceiver), communicatively connecting the telematics component to an integrated communication device of the vehicle, the integrated communication device having a memory holding a list uniquely identifying at least one mobile communication device selected from a currently paired mobile communication device, a previously paired mobile communication device, and a pre-defined mobile communication device, transmitting a request for information out from the telematics component utilizing a communications path of the data pump, receiving the request for information at an off-site telematics provider, and channeling a response to the request for information from the off-site telematics provider automatically through the at least one mobile communication device.
US08774783B2
Given the growing number of Wireless Devices, and the increasingly varied characteristics (including for example screen size, color depth support, audio and video support, etc.) that Wireless Device vendors or manufacturers provide within their Wireless Devices, an infrastructure that various entities (such as for example Content Providers, Service Providers, etc.) may use to quickly retrieve a quality-controlled User Agent Profile based just on a Wireless Device's Telephone Number. The infrastructure may optionally leverage the capabilities of a centrally-located Messaging Inter-Carrier Vendor.
US08774770B2
Certain embodiments of this disclosure include methods and devices for prioritizing message threads. According to one embodiment, a method is provided for detecting a current location of an electronic device; determining contact location information describing one or more locations of one or more devices associated with one or more contacts; determining respective proximities between the electronic device and the one or more devices associated with the one or more contacts based at least in part on the current location of the electronic device and the contact location information to provide contact proximity information; identifying a plurality of message threads, wherein each message thread is associated with at least one of the one or more contacts; associating a respective priority value with each message thread based at least in part on the contact proximity information; and outputting, for display, formatting information based on the respective priority values.
US08774765B2
Providing information as to location of a mobile station involves receiving a mobile station location request from a requesting software application at an API gateway of a wireless communications network. The API gateway provides a network-initiated request to the wireless communications network for the location of the mobile station after determining that the requesting application is authorized to receive the location of the specified mobile station. The location of the mobile station can be determined, according to either a coarse or granular location position resolution, or accuracy, based on the request of the application and/or the conditions of the wireless communication network. Information as to location of the mobile station can be produced, and provided to the requesting software application, which can be resident on the mobile station itself or at a different location/platform.
US08774760B2
A system and method for providing real-time alert message to one or more subscribers in a service provider network is provided. The service provider network may be an enterprise, a communication service provider or a hosted service. A throttler application receives request for alert message generated by an alert originator application and relays the request to a gateway of an alert notification module. A token associated with the request is validated. Based on token parameter values which includes subscriber identities, delivery channel specifications, alert originator application priorities and end point identities, the alert message is customized and is presented to one or more appropriate delivery channel servers. The alert message is then delivered to the one or more subscribers.
US08774757B2
Systems and methods are provided to facilitate repeated purchase and payment transactions. In one aspect, a system includes an interchange and a data storage facility configured to store payment transaction records associated with phone numbers. The interchange includes a common format processor and a plurality of converters to interface with a plurality of different controllers of mobile communications. The converters are configured to communicate with the controllers in different formats and to communicate with the common format processor in a common format. The common format processor is configured to identify a prior payment transaction associated with a phone number in response to a message from a mobile phone having the phone number, communicate with a merchant to repeat a purchase according to the prior payment transaction, and transmit via one of the converters premium messages to the mobile phone to collect funds for a payment to repeat the purchase.
US08774754B1
A system and method for the real-time management of a device, and more particularly to the establishment and enforcement of policies or rules associated with the feature or functions that may be performed with the device, such as making and receiving calls, exchanging data, playing games and music, sending and receiving email, accessing web sites, and paying for goods and services. If a child or employee is using the device, there may be a need to regulate how that device can be used and to determine who will pay for what goods or services. In addition to providing all of the features associated with a device, service providers need to be able to establish and enforce rules (policies) regulating how and when that device can be used and who will pay for a good or service requested by the user of the device.
US08774752B1
A method uses a smart phone having SMS text and location (GPS) capability for automatically generating messages and contacting emergency services through SMS messaging capability rather a verbal communication along with the vital information related to the caller in an emergency situation. The emergency response center uses the information to parse standardized emergency SMS messages to quickly yield critical information related to the number, priority and the geographical distribution of the emergency cases for planning of the most efficient response with available resources. The data and prioritizing may take into account time of day or night by position of the sun and moon relative to current location of the smart phone.
US08774748B2
The high sensitivity FSK radiofrequency signal receiver includes an antenna for receiving FSK radiofrequency signals, a LNA amplifier receiving signals picked up by the antenna, a local oscillator for supplying oscillating signals, a mixer for mixing the incoming signals with the oscillating signals to produce intermediate signals. The receiver includes a broadband or poly-phase filter for filtering the intermediate signals, and a sampler for supplying sampled intermediate signals to a high sensitivity demodulation stage, which supplies data signals. The receiver includes a processing circuit for performing a discrete Fourier transform of sampled intermediate signals. The selector at the processing circuit output determines the difference between the signal amplitude peak frequency above a determined threshold and the expected frequency of the intermediate signals. The frequency difference enables for correcting the oscillating signals frequency, to enable the demodulation stage to demodulate the data in the sampled intermediate signals and supply data signals.
US08774745B2
Receiver circuits that can be reconfigured to generate test signals in a wireless device are disclosed. In an exemplary design, an apparatus includes a mixer and an amplifier. The mixer downconverts an input radio frequency (RF) signal based on a local oscillator (LO) signal in a first mode. The amplifier, which is formed by at least a portion of the mixer, amplifies the LO signal and provides an amplified LO signal in a second mode. In another exemplary design, an apparatus includes an amplifier and an attenuator. The amplifier receives and amplifies an input RF signal in a first mode. The attenuator, which is formed by at least a portion of the amplifier, receives and passes an LO signal in a second mode.
US08774737B2
A transmission module including a power supply voltage control unit that sets a power supply voltage to the high frequency amplifier in a variable manner, and a control circuit that controls an amplitude control unit, a phase control unit and the power supply voltage control unit. The control circuit and the power supply voltage control unit control the power supply voltage in accordance with an output power of the high frequency amplifier. The transmission module can carry out not only phase control but also amplitude control in a continuous manner, while suppressing amplitude and phase variation, and a high frequency amplifier in the transmission module is made highly efficient. In addition, a large directional gain, a low side lobe level and a low power consumption are achieved, as a phased array antenna apparatus using a transmission module.
US08774733B2
A method and system for power saving communication in a wireless network is provided. One implementation involves establishing a wireless bus between two electronic wireless stations, and at a receiving wireless station receiving an incoming wireless signal from a wireless transmitting station via a wireless communication medium, initiating processing the signal for detecting if the signal comprises a wireless bus tracking signal, and if the signal comprises a wireless bus tracking signal, then ceasing further processing of the signal to conserve power.
US08774732B2
A wireless device selects another wireless device that is the relay destination of data and transmits data to a data collector that collects data. Then, the wireless device transmits data obtained by adding relay-destination-device identification information of identifying the another wireless device that is a relay destination to the same as data transmitted to the data collector to the selected wireless device that is the relay destination of data. Moreover, the wireless device transmits the received data to the data collector when data obtained by adding relay-destination-device identification information is received from another wireless device and the device itself corresponds to the relay-destination-device identification information.
US08774731B2
There is provided an apparatus for a satellite communication system comprising: a processor to determine at least one out of a phase offset for a frequency channel of a plurality of frequency channels demultiplexed from a carrier to compensate for group delay variation within the carrier and a gain offset for the frequency channel to compensate for gain variation within the carrier, wherein the processor is further configured to apply the at least one out of the determined phase offset and gain offset to the frequency channel before the carrier is reformed from said plurality of frequency channels. The invention therefore provides a way of digitally compensating for any undesired gain and group delay introduced by, for example, analogue components such as filters in the satellite communication system.
US08774726B2
The present invention relates to a reverberation chamber (RC) comprising at least one antenna head attached at a first side of the chamber and a stirrer adapted to rotate. The RC comprises an arrangement to enable UE antennas to be placed at a location within the RC such that the stirrer is adapted to rotate to simulate a fading condition for the UE antennas in relation to the antenna heads attached at the first side and that RF connections from the antenna heads arc adapted to be connected to a cellular network, such as a closed cellular network.
US08774723B2
A system determines an analysis order for a group of channels of a wide frequency band, detects narrow band signal power levels received in the group of channels utilizing signal strength compensation for a guard band, determines an average wideband power level from less than all of the narrow band signal power levels, and determines an adaptive threshold from one of the average wideband power level, the narrow band signal power levels, or both.
US08774710B2
A method for setting a signal detection threshold according to one embodiment includes determining a measure of a noise floor in a signal derived from a radio frequency signal received by an antenna using a same circuit used to detect a subcarrier signal during transmitting and prior to sending a command to a transponder to respond; and setting a signal detection threshold above the noise floor. Such methodology may also be implemented as a system using logic for performing the various operations. Additional systems and methods are also presented.
US08774709B1
A radio system allowing radios in a network to utilize functionality of other radios in the network includes a plurality of radios each having the capability to communicate with other radios in the network, and each having functionality that is not common to every other radio in the network. Radios send requests to other radios in the network to re-transmit a signal using a specific transmission mode.
US08774708B2
Methods and apparatus for estimating a loop delay value (Ndelay) in an interference cancellation repeater are presented. For example, a method may include setting a repeater gain to an initial gain value, setting a delay parameter to an initial time value, and measuring a loop gain associated with the delay parameter and the repeater gain by detecting a feedback signal with an echo canceller disabled. The method may further include determining whether the measured loop gain is larger than a previously measured loop gain, and if so, designating the delay parameter as the loop delay value (Ndelay); and decrementing the delay parameter when the measured loop gain is not larger than the previously measured loop gain, and when the delay parameter is not at a final time value. The method may iterate until the delay parameter is less than or equal to the final time value.
US08774704B2
A system, method, and computer-readable medium are disclosed for the automated processing and scoring of applications. Application reader resources are selected to read and score individual categories of the application. The difference between the respective reader scores and an average delta value for each category of each application that the selected readers have previously score is calculated. The standard deviation of the average delta value for each category is calculated. If the selected reader's score for that category is not within one standard deviation of the average delta value, then the selected reader's score is adjusted the least amount necessary to be so. An additional application reader is selected to read and score the application. Reading and scoring operations are continued until at least two reader scores are within one standard deviation of the average of the adjusted scores. Final scoring of all applications is performed and the scored applications are ranked in descending order.
US08774702B2
There are provided a sheet post-processing apparatus which can reliably stack a sheet bundle in imbricated state without bending it and an image forming apparatus having the same.A sheet post-processing apparatus includes: a stacking portion which stacks a folded sheet bundle subjected to the folding process; a discharge portion which discharges the folded sheet bundle onto the stacking portion with the folded end thereof set to the leading position; and a conveying portion which conveys the folded sheet bundle stacked onto the stacking portion, wherein the conveying portion starts the conveyance of a previous folded sheet bundle at the timing at which the folded end of a next folded sheet bundle discharged by the discharge portion is abutted onto the previous folded sheet bundle which is being conveyed to the downstream side in the discharge direction.
US08774701B2
There is provided an image forming apparatus including a transferring unit, fixing unit, a first sheet conveying path section, a re-conveying unit and a charge-removing member. The transferring unit transfers developer onto a sheet. The fixing unit fixes the developer transferred to the sheet to form a visible image on the sheet. The first sheet conveying path section extends through the transfer unit and the fixing unit, the sheet being conveyed from the transfer unit to the fixing unit along the first sheet conveying path section. The re-conveying unit constitutes a second sheet conveying path section for re-conveying the sheet from the fixing unit to an inlet side of the transfer unit, the second sheet conveying path section being positioned below the first sheet conveying path section. The charge-removing member is disposed between the first sheet conveying path section and the second sheet conveying path section, the charge-removing member constituting a part of the second sheet conveying path section and removing charges from the sheet conveyed along the first sheet conveying path section.
US08774698B2
In an image forming apparatus wherein a developing unit forms a toner image on an image carrier by using a developer including a toner and a carrier, wherein a toner recovery unit recovers the toner remaining on the image carrier after the transfer of the toner image to a transfer receiving body and wherein the recovered toner is returned to the developing unit by a return transport mechanism, a recovered toner reservoir for storing the toner recovered by the toner recovery unit is disposed independently from the return transport mechanism.
US08774697B2
Printers and cleaning systems are provided. A cleaning system has an actuator that moves the electrostatic imaging member in a second direction opposite the first direction and a frame positions a mounting within a first range of mounting distances from the electrostatic imaging member with the mounting holding a cleaning blade at a holding angle that causes a free length of the cleaning blade to extend along a first direction to position a cleaning end of the cleaning blade to engage the electrostatic imaging member for movement therewith. The electrostatic imaging member urges the cleaning end in the second direction to deflect the cleaning blade to extend along the second direction to position the cleaning end to wipe the electrostatic imaging member and the free length, the holding angle and the working angle cause the cleaning edge to wipe at a working angle between about 85 and 89 degrees.
US08774696B2
There is described an applicator for use in an image forming apparatus. The applicator comprises a blade applicator comprising an elastomeric matrix and a functional material dispersed therein. The applicator blade is positioned in a trailing position with respect to a surface and wherein the functional material diffuses from the elastomeric matrix to the surface.
US08774695B2
A cleaning device comprises: a rotational brush disposed to touch an image holder and a lubricant, the brush which scrapes the lubricant and applies the scraped lubricant to the image holder, the brush including: a rotational axis; and a plurality of looped bristles disposed around the rotational axis, wherein a contact length of the bristles to the lubricant is longer than a contact length of the bristles to the image holder.
US08774693B2
A fixing device is provided with an endless fixing belt; a heating roller for heating the fixing belt; a fixing roller that has a shaft and extends the fixing belt between the fixing roller and the heating roller; a pressure roller for pressurizing the fixing roller via the fixing belt; and a deviation preventing member that is provided on the shaft of the fixing roller and suppresses moving of the fixing roller in a shaft direction. The fixing roller has an end portion with high hardness and an end portion with low hardness along the shaft direction of the fixing roller. The end portion with high hardness is in contact with the deviation preventing member.
US08774686B2
A developing device is provided that facilitates developing agent delivery upward. A cartridge includes a developing roller, a supply roller, and a container disposed below the supply roller. The container can have an upper portion formed with an opening having upper and lower edges. A conveying member can be rotatably disposed and in rotational contact with an inner surface of the container for delivering the developing agent upward. The developing agent container can include a first wall portion for receiving the developing agent through the opening. The first wall portion extends from the lower edge in a downstream direction with respect to a rotational direction of the conveying member toward a bottommost portion of the supply roller. The container also includes a second wall portion extending from the upper edge in an upstream direction. The conveying member can be in simultaneous sliding contact with the first and the second wall portions.
US08774677B2
The present invention provides a developing member onto which a toner or the like is hard to fuse and with which toner conveying performance is unlikely to vary even through long-term usage. The developing member includes a substrate and a surface layer, the surface layer contains a polyurethane resin working as a binder resin and polyurethane resin particles dispersed in the binder resin, and the polyurethane resin working as the binder resin has, between two adjacent urethane bonds, a structure represented by a structural formula (1) and one or both of structures represented by structural formulas (2) and (3), and further has, between two adjacent urethane bonds, a structure represented by a structural formula (4).
US08774676B2
A process unit includes: a photosensitive drum defining a first direction parallel to an axial direction of the photosensitive drum, and including: a tubular body having a first end portion containing a distal end; and a fitting member un-rotatably provided at the first end portion; a bearing member rotatably supporting the fitting member at a position inward from the distal end in the first direction; and a side plate configured to un-rotatably support the bearing portion.
US08774674B2
An image forming apparatus includes a body frame, a transport unit, an image carrier, a transfer device, a fixing device, a guide member assembly, a door, and a positioning member. The guide member assembly includes a guide member, a positioned portion, and a support member. The support member supports the guide member and has a side wall that extends in such a direction as to intersect a line drawn in the width direction and that has a hole through which a support shaft is inserted with some play being present. The guide member assembly is supported by the door with some play being present between the guide member assembly and a base plate and is urged by an urging member. The hole is a long hole having a major axis extending in an opening direction of the door away from a center line of rotation of the door.
US08774673B2
An image forming apparatus includes: a plurality of photoconductor drums; a plurality of exposure members; a drum supporting member having a pair of side walls disposed opposite to each other in an axial direction of the photoconductor drum and configured to support the photoconductor drums and the exposure members between the side walls; a belt disposed below and opposite to the photoconductor drums; a pair of guide members configured to support the drum supporting member while allowing rectilinear movement of the drum supporting member; and a main body circuit board provided in the main body and connected to the exposure members via a cable. The main body circuit board is arranged below the belt, and the cable passes a region outside the belt in the axial direction of the photoconductor drum and is connected to the main body circuit board.
US08774671B2
A developing cartridge having a collar member provided over an axially end portion of a developing roller shaft and movable in an axial direction thereof. The collar member includes a cap portion covering the axial end portion of the rotation shaft and electrically contacted with the rotation shaft, and a power-feed receiving portion electrically connected to the cap portion and electrically contactable with an external electrode. The power-feed receiving portion is provided integrally with the cap portion.
US08774665B2
An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming section; a fixation section having a heating mechanism and a roller arranged to face the heating mechanism; a temperature detector for detecting temperature of the fixation section; and a controller for performing a first heating-control in a first heating mode to raise the temperature of the fixation section at a first changing rate, and a second heating-control in a second heating mode to change the temperature of the fixation section at a second changing rate lower than the first changing rate upon rotating the roller when the temperature of the fixation section has reached an intermediate target temperature. The controller performs the first and second heating-controls, respectively, at the time of startup of the fixation section at least once until the temperature of the fixation section reaches a final target temperature.
US08774661B2
An image forming system includes a segregation tank to store a first imaging oil having a first percent purity, a reservoir to store a second imaging oil having a second percent purity, a slope identification module to identify a first slope value, and a slope comparison module to determine whether the first slope value is at least one of equal to, greater than, and less than a threshold slope value within a threshold slope range. The image forming system also includes a ratio adjustment module to obtain a variable ratio value corresponding to a ratio of a first amount of the first imaging oil to a second amount of the second imaging oil based on a determination by the slope comparison module.
US08774657B2
An image forming apparatus includes a latent image forming unit that forms a latent image on an image bearing member, a developing unit that develops the latent image to obtain a developer image, and a transfer unit that transfers the developer image to a recording medium. A first supply unit supplies a voltage to a charging unit and the transfer unit, with the first supply unit including a transformer, and a second supply unit supplies a voltage to the transfer unit, with the second supply unit including a transformer and supplying a voltage supplied opposite in polarity to the voltage supplied from the first supply unit. In addition, a detection unit detects current flowing through the transfer unit, and a control unit is configured to control power supply. When a power is supplied from the first supply unit to the charging unit, the control unit sets a discharge start voltage in which discharging starts between the image bearing member and the charging unit is based on a current detected by the detection unit, and when power is supplied from the second supply unit to the transfer unit, the control unit sets one or more adjusted voltages by calculating one or more voltages to be supplied from the transfer unit so that a current detected by the detection unit is to be a predetermined value. The first supply unit supplies a voltage to the charging unit based on the discharge start voltage and the adjusted voltage set by the control unit.
US08774654B2
Methods, systems, computer readable media and other means for generating a profile for a particular type of media are provided. The profile represents a set of preferred printing parameters to be used to achieve a target print quality for a reference printing device. The profile may be used by other non-reference printing devices in order to optimize printing for that type of media. For each non-reference printing device, an offset may be established that represents the differences between the non-reference and the reference printing devices. A processor of the non-reference printing device may identify the type of media and the profile for that media and then adjust the printing parameters for the non-reference printing device based on the profile and the offset in order to optimize the print quality. The profile may also include a parameter that is based on a temperature coefficient associated with the type of printer.
US08774651B2
An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms an image to be formed on a recording medium. The image formed by the image forming unit has a size larger than a size of the recording medium that is transported, the image forming unit causing the image to adhere to the entire area of the recording medium. A width of the image in a direction substantially orthogonal to a transporting direction of the recording medium increases from a front end toward a rear end of the recording medium in the transporting direction of the recording medium.
US08774648B2
An image forming apparatus includes a detachably-mounted cartridge including a developer accommodating portion for accommodating a developer and an operation member, a remaining amount detector for detecting a remaining amount of developer in the developer accommodating portion, an operation amount detector for detecting a cumulative operation amount of the operation member, and a setting device for setting timing of subsequent remaining amount detection of the remaining amount detector. The remaining amount detector provides a remaining amount ratio of the developer remainder to a maximum accommodation capacity of the developer accommodating portion, and the operation amount detector provides an operation amount ratio of a remaining operation amount until the end of the service life from the detection of the cumulative operation amount to a total operation amount until the end of the service life from an initial state of the operation member. The setting device sets the timing on the basis of a comparison between the remaining amount ratio and the operation amount ratio.
US08774646B2
Consistent with the present disclosure, a coherent detector is provided that includes an optical hybrid that supplies optical signals including local oscillator light to a balanced detector. The amount of imbalance or “balance error” in the balanced detector is identified by comparing an output of the balanced detector and an output of a photodiode that receives a portion of an input optical signal provided to the optical hybrid. Based on the balance error, electrical signals generated by the balanced detector or the power of optical signals passing through (or output from) the optical hybrid circuit can be adjusted so that the balance error is minimized or reduced to zero. As a result, imbalance associated with the balanced detector is corrected so that unwanted currents and/or related electrical signals are cancelled out or substantially cancelled out. Such unwanted currents and/or related electrical signals are generated in response to noise in the local oscillator light as well as intensity noise associated with non-selected optical signals in a superchannel.
US08774644B2
Consistent with the present disclosure, a method and system for detecting a clock phase of an optical signal in a coherent receiver is provided that is insensitive to polarization mode dispersion (PMD) and other polarization effects in the optical communication system. The clock phase of the received signal is estimated by first calculating a phase shift between a pair of related frequency domain data outputs of a Fourier transform circuit. The calculated phase shift includes a phase component and a data spectrum component. The calculated phase shift is then averaged over a number of clock cycles to remove the data spectrum components thus enabling extraction of the phase component. A determinant function on the time averaged result is used to normalize any effects of PMD from the received signal and isolate the phase component. In this manner, the phase component is not dependent on the PMD effects in the optical communication system. The imaginary part of the phase component is then calculated to estimate the clock phase error which is used to tune an oscillator in the receiver to synchronize a sampling phase in the receiver with the received signal. An estimated value for the chromatic dispersion is determined from a resultant value of the determinant function and used to compensate for the effects of chromatic dispersion from the clock phase error estimate.
US08774630B2
A network apparatus comprising an optical gain medium, a wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) filter coupled to the optical gain medium, and a Faraday Rotator Mirror (FRM) coupled to the WDM, and wherein the optical gain medium, the WDM filter, and the FRM are coupled by single mode fibers to form a self-seeded external cavity laser for a DWDM wavelength channel.
US08774627B2
The design of telecommunication networks is such that there is provision of end-to-end path protection to multiple demands under a single link or node failure in the networks. Restoration routes are provided on Preconfigured Virtual Cycles (PVC's), where each demand is assigned one restoration route and specific restoration wavelengths on a segment of one cycle. Multiple demands may share restoration wavelengths, and the number of restoration wavelengths may vary among the PVC links. First, a plurality of candidate PVC's are generated where each demand may be assigned to multiple candidates. Assignment of demands with common failure scenarios are allowed, under certain conditions, to the same PVC. Next, a set of PVC's is selected from among the candidates, while minimizing total reserved restoration capacity and ensuring that all demands are protected. Next duplicate assignments are eliminated. Finally, conflicts of wavelength assignments are resolved. The invention focuses primarily on optical networks.
US08774614B2
A method for generating a series of time-lapse photographs exhibiting minimal flicker is presented. The preferred method is adaptable to capture a series of time-lapse photographs of a sunset from full daylight to darkest night or vice versa while minimizing flicker between the images. The method utilizes a software program designed to achieve an even transition of the time-lapse and to minimize flickering of an image sequence. The software program features a flicker minimizing function designed to control several factors affecting the time-lapse technology. The present method utilizes data regarding a time-of-day a time zone at a geographic location. Latitude and longitude coordinates are utilized to automatically adjust the rate of change of exposure in a period of twilight. The software program is executed with a time-lapse interval between a plurality of images.
US08774613B1
This document relates to a latent fingerprint imaging system. The system includes a light source that illuminates a sample surface having a raw latent fingerprint. The system further includes an optical detector arranged to capture fluorescence instantaneously from gap portions of the sample surface between ridges of the latent fingerprint and use the fluorescence from the gap portions to generate image data of the latent fingerprint on the sample surface. The light from the light source has a wavelength that is greater than a propagation threshold wavelength so the light can propagate from the light source to the sample surface and is less than an absorption threshold wavelength so the light is mostly absorbed by material of the latent fingerprint.
US08774612B2
A photographic device including a formable portion comprising a reflective surface, wherein said formable portion is for retainably forming the reflective surface into a plurality of shapes, and wherein the reflective surface is for reflecting light from a photographic light source; and a base portion coupled to the formable portion, wherein the base portion is configured for coupling the photographic device to an object.
US08774611B2
A heating device for tempering preforms before processing in a stretch blow device. The heating device includes a heating alley with a plurality of infra red emitters, arranged parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tempered preforms. At least one back reflector and/or one filter is assigned to the infra red emitters, whereby the at least one back reflector and/or the at least one filter is segmented.
US08774610B2
Steam generator (1) is provided with an electric heating element (2) for heating water to be evaporated, consisting of an electric heating resistor (21) inserted in a profiled base (8) of a metal supporting element (7), fixed in a hole obtained in one of the vertical walls (15) of the container (4) for heating water.
US08774606B2
A data recording/playing configuration capable of easily acquiring attribute information on a frame constituting a 3D image recorded on a recording medium. The attribute information of the 3D image is recorded in each of hierarchized management information files as an attribute in units of management data of each of the management information files. When a coding method is a frame sequential method, frame identification data indicating whether each frame is a left-eye image (L image) or a right-eye image (R image) are recorded; and when the coding method is an inter-view reference coding method where any one of L and R images is referred to during decoding, base image identification data indicating which one of the L and R images is a base image are recorded. Thereby, a playing apparatus can determine an attribute of a frame without performing analysis of data to be played.
US08774600B2
A device including a module to receive a stream including an insertion content item and first timecodes, a module to record the stream, a module to receive a live stream including a timeslot and second and third timecodes, a clock to provide a clock reading updated based on at least some of the third timecodes, a module to retrieve the recorded stream so that the insertion content item can be at least partially rendered during at least part of the timeslot, a module to calculate a desired timecode of the first timecodes from which to start rendering the recorded stream for output at real-time speed based one of the first timecodes, second timecodes, and third timecodes or the clock reading, and a module to render the recorded stream for output at real-time speed from the desired timecode. Related apparatus and methods are also described.
US08774591B2
A content management apparatus, which includes a recording unit for recording a content, and an operation unit for accepting a user operation required to append additional information to the content, executes at least one of a first process for recording additional information in association with a latest content of already recorded contents and a second process for recording additional information in association with a content to be recorded, and a third process for recording additional information in association with a currently recording content in response to respective execution instructions. Enabling and disabling user operations required to issue execution instructions of the first to the third processes are switched based on whether or not a content recording operation of the recording unit is in progress.
US08774588B2
A fiber optic enclosure includes a housing and a cable spool assembly disposed on an exterior surface of the housing. The cable spool assembly has a first tear-away end and a second tear-away end. The first and second tear-away ends include at least one area of weakness extending from an inner diameter of the cable spool assembly to an outer diameter of the cable spool assembly. A mounting plate is rotationally engaged with the cable spool assembly such that the cable spool assembly and the housing selectively and unitarily rotate about an axis of the mounting plate.
US08774587B1
Structure is provided for controlling the electrical stress on one or more optical fibers in a high voltage environment.
US08774585B2
A fiber optic closure includes optical adapters located within an enclosure, a ledge located within the enclosure between the optical adapters and a cable port, and a strain-relief bracket located within the enclosure at the ledge. The strain-relief bracket defines channels that align with channels defined in the ledge. Each of the channels of the strain-relief bracket is narrower than a fiber optic connector that is suitable to be plugged into one of the optical adapters. The strain-relief bracket provides support ledges between the channels that inhibit fiber optic connectors from being pulled out of the optical adapters.
US08774571B2
An optical device includes a substrate and a first optical waveguide including a mesa. The mesa includes a first lower clad layer portion, a first core layer portion, and a first upper clad layer portion. The first lower clad layer portion, the first core layer portion, and the first upper clad layer portion are disposed in this order from the substrate side. The optical device also includes a first etch stop layer configured to stop etching when the first optical waveguide is formed. The first etch stop layer being laminated over the substrate. The first optical waveguide is laminated on the first etch stop layer.
US08774556B2
Techniques and tools are described for performing perspective correction using a reflection. Reflective properties of a surface being photographed can be used to determine a rotation of the device taking the photograph relative to the surface. Light sourced or produced by the device can be used to create a reflection spot in the picture. A position of the reflection spot within the picture is calculated and used to determine the rotation. The rotation can be used for performing perspective correction on the picture, or on another picture taken by the device.
US08774541B2
A method and apparatus for adaptive interpolation filtering for image compression is disclosed. The method includes determining an activity measure associated with a set of pixels neighboring a pixel undergoing intraframe prediction or a distance measure between at least one pixel in the set of pixels and the pixel undergoing intraframe prediction, and selecting a filter for filtering at least a portion of the set of pixels in accordance with the at least one of the activity measure or the distance measure.
US08774540B2
A method and system for decoding an image having a plurality of tiles is provided. The system performs entropy decoding of bit information to generate bin information where the bin information is in tile order. The system converts the bin information from tile order to raster order. Then the system performs symbol decoding of the bin information in raster order.
US08774525B2
A system generates an estimated floor area measurement of a building based on the calculated estimated total roof area of the roof of the building. This is based on a correlation between the size of the building roof and the size of the building. Typically, the floor area of a single full floor of the building is roughly the size of the roof of the building if the roof were flat with no slope. This in effect is turning the roof into a floor to generate estimated floor area. With additional adjustments to area measurements to account for multiple floors, roof overhang, wall width, internal building features such as walls and staircases, and/or obstructed views of the building in the aerial image(s), etc., an even more accurate floor area estimation may be generated.
US08774523B2
Precise boundary segment intersection methods and systems for boundary representation are described. For example, in one embodiment, a method includes computing a plurality of intersections of a plurality of segments, computing an uncertainty associated with each intersection of the plurality of intersections, and determining whether to aggregate at least one of the plurality of intersections with another of the plurality of intersections based on one or more of the determined uncertainties. In another embodiment, the method may further include determining whether to consolidate at least one non-aggregated intersection with at least one other intersection based on a topological consistency requirement.
US08774521B2
An image processing apparatus includes an approximate-surface calculator that calculates multiple approximate surfaces that each approximate the pixel value of a pixel included in an examination-target region of an image; an approximate-surface selector that selects at least one approximate surface from the approximate surfaces on the basis of the relation between the pixel value of the pixel in the examination-target region and the approximate surfaces; an approximate-region setting unit that sets an approximate region that is approximated by at least the selected one approximate surface; and an abnormal-region detector that detects an abnormal region on the basis of the pixel value of a pixel in the approximate region and the value corresponding to the coordinates of that pixel on at least one approximate surface.
US08774511B2
An image processing apparatus includes an input unit for inputting image data, an attribute information generation unit for generating attribute information about each pixel of the image data, a block division unit for dividing the image data into a plurality of blocks of a predetermined size, a histogram generation unit for generating a histogram of colors and the number of pixels of each color existing in a focused block divided by the division unit, and a color replacement unit, if it is not determined that the area having the focused color is a significant area, for replacing a color of a pixel existing within the area having the focused color with a different color so that the color of the area having the focused color becomes the same as the color of another area contacting the area having the focused color and having the different color according to a predetermined condition.
US08774510B2
A system for image processing includes determining edge pixels of a model image using an edge based technique and determining an angular orientation for each the edge pixels of the model image. The system determines a histogram of gradient orientations based upon the angular orientations of the model image. The system determining edge pixels of an input image using an edge based technique and determining an angular orientation for each of the edge pixels of the input image. The system determines a histogram of gradient orientations based upon the angular orientations of the input image. The system compares the histogram of gradient orientations of the model image with the histogram of gradient orientations of the input image to determine candidate locations of an object within the input image.
US08774507B2
A position of a pixel serving as an extraction subject is determined by using first image data photographed under a first light source. An extraction range corresponding to the determined position is also determined, by using a color value of the pixel at the determined position and a color value of a pixel at a peripheral position around the determined position in the first image data. A first representative color value is calculated from the first image data and a second representative color value from second image data photographed under a second light source, on the basis of the position of the pixel serving as the extraction subject and the extraction range. A color correction condition for converting a color value depending on the first light source into a color value depending on the second light source is then generated.
US08774503B2
A method for color feature extraction extracts a color feature vector representative of the color of each image pixel contained in an image signal. The method comprises: receiving the image signal; mapping the image signal to a color space model, where the color of each of the plural image pixels is represented by a first parameter, a second parameter, and a third parameter; obtaining an adjusted second parameter; clustering the plural image pixels into plural color regions or plural fuzzy regions of a color plane of the color space model; and designating the color feature vector to each of the plural image pixels based on the clustering result.
US08774502B2
A method for image/video segmentation, capable of segmenting an image signal for obtaining plural texture color feature regions, by utilizing both of the advantages carried by the texture feature and the color feature is disclosed. The method comprises the following steps: (A) receiving an image signal including plural image pixels; (B) executing a Gabor filtering process and a value operation process on each of the plural image pixels; (C) designating each of the plural image pixels a corresponding texture feature vector basing on the result of the value operation process; (D) executing a segmentation process on the image signal basing on the texture feature vector of each of the plural image pixels, for obtaining plural texture feature regions; and (E) executing a re-segmentation process on plural color feature regions basing on the distribution of the plural texture feature regions, for obtaining plural texture color feature regions.
US08774500B2
A printed information device includes a region of interest in an image, and at least two channels assigned to the region of interest by different means of logical partitioning. The region of interest represents a physical area of the image. Each of the channels has a different error tolerance. Continuous and/or cyclic information is independently encoded in each of the at least two channels. The deterrent is configured to be read substantially simultaneously by at least two distinct reading strategies.
US08774495B2
When a plurality of images are to be overlapped and synthesized, coincidence degrees between the plurality of images in an area near the boundary of a common area are calculated, and the plurality of images are overlapped and synthesized so that an area near the boundary having a high coincidence degree appears on the overlapped image. Thereby, it is possible to avoid the duplexing of the subject in the common area and unnatural ruptures on the boundary made by the overlapping while reducing the number of processes for the synthesizing.
US08774479B2
A method and apparatus for classifying possibly malignant lesions from sets of DCE-MRI images includes receiving a set of MRI slice images obtained at respectively different times, where each slice image includes voxels representative of at least one region of interest (ROI). The images are processed to determine the boundaries of the ROIs and the voxels within the identified boundaries in corresponding regions of the images from each time period are processed to extract kinetic texture features. The kinetic texture features are then used in a classification process which classifies the ROIs as malignant or benign. The malignant lesions are further classified to separate TN lesions from non-TN lesions.
US08774477B2
Systems and methods for assessing the quality of a digital slide image. In an embodiment, the digital slide image is divided into a plurality of image regions. For each of a subset of the plurality of image regions, a quality of the image region is determined based on a determined spatial frequency of the image region. In addition, a visual depiction of the digital slide image may be generated that, for each of the subset of the plurality of image regions, indicates the determined quality of that image region.
US08774472B2
A method of host-directed illumination for verifying the validity of biometric data of a user is provided that includes capturing biometric data from a user with an authentication device during authentication and directing illumination of the biometric data from a host authentication system during the capturing operation. Moreover, the method includes comparing illumination characteristics of the captured biometric data against illumination characteristics expected to result from the directing operation, and determining that the user is a live user when the illumination characteristics of the captured biometric data match the illumination characteristics expected to result from the directing operation.
US08774465B2
A system for providing vehicle information at an automobile point of purchase includes a user device having a camera or other image capturing device that is used to capture an image of an automobile. An application on or associated with the image capturing device can either transmit the image to a service provider for processing, or can implement one or more steps in a feature recognition process locally, and thereafter transmit the data to a service provider. In either case, the service provider can then complete the feature recognition processing and identify the automobile from the image. The service provider can then communicate with a make and model database to provide useful information on the vehicle, which can then be transmitted to the user device and conveniently displayed.
US08774464B2
A hand gesture from a camera input is detected using an image processing module of a consumer electronics device. The detected hand gesture is identified from a vocabulary of hand gestures. The electronics device is controlled in response to the identified hand gesture. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.
US08774453B2
A method of retrieving information comprised in a barcode is disclosed. The method comprises detecting that the barcode is present in a first image having a first image quality and capturing a first region, acquiring, when it is detected that the barcode is present, a second image having a second image quality and capturing a second region, wherein the second image quality is higher than the first image quality, and wherein the second region at least partly overlaps the first region, and decoding the barcode based on the second image to retrieve the information. A corresponding program product and a corresponding arrangement are also disclosed along with a communication device comprising the arrangement.
US08774451B2
The invention provides method of embedding a watermark image in a host image. The method includes generating a matrix code symbol, wherein the matrix code symbol includes information associated with the watermark image and the host image. The method further includes embedding the watermark image and the matrix code symbol in the host image at non-overlapping positions in the host image.
US08774446B2
A retractable storage system for handheld electronic device comprises a removable panel with one or more storage chambers for storing an accessory item, such as a wireless earbud, cabled earbud, headphone cable or e-cigarette, and a retractable mechanism to retrieve and dispense the stored accessory item through an accessory station. The removable panel can be replaced with another removable panel configured with different structure to store different accessory item, such as a battery to charge a wireless earbud or e-cigarette.
US08774441B2
A headphone includes: a housing, a hanger, and a bracket accommodated in the housing. The hanger includes: a connecting portion formed in a ring-shape; and a pair of engagement portions opposite to each other in a radial direction of the connecting portion and supports the housing unit to allow the housing unit to rotate. The bracket includes: a flexible curved base; and a pair of protrusions protruding at both ends of the base portion in directions away from each other on an axis penetrating the both ends. The housing includes a pair of through holes at positions corresponding to the pair of engagement portions. The pair of protrusions is rotatably engaged with the pair of engagement portions through the pair of through holes.
US08774439B2
A communication headset (1, 15, 25, 35) comprising a housing (2) and a peripheral slot (5) extending along the periphery (30) of the housing (2) in an intersecting plane (6) that intersects the housing (2). A space (7) extends in the intersecting plane (6) and communicates with the slot (5). A porous material (11) is arranged in the space (7), and a first microphone transducer (8) is arranged in the housing (2). The first microphone transducer (8) comprises a microphone opening (9), which is connected to the space (7). The peripheral slot (5) extends along the main part of the periphery (30) of the housing (2).
US08774438B2
A microphone unit has a diaphragm vibrating in response to sound waves; a unit casing accommodating the diaphragm; and a connecting path connecting a front acoustic terminal and a rear acoustic terminal. The unit casing has a small-diameter internal periphery defining the front acoustic terminal; a large-diameter internal periphery accommodating built-in components including the diaphragm; and a shoulder provided between the small-diameter internal periphery and the large-diameter internal periphery and positioning the built-in components. The unit casing has a groove in an axial direction provided in the large-diameter internal periphery and a groove in a radial direction provided in the shoulder and being in communication with the groove in the axial direction. The groove in the axial direction and the groove in the radial direction configure the connecting path.
US08774435B2
A device and method for alleviating the effects of alternating or changing pneumatic pressures when sound is transmitted through an audio device into a substantially trapped volume to the tympanic membrane. Alternating or changing pneumatic pressures are partially or fully alleviated and allowed to remain as normal sound waves. The audio device and method could be any number of audio devices including ear buds, over-ear headphones or hearing aids. A passageway from the substantially trapped volume to an unsealed space at ambient pressure is blocked by a flexible compliant member.
US08774434B2
An in-ear hearing aid device that provides users with a customizable ear piece to fit the ear canal of any user. More specifically, the present invention can comprises of a hard case to hold all the electronics of the device with a hearing device jacket that envelops the device. An ear mold is connected to the jacket and allows the user to insert the device into the ear canal to enhance the user's hearing.
US08774422B2
An apparatus includes a support unit for a handheld media device. The support unit has a first surface and a second surface. The first surface is coupleable to a substantially planar object. The substantially planar object is configured for mounting in a vertical position. The second surface is sized to support the handheld media device when the handheld media device is placed thereon.
US08774413B2
A method for processing Entitlement Control Message (ECM) packets is disclosed in the present invention. The method includes: a terminal receiving a broadcast code stream multiplexing frame and obtaining ECM packets from the received broadcast code stream multiplexing frame; and analyzing the ECM packet if the indicator of the ECM packet is judged to be inconsistent with the indicator of the locally stored ECM packet. An apparatus for processing ECM packets is also disclosed in the present invention, and the apparatus includes: a receiving module, an obtaining module, a judging module and an analyzing module. With the present invention, the efficiency of the terminal processing ECM packets is improved, and the limited resources of the terminal can be saved.
US08774402B2
An encryption/decryption apparatus and method using an advanced encryption standard (AES) Rijndael algorithm are provided. The apparatus includes a round key operator that performs arithmetic operations on a round key for a first round and first partial round keys of round keys for second to last rounds and generates the round keys for the second to last rounds, and a round executor that performs an encryption or decryption operation using the round key for the first round and the round keys for the second to last rounds.
US08774398B2
A transceiver includes: a TV signal receiving unit for generating a first audio signal from a received broadcast wave; a decoder for decoding a reception signal received from the transceiver, to generate a second audio signal; an adding unit for transmitting the second audio signal to a speaker or adding up and transmit, to the speaker, the first audio signal and the second audio signal, and for outputting a reference signal; and an echo canceller for estimating a pseudo echo component from the reference signal, and cancels the pseudo echo component in a picked-up signal picked up by microphone a sound outputted from the speaker. The adding unit, when the TV signal receiving unit receives the broadcast wave, adds and transmits, to the speaker, the first audio signal and the second audio signal, and outputs a signal resulting from the addition as the reference signal to the echo canceller.
US08774389B2
A method and system to optimally route telephone calls between shared service centers is presented. Using a combination of service tiers, Agent Directory, Instant Messaging (IM), and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) provides optimal routing of incoming calls for assistance. The method utilizes different protocols during normal operations, transitional operations, and emergency operations, and addresses Shared Service Center (SSC) planning and management.
US08774387B2
A method and system including receiving a communication from a source, the communication including a request to connect to a destination, connecting, via a communication link, to the destination, detecting an event on the communication link to the destination, and connecting the source to the destination after detecting the event.
US08774383B1
A method, a system, and computer readable medium comprising instructions for optimizing on-premise conferencing are provided. The method comprises receiving at least one call from at least one caller, identifying at least one call from at least one caller, and connecting the at least one call to a conference call bridge via a single connection.
US08774374B2
A network device may include a memory to store a database including voicemail message information associated with a voicemail mailbox, a transmitter, and a receiver. The transmitter may send a notification to each of a plurality of communication devices, the notification including an indication of a number of new voicemail messages in the voicemail mailbox, an indication of a total number of voicemail messages in the voicemail mailbox, and an identifier of a most recent voicemail message in the voicemail mailbox, where each of the plurality of communication devices uses the notification signal to determine whether to request a list of voicemail messages. The receiver may receive, from one of the communication devices in response to the notification, a request for the list of voicemail messages associated with voicemail message information stored in the database. The transmitter may sends, to the one of the plurality of communications devices, the list of voicemail messages.
US08774365B2
A high voltage sensing circuit with temperature compensation comprises a first series of resistors in parallel with a second series of resistors. The first series includes a material with a different temperature coefficient of resistance than in the second series. A voltage measurement circuit calculates a high voltage by use of a voltage across a resistor in the first series and a voltage differential between the series.
US08774361B2
A system displays potential radiation zones in an angiography X-ray laboratory during an angiography procedure, for example, and identifies areas of potentially harmful radiation due to X-ray scatter in an imaging room. An input processor receives data identifying an emitted X-ray dose level applied to an area of a patient anatomy. An image data processor determines level of X-ray radiation dose scatter in different regions of an imaging room indicating regions of potentially harmful radiation, by calculating X-ray scatter dose at different distances from an irradiated patient area as being substantially in proportion to the size of the irradiated area and substantially inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the irradiated area. A visual alert system visually identifies areas of a room of potentially harmful radiation in response to the determination.
US08774357B2
The invention provides methods, systems and detector arrangements for scanning an object moving in a first direction that includes the steps of irradiating the object with radiation having a peak energy of at least 900 keV, providing a first detector region having a thickness of at least 2 mm and a second detector region having a thickness of at least 5 mm where the second detector region is arranged to receive radiation that has passed through the first detector region, and detecting the radiation after it has interacted with or passed through the object in order to provide information relating to the object.
US08774353B2
The invention relates to a radiation detector (100) comprising a converter element (113) with an array (120) of first electrodes (121) for sampling electrical signals generated by incident radiation (X). With a connection circuit (130), at least two first electrodes (121) can selectively be coupled to a common readout unit (141) according to a given connection pattern (CP1). The effective pixel size along the path of incident radiation (X) can thus be adapted to the distribution of electrical signals, which is usually determined by the spectral composition of the incident radiation.
US08774350B2
Scattered X-rays scattered by an object or a structure enter in a detector (a shift detector) for detecting the positional shift of an X-ray focal point and become a noise source, thereby deteriorating the positional shift detection precision. In particular, the estimation of the dose of scattered X-rays originating from the object is difficult prior to the measurement, and correction of the scattered X-rays is important in order to precisely calculate the positional shift of the X-ray focal point. In order to address this drawback, according to the present invention, a scattered X-ray detector 6 is provided which measures the dose of scattered rays entering in a shift detector 5 for detecting the positional shift of an X-ray focal point 9, and has a function that the output by the shift detector 5 is corrected using the scattered ray dose measured by the scattered X-ray detector.
US08774337B2
A circuit for performing clock recovery according to a received digital signal 30. The circuit includes at least an edge sampler 105 and a data sampler 145 for sampling the digital signal, and a clock signal supply circuit. The clock signal supply circuit provides edge clock 25 and data clock 20 signals offset in phase from one another to the respective clock inputs of the edge sampler 105 and the data sampler 145. The clock signal supply circuit is operable to selectively vary a phase offset between the edge and data clock signals.
US08774329B2
A method for processing a signal derived from a radio frequency signal at some rate in a range of allowable data rates according to one embodiment includes downconverting an incoming signal derived from a radio frequency signal to complex near-baseband signals; processing the complex near-baseband signals in two data correlators corresponding to data 0 and data 1; and changing effective lengths of the correlators based on a symbol data rate of the incoming signal. Such methodology may also be implemented as a system using logic for performing the various operations. Additional systems and methods are also presented.
US08774318B2
Certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to a method for modulating single carrier signals using constant envelope 2-CPM modulation and quasi-constant envelope filtered continuously rotated pseudo-PSK modulation in a wireless communication system.
US08774317B2
A system and method for a radio controlled clock receiver adapted to extract timing and time information from a phase modulated signal. The official time signal is broadcast from a central location using a modified modulation scheme, which adds phase modulation over the legacy amplitude modulation, such as the legacy WWVB pulse width modulated (PWM)/amplitude shift keying (ASK) modulation, thereby allowing for improved performance. The information modulated onto the phase contains a known synchronization sequence having good autocorrelation properties, error-correcting coding for the time information and notifications of daylight-saving-time (DST) transitions that are provided months in advance. The modulation scheme is based on a form of phase modulation, such as binary-phase-shift-keying (BPSK) or phase reversal keying (PRK). The reception of multiple frames with repeated or sequential information allows for the accumulation of received energy over multiple frames to provide for a corresponding gain in the receiver.
US08774316B2
A transmitter includes an input, a modulator, and a calibration memory configured to store discrete calibration test points. A compensator is coupled between the input and the modulator and cooperates with the calibration memory to cause the modulator to generate a respective calibration carrier signal for each of the discrete calibration test points during a calibration phase. A detector is coupled to an output of the modulator and is configured to determine respective calibration values of the calibration carrier signals during the calibration phase. A compensator calculator is coupled to an output of the detector, and is configured to generate compensation values for the compensator for use during an operation phase and based on the calibration values of the calibration carrier signals.
US08774313B2
The present invention provides nonlinear compensating apparatus and transmitter. The nonlinear compensating apparatus comprises: an information acquiring unit to acquire a symbol information sequence of the pulse information input by a transmitting side; a perturbation quantity calculating unit to calculate the weighted sum of the interaction of the pulses of several items at several different instants relative to the current instant, to obtain the perturbation quantity produced by the current instant nonlinear effect on a transmission link of a certain length; and an information compensating unit to compensate for the symbol information sequence of the pulses at the current instant acquired by the information acquiring unit by using the perturbation quantity obtained by the perturbation quantity calculating unit, so as to obtain the symbol information sequence compensated at the current instant to cause the transmitting side to transmit signals according to the compensated symbol information sequence. The apparatus corrects the symbol information sequence of the pulse signals input by a transmitting side, with the complexity of calculation being low, and the apparatus is applicable to single-polarization and dual-polarization multiplexing systems, and at the same time, compatible with any modulation format.
US08774312B2
The invention relates to a method for the scalable improvement of the quality of an encoding method according to IT-U Recommendation G.722, including the following steps: —a digital error signal (E) derived from an input signal to be encoded and a prognosis signal is compared in sections to a number of M*LN different reference signals in an iterative process having a number of repeated steps depending on the scope of the expansion, and the reference signal having a minimum error signal of a prescribed error criteria is derived therefrom, —the reference signals are each made up of equidistant Dirac impulses δ(n) according to (I), wherein off=[0 . . . M−1], indicates the distance of the first impulse from a zero time point, αε{α, α, . . . , α} indicates the amplitude value, M the distance between the individual pulses, N the number of pulses, and L the number of different levels, —the information about the reference signal having the minimum error signal is transmitted. c ( n ) = ∑ p = 0 N - 1 α p · δ ( n - off - M · p ) ( I )
US08774309B2
Techniques are described for carrier frequency offset (CFO) and channel estimation of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) transmissions over multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) frequency-selective fading channels. A wireless transmitter forms blocks of symbols by inserting training symbols within two or more blocks of information-bearing symbols. The transmitter applies a hopping code to each of the blocks of symbols to insert a null subcarrier at a different position within each of the blocks of symbols, and a modulator outputs a wireless signal in accordance with the blocks of symbols. A receiver receives the wireless signal and estimates the CFO, and outputs a stream of estimated symbols based on the estimated CFO.
US08774308B2
A method and apparatus for providing transmission on a channel in a network are disclosed. For example, the method receives a plurality of source samples, divides the plurality of source samples into a plurality of subbands in accordance with a ratio of the plurality of source samples to a number of channel uses of the channel, wherein each subband comprises a first number of source samples, determines a channel input from the plurality of source samples in accordance with a hybrid coding scheme, and transmits the channel input over the network.
US08774303B2
A wireless communication method and apparatus using adaptive transmission polarization control are provided. The wireless communication apparatus includes an orthogonal polarization antenna, a channel state estimator, and a transmission polarization state (TPS) selector. The orthogonal polarization antenna receives at least one reference signal. The channel state estimator estimates a wireless polarization channel on the basis of the reference signal. The TPS selector selects a TPS corresponding to the estimated wireless polarization channel from among a plurality of predefined TPSs, and feeds back the selected TPS information. Accordingly, the wireless communication apparatus feeds back information for polarization control using minimum uplink wireless resources, and maximizes a transmission capacity on the basis of the feedback information.
US08774300B2
Signal processing under attenuated transmission conditions. Within an orthogonal signal space, the number of orthogonal signals that are used to transmit information from a transmitter to a receiver is reduced and the transmitted power of each of the now remaining orthogonal signals is modified; this may involve increasing the power of all of the remaining orthogonal signals equally or alternatively modifying them individually. The same modulation used before the reduction may also be used afterwards; within communication systems having multiple transmitter-receiver paths, this will ensure that the communication system's throughput and efficiency will remain unchanged even when one (or more) transmitter-receiver paths are highly attenuated. In addition, robust mode operation is provided for ranging and registering of transmitter devices when entering the communication system. In addition, the unused orthogonal signals may be employed to support interference cancellation of those orthogonal signals that are used to transmit information.
US08774299B2
The present invention provides for transmitting a spread signal in a mobile communication system. The present invention includes spreading a signal using a plurality of spreading codes, wherein the plurality of spreading codes have a spreading factor, multiplexing the spread signal by code division multiplexing, transmitting the multiplexed signal via a plurality of neighboring frequency resources of one OFDM symbol of a first antenna set, and transmitting the same multiplexed signal via a plurality of neighboring frequency resources of one OFDM symbol of a second antenna set.
US08774293B2
The determination and identification of channels in a signal is an important aspect of the operation of a signal receiver. A method (800) is described including the steps receiving (802) a signal containing a plurality of channels, filtering (806) the signal to produce an indicator of a channel band edge, and determining (818) a characteristic of the channel based on the indicator. Additionally, an apparatus (300) is described including a spectrum shift circuit (304) that receives an input signal and shifts the frequency spectrum of the signal, a filter (306) that filters the frequency shifted signal to produce an indicator of a band edge of a channel, and a signal analysis circuit (316, 318) that determines a characteristic of the channel based on the indicator of the band edge, the signal analysis circuit (316, 318) controlling the frequency shift in the spectrum shift circuit (304) based on the determined characteristic of the channel.
US08774291B2
An embodiment provides a pulse harmonic modulation method comprising transmitting a first data initiation pulse to an input of a first resonant circuit thereby creating an oscillating waveform at an output of a second resonant circuit and transmitting a first modifying pulse to the input of the first resonant circuit. The first modifying pulse can modify a first portion of the oscillating waveform.
US08774290B2
A transmitter apparatus includes a reference signal transmitting unit that transmits a both of a first reference signal and a second reference signal differing from the first reference signal to a first receiver apparatus performing non-cooperative communication and to a second receiver apparatus performing cooperative communication, respectively. In addition, the transmitter apparatus includes a notifying unit that instructs the first receiver apparatus to measure the first reference signal and that instructs the second receiver apparatus to measure the second reference signal.
US08774287B2
The invention relates to the field of the synchronization of data delivery onto equipments connected over a packet switching network, in particular when the equipments are devoted to video and audio data or Auxiliary data linked to processing and are connected over a local area network for forming a video/audio production studio.More precisely the invention concerns a data inserter device for inserting a timestamp in packets, and a delay compensating device for extracting said timestamp and compensating the delivery delay and in particular the jitter, the network delay and the packet generation duration or any additional user delay.
US08774286B2
A receiving apparatus includes a buffer configured to store packets of a first packet sequence made up of packets extracted from one transport stream that are common to packets of another transport stream and packets of a second packet sequence made up of common packets, a read control section configured to read the packets of the first packet sequence and the second packet sequence stored in the buffer after the passing of a predetermined time after synchronization is established between the packets of the first packet sequence and the packets of the second packet sequence, thereby reconstructing one transport stream from the first packet sequence and the second packet sequence, and an output section configured to output the reconstructed transport stream.
US08774278B2
A recursive motion detector for detecting motion in an interlaced video signal. The motion detector includes a first frame motion detector receiving a next field and a first previous field, a second frame motion detector receiving a current field and a second previous field, and a third frame motion detector receiving a next field and a third previous field. Motion is detected when the first, second and third frame motion detectors combine to produce a frame motion result.
US08774276B2
Image processing method for determining motion vectors of interpolated picture and related apparatus
An image processing method for determining a motion vector of an interpolated block in a covered/uncovered area of an interpolated picture. The method comprises determining image difference values of successive blocks according to original motion vectors of the successive blocks; determining first and second motion vectors for the successive blocks according to the image difference values, wherein the first and the second motion vector of one of the successive blocks are the original motion vectors of two blocks located in both side of a block having a maximum image difference value; determining a starting point of the interpolated block according to the first and the second motion vectors of the successive blocks; and selecting one of the first and the second motion vectors of the interpolated block as the motion vector of the interpolated block according to the starting point and a starting point in a previous interpolated picture.
US08774274B2
A process for compressing and decompressing non-keyframes in sequential sets of contemporaneous video frames making up multiple video streams where the video frames in a set depict substantially the same scene from different viewpoints. Each set of contemporaneous video frames has a plurality frames designated as keyframes with the remaining being non-keyframes. In one embodiment, the non-keyframes are compressed using a multi-directional spatial prediction technique. In another embodiment, the non-keyframes of each set of contemporaneous video frames are compressed using a combined chaining and spatial prediction compression technique. The spatial prediction compression technique employed can be a single direction technique where just one reference frame, and so one chain, is used to predict each non-keyframe, or it can be a multi-directional technique where two or more reference frames, and so chains, are used to predict each non-keyframe.
US08774268B2
The invention generates encoded data that properly conforms to pre-specified image quality and suppresses a large change in image quality. An encoding unit encodes pictures block by block according to a parameter. A distortion amount calculation unit calculates a picture distortion amount between a decoded picture and a picture before being encoded. A scene distortion amount calculation unit calculates a scene encoding distortion amount from the picture distortion amounts of a plurality of pictures having been encoded. A distortion bit rate conversion unit calculates a corrected bit rate by calculating a difference between a target distortion amount and the calculated scene encoding distortion amount, and multiplying the calculated difference by a coefficient. A target bit rate calculation unit calculates a bit rate for a picture subsequent to a picture of interest by adding a current target bit rate to the corrected bit rate, and sets it as the parameter.
US08774263B2
A transmitter (TX) for transmitting a pulse density modulated signal comprises means (SDM) for generating a pulse density modulated input signal (SI) and an encoder (ENC). The encoder (ENC) comprises a first input for receiving the pulse density modulated input signal (SI) and a second input for receiving additional information (AI) comprising at least one data bit. The encoder (ENC) is configured to generate a multi-bit telegram (TG) on the basis of the additional information (AI), the telegram (TG) comprising a predefined bit-sequence, and to replace an appropriate number of consecutive bits of the input signal (SI) with the telegram (TG) in order to generate an output signal (SO).
US08774261B2
A two stage interference cancellation (IC) process includes a linear IC stage that suppresses co-channel interference (CCI) and adjacent channel interference (ACI). The linear IC stage disambiguates otherwise super-trellis data for non-linear cancellation. Soft linear IC processing is driven by a-posteriori probability (Apop) information. A second stage performs expectation maximization/Baum Welch (EM-BW) processing that reduces residual ISI left over from the first stage and also generates the Apop which drives the soft linear IC in an iterative manner.
US08774254B2
A control circuit of an isolated flyback power converter providing bidirectional communication. The control circuit includes a pulse width modulation circuit, an oscillator, a primary transceiver, a secondary error amplifier and a secondary transceiver. The primary transceiver generates a feedback signal and a pulse-position signal. The secondary error amplifier generates an error signal in accordance with an output voltage of the power converter. The secondary transceiver generates a pulse modulation signal for transmitting the data from the secondary side to the primary side, and generates a frequency signal in response to a switching voltage of the transformer. The frequency signal is demodulated as the data transmitted from the primary side to the secondary side. The feedback signal is correlated to the error signal. The pulse-position signal is correlated to the pulse modulation signal. The error signal and the pulse modulation signal are coupled to an input of an optical coupler.
US08774248B2
A receiver is provided that is configured to estimate the symbol constellation of a signal modulated using a quaternary symbol constellation where data is transmitted to two mobile stations multiplexed on a shared channel comprising two branches, where the branches correspond to the real and imaginary parts of one complex-valued baseband signal. The receiver is configured to demodulate the modulated signal using the training sequences from both sub-channels.
US08774244B2
A laser source assembly for providing an assembly output beam includes a first emitter, a second emitter, and a third emitter. The first emitter emits a first beam along a first beam axis that is substantially parallel to and spaced apart from an assembly axis. The second emitter emits a second beam along a second beam axis that is substantially parallel to and spaced apart from the assembly axis. The third emitter emits a third beam along a third beam axis that is substantially parallel to and spaced apart from the assembly axis. The first beam axis, the second beam axis and the third beam axis are positioned spaced apart about and substantially equidistant from the assembly axis.
US08774237B2
A high power pulsed laser system is configured with at least two gain blocks and with at least one saturable absorber (SA) coupled to the output and input of the respective gain blocks. The SA is configured so that Qsat_sa
US08774236B2
Laser master oscillator—power amplifier system for generating high pulse energy, high average power laser pulses in the ultraviolet 191.25-201.25 nm and 243-246.25 nm spectral ranges, and in the visible 450-537.5 nm spectral range with controllable pulse duration and pulse repetition rate employ a master oscillator seed laser operating in the infra-red spectral range, and a single series connected chain of hybrid fiber—bulk crystalline amplifiers coupled to a non-linear frequency conversion unit to convert the laser pulses to the ultraviolet and visible spectral ranges.
US08774233B1
A network device configured to determine a transmit delay interval for the transmission of data over a wireless network. The network device includes an adaptive access control circuit configured to determine, during a predetermined time interval, an amount of data transmitted by the network device over the wireless network, determine, during the predetermined time interval, an amount of data received by the network device over the wireless network, determine a difference between the amount of data transmitted by the network device over the wireless network and the amount of data received by the network device over the wireless network, and adjust the transmit delay interval based on the difference.
US08774230B2
A method for self synchronization of a first base station is described. Synchronization information is received from a second base station. The first base station then synchronizes with the second base station using the received synchronization information. Synchronization information may be received from one or more base stations. The second base station may be part of the one or more base stations. A stratum may be determined for each of the one or more base stations. The synchronization information may include a stratum. The second base station may be selected as a synchronizing base station. The second base station may have the lowest stratum.
US08774222B2
A channel sounding method in a wireless local area network (WLAN) system is provided. The method, performed by a transmitter, includes transmitting a null data packet announcement (NDPA) frame to a receiver to initiate a channel sounding procedure; transmitting a null data packet (NDP) to the receiver and receiving a feedback frame. The feedback frame includes a plurality of segment frames and a channel feedback report. The channel feedback report is split into a plurality of feedback segments. Each of the plurality of feedback segments is respectively included in each of the plurality of segment frames. The each of the plurality of segment frames includes a first-segment subfield indicating whether the each of the plurality of feedback segment included is a first segment and a remaining-segment subfield indicating the number of remaining feedback segments.
US08774221B2
A method for reporting buffer status of a User Equipment (UE) in a mobile communication system is provided. The method for reporting buffer status of the UE in the mobile communication system includes being allocated a transmission resource from a node B; determining information to add to a certain region of a first Medium Access Control (MAC) subheader through an N-th MAC subheader using the transmission resource; generating a MAC Protocol Data Unit (PDU) by concatenating the first MAC subheader through the N-th MAC subheader with corresponding payload elements; and transmitting the generated MAC PDU.
US08774220B2
Provided are a method of packetizing encoded symbols and an apparatus using the same. The method includes an encoded symbol and target packet selection step of deciding a first source symbol and selecting an unpacketized first encoded symbol and a target packet into which the unpacketized first encoded symbol is inserted if there is the unpacketized first encoded symbol of at least one first encoded symbol, which is an encoded symbol of the first source symbol generated using an AND-OR tree structure, and a packetization step of generating a second source symbol based on at least one unpacketized first encoded symbol by use of the AND-OR tree structure, generating at least one second encoded symbol based on the second source symbol by use of the AND-OR tree structure, and packetizing at least one of second encoded symbols into the target packet along with the first encoded symbol.
US08774212B2
A system and method for managing network traffic is disclosed. A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a data switch having a controller element to transmit telemetry data representative of bandwidth usage by one or more users of the data switch. At least one higher bandwidth user can have an increased polling frequency based at least in part on a differential in upstream and downstream data transfer rates for the one or more users. Additional embodiments are disclosed.
US08774207B2
A method for bearer reservation, maintenance, and use in a communication system is performed by an intermediary function (IF) in the enterprise network. The IF processes a user plane reservation request for a flow of user plane data from a sourcing device, and determines a set of bearers to transport the flow of user plane data. The IF requests from at least one access network the determined set of bearers, and receives from the at least one access network an allocated set of bearers, wherein the allocated set of bearers comprises one or more bearers. The IF receives the flow of user plane data from the sourcing device. The IF receives an indication that at least one of the bearers in the allocated set of bearers is unavailable, and prevents at least a portion of the flow of user plane data from being transmitted over the default bearer.
US08774206B2
A high-speed Fiber Channel switch element in a Fiber Channel network is provided. The Fiber Channel switch element includes, a rate select module that allows a port in the Fiber Channel switch element to operate at a rate equal to and/or higher than 10 gigabits per second (“G”). The port may operate at 20 G, 40 G or at a rate greater than 40 G. Also, a cut status is provided for cut-through routing between ports operating at different speed. Plural transmit and receive lines are used for port operation at a rate equal to or higher than 10 G.
US08774203B2
A multiprocessor computer system comprises a sending processor node and a receiving processor node. The sending processor node is operable to send packets comprising part of a message to a receiver, and to send a message complete packet after all packets in the message are sent. The message complete packet includes an indicator of the number of packets in the message, and the message is recognized as complete in the receiver once the number of packets indicated in the message complete packet have been received for the message. The sender tracks acknowledgment from the receiver of receipt of the sent packets; and notifies the receiver when it has received all packets comprising a part of the message.
US08774202B2
The subject matter described herein includes methods, systems, and computer readable media for generating GTP encapsulated RTP packets in an LTE node simulator. According to one method, and LTE node simulator uses a first processing unit to generate prepackaged headers for RTP payloads. The first processing unit communicates the prepackaged headers to a second processing unit separate from the first processing unit within the LTE node simulator. The second processing unit assembles GTP packets by combining the prepackaged headers with the RTP payloads. The second processing unit transmits the GTP packets to a device under test.
US08774196B2
The present disclosure relates to an active antenna array for a mobile communications network. The active antenna comprises a base band unit coupled to a base station, a plurality of transceiver units and at least one link. The plurality of transceiver units is terminated by at least one antenna element. The at least one link couples individual ones of the plurality of transceiver units to the base band unit 10. The at least one link is a digital link and is adapted to relay an individual transmit signal concurrently and in synchronisation with a transmit clock signal. The present disclosure further teaches a method for relaying radio signals in a mobile communications network. The present disclosure further relates to a computer program enabling a computer to manufacture the active antenna array of the present disclosure and to execute the method of relaying radio signal in a mobile communications system.
US08774191B2
In Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) communications networks, certain congestion control features, such as Partial Packet Discard (PPD) and Early Packet Discard (EPD), operate on ATM cells that have been segmented from ATM Adaptation Layer #5 (AAL5) frames (packets). AAL5 frames are automatically detected by observing transitions of an indicator in the ATM cell header unique to AAL5 traffic. Automatic detection of AAL5 traffic allows enablement of packet-aware cell discarding techniques such as PPD and EPD on a Virtual Channel Connection (VCC) basis, whether in a switch for a VCC or for a Virtual Path Connection (VPC) to which the VCC belongs.
US08774181B1
Techniques are described for reducing unnecessary upstream traffic toward a rendezvous point (RP) of a network using Protocol Independent Multicast Bidirectional Mode. The RP may be either a router configured with the rendezvous point address (RPA) on its loopback interface, or one of several routers connected to an RP link with the RPA. The techniques include determining whether the RP needs to receive multicast traffic for a multicast group and, when the RP does not need to receive the multicast traffic, sending RP-prune control messages for the multicast group to downstream routers on non-RP links. Upon receiving an RP-prune control message, a downstream router may prune an outgoing interface for the multicast group to prevent the downstream router from forwarding multicast traffic for the multicast group toward the RP. The downstream router may terminate or propagate the RP-prune control message to a further downstream router.
US08774179B1
A method is provided for handling member link state changes in an aggregate interface. An aggregate interface may be established to include a number of member links. A mask may be associated with the aggregate interface, where the mask identifies a current state of each member link in the aggregate interface. The mask is retrieved and used to identify active links in the aggregate interface when packets are received for forwarding on the aggregate interface.
US08774174B2
A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a Unified Messaging System having a controller element to submit to a Calling Card Server (CCS) over a primary call leg a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) SUBSCRIBE message requesting outdial event notification for a call placed on a secondary call leg responsive to a reply of a voicemail message, and receive over the primary call leg a SIP NOTIFY message from the CCS indicating outdial events associated with placing the call over the secondary call leg. Additional embodiments are disclosed.
US08774171B2
An SS7-based call protocol conversion gateway that translates between circuit-switched SS7 protocols and session initiation protocol (SIP) oriented protocol, allowing an E911 call initiated over a switched network to be routed by a VoIP network. The SS7-based call protocol conversion gateway provides a PSAP with MSAG quality (street address) information about a VoIP dual mode phone user without the need for a wireless carrier to invest in building out an entire VoIP core. Thus, wireless carriers may continue signaling the way they are today, i.e., using the J-STD-036 standard for CDMA and GSM in North America, yet see benefits of a VoIP network core, i.e., provision of MSAG quality location data to a PSAP.
US08774158B2
An embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus, comprising a network adapter capable of combining more than one wireless communication technology (comm) for wireless communication in a wireless network, wherein the apparatus includes a network detection phase implemented by doing a full scan of one comm followed by one or more additional comm scans; and wherein the network adapter breaks a scan into buckets, and alternates between different scanning buckets of different comms to provide faster scanning, connection time and handover from one wireless technology to another wireless technology.
US08774149B2
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 users.
US08774144B2
A wireless communication device may obtain, from each of one or more access points, access point information including network identification information corresponding to the access point. The wireless communication device may determine, in a case where specific network identification information corresponding to a specific access point is selected by a user from among one or more network identification information, whether specific access point information obtained from the specific access point includes support information indicating that the specific access point is supporting an automatic wireless setting mode. The wireless communication device may perform a wireless setting in accordance with the automatic wireless setting mode in a first case where a determination is made that the specific access point information includes the support information.
US08774133B2
A cell measurement method used in a mobile station camping on a serving cell is provided, wherein the serving cell sends system information of neighbor cells to the mobile station. A first set of the neighbor cells is determined based on a measurement rule for cell reselection. A second set of the neighbor cells is determined based on a report request for radio link establishment. A subset is chosen from the second set. Finally, the neighbor cells of a union of the first set and the subset are measured.
US08774128B2
Techniques are provided for efficient detachment from or attachment to wireless network(s). In one example, there is provided a method, operable by the user equipment (UE), that may involve connecting to a first wireless network (e.g., a 3GPP network) associated with a first access point name (APN), and connecting to a second wireless network (e.g., a WAN) associated with a second APN. The method may involve performing handover for the first APN from the first wireless network to the second wireless network. The method may involve performing detach for the first APN from the second wireless network.
US08774126B2
Time-aligned handover for a mobile device is described herein. The time-aligned handover is achieved by determining a time difference between serving and target cells and determining a target propagation delay based on the time difference. In some cases, the target propagation delay may further be determined based on a serving propagation delay between the serving cell and the mobile device. A target transmission time is calculated based on the target propagation delay. The mobile device uses the target transmission time to time align transmissions to the target cell during handover.
US08774124B2
Device coexistence within single user, multiple user, multiple access, and/or MIMO wireless communications. Different respective communication devices operating using different respective communication channels having different respective channel bandwidths may be implemented within a given communication system. For example, different respective communication devices may belong to different basic services sets (BSSs) (e.g., a 1 MHz BSS operating using channel bandwidths of 1 MHz, and a 2 MHz BSS operating using channel bandwidths of 2 MHz). To effectuate coexistence among different respective devices operating using different respective channel bandwidths, devices but longing to the 1 MHz BSS monitor for and listen for 2 MHz wide communication activity, and those 1 MHz BSS communication devices defer to any detected communication activity on any portion of the 2 MHz channel.
US08774120B2
A technique of operating a wireless communication system includes determining respective geometries of multiple subscriber stations, which include a first subscriber station and a second subscriber station, with respect to a serving base station. Respective control channels, which include a first control channel associated with the first subscriber station and a second control channel associated with the second subscriber station, for the multiple subscriber stations are then scheduled based on the respective geometries. The first control channel is scheduled to be encountered earlier in a control channel search procedure, of the one or more control channel symbols, than the second control channel. The first subscriber station has a lower geometry than the second subscriber station.
US08774107B2
Provided is a retransmission method capable of improving reception quality in retransmission control. In this method, for the first transmission, LRB (Localized Resource Block) method is selected as a resource allocation method according to the CQI fed back from the mobile station. A frequency resource having the best reception quality according to the LRB format is allocated for the transmission data. For the second transmission, the same resource allocation method (LRB) as the first transmission is used and the transmission data is allocated fro the same frequency resource. For the third transmission, the resource allocation method is switched from the method of the first and the second transmission and transmission data is allocated to the frequency resource by using DRB (Distributed Resource Block) format.
US08774105B2
Methods and apparatus related to partitioning traffic segments are described. An access router, having concurrent connections with two access terminals and desiring to transmit traffic signals to the two access terminals in the same traffic segment, partitions a traffic segment. The partition is such that a first portion of the traffic segment is allocated to a first access terminal and a second portion of the traffic segment is allocated to the second access terminal. Control information, e.g., identifying partition portion assignments, data rate and/or coding information, is also communicated in the traffic segment as in-band control signaling. An access terminal, to which some of traffic signals are directed, receives and recovers the in-band control signaling, identifying its allocated partition portion of the traffic segment and identifying data rate and/or coding information used. The access terminal receives the traffic segment signals in its allocated partition portion and recovers the traffic information.
US08774095B2
A wireless access point device receives a packet including a first source port number from a source wireless terminal device, determines if the packet is a control packet according to the first source port number, and obtains a time interval and a second source port number from the control packet and to receive a new packet. The wireless access point device further determines if the new packet is the data packet according to whether the first source port number of the new packet is the same as the second source port number, starts a timer to time for the time interval once the new packet is the data packet, and transmits a Clear-to-Sent packet to other wireless terminal devices once the timer times out.
US08774085B2
A method is provided, in a wireless communications network comprising a source node, a destination node and at least one relay node, of selecting spatial subchannels for use. The method comprising the steps of: spatially decomposing channels into spatial subchannels; and selecting a subset of the subchannels for use that at least approximately maximises predicted throughput rate.
US08774084B2
Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate synchronizing base stations in a wireless communication environment. A base station can receive a synchronization signal sent via a low reuse channel, which can be shared by a group of base stations. Further, the base station can align a clock associated therewith to the received synchronization signal. Moreover, the base station can coarsely align the clock to a first synchronization signal received upon a first subset of resources of the low reuse channel, and finely align the clock to a second synchronization signal received upon a second subset of resources (e.g., of the low reuse channel, of a separate channel, . . . ), where the second subset of resources can be reserved for transmission from at least one base station with at least a predetermined level of synchronous accuracy.
US08774075B2
A control message transmitting/receiving method in an MBMS-supporting mobile communication system. In the present invention, an RNC periodically transmits control messages related to MBMS RB setup to UEs. Thus, although a UE initially fails to receive an intended MBMS service, it can set up an MBMS RB by receiving a related retransmitted control message. Also, the RNC periodically provides information about ongoing MBMS services on a cell basis so that a UE can decide whether its requested MBMS service is in progress and request information required to set up an MBMS RB for the MBMS service to the RNC by individual signaling.
US08774068B2
Antenna switch structures having dual switches for swapping high band main and diversity signals and low band main and diversity signals on multiple antennas, including dual-band antennas. Related systems and devices are also described.
US08774065B2
A front end radio architecture (FERA) with power management is disclosed. The FERA includes a first power amplifier (PA) block having a first-first PA and a first-second PA, and a second PA block having a second-first PA and a second-second PA. First and second modulated switchers are adapted to selectively supply power to the first-first PA and the second-first PA, and to supply power to the first-second PA and the second-second PA, respectively. The first and second modulated switchers have a modulation bandwidth of at least 20 MHz and are both suitable for envelope tracking modulation. A control system is adapted to selectively enable and disable the first-first PA, first-second PA, the second-first PA, and the second-second PA. First and second switches are responsive to control signals to route carriers and received signals between first and second antennas depending upon a selectable mode of operation such as intra-band or inter-band operation.
US08774053B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, network element device, and network system for associating a terminal device with a network. The method for associating a terminal device with a network includes: receiving an Association Request message sent by a terminal device, where the Association Request message includes information of a request for associating the terminal device with a sensor network and an IP identifier; processing, according to the Association Request message, the request for associating the terminal device with a sensor network; when it is determined, according to the IP identifier, that the terminal device requests association with an IP network, sending an IP network Association Request message to an Edge Router; receiving a result of processing, by the Edge Router, the request for associating the terminal device with the IP network; sending an Association Respond message to the terminal device.
US08774050B2
In one embodiment, a computer network may include nodes and at least one root node. A first subset of the nodes may be located along a designated path (a directed acyclic graph (DAG)) through the computer network to the root node, where the first subset of nodes is configured to operate according to a first wake-up timer. A second subset of the nodes that are not along the designated path are in communication to at least one node of the first subset of nodes along the designated path, and operate according to a second wake-up timer that is longer than the first wake-up timer. In this manner, second subset of nodes may be awake less often, e.g., conserving energy.
US08774048B2
In general, techniques are described for link management to enable multimedia content mobility. More specifically, an apparatus may implement these techniques. The apparatus may comprise one or more wireless modems and a control unit. The one or more wireless modems receive multimedia content over a first wireless communication channel from a first application and establish a second wireless communication channel for communicating with a second application. The control unit then determines channel data corresponding to one or more characteristics associated with the second wireless communication channel and configures the at least one of the wireless modems based on the channel data. The configured at least one of the wireless modems forwards the received multimedia content to the second application to facilitate multimedia content mobility.
US08774027B2
A Channel State Information (CSI) request/feedback method and apparatus for a wireless communication system supporting carrier aggregation or bandwidth extension are provided. A base station sets a CSI request field of an Uplink (UL) grant for scheduling UL transmission on a UL Component Carrier (CC) corresponding to a Downlink (DL) CC of which CSI is requested, to a request value. The UL grant is transmitted to a terminal.
US08774023B2
A system and method are provided for identifying a change point in a set of data. The system performs the method by receiving a set of data. The data indicates a plurality of performance measurements from a measurement point in a network. Each of the plurality of measurements represents a single type of performance measurement made at the measurement point at each of a corresponding plurality of points in time. The method also includes dividing the set of data into a plurality of data points in a chronological order. Each data point has a value corresponding to the performance measurements. The method also includes ranking the data points in an ascending order, calculating a cumulative sum for each of the data points, calculating a change score for the set of data points. A change point is identified in the data set if the change score exceeds a predetermined confidence level.
US08774022B2
A scheduling technique for limiting a discontinuous spectrum to reduce control information to be transmitted from a base station (BS) to each of mobile stations. The method has a ranking means for ranking the mobile stations for each resource block depending on the channel status, and an allocation means for allocating the resource blocks to the mobile stations depending on the ranking of the mobile stations so that the number of resource blocks in a resource block group for one mobile station may be not more than a set number. The resource block group including at least one or more continuous resource blocks on the frequency axis.
US08774021B2
Apparatuses may stay synchronized with a network via a beacon signal that is transmitted at a set interval. Various communication-related activities may be planned around an instance when a beacon signal is expected, or a target beacon transmission time (TBTT). While some networked apparatuses are active during every TBTT, other apparatuses may operate using a diluted beacon period that is an integer multiple of the network beacon signal interval. Diluted beacon intervals may initiate periods of time during which apparatuses may become “aware” of other apparatuses. Awareness may comprise information related to communication configuration, apparatus status, and services offered by the various apparatuses in the network. Awareness information obtained during an awake window may also comprise information on data-related tasks that are pending in one or more apparatuses which may allow for the control of further data conveyance activities.
US08774018B1
Interactive inquiry and access to information via cellular networks is described. In an embodiment, a provided number entered via a device of a user to gain access to a network interface may be received, and the user may be enabled to enter a first queue. A broadcast may be transmitted by live or pre-recorded transmission via the network interface, and a specific entry that corresponds to a subject depicted in the transmission may be received. The receipt of the specific entry corresponding to a subject enables the user to enter a second queue containing topics of information related to the subject, and a selection for a desired topic of information and a media format preference for the delivery of that selected topic of information may be received. The receipt of the topic of information selection enables the user to enter a third queue where the selected topic of information may be delivered in the preferred media format.
US08774016B2
A network device includes a physical layer transceiver configured to receive incoming data on a data link at an input clock rate and to store the incoming data in a buffer. The physical layer transceiver includes a Media Independent Interface (MII) controller configured to receive the incoming data stored in the buffer and to transmit the incoming data over a MII bus based on a MII clock where the MII clock is a spread spectrum clock. The network device further includes a Media Access Control (MAC) device configured to receiving incoming data from the physical layer transceiver over the MII bus where the incoming data is clocked by the spread spectrum MII clock.
US08774015B2
An example method involves electrically coupling first and second nodes of a device to a port of a digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM) and to a first end of a communication circuit. The communication circuit facilitates electrical coupling of the port of the DSLAM to a central office switch at a second end of the communication circuit. A signature circuit is electrically coupled between the first and second nodes to generate a signature signal in response to a test signal injected onto the communication circuit at a second end of the communication circuit. The signature signal has a magnitude substantially proportional to the test signal. First and second conductors of the communication circuit are electrically coupled to respective ones of the first and second nodes. Third and fourth conductors of the port of the DSLAM are electrically coupled to respective ones of the first and second nodes.
US08774001B2
A relay device of relaying a communication packet is disclosed, which comprises: an input module configured to receive the communication packet as an input; a buffer configured to have a plurality of queues and temporarily accumulated the received communication packet; a sorter configured to sort the received communication packet to one of the plurality of queues, depending on a specific value obtained by a predetermined function that gives an aggregate output from an input which is transfer information regarding transfer of the communication packet; and a band controller configured to control a bandwidth for each of the plurality of queues and output communication packets accumulated in the plurality of queues for transmission of the communication packets. This ensures the quality of service, while saving the capacity of the buffer used for the queues.
US08773998B2
A technique that allows existing reservations to be partially preempted by higher-priority reservations. An intermediate node receives a request to reserve resources for the higher-priority reservation. The higher priority entitles the reservation to acquire resources allocated to existing lower priority reservations, if necessary. If sufficient unallocated resources are not available on the preempting system to accommodate the higher-priority reservation, an error message is generated and forwarded by the intermediate node towards a receiver associated with the reservation that is to be partially preempted. The error message contains an error code and an amount of resources available on the intermediate node. The receiver processes the error message including selecting a reservation to be torn down, tearing down the selected reservation and re-reserving resources for remaining reservations, as necessary.
US08773989B2
A method and system are described including retrieving a sparseness indication, retrieving an indication of a number of failed transmissions, comparing the sparseness indication to an optimal sparseness, comparing the number of failed transmissions to a first threshold, adjusting a size of a set of triggering events responsive to both the first and the second comparison, comparing a data buffer push rate to a data buffer arrival rate, further adjusting the size of the triggering set responsive to the third comparison, determining system fairness, comparing the size of the triggering set to a second threshold and further adjusting the size of the triggering set responsive to one of the determination and a combination of the determination and the fourth comparison.
US08773985B2
A method for admission control in a radio communications system that includes determining a quality of service (QoS) type of a service according to a QoS property of the service, determining a service satisfaction ratio of services that belong to the determined QoS type according to a result of the determining a QoS type, comparing the determined service satisfaction ratio with an admission threshold, and admitting the service if the determined service satisfaction ratio is greater than or equal to the admission threshold. An apparatus for admission control in the radio communications system is also provided. With the embodiments in the present disclosure, the resource utilization may be accurately calculated, and the admission control algorithm may be more easily developed and maintained.
US08773971B2
A method and an apparatus for receiving or transmitting a signal of a relay station in a wireless communication system are provided. The relay station receives or transmits a signal using radio resources indicated by backhaul resource allocation information. In this case, the radio resources include a plurality of symbols in a time domain, and the plurality of symbols have boundaries which are shifted based on symbols included in a frequency band allocated to a macro user equipment. And the radio resources include a plurality of subcarriers in a frequency domain, and at least one subcarrier adjacent to the frequency band allocated to the macro user equipment among the plurality of subcarriers is set to a guard subcarrier.
US08773969B1
The present disclosure includes systems and techniques relating to wireless local area network devices. Systems and techniques include multiplexing information for a single wireless communication device onto multiple radio pathways to produce a data packet, operating the multiple radio pathways to generate different portions of the data packet, and transmitting the data packet to the single wireless communication device by concurrent transmissions of the different portions of the data packet over different wireless channels.
US08773959B2
A magnetic recording head consists of a write pole and a near field transducer close to the write pole that focuses light energy to a focal point. A near field transducer is positioned to receive light energy from a waveguide. The near field transducer comprises an energy-receiving end and an energy-radiating end. The energy-receiving end is located near the focal point of the waveguide and the energy-radiating end is shaped such that it is narrower closer to the write pole and wider farther from the write pole.
US08773957B1
A disk drive is disclosed comprising a head actuated over a disk, wherein the head comprises a write element, a read element, and a laser operable to heat the disk while writing data to the disk. The disk is magnetized by writing a first test pattern to the disk using the write element and a first power applied to the laser. The magnetization of the first test pattern is destabilized by heating the disk using a second power applied to the laser, wherein the second power is less than the first power. After destabilizing the magnetization of the first test pattern, the first test pattern is read with the read element to generate a read signal, and the read signal is evaluated to detect a defect on the disk.
US08773946B2
A system and method are presented for producing a model of the interior of a building. The model is capable of receiving and dynamically incorporating input from various sources including, for example, existing static map data, data such as annotations and updates provided by persons on the scene but outside the building, and real-time data from sensors located on mobile persons or assets that are dynamically moving inside the building. In some cases, the moving persons or assets inside the building may carry a unit that emits sound or electromagnetic pulses, which reflect off the immediate surroundings in a particular room or portion of the building, and sense the reflected pulses. The reflections from relatively close features may arrive at the sensor more quickly than those from relatively distant features, so that temporal analysis of the reflected pulse may provide information about features in the building as a function of their distance away from the unit. Pulses may be emitted and received at multiple locations in a room or portion of the building. The reflected pulses may be analyzed, using specific time shifts that correspond to round-trip travel times in particular directions, so that the actual locations of features may be identified. By walking from room-to-room throughout the interior of a building and performing such analysis, much or all of the interior of a building may be mapped.
US08773941B2
A thin-film memory may include a thin-film transistor-free address decoder in conjunction with thin-film memory elements to yield an all-thin-film memory. Such a thin-film memory excludes all single-crystal electronic devices and may be formed, for example, on a low-cost substrate, such as fiberglass, glass or ceramic. The memory may be configured for operation with an external memory controller.
US08773938B2
A semiconductor device includes a drive circuit that outputs a drive signal to drive an external device; a voltage output circuit that outputs a first voltage and a second voltage that is larger than the first voltage; a selector that, when supplying a power supply voltage to the drive circuit, selects the first voltage and, when supplying a power supply voltage to an internal device, selects the second voltage; and a step-up circuit that, when the first voltage selected by the selector is input, boosts the first voltage to a third voltage and outputs the third voltage as the power supply voltage to the drive circuit and, when the second voltage selected by the selector is inputted, boosts the second voltage to a fourth voltage and outputs the fourth voltage as the power supply voltage to the internal device.
US08773936B2
In an exemplary aspect, the present invention provides a semiconductor memory device including sense amplifiers that drive bit lines to which memory cells are connected, and driver transistors that supply a power supply to the sense amplifiers, wherein the sense amplifiers are arranged in rows and constitutes a first sense-amplifier row in which transistors of a first conductive type are arranged and a second sense-amplifier row in which transistors of a second conductive type are arranged, and the driver transistors constitutes at least one transistor row including a first driver transistor of the first conductive type corresponding to the first sense-amplifier row and a second driver transistor of the second conductive type corresponding to the second sense-amplifier row between the first sense-amplifier row and the second sense-amplifier row.
US08773932B2
A built-in self-test circuit (BIST) applied to a high speed I/O port is provided. The BIST circuit includes a detecting unit, a flag unit and a selecting unit. The detecting unit has a first input terminal for receiving a serial output signal, a second input terminal for receiving a serial enable signal, and an output terminal for generating a detection signal. The flag unit receives the detection signal and generates a flag signal. The selecting unit receives the serial output signal, the serial enable signal and the flag signal. When a reset signal is at a first level, the selecting unit transmits the serial output signal and the serial enable signal to the I/O port. When the reset signal is at a second level, the serial output signal and the serial enable signal possesses a predetermined relationship.
US08773925B2
A multi-level dynamic random-access memory (MLDRAM) represents an original bit combination of more than one bit using a cell voltage stored in a single memory cell. The cell voltage is in one of a number of discrete analog voltage ranges each corresponding to a respective one of the possible values of the bit combination. In reading a selected memory cell, stored charge is conveyed via a local bitline to a preamplifier. The preamplifier amplifies the signal on the local bitline and drives a global bitline with an analog signal representative of the stored voltage. A digitizer converts the analog signal on the global bitline into a read bit combination. The read bit combination is then moved to a data cache over the global bitline. The data cache writes an analog voltage back to the memory cell to write a new value or restore data destroyed in reading the cell.
US08773923B2
A method for writing a memory cell in a specific write cycle is provided. The method includes the following steps: providing a first signal having a first transition edge in the specific write cycle; providing a second signal having a second transition edge in the specific write cycle, wherein the second transition edge lags behind the first transition edge; providing a first voltage level to the memory cell; and lowering the first voltage level to a second voltage level in the specific write cycle for writing the memory cell in response to the second transition edge. A memory device is also provided.
US08773922B2
A non-volatile semiconductor memory device and related method of determining a read voltage are disclosed. The non-volatile semiconductor memory device includes; a memory cell array including a plurality of memory cells, a read voltage determination unit configured to determine an optimal read voltage by comparing reference data obtained during a program operation with comparative data obtained during a subsequent read operation and changing a current read voltage to a new read voltage based on a result of the comparison, and a read voltage generation unit configured to generate the new read voltage in response to a read voltage control signal provided by the read voltage determination unit.
US08773917B2
Methods and devices for sensing non-volatile storage are disclosed. Technology disclosed herein reduces the time for sensing operations of non-volatile storage such as read and program verify. In one embodiment, a kicking voltage is applied to a selected word line during a sensing operation. The kicking voltage may be applied to one end of a selected word line during a transition from a first reference voltage to a second reference voltage. The kicking voltage may help the other end of the word line reach the second reference voltage quickly. Since the bit lines can be sensed after the selected word line has reached the target reference voltage, the time delay prior to sensing of the bit lines may be reduced.
US08773911B2
An erase method of a semiconductor device includes performing an operation comprised of supplying an erase pulse to erase the memory cells of a memory block, performing an erase verify operation for detecting memory cells of the memory block having threshold voltages dropped to a target erase voltage, from among the memory cells, performing a pre-program operation on the memory cells having the threshold voltages dropped to the target erase voltage, if, as a result of the erase verify operation, the memory block comprises memory cells having the threshold voltages higher than the target erase voltage and the memory cells having the threshold voltages dropped to the target erase voltage, and repeating the operation of supplying an erase pulse, the erase verify operation, and the pre-program operation until the threshold voltages of all the memory cells drop to the target erase voltage.
US08773895B2
A memory cell with an internal supply feedback loop is provided herein. The memory cell includes a latch having two storage nodes Q and QB, and a supply node. A gating device couples the supply node of the latch to the supply voltage. The gating device is controlled by a feedback loop coming from storage node QB. Due to the aforementioned asymmetric topology, the writing of logic “1” and the writing of logic “0” are carried out differently. Contrary to standard SRAM cells, in the hold states, only the QB storage node presents a valid value of stored data. The feedback loop cuts off the supply voltage for the latch such that the latch is no longer an inverting latch. By cutting off the supply voltage at the stable hold states, while maintaining readability of the memory cell, leakage currents associated with the hold states are eliminated altogether.
US08773881B2
Methods of forming memory devices include providing a substrate, forming source, channel, and drain layers over the substrate, and patterning the source, channel, and drain layers into an array of memory switches each having a cross-sectional area less than 6 F2. The channel layer has a doping type different from a doping type of the source layer, and the drain layer has a doping type different from a doping type of the channel layer.
US08773878B2
A three-phase reactor power saving device, comprising: a first capacitor set, connected electrically to a three-phase AC power supply, to store electric energy; a reactor set, connected electrically to said first capacitor set, to convert said electric energy into AC self-induced energy; a three-phase transformer, connected electrically to said reactor set, to boost said AC self-induced energy into boosted AC self-induced energy; a second capacitor set, connected electrically to said three-phase transformer, to store said boosted AC self-induced energy; a rectifier circuit, connected electrically to said three-phase transformer, to rectify current of said boosted AC self-induced energy into a DC current; a power regulating capacitor, connected electrically to said rectifier circuit; and a first DC reactor and a second DC reactor, connected electrically to said rectifier circuit, to output first DC self-induced energy and second DC self-induced energy to said load, to raise power saving efficiency.
US08773877B2
A power supply circuit enabling provision of good energy efficiency and downsizing is provided. A power supply circuit 1 according to the present invention includes: input terminals 2, 2 connected to a commercial power supply 10; a winding 4 serially connected between the input terminals 2, 2 via input conductors 3; and a plurality of output terminals 6A, 6B connected to opposite ends of respective windings 4A and 4B resulting from dividing the entire winding 4 into a plurality of parts via output conductors, the respective output terminals 6A and 6B being independently connected to respective loads 20A and 20B.
US08773873B2
A power conversion system for providing power to an electrical grid is described. The power conversion system includes a power converter coupled to a power source and the electrical grid. The power conversion system also includes a converter controller coupled to the power converter and configured to control operation of the power converter to actively cancel harmonic current received at the power converter from the electrical grid.
US08773870B2
A converter section (2) includes three pairs of switching elements (Srp, . . . , Stn), each pair having two switching elements connected in series between two direct current links (L1, L2), and phases of an input three-phase alternating current are connected to nodes between the series-connected switching elements one by one. Each of the switching elements (Srp, . . . , Stn) is made of a transistor having a bipolar structure. The control unit (5) controls the switching elements (Srp, . . . , Stn) such that line voltages between a reference phase, which is one of the phases of the input three-phase alternating current, and each of the other phases are output to the two direct current links (L1, L2) on a time division basis. The control unit (5) applies a predetermined gate voltage to one or more of the switching elements (Srp, . . . , Stn) to which a reverse bias is applied.
US08773869B2
A method and apparatus for conversion of high voltage AC to low voltage high current DC without using high voltage capacitors or transformers. A single switch is used to perform both the functions of pre-regulation and switching conversion. An input voltage detector determines when the input power AC is below a predetermined voltage limit. A threshold voltage generator provides a threshold voltage corresponding to the output voltage. A voltage comparator coupled to the input voltage detector and threshold voltage generator enables a pulse generator to activate the switch to gate a number of pulses of the input power below the predetermined voltage limit at predetermined frequency to a transformer. The converter regulates its output voltage by changing the input voltage threshold at which it starts switching, instead of using PWM or other known regulation technique.
US08773867B2
A camera module is disclosed. The camera module in accordance with the present invention includes: a printed circuit board having a grounding pad formed on one surface thereof; a housing mounted on an upper side of the printed circuit board and including a lens inside thereof; a shield covering the housing in order to shield electromagnetic waves from an outside and having an opening cavity formed therein in correspondence with a location of the grounding pad; and a solder formed in the opening cavity and connecting the shield with the grounding pad.
US08773865B2
An electronic circuit module and a method of manufacturing the electronic circuit module are disclosed. In one embodiment, the electronic circuit module includes i) a substrate on which a circuit is formed, ii) a plurality of electrical devices electrically connected to the circuit and iii) a first molding unit coated on the substrate to cover at least the electrical devices. The module further includes i) a test terminal unit comprising a plurality of test wires and configured to inspect the circuit, wherein each of the test wires comprises a first end electrically connected to the circuit and a second end exposed from the first molding unit, and wherein the second ends of the test wires form an inspection unit and are adjacent to each other on the substrate and ii) a second molding unit coated on the substrate to cover the second ends of the test wires.
US08773864B2
Various embodiments of the invention relate to enclosure assemblies housing at least one electronic board assembly and systems (e.g., missiles or unmanned vehicles) that may employ such enclosure assemblies. In an embodiment, an enclosure assembly includes an enclosure having an interior surface defining an interior space and an inner diameter. At least one electronic board assembly is positioned within the interior space and includes a first peripheral edge region and an opposing second peripheral edge region. The electronic board assembly extends diametrically so that the first and second peripheral edge regions are at least proximate to the interior surface. In another embodiment, a plurality of electronic board assemblies are positioned within the interior space and each extends generally along a respective non-diametric chord defined by the interior surface.
US08773854B2
A thermosiphon system includes a condenser and an evaporator fluidically coupled to the condenser by a condensate line. The evaporator includes a housing having an opening to the condensate line, a wick located in the housing, and a flow restrictor located in the housing configured to restrict flow of a working fluid from the condensate line onto a portion of the wick.
US08773847B2
A watch type mobile terminal may be provided that includes a display, a band coupled to a main body, and a support member having a first portion provided at an outer perimeter of the window hole and a second portion that extends from the first portion toward the central area of the window hole to cover the edge of the window hole. The mobile terminal may also include a window having a first surface facing an exterior of the main body and a second surface formed on an opposite side of the window, and at least a portion of the first surface of the window is covered by the second portion of the support member. A ring member may also be provided between the first portion of the support member and the window.
US08773846B2
A connecting assembly for connecting a first member and a second member, and the connecting assembly includes a resilient receiver and a securing plug. The second member defines a through hole. The resilient receiver is fixed to the first member and also defines a receiving space. A top of the resilient receiver passes through the through hole. The securing plug is configured to be inserted into the receiving space, which expands a part of the resilient receiver so as to fix the top of the resilient receiver on the second member thereby connecting the first member with the second member. Present disclosure also provides an electronic apparatus having the connecting assembly.
US08773845B2
A docking station for an iPad or the like, having a base, a support on the base for releasably holding an iPad, an operating circuit for amplifying an audio signal received from the iPad, and speakers connected to the operating circuit for reproducing sound based on the audio signal amplified by the operating circuit. The support is movable between two angular positions for supporting the iPad in portrait and landscape orientations. The support is also movable to change the direction in which the iPad faces, between left and right orientations.
US08773843B2
Provided is a solid electrolytic capacitor which retains a high capacitance and a low ESR and has high heat resistance. The solid electrolytic capacitor (10) is obtained by winding a porous anode foil (11) having a dielectric layer formed thereon and a cathode foil (14) together with separators (15) each interposed therebetween, the separators (15) having a solid electrolyte (13) supported thereon. Each layer of the solid electrolyte comprises a conductive composite (a) of a cationized conductive polymer with a polymer anion, a first hydroxy compound (b) having four or more hydroxy groups, and a second hydroxy compound (c) having an amino group and one or more hydroxy groups, the content of the conductive composite (a), in terms of mass proportion, being lower than that of the first hydroxy compound (b) and higher than that of the second hydroxy compound (c).
US08773837B2
An embodiment of the invention provides a method for generating ions within a space separating an emitter and a reference electrode, the method comprising: generating a variable number of small sharp pulses and rate of the pulses depending on the distance of the target from the emitter.
US08773835B2
A system for and method of providing overload protection for an active material actuator, includes a magnetically functioning mechanism comprising, for example, one or more permanent or electromagnets, and/or magnetorheological fluid, and configured to produce a holding force less than the capacity of the actuator, and more preferably, a modifiable holding force responsive to load influencing conditions.
US08773823B2
A structure for protecting an integrated circuit connected to first and second rails of a differential link against overvoltages, including: a first bidirectional conducting device, between the first rail and a common node; a second bidirectional conducting device, between the second rail and the common node; and a capacitor between the common node and a low reference potential rail.
US08773813B2
A disk drive device is provided with a recording disk, a base member, a bearing unit, and a hub member. In a marking step, unbalance information indicating the displacement of the center of gravity of the hub member with respect to the rotation center of the hub member is acquired, and an information mark containing the unbalance information is applied to at least the hub member or the base member. In an installing and adjustment step, the unbalance information is read form the information mark, and the position for installing the recording disk in an outer cylinder part is determined in accordance with the unbalance information so as to install the recording disk on the hub member.
US08773811B2
Various embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for data processing. As an example, a data processing system is disclosed that includes Various embodiments of the present invention provide data processing systems that include an analog to digital converter circuit and a phase and gain computation circuit. The analog to digital converter circuit is operable to convert an analog input into a series of digital samples. At least a portion of the series of digitals samples represent a periodic signal from a servo data region. The phase and gain computation circuit is operable to: determine an approximate amplitude of the periodic signal based at least in part upon the digital samples representing the periodic signal from the servo data region; determine a gain based at least in part on the approximate amplitude; and determine a phase based at least in part on the approximate amplitude.
US08773802B1
A disk drive is disclosed comprising a head actuated over a disk and a fly height actuator operable to control a fly height of the head in response to a fly height control signal. A touchdown operation is executed to set an operating fly height control signal by adjusting the fly height control signal until the head contacts the disk. A fly height calibration track is then read to set a fly height reference. When calibrating the operating fly height control signal, the fly height calibration track is read and the operating fly height control signal is adjusted in response to the fly height reference. When the adjusted operating fly height control signal is invalid, the touchdown operation is re-executed to reset the operating fly height control signal and then the fly height calibration track is read to reset the fly height reference.
US08773794B2
Various embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for data processing. As an example, a block-wise data processing circuit is discussed that includes: a data buffer, an inter-track interference response circuit, and an inter-track interference signal estimator circuit. The data buffer is operable to store a previous track data set corresponding to a block. The inter-track interference response circuit is operable to estimate an inter-track interference response from the previous track data set across the block based at least in part on the previous track data set and a current track data set. The inter-track interference signal estimator circuit is operable to calculate an inter-track interference from the previous track data set across the block based at least in part on the previous track data set and the inter-track interference response from the previous track data set.
US08773789B1
In one embodiment, a read/write chip for a hard disc drive has at least one on-chip, in-channel, hardware-based optimization processor that is part of one or more channels (e.g., read, write, and/or servo) of the read/write chip. The optimization processor can iteratively evaluate the performance of a channel for different values of one or more different parameters that control channel processing by generating an appropriate metric value for each different parameter value. The optimization processor can then select an optimal parameter value for subsequent channel processing.
US08773788B2
Various embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for calibrating write pre-compensation values.
US08773783B2
An optical system includes, in order from an object side to an image side, a front unit having a positive refractive power, an aperture diaphragm, and a rear unit. The front unit includes a first lens unit having a positive refractive power. The rear unit includes a second unit adjacent to the aperture diaphragm and configured to move in focusing. The first lens unit includes n (which is an integer of 2 or higher) positive lenses and one or more negative lenses. The materials of at least two positive lenses of the n positive lenses in the first lens unit satisfy 0.0100<ΔθgF where ΔθgF is an abnormal partial dispersion of each material. The material of one or more positive lenses of the n positive lenses in the first lens unit satisfies 0.0272<ΔθgF. Additional conditional expressions are satisfied.
US08773772B2
A lens optical system includes first, second, third, and fourth lenses that are arranged between an object and an image sensor, in order from an object side, wherein the first lens has positive refractive power and an incident surface that is convex toward the object, the second lens has negative refractive power and both surfaces of which are concave, the third lens has positive refractive power and a meniscus shape that is convex toward the image sensor, and the fourth lens has negative refractive power and at least one of an incident surface and an exit surface of which is an aspherical surface, wherein the system satisfies the inequality, 3.0
US08773769B2
There is provided a lens module, including: a first lens having positive refractive power, an object-sided surface thereof being convex; a second lens having negative refractive power, an image-sided surface thereof being concave; a third lens having positive refractive power; a fourth lens having negative refractive power, an image-sided surface thereof being convex; and a fifth lens having negative refractive power, an image-sided surface thereof being concave, wherein the fourth lens satisfies Conditional Expression 1, f 4 f < - 3.0 [ Conditional Expression 1 ] where f is an overall focal distance of an optical system and f4 is a focal distance of the fourth lens.
US08773764B2
The present invention relates to a fiber laser system for processing materials involving a system of interconnected operational components for combining and optionally distributing beams from multiple beam emitters. More particularly, the present invention provides a system for combining and distributing fiber laser beams having different wavelengths and a method for operating the system thereof. Multiple beam combiners may be optionally linked with a beam distribution system. In exemplary use, multiple fiber laser sources generating different wavelength outputs are combined in a single beam incident of a work piece comprising multiple layers.
US08773763B2
A tamper indicating optical security device that operates to produce one or more synthetic images is provided. Any attempt to detach (e.g., forcibly remove) this device from an underlying base material will cause one or more layers of the security device to separate or delaminate, rending the device partially or totally inoperable. The inventive device is contemplated for use with, among other things, currency or banknotes, secure documents such as bonds, checks, travelers checks, identification cards, lottery tickets, passports, postage stamps, and stock certificates, as well as non-secure documents such as stationery items and labels. The inventive device is also contemplated for use with consumer goods as well as bags or packaging used with consumer goods.
US08773761B2
An optical member and a microscope that allow acquiring brighter and sharper images when fluorescent observation is performed while stimulating a sample with light. Illumination light from a laser unit is split into stimulation light and excitation light by a dichroic mirror. In other words, half of the illumination light is transmitted through the dichroic mirror and becomes the stimulation light, and half of the illumination light is reflected by the dichroic mirror and becomes the excitation light. Half of the excitation light is reflected by a dichroic mirror and is irradiated onto a sample, and half of the stimulation light transmits through the dichroic mirror and is irradiated onto the sample. Fluorescence generated from the sample is totally reflected by the dichroic mirror and the dichroic mirror, and is received by a photodetector.
US08773757B2
The present invention provides a slit-scan multi-wavelength confocal lens module, utilizing at least two lenses having chromatic aberration for splitting a broadband light into continuously linear spectral lights having different focal length respectively. The present invention utilizes the confocal lens module employing slit-scan confocal principle and chromatic dispersion techniques and the confocal microscopy with optical sectioning ability and high resolution in spectral dispersion to establish a confocal microscopy method and system with long DOF and high resolution, capable of modulating a broadband light to produce the axial chromatic dispersion and focus on different depths toward an object's surface for obtaining the reflected light spectrum from the surface. Thereafter, the spectrum is spatially filtered by a slit and then a peak position with respect to the filtered spectrum along the scanning line is detected by a spectral image sensing unit for generating the sectional profile of the measured surface.
US08773752B2
Optical Raman fiber amplifier (20), with an amplification fiber, wherein at least one section thereof has a ratio of Raman gain coefficient gR to Brillouin gB gain coefficient of gR/gB larger than 0.001 at the fiber operating temperature and a vacuum wavelength of 1064 nm. The invention further refers to a corresponding light source, the use of a fiber and a method of amplifying light.
US08773740B2
An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of optical scanning devices, a job receiver, a job executor, an image discriminator for discriminating whether a formation-target image included in an image forming job is a single-color image or a multi-color image, a first condition judger, a second condition judger and a temperature adjuster. In the case of forming a single-color image, the temperature adjuster drives motors of all the optical scanning devices if a predetermined first condition and a predetermined second condition are satisfied and drives the motor of one optical scanning device and does not drive the motors of the other optical scanning devices but the one optical scanning device if the first condition is satisfied, but the second condition is not satisfied.
US08773721B2
A connection unit receives image data to be printed and image information on a type of the image data from an external device. A pseudo-halftone processing unit converts the image data into pseudo-halftone image data. When the image information received from the external device indicates that the type of the image data is a point-of-purchase advertising image, the pseudo-halftone processing unit performs a pseudo-halftone processing on the image data at a quantization level of three or more bits on a pixel and takes a growth order causing all pixels in a low-density area to grow averagely.
US08773716B2
A print color predicting apparatus, a print color predicting method, and a recording medium having a program recorded therein acquire a spectral reflectance of a print, estimate a plurality of sets of optical property values of a protective film that covers the print, depending on the spectral reflectance of the print, and predict a spectral reflectance of a protective-film-covered print, using the spectral reflectance of the print and the sets of optical property values of the protective film.
US08773714B2
According to one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes a scanner, a setting unit, and a control unit. The scanner is configured to read a document. The setting unit is configured to receive an instruction to append a display image to a signature field of a PDF. The control unit is configured to generate the PDF by appending the display image to the signature field, for the document.
US08773713B2
An image processing apparatus including: a calculation portion that calculates a first process time period required for a case where image processes are executed by a reconfiguration process mode, and a second process time period required for a case where the image processes are executed by a pipeline process mode, based on the number of pixels of image information of an input print job and contents of processes of the input print job; and an activation portion that activates a plurality of dynamic reconfigurable processors (DRPs) according to a process mode having a shorter time period in the first process time period and the second process time period.
US08773708B2
An image forming apparatus according to the present invention is capable of connecting a removable storage device that stores operation data controlling an operation of the image forming apparatus. When a shutdown instruction of the image forming apparatus is received from a user, it is determined whether or not it is necessary to execute an operation using the operation data stored in the removable storage device. In a case that it is determined that it is necessary to execute an operation using the operation data, the image forming apparatus stores the operation data stored in the removable storage device into an incorporated non-volatile storage unit and shots down, and then restart. After the restart is performed, it is controlled so that an operation using the operation data that has been stored in the incorporated non-volatile storage unit is executed.
US08773706B2
Methods disclosed facilitate the dynamic addition of language support for peripherals. In some embodiments, peripherals may read in language strings in a previously unsupported language from a data file and populate memory locations with the strings. The memory locations may be logically addressed using an index value associated with the previously unsupported language and identifier associated with the string. In some embodiments, the identifier associated with the string in the previously unsupported language may correspond to the identifier associated with a translated equivalent of the string in a language that is natively supported by the printer.
US08773696B2
A document generation method and system using speech data, and an image forming apparatus including the document generation system. The method includes setting document editing information including at least one of document form information and sentence pattern information for editing a document when the speech data is generated as the document; converting the speech data into text; and generating the text as the document based on the document editing information.
US08773686B2
An image processing method includes printing out a layout mark-sensing sheet indicating a plurality of different sample image layout options that graphically indicate different layouts of an image to be printed on a recording medium that has a specific shape. The layout mark-sensing sheet allows a user to mark the layout mark-sensing sheet to designate a specific image layout option from among the plurality of different sample image layout options. The layout mark-sensing sheet marked by the user is read and the image is printed on the recording medium based on the specific image layout option marked by the user on the layout mark-sensing sheet.
US08773683B2
When a user uses one of a plurality of image forming apparatuses from one of a plurality of terminals, an authentication server determines, on a user by user basis, whether he/she is permitted to use each image forming apparatus, and detects if any of the image forming apparatuses is in a troubled state and incapable of executing a prescribed function. If one image forming apparatus is in a troubled state and the user requests another, trouble-free image forming apparatus to execute a job utilizing a function of the trouble-free image forming apparatus, the authentication server permits execution of the job if the user is permitted to use the image forming apparatus in the troubled state. Thus, the user can get a print even if a usually used image forming apparatus is unavailable.
US08773678B2
A media processing device enables conveying media fed from different paths into a common path in a stable conveyance state to the scanning position of a scanner. A check processing device has a path switching member that selectively bridges a back path for conveying checks and a card path to a downstream path, which is a common path. The path switching member changes position and switches the connected paths in conjunction with movement of a shutter that covers the open part of a nozzle cap used to cap the nozzle face of the inkjet head at the back path.
US08773671B2
An image processing apparatus that can be controlled according to multiple control methods for multiple types of control. The image processing apparatus includes a user identifier obtaining unit that obtains a user identifier; a specification input receiving unit that receives the input of one type of control specified from among multiple types of control as well as one of multiple control methods that are supplied for each type of control; a control method setting unit that, based on the specification input received by the specification input receiving unit, performs default configuration that sets one of the multiple control methods that are supplied for each of the other multiple types of control; a control method storage unit that stores the control method for the specified type of control as well as control methods for the other types of control set by the control method setting unit while associating them with the user that is specified by the user identifier obtained by the user identifier obtaining unit; and a controller that executes control with regard to the multiple types of control in accordance with the control methods stored in the control method storage unit.
US08773670B2
A method accurately monitors the progress of polishing and accurately detects the polishing end point. The method includes directing light to the substrate during polishing of the substrate, receiving reflected light from the substrate, measuring an intensity of the reflected light at each wavelength, and producing a spectrum indicating a relationship between intensity and wavelength from measured values of the intensity. The method also includes calculating an amount of change in the spectrum per predetermined time, integrating the amount of change in the spectrum with respect to polishing time to obtain an amount of cumulative change in the spectrum, and monitoring the progress of polishing of the substrate based on the amount of cumulative change in the spectrum.
US08773669B2
According to one embodiment, an optical device includes emission of an image projecting light source and emission of an optical path length measuring light source are provided by a light projecting device and respective beams are directed to a moveable mirror. In accordance with the movement of moveable mirror, an image projecting light scans a target and an image is displayed. Reflected light is scattered from the target and reaches a photodetector. By calculating the time difference of reference light and reflected light detected by the photodetector, the distance of the optical device and a reflection point of an optical path length measuring light is computed. By combining the computed optical path length data and angle data of the moveable mirror, the reflecting point of the optical path length measuring light is determined.
US08773666B2
Device and method for acquiring position with a confocal Fabry-Perot interferometer. In a general aspect, the device for acquiring position may include an arrangement for acquiring position where the acquiring arrangement has a confocal Fabry-Perot interferometer. In another general aspect, a method for acquiring position may include generating an interference pattern dependent on a position of an object by a confocal Fabry-Perot interferometer; detecting the interference pattern to obtain a measuring signal; and evaluating the measuring signal.
US08773661B2
A sheathless flow cytometry system is disclosed wherein a fluid containing particles of interest is illuminated in the sensing region with a light source. Light resulting from the interaction of the particles with the illumination is received by a lens, and focused toward a field stop having an aperture comprising relatively large end portions and a relatively small center portion. Light deflectors are disposed over the relatively large end portions of the aperture. The system is arranged such that light from particles in focus in the sensing region is focused on the relatively small center portion of the aperture. Peripheral detectors receive light from the light deflectors, and a center light detector receives light passing through the center portion. The detector signals may be used to identify which of the detector signals correspond to particles in focus as they passed through the sensing region.
US08773659B2
An apparatus and method are disclosed for producing spectrographic images free of SI, SII, and SIII field aberrations. The apparatus includes a focusing element placed at a distance from a dispersing element equal to the radius of curvature of the focusing element. The apparatus further includes at least one correcting plate for adding or subtracting abberations.
US08773655B2
The present invention relates to a total luminous flux measurement system and a method thereof for measuring a total luminous flux of a light emitting component. The total luminous flux measurement system includes a light receiving module, a first light detector and a processing module. The light receiving module is disposed on a central normal of the light emitting component and divides a projection light field to a forward light field and a side light field. The light receiving module receives a beam in the forward light field to obtain a forward luminous flux. The first light detector is disposed on a side of the light receiving module to receive a beam in the side light field to obtain a first side luminous flux. The processing module electrically connects the light receiving module and the first light detector to calculate the total luminous flux at the light emitting component.
US08773653B2
An attitude correction apparatus includes a pair of opposing laser emitters that face each other. Each of the laser emitters includes a laser oscillator to generate a laser beam, a condenser lens to emit the laser beam toward the head suspension, and galvanomirrors to adjust the directivity of an optical axis of the laser beam from a standby state toward a spot on the head suspension. The condenser lens of each laser emitter is positioned so that the directivity of the optical axis of the laser beam in the standby state disagrees with an optical path that passes through the condenser lens and laser oscillator of the other laser emitter.
US08773652B2
The invention comprises a process for pre-aligning a lens with an optical system, the process comprising: providing a lens and an optical system having an optical axis, wherein the lens is apt to be aligned with the optical system to form on an image plane an image of a source object, the image having top, bottom, left and right edges; coarsely positioning the lens with respect to the optical system; and in a plane normal to the optical axis of the optical system, correcting the position of the lens until the values of four Combination Modulation Transfer Functions (C-MTF) are in predetermined ranges, the C-MTF being calculated at four coarse measurement locations situated close to the edges of the image along two coarse positioning axes crossing the center of the image, each for a combination pattern comprising a combination of a Sagittal pattern and a Tangential pattern.
US08773651B2
A method and an apparatus serve for visualizing a signature mark on a spectacle lens. In order to identify the signature mark, an illumination light beam is directed onto the spectacle lens, which impinges on the spectacle lens, after impinging on the spectacle lens is reflected at a retroreflector, impinges once again on the spectacle lens, and finally is passed as an observation light beam to a camera. A reflection region of the illumination light beam on the reflector is varied by means of a moved first optical element.
US08773645B2
A distance measuring device including a polarizing element disposed on a plane conjugate with a pupil of an objective lens, an optical rotatory plate rotating a polarizing axis of light which has passed through the polarizing element, a polarization separation element separating light which has passed through the optical rotatory plate into a first light beam and a second light beam, a first imaging element forming a first image by the first light beam, a second imaging element forming a second image by the second light beam, and a focus detector detecting a focus state based on relative deviation between the first image and the second image which correspond to a same region of a subject.
US08773644B2
An optical beam scanner includes a light source, an optical scanner configured to scan a light beam irradiated from the light source, and an input optical system configured to direct the light beam irradiated from the light source to the optical scanner, wherein the optical scanner includes a rotating mirror configured to rotate around a rotational axis and reflect the light beam irradiated from the light source; the rotating mirror is rotated around the rotational axis so that the light beam is irradiated on differing positions of a mirror surface of the rotating mirror; and the mirror surface of the rotating mirror has a mirror surface inclining angle with respect to a direction parallel to the rotational axis that is arranged to gradually increase from a first side to a second side of the rotating mirror in a direction parallel to a plane perpendicular to the rotational axis.
US08773628B2
Provided are thin film transistor substrates, thin film transistor liquid crystal displays, thin film transistors, TFT substrates for liquid crystal displays, liquid crystal displays provided with TFT substrates and liquid crystals, pixel electrodes for driving a liquid crystals, and transparent electrodes, an processes for the preparation thereof.
US08773619B2
A liquid crystal display includes a liquid crystal panel, a first polarizer plate stacked on an upper surface of the liquid crystal panel, and a second polarizer plate stacked on a lower surface of the liquid crystal panel. The first polarizer plate may have an absorption axis inclination of +0.1 to +0.2 degrees, or the second polarizer plate may have an absorption axis inclination of −0.04 to less than 0 or greater than 0 to +0.1 degrees.
US08773609B2
Provided is a technique related to a thin display device having a frame structure in which accuracy is ensured. First and second restricting convex portions (84, 85) are formed on the inner parts of a bending hole portion (83). A restricting face (84a) which is an end portion of the first restricting convex portion (84) takes an angle of 45 degrees sloping from upper left to the lower right. A restricting face (85a) which is an end portion of the second restricting convex portion (85) takes an angle of 45 degrees sloping from upper right to lower left. When bending processing is performed, the restricting face (84a) of the first restricting convex portion (84) abuts against the restricting face (85a) of the second restricting projection portion (85).
US08773601B2
A display device includes: an image display unit having a plurality of pixels each including a plurality of sub-pixels with colors different from one another, the sub-pixels displaying an image for a right eye and an image for a left eye; and a light shielding unit configured to cause parallax to be generated between the two eyes. In the image display unit, each of the sub-pixels is substantially square and arranged in such a manner as to correspond to a corresponding lattice point of a triangular lattice. In the light shielding unit, a shape of a light shielding barrier in a state in which a display device body is oriented in a vertical direction is different from a shape of the light shielding barrier in a state in which the display device body is oriented in a horizontal direction.
US08773591B1
A method of interacting with a television screen using a remote control having a viewing screen. The method includes the following: (1) displaying a boundary-identifier, on the viewing screen that is substantially transparent, to specify the boundary of a quadrilateral having a shape thereof dynamically depending upon at least one of the location of the viewing screen and the surface orientation of the viewing screen, wherein the surface orientation of the viewing screen is the orientation of the normal vector perpendicular to the viewing screen; and (2) detecting one or more positions being touched on the viewing screen after the boundary-identifier is displayed on the viewing screen.
US08773586B2
Systems and methods of rendering a motion image. Input temporal image-samples are temporally interpolated to create the output sequence and an intentional, periodic motion-judder component that is visible when the output temporal image-samples are displayed is introduced.
US08773579B2
An accessory is an accessary controlled by a camera. The accessory includes an information holding section that holds predetermined information by which the camera determines whether or not the accessary requests a supply of power consumed in the accessory to the camera.
US08773565B2
A displaying unit displays an indicator by superimposing it on the selected representative image, the indicator indicating a reproduction start position in a segment of moving image data corresponding to a selected representative image; and a reproduction controller adapted to determine a reproduction start position in the segment of moving image data corresponding to the selected representative image on the basis of the display position of the indicator within the display region corresponding to the selected representative image, and the total reproduction time of the segment of moving image data corresponding to the selected representative image.
US08773556B2
A signal processing device includes a preprocessing unit interpolating a G color component to positions of a pixel of interest and a pixel having the same color component as the pixel of interest so as to produce a first G interpolation signal; a proximity G pixel G color difference and R/B pixel producing unit producing a first R-G/B-G color difference signal on the positions of the pixel of interest and the pixel having the same color component, producing a second R-G/B-G color difference signal on a position of a proximity G pixel, and interpolating the R/B color component to the position of the proximity G pixel; a G color difference re-constitution processing unit re-constituting a third R-G/B-G color difference signal on the position of the pixel of interest; and a G color difference interpolation processing unit interpolating an R-G/B-G color difference signal to a position of a predetermined pixel.
US08773554B2
An imaging apparatus according to the present invention can generate an image from an output of an image sensor to record the image as an image file, and record first information and second information onto the image file as additional information. Accordingly, the imaging apparatus can provide a user or a staff person of a repair center with useful information regarding a failure, repair, and replacement that conventionally could not be provided.
US08773545B2
An image processing method for executing color conversion processing on input image data by taking into consideration chromatic adaptation, includes: executing color conversion processing by taking into consideration an adaptation factor indicating an extent of adaptation to an illumination condition under which a scene where an input image is obtained is illuminated or an adaptation factor indicating an extent of adaptation to a viewing condition where the input image is observed; and altering the adaptation factor in correspondence to a color of a conversion target pixel.
US08773539B2
A camera module test and focus controlling apparatus includes: a base with four actuators therein; a socket frame on one upper side of the base, and rotated by a first actuator; socket boards on both sides of the frame, lifted and lowered by a second actuator, and mounted with a camera module; a collet unit on the upper part of the base, disposed in vertical alignment with the boards, and rotated by a fourth actuator on the base; a rotational shaft on the base upper part, and connected to one side of a third actuator; a plate on an upper part of the shaft rotated by the third actuator, having a lens and an illuminating unit thereon; a first chart unit on the plate; and a second chart unit parallel with the base upper part, fixed to an upper part of a connection member vertically extended from the base.
US08773533B2
A detection system on detecting a light source or an object irradiated by the light source serving as an object to be photographed with high accuracy and capturing a vivid image of the object to be photographed and a signal processing method and a smoke sensor. A detection system includes an image pickup unit, a light source, a first computing unit, a second computing unit, a third computing unit, a detecting unit, and a correction instructing unit. The correction instructing unit outputs a correction instructing signal when the absolute value of a computation result A or that of a computation result B exceeds a permissible decrement. The third computing unit corrects the computation result of which absolute value is reduced between the computation results such that the decrement is less than or equal to the permissible decrement when receiving the correction instructing signal, and performs computation.
US08773531B2
A three-dimensional (3D) pointing sensing apparatus may be provided. The 3D pointing sensing apparatus may include an image generation unit that may photograph a first light source and a second light source in a light emitting unit, and generate an image including an image of the first light source and an image of a second light source. Also, the 3D pointing sensing apparatus may include an orientation calculation unit that may calculate an orientation of the light emitting unit, using a size difference between the image of the first light source and the image of the second light source in the image.
US08773519B2
A normal three-dimensional image is presented to a person who is wearing glasses for three-dimensional image observation, and additional information including a message, disturbance information, or the like is presented to a person who is not wearing glasses for three-dimensional image observation. An image display apparatus displays, on a display unit, an image frame sequence in which additional information image frame including additional information is added between an image frame for the left eye and an image frame for the right eye. At a display timing of the additional information image frame for the display unit, the image display apparatus outputs a control signal that sets shutters for both the left and right eyes of glasses for three-dimensional image observation worn by an observer to a closed state. With this configuration, an observer who is wearing glasses for three-dimensional image observation can observe a normal three-dimensional image, and a person who is not wearing the glasses can observe additional information such as a message prompting the person to wear the glasses.
US08773510B2
A control device includes: a determination unit determining which mode is designated in a single-eye imaging mode in which imaging is performed by using a single imaging unit obtaining an image signal by imaging an object by an imaging device and a compound-eye imaging mode in which imaging is performed by using plural imaging units; and a gain maximum value control unit changing a gain maximum value which is the maximum value of the gain of the image signal based on the determination result by the determination unit.
US08773502B2
Systems and methods facilitating the capture of contiguous images suitable for composition into a wide-angle or panoramic image. The method may include displaying smart graphical targets on an image capture graphical user interface representing target focal points to direct a camera to in order capture images with sufficient continuity or overlap for panorama creation. In one implementation, the method may include automatically capturing an image when the center of the current field of view is aligned with or within a threshold distance of a target focal point. In another implementation, the method may provide graphical targets along multiple axes. In another implementation the method may provide graphical targets for creating a panoramic image adhering to a certain aspect ratio. In another implementation, the method may suggest graphical targets on the motion of a camera after capturing a first image.
US08773498B2
An image processing system processes images such that a proportion of area of regions of interest within the image can be increased at the expense of regions of lesser interest. First, regions of interest, such as portions of the image including participants, are determined. Then compressible background regions are determined and compressed. This results in the proportion of the area of the regions of interest to increase. After the image is stored or transmitted, the regions of interest can be seen more clearly both because they are larger and because any loss of detail caused by down-sampling or lossy image compression needed to limit the amount of image information is reduced due to the smaller image size. The process also preserves more of the relative spatial relationship between various regions of interest than prior methods.
US08773490B2
Systems, methods, and media for identifying and selecting data images in a video stream are provided. In accordance with some embodiments, methods for identifying and selecting data images in a video stream are provided, the methods comprising: receiving a video bit stream representing a plurality of images; identifying, using a processor programmed to do so, sets of data images in the plurality of images, wherein each of the data images provides an image representation of data and each of the data images in any of the sets of data images corresponds to a single data image; and selecting at least one best data image from the sets of data images using a processor programmed to do so.
US08773489B2
An optical scanning apparatus for scanning a target surface using a plurality of light beams simultaneously along a first direction of the target surface. The apparatus has a light source having a plurality of light emitting elements; an optical deflector to deflect the plurality of light beams coming from the light source; and a scanning optical system to guide the plurality of light beams deflected by the optical deflector to the target surface. The scanning optical system includes a lens, disposed after the optical deflector, having the strongest power in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. A plurality of scan lines, corresponding to the plurality of light beams deflected by the optical deflector, intersect or contact each other at an optical face of the lens.
US08773488B2
The invention provides an exposure head including: a light emitting unit; an imaging unit that allows light from the light emitting unit to enter through an incidence plane and exit from an exit surface so as to form an image at a predetermined position; and a transparent layer provided between the light emitting unit and the imaging unit, while contacting each of the light emitting unit and the imaging unit; the transparent layer having a thickness such that an optical distance between the light emitting unit and the incidence plane of the imaging unit becomes a working distance of the imaging unit.
US08773480B2
The optical performance is enhanced of display systems that use field sequential color and pulse width modulation to generate color and color gray scale values. Such enhancement may be achieved by various data encoding methods disclosed herein that may include temporal redistribution of bit values to mitigate color motional artifacts associated with field sequential color-based display systems, selective combination of intensity modulation, pulse width modulation, and/or the noncontiguous sequencing of primary colors. There is further an intelligent real-time dynamic manipulation of gray scale values in portions of an image that are computationally determined to be images of objects moving against a global background, so as to temporally front load or concentrate the bits comprising such moving objects and thereby further mitigate said motional artifacts using both actual and virtual aggregate pulse truncation across all primary colors being modulated.
US08773471B2
A content managing device is provided, which can allow a user to intuitively perform generation of, using an operation that is similar to an operation of sorting content items or to an operation of adding attribute information to content items, a new sort-destination region into which content items are to be sorted. A first display object indicating a content item and a region in which the first display object is to be stored are displayed on a display unit. A position to which the first display object is moved is determined. When the determined position is located in the region, the first display object is stored in the region. When the determined position is not located in the region, a new region is displayed at the position to which the first display object was moved, and the first display object is stored in the new region.
US08773468B1
A technique for manipulating the layering order of graphical objects in a digital canvas or document is disclosed. A graphics object that is included in a layer in the digital canvas or document is selected. The digital canvas or document is searched in order to define a subset of graphics objects that includes the selected graphics object and any other graphics objects that overlap with the selected graphics object. A layering-order control enables a user to move the layer associated with the selected graphics object to a depth in the digital canvas or document that includes a layer associated with one of the other graphics objects in the subset of graphics objects. The concurrent re-positioning of multiple layers associated with two or more selected graphics objects is also disclosed.
US08773463B2
A system and method for image data management. A tiled representation of a data set is accessed. The tiled representation includes a plurality of high-resolution tiles and a plurality of reduced-resolution tiles. A request to access said data set from a computing device is received. An image display window is determined based on said request from the computing device, where the image display window corresponds to a displayable image for display on the display device. At least one overlapping image to send the computing device is determined based on said image display window, where the at least one overlapping image is selected from the scaled full images, the plurality of high-resolution tiles, and the plurality of reduced resolution tiles. At least a portion of the at least one overlapping image is sent to the computing device.
US08773462B2
A drawing image sharing apparatus combines a drawing image of a remotely located site and a background image to be displayed onto a drawing object for display onto the drawing object, generates a differential image based on the difference between a captured image of the drawing object and the combined image, and transmits the differential image to the remotely located site.
US08773458B2
A method of generating a junction view is disclosed. The method includes, in at least one embodiment:—acquiring a first junction from a map database;—acquiring a second junction from the map database, wherein the first and second junction are connected by way of an intermediate road segment;—determining a characteristic of the intermediate road segment between the first and second junction from the map database; and—if the characteristic of the road segment applies to a predefined condition:—adjusting the road geometry resulting in a shorter intermediate road segment; and—generating the junction view image visualizing the first and second junction using the shorter intermediate road segment. At least one embodiment of the method provides a solution to visualize in one image two decision points which will follow each other in a short time when traveling through the two decision points, i.e. two junctions.
US08773456B2
A halftone image generation method used in a system including a quantizer, a subtracter, a post-dithering module and an adder for generating a halftone image is disclosed. First, an original image including original pixels having original pixel values is received by the quantizer and a quantized image including quantized pixels having quantized pixel values according to a predetermined threshold is generated by the quantizer. The quantized pixel values from the original pixel values are subtracted by the subtracter so as to generate quantization error values. A post-dithering process is performed by the post-dithering module to generate dither values by using the quantization error values. The quantized pixel values of the quantized image are added to the dither values by the adder. Finally, the halftone image including halftone pixels having halftone pixel values is generated.
US08773453B2
Techniques for extracting light from a light guide are described. In some embodiments, a light source comprises a light guide configured to trap first light through total internal reflection. The light source may further comprise a plurality of light extractors configured to extract at least a portion of the first light upon establishing optical contact with the light guide. The light source is configured to control individual light extractors in the plurality of light extractors to make optical contact with the light guide. Quantum dots may be used with the light source to regenerate light, within desired frequency band, from the at least a portion of the first light.
US08773450B2
Arrangements and methods are provided that modulate various display device outputs in response to detected changes in environmental conditions affecting a display screen. The arrangement responds to changing environments to maximize the quality of the display. A sensor that is responsive to the changing environment, such as changes in ambient light, is provided to modulate the display accordingly. The arrangement contains logic for utilizing the sensing input and user preferences to provide the best display under the prevailing conditions.
US08773447B1
A method for tag logic score boarding in a graphics pipeline of a graphics processor. The method includes receiving a graphics primitive for rasterization in a raster stage of a graphics processor and rasterizing the graphics primitive to generate a plurality of pixels of pixels related to the graphics primitive. The method further includes accounting for an initiation of parameter evaluation for each of the plurality of pixels as the pixels are transmitted to a subsequent stage of the graphics pipeline and accounting for a completion of parameter evaluation for each of the plurality of pixels as the pixels complete processing in the subsequent stage of the graphics pipeline. Respective tag memory is allocated to track the initiation of parameter evaluation and the completion of parameter evaluation for each of the plurality of pixels.
US08773446B2
What is disclosed is a novel system and method for parallel processing of intra-image data in a distributed computing environment. A generic architecture and method are presented which collectively facilitate image segmentation and block sorting and merging operations with a certain level of synchronization in a parallel image processing environment which has been traditionally difficult to parallelize. The present system and method enables pixel-level processing at higher speeds thus making it a viable service for a print/copy job document reproduction environment. The teachings hereof have been simulated on a cloud-based computing environment with a demonstrable increase of ≈2× with nominal 8-way parallelism, and an increase of ≈20×-100× on a graphics processor. In addition to production and office scenarios where intra-image processing are likely to be performed, these teachings are applicable to other domains where high-speed video and audio processing are desirable.
US08773442B2
An event, such as a vertical blank interrupt or signal, received from a display adapter in a system is identified. Activation of a timer-driven animation routine that updates a state of an animation and activation of a paint controller module that identifies updates to the state of the animation and composes a frame that includes the updates to the state of the animation are aligned, both being activated based on the identified event in the system.
US08773441B2
A method for conforming an animated camera to an editorial cut within a software application executing on a computer system. The method includes providing a shot that includes three-dimensional animation captured by a virtual camera associated with a pre-defined camera style; receiving an editorial action that has been performed to the shot; and updating a camera move associated with the virtual camera based on the camera style and the editorial action.
US08773440B2
The invention relates to a technical field of graphic image processing, especially to a technology for simplifying a complex path. The invention provides a method and a device for simplifying a complex path, to accomplish simplification of any complex path into a simple path of a region described by the complex path. The method for simplifying a complex path comprises: parsing the complex path into a vector linked-list consisted of linked monotonic vectors; dividing each vector in the vector linked-list into vector segments according to intersection points of the vector with other vectors in the vector linked-list; and extracting from all vector segments the vector segments located on a boundary of a region defined by the complex path, and connecting the extracted vector segments according to their location to obtain a simple path. According the method of the present application, a complex path can be simplified to a simplest path defining a region by utilizing node scanning process, such that operations on a vector level for a complex path can be realized.
US08773438B2
An object is to clearly present not only the state of a controlled object but also a control process performed in a control device that controls the controlled object. Display system including a display control device that presents a calculation process performed in a control device for controlling a controlled object, that displays, on a display device, a control block diagram including a control component and a signal line and the state of the controlled object, and that changes the display format of the signal line in the displayed control block diagram according to a signal value transferred via the signal line.
US08773428B2
Systems and methods are presented for previewing 3-D images of produced 3-D variable information structural documents or packages in which still images and/or animations are provided showing the text, data, graphics and/or images of 3-D structural documents or packages defined by a variable information print job file allowing a user to preview the produced 3-D structural documents or packages as a sequence of still images and/or as animations showing different forms of the 3-D produced structures.
US08773423B2
A method for creating an optimized gradient mesh of a vector-based image from a raster-based image. In one implementation, a set of boundaries for an object on a raster-based image may be received. An initial gradient mesh of the object may be created. A residual energy between the object on the raster-based image and a rendered initial gradient mesh may be minimized to generate an optimized gradient mesh.
US08773417B2
A system for transmitting and receiving a signal includes a transmitter that switches a first reference voltage and a second reference voltage and generates first and second voltage signals, and a receiver the receives the first and second voltage signals. The transmitter includes a reference voltage generator that generates the first reference voltage and the second reference voltage, and a switch block that switches the first reference voltage and the second reference voltage and outputs the first and second voltage signals. The receiver includes a resistor having two terminals to which the first and second voltage signals are applied.
US08773416B2
A horizontal scanning period is divided into n parts (n is a natural number), so that horizontal scanning can be performed (n×y) times in one frame period. That is, n signals can be outputted from each pixel, and storage times of the n signals are different from one another. Then, since a signal suited to the intensity of light irradiated to each pixel can be selected, information of an object can be accurately read.
US08773413B2
An LCD panel includes multiple gate lines, and a gate drive circuit connected with the gate lines. The gate drive circuit includes multiple shift register units which are used for outputting shifting signals to sequentially drive all gate lines; each shift register unit includes a first output interface and a second output interface which are connected with adjacent two gate lines. The first output interface outputs a first gate signal, the second output interface outputs a second gate signal; and a duration of the second gate signal is two times of a duration of the first gate signal in a scanning period.
US08773412B2
An overdrive apparatus applied to a display system is provided. The overdrive apparatus includes an indication unit, an access circuit and a plurality of memories. The indication unit provides an indication signal corresponding to a scan line of an image frame. The access unit reads a first overdrive table from a first memory among the memories, and loads a second overdrive table to a second memory among the memories according to the indication signal. The first overdrive table and the second overdrive table respectively correspond to a first region and a second region of the image frame.
US08773410B2
A display includes a panel, a timing controller, and a source driver. A method for driving the display includes the steps of sending a transfer signal asserted for a first period to the source driver initially at a line period; sending a driving control signal asserted for an asserted period to the source driver by the timing controller initially at a line period, utilizing a large driving capability of the source driver to drive the panel during the asserted period within the line period, and utilizing a small driving capability of the source driver to drive the panel beyond the asserted period within the line period.
US08773408B2
Disclosed herein is a display control apparatus for displaying an image from among a plurality of images arrayed in a predetermined order in an enlarged scale, including, a storage section, a detection section, a display control section, and a decoding section.
US08773400B2
A touch screen in the form of a panel is capable of conducting signals and a tomograph including signal flow ports is positioned adjacent the panel with the signal flow ports arrayed around the border of the panel at discrete locations. Signals are introduced into the panel to pass from each discrete border location to a plurality of other discrete border locations for being detected and tomographically processed to determine if any change occurred to signals due to the panel being touched during signal passage through the panel, and therefrom determine any local area on the panel where a change occurred. The tomograph computes and outputs a signal indicative of a panel touch and location, which can be shown on a display.
US08773388B2
The surface of an touch-sensitive input device may act as a physical button that the user may push down to perform a click or other operation. For example, the user may push down the surface of the input device with one finger for a left click and push down the surface of the input device with two fingers for a right click. In one aspect, a system for detecting a left click or a right click when the user pushes down the surface of the input device is provided. When the system first detects that the surface of the input device is pushed down, the system may wait for a short period of time before making a determination of whether the user is pushing down the surface with one finger or two fingers. During this time, the system may collect additional information to make a more reliable determination.
US08773387B2
Thin film capacitive touch sensors and applications thereof are described herein. Embodiments include construction of one-sided and two-sided thin film capacitive touch sensors with partial fill patterns, one-sided thin film capacitive touch sensors including conductive ground plane layers, one-sided thin film capacitive touch sensors including air gap layers, one-sided thin film capacitive touch sensors including a combination of both separation layers to create air gap layers and conductive ground plane layers.
US08773384B2
A touch panel and a method of fabricating the same and touch-sensing display device are provided. The touch panel includes a cover plate, a touch sensing element, and an atomic layer-deposited (ALD) film. The cover plate has a top surface, a bottom surface, and a side surface. The top surface opposites to the bottom surface and the side surface connects the upper surface with the bottom surface. The touch sensing element is disposed on the bottom surface of the cover plate. The ALD layer completely covers the touch sensing element and completely covers the top surface, the side surface, and a portion of the bottom surface uncovered by the touch sensing element.
US08773383B2
An operation accepting apparatus includes a moving portion that has a region to receive a pressing force by a pressing operation of a user and moves in a first direction after receiving the pressing force, a biasing portion that biases the moving portion in a second direction, which is a direction opposite to the first direction, an abutting portion that stops movement of the moving portion in the first direction by abutting the moving portion while the moving portion receives the pressing force, and an indication portion that indicates the region to the user so that the pressing force is not received in a position overlapping with the abutting portion when viewed from the first direction.
US08773380B2
An interface updating method for touch screen and a multimedia electronic device are provided, which are used for solving the problem of how to update a display interface of a touch screen according to the slide operating characteristics of a controller. When the controller slides on the touch screen, the operating characteristics of the controller are determined based on the predetermined number of pixel point samples that the slide trail of the controller goes through at last. The interface is updated according to the operating characteristics of the controller. The interface adjustment visually obtains an effect corresponding to the movement of the controller.
US08773379B2
A touch sensing apparatus is disclosed. The touch sensing apparatus includes a logic control module, at least one storage control module, and at least one decoding control module. The logic control module is used to generate a plurality of control signals having different control timings. The plurality of control signals includes a storage control signal and a decoding control signal. Each storage control module includes a plurality of storage capacitors, and respectively stores each of sensed voltages in different storage capacitors at different times according to a storage control timing of the storage control signal. The sensed voltages are analog data sensed from scan lines of an ITO sensor. The decoding control module is used to decode the sensed voltages stored in the storage capacitors according to a decoding control timing of the decoding control signal to output the decoded analog data.
US08773378B2
A multi-display device is adapted to be dockable or otherwise associatable with an additional device. In accordance with one exemplary embodiment, the multi-display device is dockable with a smartpad. The exemplary smartpad can include a screen, a touch sensitive display, a configurable area, a gesture capture region(s) and a camera. The smartpad can also include a port adapted to receive the device. The exemplary smartpad is able to cooperate with the device such that information displayable on the device is also displayable on the smartpad. Furthermore, any one or more of the functions on the device are extendable to the smartpad, with the smartpad capable of acting as an input/output interface or extension of the smartpad. Therefore, for example, information from one or more of the displays on the multi-screen device is displayable on the smartpad.
US08773376B2
The invention relates to a method for accessing an application or a set of applications from or through a token. The token is coupled to a terminal that comprises at least one touch surface. According to the invention, the method comprises steps in which the terminal compares an input touch pattern with at least one predetermined input touch pattern relating to one application or a set of applications accessible from the token, and, according to a comparison result, the terminal sends or not to the token either a command for requesting a display of a set of at least one application accessible from the token or a command for triggering an execution of an application accessible from the token, the command being associated with a matching predetermined input touch pattern. The invention relates also to a corresponding token and a corresponding system comprising the token.
US08773370B2
Computing equipment may display tables of data that contain rows and columns. Touch gestures such as hold and flick gestures may be detected using a touch screen or other touch sensor. In response to a detected hold portion of a hold and flick gesture, a row or column in a table may be selected. In response to detection of a simultaneous flick portion, columns or rows may be inserted or deleted. A column may be inserted after a selected column using a hold and right downflick gesture. A hold and left downflick gesture may be used to insert a column before a selected column. Rows may be inserted before and after selected rows using hold and upper rightflick and hold and lower rightflick gestures. One or more columns or rows may be deleted using upflick or leftflick gestures.
US08773368B2
An information input device includes an input panel including an illumination light source, a plurality of first light-receiving elements and one or more second light-receiving elements, the illumination light source emitting detection light for detecting an external proximity object, the plurality of first light-receiving elements receiving detection light emitted from the illumination light source and then reflected from the external proximity object, the second light-receiving elements for monitoring the intensity of the detection light; a correction section performing adaptive sensitivity correction on light-receiving signals obtained by the first light-receiving elements through use of an intensity monitor signal of detection light obtained by the second light-receiving element; and an image processing section obtaining object information about one or more of the position, shape and size of the external proximity object based on a picked-up image obtained from the light-receiving signals subjected to the sensitivity correction by the correction section.
US08773347B2
An electro-optical device includes an element substrate having a temperature detection conductive film formed by doping with an impurity in the same semiconductor layer as a semiconductor layer of transistor; and a driving portion for supplying a driving signal, wherein the driving portion includes a data conversion portion for converting image data and generating, as the driving signal, a digital driving signal made of an ON-voltage in which the brightness of the pixel is saturated and an OFF-voltage in which the pixel becomes a light-off state in each of a plurality of subfields in which a field period is divided on a time axis, and the data conversion portion performs a correction corresponding to a change in resistance in the temperature detection conductive film when generating the digital driving signal.
US08773338B2
In an image signal writing period, a first image signal is supplied to a first liquid crystal element and a first capacitor from a first signal line. In a backlight lighting period, display is performed in a light-transmitting pixel portion in response to the first image signal. In a black grayscale signal writing period, a signal for black display is supplied to a second liquid crystal element and a second capacitor from a second signal line. In a still image signal writing period, a second image signal is supplied to the first liquid crystal element, the first capacitor, the second liquid crystal element, and the second capacitor from the first signal line. In a still image signal holding period, display is performed in the reflective pixel portion in response to the second image signal.
US08773337B2
A color temperature tunable white light source comprises a first LED arrangement comprising at least one blue emitting LED configured to excite a remote phosphor and a second LED arrangement comprising at least one red emitting LED. The LED arrangements are configured such that the composite light emitted by the LED arrangements appears white in color. The relative drive currents of the LEDs is controllable, and thus variable in relative magnitude, such that the color temperature of the composite light emitted by the source is electrically tunable.
US08773328B2
Methods and systems for processing video data are disclosed herein and may include determining a first video format associated with video data to be displayed on a first video display communicatively coupled to a single mobile multiple media processor that supports a plurality of display formats. The single mobile multiple media processor may be integrated within a mobile device. An amount of the video data that is transferred from memory to the first video display, by a DMA controller, may be restricted based on the determined first video format associated with the video data to be displayed on a first video display. Only the restricted amount of the video data that is to be displayed by the first video display may be transferred from the memory to the first video display by the DMA controller.
US08773316B2
A docking station apparatus (140) comprises a holder portion (143) for removably receiving a navigation apparatus (100). A base portion (141) coupled to the holder portion (143) comprises an RDS antenna apparatus (188), the RDS antenna apparatus (188) comprising a pole portion (170, 172) extending so as to form a loop, line or track. The RDS antenna apparatus (188) is located opposite the holder portion (143).
US08773315B2
A method is provided for estimating the polarization ellipticity of an antenna response signal to an incident electromagnetic wave received on a crossed-loop antenna or an Adcock antenna array. The method comprises at least the following steps: measuring the phase offset Δφ between the signals acquired respectively on the cosine and sine path of the antenna; measuring the ratio R between the amplitudes of the signals acquired respectively on the cosine and sine path of the antenna; determining the ellipticity angle τ based on the phase offset Δφ and on the ratio R. The invention applies notably to the discrimination of ionospheric waves from ground and/or sea waves, in particular for a surveillance, eavesdropping, or goniometry system using HF band signals.
US08773312B1
A radio frequency transmission apparatus includes a first elongated antenna element having a first feed end and a first aperture end. A second elongated element has a second feed end and a second aperture end. The second feed end is coupled to the first feed end. The first and second elongated antenna elements are positioned relative to each other to render a separation between the first antenna element and the second antenna element to increase from the first and second feed ends to the first and second aperture ends. The first and second antenna elements comprise pseudo-conductor material having an electromagnetic constitutive property having a real part greater than the corresponding imaginary part of the electromagnetic constitutive property.
US08773309B2
The present invention provides a positional information transmitter, a positional information receiver and a position measuring system capable of measuring a position under moving circumstances. The positional information transmitter transmits positional information for specifying the current position. The positional information transmitter comprises a memory unit which stores therein a plurality of first positional information indicative of the latitude of the current position and a plurality of second positional information indicative of the longitude of the current position, a transmission unit which generates a first positional information signal corresponding to a wireless signal including the first positional information stored in the memory unit and a second positional information signal corresponding to a wireless signal including the second positional information stored therein, and transmits the generated first and second positional information signals, and a timing controller which controls the transmission unit in such a manner that the transmission unit repeatedly transmits the first positional information signal in different periods and repeatedly transmits the second positional information signal in different periods.
US08773300B2
A missile includes a radar system that has a radome through which a main antenna sends and receives signals. The radome includes a radome body and a radome tip include different transmissive materials, with for example the radome body primarily made of a lossy optically nontransparent material, and the radome tip primarily made of a lossless (permittivity with low imaginary part) glass material that may also be optically transparent. A laser may be used in conjunction with the radome to send and receive encoded signals. The laser may be located behind (aft of) the main antenna, and one or more optical fibers may extend into and/or along the radome to guide laser signals to the radome tip. The laser may be used to emit encoded signals so as to allow multiple radar systems operating in the same area at the same time to discriminate between different targets.
US08773296B1
A method and apparatus for interleaving high-speed, delta-sigma based over-sampled DACs. A delta-sigma modulator is decomposed into a parallel poly-phase block-filter running at a lower rate. The generated parallel digital data is then fed directly to the analog DAC output stage where it is directly combined to form the full-rate signal using a 1-hot-of-N output stage. By using a poly-phase implementation, the complexity of the high-speed parallel digital-analog timing interface is simplified, along with the timing requirements of the delta-sigma modulator which normally would have to run at the full-oversampled rate. The 1-hot-of-N signal encoding is directly generated from the parallel delta-sigma modulator, and efficiently encodes the data in such a way to minimize signal-dependent supply noise. The architecture disclosed is advantageous for the practical implementation of high-speed over-sampled DACs, such as those used in stringent wireless applications.
US08773294B2
A method and a corresponding device for performing a background calibration of a comparator in a circuit having a plurality of stages that are connected in a pipelined fashion to an input signal. A digital value of a residue signal, which is output from a first stage in the plurality of stages to a subsequent stage in the plurality of stages, is calculated. The value of the residue signal is compared to at least one threshold. Based on the comparison, a triggering threshold of a selected comparator in the first stage may be adjusted.
US08773293B2
A measurement signal correction apparatus includes an analog/digital converter, a correction factor providing unit, and a measurement signal correction unit. The analog/digital converter is configured to convert an analog measurement signal read in using an interface into a digital measurement signal using a reference frequency signal. The correction factor providing unit is configured to provide a correction factor determined on the basis of the reference frequency signal. The measurement signal correction unit is configured to multiply the digital measurement signal by the correction factor in order to obtain a corrected measurement signal.
US08773290B2
Disclosed herein is a method and apparatus for providing traffic information of public transportation means, such as a bus, and utilizing the provided information. A method of encoding public traffic information according to the present invention creates an identifier of bus information system, an ID of bus route, and location information of each in-service bus pertaining to the bus route. The location information is expressed in a stop ID that is uniquely allocated to all of bus stops within coverage of BSI (Bus Service Information) service. The created information is organized to status information that is in turn incorporated into a transfer message. A sequence of transfer messages, each being constructed as described above, is wirelessly transmitted.
US08773286B1
A system having a controller is provided. The controller receives a signal indicative of an actual position and an actual orientation of a machine on a worksite, from a position detection module. The controller determines a first view of the machine on the worksite. The first view shows the actual position of the machine and a target position of the machine. The controller determines a second view of the machine on the worksite. The second view has a first and a second indicator. The first indicator is indicative of the actual position and the actual orientation of the machine. The second indicator is indicative of the target position and a target orientation of the machine. The controller displays any one of the first view and the second view based, at least in part, on the actual position of the machine relative to the target position on a display unit.
US08773280B2
An apparatus is disclosed for attachment to a resource consumption meter emitting and detecting a signal having a first frequency relative to the rate of metered resource consumption. The apparatus comprises at least one signal detection means adapted to detect said signal from said resource consumption meter; and, a circuit operatively connected to the signal detection means and adapted for interpreting the signal for a human. A method for multi-mode operation of the apparatus is disclosed so that it is possible for the apparatus to automatically detect the type of resource consumption meter it is attached to and operate accordingly.
US08773278B2
A downhole electromagnetic telemetry unit for use with a tubing string (5) includes an insulated electrically conductive member (31) and a processing unit (15). The insulated electrically conductive member (31) is electrically coupled to the tubing string (5) at an upper measuring point (23) and a lower measuring point (25). The processing unit (15) is configured to process a voltage difference measured between the upper measuring point (23) and the lower measuring point (25) across the insulated electrically conductive member (31) and to derive therefrom a signal transmitted from a surface location (13).
US08773277B2
A routing facility (1) for a subsea electronics module (7) has on a single circuit board (2) a facility (5) for routing data packets between segments of a differential serial bus, and at least one input/output interface (14, 15, 16) for digital and/or analog process values, wherein the process values are accessible via the differential serial bus.
US08773274B2
Packaging installation with a metering apparatus and method for monitoring damage in a packaging installation in which packs (19) which are to be filled can be charged with the contents in each case by means of a metering apparatus (01) designed according to one of Claims 1 to 8, wherein —the vibrations of the wall of the dispensing container (02) are measured at least during operation of the stirrer (06) and/or of the metering screw (05), —the measured values are evaluated by the vibration evaluator (10), —deviations in the vibration behavior are detected and compared with limit values stored in the vibration evaluator (10), —when the limit values are exceeded, this indicates with sufficient probability, that the stirrer (06) or the metering screw (05) is in contact with the dispensing container (02), —an alarm is triggered by means of the vibration evaluator (10).
US08773267B2
A security device may include a spool, locking mechanism, button, plug, and latch. The spool is configured to either wind or unwind a cable for wrapping around an object. The locking mechanism is configured to partially lock the spool. The button may be used to move the locking mechanism between locked and unlocked positions. The button may be blocked by inserting a plug into a housing of the device such that the button can not be activated to unlock the spool. The plug may be secured to the housing through the latch that prevents the unauthorized removal of the plug. For an enhanced locking feature, the latch and the plug may be configured to require at least two forces to move the latch and free the plug. The spool, locking mechanism, and button may be stacked along a common axis to provide a more compacted design.
US08773264B2
An intrusion detection and tracking system includes a plurality of nodes, a DP and a gateway. The nodes are disposed about an area and form a wireless network to be monitored, the nodes are configured to receive data and transmit data frames with a signal strength indicator and/or a link quality indicator in the frames. The DP is communicatively connected to the network and configured to analyze variations in the signal strength indicator and/or link quality indicator to detect and track disturbances to an electromagnetic field in the area. The gateway is configured to form a data link between the network and the DP.
US08773262B2
The present invention relates to a container security apparatus which is easily attachable/detachable to/from both opening/closing bars of a container to sense whether the container is opened/closed and transmit the sensed information on whether the container is opened/closed to a remote location, to thereby check whether the container is sealed or not on a real time basis and thus safely transport the container, and to thereby check the current position of the container in transit and check whether or not the container has deviated from a predetermined path on a real time basis.
US08773261B2
The invention relates to an apparatus, system and method for managing medication. In an aspect, an adaptable pill organizer comprises of at least one or more rectangular units for containing pills. Individual units and/or rows of seven units- attach and detach from one another in order to create a custom pill organizer. The adaptable pill organizer further employs electronic capabilities which: allow user to input, store and display information on the pill organizer; provide lighting means for the device; provide various automatic and/or commanded physical responses to usage of the device such as the lighting of a unit, or the opening and closing of a unit; provide programmed alarms; communicate data messages and usage information with third party devices; and store and provide access to user medication and medication schedule information.
US08773259B2
A system includes a local patient monitor and a plurality of remote patient monitors. The local patient monitor may display a plurality of physiological parameters for a local patient. The local patient monitor may further display a remote monitoring interface with the local patient's physiological parameters. The remote monitoring interface may include a plurality of status icons respectively representing the plurality of remote patient monitors. In one embodiment, the local patient monitor receives alarm information from a first remote patient monitor indicating that one or more physiological parameters for a remote patient are outside of a determined range. The alarm information may include, for example, location information for the remote patient and an alarm condition indicated by the one or more physiological parameters. The local patient monitor may display the alarm information within the remote monitoring interface.
US08773256B2
There is provided a fall prevention system that is suitable for being worn by a user, comprising a sensor for determining an indication of the risk of the user falling; two or more feedback devices for attachment to respective parts of the user's body, each feedback device being controllable to apply feedback to said respective part; and a controller configured to control the two or more feedback devices such that feedback is applied to a particular part of the user's body in response to the determined indication.
US08773254B2
A method and system for configuring initiating devices in a fire alarm system is provided. Groupings of the initiating devices in the fire alarm system are determined entirely automatically (or partially automatically). For example, the fire alarm control panel may communicate with the initiating devices to receive grouping information from the initiating device (which may be input at the initiating device), and determine the grouping based on the communication. As another example, the fire alarm control panel may communicate with the initiating devices in order to determine some aspect of the fire alarm system (such as the wiring), and automatically determine the grouping based on the communication. Moreover, labels for the initiating devices in the fire alarm system may be generated entirely automatically (or partially automatically). Further, reporting of the alarm events by the fire alarm control panel may be based on grouping. For example, the fire alarm control panel may determine the grouping information for the one or more initiating devices that sent an alarm communication, organize presentation of the indication of the alarm event based on the determined grouping information, and present, on an output device, the organized presentation of the indication of the fire alarm event.
US08773253B2
A vehicle notification sound emitting apparatus is basically provided with a sound emitting device and a notification sound control device. The sound emitting device emits a movement notification sound to outside of a vehicle to inform a person in an area surrounding the vehicle that the vehicle is moving at a low speed. The notification sound control device operates the sound emitting device to selectively emit the movement notification sound. The notification sound control device includes a notification sound prohibiting section and a prohibition cancelling section. The notification sound prohibiting section prohibits an emission of the movement notification sound by the sound emitting device. The prohibition cancelling section cancels a notification sound emission prohibition imposed by the notification sound prohibiting section either upon a vehicle speed of the vehicle exceeding a prescribed vehicle speed or based on position information of the vehicle.
US08773252B2
A gear lever locking device to be installed inside a gear lever cover panel is characterized in that it comprises an auxiliary connector transverse stud and a gear lever connector which is slidable in accordance with the movement of a gear lever. On an auxiliary connector, there is provided a plurality of stud holes for use with a gear lever transverse stud having a stud end pushing mechanism. The stud end pushing mechanism receives the force exerted from a locking mechanism by a pressing means. The gear lever locking device according to the present invention includes screw guards and a cover wall that have been designed to cover a locking mechanism installation portion to prevent any removal of fastening screws or a gear sling, to prevent disassembling or breaking of the locking mechanism of the gear lever locking device to improve safety.
US08773234B2
A transformer is provided having good workability during production and good connection of the secondary main coil and the primary supportive coil. The transformer has a bobbin with a base part and first hollow cylinder part with a first through hole and a core projecting in a first positive direction from said base part, and a case having an upper collar part formed with a primary main coil wound around said first hollow cylinder part, a second through hole leading to said first through hole, and a second hollow cylinder part formed at the outer peripheral face. Said primary main coil is housed and projects in a first negative direction from said upper collar part. A lower collar part opposes said base part by extending approximately parallel to said mounting face. The primary supportive coil and secondary main coil are wound around said first and second sections, respectively.
US08773229B2
The invention relates to an electromagnet and a method manufacturing the same. The electromagnet includes a frame having a volume within, and a conductive wiring wound around the frame. In accordance with the invention the magnet includes at least two circular grooves having two walls parallel to the each other and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the frame, at least two wire stacks each including at least one substack, wherein the wire has a cross section, at least one of the walls separating the two circular grooves, and jump wiring interconnecting the stacks so that contributions from jump wires of the adjacent stacks to total axial directional current are cancelled in average by the current of the return current wire, such that their contribution to the resulting magnetic field at the sample volume is minimized.
US08773225B1
An apparatus includes: an electromagnetic waveguide and an iris structure providing an iris in the electromagnetic waveguide. The iris structure defines an iris hole. The apparatus further includes an electric field rotation arrangement configured to establish a 2N-pole electric field around a circumference of the iris hole, wherein N is an integer which is at least two. The electric field rotation arrangement may include at least four iris slots, each in communication with the iris hole, wherein a first one of the iris slots is further in disposed at a first side of the iris hole and a second one of the iris slots is disposed at a second side of the iris hole which is opposite the first side.
US08773215B2
There is provided a tank based oscillator. The oscillator includes one or more active devices, one or more passive devices, and a tank circuit decoupled from the active devices using at least one of the one or more passive devices. A coupling ratio between the tank circuit and the one or more active devices is set such that a maximum value of an oscillation amplitude of the tank circuit is limited based upon a breakdown of only the one or more passive devices.
US08773214B2
A SAW device includes a SAW chip formed of a piezoelectric substrate and an IDT formed thereon, a base substrate that supports the SAW chip, and a fixing member that fixes the SAW chip to the base substrate. The SAW chip that forms a cantilever is supported by the base substrate via the fixing member in a position where the IDT does not overlap with the fixing member in a plan view of the SAW chip. The length W of the SAW chip in a y-axis direction and the length D of the fixing member in the y-axis direction satisfy 1
US08773213B2
A resistance-capacitance oscillation circuit comprises an amplifier and a phase shifting circuit. The phase shifting circuit comprises at least three resistance-capacitance circuit elements, each of which comprises a resistance and a capacitor. At least one of the resistance-capacitance circuit elements comprises a variable resistance and a variable capacitor. The variable resistance is formed of a first electrode, a second electrode, a part of a semiconductor film, a part of a ferroelectric film, and a fourth electrode. The variable capacitor is formed of the second electrode, a third electrode, a fifth electrode, another part of the ferroelectric film, another part of the semiconductor film, and a paraelectric film.
US08773212B2
A resistance-capacitance oscillation circuit comprises an amplifier and a phase shifting circuit. The phase shifting circuit comprises at least three resistance-capacitance circuit elements, which comprise a resistance and a capacitance. At least one of the resistance-capacitance circuit elements comprises a variable resistance and a variable capacitance. The variable resistance is formed of a first electrode, a second electrode, a part of a semiconductor film, a part of a ferroelectric film, and a fourth electrode. The variable capacitor is formed of the second electrode, a third electrode, a fifth electrode, another part of the ferroelectric film, another part of the semiconductor film, and a paraelectric film.
US08773211B2
An electrical circuit includes a circuit element and a common mode rejection circuit element. The circuit element is configured to operate at a selected frequency within a variable frequency range and the common mode rejection circuit element is configured to reject a common mode current through the circuit element, wherein the common mode rejection circuit element is adjustable.
US08773206B2
The present invention relates to a power amplifier apparatus and a power amplifier circuit thereof, the power amplifier circuit uses Doherty circuit structure, and it uses a high voltage heterojunction bipolor transistor (HVHBT) power amplifier to achieve a Carrier amplifier with the Doherty circuit structure, and uses a high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) power amplifier to achieve a Peak amplifier with the Doherty circuit structure. The power amplifier apparatus and a power amplifier circuit thereof in the present invention improves the efficiency of the power amplifier.
US08773196B2
A new type of amplifier, herein designated a resource pooling amplifier, involves extended usage of one or more inductors that is implemented by sharing. The sharing is either by switching the inductor or inductors among more than one load terminal at the same time (e.g., a bridged configuration or two different loads terminals with different polarity requirements) or by using the inductor or inductors for more than one purpose at different times. The inductor or inductors may be time shared such as by allocating different phases of a clock. The inductor or inductors may also be shared by monitoring load requirements and using the inductor or inductors only when needed (leaving other inductor cycles for other loads). In addition, inductor sharing may be implemented during different application requirements such as if two or more loads are not needed at the same time in a system. These types of sharing may be combined.
US08773193B2
The present subject matter relates to methods, devices, and systems for switched array control. For an array of two-state elements that can be independently positioned in either an active state or an inactive state, the methods, devices, and systems can determine a linear number D of elements in the active state needed to achieve a total combined activity corresponding to a desired behavior, compare a number A of elements in an active state to the linear number D of elements needed to achieve the desired behavior, activate a first number n of inactive elements, and deactivate a second number m of active elements, wherein the difference between the first number n and the second number m is equal to the difference between the linear number D of elements needed to achieve the desired behavior and the present number A of elements in an active state.
US08773191B2
One embodiment of an analog-to-digital converter includes at least one comparator and a restriction circuit. The comparator has first and second input nodes and a connection node. The connection node is one of an internal node and an output node of the comparator. The restriction circuit is electrically connected to the connection node, and the restriction circuit is configured to restrict a voltage of the connection node.
US08773185B2
A calibratable delay chain having a delay chain and an adjustment circuitry varying a delay of each of the plurality of delay stages in the chain. The calibration circuitry is configured to calibrate a delay of the delay chain. The calibration circuitry includes calibration control circuitry for controlling the calibration and supplying the input value to an adjustment circuitry. Output selection circuitry is provided to select an output from a predetermined point along the delay chain. A bypass path bypasses the delay chain and a digital comparator compares an output from the delay chain and an output from the bypass path. An analogue comparator compares an output from the delay chain and an output from the bypass path. The calibration control circuitry is configured to control the output selection circuitry to output a signal from one point on the delay chain to the digital comparator.
US08773184B1
A circuit comprising a loop filter, wherein the filter comprises an active integrator configured to generate one or more tuning signals, and a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) coupled to the loop filter and configured to generate a feedback signal based on the one or more tuning signals, wherein generating the one or more tuning signals is based on the feedback signal.
US08773179B2
An input receiver includes a first input receiving unit, a second input receiving unit, a delay unit, and a first logic unit. The first input receiving unit receives an inverse wake-up signal, an external clock enable signal, a first voltage, and a reference signal, and then generates a first enable signal according to the external clock enable signal and the reference signal. The second input receiving unit receives the external clock enable signal, the first voltage, and an inverse enable voltage, and then generates a second enable signal as its output according to the external clock enable signal. The delay unit generates a wake-up signal according to the second enable signal. The first logic unit receives the wake-up signal and the first enable signal, and then generates an internal clock enable signal according to the wake-up signal and the first enable signal.
US08773178B2
In accordance with an embodiment, the coupling arrangement includes adders for adding a common-mode signal to a differential-mode signal and amplification units for individually and evenly amplifying input signals present on their input terminals, thereby yielding amplified common-and-differential-mode signals. Coupling units with capacitive coupling are configured to pass the amplified common-and-differential-mode signals towards a wire pair.
US08773174B2
A rail to rail differential buffer input stage includes n-type and p-type input differential transistor pairs connected in voltage follower configuration to the power supply rails. A reference voltage generator includes a reference differential transistor pair generating a dynamic reference voltage relative to the common mode input voltage. Dummy n-type and p-type transistor pairs have current conducting paths connected in parallel with the input differential pairs and are controlled by the dynamic reference voltage to divert supply rail current away from and deactivate one of the associated input differential pairs when the common mode input voltage is further from the dynamic reference voltage than a threshold value. Both the dummy pairs conduct and both the input differential pairs are activated when the common mode input voltage is closer to the dynamic reference voltage VB than the threshold value so that the overall transconductance of the buffer input stage remains constant.
US08773173B2
To provide a semiconductor device with reduced power consumption that includes a selection transistor. To provide a semiconductor device capable of high-speed operation without increasing a power supply potential. A buffer circuit connected to a gate line has a function of generating a potential higher than a high power supply potential by using the high power supply potential and outputs the potential in response to a selection signal. Specifically, a bootstrap circuit boosts a high power supply potential that is input to an inverter that is the closest to an output side in the buffer circuit. Further, the bootstrap circuit boosts the potential when the gate line is selected, and does not boost the potential when the gate line is not selected.
US08773170B2
Embodiments of the present invention are related to circuits and methods for generating a reference current (Idc). In an embodiment, a voltage-to-current converter circuit is used to generate the reference current (Idc) in dependence on a reference voltage (Vref) and a precision resistor (R0), wherein Idc=Vref/R0. A capacitor (C0) is used to shunt noise that couples into the voltage-to-current converter. A frequency dependent feedback network is used to compensate for instabilities introduced by the capacitor (C0). The capacitor (C0) can be used to shunt noise that couples into the voltage-to-current converter by connecting the capacitor (C0) in parallel with the precision resistor (R0). The frequency dependent feedback network can be used to compensate for instabilities introduced by the capacitor (C0) by connecting the frequency dependent feedback network between a feedback terminal of an amplifier of the voltage-to-current converter circuit and a terminal of the capacitor (C0).
US08773164B1
In an apparatus, an interconnect block includes a plurality of configuration memory cells. A plurality of multiplexers is respectively coupled to the configuration memory cells. An acknowledge circuit is coupled to the configuration memory cells. The acknowledge circuit includes a plurality of acknowledge inputs. The configuration memory cells are coupled to selectively set states of the plurality of multiplexers and correspondingly selectively activate inputs of the plurality of acknowledge inputs. A data ready circuit is coupled to at least one multiplexer output of the plurality of multiplexers.
US08773163B1
Flexible, space-efficient I/O architectures for integrated circuits simplify circuit design and shorten design times. In one aspect, cells for power supply pads are eliminated, in part by locating ESD protection circuitry for these pads underneath the pads themselves, leaving only signal I/O buffers. Pads coupled to the signal I/O buffers may be defined as either signal I/O pads or power supply pads in accordance with customization circuitry. Customization circuitry also provides for flexible bank architectures, where signal I/O buffers within a bank share power supply requirements that may be different from power supply requirements of signal I/O buffers of another bank. The number of banks and the number of signal I/O buffers belonging to each bank is flexibly defined. Customization circuitry also provides for flexible pad options, whereby the IC pads may be configured for different packaging technology, for example, for wire bonding for flip-chip bonding, or for other types of bonding.
US08773162B2
An embodiment of communication cell for enabling data communication between an integrated circuit and an electronic unit distinct from the integrated circuit, comprising a contact pad unit, configured for capacitively coupling, in a first operating condition of said communication cell, to the electronic unit for receiving an input signal from said electronic unit, and for ohmically coupling, in a second operating condition of said communication cell, to the electronic unit for receiving the input signal; a receiver device, including signal-amplifying means, coupled between said contact pad unit and said integrated circuit, configured for receiving the input signal and generating an intermediate signal correlated to the input signal; signal-selection means receiving the intermediate signal, the input signal, and providing an output signal which is the intermediate signal during the first operating condition, and the input signal during the second operating condition; and an input stage, connectable between the integrated circuit and the output terminal of the signal-selection means, configured for receiving the output signal and providing the output signal to the integrated circuit.
US08773160B2
An integrated circuit having a monitor circuit for monitoring timing in a critical path having a target timing margin is disclosed. The monitor circuit has two shift registers, one of which includes a delay element that applies a delay value to a received signal. The inputs to the two shift registers form a signal input node capable of receiving an input signal. The monitor circuit also has a logic gate having an output and at least two inputs, each input connected to a corresponding one of the outputs of the two shift registers. The output of the logic gate indicates whether the target timing margin is satisfied or not satisfied.
US08773156B2
Methods for measuring insulation resistance in a photovoltaic (PV) array may include partitioning the PV array into groups of PV panels, isolating a group of PV panels selected for an insulation resistance measurement from other groups of panels by setting bypass selectors on each PV panel in the PV array, and making an insulation resistance measurement for the selected group. If a measured value of insulation resistance for a selected group corresponds to an insulation problem in a PV array component, a separate measurement of insulation resistance may be made for each PV panel in the selected group. Insulation resistance measurements may be made accurately and rapidly for large PV arrays without disconnecting and reconnecting cables between panels. Measurements may be made at frequent, regular intervals to permit changes in insulation resistance to be detected before damage from dielectric breakdown occurs.
US08773152B2
In the case of a device for detecting physical state variables of a medium, such as pressure or temperature, for example, of a liquid, comprising at least one measuring sensor, which is connected to at least one electrical conductor so as to transmit signals, wherein at least one section of the conductor, which encompasses the sensor, is embedded in a casting compound, the casting compound is embodied, according to the invention, from at least one casting core and a casting jacket, which encloses the casting core, and provision is made in the casting compound for at least one recess for a media-conducting access to a contact surface of the sensor.
US08773149B2
Two different conversion modes are used for determining the water hardness from the conductivity of raw water in a water softening device dividing an influent raw water volume flow into two partial volume flows and subjecting a partial volume flow to a full softening process and re-uniting the two partial volume flows thereafter again into an admixed water volume flow. A first calibration curve reflects the maximum water hardnesses occurring at different conductivities; it is used for automatically controlling the regeneration of an ion exchange resin. A second calibration curve reflects the average water hardnesses at different conductivities; it is used for controlling the ratios of the two partial volume flows in the admixed water. With the invention, variations in the correlations between conductivity and water hardness may be taken into account in order to optimize regeneration and to minimize the hardness tolerances of admixed water.
US08773141B2
Provided are a first test substrate and a second test substrate opposing each other, a first test circuit testing a device under test and being disposed on a face of the first test substrate that faces the second test substrate, a second test circuit testing the device under test and being disposed on a face of the second test substrate that faces the first test substrate, and a sealing section that is formed by sealing a space between the first test substrate and the second test substrate to enclose the first test circuit and the second test circuit in a common space that is filled with coolant.
US08773129B2
Apparatus, methods, and other embodiments associated with combined correlation parameter estimation are described. One example method includes accessing data associated with a magnetic resonance (MR) signal produced by relaxation of nuclei in an item that has experienced nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) excitation. The MR signal is a function of two or more NMR parameters. The example method also includes accessing data associated with a set of comparative signal evolutions and computing a value for an NMR parameter based on a combined correlation of the data associated with the MR signal to the data associated with the set of comparative signal evolutions. The combined correlation will depend on at least two correlations between the data associated with the MR signal and two different members of the set of comparative signal evolutions.
US08773127B2
A transmission line array is used for explosive/contraband detection using nuclear quadrupole resonance in which the array is driven in-phase with synchrony frequency-swept signals. Each of the balanced transmission lines is fed with a low power swept frequency source and stimulated emissions are picked out with a directional coupler. Location is provided using a cross grid array or a phase detector is used for each balanced line, with phase determining the distance to the sensed substance.
US08773125B2
Methods and related apparatuses of a downhole micro nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) device having a resonant tuning (LC) circuit for use in a formation for collecting NMR signals from a fluid in the formation while under downhole pressures and temperatures. The downhole micro NMR device includes: a micro tube for the flowing fluid to flow therethrough; at least one magnet disposed about the micro tube; and at least one micro RF coil structured and arranged approximate to the micro tube and tuned to a Larmor frequency corresponding to a applied magnetic field from the at least one magnet.
US08773124B2
An embodiment of a magnetic-field sensor includes a magnetic-field sensor arrangement and a magnetic body which has, for example, a non-convex cross-sectional area with regard to a cross-sectional plane running through the magnetic body, the magnetic body having an inhomogeneous magnetization.
US08773123B2
A magnetic field sensor includes a linear magnetic field sensor to produce a voltage proportional to a sensed magnetic field and an interface having only two terminals for external connections. The two terminals of the interface include a power supply terminal and a ground terminal. The interface includes a voltage-controlled current generating device that is connected between the two terminals and is controlled by the voltage to provide a current signal that is proportional to the sensed magnetic field.
US08773119B2
A system for fiber DC magneto-optic detection and method thereof are provided. The system comprises a power supply and signal processing module (400), an optical fiber device (200), a magneto-optic probe (100) and a reference device (300). The reference device (300) is mounted in the system, and the measured signal can be corrected via a reference magnetic field pulse signal generated by the reference device (300) so as to eliminate the influence that the environmental factors caused on the measurement, and to obtain accurate measurement data, thus improving measurement accuracy of the system.
US08773118B2
A magnetometer which includes an elongate reactor in which a sample can be secured in a sample support zone and which is located within a magnetic field space of a magnetic field generator and one or more signal pickup coils. Movement generating means is provided for generating relative movement in a generally linear direction between the reactor and at least one of the magnetic field and pickup coil, preferably by moving the reactor in its length. The magnetometer is characterised in that the reactor is a metal tube having a length which permits its ends to remain external of the signal pickup device during the relative movement.
US08773111B2
A current flowing through a switching element (5) of a power supply is detected by an AC current transformer (8), and a capacitor (201) is charged by a voltage corresponding to the current. A reduction factor of the terminal voltage of the capacitor in an off period of the switching element (5) is calculated based on an amplification factor of the terminal voltage of the capacitor, an absolute value of an instantaneous value of an input power supply voltage, and an instantaneous value of a direct current output voltage, and the capacitor is discharged so that the terminal voltage of the capacitor decreases by the reduction factor in an off period of the switching element (5). A current flowing through an inductor (4) is estimated from the terminal voltage of the capacitor.
US08773108B2
A safe powerline communications instrumentation front end device including a voltage input for receiving a line voltage from a powerline, a voltage reducer for reducing the voltage of the line voltage, a filtering system for extracting a Power Line Communications (PLC) signal from the line voltage, and an analog output for outputting the PLC signal as an analog signal for communications test equipment.
US08773102B2
A novel switching hysteretic power converter is presented. The power converter combines the function of a capacitive charge pump with the function of an inductive step down converter to obtain a switching boost converter with a much simpler control method with respect to conventional inductive boost power converters. The hysteretic control provides stable operation in all conditions with excellent load transient response. Furthermore the hysteretic control allows high frequency switching reducing the size and cost of the passive components. The Discontinuous Conduction Mode of operation provides very high efficiency even at light loads. The presented power converter can be operated as a boost converter or as a buck converter simply by changing the switching phase of one switch. In both types of operation the efficiency of the hysteretic power converter can be quite high even at high switching frequencies.
US08773098B2
Operation of a digital power amplifier for power amplification of a modulated signal is stopped in a period in which a voltage value of a drive signal applied to a capacitive load is constant, to thereby suppress power loss. The power amplification is stopped either when half a period of time when the modulated signal in a first voltage state maintains the first voltage state elapses or when half a period of time when the modulated signal in a second voltage state which is lower in voltage than the first voltage state maintains the second voltage state elapses. Accordingly, when electric current does not flow in a inductor of a low pass filter, it is possible to stop the power amplification. Thus, it is possible to prevent generation of voltage fluctuation in the drive signal due to an electromotive force caused by a self-induction phenomenon of the inductor.
US08773097B2
A digital control circuit is provided for use with a switch-mode power converter that receives an input signal at a first input node and a control signal at a second input node, and that provides an output signal at a first output node and a current signal at a second output node. The digital control circuit generates a programmable current reference signal based on a difference between the output signal and a voltage reference signal, calculates a time instant when the current signal substantially equals the programmable reference current signal, and generates the control signal based on the calculated time instant.
US08773095B2
A startup circuit in an LDO includes an operational amplifier having an inverting terminal and a non-inverting terminal and an output node. The non-inverting terminal receives a reference voltage. The startup circuit further includes a feedback capacitor coupled between an output node and the inverting terminal and a current source coupled between the inverting terminal and ground such that the current source and the feedback capacitor together control rate of change of an output voltage of the operational amplifier. A comparator is used to stop the rate of change of output voltage after the output voltage reaches a desired value.
US08773090B2
A voltage regulator with adaptive hysteretic control. The voltage regulator may include a top switch (e.g., MOSFET) configured to couple a power supply supplying an input voltage to a load. An adaptive hysteretic control circuit of the voltage regulator may turn on the top switch when the feedback voltage reaches the low threshold and turn off the top switch when the feedback voltage reaches the high threshold. The adaptive hysteretic control circuit may adjust the upper and lower threshold to make the voltage regulator working like a constant on time control circuit in steady state. When a step down transient happens, the top switch could be turned off when the output voltage reaches the upper threshold, and when a step up transient happens, the top switch could be turned on when the output voltage reaches the lower threshold, it makes the voltage regulator working like a hysteretic control circuit.
US08773089B2
A regulator includes a first amplifier, a second amplifier, a current control circuit, a first P-type metal-oxide-semiconductor transistor, a second P-type metal-oxide-semiconductor transistor, and a feedback circuit. The current control circuit includes a controller and at least one switch, and a second terminal of the first P-type metal-oxide-semiconductor transistor is coupled to a second terminal of the second P-type metal-oxide-semiconductor transistor. The regulator utilizes the controller to turn off the at least one switch during operation of the regulator in a light load mode, and the regulator utilizes the controller to turn on the at least one switch in turn when the regulator changes from the light load mode to a heavy load mode. Thus, the regulator can quickly recover a load current in the heavy load mode.
US08773087B2
The invention relates to a power supply circuit (10) and methods for supplying electrical power to at least one load output. The circuit comprises a main power supply unit (12) with a voltage input (14), a main switching element (26) and a reactive element (28). The switching element (26) is controllable to deliver an output voltage or current (I out). Output units (20a, 20b, 20c) with load outputs are connected to a main power supply unit (12). In order to drive loads connected to the load outputs, e.g. LEDs, OLEDs or laser diodes, with exact pulses, each output unit (20a, 20b, 20c) has a load switching element (38) to connect or disconnect the main power supply unit (12) to or from the load output. There are further provided switched capacitor units (34), each with a capacitor (C) and a capacitor switching element (40). The capacitor units may be operated such that the capacitors remain essentially charged at different voltage levels. According to a second aspect of the invention, each output unit (20a, 20b, 20c) has a switched capacitor unit (34) with a capacitor (C) and a capacitor switching element (40) connected to the load output. The load switching element (38) and the capacitor switching elements (40) are controlled synchronously.
US08773085B2
A DC-to-DC converter includes two or more inductors coupled to a common core and two or more active switches, where at least one active switch is in an input current path. A controller operates the two or more active switches such that a DC input is driven through one or more of the two or more inductors to implement a power conversion operation.
US08773080B2
An alternator has a field coil that produces a magnetic field which induces electricity in an coil arrangement. A field coil excitation system includes a generator with an output coil assembly for producing alternating electricity. A rectifier converts the alternating electricity into voltage and direct current at two nodes. A capacitor, between the nodes, has capacitance that forms a resonant circuit with inductance of the output coil assembly. Due to that resonant circuit, the voltage and direct current oscillate in a predefined phase relationship. A switch and the field coil are connected in series between the nodes. A controller renders the switch conductive for a time period specified by a received control signal. The switch is rendered non-conductive at the first occurrence of a minimum current level after the time period ends. The predefined phase relationship enables the minimum current level to be detected by sensing the voltage.
US08773075B2
The battery monitoring circuit includes a first switch element, a second switch element, a third switch element. The battery monitoring circuit includes a first output capacitor connected to the second end of the first switch element at a first end. The battery monitoring circuit includes a first output controlling switch element connected between a second end of the first output capacitor and the ground. The battery monitoring circuit includes an AD converter that analog-to-digital converts a signal responsive to a voltage at an output terminal between the second end of the first output capacitor and the first output controlling switch element. The battery monitoring circuit includes a controlling circuit that controls turning the first to third switch elements and the first output controlling switch element and controls the AD converter.
US08773067B2
A charging base has a bottom case, a printed circuit board (PCB) and a top case. The bottom case includes at least one drainage hole. The PCB is mounted in the bottom case and includes a mounting hole, a positioning block and charging terminals. The positioning block is attached to the PCB and has through holes. The charging terminals are secured to the positioning block and have apertures. The top case covers the bottom case and includes terminal holes and a top enclosed wall. The top enclosed wall is secured around the positioning block. Therefore, when water accidentally enters the charging base via the terminal holes, the water will sequentially flow through the apertures of the charging terminals, the through holes of the positioning block and the mounting hole of the PCB and subsequently drain out of the drainage hole of the bottom case.
US08773062B2
A polyphase electric motor has a rotor, a stator with a plurality of slots, a plurality of main windings and a plurality of auxiliary windings installed in slots of the stator, and a main winding and an auxiliary winding that correspond to a selected phase of an alternating current power source. The auxiliary windings are connected to the motor terminals through a plurality of capacitors, and the auxiliary windings and corresponding capacitors are connected in parallel to the main windings. The main winding and the auxiliary winding of the selected phase are offset by about 60 to about 120 electrical degrees. A power of the plurality of main windings is at least 75% of a power of the polyphase electric motor at full load rating and the power of the plurality of main windings is motoring at 25% of the full load rating.
US08773055B2
An electronically commutated one-phase motor (20) has a stator having at least one winding strand (30, 32) and a permanent-magnet rotor (22). The rotor, as it rotates, induces a voltage (uind) in the at least one winding strand (30, 32). The motor has an electronic calculation device (26), preferably a microcontroller μC, which is configured to execute, during operation, the steps of a) sensing the value of the instantaneous operating voltage (Ub); (b) using the operating voltage value (Ub) and optionally further parameters, adjusting a time duration (TON) of a switch-on current pulse (i30) for the motor, in order to apply a consistent amount of electrical energy to the windings during start-up attempts, thereby maximizing the probability of successful start-up, regardless of possible fluctuations in motor operating voltage and related operating parameters. The switch-on current pulse duration (TON) can be adjusted longer or shorter, as a function of operating experience.
US08773052B2
A method of controlling a brushless motor that includes exciting a winding of the motor in advance of predetermined rotor positions by an advance period. The length of the advance period is defined by a waveform that varies periodically with time. Additionally, a control system that implements the method, and a motor system that incorporates the control system.
US08773048B2
A fan control system includes a first fan, a second fan adjacent to the first fan, a first motor that rotates the first fan, a second motor that rotates the second fan, and a control unit. The control unit controls the rotational speeds of the first motor and the second motor. The control unit decreases the rotational speed of the first motor and increases/decreases the rotational speed of the second motor when the rotational speed of the first motor must be decreased. The control unit can decrease the rotational speed of the second motor when the rotational speed of the first motor whose rotational speed has been decreased is lower than a prescribed rotational speed, and increase the rotational speed of the second motor when the rotational speed of the first motor whose rotational speed has been decreased is higher than the prescribed rotational speed.
US08773041B2
The present invention relates to a high efficiency LED driver, and driving methods thereof. In one embodiment, a high efficiency LED driving method can include: (i) receiving an AC input voltage to obtain an absolute value thereof; (ii) receiving a DC bus voltage, and driving the LED device through a power switch; (iii) generating a first reference voltage according to a driving current and an expected driving current; (iv) comparing the absolute value against a sum of a driving voltage and the first reference voltage; (v) when the absolute value is greater than the sum of the driving voltage and the first reference voltage, turning off the power switch; and (vi) when the absolute value is greater than the driving voltage but less than the sum of the driving voltage and the first reference voltage, turning on the power switch to generate an output current.
US08773036B2
A projector that outputs a first picture and a second picture alternately, wherein a control section performs first control and second control, controls a discharge lamp driving section. In the first control and the second control, the absolute value of a drive current is relatively small in a first period and relatively large in a second period. In the first control, the energy provided to a first electrode in the second period is greater than the energy provided to the second electrode in the second period. In the second control, the energy provided to the second electrode in the second period is greater than the energy provided to the first electrode in the second period.
US08773028B2
A direction indication lamp control device includes: a pulse signal generation unit that generates a pulse signal; a current control element having one end to which power supply voltage is supplied, a control terminal to which the pulse signal is supplied, and the other end which outputs a drive current, the other end of the current control element being connected to one end of an external direction indication switch, and the other end of the direction indication switch being connected to a direction indication lamp; and a leak detection unit that causes the pulse signal generation unit to decrease the amplitude of the pulse signal in a case where the drive current corresponding to a pulse wave of the pulse signal is equal to or less than a leak detection current value during a leak detection period.
US08773024B2
The color of an LED-based lamp can be tuned to a desired color or color temperature. The lamp can include two or more independently addressable groups of LEDs associated with different colors or color temperatures and a total-internal-reflection (TIR) color-mixing lens to produce light of a uniform color by mixing the light from the different groups of LEDs. The color of the output light is tuned by controllably dividing an input current among the groups of LEDs. Tuning can be performed once, e.g., during manufacture, and the lamp does not require active feedback components for maintaining color temperature.
US08773022B2
A method for dynamically controlling heat dissipation of an AC LED driving circuit has steps of connecting multiple voltage-controlled transistors and a current detection unit in series to a power loop having an LED unit, connecting a resistive element between each adjacent two of the voltage-controlled transistors to constitute multiple stages of power distribution units, detecting a voltage and a current of the power loop and calculating a consumed power value, and switching to one of the stages of power distribution units with a power range in which the current power value falls. As the higher stage of power distribution unit has more resistive elements for current to flow therethrough, it can share the power of the single-chip voltage-controlled transistor when the LED unit having higher power is used, thereby avoiding overheated condition and malfunction of the voltage-controlled transistor.
US08773007B2
Light engine modules comprise a support member and a solid state light emitter, in which (1) the emitter is mounted on the support member, (2) a region of the support member has a surface with a curved cross-section, (3) the emitter and a compensation circuit are mounted on the support member, (4) an electrical contact element extends to at least two surfaces of the support member, and/or (5) a substantial entirety of the module is located on one side of a plane and the emitter emits light into another side of the plane. Also, a module comprising means for supporting a light emitter and a light emitter. Also, a lighting device comprising a housing member and a light emitter mounted on a removable support member. Also, a lighting device comprising a module mounted in a lighting device element. Also, a method comprising mounting a module to a lighting device element.
US08773005B2
Quartz-crystal vibrating devices are disclosed, including vibrating and frame portions separated by a through-slot. An edge surface of the slot has a protrusion preventing unwanted formation of artifact “electrodes.” The vibrating portion and frame are made of AT-cut quartz as a unit. A joining portion couples the frame and vibrating portion together across the through-slot. A package base has two external electrodes. A third frame region has first and second plane surfaces. The protrusion projects toward the vibrating portion and has first and/or second sloped surfaces. First and second extraction electrodes extend from respective excitation electrodes via respective joining portions to respective external electrodes. The extraction electrodes pass across the first plane surface and first sloped surface or across the second plane surface and second slanted surface.
US08773001B2
In one general aspect, various embodiments are directed to an ultrasonic surgical instrument that comprises a handpiece housing that operably supports an electrical contact assembly therein that is in electrical communication with a signal source. An acoustic assembly is supported within the handpiece housing in rotatable contact with the electrical contact assembly. In various embodiments, the signal source produces at least one of an ultrasonic signal and a radio frequency signal.
US08772996B2
A stator for an electric rotating machine is provided which includes a stator winding made up of a plurality of conductor segments. Each of the conductor segments has a leg which includes an in-slot portion into one of slots of a stator core and a protrusive end extending outside the slot. The protrusive ends of the conductor segments are welded together to form a stator winding. The conductor segments are broken down into first conductor segments and second conductor segments. The protrusive ends of the first and second conductor segments include outwardly-oriented bends and inwardly-oriented bends for increasing an interval between every pair of adjacent two of the protrusive ends to be welded, thus ensuring a required degree of electrical insulation between the pairs of the protrusive ends and permits the height of a coil end of the stator winding to be decreased.
US08772989B2
The invention relates to an electric tool, in particular a hand-held electric tool, having a housing, which has a rear housing part and at least one front housing part arranged in front of the rear housing part in the longitudinal direction of the electric tool, and an electric drive motor having an armature shaft that extends in the longitudinal direction of the electric tool. The armature shaft is rotatably mounted together with a rear bearing arranged at the rear housing part. According to the invention, the rear bearing is designed as a fixed bearing.
US08772980B2
A blumlein assembly incorporating a solid-state switch is presented. In the exemplary embodiment, a semiconductor switch is placed between first and second conducting strips, with dielectric material filling in the space between the strips on either side of the switch. A third conductive strip, parallel to the other two strips, is separated from the middle one of the strips by another dielectric layer. Rather than having the switch attach directly to the dielectric material on either side, a holder or carrier structure is used, which may be formed of several pieces or of a monolithic structure. The holder is formed of a material whose dielectric constant is closer to that of the switch than the dielectric material on either side, but whose boundary with the dielectric on either side has at least a portion that extends in a non-orthogonal direction with respect to the conducting strips. The arrangement allows the structure to withstand higher electric field levels without breakdown. The exemplary switch is light activated and the holder structure also includes ferrules on either side of the holder, by which optic fibers can be optically coupled with the switch. The switch extends to either side beyond the conductive strips, so that the ferrules are not placed between these strips to again allow for the use of higher field values.
US08772968B2
A circuit, having a plurality of regulated, parallel, voltage sources, an a.c.-d.c. converter circuit and a regulating unit, and a method for controlling it. The regulated voltage sources include an unregulated voltage source of a temporally variable output d.c. voltage, a step-up converter and an associated regulating device, where the step-up converter is a three-point step-up converter. The regulating unit measures the intermediate circuit voltage of the a.c.-d.c. converter circuit and is connected with the regulating devices. In the method for control, the regulating unit determines the voltage in the intermediate circuit of the a.c.-d.c. converter circuit and from this determines, as a function of the maximally and minimally permissible intermediate circuit voltage, a set-point value for the output voltage of the regulated voltage sources. This set-point value is transmitted to the regulating devices, from which the regulating devices determine the control conditions for the step-up converter.
US08772962B2
A power distribution system for a rail vehicle includes a propulsion alternator, a first bus, a Head End Power (HEP) alternator, and a second bus. The propulsion alternator is joined to an engine of the rail vehicle. The first bus is joined with the propulsion alternator and is configured to electrically couple the propulsion alternator with a propulsion electric load that propels the rail vehicle. The HEP alternator is joined to the engine. The second bus is joined with the HEP alternator and is adapted to electrically couple the HEP alternator with a non-propulsion electric load of the rail vehicle. The propulsion alternator generates a first electric current to power the propulsion electric load and the HEP alternator separately generates second electric current to power the non-propulsion electric load. The HEP alternator and the second bus are electrically separate from the propulsion alternator and the first bus.
US08772960B2
A power transmitting and receiving system for a vehicle includes: an information communication device for transmitting/receiving vehicle positional relation specifying information; a power transmitting/receiving antenna for wirelessly transmitting/receiving an electric power between vehicles; a directionality specifying information transmitting/receiving device for transmitting/receiving directionality specifying information of the power transmitting/receiving antenna between vehicles; and an antenna directionality controller for controlling the directionality of the power transmitting/receiving antenna of the vehicles based on the vehicle positional relation specifying information and the directionality specifying information of the vehicles, so that the power transmitting/receiving antenna of the vehicle faces the power transmitting/receiving antenna of another vehicle.
US08772957B2
The present invention pertains to hydroelectric generation devices, and more particularly pertains to a fixed or floating paddlewheel electric generation device that may be placed in any flowing liquid source in order to generate power. Such an overall power generating system includes a paddlewheel component that is situated within an artificial channel properly configured to increase the velocity of the flowing liquid therethrough, thereby providing a manner of generating paddlewheel rotation at a speed greater than that relative to the main body of the fluid itself. Such an efficient process thus allows for effective conversion of such hydrokinetic power into mechanical energy in order to couple to a device to produce electricity from such captured power. The resultant electrical energy can then be supplied to a user's individual location or into an electrical grid in order to supply a clean, efficient, power source.
US08772953B2
The present invention include a semiconductor device and a method therefor, the method includes disposing a sheet-shaped resin at a side opposite to the chip mounting portion mounting semiconductor chips to be mounted on the chip mounting portion, and forming a resin sealing portion between the sheet-shaped resin and the chip mounting portion, to seal the semiconductor chips. According to an aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a semiconductor device and a fabrication method therefor, by which it is possible to reduce the size of the package and to prevent the generation of an unfilled portion in a resin sealing portion or a filler-removed portion or to prevent the exposure of wire from the resin sealing portion.
US08772949B2
Method of forming a capture pad on a semiconductor substrate. The method includes providing a semiconductor substrate having an active side and an inactive side and having a plurality of unfilled TSVs extending between the active side and the inactive side; filling the TSVs with a metal such that the metal is recessed with respect to at least one of the active side and the inactive side and does not entirely fill the TSVs; defining capture pad areas on the at least one of the active side and inactive side adjacent to the recessed TSVs; filling the capture pad areas and recessed TSVs with the same metal to form a capture pad in direct contact with each of the TSVs, each of the capture pads having an all metal portion that follows an outline of each of the TSVs. Also disclosed is a semiconductor substrate having a capture pad.
US08772946B2
A component can include a substrate and a conductive via extending within an opening in the substrate. The substrate can have first and second opposing surfaces. The opening can extend from the first surface towards the second surface and can have an inner wall extending away from the first surface. A dielectric material can be exposed at the inner wall. The conductive via can define a relief channel within the opening adjacent the first surface. The relief channel can have an edge within a first distance from the inner wall in a direction of a plane parallel to and within five microns below the first surface, the first distance being the lesser of one micron and five percent of a maximum width of the opening in the plane. The edge can extend along the inner wall to span at least five percent of a circumference of the inner wall.
US08772936B2
A semiconductor device with a copper line comprises a lower portion of a copper pattern buried in an interlayer insulating film, an upper portion of the copper disposed over the upper portion of the lower copper pattern, and an upper barrier metal layer disposed over upper and side surfaces of the upper copper pattern. As a result, the copper pattern is protected by the barrier metal layers, providing a metal line with a stable structure.
US08772930B2
A multilayer microelectronic device package includes one or more vertical electrical contacts. At least one semiconductor material layer is provided having one or more electrical devices fabricated therein. An electrical contact pad can be formed on or in the semiconductor material layer. Another material layer is positioned adjacent to the semiconductor material layer and includes a conductive material stud embedded in or bonded to the layer. A via is formed through at least a portion of the semiconductor material layer and the electrical contact pad and into the adjacent layer conducting material stud. The via is constructed such that the via tip terminates within the conducting material stud, exposing the conducting material. A metallization layer is disposed in the via such that the metallization layer contacts both the electrical contact pad and the conducting material stud exposed by the via tip.
US08772926B2
The production method of a cooler includes a laminated material production step S1 and a brazing joining step. In the laminated material production step, a laminated material is formed by integrally joining a Ni layer made of Ni or a Ni alloy having an upper surface to which a member to be cooled is to be joined by soldering, a Ti layer made of Ti or a Ti alloy and arranged on a lower surface side of the Ni layer, and an Al layer made of Al or an Al alloy and arranged on a lower surface side of the Ti layer in a laminated manner. In the brazing joining step, a lower surface of the Al layer of the laminated material and a cooling surface of a cooler main body are joined by brazing.
US08772914B2
A first semiconductor chip and a second semiconductor chip are overlapped with each other in a direction in which a first multilayer interconnect layer and a second multilayer interconnect layer are opposed to each other. When seen in a plan view, a first inductor and a second inductor are overlapped. The first semiconductor chip and the second semiconductor chip have non-opposed areas which are not opposed to each other. The first multilayer interconnect layer has a first external connection terminal in the non-opposed area, and the second multilayer interconnect layer has a second external connection terminal in the non-opposed area.
US08772913B1
A stiffened semiconductor die package has a semiconductor die including an integrated circuit. The die has an active side with die bonding pads and an opposite inactive side. A conductive frame that acts as a ground plane surrounds all edges of the die and a mold compound covers the conductive frame and the edges of the die. A thermally conductive sheet is attached to the inactive side of the die. A dielectric support structure with external connector pads with solder deposits is attached to the active side of the die. The external connector pads are selectively electrically coupled to the die bonding pads.
US08772888B2
Use of a multilayer etching mask that includes a stud mask and a removable spacer sleeve for MTJ etching to form a bottom electrode that is wider than the rest of the MTJ pillar is described. The first embodiment of the invention described includes a top electrode and a stud mask. In the second and third embodiments the stud mask is a conductive material and also serves as the top electrode. In embodiments after the stud mask is formed a spacer sleeve is formed around it to initially increase the masking width for a phase of etching. The spacer is removed for further etching, to create step structures that are progressively transferred down into the layers forming the MTJ pillar. In one embodiment the spacer sleeve is formed by net polymer deposition during an etching phase.
US08772878B2
A silicon/germanium material and a silicon/carbon material may be provided in transistors of different conductivity type on the basis of an appropriate manufacturing regime without unduly contributing to overall process complexity. Furthermore, appropriate implantation species may be provided through exposed surface areas of the cavities prior to forming the corresponding strained semiconductor alloy, thereby additionally contributing to enhanced overall transistor performance. In other embodiments a silicon/carbon material may be formed in a P-channel transistor and an N-channel transistor, while the corresponding tensile strain component may be overcompensated for by means of a stress memorization technique in the P-channel transistor. Thus, the advantageous effects of the carbon species, such as enhancing overall dopant profile of P-channel transistors, may be combined with an efficient strain component while enhanced overall process uniformity may also be accomplished.
US08772876B2
In a first aspect, a first method of manufacturing a high-voltage transistor is provided. The first method includes the steps of (1) providing a substrate including a bulk silicon layer that is below an insulator layer that is below a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) layer; and (2) forming one or more portions of a transistor node including a diffusion region of the transistor in the SOI layer. A portion of the transistor node is adapted to reduce a voltage greater than about 5 V within the transistor to a voltage less than about 3 V. Numerous other aspects are provided.
