US08825505B1
A system, method, and computer-usable medium are disclosed for determining a maximum amount to finance based on a plurality of periodic payments. The maximum financed amount of the purchase price of a vehicle is determined based on a plurality of periodic payments, including the cost of vehicle insurance coverage. Data associated with a borrower is retrieved, followed by the borrower providing information related to a target vehicle and a maximum periodic payment amount for the cost of financing the target vehicle and insuring it. Vehicle insurance requirement data, vehicle insurance policy data, and vehicle loan terms data is then provided and processed with the vehicle data and the borrower data to generate a periodic cost for a vehicle insurance policy. Thereafter, the vehicle data, vehicle loan terms data, and borrower data are processed to generate a periodic cost for a loan on the vehicle. In turn, the periodic cost for the vehicle insurance policy, the periodic cost for a loan on the vehicle, and the total periodic payment amount provided by the borrower are processed to generate a maximum amount of the purchase price of the vehicle to finance.
US08825503B2
Methods and systems enable healthcare providers to identify metabolites that may cause a medical condition in a patient. The healthcare providers may then use the identified metabolite to identify a probiotic that may affect the regulation of that metabolite. Patient information, such as medical history and diagnosis data may then be used in combination with the identified probiotic to create a personalized medicament for that patient.
US08825499B2
A method and system for provisioning of social networking services through ring back tones is provided. In various embodiments of the present invention, when a caller makes a call to a callee, a ring back tone containing social network profile information is provided to the caller.
US08825491B2
An auditory user interactive interface to an application program being installed in the computer controlled system. A routine in an object, in an application program being installed in the computer controlled system for providing an auditory user interface to the program in combination with auditory means for offering the user of the computer controlled system the auditory user interface during installation of said application program, and responsive to the selection of the auditory interface provides the auditory user interface during said installation of the application program.
US08825489B2
Provided in some embodiments is a computer implemented method that includes providing script data including script words indicative of dialog words to be spoken, providing audio data corresponding to at least a portion of the dialog words to be spoken, wherein the audio data includes timecodes associated with dialog words, generating a sequential alignment of the script words to the dialog words, matching at least some of the script words to corresponding dialog words to determine alignment points, determining corresponding timecodes for unmatched script words using interpolation based on the timecodes associated with matching script words, and generating time-aligned script data including the script words and their corresponding time codes.
US08825486B2
Techniques for generating synthetic speech with contrastive stress. In one aspect, a speech-enabled application generates a text input including a text transcription of a desired speech output, and inputs the text input to a speech synthesis system. The synthesis system generates an audio speech output corresponding to at least a portion of the text input, with at least one portion carrying contrastive stress, and provides the audio speech output for the speech-enabled application. In another aspect, a speech-enabled application inputs a plurality of text strings, each corresponding to a portion of a desired speech output, to a software module for rendering contrastive stress. The software module identifies a plurality of audio recordings that render at least one portion of at least one of the text strings as speech carrying contrastive stress. The speech-enabled application generates an audio speech output corresponding to the desired speech output using the audio recordings.
US08825484B2
A character input apparatus which makes it possible to suppress degradation of use-friendliness in a case where a visually disabled user inputs characters using an auto-complete function. In the character string input apparatus, a character string to be input as a portion following a character string input by a user is predicted based on the character string input by the user, and the character string input by the user is completed using the predicted character string as a portion complementary thereto. In a voice guidance mode, information associated with a key selected by the user is read aloud by voice. When the voice guidance mode is enabled, the character string input apparatus disables the auto-complete function and performs control such that a character string cannot be automatically completed.
US08825482B2
Consumer electronic devices have been developed with enormous information processing capabilities, high quality audio and video outputs, large amounts of memory, and may also include wired and/or wireless networking capabilities. Additionally, relatively unsophisticated and inexpensive sensors, such as microphones, video camera, GPS or other position sensors, when coupled with devices having these enhanced capabilities, can be used to detect subtle features about users and their environments. A variety of audio, video, simulation and user interface paradigms have been developed to utilize the enhanced capabilities of these devices. These paradigms can be used separately or together in any combination. One paradigm automatically creating user identities using speaker identification. Another paradigm includes a control button with 3-axis pressure sensitivity for use with game controllers and other input devices.
US08825478B2
Audio content is converted to text using speech recognition software. The text is then associated with a distinct voice or a generic placeholder label if no distinction can be made. From the text and voice information, a word cloud is generated based on key words and key speakers. A visualization of the cloud displays as it is being created. Words grow in size in relation to their dominance. When it is determined that the predominant words or speakers have changed, the word cloud is complete. That word cloud continues to be displayed statically and a new word cloud display begins based upon a new set of predominant words or a new predominant speaker or set of speakers. This process may continue until the meeting is concluded. At the end of the meeting, the completed visualization may be saved to a storage device, sent to selected individuals, removed, or any combination of the preceding.
US08825477B2
In one configuration, erasure of a significant frame of a sustained voiced segment is detected. An adaptive codebook gain value for the erased frame is calculated based on the preceding frame. If the calculated value is less than (alternatively, not greater than) a threshold value, a higher adaptive codebook gain value is used for the erased frame. The higher value may be derived from the calculated value or selected from among one or more predefined values.
US08825470B2
A system and method of providing a response with different language options for a data communication protocol, such as Session Initiation Protocol, are disclosed. For example, data communication is controlled between at least two endpoints. A response code indicative of a condition of the data communication is transmitted to one of the at least two endpoints. The response code is associated with a reason phrase operable to be displayed at the one of the at least two endpoints in a language selected from an option of a plurality of languages.
US08825466B1
Systems and methods for automatically modifying an annotated bilingual segment pair are provided. An annotated bilingual segment pair (“Pair”) may be modified to generate improved translation rules used in machine translation of documents from a source language to a target language. Because a single Pair may be used to translate a phrase, many Pairs are used in a machine translation system and manual correction of each model is impractical. Each Pair may be modified by re-labeling syntactic categories within the Pair, re-structuring a tree within the Pair, and/or re-aligning source words to target words within the Pair. In exemplary embodiments, many alternate Pairs (or portions thereof) are generated automatically, rule sequences corresponding to each are derived, and one or more rule sequences are selected. Using the selected rule sequence, a modified Pair is distilled.
US08825450B2
A computer-implemented method and system for updating a modeled object in a Product Lifecycle Management system is disclosed. The modeled object to be updated is modeled with a directed acyclic graph having at least one path. The path is formed of nodes and arcs, where: (i) each node represents a modeled object, and (ii) each arc represents the use of a respective end node by a corresponding origin node. The invention method and system build a first path of all successive nodes used by the modeled object to be updated. Next the invention method and system compute from the first path, a second path of nodes impacting the update of the modeled object to be updated. In turn, the invention method and system update the modeled object to be updated by using the nodes of the second path. The invention also provides a computerized system, such as a Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system, comprising program code means for carrying out the method of the present invention.
US08825446B2
An independently based diagnostic system tests the execution of a processor. The processor is arranged to provide a diagnostic output that provides a pre-determined time-variant signal. The independently based diagnostic system has an independent basis from which to evaluate the pre-determined time-variant signal. The independent basis can be, for example, an independent time base that is separately generated from the processor time base used to clock the processor and/or an independent voltage source that is separate from the processor power supply. The independently based diagnostic system provides progressive notifications of the results of successive evaluations of the pre-determined time-variant signal.
US08825444B1
A metrology unit includes an integrated reference target with which an automated system check process is performed. The automated system check process includes measuring a feature on the reference target and determining if the measurement is within a desired specification for the metrology unit. When the metrology unit fails the automated system check, or if otherwise warranted, an automated diagnosis process may be performed using the same integrated reference target. The automated system check and automated diagnosis may be optimized based on correlations between parameters of the automated qualification and parameters of the automated diagnosis. Similarly, the measurement of a processed wafer may be optimized based on a correlation between parameters of the metrology of the processed wafer and parameters of the automated system check.
US08825440B2
A resolver signal converter and a resolver signal conversion method amplify and perform analogue-digital conversion on a sine wave output from a resolver; thereafter, among frequency components of the sine wave output, pass and thereby extract a predetermined bandwidth of which the center frequency is the frequency of an excitation signal, by means of a band-pass filter; sample the sine wave output while synchronizing the sine wave output with a reference signal which is based on the excitation signal; and generate a detection angle signal sine value from the sampled signal. Similarly, a detection angle signal cosine value is generated from a cosine wave output from the resolver. A detection angle is calculated based on the detection angle signal sine value and the detection angle signal cosine value. Accordingly, an influence, on an input resolver signal, of disturbance noise such as noise caused due to a magnetic field generated by a motor and switching noise caused due to PWM driving, is eliminated, and frequency dependence of arithmetic processing is eliminated. As a result, detection angle errors are reduced.
US08825435B2
A subject location tracking process is provided that includes the attachment of a system to a subject where the system includes a radiofrequency sensor integration module, an inertial tracking module, and a microprocessor. Radiofrequency signals are communicated from the radiofrequency sensor integration module to a remote radiofrequency transceiver beacon. A measured range is determined between the radiofrequency sensory integration module and the beacon. An error value E is then computed between the measured range and a predicted range. The predicted range is computed from the inertial tracking module alone based on positional data as to location and orientation of the system. The location data of the subject is determined with a microprocessor and displayed at the location. The present invention operates to provide a high degree of accuracy as to the position of a subject in spite of intermediate obstructions and without reliance on global position satellite systems, fixed reference signals, or line of sight.
US08825427B2
A reference measurement object having known properties is used for the purpose of calibrating a coordinate measuring machine. A plurality of reference measured values are picked up on the reference measurement object. Calibration data are determined using the reference measured values and using the known properties of the reference measurement object. The calibration data comprises a first number of polynomial coefficients that are selected to correct nonlinear measuring errors using at least one polynomial transformation. The first number of polynomial coefficients is reduced in an iterative method to a lesser second number, with a plurality of pairs of polynomial coefficients being formed and with a polynomial coefficient of a pair being eliminated in each case when a statistical dependence between the polynomial coefficients of the pair is greater than a defined threshold value.
US08825421B2
Methods and systems for tracking an electronic signal corresponding to an operating frequency of an electronic component are provided. A method may include sampling the signal to determine previous and current time samples of the signal. A frequency of interest in the signal may also be pre-warped to decrease adverse warping effects resulting from processing signals having relatively higher operating frequencies. The previous and current time samples of the signals, along with the pre-warped frequency of interest, may be input into a digital tracking filter. The digital tracking filter may be configured to execute one or more algorithms on the previous and current time samples and the pre-warped frequency of interest to estimate a current operating frequency.
US08825410B2
A method of processing seismic data including measurement data and their gradients to obtain gradients of move-out corrected data, comprising deriving gradients of the measurement data, deriving a first term comprising applying a move-out correction function to the measurement data; deriving a second term by applying the move-out correction function to the gradients and deriving gradients of move-out corrected data by adding the first term and the second term. The gradients of move-out corrected data are used to process physical properties of the earth's interior. The method may be used prior to any data processing algorithm which uses measurement gradient data in which move-out correction is applied prior to the algorithm, either because the algorithm makes a zero offset assumption or because it is beneficial for the algorithm to operate on move-out corrected data to reduce aliasing.
US08825407B2
A method and system for determining a traveled route of a mobile device in a mobile network. Analysis of a network usage record identifies activities and associated activity information of the mobile device. A series of consecutive movements of the mobile device along a path of locations is determined from the activity information. Historical sets of routes of the mobile device are accessed. Each route is a set of locations from an origin location to a destination location of the route. At least one common route is ascertained from the set of routes. The locations in each common route include all of the locations on the path. The origin location and destination location of each common route is the origin location and destination location of the path, respectively. A common route of the at least one common route is designated as the traveled route of the mobile device.
US08825405B2
Systems and methods are provided for providing improved generation of textual directions based on positional information. In an implementation, textual directions for traversing a path are generated based on positional information associated with the path. According to a method, positional information that specifies a longitude and latitude at a plurality of times is received and processed to generate a routing graph. The generated routing graph includes nodes and route links that connect the plurality of nodes. Textual directions are generated for traversing a path associated with the positional data, based in pan on link information associated with the links of the generated routing graph.
US08825401B2
A device for displaying a flight plan of an aircraft is disclosed. The device includes a control unit with at least one first display area including a textual list of identifiers of points, a textual list of identifiers of segments, or both that are representative of a portion of the flight plan. A display of the textual lists are centered around a current central display point, the current central display point corresponding to a point of the flight plan or a segment of the flight plan. The device further includes means for displacing by jumps the flight plan portion displayed in the first display area by selecting a new point different from the current central display point, the selected new point becoming a new central display point after selection thereof.
US08825398B2
The present invention relates to a device for assisting in the navigation of a person, both inside and outside a building. The device, being fitted to the person, comprises at least: a computer (41) comprising in memory a digitized map of the place (1) in which the path of the person is planned between a departure point and an arrival point, and a location software; a human-machine interface linked to the computer; a set of sensors (42) worn by the person and linked to the computer, the sensors delivering information about the movements of the person; the location software performing a processing of the signals originating from the sensors (42) and from the interface, and performing the fusion of the data provided by the digitized map and the information arising from the sensors and from the interface, and then calculating on the basis of these data the absolute location of the person on the map and correcting the position estimation errors.
US08825395B2
In one embodiment, there is provided visibility to future predicted traffic situations, based on all reserved routes in a system at a given point in time. This allows city planners, for example, to know where traffic will be to adjust traffic flow accordingly. Additional value comes into play by being able to calculate and publish aggregated savings from using this system, such as driver time, mileage, and gas. This information may be added to a database and made available to individuals via their GPS. In a typical implementation, a request for a route is received from a requester. Based on the request, an optimized route and a potential position of the requester within the optimized route are determined and then proposed to the requester. The requester can then select an option from the proposal.
US08825394B2
A system having a user interface which presents map data Dmap. An analysis unit analyzes map data Dmap, determining a quality Q for these map data Dmap which are to be presented. The determination is based on whether the respective map data Dmap are available and/or reliable. The quality Q is presented graphically by a presentation unit. The risk of wrong decisions being taken on the basis of deficient map data Dmap is reduced considerably, since the user can easily decide whether there are reliable map data or not.
US08825390B2
The present disclosure discloses a navigation device and a navigation method. The navigation method includes a satellite signal receiving module of the navigation device for receiving a positioning signal, a control unit of the navigation device for controlling a display module to display a navigation map on a map region according to the positioning signal, and the control unit of the navigation device for controlling a prompt region to present prompt information with different light effects according to traffic information. The prompt region is located outside the map region. Therefore, it is unnecessary for the user to further pay too much cognitive attention on understanding or referring to the navigation images and instructions, so the driving safety can be ensured.
US08825375B2
Techniques for performing more accurate snap-to-road calculations using wireless access point data are disclosed. In one aspect, a corrected location corresponding to received location data is selected from a plurality of candidate map locations based on a correspondence between the access points visible to a device and the access points visible at the corrected map location. In another aspect, road vector data is augmented with access point data, and a corrected map location is selected based on a correspondence between the access points visible to the device, and the augmented road vector data.
US08825367B2
A vehicle system includes a travel route including a merging section including a first entrance and a second entrance, a plurality of vehicles configured to travel on the travel route in one direction, and a ground controller configured and programmed to communicate with the plurality of vehicles. Any other vehicle expected to enter the merging section from the first entrance when a first vehicle is expected to enter the merging section from the second entrance is mapped on the travel route of the first vehicle based on a position and a velocity of the first vehicle and a position and a velocity of the other vehicle. A preceding-following relationship between the first vehicle and the other vehicle is determined from the position of the first vehicle and the position of the other vehicle after the mapping, and travel of the first vehicle is controlled so as to avoid a collision with the other vehicle.
US08825365B2
Methods and systems are provided for determining a potential conflict between a first aircraft and a second aircraft on an airport surface. In an embodiment, the methods include defining a first aircraft boundary around the first aircraft, based on data related to dimensions of the first aircraft, defining a second aircraft boundary around the second aircraft, based on data related to dimensions of the second aircraft, and determining a potential conflict exists between the first and the second aircraft, based on the first aircraft boundary and the second aircraft boundary.
US08825363B2
A portable terminal includes: a position obtaining section that obtains a piece of position information of a current position of the portable terminal; a power control section that controls turning on and off of power before and after the piece of position information is obtained by the position obtaining section, respectively; and a motion sensor that detects a movement of the portable terminal. The portable terminal further includes: a storage section that stores a history of the pieces of position information; and a recording section that records, into the storage section, a piece of position information newly obtained by the position obtaining section activated by the power control section, only when a movement is detected by the motion sensor.
US08825356B2
A system for sharing and processing traffic information includes a number of traffic information computer systems within individual vehicles or devices and a virtual traffic information server on a mobile network. The traffic information computer systems are each connected through a peer-to-peer radio, cellular, Wi-Fi, or other similar types of communications network, and which each operate with a database for displaying road maps, with a database storing average speed data for directions of travel along roadways, and with a location sensor used to determine the location and average speed of the vehicle or device, which are transmitted to other vehicles. The virtual server returns average speed data for road segments, which is displayed on the road maps. The system includes sharing average speed data calculated as well average speed data received from the plurality of vehicles to other vehicles, thereby enhancing the real-time communication of traffic data.
US08825354B2
A system for supporting a user of an electrically driven vehicle comprises position information obtaining unit for obtaining, during traveling, position information indicating a position of the vehicle, electric power amount estimating unit for estimating, during traveling, a remaining electric power amount of an electric power source of the vehicle, shortage risk estimating unit for estimating, during traveling, an estimated risk of electric power amount shortage on the basis of the estimated remaining electric power amount, and notifying unit for notifying a user in case the estimated risk of electric power amount shortage estimated by the shortage risk estimating unit exceeds a predetermined threshold value.
US08825349B2
An on-vehicle information terminal includes a traffic information obtaining unit that obtains traffic information including at least either weather information or event information through wireless communication, a decision-making unit that makes a decision, based upon at least either the weather information or the event information, as to whether or not telematics information provided by a distribution server via a mobile communication network is to be downloaded, and a download unit that downloads the telematics information via the mobile communication network if the decision-making unit has determined that the telematics information is to be downloaded.
US08825347B2
A controller actuates an electrical oil pump when an idle stop condition or a coast stop condition holds and causes the actuation of the electrical oil pump to continue without being stopped until an accelerated state of a vehicle or a driver's intention to accelerate is determined even if the idle stop condition and the coast stop condition no longer holds thereafter.
US08825344B2
When EGR is on (YES in S100), an ECU selects a first map for the time when EGR is on as an intake air temperature correction map (S 102). Thus, an intake air temperature correction retardation amount α is set to an intake air temperature correction retardation amount αon (THa, KL) for the time when EGR is on, which corresponds to an intake air temperature THa and an engine load KL. On the other hand, when EGR is off (NO in S100), the ECU selects a second map for the time when EGR is off as an intake air temperature correction map (S 104). Thus, the intake air temperature correction retardation amount α is set to an intake air temperature correction retardation amount αoff (THa, KL) for the time when EGR is off, which corresponds to the intake air temperature THa and the engine load KL.
US08825338B2
A primary controller disclosed. The primary controller is configured for controlling operation of a drive system comprising a prime mover, a generator, and a motor, wherein the prime mover is configured to provide energy to the generator, which is configured to drive the motor. The controller comprises a speed controller configured for determining a target speed of the motor dependent on externally-supplied speed input and a torque controller configured for determining a target torque of the motor based on externally-supplied torque input and on parameters of the vehicle. The primary controller is configured to simultaneously determine the target speed and the target torque and to simultaneously control the prime mover, generator, and motor to operate the motor at the target speed and the target torque.
US08825332B2
A method is described for stabilizing a vehicle during a braking maneuver, in which the vehicle is steered at the same time. In order to bring the vehicle back again into a controlled state as rapidly as possible, the driving state is monitored with respect to a driving situation in which the wheel slip of the front wheels is greater than a specified threshold value, and besides that, a steering requirement is present. If such a driving situation has been detected, the brake pressure is first reduced at a first front wheel and after that at a second front wheel on the other side of the vehicle, until the wheel start-up pressure is reached. Because of that, the first wheel starts up substantially faster than in response to a simultaneous pressure reduction.
US08825331B2
In a stacker crane, servomotors are travel motors causing a vehicle main body to travel, and include brakes. A travel controller includes a malfunction detecting unit to detect malfunctions in the servomotors, and a deceleration pattern storage unit to store deceleration patterns based on combinations of some of the servomotors. If a malfunction with a servomotor is detected by the malfunction detecting unit, the malfunctioning servomotor is no longer subject to deceleration control, a deceleration pattern including a combination of normal servomotors is read from the deceleration pattern storage unit, and then braking control is performed by using this deceleration pattern.
US08825329B2
An operating method for a motor vehicle including an electronically controlled motor vehicle brake system, having an automated brake release function. A start-up request is determined electronically in an automated manner and subsequently at least one electronic command is transmitted to a parking brake actuating mechanism in order to release the brake, and the electronic unit EPB−ESC−ECU is networked with communication partners, for example, electronic units, sensors and/or data-bus systems in order to exchange signals and/or data with these communication partners, and including an electronic routine for providing software, configuring and/or calibrating the motor vehicle brake system. For improved operation, in a more flexible configuration routine, the routine for providing software, configuring and/or calibrating the motor vehicle brake system is embodied in a multi-level manner, and subsequent to the vehicle being produced the motor vehicle brake system includes at least self-learning properties in terms of an automated configuration routine.
US08825326B2
A method of controlling an electric parking brake of a vehicle includes calculating a desired braking force based on the vehicle condition at an instruction of applying a braking force, and starting a braking motor of the electric parking brake. The method further includes determining whether a braking force is increasing by measuring current applied to the braking motor, calculating a braking correction value based on the measured current when determined that a braking force is not increasing, calculating a load torque based on the braking correction value and the measured current when determined that a braking force is increasing, and stopping the braking motor when the load torque is greater than the desired braking force.
US08825312B2
A height adjustment system for a paving screed apparatus and a method for adjusting the height of the endgates of a screed system are disclosed. In a disclosed system, the system includes an endgate coupled to a biasing element, such as a spring or a hydraulic cylinder and rod. The biasing element is coupled to an actuator. The actuator is linked to a controller. The biasing element is moveable between a compressed position and an extended position with a setpoint range disposed between the compressed and extended positions. The biasing element is also associated with a sensor for measuring vertical displacement of the biasing element, pressure or load on the biasing element with respect to the setpoint range.
US08825311B2
A sectional control apparatus and method prompts the operator of an implement when the implement, or portion thereof, is traversing over land that has already been seeded and/or disturbed. The apparatus includes a GPS or GNSS receiver that communicates with a GPS or GNSS system and a controller that maps movement of the implement so that real-time positional data for the implement can be compared to the movement map. When the position of the implement, or portion thereof, is detected as moving over previously seeded and/or disturbed land, the controller activates an alert mechanism in the operator cab of the implement to notify the operator that sectional control, i.e., shutting down metering of product or raising the tool bar, needs to be implemented.
US08825310B2
A sectional control apparatus and method prompts the operator of an implement when the implement, or portion thereof, is traversing over land that has already been seeded and/or disturbed. The apparatus includes a GPS or GNSS receiver that communicates with a GPS or GNSS system and a controller that maps movement of the implement so that real-time positional data for the implement can be compared to the movement map. When the position of the implement, or portion thereof, is detected as moving over previously seeded and/or disturbed land, the controller activates an alert mechanism in the operator cab of the implement to notify the operator that sectional control, i.e., shutting down metering of product or raising the tool bar, needs to be implemented.
US08825309B2
A cargo handling controller includes a rotation speed setting unit, an engine control unit, a memory, a rotation speed detection unit, a deviation calculator, an assistance amount setting unit, and a generator-motor control unit. The deviation calculator calculates a deviation of a feedback control rotation speed, which is determined from a target engine rotation speed stored in the memory a predetermined time earlier, and an actual rotation speed of the generator-motor, which is detected by the rotation speed detection unit. The assistance amount setting unit obtains a generator-motor assistance amount in accordance with the deviation. The generator-motor control unit sends a drive signal that is in accordance with the generator-motor assistance amount to the generator-motor.
US08825304B2
Among other things, one or more techniques and/or systems are disclosed for mediating tasks in real-time for safety-related concerns. A nature for a safety-related primary task, such as contextual elements of the task, is determined; and a nature of a secondary task that draws attention away from the primary task is also determined. A risk factor for a potential lack of cognitive resources which may be needed by the primary task is determined by applying the nature of the primary task and the nature of the secondary task to a trained risk factor model. The risk factor is applied to one or more safety-related systems in real-time, for example, to mitigate potential safety concerns.
US08825303B1
A method and apparatus are provided for aligning the wheels of a vehicle equipped with an electro-mechanical power steering system having a steering angle sensor, a torque sensor, and a torsion bar linking the steering angle sensor and the torque sensor. Embodiments include moving a steering wheel of the vehicle to a level position such that there is substantially no torque applied to the torsion bar; adjusting the toe of a first one of the front wheels of the vehicle after the steering wheel is moved to the level position; and moving the steering wheel substantially back to the level position, then re-adjusting the toe of the first one of the front wheels, when the steering wheel has moved more than a predetermined angle from the level position while adjusting the toe of the first one of the front wheels.
US08825297B2
A travel control device for a vehicle provided with: a steering angle control device that alters the relationship between the amount of steering operation of a driver and the steering angle of steerable wheels; a trajectory control device that controls the travel trajectory of the vehicle by means of controlling the steering angle of the steerable wheels; and a turning condition control device that determines a target turning condition control level for causing the turning condition of the vehicle to be a target turning condition, and controls the turning condition of the vehicle on the basis of the target turning condition control level. A turning condition control device calculates the target turning condition control level on the basis of the amount of steering operation of the driver and the control level of the trajectory control device, and thereby reflects in the target turning condition control level changes to the steering angle resulting from the control of the traveling trajectory.
US08825279B2
A bicycle power sensing apparatus is basically provided with a power sensing device, a calibration signal generating device and a controller. The controller is operatively arranged to receive a calibration signal from the calibration signal generating device. The controller calibrates the power sensing device upon receiving the calibration signal.
US08825276B2
Methods and maintenance systems for use in analyzing data related to maintenance of at least one vehicle are disclosed. One example method includes receiving at least one fault message, receiving a maintenance event log for a vehicle. The maintenance event log including at least one maintenance event associated with the at least one fault message. The example method further includes automatically identifying a corrective action within a most recent maintenance event of the at least one maintenance event and storing a diagnostic entry including the at least one fault message and the identified corrective action, such that the diagnostic entry is retrievable from the computing device to evaluate a subsequent like fault message.
US08825275B2
A diagnosis device with a display unit diagnoses troubles of a vehicle by communicating with an electronic control unit of the vehicle. The diagnosis device displays, on the display unit, parameters relating to operation of the vehicle for selection of the parameters to be measured, and displays on the display unit, trigger condition for measuring the selected parameters to be measured such that triggering conditions for the parameters to be measured may be set.
US08825274B2
A method calibrates an inertial-sensor device installed in an arbitrary position on board a vehicle and adapted to detect at least one entity indicative of vehicle dynamics along at least one direction of a local reference-coordinate system. The method includes steps of: acquiring by the inertial-sensor device at predetermined measuring times real-measured data indicative of the vehicle dynamics in the local reference-coordinate system; acquiring by a calibrating detector different from the inertial-sensor device, at sampling times coinciding with the measuring times, reference-measured data indicative of the vehicle dynamics in a vehicle-coordinate system; and generating a coordinate-transformation matrix adapted to correlate the entity measured in the local reference-coordinate system with a corresponding entity in the vehicle-coordinate system. Also, a sensor system of dynamics of the vehicle is able to be installed on board in an arbitrary position.
US08825272B1
A diagnostic system configured to test the performance of a vehicle component may include a processor configured to process test information from the vehicle component and control the vehicle component to be tested. The system may also include a memory configured to store the test information of the vehicle component and software that operates the vehicle component and a capacitive element configured to supply power to perform the testing of the vehicle component, wherein the memory and the capacitive element are in communication with the processor.
US08825271B2
A system and method of diagnosing a vehicle using a smart phone to collect symptomatic data from the user/driver. The symptomatic data is received by the user in response to symptomatic questions displayed on the user's smart phone. The symptomatic questions are generated in response to deriving vehicle characteristic information (i.e., year, make, model, engine) from vehicle identification information (i.e., the vehicle identification number (VIN) or license plate information). In this regard, vehicle-specific symptomatic questions may be presented to the user so as to ask pertinent questions based on a history of diagnoses of vehicles sharing similar vehicle characteristics.
US08825270B2
Provided is a method for determining the urgency for repairing a diagnostic condition in a vehicle. Upon determining the repair urgency, a driver may decide to continue driving (in the case of a “low” urgency determination), or cease driving (in the case of a “high” urgency determination). The urgency status may also enable a driver to shop around for the repair (in the event of a “low” urgency status), or to seek immediate assistance (in the event of a “high” urgency status).
US08825262B2
Disclosed herein is a technique of deriving a parking trajectory for a vehicle. In the technique, a first extension straight line, which includes a linear travel path of the vehicle when the vehicle initially goes in reverse from a neutral position of a steering angle, is calculated upon the vehicle being to go in reverse. A final parking location is obtained based on a calculated length of a parking space and a parking target location in the parking space, and a second extension straight line which includes the final parking location is calculated therefrom. When the vehicle going in reverse along the first extension straight line turns and goes in reverse towards the second extension straight line, an intermediate extension straight line connecting the first extension straight line and the second extension straight line is calculated so that the vehicle is aligned with the second extension straight line.
US08825257B2
An autonomous navigation method is a method of causing a mobile body (100) to autonomously navigate while comparing environmental magnetism data obtained in advance by measuring magnetism generated along a navigation path on which the mobile body (100) navigates and measured magnetism detected by actually measuring the magnetism generated along the navigation path when the mobile body (100) navigates along the navigation path. The method includes a step (a) of detecting first measured magnetism and second measured magnetism in different positions on the mobile body (100) and a step (b) of causing the mobile body (100) to autonomously navigate on the basis of the second measured magnetism detected by a magnetism sensor (103), which is not affected by unexpected magnetism (G) not included in the environmental magnetism data, and the environmental magnetism data.
US08825252B2
After a collision has been detected, all the upper arm transistors of inverters (41, 42) are turned off, and all the lower arm transistors of the inverters are turned on. Then, when no counter electromotive force is generated in any one of motors (MG1, MG2), a gate voltage (V2) lower than a gate voltage (V1) at which each upper arm transistor completely turns on is applied to at least any one of the upper arm transistors of the inverters (41, 42), and at least any one of the lower arm transistors of the inverters (41, 42), which is serially connected to the at least any one of the upper arm transistors to which the gate voltage (V2) is applied, is turned on.
US08825246B2
An industrial vehicle having a vehicle body includes a battery, an electric motor, an electrolyte level sensor, a vehicle operating with lowered electrolyte level, a vehicle operating time calculator, a data-storing device storing data of the vehicle operating time, an electric motor limiting condition and a motor controller. The electric motor is driven to generate torque. The electrolyte level sensor detects whether or not electrolyte level of the battery is lower than a predetermined level. The vehicle operating time is a time elapsing while the electrolyte level is lower than the predetermined level. The vehicle operating time calculator counts the vehicle operating time in accordance with the detection of the electrolyte level. The electric motor limiting condition limits operation of the electric motor gradually in accordance with the vehicle operating time. The motor controller controls operation of the electric motor based on the electric motor limiting condition.
US08825240B2
In order to minimize a calculation load and surely obtain a maximum adhesion torque, estimated adhesion torques are always stored, an maximum value is obtained from the stored plural estimated adhesion torques immediately before slip/skid is detected when detecting the slip/skid, and the maximum value is set as a maximum adhesion torque. The maximum adhesion torque immediately before the slip/skid is detected is compared with a value of the estimated adhesion torque when the slip/skid is detected. When the calculated value exceeds a threshold value, it is determined as a condition where an adhesion coefficient drastically drops, and a suppression/return ratio of the torque is switched to a lower value than that under a condition where the adhesion coefficient does not drastically drop. The value of the torque at the time of suppression or return is set to a smaller value to surely suppress the slip/skid.
US08825238B2
A system is provided for monitoring an energy height of an aircraft during landing. The system includes a database including landing distance data; a processing unit configured to receive the landing distance data from the database and to calculate a landing distance of the aircraft based on a velocity and a height of the aircraft, the processing unit further configured to provide display signals based on the landing distance; and a visual display coupled to the processing unit and configured to provide a visual image based on the display signals.
US08825233B2
A method for estimating airspeed of an aircraft includes receiving values indicative of operating conditions of the aircraft along an axis; estimating a tip path plane (TPP) angle along the axis from at least one of the operating conditions to create an estimated TPP angle; and determining an estimated airspeed as a function of the estimated TPP angle, the determining including referencing a look-up table that indexes the estimated TPP angle with the airspeed.
US08825230B2
A computerized method for providing a unified user interface to a plurality of flight management components encapsulated within a flight management system. The method can include receiving a flight management system input dataset from a first flight management system user interface device. The method can also include creating, with a processor programmed to provide a unified user interface, a plurality of flight management system input data portions to be transmitted to a plurality of destination flight management system components. The plurality of flight management system input data portions can be based on the flight management system input dataset and each flight management system input data portion can correspond to one of said plurality of destination flight management system components. Each of said plurality of flight management system input data portions can be transmitted from the processor to said corresponding destination flight management system component.
US08825220B2
According to one embodiment, a system for controlling an in-vehicle device is provided. The system has an in-vehicle device and an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit generates control signals to control the in-vehicle device and transmits the generated control signals to the in-vehicle device. The in-vehicle device has a semiconductor integrated circuit and a semiconductor memory circuit. The semiconductor integrated circuit is capable of performing a plurality of functional operations. The semiconductor memory circuit stores pieces of setting information necessary to perform the respective functional operations. The electronic control unit has a designation signal generation unit to output designation signals as the control signals. Each of the designation signals designates one of the pieces of setting information to be read from the semiconductor memory circuit. The semiconductor integrated circuit receives the designated one of the pieces of setting information which is read from the semiconductor memory circuit.
US08825215B2
Systems and methods for monitoring compliance with a request not to run a type of load (e.g., a high-power-consuming appliance) during a demand response event are provided. One such system may include storage containing a load profile representative of a pattern of power consumption by a type of load and data processing circuitry. The data processing circuitry may compare a power usage profile representing power consumption by a consumer at least over a period of time to the load profile to determine whether the consumer is running the type of load over the period of time.
US08825214B2
A method is provided for the measurement of parameters of a gas present in a gas turbine combustion chamber. The method includes tuning a laser to a range containing the absorption lines of species to be analyzed in the gas, and directing the laser light through the combustion chamber and detecting laser light reflected off boundary walls of the combustion chamber. In order to analyze the absorption spectrum measured at high temperatures and pressures, a signature recognition algorithm is applied to the spectrum. The measured absorption spectrum is cross-correlated with a calibration absorption model spectrum for the absorption lines at several temperatures, pressures, and concentrations generated prior to the measurement. Values for pressure, temperature, and concentrations of selected species in the gas are determined simultaneously allowing direct control of the combustion chamber process. An apparatus for carrying out the method is also provided.
US08825193B2
A control system for and methods of controlling a product delivery system are provided.
US08825186B2
The invention concerns digital audio processing and in particular the detection of periods where samples can be deleted or repeated unobtrusively so as to change the average sample-rate or to provide time delay modification. Differences between succeeding sample values are evaluated and compared with a threshold and samples are deleted or repeated where two or more consecutive sample value differences are less than the said threshold value.
US08825179B2
A medical device lead includes a flexible body having a proximal region with a proximal end, and a distal region with a distal end. A connector is coupled to the proximal end of the flexible body of the lead to electrically and mechanically connect the lead to an implantable pulse generator. The medical device lead also includes an electrode in the distal region of the flexible body, and a cable conductor having a proximal end electrically coupled to the connector and a distal end electrically coupled to the electrode. The cable conductor consists of a single helically coiled filar including a plurality of co-radial turns and having an outer diameter of less than about 0.020 inch (0.508 mm).
US08825177B2
A temporary medical lead in which stimulating electrical energy is transmitted to body tissue through the lead electrodes via ionic conduction within the hydrogel material is described. The hydrophilic hydrogel material consists of a porous structure into which conductive salt ions are diffused. In addition the structure of the hydrogel material can be loaded with a single or combination of therapeutic drugs which is elutable from the electrode.
US08825176B2
The present invention is directed to systems, apparatus, methods and procedures for the noninvasive treatment of tissue using microwave energy. In one embodiment of the invention a medical device and associated apparatus and procedures are used to treat dermatological conditions using microwave energy.
US08825158B2
A method and apparatus to detect anomalies in the conductors of leads attached to implantable medical devices based on the dynamical electrical changes these anomalies cause. In one embodiment, impedance is measured for weak input signals of different applied frequencies, and a conductor anomaly is detected based on differences in impedance measured at different frequencies. In another embodiment, a transient input signal is applied to the conductor, and an anomaly is identified based on parameters related to the time course of the voltage or current response, which is altered by anomaly-related changes in capacitance and inductance, even if resistance is unchanged. The method may be implemented in the implantable medical device or in a programmer used for testing leads.
US08825155B2
Disclosed are certain methods, apparatus, and processor-readable mediums that may be used to treat a conduction abnormality of the heart. In one example, the apparatus includes an implantable pacing profile generator configured to generate a specified pacing electrostimulation profile for delivery to a heart via electrodes located near a septal region of the right ventricle of the heart near the His bundle, the pacing profile including a first pulse for delivery via a first electrode; and a second pulse for delivery via a second electrode; and wherein the first and second pulses are at least partially concurrent in time and opposite in polarity to each other.
US08825148B2
An analyzer automatically analyzes both, a common portion of multiple successive heart cycles of electrophysiological signal data synchronized with respect to a P wave and a common portion of multiple successive heart cycles of the signal data synchronized with respect to an R wave, to identify changes occurring in amplitude value and time duration of the common portion of the multiple successive heart cycles of the signal data. A display processor initiates generation of at least one display image showing the common portion of the multiple successive heart cycles synchronized in time, adjacent and mutually vertically displaced to facilitate visual comparison and highlighting an identified change by a visual attribute.
US08825144B2
Medical navigation and mapping system and methods are disclosed for modeling both unobstructed and obstructed portions of a catheter. An exemplary system includes a rendering component operatively associated with an output device. The rendering component overlays a plurality of data images on one another to generate a three-dimensional image representing both the internal tissue and a visible portion of a catheter body. An enhancement component is configured to overlay a silhouette on the three-dimensional image. The silhouette represents an obstructed portion of the catheter body.
US08825143B2
A medical apparatus includes a storing section in which information concerning a drug movement in a living body is stored for each of types of a plurality of fluorescent drugs, an arithmetic processing section that acquires, based on the information stored in the storing section, information concerning a target region to which a fluorescent drug is administered, information concerning a method of administering the fluorescent drug to the target region, and information indicating start of administration of the fluorescent drug, information concerning diagnosis start timing, an image pickup section, a position information acquiring section that acquires position information of the image pickup section, and a light source control section that stops, at least from the administration start timing to the diagnosis start timing, irradiation of excitation light and irradiates the excitation light based on the diagnosis start timing and the position information.
US08825141B2
In the field of dual-mode medical probes, a simple device perfectly meets the double need for dual-modality and sterilization, and provides a sterile, disposable, or sterilizable protective membrane, also called a “glove” or “sock”, equipped with optical fibers. This protective membrane can be slipped onto an ultrasound probe. It therefore ensures both the dual-mode functionality and perfect sterilization of the probe, this being the desired effect. The protective membrane is easy to produce and easy to use.
US08825137B2
A method and apparatus for precisely reproducing the position of a vaginal cylinder in relation to a patient to ensure that a planned radiation dose can be delivered with high precision to the intended treatment target volumes. Treatment delivery is carried out by using an image-guided system to locate the position of the vaginal cylinder and comparing it to the coordinate of the vaginal cylinder obtained in the treatment plan. The displacement in the position of the vaginal cylinder from the treatment plan is corrected by calculating the transformation matrix and entering the resulting value into a position adjusting assembly which is attached to vaginal cylinder. The position adjusting assembly adjusts the vaginal cylinder to exactly reproduce its location relative to the patient's anatomy, eliminating geometric and dosimetric error.
US08825123B1
A passthrough case for a smart phone which provides a supplemental screen and controls for operating a camera of the smart phone. The passthrough case for a smart phone generally includes a cover for retaining a smart phone. The cover includes a phone receiving portion in which the smart phone is frictionally retained and which allows the display and controls of the smart phone to be fully accessible. A male connector extending from the cover interfaces with the data port of the smart phone to passthrough camera functionality to the cover. The user of the present invention may utilize a screen and controls on the cover to control camera functionality of the smart phone, thus significantly easing the process of taking self-portraits.
US08825120B2
A sensor for use in a wireless sensor network of devices, comprising: sensing means operable to detect values of a parameter; control means operable to determine a suitable sleep pattern of the sensor taking into account the detected values and a transmitter operable to transmit an indication of the suitable sleep pattern to a further device in the wireless sensor network.
US08825113B2
A device and method of controlling a portable terminal including a motion sensor and a manipulation unit. The method includes a) sensing a motion pattern of the portable terminal; b) receiving a manual manipulation of the manipulation unit from a user; and c) interpreting a value inputted from the manipulation unit and a motion pattern sensed by the motion sensing unit as a user instruction.
US08825112B1
A hand-held mobile communication device, such as smart telephone, alone or in protective case, incorporating sensors and signal conditioning modules for measuring signals from external sources of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) in different spectral ranges. These include detector monitoring EMR that pose potential health hazards or may interfere with various electronic devices. Other integrated EMR sensor is a photodiode for the ultraviolet detection to monitor the user's sun exposure and a thermal infrared detector for non-contact measurement of temperature of humans or inanimate objects. This detector in combination with a digital camera and a pattern recognition signal processing allows accurate non-contact measuring temperatures at specific location.
US08825108B2
Embodiments of the invention provide novel solutions, including systems, methods and/or software, for handling calls in a dual-mode VoIP/cellular environment. Merely by way of example, some systems can be configured to determine whether to use a VoIP system or a cellular system to handle a particular call, and/or to transition a call from one network to the other network. Other systems can be configured to substitute a public number (which might be, for example, a VoIP number) for a private number (which might be, for example, a cellular number) when routing a call originating from a dual-mode phone on a cellular network. Further systems can be configured to allow a VoIP system to serve as an anchor for calls originated and/or delivered on a cellular system, for instance to facilitate a transition between cellular and VoIP service during a call.
US08825100B2
A method and system are provided for boosting power for a communications link between a base station and a user device, or user equipment, in a cellular communications network. In one embodiment, the communications link is a downlink between the base station and the user device established via a downlink channel having a full channel bandwidth including a number of sub-carrier frequencies. The base station determines whether a power boost is needed for a downlink to the user device. If so, the base station uses a subset of the sub-carrier frequencies from the full channel bandwidth as a reduced bandwidth channel, or sub-channel, for the downlink to the user device such that signal power is concentrated on the sub-carrier frequencies of the reduced channel bandwidth rather than spread across the sub-carrier frequencies of the full channel bandwidth. As a result, a power boost for the downlink is provided.
US08825087B2
An Interactive Tracking Virtual World (ITVW) system, may be utilized with other systems accessible through the Internet and/or a communications network. The ITVW system may be operable as an online game and/or to provide a virtual environment. ITVW system users (i.e., ITVW users) may be individuals or groups, such as parents and/or their children, which utilize the ITVW system for tracking an identity within the ITVW system. The ITVW system may also include ITVW system participants (i.e., ITVW participants), such as commercial business establishments, individuals and/or other entities associated with the ITVW system. The ITVW system collects an ITVW user's location information and location history.
US08825084B2
A system, server, mobile device, and method for determining action spot location. The action spot location can be determined relative to the location of a mobile device. The mobile device can include a display and a processor module communicatively coupled to the display. The system, server, mobile device, and method can receive data indicative of the current location of the mobile device, and determine at least one action spot relative to the current location of the mobile device. The action spot can be a location where at least one other mobile device has engaged in documenting action within a predetermined period of time from when the mobile device arrived at the current location.
US08825081B2
Personal augmented reality advertising involves detecting a proximity between a participant's mobile device and a viewer's mobile device. An identifier of the participant's mobile device and biometric data that describes the participant have both been made publicly available. The biometric data is obtained in response to detecting the proximity between the participant's mobile device and the viewer's mobile device. A match is detected between the biometric data of the participant and an image captured from a sensor of the viewer's mobile device. In response to detecting the match, the captured image and an advertisement presented with the captured image is presented in the viewer's mobile device. The advertisement is associated with the participant.
US08825080B1
The population density for a geographic area is predicted using a Markov Random Field (MRF) model. A MRF model is defined for estimating a number of mobile devices being used within a geographic area. The MRF model includes a set of rules describing how to use current data describing mobile devices currently observed in the area, and historical data describing mobile devices historically observed in the area to produce the estimate. Values of weight parameters in the MRF model are learned using the historical data. The current and historical data are applied to the MRF model having the learned weight parameters, and cost minimization is used to estimate of the number of mobile devices currently being used within the area. This estimate is used to predict the population density for the area. The predicted population density can then be used to provide location-based services.
US08825071B2
A method of using resource blocks in a communication system with a plurality of Base Stations (BSs), including assigning resource blocks to a first BS, the first BS communicating to a second BS a message comprising information about at least one resource block assigned to the first BS and not planned to be used by the first BS, and the second BS receiving the message. Optionally, the second BS using the at least one resource block. Related apparatus and methods are also described.
US08825069B2
Examples are described relating to methods, apparatus and computer programs for configuring a user equipment in a cellular wireless network. Certain exemplary methods involve receiving (440), at the user equipment (430), control information regarding one or more of a plurality of channel-state information (CSI) reference signals. The plurality of CSI reference signals are receivable by the user equipment (430) from one or more of a plurality of antenna ports that form part of the cellular wireless network, the plurality of CSI reference signal being associated with corresponding antenna ports. The control information is for use in configuration of the user equipment (430) and is received over a radio communications downlink from a node (410) in the cellular wireless network. If estimation of one or more radio communication channels at the user equipment (430) is configured (450) based on the received control information, improvements in demodulation and CSI feedback are achieved.
US08825066B2
In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, a method is disclosed that comprises signaling by a user equipment (UE) to indicate a support for at least a second frequency band mode in addition to a first frequency band mode, wherein the first frequency band mode and the second frequency band mode have at least one overlapping frequency channel; and receiving from a base station at least one resource allocation message to allocate at least one of a downlink channel and an uplink channel that complies to at least one of a plurality of radio frequency (RF) restrictions of the second frequency band mode.
US08825062B2
A method for deploying a cellular communication network may comprise reconfiguring the cellular communication network from an initial state to a reconfigured state, with the cellular communication network comprising in the initial state a plurality of cells, with each cell comprising at least a base station and one or more antennas arranged to cover the cell. The reconfiguring may comprise selecting non-adjacent cells for use as central cell(s), and for each central cell, one or more antennas in base stations of cells that are adjacent the central cell may then be arranged to be directed towards the central cell, thereby defining a super-cell comprising the central cell and at least part of the adjacent cells. Use of the antennas of the super-cell may be coordinated as to communications with mobile devices located within the super-cell, wherein the signals from the antennas of the super-cell may use the same channel resources.
US08825060B2
Methods, systems, and computer readable media for dynamically learning Diameter binding information are disclosed. According to one method, the method comprises receiving one or more response messages associated with the one or more Diameter signaling messages, determining, based on information contained in the one or more response messages, whether at least one of the one or more network service nodes was able to successfully process the one or more Diameter signaling messages, and generating, in response to determining that at least one of the one or more network service nodes was able to successfully process at least one of the one or more Diameter request messages, a Diameter binding record that associates the identification information and the at least one of the one or more network service nodes.
US08825054B2
Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to a user equipment, an RNC, or an application operable in a wireless communications network and methods. A network controller for wireless communication is configured to transfer data via a first user plane connection in a first radio access network and initiate a handover procedure of transferring the user equipment to a second user plane connection in a second radio access network.
US08825048B2
Methods for improving the time to acquire an identity of a base station by a mobile station, by relying on locally-unique attributes of the base stations instead of globally-unique attributes of the base stations, are presented. In some embodiments, data may be requested, the data may contain a globally unique attribute of a base station, a first locally unique attribute of the base station, and a second locally unique attribute of the base station. In some embodiments, data may be received in response to the request, the data may contain at least the first locally unique attribute and the second locally unique attribute. It may then be determined that the data did not contain the globally unique attribute, and an identity of the base station based at least in part on the first locally unique attribute and the second locally unique attribute may be acquired.
US08825039B2
Call control of a mobile telephone device and so on used for a plurality of carriers (telephone lines) is provided for acquisition of carrier information and notification thereof to improve serviceability, wherein carrier information of a call destination is stored, carrier information is exchanged during the telephone call, and, when notified carrier information is different from stored carrier information, which is notified or a connection is suppressed. In addition, when a carrier of a call destination is not a specific carrier, after which is notified and carrier information of the call destination is also notified to an outgoing call side, a connection with the call destination is initiated at a request from the outgoing call side.
US08825035B2
A system and method is provided for using location information associated with wireless devices. The system includes a wireless device, a location system, and a feature server. The wireless device includes any wireless apparatus having wireless communications capabilities. The location system can generate location information pinpointing the location of the wireless device. The feature server can use the location information to determine whether to execute an action in accordance with subscriber rules. A large number of applications may be implemented to execute the action via a number of communication channels, including without limitation, a wireless communications network, a computer network, and a public switched telephone system, for example.
US08825029B2
Systems and methods for initiating a telephone call on a communication device receive, into a computerized device, an instruction to connect a communication device to a communication receiver using a call-in string comprising a call-in number and a pass code. The call-in string is parsed to separate the call-in number and the pass code, using the computerized device. A pause indicator is identified in the call-in string, using the computerized device. The pause indicator is formatted to a type-specific format appropriate for the type of communication device, using the computerized device. The call-in number is transmitted from the computerized device to the communication receiver. A pause is executed, using the computerized device, according to the pause indicator formatted for a specific type of device. The pass code is transmitted from the computerized device to the communication receiver.
US08825027B2
A method, user equipment and system provide simultaneous Push-To-Talk (PTT) over Cellular (PoC) multimedia services. After a PoC client participates in multiple sessions according to a simultaneous PoC multimedia service or Enhanced Simultaneous Session Support (ESS) set by a user for a PoC multimedia call service, a PoC server can simultaneously transmit the media streams to the PoC client without filtering when media streams of the same media type are transmitted in different sessions. The client can set simultaneous multi-reception modes on a session-by-session basis according to a user's intention, and on a media type-by-media type basis in each session.
US08825024B2
Disclosed herein is a method and system for completing a call attempt made by a first party on a first network to a second party on a second network. The second network may be the first network or one of multiple networks excluding the first network. The first network detects termination of the call attempt. The first network communicates availability of a messaging service to the first party. The messaging service may be a short messaging service (SMS), a voice SMS, a multimedia messaging service, and a multimodal messaging service. The first network does not bill the first party for the communication of the availability of the messaging service. On acceptance of the messaging service by the first party, the first party creates a message to be delivered to the second party on the second network. The first network delivers the message to the second party on the second network.
US08825012B2
Data stored about user equipment, such as mobile phones, that is stored in a Home Location Register of at least one wireless, cellular voice network communications system configured, for example, as a 3G network deployment, is augmented with supplemental information and is communicated automatically to active users in the network. The invention is particularly advantageous for mobile systems that are deployable where normal networks have been disrupted, such as among emergency personnel who need to communicate and cooperate as a group at a disaster scene. Supplemental information includes, for example, the identity of a user or device that has entered or exited the network, the function, position, rank, responsibility level, etc., that each user has, and what group the user is affiliated with.
US08825000B2
Systems and methods control operation of a mobile communication device in a vehicle by determining if the vehicle is moving; if the vehicle is stationary, allowing calls to reach a cell tower; if the vehicle is moving and the mobile communication device is used, disabling a transmission from the mobile communication device to the cell tower; and if the vehicle is moving and an emergency phone sequence is dialed, allowing the transmission from the mobile communication device to the cell tower.
US08824997B2
A driver assistant system which is based on a cellular telecommunications network comprises detecting a spatial zone in the cellular telecommunications network; receiving route indication information from a mobile terminal on a vehicle inside the spatial zone with a network entity of the cellular telecommunications network; generating a trajectory for the vehicle based on the received route indication information; calculating a danger situation probability for the vehicle based on the generated trajectory; and sending a notification message to the mobile terminal if the danger situation probability exceeds a predefined threshold probability.
US08824995B2
A mobile device may be activated and/or updated to receive alert messages from a network. For example, the mobile device may initiate a registration request with a network. Upon initiating the registration request, the mobile device may receive a network identifier from the network. The mobile device may then access information associated with alert messages for a location of the network based on the network identifier such that the mobile device may be activated to receive an alert message from the network based on the accessed information.
US08824994B2
A wireless communication system includes: a filter; and a semiconductor chip including a signal processing integrated circuit having an amplifier, wherein a main surface of the semiconductor chip is provided with a plurality of electrode terminals along an edge portion thereof; wherein the amplifier has a transistor including a control electrode, a first electrode through which a signal is outputted, and a second electrode to which a voltage is applied; wherein the control electrode, the first electrode and the second electrode of the transistor are connected to the electrode terminals, respectively; and wherein none of wirings are arranged between the electrode terminals and placements of the control electrode, the first electrode and the second electrode, making space between the electrodes and the electrode terminals narrow.
US08824987B2
A squelch detector includes a first circuit, a second circuit, and a comparator. The first circuit is configured to receive a first pair of differential input signals and in response output a second pair of differential signals. The second pair of differential signals have higher voltages than the first pair of differential input signals. The second circuit is coupled to the first circuit and is configured to extract first and second voltage levels from the second pair of differential signals. The comparator is configured to output a squelch level signal based on a comparison of the first voltage level and a third voltage level. The third voltage level is based on the second voltage level and a reference voltage.
US08824985B2
A mobile device configured to display at least one application executed in the first mode and the second mode respectively; a sensor unit configured to sense a user input for the mobile device; and a processor configured to: provide an unlock interface to unlock a lock state of the first mode or the second mode, display at least one application executed in the first mode and maintain the second mode in the lock state when the mobile device unlocks the first mode and enters into the first mode through the unlock interface, detect an event for the second mode in the first mode even though the second mode is in the lock state, indicate information related to the event for the second mode in the first mode, and process the event when the mobile device unlocks the second mode and enters into the second mode through the unlock interface.
US08824984B2
Examples are disclosed for outphasing power combining by antenna. In some examples, a device such as a wireless device may route a first signal to a first branch of an outphasing power amplifier system and route a second signal to a second outphasing power amplifier system. The outputs of the first branch and the second branch may be directly coupled to an antenna. The antenna may be arranged to operate as a power combiner for signals outputted from the first and the second branches of the outphasing power amplifier system. A power combined signal may then be transmitted from the antenna. Other examples are described and claimed.
US08824983B2
A system and method are provided for reducing dynamic EVM of an integrated circuit power amplifier (PA) used for RF communication. In a multistage PA, the largest amplification stage is biased with a high amplitude current pulse upon receipt of a Tx enable, before receipt of the RF signal data burst. The high amplitude current pulse causes a large portion of the total ICQ budget of the multistage PA to pass through the largest amplification stage causing the entire integrated circuit to rapidly approach steady-state operating conditions. A smoothing bias current is applied to the largest amplification stage after the pulse decays to compensate for transient bias current levels while standard bias circuitry is still approaching steady-state temperature.
US08824980B2
A system and method provide for a radio transmitter with digital predistortion. The radio transmitter includes a high output power narrowband upconverter and a low output power wideband upconverter. In a stage of the radio transmitter, digital predistortion is applied to transmit data by setting digital coefficients by a digital predistortion algorithm, resulting in a predistortion signal. A predistortion signal is separated into a narrowband component and a wideband component, where the narrowband component corresponds to a desired traffic signal and the wideband component corresponds to a digital predistortion signal reflecting separated digital predistortion correction products. The narrowband upconverter provides a transmission path for a desired traffic signal or transmit data (the narrowband component of the digital predistortion signal), while the wideband upconverter provides a transmission path for the wideband component representing digital predistortion correction products.
US08824979B2
Interference that occurs during wireless communication may be managed through the use of fractional reuse and other techniques. In some aspects fractional reuse may relate to HARQ interlaces, portions of a timeslot, frequency spectrum, and spreading codes. Interference may be managed through the use of a transmit power profile and/or an attenuation profile. Interference also may be managed through the use of power management-related techniques.
US08824972B2
A radio station connected to another radio station via a radio link and identifying a fault of the radio link, including: a radio link controlling unit, a statistical information acquiring unit and a fault identifying unit wherein the radio link controlling unit executes radio link control of the radio link in accordance with a radio link control scheme, the statistical information acquiring unit acquires statistical information indicating a state of the radio link during the execution of the radio link control, and the fault identifying unit identifies the fault of the radio link from among a plurality of faults associated with statistical information, on the basis of the statistical information acquired by the statistical information acquiring unit.
US08824971B2
A system and method are described for dynamic temperature calibration of a frequency reference in a wireless base station. In a consumer grade base station, a reference oscillator may encounter frequency drift as the temperature of the base station changes. This causes interference as the transmission signal is not synchronized with other frequency resources in a network. An improved method of calibrating a reference frequency includes measuring a frequency difference between a frequency derived from an accurate reference frequency in a first base station and a frequency derived from a less accurate frequency reference in a second base station, determining a calibration factor for the offset, and applying the calibration factor to the base station to correct frequency drift. The calibration factors may be correlated with an operating temperature of the base station and stored in a temperature calibration table in the base station device.
US08824964B2
A system for transferring data between devices with user via a short range wireless communication system is disclosed. The system may include a first device configured to activate an intuitive interface on the first device having a system for proximity based ad-hoc data sharing between the first device with an intuitive interface and at least a second device with an intuitive interface. Once, the first device is determined to be within range of a second device with proximity based ad-hoc data sharing, data may be received by the intuitive interface on the first device and data may be sent from the intuitive interface on the first device to an intuitive interface on the second device using an intuitive interface on the first device without relying on an external communication network. The data may be transferred with a single click to the receiving device in a paste-to format.
US08824961B2
A method and apparatus are disclosed for polling for near field communications (NFC) devices by checking for multiple protocols. A NFC device polls for devices by first maintaining an unmodulated carrier field active for a specific period of time. The NFC device then polls using a first modulation and waits for a response. If there is no response, and without again maintaining another unmodulated carrier field for a specific period of time, the NFC device polls using a second modulation that is greater than the first modulation and waits again for a response.
US08824955B2
A simplified apparatus for positively preventing the use of mobile personal communication devices by the operator of a vehicle comprises a motion responsive device in the vehicle, switching means operable by the device when the vehicle is in motion, a signal jammer operable by the switching means to block at least one of the incoming or outgoping signals associated with communication device when the vehicle is in motion, and a power supply for the jammer.
US08824945B2
A fuser belt for an electrostatographic device and methods for making the fuser belt can include the use of a polyimide and a plurality of copper nanoparticles. The use of copper nanoparticles can result in a fuser belt having a lower heat capacity and a higher thermal conductivity than conventional fuser belts.
US08824937B2
A developing device includes a case for housing a developer, a magnetic roller, an agitating member, a layer thickness restricting member, an auxiliary developer storing portion and a plate-like flexible member. The magnetic roller includes a rotary shaft and magnetically carries the developer on a circumferential surface. The agitating member includes a shaft center and a screw forming portion arranged around the shaft center and agitates and conveys the developer while rotating. The layer thickness restricting member restricts the layer thickness of the developer to a predetermined thickness. The auxiliary developer storing portion faces the circumferential surface of the magnetic roller at a side upstream of the layer thickness restricting member in a rotating direction of the magnetic roller. The plate-like flexible member extends toward the circumferential surface of the magnetic roller and forms a wall surface on an upstream side of the auxiliary developer storing portion.
US08824929B2
An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of photoconductive drums, each photoconductive drum transferring a portion of a toner image to an intermediate transfer member. The photoconductive drums are individually rotated to a printing speed such that a downstream photoconductive drum starts rotating prior to an adjacent upstream photoconductive drum starts image transfer. Similarly, an upstream photoconductive drum starts deceleration when its following downstream station has transferred image.
US08824920B2
A mount-demount mechanism includes a unit that is mountable on and demountable from an apparatus main body, and a pair of slide rails that are disposed on the apparatus main body and slidably support both surfaces parallel to a mount-demount direction of the unit. Provided, on both side surfaces thereof parallel to a mount-demount direction of the unit, are a pair of unit-side rollers that include a first roller that is disposed in a downstream insertion direction and a second roller that is disposed in an upstream insertion direction. The slide rail is provided with a rail groove that includes a lower rail and an upper rail, a cut-away portion for allowing the unit-side roller run off from the rail groove is formed on a portion of the upper rail or the lower rail, wherein either of the first roller and the second roller runs off from the rail groove.
US08824917B2
A developer supplying apparatus includes a developer carrying member, a casing, and a side seal. The developer carrying member includes a roller body and a brush part having fibrous members disposed on the peripheral surface. The developer carrying member is configured to carry a developer at the brush part. The casing includes a developer storing portion configured to store the developer, and has an opening formed along a rotation axis of the developer carrying member. The casing is configured to support the developer carrying member rotatably such that the brush layer is exposed outside from the opening. The side seal is disposed in an end of the opening in a direction along the rotation axis of the developer carrying member such that the side seal protrudes toward the brush layer to press the brush layer toward the rotation axis.
US08824916B2
A belt conveyor member includes an endless belt and a cleaning blade. The cleaning blade is configured to remove residual toner remaining on a surface of the endless belt which is processed into a smooth surface. The endless belt has a first region and a second region. The first region is a region in contact with the cleaning blade which is located outside a region for a recording sheet of a maximum usable width to pass therethrough. The second region is located outside the first region. A contact surface between the cleaning blade and the first region is in a rough condition free from intimate contact.
US08824911B2
A fixing device includes a fixing member including a heat generating layer that generates heat by induction, the fixing member fixing images onto plural recording media that are successively supplied thereto with heat generated from the heat generating layer; a pressure member that contacts the fixing member and forms a nip between the pressure member and the fixing member, the nip allowing the recording media to pass therethrough; an induction heating unit that inductively heats the heat generating layer of the fixing member; and a controller that controls a manner in which the induction heating unit heats the heat generating layer when the plural recording media successively pass through the nip in accordance with a total of times during which the recording media are not present in the nip, the total of times being measured from when the recording media started passing through the nip.
US08824906B2
In the case of a standard sized sheet, a first controller sets a linear velocity D of an image bearing member at a first velocity and sets a linear velocity S of a toner bearing member so that S/D, which is a ratio of the linear velocity S to the linear velocity D, has a first value and a second controller sets the thickness of the toner layer carried on the toner bearing member at a first layer thickness. In the case of a long sheet, the first controller sets the linear velocity D at a second velocity slower than the first velocity and sets the linear velocity S so that the S/D has a second value larger than the first value and the second controller sets the thickness of the toner layer at a second layer thickness smaller than the first layer thickness.
US08824895B2
An object of the present invention is to provide a radio-on-fiber unit and a radio-on-fiber system which can transmit/receive signals at adequate rates especially, to/from a mobile device. A first aspect of the present invention relates to a radio-on-fiber unit (3) which includes an antenna array (1) and a light modulator array (2). The light modulator array (2) comprises antenna elements (5) and light modulators (7) that are connected with the respective antenna elements via electric circuits. The optical waveguide (13) is composed of linear optical waveguides (13) that are arranged along the light modulators (7) included in certain lines among the light modulators (7). The light modulator array (2) comprises reflection units (17) for connecting two adjacent linear optical waveguides with each other. Consequently, a signal light inputted to a light input unit (11) is outputted from a light output unit (15) via each linear optical waveguide (13).
US08824886B2
A method of monitoring a differential group delay (DGD) of an optical communications signal having a polarisation multiplexed modulation format is described. The method includes the operations of receiving a signal and performing analogue to digital conversion of the signal to generate a digitised signal corresponding to one polarisation of the signal and to generate another digitised signal corresponding to another polarisation of the signal, and applying a polarisation mode dispersion(PMD) compensation to each of the digitised signals. The method further includes the operations of obtaining an indication of the channel transfer function of the optical communications signal, determining a DGD in dependence on the indication of the channel transfer function, determining a delay between the PMD compensated digitised signals, subtracting the delay from the DGD to obtain a corrected DGD, and generating and transmitting a monitoring signal with an indication of the corrected DGD.
US08824880B2
An imaging system having a front side and rear side enveloping a light transmitting space formed therebetween A front lens situated on the front side forms a portal through which light from an object enters into the light transmitting space wherein at least one optical element composed of glass or elastic material, liquid lenses or liquid crystal elements, and an image sensor are positioned to develop a folded beam path between the front lens and the image sensor, and a real image of the object on the image sensor. Electrically driving at least one optical element enables alteration of the focal length within the system in a manner switchable between at least two values. The change in focal length is realized with the aid of electrically controlled piezo-actuators or by an electric field applied to at least one variable optical element.
US08824877B1
A softbox for being mounted on a light exit of a light source includes support structure extending outwardly and forwardly from the light exit; plural gradually reflective side walls which can be mounted on the support structure; and one or more diffusors arranged between the side walls, wherein the one or more diffusors are, in use, centrally arranged in front of the light exit and inclined in such a manner that a lateral light intensity distribution is more homogeneous at an exit of the softbox, than at an entry of the softbox.
US08824866B1
Storage emulation control is described. In embodiment(s), a logical storage media can be emulated to a video processor of a video processing device where the logical storage media includes at least an internal storage media and an external storage media of the video processing device. A video processor command to initiate recording of video content on the logical storage media can be received, and the video processor command can then be arbitrated to record the video content on at least one of the internal storage media and the external storage media.
US08824863B2
Provided is an information processing apparatus including: a receiving unit which receives event information capable of specifying a type of an event; a template acquiring unit which acquires a template of the event of the type specified by the event information received by the receiving unit as a template which becomes a source of an editing list of a plurality of scenes; an editing list creating unit which creates the editing list of the plurality of scenes based on the template acquired by the template acquiring unit; and a digest creating unit which creates data of the plurality of scenes included in the editing list created by the editing list creating unit from one or more photographed materials acquired from another information processing apparatus and creates a digest by combining the created data of the plurality of scenes.
US08824860B2
A program delivery control system includes: a storage section that stores a playlist indicating a play order of items forming a program; an apparatus control section that controls an apparatus on the basis of the playlist stored in the storage section and that causes the storage section to store error information sent from the apparatus in correlation with the apparatus that issued the error information; and a playlist display control section that performs control so as to display the playlist stored in the storage section on a screen with an item being played indicated as such and, in a case where the error information is stored, with an item for which the apparatus that issued the error information is necessary provided with an error indication.
US08824855B2
A digital splicing process includes calculating the length of data to be inserted into a transport stream between first and second video clips; and removing B-frames in the second clip that reference non-existent I-frames without replacing the removed B-frames with new B-frames.
US08824849B2
An automated fiber optic connector processing system for processing a plurality of fiber optic cables and connectors, with each of said cables including an optical fiber, includes a pallet fixture for holding a plurality of fiber optic cables and connectors during movement along a manufacturing line so that the connectors may be secured to the cable ends, and the ends of the cables finished. The pallet fixture includes a pallet base plate, with a stationary fixture mounted along one edge of the pallet base plate. The stationary fixture defines a plurality of channels for receiving fiber optic cable connectors of the plurality of fiber optic cables, and at least one latching plate for retaining the connectors in the plurality of channels. An oven having an elongated oven opening is provided at a first processing station. A robotic processor for cutting the optical fibers of the fiber optic cables, buffing the ends of the optical fibers, and polishing the ends of the optical fibers, is provided at a second station. A conveyor moves the pallet fixture to the first processing station for heat treating the connectors, curing the epoxy that retains the connectors on the ends of the cables, and moves the pallet fixture to the second processing station for cutting and polishing the optical fibers.
US08824844B2
Optical transmission system capable of transmitting optical signals according to address information
An optical transmission system includes an optical emitting source, a plurality of optical fiber connectors, a first optical fiber, a plurality of second optical fibers, a plurality of third optical fibers, and a plurality of optical receiving terminals. The optical emitting source is configured for emitting optical signals. The first optical fiber connects the optical emitting source to one of the optical fiber connectors. Each of the second optical fibers is connected between two adjacent of the optical fiber connectors. Each of the third optical fibers is connected between a respective one of the optical fiber connectors and a respective one of the optical receiving terminals.
US08824840B2
An optical connector assembly includes two optical connectors, each of which includes a transparent shell forming a blind hole and a lensed fiber integrally forming a lens at a front end thereof. The lensed fibers are inserted into the respective blind holes using the front ends and held in the respective blind holes. A distance between the lensed fibers is two times of a working distance of the lensed fibers.
US08824838B2
Active optical cable assemblies, and systems, methods, and adapter modules and integrated circuits for facilitating communication between a host and a client device over a fiber optic cable are disclosed. In one embodiment, an active optical cable assembly includes a fiber optic cable having at least one optical fiber, a host active circuit, a client active circuit, a host connector, and a client connector. Upon a connection between the host active circuit and a host device, the client termination switch closes to couple the client termination impedance to the ground reference potential. Upon a connection between the client active circuit and a client device, the host termination switch closes to the couple the host termination impedance to the ground reference potential. In another embodiment, a method includes enabling a host termination impedance upon a connection of an active optical cable to a client device.
US08824836B2
An optical waveguide formed in a substrate including: a curved waveguide; and a splitter that is coupled to the curved waveguide and branches, wherein a low refraction index portion having an effective refraction index that is lower than that of a start point of the curved waveguide on an opposite side of the splitter is provided in a waveguide extending from the start point of the curved waveguide to the splitter.
US08824831B2
A noise reduction apparatus for digital cameras is presented that includes groups of one or more connected non-linear filter units. Each of the filter unit groups are driven by decimated input image data at a different level of decimation and the output of at least one of these filter unit groups serves as one of a plurality of inputs to another filter unit group driven at a different decimation level. Filtered image data from one or more filter unit groups is adaptively combined in response to one or more image metrics related to one or more local regional image characteristics.
US08824830B2
A method for assessing the quality of a distorted version of a frame sequence includes the steps of determining a last spatial distortion by comparing a block of a last frame (I6) of the sequence with a corresponding block of the distorted version of the last frame, determining, in a last-but-one frame, a best-matching block matching said block of the last frame best, determining a last-but-one spatial distortion by comparing the determined best-matching block of the last-but-one frame with a corresponding block of the distorted version of the last-but-one frame, determining a spatio-temporal perceptual distortion value associated with said block using said determined distortions and using the determined spatio-temporal perceptual distortion value for assessing the quality.
US08824818B2
Disclosed is an imaging apparatus capable of, when a JPEG compression encoding is performed by dividing an image after an image processing into a plurality of blocks, simply performing the JPEG compression encoding and a combination of images after the encoding without encoding efficiency deterioration or a limitation in an image size of the block. The imaging apparatus includes an image processor for horizontally dividing image data into a plurality of blocks and supplying the blocks to an encoder without passing through a storage unit, the encoder for simultaneously storing an initiation address of a corresponding line to be encoded in a corresponding block and a data length after the corresponding line is encoded in the storage unit, and storing information used for a predictive encoding in the storage unit in every corresponding line to be encoded in the corresponding block.
US08824801B2
A method and apparatus for processing video is disclosed. In an embodiment, image features of an object within a frame of video footage are identified and the movement of each of these features is tracked throughout the video footage to determine its trajectory (track). The tracks are analyzed, the maximum separation of the tracks is determined and used to determine a texture map, which is in turn interpolated to provide an unwrap mosaic for the object. The process may be iterated to provide an improved mosaic. Effects or artwork can be overlaid on this mosaic and the edited mosaic can be warped via the mapping, and combined with layers of the original footage. The effect or artwork may move with the object's surface.
US08824796B2
There are provided an image processing apparatus, image processing method, and a computer-readable, non-transitory medium that can determine with high accuracy whether or not an input image contains a background element. The image processing apparatus includes a decimated image generator for generating a decimated image through pixel decimation from an input image, an edge pixel extractor for extracting edge pixels from the decimated image, an edge class extractor for extracting an isolated edge pixel from among the edge pixels, a histogram generator for generating an isolated histogram based on the isolated edge pixel, and a decision unit for making, based on the isolated histogram, a decision as to whether or not the input image contains a background element.
US08824795B2
A method of processing a digital image, said image comprising a plurality of pixels, the method comprising a computation step (S1) wherein a histogram of the distribution of the number of pixels of the image as a function of their luminance is computed, a step (S2) for lightening the image based on said histogram comprising a subdivision (S20) of the pixels of the image into a first set of pixels having luminance values between a low threshold and a high threshold and into a second set of pixels having luminance values greater than said high threshold, a first luminance processing operation (S21) on the pixels of the first set of pixels and a second luminance processing operation (S22) on the pixels of the second set of pixels, the two luminance processing operations (S21, S22) being different, the first processing operation (S21) comprising an increase in the luminance of the pixels of the image.
US08824788B2
A mode coding unit for an image compression device includes a submode determination unit, a variable bit determination unit, and a coding unit. The submode determination unit is configured to determine a submode of an image block. The submode indicates a matching degree between an upper bit of the image block and an upper bit of a reference block. The variable bit determination unit is configured to determine a size of primary color compression information fields corresponding to primary colors in a reference pixel in the image block based on a relational size of color information of the primary colors. The coding unit is configured to generate compressed image data by coding the image block based on the submode and the size of the primary color compression information fields.
US08824787B2
A method and system for correcting a silhouette of a person extracted from an image by labeling each pixel as the person or the background are disclosed. The pixels in a target region are corrected by: a step in which, by the use of pixels in the target region labeled as the person, a person histogram is created; a step in which, by the use of pixels in the target region labeled as the background, a background histogram is created; a step in which, for each pixel in the target region, by the use of the person histogram, the background histogram and color data of each pixel in the target region, first connective costs of the pixel to the color data of the person and the background are calculated; and a step in which, for each pixel in the target region, a second connective cost of the pixel is calculated.
US08824784B2
Disclosed herein are systems and methods for facilitating the usage of an online workforce to remotely monitor security-sensitive sites and report potential security breaches. In some embodiments, cameras are configured to monitor critical civilian infrastructure, such as water supplies and nuclear reactors. The cameras are operatively connected to a central computer or series of computers, and images captured by the cameras are transmitted to the central computer. After initially registering with the central computer, Guardians “log on” to a central website hosted by the central computer and monitor the images, thereby earning compensation. Site owners compensate the operator of the computer system for this monitoring service, and the operator in turn compensates Guardians based on, for example, (i) the amount of time spent monitoring, and/or (ii) the degree of a given Guardian's responsiveness to real or fabricated security breaches.
US08824783B2
The invention is made in the technical field of video quality measurement. More precisely, the invention is related to mean observer score prediction using a trained semi-supervised learning regressor. That is, a method and apparatus for measuring video quality using a semi-supervised learning system for mean observer score prediction is proposed. Said semi-supervised learning system comprises at least one semi-supervised learning regressor and said method comprises training the learning system and retraining the trained learning system using a selection of test data wherein the test data is used for determining at least one mean observer score prediction using the trained learning system and the selection is indicated by a feedback received through a user interface upon presenting, in the user interface, said at least one mean observer score prediction. Doing so, prediction quality can be improved after re-training at least for the selection.
US08824780B2
An image such as a depth image of a scene may be received, observed, or captured by a device. A grid of voxels may then be generated based on the depth image such that the depth image may be downsampled. A background included in the grid of voxels may also be removed to isolate one or more voxels associated with a foreground object such as a human target. A location or position of one or more extremities of the isolated human target may be determined and a model may be adjusted based on the location or position of the one or more extremities.
US08824778B2
Various embodiments are disclosed for generating depth maps. One embodiment is a method implemented in an image processing device. The method comprises retrieving, by the image processing device, a (2D) image; and determining, by the image processing device, at least one region within the (2D) image having a high gradient characteristic relative to other regions within the (2D) image. The method further comprises identifying, by the image processing device, an out-of-focus region based on the at least one region having a high gradient characteristic; and deriving, by the image processing device, a color model according to the out-of-focus region. Based on the color model, the image processing device provides a depth map for (2D)-to-stereoscopic conversion.
US08824775B2
Disclosed herein are a feature point used to localize an image-based robot and build a map of the robot and a method of extracting and matching an image patch of a three-dimensional (3D) image, which is used as the feature point. It is possible to extract the image patch converted into the reference image using the position information of the robot and the 3D position information of the feature point. Also, it is possible to obtain the 3D surface information with the brightness values of the image patches to obtain the match value with the minimum error by a 3D surface matching method of matching the 3D surface information of the image patches converted into the reference image through the ICP algorithm.
US08824772B2
Improved systems and methods for detecting and correcting image errors and risks in remote deposit systems during an in-line or in-process troubleshooting session are disclosed. Various embodiments include systems for displaying remote deposit session data to a support technician with links for invoking an image display or image editor user interface during a troubleshooting session. The links can be included in one or more individual remote deposit session events, records, or tasks, such as check image uploads and bi-tonalization events. The image editor can be used to manually or automatically correct any detected errors or flaws in uploaded or processed deposit document images. The corrected check images can be then be stored and used to complete or reprocess a remote deposit.
US08824760B2
At least one embodiment of the invention relates to a method for the reconstruction of image data from an examined object, using measuring data, wherein the measuring data were first recorded during a relative movement between a radiation source on a computer tomography system and the examined object. In at least one embodiment, the image reconstruction is based on a back projection of the filtered measuring data. During the back projection, a back projection weight that depends on the respective image point is used and the power with which the back projection weight is used is selectable.
US08824758B2
Certain aspects of an apparatus and method for orienting tissue samples for comparison may include incrementally rotating orientation of a first image by a predetermined rotation angle while maintaining orientation of a second image at a fixed angle, checking alignment of the orientation of the first image with the orientation of the second image at each predetermined rotation angle by matching a plurality of points in the first image and the second image, determining whether a predetermined rotation angle is a correct rotation angle for alignment based on a count of the plurality of points being greater than a threshold value and rotating to the next predetermined rotation angle when the count of the plurality of points is less than or equal to a threshold value.
US08824755B2
A method and a computer system are disclosed for automatically generating a statistical vascular model of a patient group. In at least one embodiment, the method includes collecting determining patient-related vascular coordinates models from a multiplicity of vascular landmark coordinates of vascular landmarks, centerline coordinates on vessel centerlines and vessel contour coordinates on vessel contour edge profiles; determining body landmark coordinates of body landmarks; registering the vessel-related coordinates to patient-related registered vascular coordinates models; merging patient-related vascular parameter models to form at least one statistical vascular parameter model; determining the statistical parameters thereof; and saving and/or outputting the at least one statistical vascular parameter model.
US08824751B2
A process of managing a digital photo involves capturing the photo using a digital camera; communicating the photo to a server system; the server system identifying faces of people in the photo; the server system matching the faces to the communication addresses of portable devices of the people; and the server system communicating the photo to the portable devices.
US08824746B2
An biometric-information processing device includes a biometric-information acquiring unit that generates a biometric image representing biometric information on a surface of a specific portion of a user; a divider that divides the biometric image into multiple blocks; a prior-complexity-degree estimator that estimates, for each of the multiple blocks, a prior complexity degree indicating complexity of a pattern of part included in the biometric information and represented in the block, on a basis of a difference between a direction of the pattern of the part included in the biometric information and represented in the block and a direction of a pattern of other part included in the biometric information and represented in the block adjacent to that block; a posterity-complexity-degree determiner that determines, for each of the multiple blocks, a posterior complexity degree indicating complexity of an image of the part included in the biometric information and represented in the block.
US08824744B2
Embodiments include methods and systems for context-adaptive pixel processing based, in part, on a respective weighting-value for each pixel or a group of pixels. The weighting-values provide an indication as to which pixels are more pertinent to pixel processing computations. Computational resources and effort can be focused on pixels with higher weights, which are generally more pertinent for certain pixel processing determinations.
US08824738B2
An identification method and process for objects from digitally captured images thereof that uses data characteristics to identify an object from a plurality of objects in a database. The data is broken down into parameters such as a Shape Comparison, Grayscale Comparison, Wavelet Comparison, and Color Cube Comparison with object data in one or more databases to identify the actual object of a digital image.
US08824737B2
A method for processing data includes receiving a depth map of a scene containing a humanoid form. The depth map is processed so as to identify three-dimensional (3D) connected components in the scene, each connected component including a set of the pixels that are mutually adjacent and have mutually-adjacent depth values. Separate, first and second connected components are identified as both belonging to the humanoid form, and a representation of the humanoid form is generated including both of the first and second connected components.
US08824720B2
A detachable earphone is disclosed. The detachable earphone comprises an audio plug; an earplug; and an earphone cable connecting the audio plug to the earplug, wherein at least one of the audio plug and the earplug forms a joining portion, at least one end of the earphone cable forms an insertion portion, and the insertion portion is detachably engaged in the joining portion.
US08824717B2
A horn assembly for high frequency acoustic speakers. In an array of speakers, a spacing between adjacent speakers needs to be less than the wavelength of sound being emitted in order to combine effectively. For high frequency sound, a relatively small wavelength imposes a limitation on such a spacing. Such limitations are sometimes physically difficult to implement. A horn assembly increases the exit dimensions of the small speaker to larger desired dimensions by utilizing one or more plugs that divide a larger horn cavity into smaller horn cavities and creating similar pathlengths thereto. The similar pathlengths and the smaller horn cavities having desired dimensions allow the exiting sound to combine effectively. The overall dimensions of the exit portion of the horn assembly can be selected to match the dimensions of larger bass speakers, thus allowing improved arraying of the high frequency speakers with respect to other larger speakers.
US08824712B2
Disclosed herein, among other things, are methods and apparatus for a behind-the-ear hearing aid with a capacitive sensor.
US08824691B2
A method for monitoring sound in a process system is provided that includes sensing sound at a specified location, capturing the sensed sound as sound data, and forwarding the sound data from the specified location to a process control system. The sound data is analyzed at the process control system and a determination is made regarding whether or not to issue a warning based on the analysis of the sound data. For a particular embodiment, the analysis of the sound data includes comparing the sound data to at least one stored sound, and the determination regarding whether or not to issue a warning based on the analysis of the sound data is made based on a level of similarity between the sound data and the stored sound.
US08824684B2
Selectively obfuscating, or obscuring, a portion or portions of information in a multi-party transmission. A user participating in a multi-party exchange signals a communication device (or proxy) that he will provide private information that is to be perceptible only to a subset of the other participants. This user also identifies that subset, preferably by providing a group identifier for a group in which that subset of participants are members. The communication device transmits a member-specific descriptor comprising an encrypted version of a group key, and uses this group key to encrypt the private information that is to be perceptible only to the subset. Device-specific characteristics of participant devices are used, in addition to user-provided data (such as a user's log-on identifier and/or password), as input to create cryptographic key information. Only participants in the subset can decrypt the encrypted private information; other participants preferably receive a filler pattern instead.
US08824681B2
Methods and systems for LLE encrypting and decrypting voice message streams (VMSs) already supporting eTe encryption are disclosed. In one example, LLE and eTe encryption initialization vectors (EIVs) are interleaved such that an LLE EIV retrieved from one of a header and a data unit is used to LLE decrypt both the header or data unit and a subsequent data unit. A recovered eTe EIV is used to eTe decrypt voice payloads in one or more subsequent data units. In another example, a base station dynamically LLE encrypts a VMS already supporting eTe encrypting by determining whether a received VMS is eTe encrypted, and ii it is not generating a new LLE EIV, and if it is, re-using the pre-existing eTe EIV for LLE encryption. The LLE encrypted (and perhaps eTe encrypted) VMS is then sent over the air to one or more mobile stations.
US08824677B1
A pseudorandom number is generated from a random seed number using a collision-resistant hash function. A iteration input is extracted from the seed number. A hardcore predicate is applied to the iteration input to generate a pseudorandom bit. A pairwise-independent function is identified using a pairwise-independent function identifier extracted from the seed number and applied to the iteration input to produce a randomized iteration input. The collision-resistant hash function is applied to the randomized iteration input to produce a hash result and pad the output. The padded hash result is assigned as the iteration input for the next iteration. The process repeats iteratively and pseudorandom bits are generated using the hardcore predicate in each iteration until a predetermined number of pseudorandom bits are generated. The pseudorandom number is constructed using the generated pseudorandom bits.
US08824665B2
Unshielded twisted pair (UTP) termination circuits, UTP termination circuit systems, and methods of terminating an UTP circuit are provided. UTP termination circuits can include a plurality of resistors in parallel, where each of the plurality of resistors is configured to be coupled to one of a plurality of unshielded twisted pairs of an UTP cable, a shunt resistor is coupled in series with the plurality of parallel resistors, and a capacitor is connected to ground in series with the shunt resistor.
US08824662B2
A method for interfacing a customer with a call center. Information obtained from a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag is transmitted to the call center to provide additional information about the customer and allow the session to be accurately routed within the call center. The call center may be accessed by telephone, computer, or other type of customer premises equipment over a voice or data network. The RFID tag may be an identification tag provided to the customer for access to the call center or may be a tag associated with the customer and not specific to the call center. The call center may route calls based on routing information contained in the RFID tag information, customer identity and previous sessions with that customer, personal and demographic information and statistical support records for other sessions involving customers with similar personal and demographic information, and according to agent statistical support records.
US08824653B2
A call handling system receives an incoming call from a caller. In response to receiving the incoming call, the call handling system determines a call count for the caller. The call count for the caller is based on a number of calls in a sequence of calls received by the call handling system from the caller, including the incoming call. A maximum amount of time between any of the calls in the sequence of calls does not exceed an expiration period. Based on the call count for the caller, the call handling system identifies and performs an action to take with regard to the incoming call.
US08824648B2
A network assurance analytics (NAA) system and method is disclosed. The NAA can be part of a risk analytic for telecom (RAFT) program. The NAA system is configured to monitor telecommunications networks, detect errors or fraud in those telecommunications networks, and provide solutions to resolve the errors or reduce the fraud. Traffic of a telecommunications network is electronically monitored for at least one pattern that is indicative of a telecommunications anomaly. Based on a set of a set of telecommunications profiles stored in a database, a model score representing a value of the telecommunications anomaly is generated. A solution for the telecommunications network to reduce the model score associated with the telecommunications anomaly is then generated for execution on the telecommunications network.
US08824645B2
An exemplary method includes a video messaging system 1) providing an asynchronous video messaging service, 2) maintaining communication thread data representative of a video communication thread that includes a plurality of video messages exchanged between users of the asynchronous video messaging service, 3) providing a user interface configured to facilitate user interaction with the video communication thread, 4) receiving, by way of the user interface, a user input command to process multiple video messages included in the video communication thread, and 5) stitching together the multiple video messages for use in processing the multiple video messages in response to the user input command. Corresponding systems and methods are also disclosed.
US08824640B1
Methods, apparatuses, and devices for creating or sharing a visual indicator pattern for indicating a condition of an incoming communication. A storage device stores a plurality of visual indicator patterns for displaying on a spatial visual indicator. A user interface is configured to receive a command from a user. Responsive to the command, a user-created visual indicator pattern is stored on the storage device, or another visual indicator pattern is received from, or shared with, another user.
US08824638B2
Systems and methods for making and using a multi-blade collimator device are described herein. The collimator device can include a base member, a rotational member, and multiple X-ray-attenuating blades that fit together to define an aperture. The blades are typically disposed between the base member and rotational member. Additionally, the blades can be mechanically connected to or interfaced with the base member and the rotational member so that when the rotational member is rotated with respect to the base member, the blades move and cause the aperture to change in size. The aperture can be any shape, including polygonal, square, or rectangular. While the aperture's size can be increased and decreased, the shape and orientation of the aperture can remain substantially constant. The collimator can contain a single layer of blades or multiple layers of blades. Other embodiments are described.
US08824634B2
A method for sensing a level of ionizing radiation directed from a radiation source through a subject and toward an imaging detector, the method executed at least in part by a logic processor, obtains positional coordinate data that is indicative of at least a portion of the subject to be exposed to radiation and that defines a radiation measurement area relative to the subject. The method assigns one or more sensing elements to sense radiation within the radiation measurement area. A measurement signal is acquired from each of one or more assigned sensing elements.
US08824627B2
According to one embodiment, an X-ray CT scanner includes a gantry unit, a reconstruction unit, an extraction unit, and an output unit. The gantry unit includes an X-ray source and an X-ray detector and is configured to rotate the source and the detector. The reconstruction unit generates reconstruction image data by using data acquired by the detector. The extraction unit extracts, when using a predetermined phantom as the object, pixel values of pixels existing on a locus surrounding a tomographic image of the phantom contained in reconstruction image data generated by the reconstruction unit based on data acquired by the detector. The output unit outputs an extraction result obtained by the extraction unit or information obtained based on the extraction result.
US08824626B2
A detector circuit can include an integrator having an amplifier, a first feedback capacitor connected between an input and output of the amplifier, one or more additional feedback capacitors connected by at least one switch between the input and output of the amplifier, and a shunt capacitor connected to the output of the amplifier. The shunt capacitor can be selected to have a capacitance value greater than that of a minimum but less than that of a maximum feedback capacitance. The detector circuit can further include a sampling circuit having a sampling capacitor connected to the output of the integrator amplifier through at least one switch, wherein the sampling capacitor is separate from the shunt capacitor. A computed tomography imaging apparatus can include the detector circuit.
US08824625B2
A system for recording CT data of an object in an object area (4) comprises an X-ray source (5) and an X-ray detector (6) at either side of the object area. The X-ray detector comprises a stack of elongated detector array arrangements (6a) arranged in parallel and provided for detecting X-rays (9a) from the X-ray source transmitted through the object, thus recording images of the object. A device (10a) is provided for rotating the X-ray source (5) and the X-ray detector (6) around an axis of rotation which is parallel with the elongated detector array arrangements, while the elongated detector array arrangements are provided for imaging the object repeatedly. Further, either the elongated detector array arrangements are moved within the X-ray detector or the axis of rotation is moved during the rotation to thereby provide for the elongated detector array arrangements to record the CT data.
US08824614B2
An image processing apparatus includes first and second transfer circuits. The first transfer circuit transfers a first image processing signal in accordance with a first reference signal. The second transfer circuit transfers a second image processing signal, which is extracted from the first image processing signal in accordance with a second reference signal. The first transfer circuit includes a transmission circuit that transmits an adjusting signal to the second transfer circuit in accordance with the first reference signal. The second transfer circuit includes first and second adjusting circuits. The first adjusting circuit adjusts a phase of the adjusting signal so that the second image processing signal will be stably extracted from the adjusting signal in accordance with the second reference signal. The second adjusting circuit adjusts the phase of the adjusting signal so that the second image processing signal extracted from the adjusting signal will match the adjusting signal.
US08824610B1
A method for performing a clear channel assessment to determine whether a wireless channel is clear for transmission of a transmit signal. The method includes receiving, through the wireless channel, a plurality of signals, wherein the plurality of signals are respectively received via a plurality of antennas of the receiver determining a signal strength of each of the plurality of signals, autocorrelating the plurality of signals to respectively generate a plurality of autocorrelated signals, weighting each autocorrelated signal of the plurality of autocorrelated signals based on one or more of the signal strengths determined for each of the plurality of signals, combining each autocorrelated signal, as weighted, to generate a combined signal, demodulating the combined signal, and determining, based at least in part on the demodulation of the combined signal, whether the wireless channel is clear for the transmission of the transmit signal onto the wireless channel.
US08824608B2
An apparatus includes: an offset adjustment unit supplying an offset correction signal corresponding to a frequency switching to an adder unit receiving output from a mixer; a timing adjustment unit adjusting the timing of a frequency switching signal supplied to a local oscillator and the timing of an offset correction amount switching signal supplied to the offset adjustment unit for changing an offset amount in correspondence with the frequency switching in the local oscillator; a noise amount measurement and calculation unit receiving a signal obtained by amplifying and filtering the signal from the adder unit, to measure a noise amount of the signal and generates a timing determination signal based on the noise amount; and a control unit controlling frequency switching signal timing and the offset correction amount switching signal supplied to the timing adjustment unit, based on the timing determination signal from the noise amount measurement and calculation unit.
US08824607B2
A method for demodulating a radio frequency signal according to one embodiment includes receiving digital signals derived from a radio frequency signal; converting the digital signals to baseband signals; generating a frequency error signal using the baseband signals during an acquisition period; and shifting a frequency of the digital signals towards zero frequency error during the acquisition period using the frequency error signal, with the proviso that the digital signals are not phase locked during the shifting. Such methodology may also be implemented as a system using logic for performing the various operations. Additional systems and methods are also presented.
US08824605B2
A propagation channel estimation unit estimates a propagation channel estimation value. A symbol replica generation unit generates a symbol replica that is modulated symbol of a demodulated information. A signal extraction unit extracts, in an arbitrary time duration, each subcarrier component of a received signal in which an interference signal was removed, the extraction being made based on the propagation channel estimation value and the symbol replica. A demodulator demodulates a signal of each subcarrier component in the received signal, the demodulation being made based on signal during the time duration extracted by the signal extraction unit.
US08824600B2
Even when respective transmitters use different transmission schemes, signals of the respective transmitters are separated. A receiver that is applied to a multiuser MIMO system in which a plurality of transmitters performs transmission to at least one receiver, includes a MIMO separation part 40 that receives signals transmitted in different transmission schemes at the same time and at the same frequency and separates the received signals for each transmitter, a switching part 41 that switches output destinations according to the transmission scheme of the separated signal, and a single-carrier processing part 42 and a multi-carrier processing part 43 provided for each transmission scheme for processing a signal output from the switching part 41 according to its transmission scheme.
US08824599B1
A receiver may be operable to generate, utilizing a sequence estimation process, estimates of transmitted symbols which may comprise information symbols and one or more pilot symbols. For each of the information symbols, a corresponding one of the generated estimates may be selected from a first set of one or more values based on a search. For each of the one or more pilot symbols, a corresponding one of the generated estimates may be selected from a second set of one or more values based on a predetermination. The second set of one or more values may comprise one or more symbol values predetermined as corresponding to the one or more pilot symbols. Each of the values in the second set may comprise a known value in a modulation symbol constellation associated with the information symbols. Power of each of the one or more pilot symbols may be zero power.
US08824598B2
A method for receiving data transmitted wirelessly includes receiving information indicating a device type associated with a wireless communication device and, based on the device type associated with the wireless communication device, deciding to request information indicating a set of possible data values associated with transmissions from the wireless communication device. The method further includes receiving information indicating the set of possible data values and receiving a data transmission from the wireless communication device that comprises encoded data bits. Additionally, the method includes attempting to decode the data transmission using the set of possible data values.
US08824597B2
Several circuits and methods for field-based communication are provided. In an embodiment, a field-based communication circuit includes a receiver circuit, a detection circuit and a control circuit. The receiver circuit is configured to receive a field input signal from a field source. The detection circuit includes a voltage detection circuit and a current detection circuit configured to detect a voltage signal and a current signal, respectively associated with the field input signal. The control circuit is configured to trigger a selection of one of the voltage detection circuit and the current detection circuit based on a detection of a signal magnitude of one of the voltage signal and the current signal relative to at least a first predetermined threshold level, wherein the selection of one of the voltage detection circuit and the current detection circuit facilitates a demodulation of one of the voltage signal and the current signal.
US08824596B1
A mobile device in a (e.g., full rank N×N) MIMO system is augmented by a plurality of kn antennae coupled to at least one of N beamformers such that the total number of antennae M=Σn=1n=N is greater than the total number of beamformers N. A highest gain anchor (e.g., optimal) antenna set may be selected from among a plurality of antenna sets, each antenna set comprising a different one of the kn antennae for each nth beamformer. The phase(s) of the non-selected kn−1 antennae may be set to align with the phase of the selected anchor antenna for each nth beamformer. Using TDD communication, the highest gain anchor antenna set for transmitting during the uplink periods may be determined using information measured by at least some of the plurality of M antennae while receiving during one or more downlink periods.
US08824593B2
A wireless transmitter is disclosed that is capable of pre-compensating for oscillator phase noise. In the transmitter, an undesired phase noise being generated by a voltage-controlled oscillator can be detected by comparing the output of the voltage-controlled oscillator to a reference oscillator output. The phase can then be detected by calculating a desired number of zero crossings over a given time period, and comparing this value to an actual number of zero crossings detected in the signal generated by the voltage-controlled oscillator over the same period. From this, the phase component can be determined and digitally pre-compensated in a data signal.
US08824590B2
A layered transmission apparatus transmitting information regarding a plurality of layers includes: coding units coding an information bit of a corresponding layer to generate code bits; bit interleaving units bit-interleaving a corresponding code bit to generate interleaved symbols; a modulation unit classifying layers into layer groups, and modulating interleaved symbols corresponding to each of the groups to generate a modulation symbol of each of the groups; a gain control unit controlling gain of the modulation symbol of each of the groups; and an adding unit adding gain-controlled modulation symbols of the groups to generate a transmission symbol.
US08824588B2
Systems, processes, and structures provide near-field transmit power measurement for MIMO wireless devices (DUT), such as for any of product development, product verification, and/or production testing. A test signal, such as comprising a pulse train signal, is provided to a MIMO device under test (DUT), wherein portions of the test signal controllably steered and sequentially transmitted from each of the device antennas, to one or more test antennas that are positioned in close proximity to the MIMO DUT. The near-field power of the received test signals is measured, to quickly and efficiently determine if one or more data streams of the MIMO DUT has a problem.
US08824579B2
A method to improve codebook performance for non-linear arrays is described. The method includes determining a unitary matrix for a plurality of transmission antennas arranged in a given array type, the unitary matrix being determined based on a codebook, where the given array type is configured to steer beams in at least one of elevation and azimuth. The method also includes applying the determined unitary matrix to a signal to be transmitted across the plurality of transmission antennas. Apparatus and computer readable media are also described.
US08824575B2
In a telecommunication network, pilot signals are provided in orthogonal frequency division multiplexing frames to enable a single-carrier frequency division multiple access method to work substantially harmoniously with an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing access method in uplink. Each orthogonal frequency division multiplexing frame comprises a plurality of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbols. At least one pilot signal is placed within at least one existing orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbol.
US08824569B2
Mechanisms are provided for decoding a variable length encoded data stream. A decoder of a data processing system receives an input line of data. The input line of data is a portion of the variable length encoded data stream. The decoder determines an amount of bit spill over of the input line of data onto a next input line of data. The decoder aligns the input line of data to begin at a symbol boundary based on the determined amount of bit spill over. The decoder tokenizes the aligned input line of data to generate a set of tokens. Each token corresponds to an encoded symbol in the aligned next input line of data. The decoder generates an output word of data based on the set of tokens. The output word of data corresponds to a word of data in the original set of data.
US08824552B2
The minimum Sum of Absolute Differences obtained by a motion vector search roughly judges the magnitude of quantization error by whether or not exceeding a predetermined threshold value. When the quantization error is lower, whether or not visually noticeable noise exists in some of the pixels of the current macroblock is judged based on the amount of flatness and noise detected in each of the 4×4 pixel blocks of the current macroblock partitioned into 16 sub-macroblocks. If there is visually noticeable noise, intra-frame coding is selected. When the quantization error is higher, whether or not visually noticeable noise exists in the current macroblock is judged while considering the magnitude of the motion vector. If there is visually noticeable noise, intra-frame coding is selected.
US08824549B2
A video encoding method and apparatus and a video decoding method and apparatus. In the video encoding method, a first predicted coding unit of a current coding unit that is to be encoded is produced, a second predicted coding unit is produced by changing a value of each pixel of the first predicted coding unit by using each pixel of the first predicted coding unit and at least one neighboring pixel of each pixel, and the difference between the current coding unit and the second predicted coding unit is encoded, thereby improving video prediction efficiency.
US08824548B2
Moving objects are classified based on maximum margin classification and discriminative probabilistic sequential modeling of range data acquired by a scanner with a set of one or more 1D laser line scanner. The range data in the form of 2D images is pre-processed and then classified. The classifier is composed of appearance classifiers, sequence classifiers with different inference techniques, and state machine enforcement of a structure of the objects.
US08824547B2
Methods and apparatus for video coding are disclosed, particularly for use in relation to video compression. Many commercially available video encoders support constant bit-rate encoding but not constant quality encoding. Aspects of the present invention are concerned with methods and apparatus for video coding, the methods involving the determination of bit-rates at which a constant bit-rate encoder may be operated such that segments of video can be chosen from files encoded at the bit-rates so-determined in order to produce an output bitstream in which the quality is nearly constant. Bit-stream segments may be chosen from a low bit-rate bitstream for easy-to-compress scenes, and from a high bit-rate bitstream for hard-to-compress scenes.
US08824545B2
An image encoding device has: a first acquisition unit and a second acquisition unit that acquire a moving image; an encoding unit that encodes the acquired moving image in accordance with a predetermined encoding order and a predetermined encoding method; and a reception unit that receives an instruction to stop performing a process. When the reception unit receives the instruction, the encoding unit uses a last acquired image as an image that was to be acquired after the last acquired image and encodes all acquired images.
US08824543B2
The invention relates to a method of iterative multi-layer decoding of a multimedia communication signal, wherein persistent bits from various upper layers of the employed protocol stack are used in error correction decoding at a lower error-correction layer. The method includes saving persistent bits from successfully decoded FEC frames in memory, and using a subset of the saved bits in decoding of future frames. A smart controller is used to analyze frames for the presence and location of persistent bits, for saving thereof in memory, and for inserting saved persistent bits into a next frame at successive decoding iterations thereof.
US08824542B2
An image processing apparatus and method that can improve encoding efficiency while preventing an increase in load. An extraction circuit of a filtering prediction circuit extracts motion compensation images for generating a prediction image in a high-resolution enhancement layer from reference frames in a low-resolution base layer. A filtering circuit of the filtering prediction circuit performs filtering, which involves upconversion and which uses analysis in the time direction, on a plurality of motion compensation images in the base layer extracted by the extraction circuit to generate a prediction image in the enhancement layer. The image processing apparatus may be an encoding apparatus or a decoding apparatus.
US08824538B2
Methods and systems adaptively equalizing an analog information signal, the method including sampling the analog information signal to provide analog samples including post-transition samples and steady-state samples, and equalizing the analog samples to produce equalized analog samples. The equalizing includes determining a difference between an average post-transition amplitude associated with at least one of the post-transition samples and an average steady-state amplitude associated with at least one of the steady-state samples, and adjusting an equalization coefficient to adjust the difference between the average post-transition amplitude and the average steady-state amplitude.
US08824537B2
A method, receiver and program for equalizing digital samples of a radio signal received over a wireless communications channel. The method comprises: receiving digital samples of the radio signal; calculating equalizer coefficients in the frequency domain; transforming the equalizer coefficients from the frequency domain to the time domain; and equalizing the digital samples in the time domain using the transformed time domain equalizer coefficients.
US08824536B1
Systems, methods, and devices enable spectrum management by identifying, classifying, and cataloging signals of interest based on radio frequency measurements. In an embodiment, signals and the parameters of the signals may be identified and indications of available frequencies may be presented to a user. In another embodiment, the protocols of signals may also be identified. In a further embodiment, the modulation of signals, data types carried by the signals, and estimated signal origins may be identified.
US08824535B2
There are disclosed systems and methods that dynamically vary the word length of data being transmitted through a digital interface. In one embodiment, the method comprises: (i) obtaining at least one parameter indicative of a quality of a signal; (ii) if the at least one parameter indicates that the quality of the signal is above a threshold, then transmitting the data as a number of digital words at a first predetermined word length; (ii) if the at least one parameter indicates that the quality of the signal is below the threshold, then transmitting the data as a number of digital words at a second predetermined word length. The second predetermined word length is different from the first predetermined word length.
US08824534B2
The invention relates to a method of estimating BEM coefficients of the Channel taps of a transmission Channel of an OFDM System having a given pilot arrangement, comprising, at the receiver side of the transmission Channel, the Steps of a) subsampling a received OFDM symbol in the frequency domain into a set of subsequences, b) inverse Fourier transforming each subsequence into a transformed subsequence, and c) estimating Fourier coefficients of a truncated Fourier series expansion model of the Channel taps from the set of transformed subsequences.
US08824533B2
It is disclosed a method including transmitting indication information indicating network cells of a first type different from network cells of a second type, the transmitting including a) broadcasting control information, the indication information to be transmitted being an indication flag, b) assigning a set of synchronization information to the network cells of the first type, and broadcasting control information, the indication information to be transmitted being the synchronization information, c) reserving at least one signaling code information for the network cells of the first type, the indication information to be transmitted being the signaling code information, d) transmitting signaling information subjected to modulation by at least one predefined phase modulation or scrambling by at least one predefined scrambling sequence, the modulation or scrambling being indicative of network cells of the first and second types, and/or e) transmitting i) a PSS and a RS, ii) a SSS and a RS, or iii) a PSS and a SSS, the PSS/RS, SSS/RS or PSS/SSS having at least one predefined phase relation to each other, the at least one phase relation being indicative of the network cells of the first and second types.
US08824532B2
A method of generating a noisy receive signal for testing the performance of a mobile wireless communication device is described. A signal generator unit generates a transmit signal that frequency hops among a set of carrier frequency channels in a cyclic pattern having a time duration T. A wireless channel emulator unit generates a receive signal by modifying the transmit signal and also generates an interference signal by modifying the receive signal. The wireless channel emulator unit delays the interference signal relative to the receive signal by an integer multiple of the time duration T. The receive signal and the interference signal are combined by a combiner unit to generate the noisy receive signal.
US08824531B2
The invention relates to a method and a system for estimating a symbol time error in a broadband transmission system, comprising: determination a time error signal of an output-signal of a discrete Fourier-transformation block (5) in a data symbol stream on the basis of intersymbol correlation using a predetermined period in each received symbol, selecting as a predetermined period last samples of a useful data part of an actual symbol and a preceding symbol after the discrete Fourier-transformation, determining the time error value (ε) based on the intersymbol interference of the selected samples of the actual symbol and the preceding symbol.
US08824528B2
The present invention relates to a spectrum inversion detection apparatus which includes a differential correlation value computing portion, utilized to use a present and previous time axial symbols to compute differential correlation values individually corresponding to carriers; and a controlling portion, utilized to use the differential correlation values, when a spectrum inversion status flag is not at a spectrum inversion state, to compute a correlativity value of the each integer frequency displacement thereby, and when spectrum inversion status flag is at the spectrum inversion state, to determine a maximal correlativity value among all the computed correlativity values, and to decide a spectrum inversion status flag of the computed correlativity value which is determined as the maximal correlativity value thereby utilizing as a detection result signal to output.
US08824507B2
A transmitting apparatus includes a frame dividing circuit that maps frame data of each of a plurality of frames whose period is different from each other into one or a plurality of internal frames having a fixed frame period and a fixed transmission rate, based on a predetermined internal clock; a cross-connect circuit that cross-connects the frame data of each in a time division multiplexing system based on the internal clock in units of the internal frames; and a frame combining circuit that demaps, into any of the plurality of frames, or multiplexes, data of one or a plurality of internal frames cross-connected by the cross-connect circuit.
US08824506B2
Systems for communicating network device information between network devices. A communication is established between a first network device and a second network device according to a link layer discovery protocol (LLDP). An LLDP advertisement message is output in the communication from the second network device to the first network device. The first network device determines whether the second network device processes fragmented packets by searching the LLDP advertisement message for a fragmentation time length value (TLV) field. The second network device outputs to the first network device a plurality of packet fragments in response to a determination that the LLDP advertisement message includes the fragmentation TLV field.
US08824499B2
A method of controlling connection between nodes in a digital interface whereby a first node that is a master node determines a second node to be the master and controls a point-to-point connection or a broadcast connection to another node. The first node having the display device determines the second node to be the master in accordance with a user selection, and transmits a connection command of a predetermined format for transmitting a data stream to the second node. The second node determined as the master in accordance with the transmitted connection command of the predetermined format is allocated with a channel and a bandwidth from an isochronous resource manager (IRM), and performs a point-to-point connection between the second node and the first node to transit the data stream. Thus, the transmission/reception, reproduction, and control of the data stream of the program can be smoothly performed.
US08824493B2
A media access control method is described for controlling access by one user station of a bus system to a first channel of the bus system utilized jointly by a plurality of user stations, where in the case of the method, at least one enable interval is specified for the user station, within which the user station has exclusive access to the first channel. In order to specify a media access control method in which large volumes of data may be transmitted relatively quickly and real-time conditions can be honored during the transmission of messages via the bus system, access to a second channel is utilized by a plurality of user stations is controlled using the method, the second channel being enabled for access by the user station only within the enable interval.
US08824492B2
Data processing and an accelerator system therefor are described. An embodiment relates generally to a data processing system. In such an embodiment, a bus and an accelerator are coupled to one another. The accelerator has an application function block. The application function block is to process data to provide processed data to storage. A network interface is coupled to obtain the processed data from the storage for transmission.
US08824480B2
A method and apparatus for dynamically engaging a network anchor adapted to support communication with one or more end-hosts associated with an Internet Protocol (IP) not supported by the multi-homed source host. are provided.
US08824475B2
Method and structure for a simplified coding of templated display pages for use in close circuit e-shopping for product and services via shopping terminals comprising video interphone monitors, dedicated terminals, television, cable television, shopping box, set top box and other well known boxes, each include a CPU, a memory and a display monitor operated via touch screen, remote control or hand movement, the templated screen uses assigned blocks and icons codes to select display pages, covering products and services. The shopping terminal connected via internal communication lines and interface propagates the simplified code, enabling loading and updating of products and services communicated via a building server for updating at all time data stored in the memory as per the dweller choice, enabling a dweller to shop from his private shop inside his residence, and be provided with programmed services, delivery and payments, supervised by the close circuit shopping entity center.
US08824471B2
In one embodiment, an ingress device of a first routing domain in a computer network buffers received packets, and in response to receiving a request from a particular node indicating that the particular node has migrated from the first routing domain to a second routing domain, determines how to reach the particular node in the second routing domain, and forwards the buffered received packets to the particular node in the second routing domain, accordingly. In another embodiment, a device in the first routing domain migrates from the first routing domain to a second routing domain, and determines its new IP address. The device may then send a request to the first ingress router to forward buffered packets for the device to the second routing domain at the new IP address, and may thus receive buffered packets forwarded from the first ingress router at the device in the second routing domain.
US08824469B2
A packet communication device for communicating a packet to be transferred in constant cycle, comprising one of a logic inversion section configured to invert a logical value with respect to at least one bit included in a first string of bits included in a first packet; and a register section configured to store another string of bits having a logical value different from a given logical value of the first string of bits; and a selector section configured to select one of the first string of bits and a second string of bits that is output from one of the logic inversion section and the register section to designate any one of a plurality of devices, wherein the packet communication is performed when a selected string of bits selected by the selector section conforms to a setting value of a receiving side.
US08824468B2
A system for parsing frames including a first cell extraction circuit (CEC) configured to identify a first cell from a first frame, a first parser engine operatively connected to the first CEC, where the first parser engine is configured to generate a result based on the first cell, and a first forwarding circuit operatively connected to the first parser engine and configured to forward the result, where the first CEC, the first parser engine, and the first forwarding circuit are associated with a first frame parser unit.
US08824457B2
An architecture is provided for coupling wireless local area network (WLAN) signals between an internetworking device and a remotely located access point using a transport network. The access point is coupled to the transport network for communicating with the internetworking device. The access point includes a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point and an access point remote converter. The WLAN access point receives wireless local area network signals from wireless computing equipment and converts such signals to local area network compatible signals. The access point remote converter receives the local area network compatible signals from the WLAN access point and converts the signals to transport modulated format signals suitable for transmission over the transport network. The transport network also provides a power signal to power at least some components of the access point.
US08824454B2
A system and method that routes special number calls from communications devices, including VoIP communications devices, to an answering point that is selected based on a parameter. A peering network effects parameter-based routing of calls to a pre-assigned answering point, wherein the voice path and the signaling paths are set up simultaneously. A gateway in the peering network is connected to the service provider switch and receives special number calls. The gateway queries a pre-provisioned parameter server that determines call routing information for the particular communications device. The gateway then selects another gateway, or, optionally, a selective router access provider network, based on the routing information and delivers the call thereto. The other gateway or selective router access provider network is connected to a router in the destination network and delivers the call and the call parameters to the router.
US08824453B2
A system and method (200) are disclosed for managing quality of service for multimedia applications. A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a network management system (NMS) (106) having a controller (107) that manages operations of a Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer (DSLAM) (109) interfacing to a digital subscriber line (DSL) modem (114) over a digital subscriber line. The controller can be programmed to detect (204) a signal quality violation in the digital subscriber line according to a quality policy associated with a content source, cause (210) the DSLAM to interleave content supplied thereto by the content source; and cause (212) the DSLAM to allocate to the content supplied by the content source a first portion of a data service bandwidth assigned to the digital subscriber line. Additional embodiments are disclosed.
US08824452B2
In accordance with various embodiments, systems and methods of mapping an event related to a subscriber to an associated subscriber profile associated with a global unique identifier (GUID) associated with the specific subscriber, regardless of the particular subscriber identifier associated with the event. The system includes a routing module which is operable to resolve the GUID from a variety of identifiers and identifier types which might be associated with an event. The method can receive a subscriber identifier associated with an event, resolve the subscriber identifier to a global unique identifier (GUID), and route the event to a single actor for processing in accordance with the subscriber's profile and thereby provide the appropriate services and quality of service.
US08824419B2
Systems, methods, and instrumentalities to provide transmission allocations. A Node-B may receive control information, which may include scheduling information, from a WTRU. The Node-B may determine a non-persistent grant allocation for the WTRU based at least in part on the control information. The non-persistent grant allocation may include a determined grant limit The determined grant limit may be a transmission of a pre-defined number of packet data units.
US08824409B2
Disclosed are a radio transmission device and a radio transmission method which reduce the RACH conflict ratio and improve the RACH detection characteristic. When the device and the method are used: as the number of signature numbers allocated for UE by the network side increases, the condition for allocating a signature by UE itself is mitigated and an expectation value which is a statistic average value of the RA quantity using the signature allocated by UE for itself is decreased; and as the number of signature numbers allocated for UE by the network side decreases, the condition for allocating a signature by UE itself is limited and an expectation value of the RA quantity using the signature allocated by UE for itself is increased.
US08824404B2
The specification and drawings present a new method, apparatus and software related product (e.g., a computer readable memory) for using (or reusing) unused frequency resources/channels in a legacy radio access technology system (a first radio access technology system) such as GSM as additional/reused resources for a future/advanced radio access technology systems (a second radio access technology system) such as LTE wireless system. In one embodiment, the extension carrier may be used to simultaneously deploy/assign, e.g., LTE transmission in the same frequency band as the legacy radio access technology system such as GSM with LTE transmission occupying empty GSM time plus frequency slots. In a further embodiment, LTE system over-provisioning may be used so that individual GSM channel(s) can be deactivated and used by the LTE system.
US08824403B2
An ASN encoder of a mobile station apparatus generates transmission and reception capability information including information relating to one or a plurality of component carriers to be used for communication with a base station apparatus. A transmission and reception apparatus transmits the transmission and reception capability information to the base station apparatus. A controller controls the communication with the base station apparatus, using the one or the plurality of component carriers assigned by the base station apparatus based on the transmission and reception capability information.
US08824402B2
Disclosed are an apparatus and a method for transmitting/receiving data by acquiring channel information of a terminal receiving data in a communication system providing services to users through beamforming according to a multi-input multi-output (MIMO) scheme, wherein so as to acquire channel information of the terminal for transmitting/receiving data through the beamforming according to the MIMO scheme, a null data packet announcement (NDPA) frame and a null data packet (NDP) frame are transmitted to the terminal, the beamforming frame is received from the terminal as a response of the null data packet announcement frame and the null data packet frame, and the channel information of the terminal included in the beamforming frame and the indication information on which the null data packet frame included in a control information field of the beamforming frame is normally received are checked.
US08824384B2
A base station in a wireless network transmits to a mobile station downlink subframes of OFDM symbols. Each downlink subframe comprises a plurality of resource blocks and is associated with a subframe (SF) type that is determined according to whether or not a PDSCH region of a resource block in a downlink subframe includes at least one of: 1) a cell-specific reference signal (CRS) resource element and 2) a channel-state-information reference signal (CSI-RS) resource element. The base station receives from the mobile station at least one of CQI, PMI, modulation scheme, and transport block size and interprets the received at least one of CQI, PMI, modulation scheme, and transport block size according to a default SF type used by the first mobile station to determine the at least one of CQI, PMI, modulation scheme, and transport block size.
US08824377B2
A method of transmitting data within a telecommunications system, wherein scheduling of data transmissions and scheduling of re-transmission data is performed independently.
US08824375B2
An architecture can dynamically update or set facility variables for adapting cell site (e.g., base station) characteristics in a wireless communication network. In particular, based upon a current configuration or state of facility equipment as well as various operation data, the architecture can determine or infer a reconfiguration of a facility variable that can adjust the configuration or state of the facility equipment. The reconfiguration can be directed to improving efficiency, mitigating errors, and/or more effectively providing services and allocating resources.
US08824360B2
A picocell in an aircraft for the wireless transmission of data between at least a mobile station in the aircraft and a base station in the aircraft in which a communications connection between the at least one mobile station in the aircraft and a subscriber in a terrestrial communications network is established via the base station. In order to enable passengers automatically the use of their mobile radio devices, when no risk of danger to the flying operation is to be expected, or otherwise to refer them to a corresponding ban, a flight control device is provided for detecting flight data and for setting up the picocell in dependence on the flight data.
US08824352B2
A method for processing handover state information, a mobile access gateway (MAG), and a mobile node (MN) are disclosed. The method includes: receiving a handover state notification message, where the handover state notification message includes interface handover indication information; determining a handover indication option value according to the interface handover indication information; and generating and sending a proxy binding update (PBU) message, where the PBU message includes the handover indication option value. With the present invention, a MAG can obtain the handover state information of an MN through the interface handover indication information of the MN. The application scope is wide, and the access success probability is increased; therefore, the access quality of service (QoS) provided for the user is improved.
US08824351B2
Aspects of regulating broadcast overhead messages within a wireless communications network are disclosed. In an example, an access network periodically sends a message advertising an announced multicast session on each of a plurality of carriers, the message indicating that the announced multicast session is being carried on a target carrier among the plurality of carriers. The access network determines whether to cease transmission of the periodic message within each non-target carrier based on a number of times the periodic message has been sent in each of the plurality of carriers, and ceases transmission of the periodic message within each non-target carrier based on the determining step.
US08824349B2
A mobile station apparatus performs communication with abase station apparatus using a multiple number of component frequency bands, each being a band having a predetermined frequency bandwidth, and includes: a controller setting up a value relating to the transmission power of each component frequency band in accordance with the number of component frequency bands to which radio resources are allocated; and a transmission processor adjusting the transmission power of each component frequency band, based on the value of transmission power set at the controller and transmitting a signal using radio resources of a multiple number of component frequency bands. With this configuration, in a radio communication system using a multiple number of component frequency bands, it is possible to adjust transmission power control in accordance with the number of uplink component frequency bands used for transmission and transmit a signal of a waveform suitable for the radio communication system.
US08824347B2
Methods and apparatus for controlling discontinuous receiver operation in a wireless communication device are disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, a wireless communication device (150) configured to monitor a downlink signal during a series of regularly scheduled awake intervals and monitor the downlink signal for retransmissions during retransmission-monitoring intervals scheduled at a first predetermined delay from each detected data transmission to the receiver includes a control circuit (175) configured to detect that a first retransmission-monitoring interval overlaps a previously scheduled radio activity during which the receiver is unavailable to monitor the first downlink signal, such as a measurement gap, and to adjust the first retransmission-monitoring interval, add an additional retransmission-monitoring interval, or both, responsive to said detecting.
US08824346B2
A system, circuit, and device for waking up an application processor (AP) of the mobile device are disclosed. The system includes a low power personal area network (PAN) module configured to communicate with an external device for establishing a connection with the external device. The system also includes a controller for the low power PAN module configured to process a connection request signal from the external device and to wake up the AP of the mobile device in response to an AP on request signal from the external device when the connection request signal from the external device is verified as valid, where the controller is supplied with quiescent current from a battery of the mobile device prior to the wake up of the AP.
US08824342B2
A field communication apparatus may include a first communication unit and a second communication unit each of which performs communication between a plurality of field devices and a host device, the first communication unit and the second communication unit constituting a duplex unit, a first explosion-proof housing that accommodates the first communication unit, and a second explosion-proof housing that accommodates the second communication unit. The first communication unit may be capable of being removed from the field communication apparatus while being accommodated in the first housing, and the second communication unit may be capable of being removed from the field communication apparatus while being accommodated in the second housing.
US08824340B2
Handling of policy and charging information and user profiles in a multisite communication's network
It is provided a method for handling policy and charging information, PCI, relating to a user, wherein the method is carried out in a communications network comprising a first and a second site at least (S1, S2). Each of these sites comprises at least a policy and charging rules, PCR, network entity. The method comprises sending (SI1O) from a first network entity of a first site (110; AF-1; PCEF-1) to a PCR network entity of said first site (PCRF-1) a request to obtain PCI dependent on a user profile; generating—if it is determined that said user profile is not accessible at the first site (PCRF-1)—a redirection message comprising an identity of the PCR network entity of the first site (PCRF-1); forwarding said redirection message to a PCR network entity of said second site (PCRF-2).
US08824339B2
Systems, methods and communication nodes according to exemplary embodiments provide for an IMS node to replicate call content for lawful call interception in packet cable networks. A CSCF node sends a command to an SBC node to perform call content replication for an identified call to be intercepted. The SBC node forwards the replicated call content to a delivery function, which in turn forwards the replicated call content to the appropriate law enforcement agency.
US08824336B2
An apparatus and method for a wireless home mesh network with a network topology visualizer is described. In one embodiment, the method may include collecting node topology information by a node of a wireless home mesh network, where the node topology information includes a list of neighbor nodes for the node. Thereafter, a communication socket is opened, and a node topology packet, including a lust of neighbor nodes, is transmitted in order to produce a global network topology map. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08824327B1
A system for exchanging information for improved call quality includes an exchange engine for switching between networks or communication channels and a monitoring module for determining quality of communication over a network or communication channels and initiating switching in response to poor call quality. The monitoring module may be responsive to input from the user or to call quality as determined for example by statistical measurement. The exchange engine identifies the network or communication channel in use for the current call; determines the call quality for a second network or communication channel not being used for the current call; determines whether call quality of the second network is better than the first network; and switches the current call between a first user and the second user from the first network to the second network if the call quality of the second network is better than the first network.
US08824325B2
A hybrid positioning system can be implemented to improve location estimation of a wireless network device when reference network devices can have different distance calibration constants. For each of a plurality of positions at which the wireless network device is placed and for each reference network device, a distance between the wireless network device and the reference network device is determined. A first positioning algorithm is executed to determine an intermediate location (corresponding to each position) of the wireless network device and a distance calibration constant for each reference network device based, in part, on a corresponding initial location of the wireless network device. A second positioning algorithm is executed to estimate a subset of the positions of the wireless network device based on the intermediate location (corresponding to the position) of the wireless network device and the distance calibration constant of each of reference network devices.
US08824317B2
A parallel calculation system includes a plurality of functional nodes and a plurality of network switches, which serve as part of a communication path for communication between the functional nodes and function as communication channels. As for the functional nodes, a functional node group made up of part or all of a plurality of the functional nodes that the parallel calculation system includes is managed as one group. The network switches include a plurality of input/output ports, which are ports for inputting and outputting the communication request, and a switch, which outputs the communication request that the input/output port inputs to the input/output port. The network switches manage a communication bandwidth for each of the communication channels between the functional nodes and control the switch.
US08824316B2
A mechanism is described for proximity detection based on Wi-Fi signals. A method of embodiments of the invention includes determining strength of one or more signals being communicated between one or more antennae of a first device and two or more antennae of a second device. The one or more signals are associated with a broadcast packet. The method further includes determining proximity of the first device and the second device based on the determined strength of the one or more signals.
US08824313B2
A distributed monitoring system comprises a plurality of agents configured for communication with at least one central server. A given one of the agents obtains measurement data, and applies a statistical test to the measurement data. Based on a result of the statistical test, the given agent determines whether or not an update needs to be sent by the agent to the central server. The agent sends the update to the central server if the determination indicates that the update should be sent.
US08824301B2
A method and apparatus are disclosed to provide assistance information for reconfiguration in a wireless communication system. In one embodiment, the method comprises providing, from a UE (user equipment), information to an eNB (evolved Node B) to indicate whether there is buffered data or no buffered data for a radio bearer, a logical channel, or a service.
US08824300B2
A method is provided in one example embodiment and includes receiving a first congestion message associated with traffic congestion in a signaling system seven (SS7) a network, the first congestion message being associated with a first timer. The method also includes receiving a second congestion message after the first timer has expired and before a second timer has expired. The method further includes communicating a portion of traffic, which was originally intended for a first destination, to a second destination in the network based on receiving the second congestion message. The method can further include recovering and returning to an initial state.
US08824295B2
A system and method is disclosed for multiple chips in which the connection between chips is made with registered inputs and registered outputs. This is achieved using a credit-based flow control protocol between the chips. The connection is made as part of a single packet-based on-chip and between-chip network with a common address space between the two chips.
US08824293B2
A switch device can be configured to operate in a manner that was not originally intended. For example, a switch device can be a Broadcom XGS type of device that is configured with a packet-processing unit to perform line speed lookups in accordance with a default configuration. The default configuration can include classifying and forwarding received packets to an upstream interface based on VLAN information. The default configuration can be overwritten such that the switch device operates in a different manner than originally intended. For example, the switch device can be reconfigured to include mapping rules that specify different QoS data to be assigned to different type of received packets. Subsequent to utilizing the maps to identify QoS information for received packets, the reconfigured switch device uses the QoS information to forward the packets to queues in an upstream interface.
US08824284B2
Methods and apparatus for dynamic load balancing using virtual link credit accounting are disclosed. An example method includes receiving, at a network device, a data packet to be communicated using an aggregation group, the aggregation group including a plurality of virtual links having a common destination. The example method further includes determining a hash value based on the packet and determining an assigned virtual link of the plurality of virtual links based on the hash value. The example method also includes reducing a number of available transmission credits for the aggregation group and reducing a number of available transmission credits for the assigned virtual link. The example method still further includes communicating the packet to another network device using the assigned virtual link.
US08824282B2
A hybrid approach to populating forwarding tables in a virtual network obtains forwarding data both by simulating routing protocol behavior in the virtual network to build forwarding tables, and by importing operational forwarding data from corresponding physical nodes in a physical network. The use of operational forwarding data improves the fidelity of the simulation by closely conforming forwarding behavior in the simulation to that which occurs in the physical network.
US08824277B2
The invention relates to a method of routing a data packet via a router (12) in a packet communications network (1) supported by a transport network, said method including a step of determining from said packet a required back-up level and a required route. It further includes: a preliminary step of establishing a table storing for a given route links (Ifp1-Ifp6) of the transport network able to provide said route and classified by back-up level; and a step of selecting a link of said transport network in the table on the basis of the required back-up level and the required route.
US08824273B2
A communication system that comprises at least two links to carry signals, a first communication unit and a second communication unit. The first communication unit comprises at least two ports, each port configured to transmit and receive signals; and a logic unit configured to process the signals transmitted and received by each of the at least two ports in the first communication unit. The second communication unit comprises at least two ports, each port configured to transmit and receive signals and coupled to a respective one of the at least two ports in the first communication unit via a respective one of the at least two links; a programmable logic unit configured to process the signals transmitted and received by each of the at least two ports in the second communication unit; and a processor. The processor is configured to detect a crossover connection between one of the at least two ports in the second communication unit and the respective one of the at least two ports in the first communication unit based on an analysis of a pair identifier field in a message received at the second communication unit, wherein the pair identifier field is separate from the address field of the received message.
US08824265B2
The present invention relates to a method for configuring communication parameters for communication through a first multi-carrier data communication path (DPx) established over a first subscriber line (Lx), and comprising the steps of: detecting a request (init_req, join_req(y)) whereby a second multi-carrier data communication path (DPy) is to be initialized over a second subscriber line (Ly), A method according to the invention further comprises the steps of: postponing initialization of the second data communication path, acquiring crosstalk characteristics (XT_char_xy(k)) from the second subscriber line towards the first subscriber line, deriving from the crosstalk characteristics a parameter value (VN_x(k)) characterizing a virtual noise model used for communication over the first data communication path, and applying the parameter value for further communication over the first data communication path, and resuming initialization of the second data communication path. The present invention also relates to an access node.
US08824262B1
A disk drive is disclosed wherein a radial offset is measured between a first head and a second head at a plurality of points along a circumference of a corresponding first and second disk surface to generate a first plurality of radial offsets. A first radial offset is determined and a second radial offset is determined based on the first plurality of radial offsets, wherein the first radial offset corresponds to approximately a maximum in the first plurality of radial offsets and the second radial offset corresponds to approximately a minimum in the first plurality of radial offsets. A plurality of access commands are stored in a command queue, and a rotational position optimization (RPO) algorithm is executed to select a next access command to execute from the command queue, wherein the RPO algorithm is responsive to the first and second radial offsets.
US08824259B2
In a multilayer optical disc having information layers conforming to a plurality of different optical disc standards, because the type of each information layer is not recorded in the other information layers, in read and write operations by a compatible optical disc device conforming to a plurality of optical disc standards, every time the information layer being accessed changes, it has been necessary to read the type of the information layer and select a method of generating a tracking error signal adapted to the type of information layer, so access has taken time. In order to solve the above problem, in the optical multilayer disc according to the present invention, having information layers conforming to a plurality of different optical disc standards, in an area in one of the information layers, information about the other information layers is recorded. The time required to access the other information layers can be reduced by using this information to select a tracking error signal generating method.
US08824258B2
In a multilayer optical disc having information layers conforming to a plurality of different optical disc standards, because the type of each information layer is not recorded in the other information layers, in read and write operations by a compatible optical disc device conforming to a plurality of optical disc standards, every time the information layer being accessed changes, it has been necessary to read the type of the information layer and select a method of generating a tracking error signal adapted to the type of information layer, so access has taken time. In order to solve the above problem, in the optical multilayer disc according to the present invention, having information layers conforming to a plurality of different optical disc standards, in an area in one of the information layers, information about the other information layers is recorded. The time required to access the other information layers can be reduced by using this information to select a tracking error signal generating method.
US08824254B2
An optical disc device includes an optical pickup that causes a laser beam to be incident on an optical disc and detects a reflected beam, an A/D converter that converts into a digital signal a plurality of analog signals obtained from the reflected beam detected by the optical pickup, an error signal generating circuit that generates a servo signal for the optical pickup based on the digital signal converted by the A/D converter, a low-pass filter that removes noise of a specific band included in the servo error signal generated by the error signal generating circuit, a main processor that switches a noise removal band of the low-pass filter based on states of the optical disc, and an actuator that performs servo control for the optical pickup based on the servo error signal from which the noise has been removed by the low-pass filter.
US08824246B2
A timing device for indicating a passage of a duration of time is disclosed. The timing device in accordance with the embodiments of the invention has a grid array architecture. The grid array architecture includes an electrode structure with an anode layer, a cathode layer and a thermistor layer. The anode layer and the thermistor layer are electrically coupled through a plurality of cathode line structures. In operation the timing device is actuated through a suitable mechanism to initiate depletion of the anode layer and, thereby, indicate a passage of a duration time. As the anode layer depletes, sequential cathode line structures are exposed and the thermistor layer acts as a variable resistor through a plurality of exposed cathode line structures.
US08824240B2
An ultrasonic scanner tool employs a transducer that excites a target plate at a known distance from the transducer. One side of the target plate forms a chamber that in operation is filled with wellbore fluid. On the other side of the target plate, a chamber is formed containing a vacuum or a fluid with a significantly lower acoustic impedance than the wellbore fluid and the target plate, allowing an improved measurement of the acoustic impedance of the wellbore fluid.
US08824236B2
A memory access control device including: a bit position information storage unit storing bit position information indicating one or more bit positions in a bit sequence of a predetermined length; a reading unit configured to attempt to read a bit sequence from the range specified by the logical address received by the logical address receiving unit, thereby receiving a first bit sequence from the external memory in units of the predetermined length, the first bit sequence being composed of bits that are larger in number than bits stored in the range specified by the logical address; a bit sequence extracting unit configured to extract one or more bit sequences from the first bit sequence at the one or more bit positions indicated by the bit position information in units of the predetermined length.
US08824230B2
Systems and method for reducing leakage currents and power consumption in a memory array comprising memory cells, such as 8T SRAM cells. The memory array includes logic for dynamically placing a group of memory cells in the memory array in a reduced power state during sleep mode or inactive states of the group of memory cells, such that leakage parts are effectively eliminated. The memory array further includes logic for dynamically enabling a selected group of the memory cells during read or write access operations on the selected memory cells, wherein corresponding read or write bitlines are precharged before and after the respective rear or write operations.
US08824229B2
A semiconductor memory apparatus includes a bit line coupled to a plurality of memory cells, a discharge controller configured to generate a bit line discharge signal to pre-discharge the bit line before the memory cells are activated, and a bit line discharge block coupled to the bit line and configured to discharge the bit line in response to the bit line discharge signal.
US08824227B2
A parallel test circuit of a semiconductor memory apparatus includes a memory bank which includes first and second sub banks having test global lines, respectively, and sharing a global line connected to each of the first and second sub banks. When a read command is applied during a test mode, the parallel test circuit compares data loaded in the global line to data loaded in the test global line of the second sub bank to attain a comparison result, compresses the comparison result to attain a compression signal, and outputs the compression signal as a test output signal to a pad.
US08824225B2
An output enable signal generation circuit includes an output enable reset signal generation unit configured to enable an output enable reset signal in response to an external clock signal, a DLL locking signal, and a reset signal, an output enable reset signal delay unit configured to delay the output enable reset signal and output the delayed output enable reset signal, a counter unit configured to output the count of the external clock signal as a value in response to the output enable reset signal and the delayed output enable reset signal, a read command delay unit configured to delay a read command and output the delayed read command, and an output enable signal output unit configured to shift the delayed read command in synchronization with a DLL clock signal and output an output enable signal, according to control of CL and the count value.
US08824220B2
A semiconductor apparatus includes: a sense amplifier unit enabled for a predetermined time during a read operation in response to a first read enable signal, enabled before a write operation in response to a second read enable signal, and disabled when the write operation is started, and a switch unit configured to connect a write driver and a memory unit during the write operation in response to a first select signal, connect the sense amplifier unit and the memory unit for the predetermined time during the read operation in response to a control signal, and disconnect the sense amplifier and the memory unit when the write operation is started.
US08824207B2
A semiconductor memory device is operated by, inter alia, sequentially inputting program data to page buffers coupled to selected pages of at least four planes in order to program selected memory cells included in the selected pages; performing a program operation on each of the four planes; performing a program verify operation on each of the four planes; and inputting new program data for next pages to the page buffers coupled to the next pages, after determining the selected pages of at least two of the four planes have passed the program verify operation, while performing the program operations and the program verify operations on the two remaining planes.
US08824206B2
A non-volatile semiconductor device includes: memory strings formed by series connection of memory cells respectively connected to word lines, wherein each memory string is connected between a bit line and a source line via first and second select gate transistors; and a control circuit controlling the first and second select gate transistors, such that when voltage of the word line is raised to a predetermined value for data readout from the memory cell, a first status where the first select gate transistor is turned on and the second select gate transistor is turned off and second status where the first select gate transistor is turned off and the second select gate transistor is turned on are generated alternately.
US08824205B2
A non-volatile electronic memory device is integrated on a semiconductor and is of the Flash EEPROM type with a NAND architecture including at least one memory matrix divided into physical sectors, intended as smallest erasable units, and organized in rows or word lines and columns or bit lines of memory cells. At least one row or word line of a given physical sector is electrically connected to at least one row or word line of an adjacent physical sector to form a single logic sector being erasable, with the source terminals of the corresponding cells of the pair of connected rows referring to a same selection line of a source line.
US08824200B1
An array of memory cells, each cell comprising a first and second ferromagnetic layers that form either a spin valve or a magnetic tunnel junction; at least one conductor operatively connected to at least one of the first and second ferromagnetic layers; a third ferromagnetic layer magnetically coupled to the second magnetic layer having permittivity which changes from a first state to a second state of lower permittivity upon heating; the second ferromagnetic layer being influenced by the permittivity of the third ferromagnetic layer; and a heater element operatively associated with the third magnetic layer which selectively provides heat to the third magnetic layer to change its permittivity. An alternate embodiment comprises an array of cells, each cell comprising a ferromagnetic region having permittivity which changes from a first state to a second state upon heating and a heater operatively which selectively provides heat to the third magnetic layer.
US08824198B2
A register file employing a shared supply structure to improve the minimum supply voltage.
US08824197B2
A static RAM includes: a plurality of word lines; a plurality of pairs of local bit lines; a plurality of memory cells arranged in correspondence with intersections of the plurality of pairs of local bit lines and the plurality of word lines; a capacitance shared circuit arranged for each of the plurality of pairs of local bit lines; a common connection line connecting the plurality of capacitance shared circuits; and a pair of global bit lines connected to the plurality of pairs of local bit lines, wherein the capacitance shared circuit includes two N-channel transistors connected between the pair of local bit lines and the common connection line corresponding to each other.
US08824195B2
Phase-change memory devices are provided. A phase-change memory device may include a substrate and a conductive region on the substrate. Moreover, the phase-change memory device may include a lower electrode on the conductive region. The lower electrode may include a metal silicide layer on the conductive region, and a metal silicon nitride layer including a resistivity of about 10 to about 100 times that of the metal silicide layer. Moreover, the lower electrode may include a metal oxide layer between the metal silicon nitride layer and the metal silicide layer. The metal oxide layer may include a resistivity that is greater than that of the metal silicide layer and less than the resistivity of the metal silicon nitride layer. The phase-change memory device may also include a phase-change layer and an upper electrode on the lower electrode.
US08824183B2
A three-dimensional memory is formed as an array of memory elements that are formed across multiple layers of planes positioned at different distances above a semiconductor substrate. The memory elements reversibly change a level of electrical conductance in response to a voltage difference being applied across them. The three-dimensional array includes a two-dimensional array of pillar lines acting as local vertical bit lines through the multiple layers of planes which together with arrays of word lines on each plane are used to access the memory elements. The three-dimensional memory is formed over a CMOS substrate with an intermediate pillar select layer. The pillar select layer is formed with a plurality of pillar select devices which are switching transistors formed outside the CMOS and serve to switch selected rows of pillar lines to corresponding metal lines on the substrate.
US08824175B2
A power circuit, in certain embodiments, includes an inductor to limit current through a capacitor, wherein the capacitor is configured to smooth ripple for a constant voltage welding system. More specifically, the power circuit may include a rectifier configured to convert AC power to DC power. The rectifier may be coupled to a DC bus configured to transmit the DC power. A capacitive circuit having the capacitor may be coupled across the DC bus to smooth ripple in the DC power. The inductor, e.g., coupled between the DC bus and the capacitive circuit, limits the rate of current flow between the capacitive circuit and the DC bus during a welding operation, thereby reducing heating in the output capacitive circuit. A further inductor may be coupled to one side of the DC bus to stabilize the rate of current flow from the power circuit to a load.
US08824173B2
System and method for regulating a power conversion system. A system controller for regulating a power conversion system includes a first controller terminal, a second controller terminal and a third controller terminal. The system controller is configured to receive an input signal at the first controller terminal and turn on or off a switch based on at least information associated with the input signal to adjust a primary current flowing through a primary winding of the power conversion system, receive a first signal at the second controller terminal from the switch, and charge a capacitor through the third controller terminal in response to the first signal.
US08824170B2
A power factor correct current resonance converter is disclosed which eliminates interference of switching operations between two cascade-connected converter circuits. The power factor correct current resonance converter includes a current resonance converter circuit having switches, a resonance capacitor, a resonance inductor, a transformer, diodes, a smoothing capacitor, and a control circuit. The power factor correct current resonance converter also includes a power factor correct converter circuit having a choke coil, a diode, a smoothing capacitor, and a switch. The switch is turned on or off in response to a voltage produced in a winding of the transformer. Thus, the switching operation of the power factor correct converter circuit is performed in synchronization with the switching operation of the current resonance converter circuit, so that interference of the switching operations is eliminated. In addition, since a dedicated control circuit is not required, the cost can be reduced.
US08824153B2
A chip card holder for holding at least two chip cards is disclosed. The chip card holder includes a base, a drawer slidably attached to the base. The drawer includes at least two receiving spaces, each receiving space for receiving a chip card. The drawer moves relative to the base to make the at least two receiving spaces be exposed out of the base or be received in the base.
US08824152B2
The disclosure describes a cover for a frame for mounting a device above a printed circuit board (PCB) in an electronic device. The cover comprises: a surface to cover a bottom of the display device and to be located on top of a frame section of a frame that is mounted on the PCB and surrounds a surface device on the PCB; a raised region in the surface to allow a part of the surface device to jut above the frame section; and a depressed region in the surface to receive a feature on a bottom of the display device to allow the feature to extend into an interior cavity bounded by the frame section.
US08824148B2
Provided is a financial device, which comprises a medium cassette, a cassette box, and a shock prevention apparatus. The medium cassette accommodates a medium. The medium cassette is installed on the cassette box. The shock prevention apparatus is disposed between a portion of the medium cassette and a portion of the cassette box facing the portion of the medium cassette. The shock prevention apparatus prevents a shock from being applied to the medium cassette while the medium cassette is installed on the cassette box.
US08824144B2
A power module base includes a heat radiation substrate formed of a high-thermal-conduction material, an insulating substrate joined to an upper surface of the heat radiation substrate, a wiring layer provided on an upper surface of the insulating substrate, and a heat radiation fin joined to a lower surface of the heat radiation substrate. A component attachment plate thicker than the heat radiation substrate and including a through hole for accommodating the insulating substrate is joined to the upper surface of the heat radiation substrate such that the insulating substrate is located within the through hole. This power module base can maintain the upper surface of the component attachment plate flat, and various components for a power module, such as a casing, can be attached onto the component attachment plate.
US08824141B2
A mounting device capable of mounting two objects of different sizes is disclosed. The mounting device includes a mounting member including a first end, a second end opposite to the first end, a mounting portion, a securing piece between the first end and the second end, and an installing plate including a first installing portion and a second installing portion. The mounting member is secured to the first installing portion and the second installing portion. When the mounting portion and the securing piece are engaged with the first installing portion, the first end is adapted to abut a first object. When the mounting portion and the installing portion are engaged with the second installing portion, the second end is adapted to abut a second object of a different size from a size of the first object.
US08824132B2
An electronic device comprises a casing, a hard disk, a housing on the casing of the electronic device intended to host the hard disk, and a stopper ensuring the holding of the hard disk in the housing. The stopper comprises a first fixation mechanism on a first end of the stopper to the casing of the electronic device, and a second fixation mechanism on a second end of the stopper to the casing of the electronic device. According to exemplary embodiments, the first fixation mechanism is a clip, the second fixation mechanism is a lock, and the stopper also comprises a hinge enabling the articulation of the stopper around its first end. According to another aspect of the invention, the device comprises a seal positioned on the stopper during the first assembly of the hard disk.
US08824125B1
An out of the box signage kit facilitates in field conversion of a static billboard having an anchored planar mounting structure into a large format billboard type electronic sign that includes a plurality of interchangeable weatherized display modules; a plurality of hand mountable interchangeable structural frames for supporting the plurality of weatherized display modules, each structural frame having a back portion for mounting to a frontside of the anchored planar mounting structure and a front portion defining a plurality of bay members for receiving corresponding ones of said plurality of weatherized display modules; and a plurality of interchangeable wire harnesses, each individual wire harness including a first end for coupling to a power source mounted on a backside of the anchored planar mounting structure, each individual wire harness having a plurality of power extensions for coupling the power source to at least one of the display modules.
US08824123B2
An animal deterrent device (ADD) includes a non-yielding base containing an array of animal deterring elements extending outwardly away therefrom. The base of the ADD is configured for deployment on at least one external surface of a transducer associated with a electrical charging system (ECS) used to electrically charge an energy storage device (ESD) on a vehicle. An array of animal deterring elements are respectively spaced apart a sufficient distance one-to-another and have respective heights so as to fill a space so that animals, such as a dog or a cat, are discouraged from residing on, or adjacent to at least one external surface of the transducer when the transducer that includes the ADD is disposed within a ground clearance of the vehicle. A method of using the ADD is also presented that includes a step of the ADD being formed in a mold in a single molding operation.
US08824121B2
A wet electrolytic capacitor including a porous anode body containing a dielectric layer, a cathode containing a metal substrate on which is disposed a conductive polymer coating, and an electrolyte is provided. The conductive polymer coating is in the form of a dispersion of particles having an average diameter of from about 1 to about 500 nanometers, in some embodiments from about 5 to about 400 nanometers, and in some embodiments, from about 10 to about 300 nanometers. The relatively small size of the particles used in the coating increases the surface area that is available for adhering to the metal substrate, which in turn improves mechanical robustness and electrical performance (e.g., reduced equivalent series resistance and leakage current). Another benefit of employing such a dispersion for the conductive polymer coating is that it may be able to better cover crevices of the metal substrate and improve electrical contact.
US08824118B2
A method of removing electrostatic charges from a tray by supplying pressurized ionized air, first along the bottom of the already turned over tray, and then, when unloading the tray, along its side walls or the inner walls of a compartment. A tray made of dielectric material and protected against negative action of the electrostatic field and having a conducting metal insert provided on the inside of the tray. The insert may have different shapes. A device for unloading compartment trays made of a dielectric material and provided with an ionizer disposed horizontally along the linear transporter, in the zone of feeding of the trays with its nozzles turned in the direction of the inside of the bottom of the tray.
US08824105B2
A pivot bearing 13 includes: a shaft 21; and a plurality of ball bearings 20 which are arranged in an axial direction with respect to the shaft 21 and each of which has an inner ring 27 fixed to the shaft 21 and an outer ring 25 fixed to a fixing hole 18 of an arm 16 via a tolerance ring 12, the pivot bearing being configured to swing around the shaft. The number of balls of each ball bearing 20 and the number of concave portions of the tolerance ring 12, which are configured to press the outer ring 25, are relatively prime to each other. Accordingly, it is possible to inexpensively make the reliable pivot bearing that achieves high precision with a simple structure, and thus a reliable high density magnetic recording apparatus is provided.
US08824099B2
A disk clamp for clamping a number of magnetic hard disks within a disk drive has a plurality of balance weight holes and a coined index mark for use as a reference in balancing the hard disks after assembly. The disk clamp also has a coined profile located adjacent or around the balance weight holes in order to provide uniform circumferential clamp force by the disk clamp. The disk clamp has a profile that places the inner region of the disk clamp in the plastic deformation region at a certain specified clamping force at the center of the disk clamp.
US08824093B1
According to one embodiment, a head position detecting method and a magnetic disk device includes measuring a burst output by reading a burst pattern, which is recorded on a magnetic disk, with a magnetic head and calculating a demodulation position of the magnetic head on the basis of the result of the correction of the phase shift of the burst output corresponding to magnetization transition curvature of the burst pattern.
US08824092B2
The relative trajectory of a transducer head over bit-patterned media (BPM) may be skewed with respect to a down-track direction on the media (i.e., skew error). In order to resolve the skew error, the presently disclosed technology measures the skew error without adding additional patterning on the media. A detector circuit detects a sequential series of data bits on a storage media. The sequential series of data bits alternate between at least two tracks on the storage media. The sequential series of data bits are sent to a timing circuit, which sets a time stamp indicating when each data bit is received using, for example, a delay chain or a voltage ramp. A time elapsed between receiving a first data bit, a second data bit, and a third data bit is tracked. Transducer head skew is adjusted based on a signal containing the time elapsed between the bits.
US08824083B1
Systems and methods (e.g., “utilities”) of measuring errors in the positioning of tape head assembly data write and read elements of a tape drive and utilizing obtained calibration data to accurately align the data write elements with a desired position while writing data tracks and data read elements while reading previously written and aligned data tracks. The disclosed utilities independently determine a degree to which a tape drive write head is to be offset from a nominal write position of the write head over a tape and independently determine a degree to which a tape drive read head is to be offset from a nominal center position of previously written data track of the tape, each to collectively account for the various types of non-idealities in the write or read head of the tape drive (e.g., positioning errors between the data write/read elements and servo readers, etc.).
US08824081B1
A disk drive is disclosed comprising a disk comprising a plurality of data tracks defined by servo sectors. Each servo sector comprises a periodic preamble recorded at a first frequency, servo data, a periodic reference pattern recorded at a second frequency different from the first frequency, and at least one servo burst. A servo sector is processed by processing the periodic preamble to extract the servo data, demodulating the servo burst in response to the periodic reference pattern, generating a position error signal based on the extracted servo data and the demodulated servo burst, and measuring a fly height of the head based on the periodic reference pattern.
US08824080B2
Provided is a method for recording data to a tape medium in such a manner as to achieve the easy management of mutually related multiple data pieces. First data and second data continuously received as a file from a higher level apparatus are accumulated in multiple buffer segments in the form of multiple successive data sets. A data structure is determined for each of the accumulated data sets. Management information indicating a result of the determination is added to the data sets, and the data sets and the management information thereof are stored into the tape medium.
US08824068B2
Techniques are disclosed for fabricating optical instrumentation. The techniques can be used, for instance, to populate an optical bench with several optics that can be simultaneously bonded and simultaneously verified to precise assembly, and without the use of adjustable mounts or active alignment. The techniques may be embodied, for instance, in a jig designed for operatively coupling to a given optical bench. The jig includes cut-outs that identify placement locations for the various optical components on the underlying optical bench. Thus, once the jig is secured to the optical bench, precise placement of the optical components is simplified. In some such embodiments, the jig further includes a clamping assembly for each cut-out, so that once an optical component is placed on the optical bench via that cutout, the clamping assembly can be engaged to hold that optical component in place while a deposited bonding agent is cured.
US08824062B2
A zoom lens consists of positive first lens group, which is fixed during changing magnification, negative second lens group, which is moved during changing magnification, negative third lens group for correcting a fluctuation of an image plane caused by changing magnification, and positive fourth lens group, which is fixed during changing magnification, which are in this order from an object side. The first lens group consists of negative lens and positive lens group consisting of three or less positive lenses in this order from the object side. Each of the negative lens and at least one of the positive lens or lenses in the first lens group has at least an aspherical surface. A predetermined formula is satisfied.
US08824061B2
A zoom lens includes a positive first lens group, which is fixed during changing magnification and during focusing, a negative second lens group, which is moved during changing magnification, a positive third lens group, which is fixed during changing magnification and during focusing, a positive fourth lens group, which is moved during changing magnification and during focusing, and a negative fifth lens group, which is moved during changing magnification, which are in this order from an object side. A lens group constituting the first lens group consists of a negative front group and a positive rear group in this order from the object side. The second lens group consists of four lenses of a negative lens, a positive lens, a negative lens, and a positive lens or a negative lens arranged in this order from the object side.
US08824058B2
In a zoom lens in which a first lens group having a negative refractive power and a second lens group having a positive refractive power are disposed in order from the object side and zooming is performed by moving the first lens group and the second lens group, the first lens group is formed of a first lens having a negative refractive power, a second lens having a positive refractive power, a third lens having a negative refractive power, and a fourth lens having a positive refractive power, disposed in order from the object side. Then, when the focal length of the first lens group is taken as f1 and the focal length of the second lens group is taken as f2, the zoom lens is configured to satisfy a conditional expression give below: 0.00<|f1/f2|<1.04 (1-4).
US08824054B2
A head-up display device includes an indicator configured to emit a display light, a lower casing to which the indicator is mounted, an upper casing which is mounted to an upper portion of the lower casing, a pair of support portions which are provided on the lower casing and extend toward the upper casing, guide grooves which are formed on the support portions at opposite sides thereof, and a reflective mirror which is inserted and mounted to the lower casing toward a bottom surface of the lower casing while both lateral edges of the reflective mirror are engaged with the guide grooves, to reflect the display light emitted from the indicator and guide the reflected display light to a windshield of a vehicle.
US08824050B2
A flexible sheet-form optical system, referenced to as a daylighting fabric, which has a fabric-like behavior and light redirecting properties. The daylighting fabric comprises a soft and flexible sheet of optically transmissive material, such as plasticized polyvinyl chloride. A surface of the flexible sheet includes a plurality of parallel slits having spaced-apart walls configured to reflect light by means of a total internal reflection. At least a portion of daylight incident onto the sheet is internally redirected at angles other than the angle of incidence which is exploited to enhance daylight harvesting and illumination of a building interior. Disclosed also are a method and apparatus for making the daylighting fabric. The method includes steps of mechanical slitting of the flexible sheet with a blade, elastic stretch-elongation of the sheet along a direction perpendicular to the slits, and making at least a portion of the sheet elongation irreversible.
US08824049B2
Systems and methods have been provided to scale wavelength beam combining (WBC) systems, which are systems configured to increase output power, as well as spatial and/or spectral brightness when utilizing or combining a plurality of beam emitters.
US08824048B2
An anisotropic dye layer containing a coordination polymer is disclosed. The a polarization control film containing an oriented dichroic dye in which light absorption spectrum of a molecule is reversibly changed by charge passing are disclosed.
US08824047B2
A polarizing plate of the present invention includes a polyvinyl alcohol-based polarizer and transparent protective films provided on both sides of the polarizer with an adhesive layer interposed between the polarizer and each transparent protective film, wherein the transparent protective films each comprise a lactone ring structure-containing (meth)acrylic resin, each one of the transparent protective films has a thickness T1 (μm) of 10 to 35 μm, and the polarizer has a thickness T2 (μm) which satisfies that the ratio (T2/T1) of T2 to the thickness T1 of each one of the transparent protective films falls within the range of 0.8 to 1.8. The polarizing plate is designed to be thin and can satisfy durability.
US08824035B2
A molded plastic part prepared by injecting a resin in a cavity of a die so that a pressure is generated in the resin in the cavity and at least one transfer wall surface of the cavity is transferred to the resin. The plastic part has at least one transferred surface; at least one imperfectly transferred concave portion on a first surface thereof other than the transferred surface; and at least one imperfectly transferred convex portion on the first surface or a second surface thereof other than the transferred surface. The ratio (a)/(b) of the thickness (a) of the plastic part in a direction perpendicular to the transferred surface to the thickness (b) of the plastic part in a direction parallel to the transferred surface is less than 1.
US08824025B2
Provided is an image information registration system including an image information acquisition unit that acquires image information appearing on a surface of a medium, a rotation angle information acquisition unit that acquires rotation angle information corresponding to a rotation angle of the medium with respect to a reading direction based on the image information, a retrieval information acquisition unit that acquires retrieval information including at least one item of attribute information and association system information that represents an association system which are correlated with the rotation angle information based on the rotation angle information, a target information acquisition unit that acquires one or plural items of target information stored in the association system identified by the association system information according to the retrieval information, and an image information registration unit that registers the image information according to the acquired one or plural items of target information.
US08824024B2
An image reading device includes a reading unit having a light-receiving unit and a light-emitting unit emitting a plurality of lights of different colors toward a reading position. An opposing member is disposed opposite the reading unit with the reading position interposed therebetween. The controller controls the light-emitting unit to emit the lights and the light-receiving unit to receive the lights thereby acquiring an intensity of each light. The controller determines that a sheet is not present when relationships among intensities of the plurality of lights are same as the first intensity relationships. The first intensity relationships are defined by intensities of the plurality of lights reflected by the opposing member and received by the light-receiving unit. The first intensity relationships are different from intensity relationships of the plurality of lights reflected by a sheet present at the reading position and received by the light-receiving unit.
US08824021B2
A method for reproducing a document is provided. The method includes the following steps: scanning a front side and a back side of an original and accordingly producing a front side image and a back side image; determining a size of the original; comparing the size of the original with a page size; and if the size of the original is determined smaller than one half of the page size, producing one-page image data representing the front side image and the back side image on one single page. An apparatus for reproducing the document is also disclosed.
US08824020B2
An image editing apparatus is configured to determine two or more scheduled disposition regions in a predetermined region on a printing plate or an output medium, and to gang two or more content images for the respective disposition regions. The apparatus includes: a ganging information managing unit that sequentially manages first list information regarding plural print jobs and second list information regarding assignment states of the print jobs; a job assigning unit that assigns the disposition regions to at least one print job; a ganging state monitoring unit that sequentially monitors the first and second list information and determines whether there is at least one combination of the print jobs which have not been assigned and the disposition regions; and a monitoring result informing unit that informs a user of there being the combination in a case where the ganging state monitoring unit determines that there is the combination.
US08824012B1
Systems, apparatuses, and methods for determining an end of printing operation in a handheld image translation device are described herein. The determining of the end of the printing operation may include generation and maintenance of a processed image by an image processing module and a print module, respectively. The print module may rewrite print data of the processed image as the printing operation progresses.
US08824011B2
A method for processing pixels in rasterized image data includes a combination of text and photographic content. Each pixel having a discrete color value, a surround value based on the number of neighboring pixels having the same color value is determined. A division in blocks of two by two pixels is made and a critical number is determined based on the number of surround values lower than a predetermined threshold. This critical number has one of five possible values. Based on this critical number, a discrimination is made between noisy blocks, and flat blocks. The color values of pixels within a noisy block are replaced by an average of the color values of the pixels within the noisy block. For image data rasterized with 600 pixels per inch, this method does not deteriorate the image quality of text nor photographic content. The image data are more apt for lossless compression.
US08824002B1
An image forming apparatus includes an image rotation processor and an image combination unit. The image rotation processor is configured to: rotate the form image such that the direction of the upper edge of the document image on the first page matches a direction of an upper edge of a form image if the direction of the upper edge of the document image on the first page differs from the direction of the upper edge of the form image based on the form image data; and rotate a document image on each page of the second page and the subsequent pages such that the direction of the upper edge of the document image on the first page matches a direction of an upper edges of the document image on each page of the second page and the subsequent pages in a similar case.
US08824000B2
A method for enhancing appearance of a halftone image (204) for imaging on a flexographic plate (108) includes retrieving the halftone image from a data storage device (132); setting a minimal dot size value for printing; analyzing the halftone image with a computer (130); detecting areas (404) in the halftone image populated with a plurality of dots smaller than the minimal dot size value; replacing the plurality of dots with a reduced set of dots wherein each of the reduced set of dots are larger in size (504) than the plurality of dots and wherein each of the reduced set of dots maintains an original geometric characteristics of the plurality of dots; and saving the reduced set of dots.
US08823997B2
An image data processing system, includes a plurality of first units that interpret data of assigned logical pages included in document data described in a page description language, generate intermediate data of the logical pages, divide the generated intermediate data of the logical pages into intermediate data on the basis of logical sections which are sections on the logical pages, and output the divided intermediate data; and a plurality of second units that correspond to physical sections which are sections on a physical page, generate print image data from intermediate data of a plurality of logical sections included in corresponding physical sections from among the intermediate data of the logical sections on the logical pages generated by the plurality of first units, and output the generated print image data to a printer.
US08823991B2
An efficient method and system to enhance digital acquisition devices for analog data is presented. The enhancements offered by the method and system are available to the user in local as well as in remote deployments yielding efficiency gains for a large variety of business processes. The quality enhancements of the acquired digital data are achieved efficiently by employing virtual reacquisition. The method of virtual reacquisition renders unnecessary the physical reacquisition of the analog data in case the digital data obtained by the acquisition device are of insufficient quality. The method and system allows multiple users to access the same acquisition device for analog data. In some embodiments, one or more users can virtually reacquire data provided by multiple analog or digital sources. The acquired raw data can be processed by each user according to his personal preferences and/or requirements. The preferred processing settings and attributes are determined interactively in real time as well as non real time, automatically and a combination thereof.
US08823988B2
An application program may be executed through an Internet protocol (IP) address linkage in an image forming apparatus supporting a peer-to-peer connection. The application program may be executed by performing a method which includes connecting the image forming apparatus to a wireless device through a wireless local area network, driving a soft access point (AP) module of the image forming apparatus so that the image forming apparatus functions as an AP, driving a dynamic host configuration protocol server of the image forming apparatus to allocate a dynamic IP address to the connected wireless device, and linking the dynamic IP address allocated to the wireless device with a static IP address that is preset with respect to the wireless device.
US08823987B2
Methods and devices maintain the status of unaltered media currently available within physical media trays of a printing device and maintain the status of currently available media processing components of the printing device. The media processing components have elements that physically alter the unaltered media. Further, such methods and devices dynamically enable previously created virtual media trays (and/or create virtual media trays) based on the availability of the unaltered media and the availability of the media processing components. The virtual media trays virtually appear to contain virtual media that is physically different from the unaltered media currently available. Such methods and devices receive a request to print on a selected virtual media from one of the virtual media trays through the graphic user interface. Then, these methods and devices physically alter the unaltered media using the media processing components to physically change the unaltered media to the selected virtual media.
US08823986B2
Methods and system for printing a print job with cloud storage are disclosed. A web print server is provided for accessing a cloud storage server. The web print server is operable to download a print job from the cloud storage server to the web print server. The web print server downloads the print job based on an identification (of the print job) that is received from a web client remotely over a network. Subsequently, the print web server sends the print job to a printer for the print job to be printed from the printer. In one embodiment, the printer may comprise the web client.
US08823982B2
A method of printing a document includes providing a document to a printer for printing; sending a portion of the document from the printer to an external service provider for temporary storage; and storing the portion of the document on the external service provider. The external service provider comprises a computing device or a server. The method further includes requesting that the portion of the document be sent from the external service provider to the printer for printing; sending the portion of the document from the external service provider to the printer; and printing the portion of the document using the printer.
US08823976B2
A configurable queue processor for document servers is described. The configurable queue processor strives to allocate server resources in an optimal manner such that document servers can process documents efficiently. In various embodiments, the facility includes a configurable queue processor for allocating document flows for handling documents, document transport module for transporting documents between network devices, such as printers, fax boards, and content servers and across local and wide-area networks; functionality for routing optimization with other communications networks, such as messaging services, telephony, and IP networks; and flexible document transport capabilities to workflow applications and multifunction devices (such as all-in-one print/scan/copy/fax/telephone/answering machine devices) and multifunction devices enhanced with video & video capture, messaging, email, network router & gateway capabilities.
US08823974B2
Provided are a scan data processing method and apparatus. The method includes: performing a wireless communication connection with a predetermined user device during a scan mode; detecting user profile information corresponding to a user address of the predetermined user device; and controlling scan data based on the user profile information.
US08823971B2
The present invention has an object to make the unallowed image forming apparatus be unable to use option data or option program even if having read out them from the allowed image forming apparatus having the option data or the option program. In an image forming apparatus, a program executing section judges whether the image forming apparatus meets identification information described in a license key stated in activating data in activating key file when executing Java program serving as option program, and executes the Java program in the case that the image forming apparatus meets the identification information.
US08823970B2
A system and method for converting a first print file having embedded job ticket data generated in a first format into a second print file of a second format while preserving the embedded job-ticket data. A computer system and a computer program are configured to convert the first print file to the second print file by translating the first print file to the second print file, searching the first print file for the embedded job ticket data and associated page ranges, and inserting the embedded job ticket data and associated page ranges identified by the searching into the translated second print file. A printing system includes a digital frontend, an image output terminal, and an interpreter unit. The interpreter unit is configured to parse the second print file for the inserted job ticket data and program a print job based on the parsed job ticket data.
US08823969B1
An inspection system that receives image data corresponding to an image and processes the image data to produce a report corresponding to characteristics of the image. Interface cards receive the image data in a flow, where each interface card receives image data corresponding to a different portion of the image. Process nodes connect to the interface cards, and receive the image data from the interface cards. A host computer is connected to the process nodes, and job managers implemented in the host computer manage the flow of image data to and from the process nodes. The job managers are written in a relatively stable and slow programming environment, to remain operable during a crash of one of the process nodes. Process node programs are implemented in the process nodes, and analyze a portion of the image data and produce the report corresponding to the characteristics of the analyzed portion of the image data. At least one process node program is implemented in each process node. The process node programs are written in a relatively instable and fast programming environment, and rapidly analyze the image. The process node programs are isolated from the job managers so that a crash of a process node program does not crash the job manager.
US08823961B2
A display processing apparatus includes a receiving unit configured to receive display information indicating whether gloss-control plane image data is displayed and whether clear plane image data is displayed. The gloss-control plane image data specifies a type of a surface effect applied to a recording medium and a glossy area to which the surface effect is to be applied, and indicates a color of the glossy area when being displayed. The clear plane image data specifies a transparent image formed on the recording medium and indicates a color of the transparent image when being displayed. The apparatus also includes a generating unit configured to synthesize color plane image data indicating a color image and one of the gloss-control plane image data and the clear plane image data that is specified to be displayed thus to generate a synthetic image.
US08823952B2
Method for determining the position and/or displacement of a mobile element with respect to a fixed frame, includes using a fixed light source emitting a light beam, arranging the source with respect to the mobile element and a sensor to induce an interaction between the beam and sensor, using a concave mirror, integral in movement with the mobile element, for reflecting the beam in direction to the sensor, arranging on the path of the beam a fixed optical mask which presents a two dimensional regular pattern interlaced with an absolute code, detecting and processing the image casted by the mask on the sensor, computing the displacement value of the image on the sensor and using the computed displacement value for computing and providing the position and/or the displacement in at least one direction of the mobile element in dependence of the image's displacement.
US08823948B2
Methods for measuring the image quality of a projection objective include providing a measuring structure on an image-side of the projection objective, providing an immersion fluid between the projection objective and the measuring structure, directing light through the projection objective and the immersion fluid to the measuring structure while shielding the measuring structure from the immersion fluid, detecting light transmitted by the measuring structure, and determining an image quality of the projection objective based on the detected light.
US08823939B2
Optical computing devices are disclosed. One exemplary optical computing device includes an electromagnetic radiation source configured to optically interact with a sample and first and second integrated computational elements arranged in primary and reference channels, respectively, the first and second computational elements are configured to be either positively or negatively correlated to the characteristic of the sample. The first and second integrated computational elements produce first and second modified electromagnetic radiations, and a detector is arranged to receive the first and second modified electromagnetic radiations and generate an output signal corresponding to the characteristic of the sample.
US08823918B2
A lithographic projection apparatus is disclosed which includes a cleaning station. Several embodiments of the cleaning station are disclosed. In an embodiment, measures are taken to avoid contact of a cleaning fluid with the final element of the projection system. In an embodiment, measures are taken to avoid foaming of the cleaning fluid. The use of a thermally isolated island is also disclosed as well as its optimal position.
US08823909B2
An optical film is provided and has retardations satisfying relations (1) to (3): 0≦Re(550)≦10; (1) −25≦Rth(550)≦25; and (2) |I|+|II|+|III|+|IV|>0.5 (nm), (3) with definitions: I=Re(450)−Re(550); II=Re(650)−Re(550); III=Rth(450)−Rth(550); and IV=Rth(650)−Rth(550), wherein Re(450), Re(550) and Re(650) are in-plane retardations measured with lights of wavelength of 450, 550 and 650 nm, respectively; and Rth(450), Rth(550) and Rth(650) are retardations in a thickness direction of the optical film, which are measured with lights of wavelength of 450, 550 and 650 nm, respectively.
US08823907B2
An image display apparatus including an image display panel includes: a first color filter for passing light of a first primary and first auxiliary pixels for displaying the first primary; a second color filter for passing light of a second primary and second auxiliary pixels for displaying the second primary; a third color filter for passing light of a third primary and third auxiliary pixels for displaying the third primary; and fourth auxiliary pixels for displaying a fourth color; the first auxiliary pixels, the second auxiliary pixels, the third auxiliary pixels, and the fourth auxiliary pixels being arranged in a two-dimensional matrix, and a light shielding region disposed at least partly around the peripheral edge of each of the fourth auxiliary pixels.
US08823902B2
A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal panel including a display region and first to fourth non-display regions surrounding the display region; a light guide plate below the liquid crystal panel; and first and second LED assemblies facing opposite sides of the light guide plate and corresponding to the first and second non-display regions, respectively, that have different first and second widths, respectively, wherein the first LED assembly includes a plurality of first LED packages arranged at a first distance, and the second LED assembly includes a plurality of second LED packages arranged at a second distance.
US08823898B2
A display screen of an electronic device may be supported by one or more subassemblies positioned between the display screen and a printed circuit board to which the display screen is secured. Each subassembly is able to act as an independent suspension for the display screen and is able to cushion the display screen by absorbing mechanical tolerances and mechanical shock and vibration. The subassemblies may be mounted on the printed circuit board using surface mount technology.
US08823896B2
The present invention provides a flat panel display device, which includes a backlight system and a display panel. The backlight system includes a light source, a light homogenization mechanism, and a back frame. The back frame carries the light source and the light homogenization mechanism, and the light homogenization mechanism guides light from the light source into the display panel. The back frame includes primary assembling pieces, secondary assembling pieces, and a bracing piece for fixing a circuit board. The at least two primary assembling pieces are connected through joining and the two primary assembling pieces use different thermally conductive materials. Further, the primary assembling piece includes a joint section that forms a reinforcement structure and a circuit board is mountable and position adjustable through a bracing piece. The present invention also provides a stereoscopic display device and a plasma display device. The back frame and the backlight system of the present invention have a back frame of simple structure, reduce the expenditure of a back frame mold, facilitate heat dissipation, allow strength of the back frame to meet a desired requirement, improve fixing of circuit board, and save the material used for back frame so as to lower down the manufacturing cost of flat panel display device.
US08823895B2
A flat panel display device includes a backlight system and a display panel, wherein: the backlight system includes a light source, a light homogenization mechanism, and a back frame; the back frame carries the light source and the light homogenization mechanism and the back frame includes at least first and second primary assembling pieces, wherein the first primary assembling piece has an end forming at least two joint sections, each of the joint sections having a structure mating an end of the second primary assembling piece, the first primary assembling piece using one of the joint sections to join the corresponding end of the second primary assembling piece, the primary assembling pieces comprising positioning sections, the positioning section cooperating with a back panel of the flat panel display device to position the back frame. A stereoscopic display device and a plasma display device are also provided.
US08823893B2
To reduce power consumption and suppress display degradation of a liquid crystal display device. To suppress display degradation due to an external factor such as temperature. A transistor whose channel formation region is formed using an oxide semiconductor layer is used for a transistor provided in each pixel. Note that with the use of a high-purity oxide semiconductor layer, off-state current of the transistor at a room temperature can be 10 aA/μm or less and off-state current at 85° C. can be 100 aA/μm or less. Consequently, power consumption of a liquid crystal display device can be reduced and display degradation can be suppressed. Further, as described above, off-state current of the transistor at a temperature as high as 85° C. can be 100 aA/μm or less. Thus, display degradation of a liquid crystal display device due to an external factor such as temperature can be suppressed.
US08823892B2
A liquid crystal display device includes a substrate, a gate line, first and second data lines, a first power line, first, second, third and fourth switching elements, and first, second, third and fourth pixel electrodes. The first switching element is connected to the gate line and the first data line. The second switching element is connected to the gate line and the first power line. The third switching element is connected to the gate line and the second data line. The fourth switching element is connected to the gate line and the first power line. The first to fourth pixel electrodes are connected to the first to fourth switching elements, respectively. Thus, a light leakage may be prevented and an aperture ratio of a display substrate may be enhanced.
US08823882B2
A backlight device (3) is provided with: a reflective sheet (8) that reflects light from a light guide plate (7) back towards the light guide plate (7); a bottom (opposing surface) (10a) that is arranged so as to face the reflective sheet (8) on the side of the reflective sheet (8) opposite to the light guide plate (7) and that has a prescribed squeezing part (a part with recesses and protrusions) (10a1) formed thereon; and a cushioning member (9) arranged between the reflective sheet (8) and the bottom (10a). The cushioning member (9) has an opening (9a) at a location that corresponds to the squeezing part (10a1).
US08823876B2
An image processing apparatus having an input unit for inputting an image signal and an image corrector for correcting the input image signal is disclosed. The image corrector is arranged to extract from the input image signal a specular reflection component and a diffuse reflection component and generate a corrected image signal based on a computation result with respect to these specular and diffuse reflection components thus extracted. This image corrector is adaptable for use in various types of image processors, including projectors, display devices and imaging devices.
US08823866B2
An image pickup apparatus includes an image sensing unit that generates an image signal by performing a photoelectric conversion on an object image, a focus evaluation value calculation unit that calculates a focus evaluation value indicating a contrast of the image signal, a control unit that controls a position of a focus lens based on the focus evaluation value, a focus level calculation unit that calculates a focus level indicating a degree of focus using the focus evaluation value, and a detection unit that detects an exposure condition in taking an image of an object. The control unit determines a condition in terms of driving the focus lens based on the focus level corresponding to the exposure condition.
US08823852B2
An information communication method includes: obtaining a first image by capturing a subject; detecting a range of the subject from the first image; determining, from among a plurality of exposure lines, predetermined exposure lines for capturing the range of the subject; setting an exposure time so that, in a second image obtained using the predetermined exposure lines, a bright line appears according to a change in luminance of the subject; obtaining the second image including the bright line, by capturing the subject that changes in luminance using the predetermined exposure lines with the set exposure time; and demodulating data specified by a pattern of the bright line included in the obtained second image.
US08823851B2
An image capturing apparatus comprises an optical system, an image sensor having pixels each including a plurality of photoelectric converters capable of outputting image signals independently, a driving unit which controls driving of the image sensor, a focus detection unit, and an addition unit which adds the output image signals on a per-pixel basis. In each pixel, the photoelectric converters are divided into groups each including at least two photoelectric converters and a charge accumulation period for one group is delayed from and partially overlaps a charge accumulation period for another. The driving unit drives the image sensor so that image signals are read from the groups in turn, and the focus detection unit detects a focus state using a phase difference method based on the read image signals independently output from the photoelectric converters.
US08823849B2
A photoelectric conversion device includes a pixel output line, a pixel which outputs a signal to the pixel output line, an amplifier unit which amplifies the signal output to the pixel output line, and a holding capacitor which holds the signal output from the amplifier unit. The photoelectric conversion device outputs a pixel signal based on the signal held by the holding capacitor. The amplifier unit includes a variable amplifier stage which amplifies a signal output to the pixel output line at a gain selected from a plurality of gains, and a buffer stage which amplifies the signal output from the variable amplifier stage, the amplified signal being held by the holding capacitor to hold the signal.
US08823844B2
An imaging device includes a micro lens that collects light from a subject, a light sensing element that generates a signal for performing focusing determination through phase difference detection by sensing subject light collected by the micro lens, and a light blocking portion that is disposed between the micro lens and the light sensing element and performs pupil division for the subject light by blocking a part of the subject light, wherein the light blocking portion is set such that a position of an image forming point of subject light passing through the micro lens and a position of an end portion of the light blocking portion on an entrance side become distant from each other according to a variation in image height.
US08823836B2
A digital photographing apparatus includes a digital signal processing unit that obtains first image data from an input image and generates second image data using the first image data according to a condition that is previously set. A method of controlling a digital photographing apparatus includes obtaining first image data from an input image and generating second image data using the first image data according to a condition that is previously set.
US08823835B2
An image processing apparatus includes an image acquisition unit configured to acquire a plurality of partial images obtained by shooting each of a plurality of shooting ranges which a shooting region of an object are divided into, a feature amount acquisition unit configured to acquire a feature amount of at least one of the partial images, a characteristic acquisition unit configured to acquire a gradation conversion processing characteristic based on the feature amount and the shooting region, and a conversion unit configured to convert, based on the processing characteristic, a gradation of an image of the shooting region of the object obtained by joining the partial images.
US08823827B1
An imaging device and an image crosstalk analysis device are described that may be used to reduce optical crosstalk and radial fall-off in image data. The imaging device may include an image processing unit that applies corrections to the raw image data using newly developed correction algorithms and correction parameters that are generated for the imaging device by the image crosstalk analysis device based on an analysis of uncorrected image data generated by the imaging device. The correction parameters generated for a single imaging device may be loaded to imaging devices of the same make and model as part of the imaging device manufacturing process. Due to the flexible nature of the described processing techniques in which the control parameters are used, improved image quality may be achieved in every image generated by the respective manufactured cameras.
US08823817B2
The present invention is based upon a camera management device coupled to a network camera via a network and the camera management device is provided with an image receiving unit that receives image data projected by the network camera and including control information for controlling the network camera from the network camera, a control information extracting unit that extracts the control information from the image data received by the image receiving unit and a control transmitting unit that transmits a control command according to the control information to the network camera via the network.
US08823811B2
Disclosed is a handshake correction apparatus of a photographing apparatus. The handshake correction apparatus includes a lens support plate that supports a correction lens and operates in a direction perpendicular to an optical axis; a base that supports the lens support plate to be movable; and magnets and driving coils which are assembled on the lens support plate and the base to face each other, wherein the magnets are tight-fitted in assembly grooves of the lens support plate or the base, and wherein one or more protrusions that protrude from internal walls of the assembly grooves toward the magnets and elastically press the magnets are formed in the assembly grooves. Control performance of a correction operation of the handshake correction apparatus may be improved by ensuring alignment between assembly structures of assembly parts including magnets and yokes.
US08823800B2
Method and apparatus for the correction of a non-uniform sensitivity of detector elements in thermographic cameras in which background frames of an internal reference are recorded in shutter phases when the beam path of the thermographic camera is closed, the variations between the background frames of the shutter phases are logged, and an updated background frame is generated and used for the correction of at least one image frame, characterized in that the updated background frame is generated from at least one newly recorded background frame and a background frame to be updated in that the data of every pixel of the newly recorded background frame are multiplied by a first factor and are added to the data of every pixel of the background frame to be updated which are multiplied by a second factor, wherein the first factor is a value between zero and one, and the second factor is the difference between one and the first factor, so that the data of every pixel of the updated background frame are in the form of an accumulated weighted average.
US08823797B2
Simulated high resolution, multi-view video based on video input from low resolution, single-direction cameras is provided. Video received from traffic cameras, security cameras, monitoring cameras, and comparable ones is fused with patches from a database of pre-captured images and/or temporally shifted video to create higher quality video, as well as multiple viewpoints for the same camera.
US08823793B2
A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, an avatar engine having a controller to retrieve a profile of a user, present the user an avatar having characteristics that correlate to the profile, detect one or more responses of the user during a communication exchange between the avatar and the user, identify a request of the user to apply a security protocol to a task identified in the request, retrieve the security protocol, engage in the task according to the security protocol, detect while engaged in the task a breach in the security protocol, identify a communication device of the user to engage in a communication session with the user, establish a communication session with the communication device, and present by way of the communication device the avatar describing the security breach. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US08823792B2
A wakefulness level estimation apparatus includes: an estimation portion that estimates a level of wakefulness of a subject person based on one of a wakefulness level estimation function, of which a variable is a wakefulness level correlation value of the subject person, and a difference between the wakefulness level correlation value of the subject person and a reference value of the wakefulness level correlation value; a stimulation detection portion that detects whether an awakening stimulation is externally applied to the subject person; and a correction portion that, when the stimulation detection portion detects that the awakening stimulation is applied to the subject person, performs a correction of one of the reference value of the wakefulness level correlation value and the wakefulness level estimation function, which is used for estimating the level of wakefulness of the subject person.
US08823791B2
To enable image recognition of a component at a high degree of accuracy in a stable manner over a long term with a component recognizing device configured to take an image of a component by moving a scan unit having an imaging device using a linear motor, and a surface mounting machine and a component testing machine each equipped with the component recognizing device. The component recognizing device includes permanent magnets (732) that are fixed to a head unit (6) in a state where surfaces (732a) opposing a coil portion (733) are faced downward. The coil portion (733) is disposed at a position directly below the permanent magnets (732). An attraction force (FM) induced between the coil portion (733) and the permanent magnets (732) therefore acts on linear guides (72) in an upward direction (+Z direction) via a bottom frame (731). On the contrary, the own weights (Fig) of a scan unit (71) and the like act in a downward direction. It thus becomes possible to ease the influence of the attraction force (Fm) applied on the linear guides (72) correspondingly to the own weights (Fg).
US08823774B2
Disclosed herein is an apparatus and method for processing a digital image, where analog images are converted to digital images and stored. The method for processing a digital image includes sensing a first hand-drawn sketch and storing the sensed first hand-drawn sketch as a first digital image; visualizing the stored loaded first digital image as a first virtual hand-drawn sketch; sensing a second hand-drawn sketch being additionally drawn on the visualized first virtual hand-drawn sketch; and storing the sensed second hand-drawn sketch as a second digital image, wherein the first hand-drawn sketch and the second hand-drawn sketch corresponds to a physical sketch being expressed with a liquid or solid substance hand-drawn by a user.
US08823771B2
An image processing apparatus is disclosed. A calculation unit may determine a disocclusion region of a first frame of a video. A processing unit may generate color information of the disocclusion region of the first frame using color information associated with a second frame of the video.
US08823770B2
A device for acquiring two-dimensional images of a three-dimensional object including a housing having a receptacle for receiving the object. The receptacle has a floor and an interior sidewall. The sidewall has at least one sight window and a plurality of lights for illuminating the object. A rotatable turntable is positioned on the floor of the receptacle, and the object is positioned on the turntable. At least one camera having an iris is located within the housing and positioned so that the iris can obtain images of the object through the sight window, allowing the camera to obtain still images of the object as the object is rotated on the turntable. There is also provided methods for stitching the still images of the three-dimensional object into a two-dimensional image to facilitate optical character recognition and further data processing.
US08823754B2
To increase the frequency of input of image signals in terms of design in a field-sequential liquid crystal display device. Image signals are concurrently supplied to pixels provided in a plurality of rows among pixels arranged in matrix in a pixel portion of the liquid crystal display device. Thus, the frequency of input of an image signal to each pixel can be increased without change in response speed of a transistor or the like included in the liquid crystal display device.
US08823752B2
An image processing system in which a client apparatus transmits RAW image data to a server apparatus, receives a result developed by the server apparatus, and displays onto a display area. The client apparatus reduces the RAW image data to a size suitable to display, transmits to the server apparatus, and requests development processing. At this time, the client apparatus also starts transmission processing of original RAW image data to the server apparatus. While making adjustment of the development processing to reduced RAW image data, the client apparatus and the server apparatus also execute transmission and reception processing of the original RAW image data in parallel therewith. After the development processing of the reduced RAW image data, if there is a request from the client apparatus, the server apparatus also executes the development processing of the original RAW image data in a manner similar to the reduced RAW image data.
US08823743B2
Disclosed herein is an image processing device having a display section and an image pickup section, the image processing device including: an operating section configured to generating an operating signal on a basis of contact of a user with the display section; a bulletin board display controlling section configured to display a bulletin board for posting an image message on the display section, and display an image message generated in advance on the bulletin board; a picked-up image display controlling section configured to display an image being picked up by the image pickup section on the bulletin board when an operating element for transition to an image pickup mode, the operating element being displayed within the bulletin board, is operated; and an image message generating section configured to subject the displayed the image to a predetermined edit, and generate an image message.
US08823739B2
A solution for managing a videoconference is provided. Multiple virtual backgrounds can be stored, and a virtual background can be selected to be used for a first participant when he/she is conducting a videoconference with a second participant. The virtual background can be selected based on one or more attributes of the first and/or second participant, one or more attributes of the videoconference, and/or the like. The virtual backgrounds can be utilized, for example, to provide a desired perception, message, and/or the like, of a business entity to individuals outside of the business entity that are interacting with its personnel via videoconferencing.
US08823736B2
In some embodiments, tile lists may be avoided by storing the geometry of a scene in a bounding volume hierarchy (BVH). For each tile, the bounding volume hierarchy is traversed. The traversals continued only into children nodes that overlap with the frustum on the tile. By relaxing the ordering constraint of rendering primitives, the BVH is traversed such that nodes that are closer to the viewer are traversed first, increasing the occlusion culling efficiency in some embodiments. Rendering the full scene between the central processing cores and the graphics processor may be done through a shared memory in some embodiments.
US08823727B2
According to one embodiment, a mobile electronic device includes an image projection unit for projecting an image, an image display unit for displaying an image, and a control unit for controlling the image projection unit and the image display unit. When the image projection unit projects an image and the image display unit displays an image, the control unit performs control for making the chromaticity of the image projected by the image projection unit and the chromaticity of the image displayed by the image display unit match each other.
US08823726B2
Some embodiments provide a program that performs a color balance operation. The program identifies an image that includes several pixels. Each pixel includes a luma component value and chroma component values. The program analyzes the luma component values of the pixels in the image to identify several luma ranges. The program determines, for each luma range in the several luma ranges, a set of transforms for modifying chroma component values of pixels in the image in order to remove a color cast from the image. The program applies the sets of transforms to the image to remove the color casts from the image.
US08823722B1
Embodiments include a single integrated circuit comprising: a first display controller configured to control a non-bistable display screen; and a second display controller configured to control a bistable display screen. Embodiments also include disposing, on a single integrated circuit, a first display controller capable of controlling a non-bistable display screen; and a second display controller capable of controlling a bistable display screen.
US08823717B2
Methods and systems relating to providing constants are provided. In an embodiment, a method of providing constants in a processing device includes copying a constant of a first constant buffer to a second constant buffer, the first and second constant buffers being included in a ring of constant buffers and a size of the ring being one greater than a number of processes that the processing device can process concurrently, updating a value of the constant in the second buffer, and binding a command to be executed on the processing device to the second constant buffer.
US08823709B2
Various embodiments provide a computer-implemented system and method providing a user interface framework for viewing large scale graphs. An example embodiment includes obtaining graph data including information related to a plurality of nodes, the plurality of nodes corresponding to top search queries; assigning an absolute position in a graph for each of the nodes of the plurality of nodes; constructing a plurality of sub-graphs related to one or more of the plurality of nodes, the sub-graphs corresponding to search result clusters related to the top search queries corresponding to the one or more of the plurality of nodes; rendering the graph and generating a plurality of tiles representing sub-graph images of the plurality of sub-graphs at each of a plurality of zoom levels; and displaying a sub-graph image corresponding to a selected position and zoom level.
US08823708B2
Upon a request for a teleportation operation, a user of a virtual universe is provided with an interface for specification of image resolution parameters for initial rendering of a teleportation destination and the user's avatar which are degraded from a full resolution rendering of the teleportation destination and avatar. Degradation of resolution can be in regard to any of a plurality of image qualities such as spatial resolution, temporal resolution colors or color depth, light modeling and rendering style or the like or combinations thereof. Alternatively, a degraded copy of the teleportation destination can be provided as an alternative initial teleportation destination image. Since a rendering of a degraded image can be done with reduced response time, the user is thus provided with full control over a trade-off between image quality and response time and teleportation operations are thus encouraged.
US08823706B2
This invention is directed to a method, a program and a production edition system of visualization of objects in a scene. The method according to the invention aims at indicating a distance between objects by modifying a property (like a rendering property) of a target object according to a distance to an active object. Typically, a light source is simulated and attached at the active object and the scene is accordingly modified dynamically. Such a method bypasses the basic materialization of the distance between objects. Hence, no display of extrinsic elements is mandatory and possible interferences are prevented. In addition, the method allows, by definition, a progressive modification of e.g. a rendering of the target object. Thus, modifications in the scene are better understood by the user and ergonomics are improved.
US08823697B2
A tabletop, mobile augmented reality system for personalization and cooperation and an interaction method using augmented reality is presented. More particularly, the tabletop, mobile augmented reality system for personalization and cooperation adds a mobile interface for providing a personal user space to a table interface for providing a cooperative space for users such that information on a table can be brought to a personal mobile device and controlled directly or manipulated personally by a user, allows for fairness in the right to control the table, and permits users to share the result of personalization.
US08823691B2
A display device includes: plural pixel groups each including pixel circuits; plural scanning lines that are each connected to the pixel circuits included in any one of the pixel groups; a clock signal supply circuit that supplies a clock signal including a pulse signal; a shift register circuit that selectively transmits the pulse signal to the scanning lines in a predetermined order; and data signal lines that are connected to the pixel circuits and that supply a data signal to the pixel circuits included in the pixel group to be scanned. The period of the pulse signal supplied to some of the scanning lines is longer than the period of the pulse signal supplied to the other scanning lines, or the data signal is transmitted by the transistors included in the pixel circuits.
US08823685B2
Acoustic touch apparatus comprising a substrate having first and second surfaces capable of propagating surface acoustic waves, the second surface comprising a touch region and the first and second surfaces coupled via a rounded connecting surface; at least one acoustic wave transducer on the first surface; and at least one reflective array on the first surface. The transducer is capable of transmitting or receiving waves to and from the reflective array. The substrate and reflective array can acoustically couple waves between the first and second surfaces. The substrate has a border region on the first surface adapted to hide the transducer and reflective array and preclude distortion of waves propagating over a window in the border region. The border region may have a border layer except at the window and a corrective lens is used proximate the window, or the border region comprises discolored glass except at the window.
US08823682B2
A proximity sensor (1) includes a state updating section (22) and a control section (5). The state updating section (22) updates state information. In a case where the state information is updated with a state (ST1) or a state (ST4), the control section (5) supplies, to the outside of the proximity sensor (1), a signal (S6) indicating that at an object (B) to be detected does not come close to the proximity sensor (1). In a case where the state information is updated with a state (ST2) or a state (ST3), the control section (5) supplies, to the outside of the proximity sensor (1), a signal (S6) indicating that the object (B) to be detected comes close to the proximity sensor (1).
US08823678B2
A method for a touch panel control circuit includes stimulating a touch panel and receiving signals responsive to the stimulating. Based on the received signals, water or another contaminant may be determined to be present on the touch panel. While the contaminant is present on the touch panel, a wet baseline mode of operation in which a different baseline value is used to detect a touch condition for the touch panel. When the contaminant is removed, operation returns to a dry baseline mode.
US08823671B2
Provided is a display device with a touch sensor that can avoid the influence of noise originating from the polarity inversion of a common voltage of the display device without using special circuitry. The display device with a touch sensor includes a sensor output readout circuit (21) that is sequentially connected to multiple sensor electrodes in a touch sensor unit (7) and outputs signal voltages that correspond to the electrical characteristics of the electrodes, a sensor control circuit (23) that supplies a control signal to the sensor output readout circuit (21), and a coordinate computation circuit (22) that detects a contact position based on the signal voltages. The sensor control circuit (23) causes a scan operation, in which the sensor output readout circuit (21) is sequentially connected to all of the sensor electrodes of the touch sensor unit (7) and outputs the signal voltages, to start after the common voltage has switched from a first polarity to a second polarity, and to end before the common voltage returns to the first polarity.
US08823670B2
A method for screen control on a touch screen is disclosed. The method is used for controlling an on-screen object on a touch screen. The method includes: determining whether an object touches a location at least two times or whether the object stays at a location for a predefined period; in response to an affirmative determination, setting the location as a starting point; detecting an ending point; computing a traveling distance and a traveling direction according to the starting point and the ending point; determining a action speed and a action direction of the on-screen object, wherein the action speed is proportional to the traveling distance and the action direction is parallel to the traveling direction; and moving the on-screen object according to the action speed and the action direction.
US08823667B1
A system is disclosed that improves the ability for users to select links and/or other display elements via a touch screen, such as the touch screen of a smartphone, tablet, or other mobile device. The system achieves this effect by adjusting the sizes and/or shapes of the touch targets associated with particular display elements. For example, if a particular link on a web page is determined to be difficult to select via a touch screen (based on monitored user behaviors and/or based on an automated analysis of page content), the touch target associated with the link may be increased in size.
US08823660B2
A system and method for autonomously scanning a sensor panel device is disclosed. A sensor panel processor can be disabled after a first predetermined amount of time has elapsed without the sensor panel device sensing any events. One or more system clocks can also be disabled to conserve power. While the processor and one or more system clocks are disabled, the sensor panel device can periodically autonomously scan the sensor panel for touch activity. If one or more results from the autonomous scans exceed a threshold, the sensor panel device re-enables the processor and one or more clocks to actively scan the sensor panel. If the threshold is not exceeded, the sensor panel device continues to periodically autonomously scan the sensor panel without intervention from the processor. The sensor panel device can periodically perform calibration functions to account for any drift that may be present in the system.
US08823659B2
In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention an apparatus comprises a display having an edge and side and a first layer coupled with the display having a first portion opposing the display comprising a wiring pattern for receiving a touch signal, the first layer having a second portion extending beyond the edge and along at least a portion of the side, the second portion comprising a wiring pattern for coupling the wiring pattern for receiving a touch signal with an electronic circuit.
US08823658B2
A user conveys information to a receiving device with a data input tool which uses combinatorial gesture patterns from the cursor or track point of two single point devices. The input method is independent from hardware and language limitations, improves the user's ability to focus on the data stream being entered and reduces the footprint of the data input tool.
US08823651B2
Operating a pointing device in a low power manner by receiving first tracking information from a first tracking device, de-activating the first tracking device when the accuracy of the first tracking information is determined to be inadequate, activating a second tracking device in order to acquire second tracking information when the first tracking device is deactivated, wherein the first tracking device is substantially lower power device that the second tracking device.
US08823648B2
An input device for a computer or other programmable device translates the proximity of an object to one or more antennae into an electronic signal. The antennae generate a first frequency and a second frequency. When an object, such as a hand, is placed in proximity to the antenna, the object causes the first and second frequencies to heterodyne, which creates a third frequency, also referred to as a beat frequency or pulse frequency. A receiver interprets the pulse frequency and translates it into an electronic signal that can be used to command a computer or other programmable device.
US08823643B1
An integrated computer optically controlled switching interface activated by detecting positional movement of a user's hands or feet or other body part within a perimeter optical sensor defined area. The controller includes a confinement pad, a pair of angularly disposed perimeter rails interconnected by an end rail between optical sensor transmission and receiving towers for rail aligned interface beam generation and associated circuit support within said housing.
US08823633B2
In a liquid-crystal display device including an edge-light-scheme-employed backlight device, it is implemented to reduce its power consumption while maintaining its excellent picture-quality. The present invention is applied to the backlight device with a plurality of edge-light-scheme backlight cells in a matrix-like manner including a LED light-source, and a light-guiding plate for emitting light. The intensity of light from a backlight cell positioned at a screen's peripheral portion is so controlled as to be made lower than the intensity of light from a backlight cell at a central portion. The light intensity of a backlight cell having a LED light-source adjacent to a first edge portion of the illumination surface of the backlight device is so controlled as to be made higher than the light intensity of a backlight cell adjacent to a second edge portion opposed to the first edge portion.
US08823628B2
A scan driving circuit that generates a plurality of scan signals overlapping with each other by h horizontal cycles, that is driven by using (2h+2) clock signals, and that includes a small number of transistors, where h denotes a natural number less than or equal to n−1 and n is an integer greater than “4.”
US08823625B2
An LCD device capable of changing the scan order and a driving method thereof are disclosed. The LCD device includes a plurality of pixel units which are arranged in an array of rows, first scan lines, second scan lines, and switch units. The pixel units of each row are divided into first pixel units and second pixel units. The switch units are respectively electrically coupled to one end of each first scan line and to one end of each second scan line for controlling conduction states of the first scan lines and the second scan lines, thereby controlling an order of updating the image signals for the first pixel units and the second pixel units. Thus, the scan lines are driven in the order according to whichever total sum of differences between gray values thereof is smaller, so that the power consumption of data chips is decreased.
US08823619B2
Disclosed herein is a display apparatus, including, a pixel array section including a plurality of pixel circuits arrayed in rows and columns of a matrix and each including a light emitting portion, a plurality of signal lines disposed individually for the pixel columns of the matrix array of the pixel circuits and connected to the pixel circuits belonging to the pixel columns, and a selector circuit for distributing display signals given thereto in a time series from an input signal line time-divisionally to the signal lines, the pixel array section has, in regard to any of combinations of those two signal lines which are individually connected to the pixel circuits which belong to those two pixel columns which neighbor with each other, a first wiring region, and a second wiring region.
US08823613B2
A pixel circuit for an organic light emitting display includes: a fourth NMOS transistor including a gate electrode coupled to a first scan line, and a first electrode coupled to a first node; a storage capacitor coupled between the first node and a second node; a third NMOS transistor including a gate electrode coupled to a second scan line, and a first electrode coupled to a data line; a second NMOS transistor including a first electrode coupled to a second electrode of the third NMOS transistor, and a gate electrode and a second electrode coupled to the first node; a fifth NMOS transistor including a gate electrode coupled to an emission control line, and a first electrode coupled to a first power source; an organic light emitting diode (OLED) comprising an anode coupled to the second node; and a first NMOS transistor for providing a driving current to the OLED.
US08823609B2
An organic electroluminescent display apparatus including a pixel circuit and a method of driving the organic electroluminescent display apparatus are provided. Embodiments of the present invention may solve problems where the luminance of light is changed due to a change of a voltage of an anode of an organic electro-light emitting device such that an image quality is deteriorated when N-type transistors are used to form the organic electroluminescent display apparatus.
US08823606B2
An EL display apparatus according to the present invention includes EL device (15) adapted to emit light at a luminance corresponding to a current fed thereto. A source driver (14) outputs a current higher than a current corresponding to an image signal to the EL device (16) through a source signal line (18). This operation charges/discharges a parasitic capacitance present in the source signal line (18). A transistor (11d) formed between the EL device (15) and the source driver (14) operates so that the EL device (15) is fed with the current for only a part of a one-frame period. As a result, the El device (15) emits light for only the part of the period.
US08823598B2
The present invention relates to a reflector for an antenna comprising a first reflector assembly and at least one second reflector assembly, the first reflector assembly having a first reflector structure adapted for a first antenna frequency band f1 and at least one second antenna frequency band f2; the at least one second reflector assembly having a second reflector structure adapted for the first antenna frequency band f1 and at least one third antenna frequency band f3; and wherein the first reflector assembly and the at least one second reflector assembly are electrically coupled so that the first reflector assembly and the at least one second reflector assembly together form a common reflector structure adapted for the first f1, at least one second f2 and at least one third f3 antenna frequency bands. Furthermore, the invention also relates to a multi band antenna comprising at least one such reflector.
US08823591B2
The embodiments herein relate to an antenna arrangement comprising a ground element, and a first branch comprising a first inductor loading (L1) and a second inductor loading (L2). The antenna arrangement further comprises a second branch connected to the ground element via a feeding point, a third branch comprising a third inductor loading (L3) and a first grounding pin connected to the first branch. A first conductor loading (C1) is arranged between the first branch and the second branch. A second conductor loading (C2) is arranged between the second branch and the third branch. And the second branch is connected to the first branch via the first conductor loading (C1) and the second branch is connected to the third branch via the second conductor loading (C2).
US08823579B2
There is provided a sensor for use generally within the signal processing unit of a radar system. The sensor enables entity returns to be classified according to the velocity of the entity and thus allows returns to be processed according to classification. In particular, the sensor comprises a first processing means that filters an input signal using a narrow-band notch filter to output a wideband output. In particular, the sensor comprises a second processing means that filters an input signal using a wide-band notch filter to output a narrowband output. The invention provides for the comparison of the outputs to determine how the entity return is to be classified.
US08823565B2
A semiconductor communication device reduces influence of noise that is produced by applying a dither signal. The semiconductor communication device includes a Delta-Sigma analog-to-digital converter that converts input analog signals to digital signals, a power detecting unit that detects signal power of the digital signals, a gain control unit that changes a gain setting of analog signals to be input to the Delta-Sigma analog-to-digital converter depending on the signal power of the digital signals, and a dither signal control unit that causes the Delta-Sigma analog-to-digital converter to selectively add the dither signal when the gain setting changes.
US08823563B1
The present disclosure relates to a calibration circuit for an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The calibration circuit includes a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) configured to generate a calibration voltage from a digital input, and a DC feedback control circuit. The DC feedback control circuit includes an ADC driver configured to operate in both an ADC calibration mode and in an ADC operation mode such that dynamic parameters of the ADC driver are unchanged when the ADC driver is operating in the ADC calibration mode and when the ADC driver is operating in the ADC operation mode. The DC feedback control circuit is also configured to: receive the calibration voltage from the DAC; modify the calibration voltage by cancelling offsets in the calibration voltage; and provide the modified calibration voltage to the ADC.
US08823555B2
An apparatus for displaying terrain on a display apparatus of an airborne vehicle is provided. The apparatus includes a synthetic vision system having a terrain and obstruction database, an enhanced vision system with sensors for recording terrain data, a height and position sensor for determining the flight state data, a display apparatus, a processor for fusion of the data from the synthetic vision system and from the enhanced vision system. The height information that is produced by the synthetic vision system and the enhanced vision system is stored as pixels in a two-dimensional grid network. The fusion processor uses an error function for insertion of a pixel into the two-dimensional grid network. The error function provides an estimate of the size of the respective cell in which the pixel is stored, from the distance between the pixel and the sensor position.
US08823554B2
A method and apparatus for managing identification devices on an aircraft. An occurrence of an event is identified using information for a plurality of identification devices. Each of the plurality of identification devices is associated with a plurality of components on the aircraft. The information for the plurality of identification devices comprises data received from the plurality of identification devices and specification data for the plurality of identification devices. In response to identifying the occurrence of the event, a number of operations for the plurality of identification devices are initiated.
US08823551B1
A system to align a vehicle in a parking location includes a plurality of heat generating devices, such as infrared LEDs, arranged in a surface of the parking location to produce a distinctive thermal pattern. A multiple zone temperature sensor is mounted to view the heat generating devices and is configured to output thermal data for each of the zones. A controller is configured to receive the thermal data and determine a thermal map of the plurality of heat generating devices. A display provides a graphic indication of the thermal map and a thermal alignment target. The system may be used to align a vehicle having a capture resonator of a wireless power transfer system to a parking location having a source resonator of a wireless power transfer system.
US08823544B2
Methods and systems for real-time monitoring of environments are disclosed. The methods include receiving a measurement by a sensor unit, and transmitting a signal to a monitoring station if the measurement is approximately between a lower and an upper threshold. Based on a number of signals received, the monitoring station will broadcast a signal indicating to stop transmission of measurements or to update the lower and the upper threshold and continue transmission of measurements. Transmission of measurements may occur during a given time slot.
US08823542B2
Apparatus includes an actuator configured to provide vibrational movement of the apparatus in a first plane or having a component in the first plane, and a traction part configured to support a portion of the apparatus on a surface, a plane of the surface being perpendicular to the first plane, the traction part being configured to transform the vibrational movement of the apparatus into movement of the portion of the apparatus in a direction along the surface, the direction of the movement being predetermined by an orientation of the traction part.
US08823537B2
Railcar monitoring utilizes instrumented, flexible pads supported within the truck pedestal jaws on the bearing adapters. The pads contain sensors for monitoring temperature pressure, shifting loads, truck hunting and the like and have circuitry for processing information received from the sensors and for processing and reporting departures of performance variables to a remote source. The system cyclically activates polling each pad on a car and communicates signals of critical departures and car identity to a remote source.
US08823530B2
A method and system for driver attention management system may include means for closed-loop diagnostics. A convenience message may alert a driver of an item of interest to the driver. A sensor may detect the driver's response to the convenience message. Based on the response to the convenience message, the characteristics of an attentive response from the driver may be determined. The determined attentive response may be used by a driver attention management system. The driver attention management system may be able to diagnose errors in the sensors that are used in the driver attention management system. The driver attention management system may also be able to determine whether a driver is exercising sufficient supervisory control of a vehicle by determining whether the driver is attentively responding to prompts provided by the driver attention management system. The driver attention management system may be used in an autonomous or semi-autonomous driving system.
US08823526B2
A method for determining the motive instability of an individual using foot pressure, foot speed and foot direction data collected from sensors on shoes. The sensed data is used to determine the minimum number and the placement of pressure sensors in the shoe. The data from the sensors is processed to extract spatial and temporal parameters as desired. The data is grouped into segments based on a segmentation rule. The trend in each segment is determined. The variability of the trend in each segment is determined. The risk of fall is computed on the basis of the trend and variance. The computation is adjustable by emphasizing certain parameters in order to tailor the instability assessment to a specific individual.
US08823525B2
An electronic hand hygiene compliance system and award indicator that provides realtime reporting of the percent number of hand hygiene events against a programmed target number of hand hygiene events for a given functional area over a given period of time, yielding hand hygiene compliance. The system keeps up to date compliance for an established group interval until the data is written over by compliance data for the same group interval the following day. In addition, a random hand hygiene event can be identified for a given functional area during a given period of time to trigger an alarm for encouraging hand hygiene activity for a given dispenser or group of dispensers.
US08823523B2
A refrigerator is provided. The refrigerator includes a voice recognition unit for recognizing a voice of a name of food, a memory for storing location information of the food received in a storage chamber, a controller for determining the voice recognized by the voice recognition unit and searching a storage location of the food voice-recognized in accordance with the recognized voice, and a voice output unit for outputting a voice message on the storage location information of the food searched by the controller.
US08823518B2
A sensor enhanced communication device (200) is provided with a wake mode, a standby mode and sleep mode. The sleep mode is a periodic occurrence within the standby mode which places a cluster of sensors and transducers (202) into a state of arousal in which the sensitivity of the transducers and sensors is increased while the sampling rate is decreased. Incremental learning can occur during the sleep mode as well as basic memory transfers. Since the cluster does not have to re-acquire information upon entering wake mode, the overall power efficiency is improved.
US08823517B2
Systems and procedures for tracking the locations of passengers on a vessel are provided. Example systems may include a portable tag configured to be assigned to a passenger, the tag encoded with a tag identifier; a plurality of tag readers configured to be positioned at predetermined locations on a vessel, each tag reader configured to read the tag identifier of the tag when the tag reader receives a signal from the tag; a tracking component configured to communicate with the tag readers, the tracking component configured to receive, from a detecting tag reader, an indication that the signal has been received from the tag, the tracking component configured to determine a detected location of the tag based at least in part on the predetermined location of the detecting tag reader; and a notification component configured to send towards a user device, a notification including the detected location.
US08823507B1
Approaches in accordance with various embodiments attempt to provide a user with less disruptive event notifications by being aware of a user's context. Before a notification is sent to multiple computing devices associated with the notifying account, contextual information for each device is determined. The contextual information can be determined by querying each device for information. The information can include how close each device is relative to other devices associated with the same user, if at least one of the devices is moving, whether the user's attention is focused on a particular device, whether the user is engaging multiple devices simultaneously, and the like. Once contextual information associated with each device is determined, an appropriate type of alert associated with the notification is determined for each device. Accordingly, upon determining the appropriate alert for the most probable context of each device, the notification is sent to each computing device with the determined appropriate type of alert.
US08823502B2
An asset's TCU, or a mobile device coupled thereto, receives and stores geographical boundary definitions to a memory. A processor uses the boundary definition to determine an initial-location boundary based on the definition and the current location of the TCU at the time it received the boundary request message. As the TCU's GPS unit generates location information, the processor retrieves the initial-location boundary definition from the memory and compares the current location from the GPS receiver to it according to an algorithm. If the processor determines that the current location of the vehicle has crossed the boundary, the processor generates an alert message, which may be an e-mail, SMS, telephonic, internet, IM, or other electronic message indicating that an asset crossed the boundary, and sends it wirelessly using a transceiver to a central computer for further processing, or directly to another device, according to a notification destination identifier.
US08823490B2
An adherent patient device is configured to adhere to the skin of the patient and measure electrocardiogram data, impedance data, accelerometer data, blood oxygen data and temperature data. The adherent device can communicate wirelessly with gateways and a local processor system, such that the patient can wander about the hospital and update the monitoring station with the patient data when the patient is ambulatory. The local processor system can be configured to customize alerts for the patient, for example to notify automatically a specialist in response to a special condition of the patient. The adherent device may comprise a unique adherent device identifier such that the customized alert can be sent based on the unique device identifier. Each of the gateways can be carried and may comprise a unique gateway identifier, such that the unique device identifier and the unique gateway identifier can be used to locate the ambulatory patient.
US08823484B2
System and methods for automated adjustment of device settings are described. An electronic device comprises a receiver for receiving environmental information related to a surroundings of the device, a setting configurator for determining a desired setting for the device as a function of the environmental information, and a setting adjuster for adjusting a device setting in accordance with the desired setting. Moreover, the device further comprises a sensor for receiving the stimulus from the surroundings, for determining the value of the stimulus, and for sending the value of the stimulus to the receiver. Further, the device setting includes a volume of a speaker or a headphone, a theme or a color of a background displayed by the display, a brightness of the display, a sharpness of the display, a user interface displayed on the display, an intensity of a backlight of the display, or a contrast of the display.
US08823482B2
A multi-layer, multi-turn structure for an inductor having a plurality of conductor layers separated by layers of insulator is described. The inductor further comprises a connector electrically connected between the conductor layers. The structure of the inductor may comprise a cavity therewithin. The structure of the inductor constructed such that electrical resistance is reduced therewithin, thus increasing the efficiency of the inductor. The inductor is particularly useful at operating within the radio frequency range and greater.
US08823480B2
A planar electronic device includes a planar substrate having a cavity configured to receive a ferrite material body therein. The planar substrate has an upper side and a lower side and conductive vias extending through the substrate. Top conductors are provided on the upper side of the planar substrate and are electrically connected to corresponding conductive vias. Bottom conductors are provided on the lower side of the planar substrate and are electrically connected to corresponding conductive vias. The bottom conductors, top conductors and conductive vias define a primary conductive loop and a secondary conductive loop. An upper cover layer covers the upper side and has a high permittivity. The upper cover layer is positioned relative to the top conductors to increase capacitance between the primary and secondary loops.
US08823469B2
A SAW filter includes at least four electrically interconnected DMS tracks. First and second tracks of the at least four DMS tracks are connected in parallel in opposite directions to form a first filter element. The first and second tracks have two resonant frequencies that are offset from one another from track to track within the first filter element such that they define a common passband by virtue of a lower-frequency resonance of the first track being in phase at the same frequency as a higher-frequency resonance of the second track. Third and fourth tracks of the at least four DMS tracks can be connected in a similar fashion to form a second filter element. The passbands of the first and second filter elements are offset from one another and each comprise one of two channels of a two-channel filter.
US08823465B2
A clock generator is disclosed for use with an oscillator device. The clock generator may include a signal conditioning pre-filter and a comparator. The signal conditioner may have an input for a signal from the oscillator device, and may include a high pass filter component and a low pass filter component. The high pass filter component may pass amplitude and frequency components of the input oscillator signal but reject a common mode component of the oscillator signal. Instead, the high pass filter component further may generate its own common mode component locally over which the high frequency components are superimposed. The low pass filter component may generate a second output signal that represents the locally-generated common mode component of the first output signal. The clock generator may have a comparator as an input stage which is coupled to first and second outputs of the filter structure.
US08823456B2
A system including a power amplifier having a first gain, a preamplifier having a second gain, a first temperature sensor configured to sense the temperature of the power amplifier, and a bias generator. The first gain is a function of a temperature of the power amplifier. The preamplifier receives an input signal, amplifies the input signal according to the second gain, and outputs an amplified signal to the power amplifier. The bias generator generates a biasing signal to bias the preamplifier and adjusts the second gain of the preamplifier by adjusting the biasing signal based on the temperature of the power amplifier and an ambient temperature. The adjusted second gain of the preamplifier compensates a change in the first gain of the power amplifier due to a change in the temperature of the power amplifier.
US08823455B2
Disclosed is a matrix distributed amplifier (DA) having an input transmission line, an intermediate transmission line, and an output transmission line. A first plurality of amplifiers has inputs coupled to and spaced along the input transmission line and has outputs coupled to and spaced along the intermediate transmission line. A second plurality of amplifiers has inputs coupled to and spaced along the intermediate transmission line and has outputs coupled to and spaced along the output transmission line. A termination amplifier has an input coupled to the input transmission line and an output coupled to the intermediate transmission line. In at least one embodiment, a second termination amplifier has an input coupled to the intermediate transmission line and an output coupled to the output transmission line.
US08823452B2
Embodiments provide a gm-ratioed amplifier. The gm-ratioed amplifier comprises a first input voltage terminal and a second input voltage terminal, a first output voltage terminal and a second output voltage terminal, and an amplifying unit. The amplifying unit may be coupled between the input voltage terminals and the output voltage terminals and may be adapted to supply an output voltage to the output terminals in dependence on an input voltage supplied to the input terminals. The amplifying unit may comprise a gm-load, which comprises a first load branch comprising a first field effect transistor, and a second load branch comprising a second field effect transistor. A first source/drain terminal and a gate terminal of the first field effect transistor may be coupled to the first output voltage terminal, and a first source/drain terminal and a gate terminal of the second field effect transistor may be coupled to the second output voltage terminal. A second source/drain terminal of the first field effect transistor and a second source/drain terminal of the second field effect transistor may be coupled with each other through a first transistor arrangement such that a linearity of response of the output voltage to the input voltage is improved.
US08823450B2
This disclosure is directed to devices and integrated circuits for instrumentation amplifiers. In one example, an instrumentation amplifier device uses two non-inverted outputs of a first multiple-output transconductance amplifier, and a non-inverted output and an inverted output of a second multiple-output transconductance amplifier. Both multiple-output transconductance amplifiers have a non-inverted output connected to an inverting input, and a non-inverting input connected to a respective input voltage terminal. A first resistor is connected between the inverting inputs of both multiple-output transconductance amplifiers. The outputs of both multiple-output transconductance amplifiers are connected together, connected through a second resistor to ground, and connected to an output voltage terminal. In other examples, two pairs of outputs from triple-output transconductance amplifiers are connected to provide two voltage output terminals, and may also be connected to buffers or a differential amplifier. These provide various advantages over traditional instrumentation amplifiers.
US08823448B1
An apparatus for active feed forward electromagnetic interference (EMI) filtering, including, a noise detection circuit that receives EMI noise occurring at a noise source, and an active feed forward circuit operatively coupled to the noise detection circuit. The active feed forward circuit generates a noise canceling signal based on the EMI noise received by the noise detection circuit. The apparatus further includes a filter operatively coupled to the active feed forward circuit and the noise source, the filter adapted to receive the EMI noise occurring at the noise source and the noise canceling signal from active feed forward circuit, wherein the filter cancels the received EMI noise based on the received noise canceling signal to reduce EMI noise at a load.
US08823446B2
A current mirror with immunity for the variation of threshold voltage includes raising the voltage difference between the gate and the source of a MOS in the current source, and increasing the channel length of the MOS for limiting the generated reference current.
US08823443B2
A charge-pump circuit a plurality of transistor stages connected in series between a supply voltage input node and a boosted voltage output node, wherein at least one transistor stage comprises a multiple-gate transistor, which transistor comprises at least two gates, of which one is a first gate for switching the transistor on or off according to a voltage applied to the first gate, and one is an additional second gate for controlling the threshold voltage of the multiple-gate transistor, independently of the first gate, according to a control voltage applied to the second gate.
US08823441B1
A method includes, in at least one aspect, selecting a first phase signal, where the first phase signal concurrently enables a first pair of switching elements; selecting a second phase signal, where the second phase signal concurrently enables a second pair of switching elements; and generating an interpolated phase signal by providing a connection between a switching element of the first pair of switching elements to an output node and providing a connection between a switching element of the second pair of switching elements to the output node.
US08823437B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a clock signal generator, and the clock signal generator is applied to a physical layer subsystem supporting data transmission at multiple baud rates. The clock signal generator includes: a source clock signal generator, and two or more processors connected to an output end of the source clock signal generator; where the source clock signal generator outputs multiple source clock signals with the same frequency according to a reference signal of a reference clock in the subsystem; the processors perform frequency dividing processing on the multiple source clock signals through a digital logic circuit according to an oversampling technology, to obtain a synchronous clock signal corresponding to a baud rate of data transmission in the subsystem, so as to implement timing and transceiving functions when data is transmitted at the baud rate.
US08823436B2
A delay value control circuit of a phase difference quantization circuit, wherein the phase difference quantization circuit has first to Nth (N is an integer equal to or greater than 2) delay units with binary weights. The delay value control circuit includes a replica delay unit replicating an Ath (2≦A≦N) delay unit; and a delay control unit configured to compare a phase of a first output signal generated from delaying an input signal with an A−1th delay unit and a phase of a second output signal generated from delaying the input signal with the Ath delay unit and the replica delay unit and configured to control a delay value of the Ath delay unit using a comparison result.
US08823435B2
Various circuit techniques for implementing ultra high speed circuits use current-controlled CMOS (C3MOS) logic fabricated in conventional CMOS process technology. An entire family of logic elements including inverter/buffers, level shifters, NAND, NOR, XOR gates, latches, flip-flops and the like are implemented using C3MOS techniques. Optimum balance between power consumption and speed for each circuit application is achieve by combining high speed C3MOS logic with low power conventional CMOS logic. The combined C3MOS/CMOS logic allows greater integration of circuits such as high speed transceivers used in fiber optic communication systems.
US08823429B1
A clock and data recovery circuit includes a phase detector circuit, a charge pump circuit, and a voltage controlled oscillator. The phase detector circuit receives a data signal from an external device and a clock signal from the voltage controlled oscillator and generates a first and a second phase difference signal. The charge pump circuit includes an OR gate receiving on its inputs the first and the second phase difference signals and configured to generate a current if the first and/or second phase difference signal is high.
US08823427B1
A method for generating a ramp comprises providing a voltage reference source, providing a summing amplifier, providing n switched capacitor elements coupled in parallel between the voltage reference source and the summing amplifier, and selectively activating a predetermined number of the switched capacitor elements to first store charge on each activated switched capacitor element and then to measure the sum of the charges on the activated capacitor switch elements in each of a fixed-integer number of time slots in a cyclical manner, the predetermined number being between 0 and n.
US08823426B2
Deserializers are provided. The deserializer includes a data aligner, a selection signal generator and a selection output unit. The data aligner is configured to align data in response to internal clock signals having different phases from each other to generate higher aligned data and lower aligned data. The selection signal generator is configured to detect a phase of one of the internal clock signals in response to a phase detection signal to generate a selection signal. The phase detection signal includes a pulse generated according to a write command signal and a write latency signal. The selection output unit is configured to output the higher aligned data or the lower aligned data as selected alignment data in response to the selection signal.
US08823419B1
A ping pong comparator voltage monitoring circuit which includes first and second comparators having inputs connected to a voltage Vin to be monitored, and second inputs connected to first and second nodes, respectively. A multiplexer alternately couples the first and second comparator outputs to an output in response to a periodic control signal. A ground-referenced voltage Vref1 is provided at a third node and a voltage Vref2 referenced to Vref1 is at a fourth node. A hysteresis hyst1 is switchably connected between the third and first nodes, and a hysteresis hyst2 is switchably connected between the fourth and second nodes. Hyst1 and hyst2 are switched in when the mux output toggles due to a rising Vin, and are switched out when the mux output toggles due to a falling Vin.
US08823418B2
A power-on-detection (POD) circuit includes first and second comparators, a voltage divider, a detection circuit coupled to a first voltage source node and the voltage divider, and logic circuitry coupled to outputs of the first and second comparators. The detection circuit outputs a control signal identifying if a first voltage source node has a voltage potential that is higher than ground. The control signal turns on and off the first and second comparators, which are respectively coupled to first and second nodes of the voltage divider and to a reference voltage node. The logic circuitry outputs a power identification signal based on the signals received from the outputs of the first and second comparators.
US08823405B1
An integrated circuit has a first independent power domain having a first power domain bus electrically connected to first functional blocks and a first power pad electrically connected to the first power domain bus and a second independent power domain having a second power domain bus electrically connected to second functional blocks and a second power pad electrically connected to the second power domain bus. A test element is between the first power domain bus and the second power domain bus.
US08823397B2
The invention relates to a method for determining a level of a material interface in a tank, by means of a radar level gauge system comprising a transceiver; a probe for guiding a transmitted electromagnetic signal towards the material interface. The probe comprises a first plurality of reference impedance transitions located above the interface at known physical distances from a reference position, and a second plurality of reference impedance transitions located below the interface at known physical distances from the reference position. The method comprising determining electrical distances to the first and second plurality of reference impedance transitions based on a signal reflected by the reference impedance transition, determining, a first and a second approximation function relating the first and second sets of electrical distance values to the physical distances; and determining the level of the material interface based on the first approximation function and the second approximation function.
US08823393B2
The invention relates to a device for touch/proximity detection, especially a capacitive switch device, which is designed to set switching states by approaching the switch device or by touching the switch device, in order to perform, for example, switching actions on an instrument. The invention also relates to a switch device, especially a switch device on a capacitive basis, for a cooktop, for operating the cooktop.
US08823390B2
A method for monitoring operation of a solenoid valve having an armature and a poppet coupled to the armature includes the steps of energizing a coil in the valve to generate a current signature reflecting current vs. time, detecting a first inflection point in the current signature, wherein the first inflection point occurs when the armature starts to move from one of the open and closed positions toward the other of the open and closed positions, and detecting a second inflection point in the current signature. The second inflection point occurs when the armature moves completely to the other of the open and closed positions. In one embodiment, the first inflection point indicates when the valve begins to open, making it possible to accurately determine the elapsed opening time of the valve.
US08823385B2
Techniques disclosed herein stress a dielectric layer until a pre-catastrophic, stress induced leakage current (SILC) condition is detected. When the pre-catastrophic SILC condition is detected, the stress is removed to prevent catastrophic failure of the dielectric and its associated device. Because these techniques prevent catastrophic failure of the dielectric layer, engineers can carry out physical failure analysis of the device, which is now known to have some type of defect due to detection of the pre-catastrophic SILC condition. In this way, the techniques disclosed herein allow engineers to more quickly determine an underlying cause of a defect so that yields can be kept at optimal levels.
US08823383B2
A system and method for electrostatic discharge (ESD) testing devices under test (DUTs) uses an ESD gun attached to a robotic arm to execute ESD tests. The system and method also uses cameras positioned around a DUT placed on a testing table to define at least one test point on a surface of the DUT. Using the defined test point, as well as settings on the ESD gun and a testing process scenario that includes actions to be executed by the system, the testing process is performed by the system.
US08823382B2
Techniques for monitoring a battery of an implantable medical device are disclosed. First and second current sources are provided to draw currents having amplitudes of I1 and I2, respectively, from the battery. First and second voltage measurements, V1 and V2, are obtained when first and second combinations, respectively, of the first and second current sources are selectively activated. Battery impedance is determined using the current amplitudes I1 and I2 and the voltage measurements V1 and V2. The impedance measurement may be used to obtain an open-circuit voltage of the battery without the need to disconnect the battery from circuitry to which it provides power. Battery impedance and/or open-circuit battery voltage may then be used to determine an estimated time until an action is required involving the battery, which may include activation of an ERI or EOL indicator, or initiation of a recharge session.
US08823380B2
One or more charge pumps may be used to amplify the output voltage from a chemically-sensitive pixel that comprises one or more transistors. A charge pump may include a number of track stage switches, a number of boost phase switches and a number of capacitors. The capacitors are in parallel during the track phase and in series during the boost phase, and the total capacitance is divided during the boost phase while the total charge remains fixed. Consequently, the output voltage is pushed up.
US08823379B2
The invention relates to a logging tool (1) for determining properties of a fluid (2) surrounding the tool arranged downhole in a casing (3) comprising a wall (4) and having a longitudinal extension. The logging tool has a substantially longitudinal cylindrical shape with a longitudinal axis and, when seen in cross-section, a periphery (5). Moreover, the logging tool comprises a plurality of electrodes (6) arranged spaced around the longitudinal axis in the periphery of the tool so that the fluid flows between the electrodes and the casing wall and a means for measuring the capacitance between two electrodes in all possible combinations giving n*(n−1)/2 capacitance measurements for n electrodes.
US08823377B2
The invention relates to a NMR method for determining moisture content of a sample, in which method a sample is subjected to a magnetic DC-field, the sample under magnetic DC-field is subjected to a sequence of excitation pulses in RF-frequency with pulse interval for exciting hydrogen nuclei, and NMR signal of the excited hydrogen nuclei is measured. In accordance with the invention spin-lattice relaxation time is estimated for the sample, and pulse interval is adjusted longer than the estimated spin-lattice relaxation time.
US08823376B2
A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus includes a magnetic resonance data acquisition unit and a cerebrospinal fluid image data generation unit. The magnetic resonance data acquisition unit consecutively acquires a plurality of magnetic resonance data for generating a plurality of cerebrospinal fluid image data, each corresponding to a different data acquisition time, after a labeling pulse is applied. The cerebrospinal fluid image data generation unit generates the plurality of cerebrospinal fluid image data based on the plurality of magnetic resonance data.
US08823374B2
An MR imaging system uses the multiple RF coils for acquiring corresponding multiple image data sets of the slice. An image data processor comprises at least one processing device conditioned for, generating a composite MR image data set representing a single image in a single non-iterative operation by performing a weighted combination of luminance representative data of individual corresponding pixels of the multiple image data sets in providing an individual pixel luminance value of the composite MR image data set. The image data processor reduces noise in the composite MR image data set by generating a reduced set of significant components in a predetermined transform domain representation of data representing the composite image to provide a de-noised composite MR image data set. An image generator comprises at least one processing device conditioned for, generating a composite MR image using the de-noised composite MR image data set.
US08823371B2
A sensor arrangement comprises a first, a second and a third magnetic field sensor that are arranged along a curved principal direction. A first combination means is connected to the first and second magnetic field sensors and a first channel signal can be derived from the signals of the first and second magnetic field sensors by the first combination means. A second combination means is connected to the first, second and third magnetic field sensors (SM1, SWM2, SM3. A second channel signal is derived by the second combination means from signals of the first, second and third magnetic field sensors. An evaluation unit that is connected to the first and second combination means is set up to derive an end position of a magnetic source movable relative to the sensor arrangement as a function of the first and second channel signals.
US08823366B2
A non-contacting sensor assembly including a connector assembly and a magnet assembly. The connector assembly includes a sensor coupled directly to the end of the terminals of the connector assembly. A sleeve is overmolded around and seals the sensor and the terminals. A capacitor is soldered in a recess in the terminals. The terminals include flexible regions, such as regions of reduced thickness, which reduce the effects of thermal expansion/contraction stresses on the solder. In one embodiment, the sensor assembly is a rotary position sensor assembly in which the magnet assembly is molded into a rotatable drive arm assembly located in a housing, the connector assembly is coupled to the housing, and the sensor extends into the housing and into adjacent relationship with the magnet assembly.
US08823364B2
An accelerometer is provided having a power circuit, a detection circuit, and a compensation circuit. The compensation circuit is operative to measure an offset voltage occurring between an output reference voltage from the power circuit and an output voltage from the detection circuit state, store the offset voltage during a zero acceleration, and output the stored offset voltage to alter the output voltage of the detection circuit.
US08823350B2
A switching regulator for outputting an output voltage is disclosed. The switching regulator includes an upper gate switch, for turning on and turning off according to an upper gate control signal; a lower gate switch, coupled to the upper gate switch, for turning on and turning off according to a lower gate control signal; and a logic circuit, for generating the lower gate control signal according to a lower gate off signal. The lower gate switch turns off during an activation period of the switching regulator.
US08823349B2
Switching regulation controller, switching regulator and controlling method for switching regulation
A switching regulation controller for driving a switch circuit included in a switching regulator which converts an input voltage to a target voltage, and outputs the target voltage. The switching regulation controller detects an error between the output voltage and the target voltage, and uses the detected error and a control amount generated previously to control the switch circuit so that the output voltage is coincident with the target voltage according to a transfer function.
US08823348B2
A buck converter configured for converting a voltage output from a power supply to a load includes a first switch, a second switch, an inductor, three compensators and a control microchip. The first switch and the second switch are connected in series between two ends of the power supply. A first end of the inductor is connected to a node between the first switch and the second switch; a second end of the inductor serves as an output terminal connected to the load. The compensators are correspondingly connected to the first switch, the second switch and the inductor. The control microchip is electrically connected to the first and second switches and the node. The control microchip controls the first and second switches to turn on or off, and executes a current protective process when output current of the output terminal exceeds a current protective threshold of the load.
US08823340B2
A control circuit and method for a buck-boost switching converter provides a mode determinative circuit to judge the timing of an operation under buck-boost mode based on the input voltage, the output voltage and the mode reference voltage; meanwhile, the control signal generating circuit is provided to turn off the second switch during the first switch being on, turn on the second switch during the first switch being off, turn off the fourth switch during the third switch being on, turn on the fourth switch during the third switch being off, wherein the duty cycles of the first and third switches are identical, and duty cycles of the second and fourth switches are identical.
US08823338B2
A universal electrical power converter having the combined capabilities of symmetrical and asymmetrical converters, bidirectionality, and simplicity is provided with methods for controlling it in single-stage conversion. In some cases, the converter charges an inductor connected in parallel between a regulated port and an unregulated port using energy stored by a capacitor positioned in parallel between the inductor and one of the ports until the inductor has a level of current stored that corresponds to the change in voltage desired at the regulated port, then discharges stored energy into the other port until a current cutoff threshold level is reached in the inductor. In some embodiments a single stage power converter is provided having three or more ports that can be connected and disconnected from the same inductor. Converters disclosed herein can convert AC signals when there is cross switching on at least one side or branch of the converter.
US08823337B2
A boost converter for high power and high output voltage applications includes a low voltage controller integrated circuit and a high voltage, vertical, discrete field effect transistor. The low voltage controller integrated circuit and the high voltage, vertical, discrete field effect transistor are packaged together in a single package on a common electrically conductive die pad, wherein the controller IC is attached to the die pad using insulating adhesive and the FET is attached to the die pad using conductive adhesive.
US08823336B2
A bridgeless power factor corrector with a single choke is electrically connected to an AC power source. The bridgeless power factor corrector includes a choke element, a first switch, a second switch, a first diode, a second diode, a capacitor, a first rectify diode, and a second rectify diode. The choke element is electrically connected between the first switch and the second switch. The first switch and the second switch are controlled to be turned on or turned off by a first control signal and a second control signal, respectively, to provide a power factor correction for the AC power source when the AC power source is in a positive half cycle or a negative half cycle. Furthermore, a method of operating the bridgeless power factor corrector is provided.
US08823334B2
A method for starting an electric motor, the motor having a main machine, exciter, and permanent magnet generator (PMG), each having a stator and a rotor, with each rotor mounted to a common shaft, the method comprising starting the main machine in an asynchronous mode by applying a starting current to the stator of the main machine to induce a damper current in a damper winding of the main rotor to generate a starting torque that initiates the rotation of the common shaft, and then running the main machine in synchronous mode by supplying running current from the exciter rotor to the main machine rotor.
US08823328B2
A charging device can prevent overcharging by coping with a plurality of cell voltages without increasing a circuit area and current consumption. The charging device selects one of at least two judgment voltages in response to a select signal determined depending on a chargeable voltage of a secondary battery. The charging device compares a comparison voltage based on a voltage of a lower stream of a back flow prevention unit with the selected judgment voltage to detect a fully charged state of the secondary battery. The charging device interrupts supply of charging current to the back flow prevention unit upon detecting the fully charged state.
US08823326B2
The method for determining the state of charge of a battery includes measurement of an electric parameter of the battery during a charging or discharging phase of the battery followed by placing the battery in open circuit during a rest period. During the rest period, at least two values of the voltage at the battery terminals are measured. An indicator is then calculated according to the electric parameter and to values of the voltage measured during the rest period, and the state of charge corresponding to this indicator is then determined by means of a calibration curve representative of the variations of the indicator as a function of the state of charge of the battery.
US08823317B2
Circuit and method for heating first and second batteries. The heating circuit includes first and second switch units, first and second damping components, first and second current storage components, switching control module and charge storage component. The first battery, first damping and current storage components, first switch unit and charge storage component are connected in a first loop to form a first charging/discharging circuit. The second battery, second damping and current storage components, charge storage component and second switch unit are connected in a second loop to form a second charging/discharging circuit. When the charge storage component is charged or discharges, charging/discharging current in the second charging/discharging circuit is reverse to that in the first charging/discharging circuit. The switching control module controls the first and second switch units to switch on in alternate, so as to control electric energy flow among the first battery, charge storage component and second battery.
US08823316B1
A system for harvesting electric energy from thermal energy includes energy conversion assemblies that can be distributed about a conduit through which a heated effluent flows. Each energy conversion assembly includes two heat sinks, a thermoelectric cell sandwiched between the two heat sinks, and a thermal insulating gasket surrounding the thermoelectric cell and separating the two heat sinks. Circuit wiring electrically connects to each thermoelectric cell where the energy conversion assemblies are electrically connected to one another in parallel. An electric power storage device is coupled to the circuit wiring.
US08823312B2
The invention relates to an electric motor assembly, particularly for driving a fan for an engine cooling system and/or an air conditioner of a motor vehicle, comprising an electric motor and a motor control device for activating the electric motor. According to the invention, the motor control device can be adjusted according to a characteristic curve (1,2,3,4) of the electric motor and/or of the fan, and thereby the power and/or rotational speed of the electric motor can be adjusted.
US08823306B2
A PWM signal generation unit generates a PWM signal to drive a motor, based on a current value of the motor sampled by a current value sampling unit, a position or speed of the motor sampled by a motor sampling unit, and a position or speed of a driven object sampled by a driven object sampling unit. An operation stop unit stops the operation of any one of the motor sampling unit and the driven object sampling unit depending on the power stored in the DC link part and power to which the control power source can supply when the alternating-current power source fails.
US08823295B2
An electrical system assembly of an electric automobile includes an energy system, a power system, and an instrument system. The energy system includes a battery module and a management module for managing the battery module; the power system includes a motor and a controller; the battery module includes a number of storage batteries connected in series and a solar panel for charging the storage batteries; and the storage batteries provide energy to the controller, controlling the motor through the controller. There is communication between the management module, the controller and the instrument system, thereby each of these is capable of knowing the working status of the other two, thus facilitating coordination and enabling a powerful protection function for the electrical system assembly of the electric automobile.
US08823289B2
A lighting system includes one or more methods and systems to control the color spectrum of a lamp in response to both temperature and dim levels. In at least one embodiment, the lighting system includes a controller to control a correlated color temperature (CCT) and intensity of the lamp by independently adjusting currents to electronic light sources based on a dim level of the lighting system and temperature of the lighting system. The controller controls a first current to a first set of LEDs and a second current to a second set of LEDs. The control of the first current by the controller is jointly dependent on a dim level and temperature in the lighting system. In at least one embodiment, the control of the second current is dependent on the dim level or the dim level and temperature.
US08823283B2
The embodiments disclosed herein describe a method of a power controller for monitoring for unsafe operating conditions of a drive transistor in a switching power converter of a LED lamp system by predicting the power dissipation of the drive transistor based on knowledge of the current through the drive transistor and a continuous observation of the voltage across the drive transistor. When the drive transistor approaches unsafe operating conditions, the power controller turns off the drive transistor.
US08823279B2
A lighting module has at least one array of solid-state lighting elements, a variable resistor having an input of an intensity control voltage for the array of solid-state lighting elements, the variable resistor having an output electrically connected to an input of the array of solid-state lighting elements, and a voltage regulator electrically connected to the output of the variable resistor, the voltage regulator having an output connected to an input of the array of solid-state lighting elements.
US08823268B2
A load control system for controlling an electrical load includes multiple wireless transmitters and a load control device that is able to automatically adjust how the load control device operates in response to type of wireless transmitters that are associated with the load control device. The load control device automatically operates in a first mode of operation if only the first transmitter is associated with the load control device, and automatically operates in a second mode of operation if both the first and second transmitters are associated with the load control device. The first transmitter may comprise a daylight sensor, and the load control device may only turn on the electrical load in one of the two modes in response to the daylight sensor.
US08823267B2
A bandgap ready circuit for an RFID tag includes a bandgap circuit for providing a bandgap voltage, a first comparator for monitoring first and second voltages in the bandgap circuit and for providing a first logic signal, a second comparator for monitoring third and fourth voltages in the bandgap circuit and for providing a second logic signal, and a logic circuit for combining the first and second logic signals to provide a bandgap ready logic signal.
US08823261B2
A lighting apparatus includes a light-guiding plate and a lighting unit. The light-guiding plate includes a light-incident surface and a light-emitting surface. The lighting unit includes a first light source, a second light source and a circuit board. The first and second light sources are disposed on the circuit board, and the light emitted by the first and second light sources enters into the light-guiding plate through the light-incident surface and exits the light-guiding plate through the light-emitting surface. A first distance from the first light source to a reference line of the light-incident surface is not equal to a second distance from the second light source to the reference line.
US08823254B2
A display panel apparatus includes pixels. Each pixel includes an organic luminescent layer between an upper electrode and a lower electrode and is configured to emit a red, a green, or a blue light. A glass substrate is above the upper electrode. A lens sheet is between the pixels and the glass substrate and includes lenses and a base. Each lens corresponds to a pixel and protrudes from the base. Partitions are between the glass substrate and the lens sheet for partitioning the lenses. The partitions have a first height that is greater than a second height of the lenses. The base includes trenches between the lenses. The trenches are recessed in a direction opposite the lenses. The partitions are in the trenches. Each partition has a cross-section that includes an upper side that has a different length than a bottom side and lateral sides that are tilted.
US08823253B1
Discharge lamps containing improved starting amalgam are described. A method to increase the mercury vapor pressure during discharge lamp start-up is also described.
US08823252B1
An incandescent lamp is provided having first and second attach lead wires and a filament having a coil portion between first and second end portions. The first and second end portions are crimped to the first and second wires, respectively. The first end portion has a bent portion and the second end portion has a second bent portion to prevent migration of the coil portion relative to the first and second lead wires.
US08823249B2
An irradiation device includes: a light source having an amalgam alloy member that is disposed on a part of the inner surface of a light source tube; and a chamber in which the light source is disposed. The chamber includes: a main chamber body; and a first gas inflow port and a first gas outflow port that are formed in the main chamber body. The first gas inflow port and the first gas outflow port are arranged so that the outer surface of the part of the light source tube where the amalgam alloy member is disposed is positioned in a flow path of a gas that flows in through the first gas inflow port and flows out through the first gas outflow port.
US08823248B2
A flexural vibration element according to a first aspect of the invention includes: a vibration element body composed of a plurality of vibrating arms provided in parallel, a connecting part connecting the vibrating arms, and one central supporting arms extending between the vibrating arms from the connecting pert in parallel with the vibrating arms at equal distance from the arms and a frame body disposed outside the vibration element body.
US08823247B2
Piezoelectric vibrating devices are disclosed that lack base through-holes and that can be manufactured on a wafer scale. Also disclosed are methods for making same. An exemplary piezoelectric device has a package base having first and second opposing main surfaces. On the second (outer) first main surface is formed a pair of external electrodes. The first (inner) main surface defines a first recess and a peripheral first bonding surface. A pair of connecting electrodes are provided for connecting to the respective external electrodes via respective edge surfaces of the package base that extend between the first and second main surfaces. A piezoelectric vibrating piece is mounted in and contained within the package base. The vibrating piece includes a pair of excitation electrodes electrically connected to respective connecting electrodes. A package lid comprises first and second main surfaces, of which the second (inner) main surface defines a second recess that is larger than the first recess. The second main surface also defines a second bonding surface that peripherally surrounds the second recess. A sealing material is applied, over the width of the second bonding surface, circumferentially between the first bonding surface and the second bonding surface.
US08823244B2
A monolithic multilayer actuator made of a sintered stack of thin films of piezoceramio with embedded metallic internal electrodes. All metallic internal electrodes of one polarity are electrically connected in parallel by way of a base metallization applied to the stack and wherein an external electrode is connected in an electrically conducting manner to the base metallization for electrical contacting purposes. In order to provide that the external electrode can be applied to the base metallization using simple and cost-effective means so that said electrode is expandable such that it dissipates the cracks arising from cracking energy in the actuator without the external electrode disconnecting in the process that are sintered together, the layer being applied onto the base metallization.
US08823241B2
An axial rotary energy device including a segmented stator assembly having a plurality of segments arranged in an annular array. Each stator segment is constructed by stacking a plurality of PCB power conductor layers and a plurality of PCB series layers. Each layer having radial conductors extending from an inner via to an outer via. The vias electrically connect selected radial conductors of the series conductor layer and power conductor layer. Each power conductor layer includes a pair of positive and negative terminal vias for one phase of the electric current connected to selected outer vias. A daughter PCB layer electrically connects two adjacent segments together by having a first portion electrically connected to a negative terminal via located in one segment and a second portion electrically connected to a positive terminal via located in an adjacent segment together with a current conductor electrically connecting the two terminal vias together.
US08823239B2
The invention relates to an electrical machine (8), in particular an electric motor, suitable for the adjustment by external force of elements of a motor vehicle, essentially for driving a steering booster. The inventive electrical machine comprises a rotor (7) and a shaft (10), the rotor having a plurality of plates (5), wherein the plates (5) are premounted on the shaft either individually or as a plate assembly (6) or by means of a plurality of plate assemblies (6), the rotor (7) being connected to the shaft (10). The plates (5) have resilient lugs (3) for fixing the plates (5) and/or plate assemblies (6) to the shaft (10). Furthermore, the plates (5) of the plate assemblies (6) comprise centering lugs (1) which serve to radially center the plate assembly (6) relative to the shaft (10). An attachment of the stator (15) in a housing part (16) is possible, wherein centering lugs (1) at the plates (5) of the plate assembly (6) of the stator (15) serve to center the plate assembly (6) of the stator (15) relative to the shaft (10).
US08823238B2
A design for and method of winding an electric motor, generator or other electrical machine using multiple strands of wire preformed into a wave shape with a plurality of legs connected by shaped end turns. This results in efficient packing and improved machine performance in terms of both efficiency and power density without the need for flux concentrators. The conductors or windings may be preformed so as to be a self supporting structure, aiding assembly and eliminating the need for an iron core.
US08823233B2
An axial stabilizer for the rotor of a magnetic bearing provides external control of stiffness through switching in external inductances. External control also allows the stabilizer to become a part of a passive/active magnetic bearing system that requires no external source of power and no position sensor. Stabilizers for displacements transverse to the axis of rotation are provided that require only a single cylindrical Halbach array in its operation, and thus are especially suited for use in high rotation speed applications, such as flywheel energy storage systems. The elimination of the need of an inner cylindrical array solves the difficult mechanical problem of supplying support against centrifugal forces for the magnets of that array. Compensation is provided for the temperature variation of the strength of the magnetic fields of the permanent magnets in the levitating magnet arrays.
US08823230B2
A motor includes a stationary portion and a rotating portion. The rotating portion includes a sleeve portion. The sleeve portion includes a communicating hole. A dynamic pressure bearing is defined in a first gap between a shaft portion and the sleeve portion. An upper seal portion and a lower seal portion are arranged radially outward of the dynamic pressure bearing. The upper seal portion and the lower seal portion are arranged in communication with each other through the communicating hole. The communicating hole and a space extending from the upper seal portion to the lower seal portion through the first gap are filled with a lubricating oil. A fixing region where an outer tubular portion and a base portion are fixed to each other is arranged to overlap with the dynamic pressure bearing in a radial direction in plan view.
US08823227B2
In a drive unit having at least one transmission stage (Ü) and one drive element (4) for driving with high power density, having a drive element (4), and element (8), and an output element (14), wherein a translation and transmission of a drive torque occurs between the drive element (4) and the output element (14) via a plurality of radially movable toothed segments (10), the drive element (4) is to be embodied as an electrical drive for the transmission stage (Ü).
US08823220B2
A positioning system for positioning a positioning unit along a longitudinal axis includes: a linear guide arrangement for enabling a linearly guided motion parallel to the axis; a motor includes a moving motor member operatively connected to the linear guide arrangement and an elongated stationary motor member extending parallel to the axis; and a force transmission arrangement operatively connecting the moving motor member to the positioning unit, wherein the force transmission arrangement is arranged to provide a semi-rigid engagement between the positioning unit and the moving motor member, wherein the positioning unit and the moving motor member, respectively, are operatively connected to the linear guide arrangement by at least two guide engaging carriages, and wherein the positioning unit is attached to the guide engaging carriages by rigid or resilient positioning unit holders.
US08823209B2
A power controlling circuit is assigned to each of a plurality of power domains of which power may be on/off-controlled, and which have a first hierarchical structure included in a semiconductor device, and these power controlling circuits are connected in accordance with a second hierarchical structure corresponding to the first hierarchical structure, and thereby, a power management unit controlling power supply to the plurality of power domains is configured, as a result that the power management unit performing power supply control depending on power control specification may be designed easily.
US08823208B2
A vehicle electrical system comprises a generator, voltage regulator, switch module, and control device. The generator includes a field coil and one or more stator windings coupled together via the switch module. The generator provides electrical current to one or more electrical loads. The voltage regulator maintains the generator output voltage at a constant voltage by varying the field current. The switch module may include low-power transistors. The control device monitors the field current, output voltage and stator current and applies control signals to the switch module to improve transient recovery due to sudden variations in the electrical load and increase system efficiency during normal operation.
US08823201B1
The horizontal ducted wind turbine includes a power generator assembly adapted to be rotatably mounted to an elongate pole. At least one wind funnel assembly extends from one side of the power generator assembly. The wind funnel assembly includes an elongate funnel with a relatively large inlet at one end and a relatively small outlet at the opposite end in communication with a housing of the power generator assembly. A turbine is rotatably mounted inside the housing and a pair of generators is disposed on opposite ends of the turbine. The funnel passively compresses incoming wind to maximize wind velocity acting on the turbine to rotate the same causing the generator to produce energy. The wind funnel assembly can be provided with wings that facilitate stabilized positioning and self-orienting in response to changes in wind direction.
US08823199B2
A fluid turbine comprises a rotor rotatable in use about an axis transverse to the direction of fluid flow. The rotor has a first part carrying a plurality of arcuate blades and a second part journalled in a base structure by means of two or more bearings. All the bearings are arranged on the same side of the blades so that the first part of the rotor is cantilever supported in the base structure.
US08823181B2
In a semiconductor apparatus, a plurality of semiconductor chips including through-silicon vias are stacked in a vertical direction, wherein the through-silicon via formed in each semiconductor chip protrudes beyond heights of each semiconductor chip.
US08823176B2
An interconnect structure including a noble metal-containing cap that is present at least on some portion of an upper surface of at least one conductive material that is embedded within an interconnect dielectric material is provided. In one embodiment, the noble metal-containing cap is discontinuous, e.g., exists as nuclei or islands on the surface of the at least one conductive material. In another embodiment, the noble metal-containing cap has a non-uniform thickness across the surface of the at least one conductive material.
US08823160B2
An integrated circuit package system includes providing a carrier having a first side and a second side; mounting an integrated circuit over the carrier with the first side facing the integrated circuit; attaching an external interconnect to the second side; and forming an encapsulation over the integrated circuit and around the external interconnect with the external interconnect exposed from the encapsulation and with the encapsulation and the second side forming a cavity.
US08823153B2
Disclosed herein is a semiconductor package. The semiconductor package includes: semiconductor elements, a first heat dissipation substrate formed under the semiconductor elements, a first lead frame electrically connecting the lower portions of the semiconductor elements to an upper portion of the first heat dissipation substrate, a second heat dissipation substrate formed over the semiconductor elements, and a second lead frame having a protrusion formed to be protruded from a lower surface thereof and electrically connecting the upper portions of the semiconductor elements to a lower portion of the second heat dissipation substrate.
US08823152B1
In one embodiment, a semiconductor package (e.g., a QFP package) includes a leadframe sized and configured to increase the available number of exposed leads in the semiconductor package. More particularly, the semiconductor package includes a generally planar die pad defining multiple peripheral edge segments. In addition, the semiconductor package includes a plurality of leads. Some of these leads include exposed bottom surface portions that are provided in at least one row or ring, which at least partially circumvents the die pad, with other leads including portions that protrude from respective side surfaces of a package body of the semiconductor package. At least one semiconductor die is connected to the top surface of the die pad and is electrically connected to at least some of the leads. At least portions of the die pad, the leads, and the semiconductor die are encapsulated by a package body, with at least portions of the bottom surfaces of the die pad and some of the leads being exposed in a common exterior surface of the package body.
US08823150B2
A method to manufacture an optical module is disclosed, wherein the optical module has an optically active device on a lead frame and a lens co-molded with the active device and the lead frame by a transparent resin as positioning the lens with respect to the lead frame. The molding die of the present invention has a positioning pin to support the lens during the molding. Because the lead frame is aligned with the molding die, the precise alignment between the active device on the lead frame and the lens is not spoiled during the molding.
US08823149B2
One device herein includes first and second spaced-apart active regions, a transistor formed in and above the first active region, wherein the transistor has a gate electrode, a conductive contact landing pad that is coupled to the second active region, wherein the contact landing pad is made of the same conductive material as the gate electrode, and a contact that is coupled to the contact landing pad. One method herein includes forming first and second spaced-apart active regions, forming a layer of gate insulation material on the active regions, performing an etching process to remove the gate insulation material formed on the second active region, performing a common process operation to form a gate electrode structure above the gate insulation material on the first active region and the contact landing pad that is conductively coupled to the second active region and forming a contact to the contact landing pad.
US08823147B2
A semiconductor substrate (100) has three doped zones (1), (2) and (3), forming a P-N junction (101), the third zone being located between the first zone and the second zone. The P-N junction of the substrate further has a fourth doped zone (4) having a first portion (4A) in contact with the first zone; and a second portion (4B) in contact with the third zone (3), said second portion (4B) extending in the direction of the second zone (2), and not being in contact with the second zone (2); where the fourth zone (4) being doped with the same type of doping as that of the first zone.
US08823140B2
An embodiment of a semiconductor device includes a III-nitride base structure of a first conductivity type, and a III-nitride emitter structure of a second conductivity type having a first surface and a second surface. The second surface is substantially opposite the first surface. The first surface of the III-nitride emitter structure is coupled to a surface of the III-nitride base structure. The semiconductor also includes a first dielectric layer coupled to the second surface of the III-nitride emitter structure, and a spacer coupled to a sidewall of the III-nitride emitter structure and the surface of the III-nitride base structure. The semiconductor also includes a base contact structure with a III-nitride material coupled to the spacer, the surface of the III-nitride base structure, and the first dielectric layer, such that the first dielectric layer and the spacer are disposed between the base contact structure and the III-nitride emitter structure.
US08823134B2
A semiconductor chip is mounted on a first surface of an interconnect substrate, and has a multilayer interconnect layer. A first inductor is formed over the multilayer interconnect layer, and a wiring axis direction thereof is directed in a horizontal direction to the interconnect substrate. A second inductor is formed on the multilayer interconnect layer, and a wiring axis direction thereof is directed in the horizontal direction to the interconnect substrate. The second inductor is opposite to the first inductor. A sealing resin seals at least the first surface of the interconnect substrate and the semiconductor chip. A groove is formed over the whole area of a portion that is positioned between the at least first inductor and the second inductor of a boundary surface of the multilayer interconnect layer and the sealing resin.
US08823133B2
An embodiment of a multichip module is disclosed. For this embodiment of a multichip module, a semiconductor die and an interposer are included. The interposer has conductive layers, dielectric layers, and a substrate. Internal interconnect structures couple the semiconductor die to the interposer. External interconnect structures are for coupling the interposer to an external device. A first inductor includes at least a portion of one or more of the conductive layers of the interposer. A first end of the first inductor is coupled to an internal interconnect structure of the internal interconnect structures. A second end of the first inductor is coupled to an external interconnect structure of the external interconnect structures.
US08823122B2
An integrated device, the device including a first crystalline layer covered by an oxide layer, a second crystalline layer overlying the oxide layer, wherein the first and second crystalline layers are image sensor layers, and the device includes a third crystalline layer, wherein the third crystalline layer includes single crystal transistors.
US08823110B2
Disclosed is a semiconductor device including a first MISFET of an n channel type and a second MISFET of a p channel type, each of the MISFETs being configured with a gate insulating film featuring a silicon oxide film or a silicon oxynitride film and a gate electrode including a conductive silicon film positioned on the gate insulating film. Metal elements such as Hf are introduced near the interface between the gate electrode and the gate insulating film in both the first and second MISFETs such that metal atoms with a surface density of 1×1013 to 5×1014 atoms/cm2 are contained near the interface and each of the first and second MISFETs having a channel region containing an impurity the concentration of which is equal to or lower than 1.2×1018/cm3.
US08823089B2
A semiconductor power device includes a SiC semiconductor body. At least part of the SiC semiconductor body constitutes a drift zone. A first contact is at a first side of the SiC semiconductor body. A second contact is at a second side of the SiC semiconductor body. The first side is opposite the second side. A current path between the first contact and the second contact includes at least one graphene layer.
US08823088B2
A semiconductor device includes a first region and a second region, a buried gate arranged in the first region, and an oxidation prevention barrier surrounding the first region.
