US08965183B1
A system and method for storing video data according to one embodiment includes receiving a video signal comprising television programming, and converting the video signal to video data. Additionally, the method includes storing temporal-based portions of the video data in files on a storage device, and creating reduced quality video data from at least one of the video signal and the video data. Further, the method includes storing the reduced quality video data on a storage subsystem, and outputting at least one of the video data or the reduced quality video data. Other systems and methods are also included.
US08965180B2
Systems and methods for converting interactive multimedia content authored for distribution via a physical medium for electronic distribution are disclosed. One embodiment of the invention includes building an object model of interactive multimedia content authored for distribution via a physical medium using a content authoring system, automatically authoring a user interface based upon the object model using the content authoring system, and packing the transcoded multimedia content into at least one container file.
US08965173B2
A multimedia signal processing system allows a user to store selected programs while simultaneously watching or reviewing another. The system includes an input section and an output section. Across all configurations, the output section remains substantially the same, while the input section varies according to the signal type and the source. The system receives a digital stream and simultaneously processes the digital stream for display and stores the digital stream on at least one storage device. The system further simultaneously processes a previously recorded digital stream for display while processing the digital stream for display.
US08965170B1
Methods and systems for automatically transitioning content based on facial recognition, wherein the method may include receiving a signal from a camera, identifying a face of a viewer within an area, retrieving a user identifier associated with the face of the viewer, selecting a program, and displaying the program.
US08965167B2
A telecommunications cable management system includes trough elements including a planar top surface and sides for cable routing and management. The trough elements are made from separate parts assembled together with a mating arrangement. The mating arrangement allows assembly of the system on site, such as by snapping the parts together. The trough elements are then assembled together to form the cable management system.
US08965161B2
A decohered laser light production system is provided. The decohered laser light system comprises a laser source. The system further comprises a multi-mode fiber having an input face, an output face and a body for propagating light from the input face to the output face, the input face arranged to accept laser light from the laser source, the body comprising a length such that laser light is generally decohered when exiting the output face.
US08965160B2
Cables have reduced freespace, reduced tube diameters, and reduced strength member diameters. The cables are designed to pass robustness testing such as GR-20 while using smaller amounts of raw materials to produce.
US08965159B1
A method and structures are provided for implementing an impedance-matched, low inductance, 3-dimensional (3D) twisted-pair within a given dielectric material layer. A dielectric material layer is loaded with an electrically insulating metal spinel compound at a set loading level. Upon exposure to a focused laser beam, the spinel is converted to a metallic particle with an electrical conductivity suitable for various applications. An impedance-matched, low inductance, 3-dimensional (3D) twisted-pair is generated using a laser direct structuring process with a fine depth control achieved with a laser.
US08965151B1
A low insertion loss, low back reflection fiber optic rotary joint with increased data throughput capabilities has been invented. This is accomplished by using a dispersion free prism with optical coatings to minimize the amount of back reflection caused by the optical beam passing through the prism-air interface.
US08965148B2
An optoelectronic component (1) comprises a carrier (2) and at least one semiconductor chip (3). The semiconductor chip (3) is arranged on the carrier (2) and designed for emitting a primary radiation (6). The semiconductor chip (3) is at least partly enclosed by an at least partly transparent medium (7) having a height (8) above the carrier (2) and a width (9) along the carrier (2). Particles (10, 11) are introduced into the medium (7) and interact with the primary radiation (6). The medium (7) has a ratio of the height (8) to the width (9) of greater than 1.
US08965145B2
An MMR system for searching across multiple indexes comprises a plurality of mobile devices, a pre-processing server or MMR gateway, and an MMR matching unit, and may include an MMR publisher. The MMR matching unit receives an image query from the pre-processing server or MMR gateway and sends it to one or more of the recognition units to identify a result including a document, the page and the location on the page. The MMR matching unit includes a segmenter for segmenting received images by content type, a distributor for distributing the images to corresponding content type index tables, and an integrator for integrating recognition results. The result is returned to the mobile device via the pre-processing server or MMR gateway. The present invention also includes a number of novel methods including a method for processing content-type specific image queries and for processing queries across multiple indexes.
US08965133B2
An image processing apparatus to obtain highly reliable local feature point and local feature amount. With the number of local feature points as a factor of an image local feature amount description size, the reproducibility of the local feature point and local feature amount is estimated, and description is made by the local amount description size, sequentially from local feature point and local feature amount with the highest reproducibility. It is possible to ensure a local feature amount description size and search accuracy.
US08965132B2
A method for tracing edges of an image using hysteresis thresholding includes: (i) receiving an edge map of the image, (ii) scanning one row of the input edge map, (iii) assigning a label to each edge pixel in the row based at least in part on the presence or absence of a neighboring edge pixel, (iv) grouping contiguous labels, and (v) identifying groups of edge pixels.
US08965130B2
Methods and apparatus for image matching using local features, in particular a method and apparatus for flexible interest point computation. The method involves producing multiple octaves of a digital image, wherein each octave of said multiple scale octaves comprises multiple layers; initiating a process comprising detection and description of interest points, wherein said process is programmed to progress layer-by-layer over said multiple layers of each of said multiple octaves, and to continue to a next octave of said multiple octaves upon completion of all layers of a current octave of said multiple octaves; upon the detection and the description of each interest point of said interest points during said process, recording an indication associated with said interest point in a memory, such that said memory accumulates indications during said process; and upon interruption to said process, returning a result being based at least on said indications.
US08965129B2
The present invention is related to systems and methods for translating language text on a mobile camera device offline without access to the Internet. More specifically, the present invention relates to systems and methods for displaying text of a first language and a translation of the first language text into a second language text which is displayed in real time in augmented reality on the mobile device. The processing can use a single line or a multiline algorithm designed with a plurality of processing innovations to insure accurate real-time translations without motion jitter. The invention may be used to help travelers in a foreign country with difficulties in reading and understanding text written in the local language of that country. The present invention may be utilized with wearable computers or glasses, producing seamless augmented reality foreign language translations. Some embodiments are particularly useful in translations from Asian languages to English. Some embodiments are especially optimized to translate multiple lines of foreign language text.
US08965125B2
Image processing device, method and storage medium for storing and displaying an electronic document
Character code data and vector drawing data are both listed and provided in a re-editable manner. Electronic data is generated in which information obtained by vectorizing character areas in an image and information obtained by recognizing characters in the image are stored in respective storage locations. As for the electronic data generated in this manner, because character code data and vector drawing data generated from the input image are both presented by a display and edit program, a user can immediately utilize the both data.
US08965119B2
Some embodiments provide a method for color balancing an image. The method receives a first selection of a first mode of a color balance tool that includes several different color balance modes. Each color balance mode is for applying color balance operations to the image. The method uses the first mode of the color balance tool to apply a first set of color balance operations to the image. The method receives a second selection to switch from the first mode to a second mode of the color balance tool. The method uses the second mode of the color balance tool to apply a second set of color balance operations to the image.
US08965104B1
A cloud computing system is configured to (i) receive image and environmental data from a computing device, (ii) apply a plurality of image processing algorithms to the received image a plurality of times to generate a corresponding plurality of image processing results, where each application of an image processing algorithm to the received image is executed with a different corresponding parameter set, and (iii) based on the image processing results, select an image processing algorithm and corresponding parameter set for the computing device to use for image processing operations. The cloud computing device may also correlate the results of its analysis with the environmental data received from the computing device, and store the correlation in a machine vision knowledge base for future reference. In some embodiments, the computing device is a component of a robot.
US08965103B2
An image processing apparatus includes: an image processing apparatus comprising: a template image extracting section that extracts a template image from blade images obtained by capturing blades periodically arrayed in a jet engine; an image comparing section that compares the template image with the blade images; an image selecting section that selects an image from the blade images based on a result of the image comparison of the image comparing section; and a first difference extracting section that extracts a difference between the template image and the image selected by the image selecting section.
US08965089B2
A method of analyzing a medical image, where the medical image comprises one or more than one region of interest, and where the method comprises a) providing the medical image comprising a set of actual image values; b) rescaling the actual image values to produce corresponding rescaled image values and to produce a rescaled image from the rescaled image values; c) deriving a histogram of the rescaled image values; d) using the histogram to derive an adaptive segmentation threshold; e) using the adaptive segmentation threshold to recursively split the rescaled image; f) terminating the recursive splitting of the sub(sub) images using one or more than one predetermined criteria; and g) identifying one sub(sub) image in the terminated Hierarchical Region Splitting Tree which comprises the region of interest.
US08965086B2
A method of processing a plurality of time separated images comprises selecting a plurality of imaging units in each image; measuring a temporal difference in each imaging unit; and selecting temporal differences above a threshold limit.
US08965085B2
An image processing apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a correcting unit. The correcting unit identifies, based on an observation value of a residual contrast material component that is injected to a subject before a predetermined timing and remains in the subject, the residual contrast material component and a new contrast material component that is newly injected to the subject after the predetermined timing regarding a contrast material component that is included in an image, and corrects an observation value of the contrast material component included in the image.
US08965084B2
A method for modeling blood flow through a flow diverter includes receiving a medical image containing blood vessels. Vessel geometry is extracted from the received medical image. Inlets and outlets are tagged within the extracted vessel geometry. A desired flow diverter is selected. A model of the selected flow diverter is generated within the imaged blood vessel, the model representing the flow diverter as a tube having a porous surface characterized by a viscous resistance and an inertial resistance. A course of blood flow though the flow diverter is predicted based on the generated model, the extracted vessel geometry, and the tagged inlets and outlets.
US08965082B2
A method of aligning multiple volumetric sections of imaging data is provided. The method comprises aligning a primary volumetric section and a secondary volumetric section which is adjacent to the primary volumetric imaging section, for moving the secondary volumetric section into alignment with the primary volumetric section. A related apparatus for performing the method is also provided.
US08965079B1
An in-vivo device captures images of the GI system and transfers frames to an external system for analysis. As frames are transferred from the in-vivo device to the external system frames may be classified as belonging to a particular GI section. Based on statistical analysis of the classes, a temporary determination may be made, that the in-vivo device has transitioned to a “target section”, and, as a result of the temporary determination, the operation mode of the in-vivo device may temporarily change from a first mode to a second mode. If the temporary determination is followed by a determination which is based on analysis of additional classes, the determination that the in-vivo device is in the target section may be made final and the in-vivo device may remain in the second mode. Otherwise, the first operation mode may be resumed and the whole transition determination process may start anew.
US08965073B2
An ultrasonic imaging apparatus for processing ultrasonic raw data by a processor, includes a processor having a video processing front end, and a data input device for inputting the ultrasonic raw data to the video processing front end of the processor.
US08965071B2
Systems, methods and computer program products identify first biologic data in a region of interest in a first image and calculate a first biologic volume histogram from the first biologic data. Second biologic data in the same region of interest is identified in a second image and a second biologic volume histogram is calculated from the second biologic data. A difference in intensity for the region of interest is determined using the first biologic volume histogram and the second biologic volume histogram.
US08965070B2
Despite intense research activities in the field of computer-aided diagnosis methods of computer vision, automated classification or comparable algorithmic solutions are not regularly used and even less regularly trusted by physicians. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a confidence interval of the performed diagnosis is visualized and a standardized feedback mechanism is provided which allows for an interactive improvement of the method.
US08965061B2
In a person retrieval apparatus, a plurality of extraction processing sections each extract personal biometric information from images taken by a plurality of cameras. A quality determination section determines a quality of each piece of biometric information extracted by the extraction processing sections. A reliability level setting section sets a reliability level to each piece of biometric information on the basis of the quality determined by the quality determination section. The biometric information extracted by the extraction processing sections and the reliability level set by the reliability level setting section are stored in a memory. In this state, in the person retrieval apparatus, the face retrieval section performs person retrieval processing on each piece of biometric information stored in the memory in descending order of the reliability level corresponding to each piece of biometric information.
US08965052B2
A target recognition system and a target recognition method to recognize one or more recognition targets, operatively connected to an imaging device to capture an image of an area ahead of the target recognition system, each of which includes a recognition area detector to detect multiple recognition areas from the captured image; a recognition weighting unit to set recognition weight indicating existence probability of images of the recognition targets to the respective recognition areas detected by the recognition area detector; and a target recognition processor to recognize the one or more recognition targets in a specified recognition area based on the recognition weight set in the respective recognition area.
US08965044B1
A method, system, and computer program product for detecting objects. Members of a general class of objects are searched for in a number of images. Members of a specific class of objects are searched for in a number of regions in the number of images where the number of regions contains at least a portion of the members of the general class. A member in the members of the specific class is a potential threat to a rotorcraft.
US08965043B2
A method of detecting an object in an image at a client device is described. This method comprises the steps of: receiving from a server a two dimensional image of a scene, the scene being captured by a camera and the image comprising an object located within the scene, receiving from the server position data, the position data being indicative of the position of the object within the image; receiving from the server an outline representation of the object at that position, the outline representation defining for pixel positions in a segment of the image at that position whether the pixel position represents the object; and on the basis of said outline, detecting the object in the image.
US08965041B2
Images uploaded by users of a social networking system are analyzed to determine signatures of cameras used to capture the images. A camera signature comprises features extracted from images that characterize the camera used for capturing the image, for example, faulty pixel positions in the camera and metadata available in files storing the images. Associations between users and cameras are inferred based on actions relating users with the cameras, for example, users uploading images, users being tagged in images captured with a camera, and the like. Associations between users of the social networking system related via cameras are inferred. These associations are used beneficially for the social networking system, for example, for recommending potential connections to a user, recommending events and groups to users, identifying multiple user accounts created by the same user, detecting fraudulent accounts, and determining affinity between users.
US08965038B2
Systems and methods for detecting hidden messages and information in digital files are described. In an embodiment, a method of detecting steganography in a compressed digital image includes extracting neighboring joint density features from the image under scrutiny. Steganography in the image may be detected based on differences in a neighboring joint density feature of the image.
US08965028B2
A speaker comprises a support structure having a circumferentially extending rim, a vibration member configured to be displaced relative to the support structure during operation of the speaker, and a suspension member suspending the vibration member relative to the support structure. The suspension member includes a radially outer portion attached to the rim of the support structure, a radially inner platform portion attached to the vibration member, and a plurality of beams. Each beam of the plurality of beams may extend from the radially outer portion to the radially inner platform portion. The plurality of beams is configured such that a resonant frequency of the vibration member attached to the radially inner platform portion of the suspension member scales linearly with a beam width of the beams of the plurality of beams.
US08965014B2
Left and right stereo channels L and R are provided to a first set of two or more speakers of a speaker array. A bass signal B is applied to a second set of one or more speakers of the speaker array. The level of L and R applied to the first set of speakers is increased as the first set of speakers is rotated to become more horizontally aligned. The level of B applied to the first set of speakers is decreased as the first set of speakers is rotated to become more horizontally aligned.
US08965003B2
A device and method processing microphone signals from at least two microphones is presented. A first beamformer processes the signals from the microphones and provides a first beamformed signal. A power estimator processes the signals from the microphones and the first beamformed signal from the first beamformer in order to generate, in frequency bands, a first statistical estimate of the energy of a first part of an incident sound field. A gain controller processes said first statistical estimate in order to generate in frequency bands a first gain signal, and an audio processor for processing an input to the signal processing device in dependence of said generated first gain signal. The invention provides a new and improved noise reduction device and noise reduction method for use in the signal processing in devices processing acoustic signals, e.g. microphone devices.
US08965002B2
An audio quality enhancing apparatus and method is provided in which a microphone array has a non-uniform configuration and thus a beam pattern of a desired direction is obtained in a wide range of frequencies including higher frequency bands and lower frequency bands even when the microphone array is relatively small. The audio quality enhancing apparatus includes at least three microphones which are disposed in a non-uniform configuration, a frequency conversion unit configured to transform acoustic signals input from the at least three microphones to acoustic signals of frequency domain; a band division and merging unit configured to divide frequencies of the transformed acoustic signals into bands based on intervals between the at least three microphones and to merge the acoustic signals in the frequency domain into signals of two channels based on the divided frequency bands; and a two channel beamforming unit configured to reduce noise of signals including input from a direction other than the direction of a target sound by performing beamforming on the signals of the two channels and to output the noise-reduced signals.
US08964990B1
A material set, such as an asymmetric keypair, is processed using an associated workflow to prepare the material set for activation and/or use. In one embodiment, a material set is generated and information about the material set is communicated to a workflow manager. Based at least on the information, the workflow manager generates a workflow that when accomplished will allow the material set to be activated and/or used. In another embodiment, a service provider provides a key manager, workflow manager and destination for the key, such as a load balancer that terminates SSL connections. A key can be generated by the key manager, sent through the workflow manager for processing (potentially communicated to third parties such as a certificate authority, if needed) and installed at a destination.
US08964980B2
The present invention is directed to a system and method of distributing game play instructions to players during a game, more specifically a system and method for allowing a portable remote terminal and/or a game apparatus to dynamically transmit and/or receive in game instructions in real-time concerning game play instructions to be effected on the field or court, and to be distributed to one, a plurality, or all team players wearing a headgear configured to receive audio transmissions of the game play instructions from a game play apparatus, another headgear and/or the portable remote terminal.
US08964977B2
Systems and methods for saving encoded media streamed using adaptive bitrate streaming in accordance with embodiments of the invention are disclosed. In one embodiment of the invention, a playback device configured to perform adaptive bitrate streaming of media includes a video decoder application and a processor, where the video decoder application configures the processor to select a download stream from a set of alternative streams of video data, measure streaming conditions and request a stream of video data from the alternative streams of video data, receive portions of video data from the requested stream of video data, decode the received video data, save the received video data to memory, when the received video data is from the download stream and separately download and save the corresponding portion of video data from the download stream to memory, when the received video data is not from the download stream.
US08964972B2
There is described a method for providing an audio signal to a user-end, comprising: modifying an amplitude of at least some bits of the audio signal using at least one user-specific series of bits, thereby obtaining a non-identical copy of the audio signal; transmitting the non-identical copy to the user-end; at the user-end, identifying the at least some bits within the non-identical copy; and restoring the amplitude of the at least some bits using the at least one user-specific series of bits, thereby reconstructing the audio signal.
US08964970B1
An internet protocol telephony device powered by a tablet computer affixed to a housing. The housing includes any of a speaker, a microphone and a camera that are operatively connected to the tablet computer. A handset is also operatively connected to the tablet to offer traditional feeling communication hardware. The tablet offers additional internet and intranet based functionality.
US08964968B2
Disclosed is a system for voice communication that includes a power supply assembly, at least one handset configured to transmit voice signals, a voice cable assembly communicably coupled with the power supply assembly and the at least one handset, and a main terminal communicably coupled with the voice cable assembly. The voice cable assembly includes a cable harness configured to receive a predetermined power from the power supply assembly and to receive voice signals from the at least one handset. Also, the voice cable assembly includes a voice cable circuit card assembly communicably coupled with the cable harness to receive the predetermined power and the voice signals from the cable harness. The voice cable circuit card assembly is configured to adapt the voice signals by utilizing the predetermined power in order to match a predefined voice requirement. Further disclosed are a voice cable assembly and a method for voice communication.
US08964960B2
A system plays audio prompts to a user as part of a voice application. If the user begins to provide input in response to the audio prompt before the audio prompt is finished playing, the volume of the audio prompt is reduced, but the audio prompt continues to play. If the user finishes providing his input and the system is able to interpret the input before the audio prompt finishes, the audio prompt will halt and the system will take further action in accordance with the user's input. If the user finishes providing his input while the audio prompt is still playing, and the system is unable to interpret the input, the volume of the audio prompt will increase back to the original volume level until either the audio prompt finishes playing, or the user again begins to provide input.
US08964953B2
A bid-based network sells network capacity on a transaction-by-transaction basis in accordance with bids placed on transactions. A transaction is the transmission of a quantum of data across at least some portion of the network, where the quantum of data can be as small as a single packet. Bids for network capacity are ranked in order of monetary value, or other criteria relevant to the network service provider. The amount charged to the highest bidder is based on the maximum bid of the next highest bidder. Bids are evaluated on a real-time basis at the time when the link is ready to transmit data. An automated system makes individual bids at each link through which data is transmitted and can take into account additional criteria that can be specified as part of the bid information, including latency and routing requirements. Bid information is passed with data through the network.
US08964950B2
A method and system for allowing a calling party to send a voicemail message as a text message. A calling party leaves a voicemail message and that message is converted from voice to a text message. If the calling party wishes to confirm the conversion, the text message is then converted to a voicemail message. The converted voicemail message is presented to the calling party so that the calling party can review and edit the message. The calling party can review and edit any portion of the converted voicemail message, The edits of the voicemail message are applied and the voicemail message is converted to a new text message. If the calling party wishes to further review and edit the text message, it is converted to a new voicemail; otherwise the text message is sent to the called party.
US08964949B2
A voice response unit (VRU) includes a silent prompt feature in the form of an intentional delay inserted after a message is given to a caller, during which delay the caller may invoke alternative processing or interrupt current processing. If appropriate alternative or interrupt commands are not received during the delay period, then processing continues as provided in accordance with the previously played message. The duration of this silent prompt delay is carefully selected to provide sufficient response time for the caller to request alternative processing, while avoiding a perceptible or objectionable delay to the average caller not requiring alternative processing.
US08964945B2
A system and method for providing location information to a public safety answering point may include registering network access points with a gateway. The registration may include address location of each network access point to enable the gateway to look-up and communicate the address location of a registered network access point during an emergency 911 call. The network access points may be WiFi access points. The network access point address location information may be communicated using a type II caller ID data packets after the public safety answering point goes off-hook. By communicating both the access point address information and GPS location information, PSAPs that are configured as E911 Phase I and E911 Phase II may display address information of an emergency 911 caller.
US08964939B2
A radiation image acquiring system is provided. An X-ray image acquiring system irradiates X-rays to a subject from an X-ray source, and detects X-rays transmitted through the subject. The X-ray image acquiring system includes a first detector for detecting X-rays that are transmitted through the subject to generate first image data, a second detector arranged in parallel to the first detector with a dead zone region sandwiched therebetween, for detecting X-rays that are transmitted through the subject to generate second image data, and a timing control section for controlling detection timing of the second detector based on a dead zone width of the dead zone region so that first image data to be generated by the first detector and second image data to be generated by the second detector mutually correspond.
US08964938B2
A buffer on detector elements of an X-ray radiation detector can be used, when acquiring a number of 2D X-ray image data records with the aid of an X-ray angiography system, to acquire 2D image data records at a relatively short interval one after the other with the aid of different X-ray spectra, to allow dual-energy imaging, which may be of particularly good quality.
US08964935B2
An apparatus for tomosynthesis and/or mammography includes: an X-ray detector, for receiving and detecting X-rays in a first, detection plane; an X-ray source, which can be activated individually and is positioned to emit a corresponding X-ray beam towards the first, detection plane; a processing and control unit, for activating the X-ray source and receiving a signal relating to X-rays which passed through the breast and were detected by the detector to derive a radiographic image representative of the internal structure of the breast; a grille for removing diffuse radiation, interposed between the source and the detector to receive X-rays which passed through the breast. The grille including plates positioned opposite the chest of the patient when the breast is positioned in a positioning region, and which are angled to converge towards the same region proximal to the X-ray source.
US08964928B2
A fuel element handling system having a gripping device, the structure of which can be pushed in the horizontal position and uncoupled from the handling system if a failure occurs, uncoupling releasing the load formed by the fuel elements and their gripped support and putting them in a safe situation.
US08964921B2
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a method, and a program capable of suppressing deterioration of content quality. An integrated reception buffer time adjustment unit 114 obtains a maximum transmission delay time that is the longest delay time among the transmission delays of data transmission performed by each reception unit 113. The reception buffer time setting unit 208 calculates a reception buffer time using the maximum transmission delay time, a transmission delay time of the data transmission by the reception unit 113, and a prescribed reception buffer time. The reception buffer time setting unit 208 sets various delay times and waiting times such as a variable compression encoding delay time, a redundant encoding block reception waiting time, an ARQ retransmission packet waiting time, and a network jitter handling buffer time from the reception buffer time. The present invention can be applied to an information processing apparatus, for example.
US08964915B2
A method and an apparatus are provided for improving a communication rate, which are used in a terminal working in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) state. The method includes: obtaining strength of a first signal received in a first path connected to a first antenna and strength of a second signal received in a second path connected to a second antenna; and adjusting the first path or/and the second path according to a difference between the strength of the first signal and the strength of the second signal, so as to reduce an unbalance degree between the first path and the second path, thereby improving the communication rate. By adopting the present invention, improvement of a rate of an antenna may be achieved by adjusting a balance between the first and second paths.
US08964914B2
Some demonstrative embodiments include devices, systems and/or methods of combining received wireless communication signals. For example, a device may include a radio-frequency (RF) combiner to combine first and second wireless communication RF signals of a wireless communication frame received via first and second respective antennas, into a combined signal; and a base-band phase estimator to estimate a phase difference between the first and the second antennas, and to provide to the RF combiner a feedback corresponding to the phase difference, wherein the radio-frequency combiner is to combine the first and the second RF signals according to the feedback.
US08964906B1
A digital signal processing (DSP) apparatus is used for processing a plurality of different signals. The DSP apparatus includes a DSP module configured to perform a DSP algorithm on samples of the signals. The DSP apparatus also has a parameter memory that includes a plurality of memory cells. The parameter memory has a signal number input and a parameter output. The parameter output is connected to the DSP module. The parameter memory is configured to output to the parameter output a parameter corresponding to a signal identifier at the signal number input.
US08964901B2
Receiver design techniques are provided that are capable of producing relatively efficient, linear radio frequency (RF) receivers. During a design process, components of an analog receiver chain and digital nonlinearity compensation techniques are considered together to achieve reduced power consumption in the receiver.
US08964900B2
Disclosed are a receiving apparatus, a receiving method, and a program capable of shortening time taken in tuning. A broadband signal where a plurality of signals is arranged is received. Control information used to extract a predetermined signal from the broadband signal is obtained from the broadband signal. The obtained control information is stored. After the control information is stored, the stored control information is read when a predetermined signal is extracted from the broadband signal. The predetermined signal is extracted from the broadband signal based on the read control information. This technology is applicable to a receiving apparatus that receives a signal according to a DVB-C2 standard.
US08964899B2
Disclosed is a receiving circuit which includes: a data selection circuit selecting two input data located while placing in between the center phase of one unit interval of a binary input data; a correction circuit correcting the two input data selected by the data selection circuit; a phase detection circuit detecting a phase at which the level of input data changes as a boundary phase in the one unit interval, based on the two input data corrected by the correction circuit; an arithmetic unit calculating the center phase, based on the boundary phase detected by the phase detection circuit; and data decision circuit determining and outputting the level of one of the two input data, based on the center phase and the boundary phase, the correction circuit implements the correction based on a correction value corresponded to the past data level output by the data decision circuit.
US08964896B2
An approach is provided for an improved coding approach for efficient header signaling in broadband communications networks, to provide support of expanded modulation and coding scheme sets that facilitate an expansion of the operational ranges of user terminals within such networks and finer granularity within such operational ranges. A mode indicator field of a frame header identifies a modulation/coding mode applied to a data payload of the data frame. The modulation/coding mode is one of either a first or second set of modulation/coding modes. The mode indicator field is encoded and modulated. When the modulation/coding mode is one of the first set, the modulation of the encoded mode indicator field is applied in a first mode, and when the modulation/coding mode is one of the second set, the modulation of the encoded mode indicator field is applied in a second mode.
US08964895B2
A wireless local area network (WLAN) transmitter includes a baseband processing module and a plurality of radio frequency (RF) transmitters. The processing module selects one of a plurality of modes of operation based on a mode selection signal. The processing module determines a number of transmit streams based on the mode selection signal. The processing of the data further continues by converting encoded data into streams of symbols in accordance with the number of transmit streams and the mode selection signal. A number of the plurality of RF transmitters are enabled based on the mode selection signal to convert a corresponding one of the streams of symbols into a corresponding RF signal such that a corresponding number of RF signals is produced.
US08964889B2
A device and method for precoding vectors in a communication system is provided. A transmitter may precode a data vector using information regarding a communication channel prior to transmitting the data vector. The transmitter may precode the data vector in a manner that reduces an energy value of a resulting transmit data vector so as to minimize interference in a received signal at a receiver. The transmitter may perturb entries of the data vector one-by-one in an iterative fashion until a minimum in an energy value of the transmit data vector is obtained.
US08964879B2
Data coding schemes perform level-based and/or transition-based encoding to avoid signaling conditions that create worst case crosstalk during transmission of multi-bit data from one circuit to another circuit via a parallel communication link. The coding schemes disallow certain patterns from being present in the signal levels, signal transitions, or a combination of the signal levels and signal transitions that occur in a subset of the multi-bit data that corresponds to certain physically neighboring wires of the parallel communication link.
US08964874B2
Uplink transmission from a mobile device having multiple antennas to a base station having multiple antennas includes transmitting in an open-loop single-user MIMO mode when the mobile device is at high speed, transmitting in a closed-loop single-user MIMO mode when the mobile device is at low speed, and, upon request, transmitting in a multi-user collaborative MIMO mode. The method also includes controlling uplink transmissions in a selected one of the open-loop single-user MIMO, the closed-loop single-user MIMO and the multiuser collaborative MIMO modes. Uplink transmissions from the mobile device may be transmitted using multiple antennas of the mobile device. Upon request, the mobile device may switch to transmitting in multi-user collaborative MIMO mode with a subset of the multiple antennas.
US08964860B2
To provide a digital modulator including: a signal adjuster (105) which is provided with a plurality of output lines, and which outputs, to the output line, which corresponds to a range to which a level of an input signal belongs, a signal of a level corresponding to the level of the input signal; a plurality of internal digital modulators (111-1 to 111-N), each of which is provided so as to correspond to each of the plurality of output lines and carries out delta-sigma modulation on the signal of the corresponding output line to output the modulated signal; and an encoder (113) which encodes the plurality of modulated signals respectively outputted by the plurality of internal digital modulators.
US08964859B2
A 3D decoding apparatus according to the present invention includes: a decoding unit which decodes left-eye and right-eye code signals to generate left-eye and right-eye decode signals; an error determining unit which determines an error of the left-eye and the right-eye code signals; an output determining unit which determines, when there is an error in one of the left-eye and the right-eye code signals, whether the one of the code signals that is determined as including an error has an error data mount equal to or greater than a first threshold; and an output unit which outputs neither the left-eye nor the right-eye code signal when the error data amount is smaller than the first threshold, and outputs only the decode signal obtained by decoding the other of the code signals when the error data amount is equal to or greater than the first threshold.
US08964858B2
Systems and methods for analyzing the performance of a digital network include capturing a stream of digital data, e.g., interne protocol (IP) packets, that represent streaming video, identifying which of the IP packets include bit errors, determining to which of a plurality of pixels the IP packets including bit errors belong and identifying such pixels as corrupted pixels, and illuminating only the corrupted pixels on a display of a tool. Corrupted pixels in different time blocks can be displayed with different colors to gain a better appreciation of the bit error rate over time.
US08964855B2
A transmission apparatus receives information used to identify video data in which an error occurs on a communication path, and changes a coding mode in which data coding is performed by referring to video data in other frame so that video data coded by referring to the video data corresponding to the identification information is coded in a coding mode in which data coding is performed without referring to the video data in the other frame. Further, the transmission apparatus codes video data in the changed coding mode.
US08964853B2
A filter unit of a video encoder or video decoder can determine a first metric for a group of pixels within a block of pixels based on a comparison of a subset of the pixels in the block to other pixels in the block; determine a filter based on the first metric; and generate a filtered image by applying the filter to the group of pixels. The subset of pixels can be selected to not include pixels on the boundary of the block of pixels.
US08964852B2
A filter unit determines a mapping of range combinations to filters. Each range combination includes a range for a first metric and a range for a second metric. The filter unit determines a unique range combination identification (ID) for each range combination, with each unique range combination ID corresponding to a sequential value. The filter unit assigns a unique group ID to each group of range combinations. A group of range combinations includes range combinations mapped to the same filter, and the unique group IDs correspond to a set of sequential values. The filter unit signals or reconstructs coefficients for the filters in an order based on the sequential values of the group IDs.
US08964851B2
Dual-mode compression of images/videos for reliable real-time transmission includes a scalable block-based video compression. The method provides graceful quality degradations in case of channel bandwidth changes. Prediction for encoding is avoided, and the process is less complex with less memory requirements. The method involves processing each block independently with the advantage that errors are not able to propagate beyond current block boundaries. Two different encoding modes are used, natural image coding for acquired images and graphics coding for computer generated images. The proper encoding mode is chosen by comparing performance of the two modes for a particular block to be encoded. An embedded bitstream is generated by the encoder in accordance to the available channel bandwidth.
US08964850B2
A method for transforming an image expressed in terms of a first image encoding to a second image encoding, includes converting a set of original scene exposure-factor values into corresponding first and second image encoding values. A transform is then derived between the first image encoding values and the second image encoding values. The transform is then applied to an image encoded in said first image encoding. Examples of different encoding that can be transformed include Rec. 709, sRGB and other known image encoding standards. A system for performing such transformations as well as an electronic device that is capable of performing such transformations are also disclosed.
US08964847B2
An image coding method bitstream includes: determining a maximum number of a merging candidate which is a combination of a prediction direction, a motion vector, and a reference picture index for use in coding of a current block; deriving a first merging candidate; determining whether or not a total number of the first merging candidate is smaller than the maximum number; deriving a second merging candidate when it is determined that the total number of the first merging candidate is smaller than the maximum number; selecting a merging candidate for use in the coding of the current block from the first merging candidate and the second merging candidate; and coding, using the maximum number, an index for identifying the selected merging candidate, and attaching the coded index to the bitstream.
US08964843B2
An image processing method includes: a frame selection step for selecting a base frame and a reference frame; an image displacement amount calculation step for calculating an image displacement amount between the reference frame and the base frame; a weighting coefficient generation step for generating a weighting coefficient using at least one of an encoding type of the reference frame and the motion information of the encoded moving image data; and an image quality improvement step for improving an image quality of the base frame using the image displacement amount calculated in the image displacement amount calculation step and the weighting coefficient generated in the weighting coefficient generation step.
US08964835B2
Systems and methods of processing video data are provided. Video data having a series of video frames is received and processed. One or more instances of a candidate feature are detected in the video frames. The previously decoded video frames are processed to identify potential matches of the candidate feature. When a substantial amount of portions of previously decoded video frames include instances of the candidate feature, the instances of the candidate feature are aggregated into a set. The candidate feature set is used to create a feature-based model. The feature-based model includes a model of deformation variation and a model of appearance variation of instances of the candidate feature. The feature-based model compression efficiency is compared with the conventional video compression efficiency.
US08964834B2
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for encoding/decoding an image, and to a method and apparatus for recording a quantization parameter differential value based on a quadtree segmentation in a largest coding unit (LCU), and adaptively predicting a quantization parameter value based on context information of a neighboring coding unit (CU). The method and apparatus for encoding/decoding a quantization parameter based on a quadtree structure may effectively present block information having a quantization parameter differential value based on segmentation information of a CU, and may perform an adaptive prediction of a quantization parameter value using the context information of the neighboring CU such as a block size, block segmentation, quantization parameter value, and the like.
US08964828B2
Techniques for managing power consumption and computational load on a processor during video processing and decoding are provided. One representative embodiment discloses a method of processing a data stream that includes video data. According to the method, one or more protocols used to create the data stream are identified. The various parsing and decoding operations required by the protocol are then identified and managed based on the available electrical power or available processing power. Another representative embodiment discloses a method of processing a data stream that includes video data. According to the method, one or more protocols used to create the data stream are identified. The various parsing and decoding operations required by the protocol are then identified and managed based on a visual quality of the video or a quality of experience.
US08964823B2
A measuring device is provided that includes a first transformation device, a first time-quantization device and a selection device. The first transformation device implements a transformation of at least one signal into the frequency domain. The first time-quantization device subdivides at least one signal into several signals disposed in time succession. The selection device implements a selection of partial signals suitable for a measurement.
US08964822B2
A modem is disclosed. An embodiment thereof includes: a first interface arranged to connect to a network, a second interface arranged to connect to a host processor on the terminal, an audio interface arranged to connect to an audio processing means and a processing unit arranged to receive a plurality of parameters from the terminal via the second interface. The plurality of parameters are associated with a call established by the host processor to at least one further terminal connected to the network; wherein the processing unit is further arranged to receive input voice data from the audio processing means, process the input voice data in dependence on at least one of said parameters; and transmit the processed input voice data via the first interface to the at least one further terminal over said network during the call in dependence on a further at least one of said parameters.
US08964819B2
An asymmetric mixed-mode transceiver may determine to communicate with a destination powerline communication device. The asymmetric mixed-mode transceiver may determine whether an operational mode associated with the destination powerline communication device is a multiple-output multiple-input (MIMO) mode or a single-output single-input (SISO) mode. The asymmetric mixed-mode transceiver may dynamically change its operational mode to either the MIMO mode or the SISO mode to match the operational mode of the destination powerline communication device. The asymmetric mixed-mode transceiver may receive a communication from a source powerline communication device. The asymmetric mixed-mode transceiver may determine whether an operational mode associated with the source powerline communication device is the MIMO mode or the SISO mode. The asymmetric mixed-mode transceiver may dynamically change its operational mode to match the operational mode of the source powerline communication device.
US08964818B2
A short reach communication system includes a plurality of communication SERDES that communicate data over a short reach channel medium such as a backplane connection (e.g., PCB trace) between, for example, chips located on a common PCB. A multi-level modulated data signal is generated to transmit/receive data over the short reach channel medium. Multi-level modulated data signals, such as four-level PAM, reduce the data signal rate therefore reducing insertion loss, power, complexity of the circuits and required chip real estate.
US08964817B2
According to a wireless repeating system of the invention, a first analog signal is digitally converted at a first sampling frequency, a converted original digital signal is oversampled at a second sampling frequency higher than the first sampling frequency, an image digital signal occupying a specific frequency band out of plural image digital signals generated by zero-interpolation is extracted via a digital filter, and the image digital signal is input to a delta-sigma demodulator to convert to a second analog signal and output the second analog signal.
US08964816B2
A configurable transceiver and method of operation are disclosed that may dynamically switch between a direct-conversion mode and a direct-sampling mode based, at least in part, upon a frequency component of a receive and/or transmit signal. When in the direct-conversion mode, the transceiver may operate as a direct-conversion transceiver, and when in the direct-sampling mode, the transceiver may operate as a direct-sampling transceiver. For some embodiments, a frequency of the receive signal and/or the transmit signal may be compared with a predetermined frequency threshold value to generate a mode signal, and the mode signal may be used to select between the direct-conversion mode and the direct-sampling mode.
US08964803B2
A light source apparatus includes a laser oscillator equipped with a first optical resonator, a plurality of second optical resonators including input portions respectively connected in parallel to the first optical resonator, a plurality of light extraction units configured to extract a light beam from an output portion of each second optical resonator, and a light multiplexing unit configured to multiplex the light beam extracted from each light extraction unit, wherein the light source apparatus causes the light multiplexing unit to output a multiplexed light beam passed through the plurality of second optical resonators, an optical member having refractive index dispersion and an optical amplification medium are disposed in each of the plurality of second optical resonators, and the optical amplification media of the plurality of second optical resonators are different from each other in maximum gain wavelength.
US08964799B2
The present invention relates to a Q-switching-induced gain-switched erbium pulse laser system, capable of generating erbium laser pulses within the 2.5 μm to 3.0 μm wavelength region, by means of Q-switching operation at 1.6 μm. At first, an Er3+-doped gain medium is pumped and Q-switched at the wavelength region from 1.58 μm to 1.62 μm, so that a Q-switched pulse is formed from the Er3+-doped gain medium. The Q-switched pulse results in an instant positive population inversion between the levels 4I11/2 and 4I13/2 of the Er3+-doped gain medium, followed by a gain-switched laser pulse at the wavelength region from 2.5 μm to 3.0 μm.
US08964798B2
A laser system for semiconductor inspection includes a fiber-based fundamental light source for generating fundamental light that is then converted/mixed by a frequency conversion module to generate UV-DUV laser light. The fundamental light source includes a nonlinear chirp element (e.g., a Bragg grating or an electro-optic modulator) that adds a nonlinear chirp to the seed light laser system prior to amplification by the fiber amplifier(s) (e.g., doped fiber or Raman amplifiers). The nonlinear chirp includes an x2 or higher nonlinearity and is configured to compensate for the Self Phase Modulation (SPM) characteristics of the fiber-based amplifiers such that fundamental light is generated that has a spectral E95 bandwidth within five times that of the seed light. When multiple series-connected amplifiers are used, either a single nonlinear chirp element is provided before the amplifier string, or chirp elements are included before each amplifier.
US08964793B2
A method of configuring downlink timings and transmitting a random access response message is provided for a random access procedure in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system supporting carrier aggregation. The method for adjusting timing of a terminal in a wireless communication system supporting carrier aggregation of at least one carrier includes transmitting a Random Access Preamble to a base station, and receiving a Random Access Response with a Timing Advance Command (TAC) for commanding uplink timing adjustment from the base station, wherein the Random Access Response comprises information indicating a Timing Advance Group (TAG) to which the TAC is applied.
US08964791B2
A method and apparatus automatically maintains a JESD204 serial data link (252) as active by using an idle signal (254) and multiplexer selection circuit (247) to selectively switch signal data samples (246) and dummy samples (0, . . . 0) onto a serial interface input to a JESD module (248) for serialization into a plurality of symbols for transmission over the JESD204 serial data link (252) in response to a transmit clock signal (253) so that serialized symbols generated from signal data samples are transmitted when there are signal data samples available, and serialized symbols generated from dummy samples are transmitted when there are no signal data samples available.
US08964783B2
As part of a communication session, a wireless source device can transmit audio and video data to a wireless sink device, and the wireless sink device can transmit user inputs received at the wireless sink device back to the wireless source device. In this manner, a user of the wireless sink device can control the wireless source device and control the content that is being transmitted from the wireless source device to the wireless sink device. As part of transmitting user input to the source device, the sink device can generate a data packet that identifies a user input category for the user input, and the source device can process the data packet based on the user input category.
US08964781B2
Aspects relate to a Remote NodeB Relay that appears similar to a NodeB, a Radio Network Controller (RNC), and served mobile devices. Also provided is a Super-Light Router Relay that can provide better performance and QoS to served mobile devices while mitigating modifications to mobile devices, NodeBs, or interfaces between RNC and intermediary NodeBs. Aspects also relate to an Internet Protocol (IP) Relay that requires few, if any, modifications to mobile devices, NodeBs, or interfaces between RNC and intermediary NodeBs. Further, changes to an RNC and/or a core network can be mitigated though utilization of a strategic Relay Gateway.
US08964778B2
A communication control device includes: a first processing unit that converts an electrical signal received by a communication channel into digital data and outputs the digital data, and in a second operation mode in which an amount of power supplied to the communication control device is lower than in a first operation mode, outputs a notification signal upon receiving an electrical signal indicating an arrival of packet data; a clock controller that, in the second operation mode, initiates supplying a clock signal upon receiving the notification signal; and a second processing unit that (i) has a receiving unit that extracts packet data from the digital data and outputs the extracted packet data, and (ii) in the second operation mode, stops receiving packet data during a time that the clock signal is not supplied, and upon reception of the clock signal, starts receiving packet data using the received clock signal.
US08964766B2
A network environment capable of performing a smooth and comfortable TCP session operation is provided to a user. The session relay equipment includes a bridge portion which relays a session by which a sequence of packets are transmitted and received between terminals connected with each other via a network; a socket information table which has socket information containing (1) address information of the terminal and (2) protocol information used in the session, the socket information being associated with information on whether or not the session is to be terminated; and a service information table which has information on a communication service to be provided for each service provision unit, the communication service being identified based on predetermined information within a header of the packet. The bridge portion terminates the session and executes a communication service based on the information contained in the header of the packet and the socket information.
US08964758B2
A network element is configured to reduce the synchronization costs for implementing Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) Nonstop routing (NSR). The reduced synchronization costs are achieved by reducing the number of acknowledgement messages that are needed to be sent though reliable inter-process communication (IPC) between the active OSPF instance and the standby OSPF instance. The number of acknowledgement messages is reduced by tracking the link state advertisements (LSAs) that have been sent by the active OSPF instance to the standby OSPF instance and by the standby OSPF replying with an acknowledgement of only the last LSA in a group of LSAs received from the active OSPF instance, where the group can have a variety of boundaries such as a group of LSAs in an IPC message. This avoids having a significant number of acknowledgement messages sent through the IPC.
US08964745B2
Examples of a SPB based multicast forwarding method are disclosed. Bridges in a SPBM network perform a multicast monitoring process, learn about multicast router and members of the IP multicast group, and notify other bridges in the SPBM network of the information through a SPB-ISIS LSP. A SPBM bridge in the SPBM network receives and parses the SPB-ISIS LSP, and configures the ingress and egress of the bridge, so as to guide the forwarding of IP multicast packets.
US08964734B2
A communication system 100 includes a content management system 221 determining a programming schedule and a video transport processing system 223 receiving a content file in forming a transport stream from the content file having a plurality of packets, each having a header with a first packet identifier in the header and a data portion. The communication system 100 further includes a content repository 274 storing the content in a satellite transport processing system 250 changing the first packet identifier to a second packet identifier in response to the programming schedule and communicating the transport stream to a user device.
US08964730B2
A method and apparatus relate to receiving and storing data through an interface for an Internet Protocol (IP) telephone database. The interface receives a request related to provisioning a function of an IP telephone. In response to receiving the request, data from the IP telephone database may be transmitted to the IP telephone to be used to provision the function.
US08964729B2
A method, equipment, and a mobile communication system for realizing explicit call transfer are provided. The method for realizing explicit call transfer includes the following steps. A service centralization & continuity application server (SCC AS) receives a call request sent by a second user equipment (UE), and sends the call request to a third UE, in which an instruction for replacing a call between a first UE and the third UE is carried in the call request. A message returned by the third UE according to the call request is received, and the third UE is controlled to establish a connection with the second UE and to break a connection with the first UE. The third UE is an IP multimedia subsystem centralized service user equipment (ICS UE).
US08964727B2
A packetised data network includes IP telephones (ITs) and a network intelligence (NI). All of the keys of each IT are “soft” keys (i.e., they have no fixed function). The NI associates a configuration data structure with the IT which correlates the keys with functions, and, based on this, may control the display of the IT to indicate the current function of certain of the soft keys. Some of the functions are requests for data services at the telephone (e.g., video or programmed audio over the internet). When a user requests such a service with a key press, the NI sets up the service between the data source and the telephone. This may require associating a new configuration data structure with the keys of the IT. The IT user may activate multiple data services through the NI.
US08964725B1
The present invention provides a terminal adaptor and service node, which cooperate to allow a POTS-based telephone terminal to initiate calls to entities having addresses only associated with a packet network. When the telephone terminal initiates a call to the communication terminal, a reference number is provided to the terminal adaptor. The terminal adaptor will initiate a packet session with the communication terminal by sending an initiation message including the reference number to the service node. The service node will use the reference number to identify the corresponding address. With the address, the service node will aid in establishing the packet session between the terminal adaptor and the communication terminal. The terminal adaptor will support a traditional analog connection with the telephone terminal, and provide the requisite interworking between the analog connection and the packet session to support a call between the communication terminal and the telephone terminal.
US08964719B2
A method and apparatus for allocating subcarriers in an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) system is described. In one embodiment, the method comprises allocating at least one diversity cluster of subcarriers to a first subscriber and allocating at least one coherence cluster to a second subscriber.
US08964703B2
A system and method for facilitating resource management in OFDM systems is provided. The system permits different and flexible resource cell metric operations levels (e.g. uplink load management, admission control, congestion control, signal handoff control) for different sub-bands. For the uplink load management, there are multiple distinct load operation points (e.g. IoT, RoT) per sub-band group instead of the same operation level across the entire available band. The sub-band groups encompass the entire band. The facilitation system also comprises a variety of transmitting protocols, command increment variable stepsize methods and robust command response methods. The system thus provides more flexible reverse link resource management and more efficient utilization of the bandwidth.
US08964702B1
In systems and methods of controlling wireless device communication, a first request is received for a performance of a handover of a wireless device from a first access node shared by a first network operator and a second network operator to a second access node controlled only by the second network operator. A rejection response is sent preventing the performance of the handover, and a handover prevention value is set to prevent the sending of a second request for the performance of a handover of the wireless device from the first access node to the second access node.
US08964701B2
A mobile station determines, in accordance with reception quality of a radio signal from a base station, a measurement cycle of a predetermined measurement on a link status and/or on/off of the predetermined measurement and controls execution of the predetermined measurement based on the determination.
US08964698B2
A method and mechanism to detect failure of an S102 link between an Evolved Packet Core, EPC, network based Mobility Management Entity, MME, and an Interworking System, IWS, in a Mobile Switching Center, MSC, pool deploying Circuit Switched Fallback, CSFB, for the EPC network. A heartbeat message exchange between an MME-IWS pair augments the current standards to provide a simple and direct method to monitor the application layer status of the S102 link between the EPC-based MME and the MSC pool-based IWS. Upon detecting a link failure, message flows can be quickly re-routed to another S102 link or MSC. Reverse use of an A21 Event Notification message from an IWS to MME, or a re-assigned IWS's delayed acknowledgement of an initial call-related message from an MME also augment the current standards to address IWS relocation related message-bouncing in MSC pool-based deployments of CSFB, thereby allowing efficient routing of messages.
US08964693B2
The present invention disclose a method for notifying the change of cell information, which comprises: a first base station sends a serving cell change message to a second base station, wherein the serving cell change message carries one or more of the following information: cell adding information, cell deleting information, cell modifying information; in response to the serving cell change message, the second base station updates local information according to the information carried in the serving cell change message. With the present invention, the neighboring cell list may be updated in time, the management of the neighboring cell list performed by the base station is facilitated, and the switching strategy is optimized.
US08964691B2
A communication system is provided that implements an inter-technology SRVCC handoff without the need for an SRVCC indicator. A user equipment (UE) establishes a communication session that comprises a voice component in a packet data network. In response to determining to handoff the session to a target network, the communication system determines that the session comprises a voice component based on a call-type identifier, preferably a QoS Class Identifier (QCI), that is associated with a voice call and further determines that a target network is a circuit switched network based on configuration information maintained in association with the target network. In response to determining that the session comprises a voice component, that the target network is a circuit switched network, and, based on a profile of the UE, that the UE is capable of operation in single radio mode, the communication system determines to implement a SRVCC handoff procedure.
US08964690B2
Method and apparatus for optimizing network entry during handoffs in a wireless communication system
A method and apparatus for optimizing network entry during handoffs in a wireless communication network (100) includes receiving (302) target ranging codes from a serving network node (220), wherein each of the target ranging codes identifies one of a plurality of target network nodes. A handoff request is transmitted (304) to the serving network node (220), wherein the handoff request indicates a target ranging code (230) identifying at least one of the plurality of target network nodes. In reply to the handoff request, a handoff request response is received (310) from the serving network node that includes a unique handoff ranging code, wherein the unique handoff ranging code is different from the target ranging code. After receiving the handoff request response, ranging is initiated using the unique handoff ranging code (316) with the identified target network node (230).
US08964689B2
Disclosed are a method and an apparatus for operating multi-band and multi-cell. An Enhanced Node B (eNB) transmits a synchronization channel and a broadcasting channel for narrow-band user equipments (UEs) through a first band narrower than a system band, the first band being located in a center band of the system band, and transmits a control channel for scheduling a data channel for a first narrow-band UE which is one of the narrow-band UEs through a second band equal to or wider than the first band, the second band not overlapping the first band within the system band. The first band is designed to be matched to a band where the synchronization channel and the broadcasting channel of a host cell using an entire system band are transmitted.
US08964684B2
The present invention relates to a wireless communication system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for a macro base station transmitting control information, comprising the following steps: transmitting to a pico base station assignment information regarding a first set of subframes with limited downlink signal transmission; transmitting to the pico base station assignment information regarding a second set of subframes which belong to a first set of subframes; and transmitting the control information by means of the first set of subframes, wherein the control information for the macro base station is transmitted from subframes in the first set of subframes which do not belong to the second set of subframes, and the control information for the pico base station is transmitted from the subframes in the first set of subframes which belong to the second set of subframes.
US08964682B2
A method of transmitting data in a wireless communication system is provided. The method comprises mapping service data onto a first set of multiple Physical Layer Pipes (PLPs), mapping the first set of multiple PLPs onto a first set of logical frames, wherein each of the first set of logical frames is of the same size, forming a first logical channel comprising the first set of logical frames, and transmitting the mapped service data over a target delivery system.
US08964680B2
Improving transmission control protocol (TCP) uplink performance of a wireless user equipment (UE) device which multiplexes radio resources between multiple radio access technologies (RATs). Radio control may be provided to a radio resource control (RRC) entity that operates according to a first RAT at a first time. The first RAT may utilize TCP packet-switched (PS) communications. As a second time, radio control may be provided to an RRC entity that operates according to a second RAT which utilizes circuit-switched communications in order to check for paging messages. Radio control by the first RAT's RRC entity may be suspended while radio control is provided to the second RAT's RRC entity. An indication that radio control by the first RAT's RRC entity is suspended may be provided to a TCP entity that operates according to the first RAT. The TCP entity may suspend an uplink retransmission timer in response to the indication.
US08964679B2
In some implementations, a method implemented in an eNodeB base station (eNB) for a single carrier frequency division multiple access SC-FDMA within a wireless system includes receiving information within an SC-FDMA uplink shared channel signal on a recurring scheduling request resource. The received information comprises a user ID. A message granting at least a portion of an SC-FDMA resource is transmitted to a UE associated with the user ID.
US08964678B2
In some implementations, a method implemented in an eNodeB base station (eNB) for a single carrier frequency division multiple access SC-FDMA wireless system includes receiving an uplink control channel signal on an assigned scheduling request resource. A user ID is decoded from the received uplink control channel signal. A message assigning a portion of a resource of the wireless system to a UE associated with the decoded user ID is transmitted.
US08964677B2
The present invention relates to a method for allowing a station (STA) operable in a plurality of frequency bands to perform a fast session transfer (FST) to a white space band in a wireless local area network (WLAN), and a station device therefore. When an FST is performed, if a band to which mobility is desired through the FST is a white space band, a multi-band element transmitted in an FST request message is suggested to additionally include particular white space information for available channel information acquisition, which is not used by a licensed user in the white space band. Said particular white space information may contain information that indicates whether a target channel is an available channel, and/or performance (apparatus type) in a white space band of a station that requests an FST.
US08964670B2
The present invention relates to a method in which a terminal transmits uplink control information in a wireless communication system using multiple carriers. The method comprises the following steps: receiving, from a base station, indication information that indicates whether or not to use multiple uplink control resources; determining a first uplink control resource on the basis of a specific control channel element (CCE) index of the CCE received from the base station; and, if the indication information indicates to use multiple uplink control resources, applying a predetermined rule to the specific CCE index to determine a second uplink control resource.
US08964662B2
A method and system for managing a body area network using a coordinator device. The method includes acquiring a medical implant communication service (MICS) channel by an MICS transceiver in the coordinator device. The method also includes sending a signal, indicative of a wake-up process, in a non-MICS channel to an implant device and a command signal, indicative of joining a piconet, by the MICS transceiver to an implant device. Further, the method also includes receiving an acknowledgement signal by the MICS transceiver of the coordinator device based on the sending of the command signal to the implant device. The acknowledgement signal comprises a security control field. Furthermore, the method includes initiating security procedures based on the security control field. Further, the method also includes exchanging data between the coordinator device and the implant device based on the initiating and disassociating the implant device by sending a command message.
US08964660B2
The present invention is directed to a wireless communication system. Particularly, the present invention is directed to a method and an apparatus of transmitting ACK/NACK (acknowledgement/negative-ACK) signal at a user equipment in a wireless communication system, the method comprising: receiving a plurality of data blocks from a transmitting end; reserving a plurality of PUCCH (physical uplink control channel) resources for transmission of the ACK/NACK signal; mapping ACK/NACK hypothesis for the plurality of the data blocks to a PUCCH resource group including at least two reserved PUCCH resources; and transmitting at least two modulation symbols corresponding to the ACK/NACK hypothesis to the transmitting end via the PUCCH resource group.
US08964655B2
To reduce and/or guarantee the round-trip delay of interactive processes, cooperative scheduling in forward and backward direction is proposed. In practice, a basic idea is to estimate the delay of packets of different users during network-based scheduling of packets in forward direction. During scheduling of packets in backward direction, packets of those users having larger delay in forward direction are given higher priority based on the estimated delay. In this way the total round-trip delay can be reduced and/or even guaranteed. This means that more users will be satisfied and experience faster connections to services.
US08964647B2
A new deployment model enables a seamless migration to LTE (long term evolution)/EPC (Evolved packet core). In addition, an intelligent edge gateway (IEG) supports future distributed architecture and a converged network for service providers. Specifically, the model supports existing data services (e.g. UMTS) and the delivery of LTE services does not affect the existing data services. Moreover, a distributed architecture is employed, such that, local traffic is optimally routed at the edge and backhaul is minimized. The system can also provide support for enhanced Femto cell 3GPP access to a home network.
US08964644B2
A method includes receiving at a circuit an information on a partitioned time interval wherein the partitioned time interval includes a first time element and a second, different time element. The method further includes determining a single-cell feedback information based on first data wherein the first data is received by the circuit during the first time element. The method further includes determining a multi-cell feedback information based on second data wherein the second data is received by the circuit during the second time element.
US08964643B2
The disclosure is related to distributing a network load in overlay heterogeneous networks. A call connection request may receive from user equipment. A user preferred network may be identified based on predetermined network access priority information associated with the user equipment. Network redirection may be determined based on the user preferred network. Network redirection information may be created based on the determined network redirection.
US08964634B2
A network bridging adaptor and method for enabling nodes to access a multi-tier wireless home mesh network is described. The network bridging adaptor is adapted to operate in an ad hoc network having access restricted to only wireless nodes that are provided from a common entity. According to one embodiment of the invention, the network bridging adaptor comprises a housing; one or more ports positioned along a side of the housing to receive data from an electronic device; a first radio logic unit contained within the housing and adapted to transmit and receive messages in order to detect a presence of the ad hoc network; and a second radio logic unit contained within the housing and adapted to operate as an access point by establishing communications with nodes that are provided by an entity different than the common entity. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08964632B2
Some embodiments provide a method for channel estimation in a wireless device. According to the method, the wireless device obtains an indication that a set of antenna ports, or antenna port types, share at least one channel property. The wireless device then estimates one or more of the shared channel properties based at least on a first reference signal received from a first antenna port included in the set, or having a type corresponding to one of the types in the set. Furthermore, the wireless device performs channel estimation based on a second reference signal received from a second antenna port included in the set, or having a type corresponding to one of the types in the set, wherein the channel estimation is performed using at least the estimated channel properties.
US08964623B2
The present invention relates to a wireless communication system, and provides a method and an apparatus for transmitting a downlink reference signal in the wireless communication system. The method for enabling a base station to transmit the reference signal to a terminal using layers of 8 or less in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention comprises the steps of: transmitting data for the layers of 8 or less through a data domain of a downlink sub frame; and transmitting a reference signal for the layers of 8 or less on a fixed OFDM symbol of the downlink sub frame, wherein the reference signal is a DRS (Dedicated Reference Signal) which demodulates the data for the layers of 8 or less, and the reference signal for the layers of 8 or less is separated into 1st and 2nd groups, and reference signals of the 1st and 2nd groups can be multiplexed in a CDM (Code Division Multiplexing) method on one resource element, respectively.
US08964621B2
Techniques for transmitting and receiving a reference signal in a wireless network are described. In one design, a UE may generate multiple transmissions of a reference signal at multiple frequency locations. The UE may send the transmissions of the reference signal in multiple symbol periods of at least one subframe. The UE may send at least two transmissions of the reference signal in each subframe, e.g., one transmission of the reference signal in each symbol period of a subframe. Each transmission of the reference signal may cover a portion of the bandwidth of the reference signal and may be sent on a set of contiguous subcarriers at a particular frequency location. The multiple transmissions of the reference signal may cover the entire bandwidth of the reference signal. A location estimate for the UE may be determined based on time of arrivals (TOAs) of the reference signal measured by multiple receiver stations.
US08964617B2
Access terminals are adapted to regulate power in wireless receiver circuits. In one example, access terminals include a communications interface with at least one wireless receiver circuit. A processing circuit coupled with the communications interface can receive a transmission during a Frequency Correction Channel (FCCH) frame. Following the received transmission, at least a portion of the receiver circuit may be powered down. A determination may also be made whether the received transmission was reliable. The receiver circuit can subsequently be powered up, and another transmission can be received on a subsequent channel. When the received transmission was sufficiently reliable, the other transmission may be a transmission during a Synchronization Channel (SCH) frame. When the received transmission is not sufficiently reliable, the other transmission may be another transmission received during a subsequent Frequency Correction Channel (FCCH) frame. Other aspects, embodiments, and features are also claimed and described.
US08964616B2
A system, method and apparatus allocating reserved space for discontinuous reception (DRX) schedule period schedule messages (SM) to accommodate scheduling information for messages already received as well as messages expected to be received prior to transmitting the SM to user equipment.
US08964609B2
The present disclosure is directed to a system and method for operating a user agent (UA) and access device located within a communications cell according to a half-duplex (HD), frequency-division duplexing (FDD) protocol. The system and method are designed to accommodate a guard period (GP) between downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) communications from the UA, while addressing the loss of at least part of the DL communication before a subsequent UL subframe to accommodate the GP.
US08964604B2
Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and devices for improved audio, video, and data conferencing. The present invention provides a conferencing system comprising a plurality of endpoints communicating data including audio data and control data according to a communication protocol. A local conference endpoint may control or be controlled by a remote conference endpoint. Data comprising control signals may be exchanged between the local endpoint and remote endpoint via various communication protocols. In other embodiments, the present invention provides for improved bridge architecture for controlling functions of conference endpoints including controlling functions of the bridge.
US08964600B2
Methods are provided for overlaying a virtual network on a physical network in a data center environment. An overlay system is arranged in an overlay virtual network to include an overlay agent and an overlay helper. The overlay agent is implemented in an access switch. The overlay helper is implemented in an end station that is in communication with the access switch. Overlay parameters in compliance with an in-band protocol are transmitted between the overlay agent and the overlay helper.
US08964598B2
Some embodiments provide a network architecture that includes several lower level managed switching elements for forwarding network data to several of network hosts. The network architecture includes a set of higher level managed switching elements. The several lower level managed switching elements and the set of higher level managed switching elements implement several logical datapath sets. Communication channels are established among the several lower level managed switching elements and the set of higher level managed switching elements based on a mesh topology.
US08964596B1
In an embodiment, a computer-implemented method provides a service on a network. The method includes the following steps: (a) requesting, on a router, executable instructions from a remote server, the executable instructions specifying how the router is to operate to provide a service requested for a user of the network; (b) receiving the instructions; (c) initializing, on the router, a thread to execute the received instructions; (d) determining that a configuration of the router has changed; and (e) when the configuration of the router is determined to have changed, executing, on the initialized thread, the instructions to apply the service in accordance with the change in the router's configuration.
US08964595B2
Techniques are disclosed for network and/or evaluation and selection based on received signal strength at a device. For example, an received signal strength indicator (RSSI) can be measured (e.g., using Android API or other suitable methods). Then, the measured RSSI level can be compared against a threshold RSSI level, which can be determined on a device-by-device basis. In some embodiments, the RSSI values can assist the network evaluation and selection in certain situations, for example, where WiFi network quality is degraded because of locational movement and not backbone structure, and/or where there are multiple access points (APs) providing WiFi networks under the same SSID and each AP having different effective coverage. Further, in some embodiments, the RSSI values can provide the capabilities of WiFi AP suspension based on MAC addresses. In some embodiments, the RSSI values can be adopted to trigger QoE measurements.
US08964585B2
The present invention relates to a method for limiting measurement reports by limiting objects of measurement and evaluation for a measurement report, and user equipment therefore. The method for limiting measurement reports by user equipment in a mobile communication system according to the present invention comprises: receiving a cell list that includes information about at least one cell; receiving a measurement setup message that includes a measurement limiting command for limiting objects of measurement and evaluation to the at least one cell included in the cell list; measuring the quality of signals that are received from neighbor cells; performing the measurement and evaluation on the basis of the signal quality having been measured to determine whether the quality measurement should be reported; and transmitting a measurement report message that includes the information about measurement reports generated in accordance with the measurement and evaluation, wherein, in the measurement and evaluation step, whether the measurement should be reported is evaluated only for a received signal from the at least one cell included in the cell list.
US08964583B2
A measuring device for determining the channel-quality feedback quality of mobile stations contains a base station, a mobile station and a measuring unit. The measuring unit contains at least two antennas and a processing device. The measuring unit and the mobile station receive signals in each case by means of at least two antennas from the same at least two antennas of the base station. The mobile station determines a channel-quality feedback value from the signals it has received. The processing device determines the orthogonality of the signals received by the measuring unit. The processing device determines a channel-quality feedback value from the orthogonality. From this and from the channel-quality feedback value of the mobile station, the processing device determines the quality of the latter.
US08964580B2
Techniques for the discovery of a topology of varying complexity and discovery of the capability of the devices of the topology include querying a plurality of node devices for node data. At least an initial portion of node data of one or more node devices is received in response to the query. In addition, previously determined node data is retrieved from a cache. The initial portion of node data is correlated to the previously determined node data to deduce node data for one or more node devices within a predetermined period of time. It is to be appreciated that the deduced node data may include node data beyond the initial portion of node data and/or node data for other node devices beyond the initially responding node devices. The deduced node data may then be reported to an operating system.
US08964575B2
A video-communication service in a mobile communication network using a packet-switched connection, in which a monitoring of a radio channel portion is performed at the mobile stations of the users involved in the communication. Parameters of the video communication (e.g. the coding rate) are adjusted based on a result of the monitoring of the radio channel portion.
US08964566B2
In one embodiment, each node in a computer network determines a shortest looping ring back to the node through each of its neighbors. Each of these rings may then be marked in a particular direction, ensuring that any ring that shares a link with another ring is marked in such a way that the shared link is in the same direction in each of the rings that share the link. The links that are marked in the particular direction may be stored as part of a first topology. Conversely, the opposite direction on the links (e.g., bidirectional links or parallel unidirectional links) may be stored as a second topology that is link-disjoint from the first topology.
US08964565B2
Method for use in updating a routing information base of a node of a network, said routing information base comprising for each destination node of a number of destination nodes in said network a number of paths; wherein an update message with routing information is sent in said network from a first node to a peer of the first node, said first node having a first routing information base; wherein the update message comprises: a selected path for a first destination node of said number of destination nodes, said selected path comprising a next hop node adjacent the first node; at least one routing topology variable derived from the number of paths available for said first destination; said at least one routing topology variable being a measure for the risk on bottlenecks in the selected path.
US08964562B2
An exemplary method includes an interface device 1) detecting a request provided by a user device for a server to transmit data to the user device by way of a base station and a wireless network that connects the user device to the base station, 2) pre-fetching, in response to the request, the data from the server, 3) transmitting the pre-fetched data to the base station for forwarding by the base station to the user device by way of the wireless network, 4) dynamically receiving, as the interface system transmits the pre-fetched data to the base station, queue occupancy information from the base station, and 5) using the queue occupancy information to perform flow control with respect to the transmission of the pre-fetched data by the interface system to the base station. Corresponding methods and systems are also disclosed.
US08964561B2
A first access node of a first network utilizes code sequences, assigned to different user devices, to distinguish at least acknowledgements received in parallel or sequentially from those user devices. The first access node determines from received signaling that a root sequence of the code sequences is in use by a second access node of a second network, then changes that root sequence of the code sequences assigned to the different user devices. In certain examples the access nodes are WLAN access points APs and the acknowledgements are received in response to a group probe/poll. In various embodiments the first AP monitors its neighbors' group probes/polls to learn the root sequences/basic service sets in use in those neighbor networks, or the AP's own stations monitor and send the information in neighbor reports. This latter option can be initiated by the stations themselves, or by the AP.
US08964555B1
A data network includes a plurality of end systems; a plurality of line data buses connected to the end systems; and a plurality of switches connected to the line data buses and to other switches via trunk data buses to define a star topology. The switches and end systems are configured to operate asynchronously. Each switch includes a number of packet schedulers for managing the transmission of received data flow. A number of effective line rate utilization mechanisms are each associated with a respective packet scheduler for providing the service rate of that packet scheduler. Switch egress ports transmit the received data flow. Each switch egress port has a defined configured effective transmission rate. Each effective line rate utilization mechanism reduces the utilization rate to the defined configured effective transmission rate.
US08964554B2
A method and system for network offloading includes receiving a packet at a communication interface of a wireless access point and processing the packet at a flow acceleration processor prior to processing the packet at a host processor. The flow acceleration processor may process the packet for header checking or security processing. The flow acceleration processor may provide the packet to a security coprocessor for security processing. The flow acceleration processor may generate a result code indicating whether the processing at the flow acceleration processor was successful. If the processing was unsuccessful, the packet is provided to the host processor for exception processing.
US08964547B1
An Infiniband port can be provided. The port can have an input buffer for storing received data, a flow control manager operable to detect an available space in the input buffer, and a packet generator operable to generate a flow control packet to advertise available space in the input buffer to a remote device transmitting data for storage in the input buffer. The flow control manager can be operable to trigger the packet generator to generate a flow control packet on the basis of at least one of a timer, a received data quantity characteristic for the input buffer and a buffer utilization characteristic for the input buffer.
US08964536B2
An apparatus and method enables a dynamic change from one carrier to another in a wireless telecommunication system. In one example, user equipment receives a preconfiguration message adapted to enable the user equipment to be preconfigured for an initial carrier and a subsequent carrier. Here, the user equipment initially communicates over an air interface utilizing the initial carrier frequency. Upon the satisfaction of certain conditions, such as one of the initial carriers being heavily loaded or nearing its capacity, a Node B provides an order to the user equipment to switch from its initial carrier to the secondary carrier, which was preconfigured. In this way, relatively rapid carrier switching provides for enhanced load balancing largely controlled by the Node B.
US08964528B2
For a network that includes several managed edge switching elements and several managed non-edge switching elements that are for implementing a logical switching element, some embodiments provide a method of distributing packet processing across the several managed non-edge switching elements. The method receives a packet for processing through the logical switching element. Based on a determination that the packet needs to be processed by a managed non-edge switching element, the method determines a particular managed non-edge switching element of the several managed non-edge switching elements to forward the packet. The method forwards the packet to the particular managed non-edge switching element for the particular managed non-edge switching element to process the packet.
US08964527B2
Provided are a method, system, computer storage device, and storage area network for maintaining a communication path from a host to a storage subsystem in a network. A storage subsystem controls data transfer and access to a storage devices in a network including a switch and a host. A topological storage stores topological coupling relationship between the host and the switch and a topological coupling relationship between the switch and the storage subsystem. In response to determining a failed path, the storage subsystem determines a first port on the storage subsystem in the failed path. The storage subsystem determines from the topology storage the topological coupling relationships between the host and the switch and the switch and the storage subsystem. The storage subsystem redirects, based on the topological coupling relationships, a message sent to the first port of the storage subsystem to an operational second port in the storage subsystem.
US08964521B2
Aspects of the invention described herein may enable a greenfield access mode in IEEE 802.11n WLAN systems in comparison to an alternative approach that may not provide greenfield access. The utilization of greenfield access may reduce the portion of time required to transmit data due to overhead comprising preamble fields and header fields. This may enable higher data throughput rates to be achieved. This may further enable more robust transmission of data by enabling comparable data rates to be maintained while reducing the coding rate of encoded transmitted data. The reduction of the coding rate may enable comparable data rates to be maintained for transmission via RF channels characterized by lower SNR while still achieving desired target levels of packet error rates. In another aspect of the invention, mixed mode access may be achieved while reducing the portion of time required for transmitting data due to overhead.
US08964519B2
The present invention provides a technology which estimates the most suitable cure time which changes with the environment when recording a hologram and adjusts the cure time in real time, thereby enabling a suitable pre-cure or post-cure. When irradiating an optical information recording medium with cure light, the light transmitted from the optical information recording medium is detected by a detector and the irradiation time is adjusted by continuing irradiation until the intensity of the transmitted light detected exceeds a prescribed reference value.
US08964518B2
A data recording apparatus and method using three dimensional (3D) optical memory and an authentication apparatus and method using 3D optical memory are provided. The data recording apparatus includes a recording excitation light splitting unit, a condition storage unit, and a data recording unit. The recording excitation light splitting unit splits recording excitation light into first split light and second split light. The condition storage unit stores recording conditions including information about the waveforms, wavelengths and phases of the split light and information about an arrangement of reflection mirrors configured to reflect the split light. The data recording unit records storage data by making the split light incident on the 3D optical memory through the reflection mirrors under the recording conditions.
US08964517B2
An optical system capable of obtaining a high-resolution image using interference and thus capable of providing a stable signal is realized. A particular polarization state of response light emitted from an object is selected, and light in the selected particular polarization state is split into two beams. The split two beams are polarized into two different polarization states. After one of the two beams is subjected to an image inversion, the two beams are condensed such that they interfere with each other. The interfering light is split into a plurality of beams, and each of these beams is detected after they are passed through different polarizing filters. Detected signals are combined together and processed to obtain high-stability amplitude information without being influenced by a phase difference between the two beams.
US08964516B2
An optical pickup of an optical disc device is configured to read a signal recorded in an optical disc. An envelope signal generation unit is configured to generate an envelope signal from the signal read by the optical pickup. An off-track level storage unit stores an off-track level. An off-track signal generation unit is configured to generate an off-track signal by binarizing the envelope signal, which is generated by the envelope signal generation unit, using the off-track level stored by the off-track level storage unit. A determination unit is configured to output a disc determination signal, which indicates whether the optical disc is a standard-density optical disc or a high-density optical disc in which a line density is higher than the standard density, based on the off-track signal generated by the off-track signal generation unit.
US08964507B2
Acoustic arrays transmitting and/or receiving multiple, angularly dispersed acoustic beams are used to generate 2D and 3D images. The acoustic arrays may comprise frequency-steered acoustic arrays provided in one-dimensional linear and two dimensional planar and curvilinear configurations, which may be operated as single order or multiple order arrays, may employ periodic or non-periodic transducer element spacing, and may be mechanically scanned to generate 2D and 3D volumetric data. Methods and systems for operating acoustic arrays in a frequency-steered mode in combination a mechanical beam steering mode, electronic time-delay and phase shift beam forming modes, and phase comparison angle estimation modes are also provided. Methods for generating two and three dimensional images of underwater target scenes using multi-beam acoustic imaging systems are disclosed.
US08964506B2
A sonar transducer network for observing a seabed includes a controller. A first transducer assembly includes a first acoustic transducer to convert a first ping to a first electrical signal; and a first transducer processor to receive a first electrical signal from the first acoustic transducer to generate the first transducer data. At least one second transducer assembly is spaced apart from the first transducer assembly. The second transducer assembly includes a second acoustic transducer to convert a second ping to a second electrical signal. The second transducer processor receives the second electrical signal from the second acoustical transducer to generate second transducer data. A network bus communicates first transducer data and second transducer data with the controller.
US08964496B2
The present disclosure includes apparatuses and methods related to performing compare and/or report operations using sensing circuitry. An example method can include charging an input/output (IO) line of a memory array to a voltage. The method can include determining whether data stored in the memory array matches a compare value. The determination of whether data stored matches a compare value can include activating a number of access lines of the memory array. The determination can include sensing a number of memory cells coupled to the number of access lines. The determination can include sensing whether the voltage of the IO line changes in response to activation of selected decode lines corresponding to the number of memory cells.
US08964486B2
A semiconductor memory device and an operating method thereof are provided. The semiconductor memory device includes: a memory cell array including a plurality of memory cells; and a peripheral circuit programming first, second, third, and fourth memory cells connected to one word line and successively arranged, among the plurality of memory cells, wherein the peripheral circuit is configured to program the first and fourth memory cells in a first interval and program the second and third memory cells in a second interval. A semiconductor memory device having enhanced performance characteristics and an operating method thereof are provided.
US08964485B2
A memory circuit includes a memory cell, a data line coupled to the memory cell, a sense amplifier having an input terminal, a precharge circuit coupled to the input terminal of the sense amplifier, a first transistor of a first type, and a second transistor of the first type. The first transistor is coupled between the input terminal of the sense amplifier and the data line, and the second transistor is coupled between to the input terminal of the sense amplifier and the data line. The first transistor has a first threshold voltage, and the second transistor has a second threshold voltage lower than the first threshold voltage.
US08964476B2
Nonvolatile memory devices, operating methods thereof, and memory systems including the same. A nonvolatile memory device may include a memory cell array and a word line driver. The memory cell array may include a plurality of memory cells. The word line driver may be configured to apply word line voltages to a plurality of word lines connected to the plurality of memory cells, respectively. Magnitudes of the word line voltages may be determined according to locations of the plurality of word lines.
US08964469B2
A system and method for storing data uses multiple flash memory dies. Each flash memory die includes multiple flash memory cells. A charge pump is adapted to supply charge at a predetermined voltage to each flash memory die of the flash memory dies, and an interface is adapted to receive instructions for controlling the charge pump.
US08964459B2
According to one embodiment, a magnetoresistive element includes a first magnetic layer, a second magnetic layer, a non-magnetic layer formed between the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer, a charge storage layer having a first surface and a second surface different from the first surface, the first surface facing the second magnetic layer, a first insulating layer formed between the second magnetic layer and the first surface of the charge storage layer, and a second insulating layer formed on the second surface of the charge storage layer.
US08964458B2
A magnetoresistive memory has first and second magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) elements operated differentially, each with a pinned magnetic layer and a free magnetic layer that can have field alignments that are parallel or anti-parallel, producing differential high and low resistance states representing a bit cell value. Writing a high resistance state to an element requires an opposite write current polarity through the pinned and free layers, and differential operation requires that the two MTJ elements be written to different resistance states. One aspect is to arrange or connect the layers in normal and reverse order relative to a current bias source, thereby achieving opposite write current polarities relative to the layers using the same current polarity relative to the current bias source. The differentially operated MTJ elements can supplement or replace single MTJ elements in a nonvolatile memory bit cell array.
US08964449B2
A semiconductor memory device selects one of a plurality of memory cells as a dummy memory cell. The dummy memory cell is connected to a bit line that is complementary to a bit line connected to a selected memory cell. This technique advantageously compensates capacitance of the bit line. The semiconductor memory device comprises a selected memory cell connected to a first bit line and a first word line, a dummy memory cell connected to a second bit line complementary to the first bit line and a second word line, and a sense amplifier connected to the first and second bit lines and configured to read data stored in the selected memory cell by simultaneously enablement of the first and second word lines.
US08964447B2
A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device comprises a cell array including a plurality of first lines, a plurality of second lines intersecting the plurality of first lines, and a plurality of memory cells arranged in matrix and connected at intersections of the first and second lines between both lines, each memory cell containing a serial circuit of an electrically erasable programmable variable resistive element of which resistance is nonvolatilely stored as data and a non-ohmic element; and a plurality of access circuits operative to simultaneously access the memory cells physically separated from each other in the cell array.
US08964445B1
In an embodiment of the invention, a method is provided for isolating a ferroelectric memory from a power supply during a write-back cycle or a write cycle of the ferroelectric memory. After it is determined that a write-back cycle or a write cycle will occur in the ferroelectric memory, the power supply is electrically disconnected from the ferroelectric memory before a write-back cycle or a write cycle occurs. Energy during the write-back cycle or the write cycle is provided to the ferroelectric memory by one or more capacitors in this embodiment. After the write-back cycle or the write cycle has ended, the power supply is electrically connected to the ferroelectric memory and the capacitors.
US08964440B2
A stack that includes non-volatile memory devices is disclosed. One of the non-volatile memory devices in the stack is a master device, and the remaining memory device or devices is a slave device(s).
US08964436B2
A transistor-based full-wave bridge rectifier is suitable for low A.C. input voltages such as received by a Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) device. Voltage drops due to bridge diodes are avoided. Four p-channel transistors are arranged in a bridge across the A.C. inputs to produce an internal power voltage. A comparator receives the A.C. input and controls timing of voltage boost drivers that alternately drive gates of the four p-channel transistors with voltages boosted higher than the peak A.C. voltage. Four diode-connected transistors are connected in parallel with the four p-channel bridge transistors to conduct during initial start-up before the comparator and boost drivers operate. Substrates are connected to the power voltage on the power-voltage half of the bridge and to the A.C. inputs on the ground half of the bridge to fully shut off transistors, preventing reverse current flow. The transistor bridge can be integrated onto system chips.
US08964426B2
A switched-mode power supply (SMPS) and a method of control thereof is described, wherein the SMPS is operable to apply a spread spectrum modulation to a switching driver signal to reduce EMI in the SMPS. The SMPS is operable to perform voltage and current monitoring in parallel to the spread spectrum modulation to provide variable limit threshold detection and shutdown capabilities for circuit protection.
US08964422B2
A controller of a switching power converter sets an actual turn-on time of a switch in the switching power converter in each switching cycle by selecting one of a plurality of valley points of the output voltage of the switching power converter occurring subsequent to the desired turn-on time of the switch. The desired turn-on time of the switch may be calculated according to the regulation scheme employed by the switching power converter. The controller selects one of the plurality of valley points randomly from switching cycle to switching cycle. The controller generates a control signal to turn on the switching power converter at the selected one of the plurality of valley points of the output voltage occurring subsequent to the desired turn-on time.
US08964420B2
The disclosed embodiments provide a system that operates a flyback converter. During operation, the system senses an input voltage for the flyback converter. Next, the system uses the input voltage to determine a negative peak current that enables zero voltage switching for a primary switch in the flyback converter. Finally, the system uses the negative peak current to perform the zero voltage switching for the primary switch based on the input voltage, wherein the negative peak current reduces a power loss of the flyback converter.
US08964418B2
An AC to DC converter system is disclosed in which a conversion circuit for converting an AC input signal to a DC output signal is operably coupled with a communication circuit designed for sensing output indicative of the presence or absence of a load at the DC output. The system is designed so that the conversion circuit operates in an inactive standby state when there is no load, and in an active state for supplying DC power when a load is present. The system is configured to operate using ultra-low power.
US08964404B2
An align fixture for aligning an electronic component having a receptacle adapted to receive the electronic component and having a first abutting section and a second abutting section, the first abutting section being mounted via an elastic unit, the first abutting section and the second abutting section delimit an electronic component receiving volume in which the electronic component is to be received in the receptacle, the elastic unit extends below a bottom side of the electronic component receiving volume, and the elastic unit is adapted to provide a clamping force for clamping the electronic component between the first abutting section and the second abutting section.
US08964395B2
Cooling airflow through an information handling system is redirected at positions of a motherboard having an unpopulated processing component towards positions of the motherboard having processing components. For example, a shroud shaped as a nozzle couples to a heat sink connector of the motherboard to cover an unpopulated CPU socket. The shroud has a nozzle-shaped channel with an inlet accepting cooling airflow and an outlet exhausting the cooling airflow towards a processing component. For instance, the inlet is proximate a cooling fan and the outlet directs the airflow from the cooling fan towards a heat sink associated with RAM populated on the motherboard.
US08964389B2
An electronic component cooling unit includes a housing having a flow path in an interior of the cooling unit. The flow path circulates a cooling medium. Two surfaces, that is, a top surface and a bottom surface, are located at the housing. Electronic components are mounted to the housing, and side surfaces are located at the housing and surround the top surface and the bottom surface. Multiple opening portions are located at the side surfaces and communicate with the flow path. A closing member closes the opening portion or each opening portion other than the opening portions that corresponds to a supply opening and a discharge opening for the cooling medium.
US08964388B2
An electronics enclosure has a blower and diffuser received within an enclosure. Electronic components are also received within the enclosure. The blower diffuser is positioned in contact with at least one of the electronic components. A shroud surrounds the blower diffuser and the at least one electronic component, and is spaced from an outer surface of the at least one electronic component. An opening is formed through the shroud, such that air can be driven within the shroud from the blower diffuser, and across at least one electronic component, and then outwardly of the opening. A heat exchanger is positioned in the path of air leaving the opening.
US08964386B2
A server system includes a rack, a server disposed in the rack, an electronic device and a power supply disposed in the rack. The rack includes a first side and a second side opposite to each other, two first brackets, two second brackets and two lateral rails. Each first brackets, disposed at the first side, includes a heat-dissipation part. Each heat-dissipation part includes at least one ventilating perforation. The second brackets are disposed at the second side. The electronic device is disposed between the lateral rails and at the first side. The power supply is disposed between the two lateral rails and at the second side and includes a main body and at least one fan. The main body includes a plurality of through openings facing the ventilating perforations. The at least one fan draws airstreams from the ventilating perforations via the through openings.
US08964378B2
A touch pad includes a support frame having an opening, a touch circuit board disposed on a support sheet and having a switch, a top cover connected to a first side of the support frame and covering the touch circuit board, a reinforcement rod disposed on the top cover corresponding to a second side of the support frame, and an elastic member. The support sheet extends inwardly from the opening and has a protruding point. The elastic member is disposed between the touch circuit board and the support sheet for providing an elastic force. When being pressed by an external force, the top cover rotates pivotally relative to the first side of the support frame and drives the touch circuit board to overcome the elastic force. Accordingly, the touch circuit board could move downward relative to the support sheet so that the switch could be triggered by the protruding point.
US08964370B2
The present invention discloses a desktop case with detachable HDD frames, wherein the HDD frames are interchangeable and having installation grooves respectively accommodate different numbers of HDDs to meet various HDD configurations involving different HDD quantities and that installed in the different HDD dispositions. Different numbers of HDDs having different functions are respectively installed in the installation grooves of the HDD frames able to accommodate the corresponding numbers of HDDs. Thereby, every HDD frame is utilized efficiently. The user can further detach or interchange the HDD frames to fully utilize the space of the desktop case. Therefore, the present invention provides much flexibility for users to assemble the HDD frames and promotes the space efficiency of the desktop case.
US08964363B2
A holding apparatus includes a base, a clamp portion protruding from the base, a fixed clamper, and a rotatable damper. The rotatable clamper includes a fixed arm and two resisting arms extending from the fixed arm toward the fixed damper. An adjustment portion includes an angle adjusting member and a locking member. The angle adjusting member includes a base body, a depressible member protruding from the base body, two side arms protruding from opposite ends of the base body, and two resisting portions protruding from the side arms. The two resisting portions resist on the two second resisting arms. The angle adjusting member includes a hook extending from a second bottom of the base body. The locking member includes a main body and at least one locking protrusion protruding from the main body. Each locking protrusion is engagable with the hook to prevent the rotatable clamper from rotating.
US08964342B2
The present invention relates to compound semiconductor ESD protection devices using plural compound semiconductor E-FETs or compound semiconductor multi-gate E-FETs. The device comprises plural compound semiconductor E-FETs or multi-gate E-FETs, in which each of the gates is DC-connected to the source, drain, or an inter-gate region between two adjacent gates in the multi-gate E-FET through at least one first resistor, and at least one of the gates is AC-connected to the source, drain, or an inter-gate region between two adjacent gates in the multi-gate E-FET through a gate capacitor.
US08964340B2
A device for detecting a fault in an AC supply comprises a circuit (CT, 100) for detecting a fault in an AC supply to a load (LD) and providing a corresponding output (IO), and an electromechanical switch means (SOLI, SWI) to disconnect the load from the supply if said output persists for at least a certain period of time. The device includes a generator (30) of intermittent test pulses each simulating a fault. In certain embodiments the duration of each test pulse is less than said certain period of time, and the circuit includes means (D2) for providing a visual and/or audible indication in response to the detection of test pulses by the detecting circuit.
US08964338B2
A system includes a refrigerant compressor including an electric motor, a current sensor that measures current flow to the electric motor, a switching device configured to close and open to allow and prevent current flow to the electric motor, respectively, a maximum continuous current (MCC) device that includes a resistance corresponding to a maximum continuous current for the electric motor, and a motor protection module. The motor protection module communicates with the MCC device, the current sensor, and the switching device and determines a first MCC value for the electric motor as a function of the resistance of the MCC device. The motor protection module also selectively sets a predetermined MCC to the first MCC and controls the switching device based on a comparison of the current flow to the electric motor and the predetermined MCC.
US08964337B2
Systems and methods for monitoring excitation of a generator based on a faulty status of a generator breaker are provided. According to one embodiment, a system may include a controller and a processor communicatively coupled to the controller. The processor may be configured to receive, from a contact associated with a generator breaker, a reported status of the generator breaker, receive operational data associated with one or more parameters of a generator associated with the generator breaker, and correlate the reported status of the generator breaker and the operational data. Based on the correlation, the processor may establish an actual status of the generator breaker, and, based on the actual status, selectively modify a mode of excitation of the generator.
US08964336B2
In one embodiment, a magnetic head includes a sensor stack of thin films including a free layer; a hard bias structure comprising a first foundation layer, a second foundation layer formed on the first foundation layer and a hard bias layer formed above the second foundation layer, wherein portions of the first and second foundation layers positioned along a side wall of the sensor stack have a discrete island structure. Additional embodiments are also disclosed.
US08964334B2
A slider and a pair of microactuator elements are disposed on a gimbal portion of a flexure. The gimbal portion comprises a first tongue portion, a second tongue portion, and a hinge portion. A trailing-side portion of the slider is secured to the second tongue portion. A leading-side portion of the slider is movable relative to the first tongue portion. A conductive circuit portion comprises a conductor connected to an element of the slider and a conductor connected to electrodes of microactuator elements. The conductive circuit portion comprises a first wiring pattern portion disposed inside microactuator elements and a second wiring pattern portion extending rearwardly relative to the gimbal portion.
US08964331B2
A magnetic write head having a main magnetic write pole and a magnetic sub-pole that are configured to maximize magnetic performance. The main magnetic write pole has a flared portion located near the air bearing surface and a non-flared portion removed from the air bearing surface. A magnetic sub-pole is formed adjacent to the main magnetic write pole and terminates at a front endpoint that is recessed from the air bearing surface but is closer to the air bearing surface than the non-flared portion.
US08964324B1
The present disclosure generally relates to clearance control between a magnetic head and a recording medium in a magnetic disk device. A magnetic head comprises an embedded contact sensor, a thermal flying height control element, and a hard disk drive controller. The hard disk drive controller is adapted to control a detection current of the embedded contact sensor and a power applied to the thermal flying height control. The detection current supplied to the embedded contact sensor is optimized so that a change in resistance of the embedded contact sensor is less sensitive relative to the power applied to the thermal flying height control. The resistance of the embedded contact sensor remains unchanged when the power applied to the thermal flying height control is changed to adjust for changes in the clearance. Thus, clearance changes can be detected by monitoring changes in the resistance of the embedded contact sensor.
US08964321B2
According to one embodiment, a magnetic medium's readback signal samples are processed iteratively to provide dropout mitigation for a read channel by feeding the decoder output decisions back to the read channel front end where they are used to drive the decision-aided digital signal processing functions and control loops. Since data decisions provided by the decoder are typically more reliable than those provided by the detector, a significant performance improvement is obtained. A more reliable operation of the digital front-end signal processing functions in turn allows improvements to the reliability of the decoded data. Usage of Error Correcting Code (ECC) schemes that are soft decodable makes the read channel technique, described according to various embodiments herein, particularly efficient.
US08964318B2
The present invention discloses a prism sheet and a display device comprising the prism sheet for improving performances of a backlight module in a liquid crystal display device. The prism sheet comprises a first substrate and a second substrate, wherein the first substrate comprises a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, and the second surface comprises a plurality of first protrusions arranged in parallel along a first direction; the second substrate comprises a third surface and a fourth surface opposite to the third surface, the third surface comprises a plurality of second protrusions arranged in parallel along the first direction, and the fourth surface comprises a plurality of third protrusions arranged in parallel along a second direction; and the second surface and the third surface are joined by meshing of the first protrusions with the second protrusions.
US08964301B2
A zoom lens for projection substantially consists of a first lens-group having negative refractive power, and a second lens-group through a fifth lens-group having positive refractive power, arranged in this order from a magnification side. The zoom lens is configured to be telecentric on a reduction side. The first lens-group and the fifth lens-group are fixed while the second lens-group through the fourth lens-group move during magnification change. The fourth lens-group includes at least three positive lenses, and a most-magnification-side lens in the fourth lens-group has a convex surface facing the magnification side. Further, when a focal length of an entire system at a wide angle end is fw, and a focal length of the fourth lens-group is f4, and a full angle of view at a wide angle end is 2ω, conditional formulas (1) and (7) are satisfied: 7.5
US08964299B2
A head-mounted display suitable for being disposed in front of at least one human eye is provided. The head-mounted display includes a transmissive type display, a focal length adjusting lens, and a compensation lens. The focal length adjusting lens is located between the human eye and the transmissive type display. The focal length adjusting lens refracts an image displayed by the transmissive type display, so that the image is formed on a retina of the human eye. The transmissive type display is located between the compensation lens and the focal length adjusting lens.
US08964298B2
This disclosure concerns a near field communication (NFC) device which includes a wrist-worn NFC-enabled electronics device, wherein the wrist-worn NFC enabled electronics device includes a first communications link for communicating with a second NFC-enabled electronics device via NFC protocols, and a second communications link for communicating with an eyepiece via a medium-range communications protocol and receiving control commands. The wrist-worn NFC-enabled electronics device facilitates the transfer of data between the eyepiece and the second NFC-enabled electronics device. The eyepiece comprises optics enabling a see-through display on which is displayed the data.
US08964297B2
A high definition thin lens dimensional image display device and methods of manufacturing the same. The thin lens dimensional image display device generally includes a lens array on a first surface of a film, such as a lenticular lens array or a fly's eye lens array, with a printed imaged either printed directly on a second planar surface of the film, or on a separate substrate that is laminated thereto. The resulting display device offers a lower cost display device having greater flexibility for a wider variety of applications than traditional image display devices, without compromising image quality. Processes for manufacturing the display device include printing on a pre-fabricated thin lens web, inline printing of an image and patterning of the lens array, and inline printing of a substrate and application of a coating to the substrate which is subsequently patterned or embossed.
US08964296B2
A method for producing a microstructure on a carrier by: (a) manufacturing a donor foil by forming an embossed structure with elevations and depressions in a first foil material and applying a transfer layer to the embossed structure, (b) manufacturing an acceptor foil by applying an adhesive layer to a second foil material, (c) laminating the donor foil and the acceptor foil by means of the adhesive layer, the transfer layer on the elevations of the embossed structure bonding to the adhesive layer, and (d) transferring the bonded regions of the transfer layer to the acceptor foil by separating the donor foil and the acceptor foil from each other, thereby forming in the acceptor foil a first microstructure from the transferred regions of the transfer layer, and/or forming in the donor foil a second microstructure complementary to the first microstructure.
US08964294B2
Speckle effect in scanning display systems that employs polarized phase-coherent light is reduced by depolarizing the phase-coherent light using a depolarizer and scanning the depolarized light for producing desired images.
US08964286B2
A Raman microspectrometer system extends the optical reach and analysis range of an existing Raman microspectrometer to allow analysis and/or repair of an oversized sample. The Raman microspectrometer system includes an extender for extending the optical reach of the existing microspectrometer and a supplemental stage which extends the analysis range of the existing microspectrometer by providing travel capabilities for non-destructive analysis of an entire oversized sample. Such an arrangement decreases manufacturing costs associated with testing oversized samples such as mammography panels, enabling analysis and/or repair to be performed without destruction.
US08964284B2
A semiconductor optical amplifier module may include a beam splitter to split an optical signal into two polarization optical signals including a first polarization optical signal with a Transverse Magnetic (TM) polarization provided along a first path of two paths, and a second polarization optical signal with a Transverse Electric (TE) polarization provided along a second path of the two paths; a first rotator to rotate the TM polarization of the first polarization optical signal to TE polarization; a first semiconductor optical amplifier to amplify the rotated first polarization optical signal to output a first resultant optical signal; a second semiconductor optical amplifier to amplify the second polarization optical signal; and a second rotator to rotate the polarization of the amplified second polarization optical signal to output a second resultant optical signal; and a beam combiner to combine the first resultant optical signal and the second resultant optical signal.
US08964277B2
A color-changeable protective device for a portable device equipped with a touch screen is provided. The color-changeable protective device comprises a power source and a electro-chromic element. The electro-chromic element is disposed to correspond to the touch screen so as to cover the entire touch screen. According to whether the operating status of the electro-chromic element is a power-on operating status, the electro-chromic element appears to be transparent or opaque.
US08964274B2
A direct imaging system comprises an illumination unit comprising a plurality of light sources, the plurality of light sources configured to emit a plurality of beams, an optical system for forming the plurality of beams to be aligned in position or angle, an acoustic optical modulator positioned to receive the plurality of beams aligned in one of position or angle and to consecutively diffract different portions of the plurality of beams as an acoustic wave propagates in an acoustic direction, and a scanning element adapted to scan an exposure plane with the plurality of beams modulated by the acoustic optical modulator at a scanning velocity, wherein the scanning velocity is selected to incoherently unite the different portions of the plurality of beams into a single exposure spot.
US08964273B2
An optical reflection element according to the present invention includes a fixed frame, a pair of first oscillation parts, a movable frame, a pair of second oscillation parts, and a mirror part. One-side ends of the first oscillation parts are connected to the inside of the fixed frame. The movable frame is connected to and held by the other-side ends of the pair of first oscillation parts to be pivotable. One-side ends of the pair of second oscillation parts are connected to the inside of the movable frame and the pair of second oscillation parts are disposed to be substantially perpendicular to the pair of first oscillation parts. The mirror part is connected to and held by the other-side ends of the pair of second oscillation parts to be pivotable. The second oscillation parts have a meandering shape in which a plurality of straight portions and a plurality of folded portions are formed, and a stepped structure portion is provided in part of the folded portion.
US08964266B2
An optical unit of an image reading device has the center of gravity in a position toward a first sub scanning direction, relative to the middle point of the optical unit in terms of sub scanning directions. An engagement part is provided in a position toward a first main scanning direction relative to a sliding part. A plurality of pairs of pinching parts include a first pair provided in a position toward the first sub scanning direction and a second pair provided in a position toward a second sub scanning direction. Of the two pinching parts in the second pair, the pinching part provided in a position toward the first main scanning direction is biased by a first biasing member toward a rail part side, and the pinching part provided in a position toward a second main scanning direction is not biased by the first biasing member.
US08964264B2
An illuminating device capable of stably illuminating an irradiated object such as a document while suppressing light loss with a simply structure is provided.An LED array (71) and a reflective plate (73) are disposed sandwiching a slit (St) through which light reflected by a document MS passes and a light-guiding member (72) is disposed on the side of the LED array (71). The light-guiding member (72) includes a direct emission unit (77) disposed between an illumination range y centered on a document reading position and the LED array (71) and an indirect emission unit (78) disposed between the reflective plate (73) and the LED array (71), a light incidence face of the direct emission unit (77) and a light incidence face of the indirect emission unit (78) are disposed at mutually different position around the LED array (71), and the LED array (71) is disposed on a side of an interior angle formed by the light incidence faces.
US08964263B1
An image processing device includes a housing with a sheet conveyor situated in the housing. An interlock mechanism includes a first engagement member extending from a second surface of a first cover; and a second engagement member extending from a second surface of a second cover. One of the first and second engagement members is engagable with the other of the first and second engagement members. When the first cover moves from a first position to a second position, the first and second engagement members engage to move one end portion of the second cover in response to a movement of the first engagement member away from the second cover, and when the first cover moves from the second position to the first position, the first engagement member engages the second engagement member to move the second cover to a first position.
US08964259B2
An image processing apparatus includes an imaging unit that images a placed medium as a reading target within an imaging area, and a display unit that displays information toward the imaging area in an overlapping manner. Operation supporting information used for supporting an operation using the placed medium is selected based on information relating to a state of the image processing apparatus or information acquired by the imaging unit, and the selected operation supporting information is displayed toward the imaging area by the display unit.
US08964257B2
An image forming apparatus of this invention, when an exposure unit performs exposure, applies, to image data quantized by a first number of bits, compensation data for compensating for unevenness of the exposure intensity occurring on a photosensitive member caused by a lens array used in the exposure unit. This compensation data is obtained by quantizing, by a second number of bits larger than the first number of bits, data corresponding to a change in measurement value obtained by measuring unevenness of exposure occurring on the photosensitive member from a reference value used in the measurement, and requantizing the quantized data by the first number of bits by using sigma-delta modulation.
US08964256B2
Systems and methods are provided for compensating for streak defects in images formed by an image forming device, such as a digital printer. The systems and methods include using both modulation of a raster output scanner (ROS actuation) and spatially varying tone reproduction curve (STRC actuation) in a common control system for improving streak correction. Low spatial frequency large amplitude streak defects are corrected using ROS actuation and high spatial frequency streak defects, as well as any residual low frequency defects, are corrected using STRC actuation.
US08964255B2
A display processing apparatus includes a transparent display data generating unit and a preview image generating unit. Based on document data including color plane image data indicating an area for which use of a color developer is specified and transparent plane image data indicating an area for which use of a transparent developer is specified together with the type of transparent processing performed on the area by using the transparent developer, the transparent display data generating unit generates pieces of transparent display data showing a result of image formation corresponding to the transparent processing with the transparent developer for each type of transparent processing. The preview image generating unit generates a preview image by projecting a color display plane on which the color plane image data is displayed and transparent display planes on which the pieces of transparent display data are displayed in a three-dimensional space onto a two-dimensional plane.
US08964247B2
Disclosed are methods and systems for creating a printer model which maps device dependent color space representations of reference colors to device independent color space representations of the reference colors for a direct marking color printer. According to an exemplary method, a plurality of printer models are initially generated, each printer model corresponding to a predetermined width associated with the cross-process direction of an image receiving surface.
US08964238B2
P recording heads are arranged a recording unit. The P recording heads are divided into N (groups in the sub-scanning direction. The N controllers respectively control the recording heads pertaining to corresponding groups. When it is determined that variable data straddles a boundary (M/S boundary line) of recording regions (a master recording region and a slave recording region) of the recording heads, which are controlled by different controllers, the feed quantity of the recording unit is adjusted to a feeding quantity such that the variable data do not straddle the M/S boundary line.
US08964229B2
A data transmission device includes: a communication portion that performs a transmission job which transmits data; an input portion that receives, at the time of performance of the transmission job, an input of a symbol sequence obtained by adding command information to a transmission destination address; and a processing portion that identifies a portion indicating the transmission destination address of and a portion indicating the command information of the symbol sequence input at the time of performance of the transmission job, that changes a setting value on the transmission job according to the command information and that makes the communication portion transmit data to a transmission destination corresponding to the transmission destination address.
US08964228B2
A printing system includes following components. Each printing apparatus prints print document information and outputs a document. A terminal transmits print document information stored therein and location information. A print server receives, from the terminal, the print document information and the location information, generates authentication information in association with the print document information, identifies one printing apparatus in accordance with the received location information and location information of the printing apparatuses, and transmits the generated authentication information to the identified printing apparatus. The identified printing apparatus displays authentication reference information in accordance with the received authentication information. The terminal receives input of information based on the authentication reference information and transmits the input information to the print server. If the input information matches the authentication information, the print server transmits the print document information associated with the authentication information to the identified printing apparatus.
US08964226B2
When an information processing apparatus is in the normal mode, the main controller determines whether or not the main controller is to perform a process on a received packet, on the basis of a filtering condition which is set in the information processing apparatus. When the information processing apparatus is in the sleep mode, a communication unit determines whether or not the communication unit, instead of the main controller, is to perform a process on a received packet, on the basis of the filtering condition.
US08964223B2
The object is to enable configuration data, including a setting value of a setting item adopted as a local prioritized setting, to be carried over to a new image processing apparatus when replacing an image processing apparatus with the new one. The object is achieved by generating, as the setting value of the setting item adopted as the local prioritized setting, the value of virtual configuration data of a replacing apparatus using the value of virtual configuration data of an image processing apparatus specified as a replacement target.
US08964213B2
In a communication environment in which multiple virtual port drivers use a single communication port, a communication control method enables a first virtual port driver and a second virtual port driver that is occupying the communication port to communicate through the same communication port. The communication control method includes executing a communication process in which the first virtual port driver emulates a specific communication port in communication with a first device driver to which the first virtual port driver corresponds. At least when the second virtual port driver occupies the communication port, the communication control method executes a communication process in which the first virtual port driver emulates, for the second virtual port driver, the second device driver to which the second virtual port driver corresponds.
US08964211B2
A document processing apparatus includes: an acquisition unit that acquires position information that represents a position of a user who uses a document, and document information that represents the document; a rule management unit that manages a rule to determine a destination of the document information and a process executed to the document information transmitted to the destination; an execution unit that executes the process that includes a process to transmit the document information that the acquisition unit acquires to the destination determined by the rule according to the rule that the rule management unit manages, and is determined by the rule; and a switching unit that switches the rule that the execution unit follows, on the basis of a change of the position information that the acquisition unit acquires.
US08964207B2
An image processing apparatus including, a light source for reading for applying light onto an original to read, a light source for erasing for applying light of specific wavelength onto the original to decolorize image area, having been printed with color-changing agent having characteristic to become colorless by the light, a reading section for receiving reflected light from the original, an output section for outputting image data of the original, and a control section configured to compare first image data obtained by applying light from the light source for reading to the original, and second image data obtained by applying light from the light source for reading again to the original after applying light from the light source for erasing to the original, to determine whether the agent has been used in the image, and control at least either the reading operation or the output operation based on that determination.
US08964198B2
A device management system for managing a plurality of image forming apparatuses each having a power save mode in which electric power is supplied from a battery includes: a process accepting unit configured to accept a process request issued to a first image forming apparatus of the image forming apparatuses; a mode determining unit configured to determine whether the first image forming apparatus is in the power save mode; a search unit configured to, when the first image forming apparatus is determined to be in the power save mode, search the image forming apparatuses for a second image forming apparatus that is not in the power save mode; and a request transfer unit configured to transfer a command to perform a process according to the process request to the second image forming apparatus.
US08964194B2
An image processing apparatus includes: a first storing portion storing first setting groups; and a controller including: a first receiving portion receiving designation of one of the first setting groups; a storage controlling portion storing values of priority and settings of setting items in the first setting group as a second setting group in a second storing portion; a second receiving portion receiving designation of the second setting group stored in the second storing portion; a display controlling portion making a displaying portion display the settings of the setting items in the second setting group; a third receiving portion receiving a change of at least one of the settings of the setting items displayed in the displaying portion; and an execution receiving portion receiving instruction of executing of image processing by using the settings of the setting items displayed in the displaying portion.
US08964190B2
The throughput of the alignment in an alignment apparatus is improved. There is provided an alignment apparatus for aligning a substrate having an alignment mark, including a first aligner that aligns the substrate to a first reference position, a second aligner that aligns a substrate holder to a second reference position before the substrate holder holds the substrate, and a position detector that detects a position of the alignment mark of the substrate after the substrate holder holds the substrate.
US08964189B2
On the basis of captured images at the time of projecting multiple-frequency slit-shaped light patterns having no overlapping edge positions onto an object, the edge portions of the slit-shaped light patterns are identified. When the edge portions overlap in the captured images of two or more slit-shaped light patterns, the reliability of the computed distance values of the positions corresponding to the edges is lowered.
US08964188B2
The invention relates to the field of measurement technology and concerns a method and an apparatus, such as may be used, by way of example, in thin-layer technology for organic dielectric semi-conducting or conducting layers on substrates.The object of the invention is to indicate a method and an apparatus with which both the surface topography of the coating and that of the surface may be determined independently of one another, at the same position.The object is achieved by a method wherein the three-dimensional topography of the coating is determined using chromatic white light measurement and, subsequently, the thickness of the coating is determined using UV interferometry, and the surface topography of the coated surface is determined by a comparison with the overall dimensions of the coated surface.The object is further achieved by an apparatus wherein an apparatus for chromatic white light measurement and an apparatus for UV interferometry are disposed on a test bench.
US08964182B2
A method for multispectral imaging that includes positioning a continuously graded color filter in front of a plurality of detectors. Wavelengths of energy passed by the filter vary smoothly along the filter length and the detectors are configured in a pattern having a plurality of rows each having a plurality of detectors. Each of the plurality of rows is oriented across the length of the filter. The method also includes measuring outputs of the detectors in response to moving an image along the length of the filter and generating a spectrum response function for the image based on the outputs of two or more rows of the detectors using a time delayed integration method.
US08964179B2
A tester including a laser transmitter, a laser receiver, a zero reference plane located between the laser transmitter and the laser receiver, a tower reference plane located between the laser transmitter and the laser receiver, wherein the tower reference plane defines an aperture, and a controller. The controller is configured to measure a pitch static attitude of a head stack assembly by at least determining a zero axis, determining a first horizontal position of the aperture and a second horizontal position of the aperture, determining a mid-point of a first slider of the head stack assembly, determining a first vertical position of the aperture, determining a first horizontal line, and generating a pitch static attitude reference line corresponding to a pitch static attitude of the first slider based on a least squares approximation using the mid-point of the first slider and the first horizontal line.
US08964174B2
A defect recognition procedure in prepreg materials (1) draws a first transversal cross line (4b) at the beginning boundary (3b) of a defective area (2) in a prepreg material (1). A second transversal cross line (4e) at the end boundary (3e) of a defective area (2) is drawn as well. The cross lines (4b, 4e) form an angle (α) with respect to the prepreg material (1) motion direction (5).Each transversal cross line (4b, 4e) delimiting the beginning and the end of a defective area (2) has identification codes (Bi, Ei).
US08964155B2
A liquid crystal display includes first and second substrates with a liquid crystal layer therebetween, and a plurality of pixel regions defined by drain and gate signal lines of the substrate. The pixel region has a common electrode formed of a transparent conducting layer having a plurality of slits, a pixel electrode formed of a transparent conducting layer and having plane shape, and a first insulating layer interposed between the common electrode and the pixel electrode. The common electrode is arranged between the pixel electrode and the liquid crystal layer, and the pixel electrode is overlapped with a plurality of slits of the common electrode. A thin film transistor is connected to the drain signal line, and the pixel electrode is connected to a source electrode of the thin film transistor. The common electrode overlaps with a connection portion of the pixel and source electrodes on the first insulating layer.
US08964153B2
An in-plane switching mode liquid crystal display device includes a first substrate and a second substrate, a gate line and a data line crossing each other on the first substrate to define a pixel region, a switching device at a crossing of the gate line and the data line, a pixel electrode and a common electrode on the first substrate for generating an in-plane electric field in the pixel region, a black matrix, a light blocking line, the light blocking line being below the black matrix and above the data line, the light blocking line covering a gap between the data line and the common electrode adjacent to the data line, and a liquid crystal layer formed between the first and second substrates.
US08964150B2
Provided is a liquid crystal display device, including: a liquid crystal display panel; a plate-shaped component having a light permeable region, the plate-shaped component being disposed so as to face a display surface of the liquid crystal display panel; a pressure sensitive adhesive layer having light permeability, which is adhered under pressure onto the display surface of the liquid crystal display panel; and an adhesive layer having light permeability, which is adhered onto a surface of the plate-shaped component facing the display surface, in which the plate-shaped component is mounted on the liquid crystal display panel through intermediation of the pressure sensitive adhesive layer and the adhesive layer.
US08964147B2
An electro-optic device is provided. In the electro-optic device, when a groove is sealed to be hollow, a sacrificial film is formed in the groove before forming a first sealing film, the first sealing film is formed, and then the sacrificial film is removed through a penetration portion of the first sealing film. A second sealing film is formed on the first sealing film, and the penetration portion of the first sealing film is blocked by the second sealing film. For this reason, it is possible to form the first sealing film to block an opening portion of the groove, and it is possible to prevent the first sealing film from being formed up to the inside of the groove.
US08964146B2
Optical constructions are disclosed. A disclosed optical construction includes first and second optical layers having first and second major surfaces that face each other and are separated by an air gap. The first and second surfaces are susceptible to physically contacting each other at a location in the air gap. The optical construction further includes an optical film that is disposed at the location to prevent the first and second major surfaces from contacting each other at the location. The optical film has an effective index of refraction that is not greater than about 1.3.
US08964139B2
Provided are a multifunctional optical filter for a stereoscopic display device and a stereoscopic display device including the same. The multifunctional optical filter includes a 3D filter layer patterned into a first region adjusting a polarization state of a right-eye image and a second region adjusting a polarization state of a left-eye image, and a color filter layer having a RGB pattern, wherein the RGB pattern of the color filter layer and the pattern of the 3D filter layer are formed to correspond to each other.
US08964135B2
Disclosed is stereoscopic display device in which barriers crossing each other are formed on two substrates and voltage is applied to the barrier pattern to drive liquid crystals between the two substrates such that one of the barriers is selectively driven, enabling selective implementation of 3-dimensional (3D) display and dual view display.
US08964127B2
A method is provided for a user-sensing remote control system including a TV and a remote control. The method includes obtaining sensing data from a plurality of sensors in the remote control related to a user of the remote control, pre-processing the sensing data, and determining a user identity space containing a plurality of possible user identities of the user using a predetermined statistical algorithm. The method also includes determining whether there is a dominant possible user identity; when it is determined that there is no dominant possible user identity, selecting one or more possible user identities from the user identity space and updating the user identity space until there is a dominant possible user identity; and when it is determined that there is a dominant possible user identity, presenting the dominant possible user identity as the identity of the user to other applications.
US08964123B2
An AV device includes a communication component, a determination component, and a controller. The communication component is configured to receive a signal outputted from a source device. The determination component is configured to determine whether or not the signal received by the communication component includes an audio signal and a subtitle signal, and a video signal included in the signal received by the communication component has a moving picture. The controller is configured to control a brightness of a backlight to be low in response to determining that the signal received by the communication component does not include both the audio signal and the subtitle signal, and that the video signal has the moving picture.
US08964118B2
A display signal processing system, a circuit board, and a liquid crystal display are disclosed. The display signal processing system includes an image processing circuit and a V-by-One circuit capable of selecting a JEIDA mode and a VESA mode. A GPIO of the V-by-One circuit is for selectively inputting a first or a second selection signal such that the V-by-One circuit transforms the converted display signal to be a first LVDS signal under the JEIDA mode or a second LVDS under the VESA mode. The first LVDS or second LVDS signal is output by a signal output. The selection between the VESA mode and the JEIDA may be achieved by a simplified V-by-One circuit. In addition, the display signal processing system retains the advantage of lower cost and simple operations.
US08964117B2
A frame construction engine constructs a first frame of deinterlaced video and a second frame of deinterlaced video based on a first field of interlaced video and based on a second field of interlaced video, independent of any other fields of interlaced video. The frame construction engine constructs the first frame of deinterlaced video by assigning pixel values from the first field of interlaced video to corresponding pixel locations in the first frame. The frame construction engine constructs the second frame of deinterlaced video by assigning pixel values from the second field of interlaced video to corresponding pixel locations in the second frame. Missing pixel locations in each of the frames are selected from a corresponding field of spatially interpolated pixel values or from an opposite field of deinterlaced video.
US08964112B2
An interchangeable lens includes an acquiring section that acquires an amount of supply power from an imaging apparatus to which the interchangeable lens is attached, and operation information related to an operation of the imaging apparatus in a period during which the supply power is supplied, and a determining section that determines power to be distributed to a plurality of driving sections that drive a plurality of optical members, for each of the driving sections, on the basis of the acquired amount of supply power and the acquired operation information.
US08964108B2
An electronic apparatus includes a lighting device, an imaging device, and a photographing system. The lighting device emits visible light. The imaging device views a subject. Prior to an image capture, the photographing system recognizes blocking of a bright light by a subject's hand or arm, where the bright spot of light and the photographing system controls the bright light to switch off and immediately capture an image.
US08964103B2
A method and apparatus providing an autofocus routine in a camera apparatus having a processor is disclosed. The camera apparatus is adapted to detect a number of images and communicate image signals representative thereof to the processor. The method includes determining that a degree of change between a first image signal and a second image signal is below a predetermined threshold and responsive thereto, performing the autofocus routine.
US08964094B2
An imaging device produces images on the basis of signals, transmitted from an imaging element. The device includes a display controller which selectively carries out either a first or a second display process, based on a user's selection. The first display process includes obtaining a first portion of the signals from a first area of the imaging element at a first frame rate, and displaying a first through-the-lens image on the display unit on the basis of the first portion of the signals. The second display process includes obtaining the first portion of the signals from the first area of the imaging element at a second, lower frame rate; obtaining a second portion of the signals from a second area of the imaging element at the lower frame rate; and displaying a second through-the-lens image on the display unit on the basis of both portions of the signals.
US08964092B2
A storage device, digital camera device, and method for displaying an alert image are disclosed. In one embodiment, a storage device is provided having an interface, a memory, and a controller. The controller is configured to determine if an alert condition has occurred and, if the alert condition has occurred, to display an alert image on a display device of the digital camera device when the digital camera device displays images stored in the memory. Some or all of these acts can be performed by the digital camera device instead of the storage device. Other embodiments are possible, and each of the embodiments can be used alone or together in combination.
US08964087B2
A large difference in exposure timing is prevented from arising in cases in which plural pixels have a common amplifier, even when image data is read by thinningAn imaging apparatus (10) includes: an image pickup device (14) including plural photoelectric conversion elements arrayed in first and second directions; an amplification means that treats (K×L) pixels as respective common pixels and amplifies an image capture signal for each of the common pixels; a color filter that is provided with a repeatedly disposed basic array pattern or first and second filters placed in a predetermined pattern of (N×M) pixels; and an image processing section (20) and a drive section (22) that perform charge sweeping by applying sequential shutter pulses to the image pickup device (14) in turn to each pixel, or to each scan line, or to each of plural pixels on a scan line, that read pixel signals of the plural pixels at a set cycle, that, from the read pixel signals, generate line image data of pixels that are arrayed running along the second direction at a cycle of from K pixels to N pixels in the first direction, and that generate image data based on the line image data.
US08964080B2
Because a conventionally known imaging apparatus includes a buffer element for each signal processing circuit, the number of buffer elements increases in proportion to the number of signal processing circuits. The delayed supply of a drive signal within a group of a plurality of signal processing circuits may require the operation timing margin to be set longer. In other words, the operational speed is hard to increase. First buffer circuits connected in series and second buffer circuits connected in parallel with the first buffer circuits are provided, and one second buffer circuit supplies a drive signal to a plurality of signal processing units.
US08964077B2
A CMOS image sensor including a pixel array unit having pixels arranged in even-numbered pixel rows and odd-numbered pixel rows. A reading operation performed such that a first signal of a first pixel group is read in a first accumulation time, and a second signal of a second pixel group is read in a second accumulation time shorter than said first accumulation time.
US08964068B2
An apparatus having an electronic zoom function, comprising an image sensing element, a zoom magnification setting unit, a pixel signal readout unit, an image processor, and a controller which, when the zoom magnification is between first and second zoom magnifications, controls to read out pixel signals of a first pixel count, and to generate the image using pixel signals of a second pixel count, and when the zoom magnification is between third and fourth zoom magnifications, controls to read out pixel signals of a third pixel count, and to generate the image using pixel signals of a fourth pixel count, the second pixel count is not larger than the first pixel count, the fourth pixel count is not larger than the third pixel count.
US08964062B1
The amount of resources needed to provide automatic exposure control (AEC) for a camera of a computing device, as well as the amount of latency required to determine an appropriate exposure setting for current conditions, can be improved utilizing an ambient light sensor (ALS) that is integrated with a camera module corresponding to the camera. The ALS can capture data regarding the amount of ambient light around the device, and a microprocessor or other component of the camera module can analyze the data using an AEC algorithm or other such process to determine one or more initial exposure settings for the camera. This process can be completed without sending image data to a host processor or other such component. Providing relatively accurate initial exposure settings can, in at least many situations, enable the AEC algorithm to more quickly converge to proper settings than is possible using conventional approaches.
US08964059B2
A scanning circuit, comprising first signal lines, second signal lines, third signal lines, a drive unit configured to drive the first signal lines, first buffers configured to drive the second signal lines in accordance with signals of the first signal lines, second buffers configured to drive the third signal lines in accordance with the signals of the first signal lines, and a shift register having a first part to be driven by signals of the second signal lines and a second part to be driven by signals of the third signal lines, wherein the first to third signal lines include two signal lines arranged in parallel to each other and configured to transmit the in-phase signals.
US08964052B1
Among other aspects, on computer-implemented method includes: receiving at least one command in a computer system from a handheld device; positioning a virtual camera and controlling a virtual scene according to the command; and in response to the command, generating an output to the handheld device for displaying a view of the virtual scene as controlled on a display of the handheld device, the view captured by the virtual camera as positioned.
US08964049B2
An image-capturing apparatus including an imaging device to convert light into an electrical signal; a vibration plate disposed in front of the imaging device to transmit the light to the imaging device; a vibration generating unit mounted on the vibration plate and to generate a vibration when a driving signal is input to the vibration generating unit; and a vibration partitioning unit mounted on at least one of the vibration plate or the vibration generating unit to asymmetrically deliver the generated vibration to the vibration plate.
US08964043B2
When correcting rotary shake, an area to be referenced when distortion aberration correction is performed is rotated by a detected rotation amount in a direction correcting the rotary shake, such that the reference area fits into the area of an image that has been captured. A rectangular image of the same size as the captured image is obtained by applying distortion aberration correction to an image included in the reference area. If the reference area will not fit into the area of the captured image when rotated by the detected rotation amount, the reference area is rotated by a maximum angle at which the reference area will fit into the area of the captured image, and distortion aberration correction is applied to the image included in the reference area. Information on the captured angle of view can thereby be effectively used when performing distortion aberration correction and rotary shake correction.
US08964038B2
An image processing apparatus, method and non-transitory computer program storage device cooperate to process successive images. Respective frames are created and positioned within the successive images, where each frame has a border. When changes between the frame borders are detected, a controller triggers the capturing of an image. This approach results in the capturing of interesting moments, even if the subject is not a human subject. The change in frame boundaries may be categorized in a variety of ways, including change in aspect ratio, shape, orientation, and position, for example. By detecting the changes in this way, an imaging device can capture images of interesting events automatically.
US08964030B2
A camera surveillance system having a camera malfunction function includes an entire feature extraction unit to extract each entire feature from an input image and a reference image; a block feature extraction unit to extract block features being features of each block from images after the block division of the input image and the reference image divided into blocks by a block division unit; and a malfunction determination unit to calculate a first variation between the entire features of the reference image and the entire features of the input image, and a second variation between the block features of the reference image and the block features of the input image, to determine a camera malfunction by using a threshold, and output information indicating a type of the camera malfunction for each block.
US08964023B2
A device and a method for measuring form attributes, position attributes and dimension attributes of rotatable machine elements are described. It is the object of the invention to find a possibility for measuring form attributes, position attributes or dimension attributes of a rotatable machine element which also allows axially probeable surfaces having hidden regions to be measured with high accuracy with a lower expenditure on construction. According to the invention, this object is met in that a mechanical measuring unit having a tactile measuring probe for measuring the machine element in axial direction is provided in addition to an optical measuring unit with illumination module and camera module which captures a shadow image of the machine element. The mechanical measuring unit is fixed to the optical measuring unit and has a swiveling device for swiveling the tactile measuring probe orthogonal to the rotational axis of the machine element.
US08964020B2
Exemplary embodiments provide solid-state microscope (SSM) devices and methods for processing and using the SSM devices. The solid-state microscope devices can include a light emitter array having a plurality of light emitters with each light emitter individually addressable. During operation, each light emitter can be biased in one of three operating states including an emit state, a detect state, and an off state. The light emitter can include an LED (light emitting diode) including, but not limited to, a nanowire based LED or a planar LED to provide various desired image resolutions for the SSM devices. In an exemplary embodiment, for near-field microscopy, the resolution of the SSM microscope can be essentially defined by the pitch p, i.e., center-to-center spacing between two adjacent light emitters, of the light emitter array.
US08964016B2
Systems an methods are provided that disclose providing a positioning service for devices based on light received from one or more light sources. This light based positioning service uses light information transmitted by each light source to determine the position of the device. The positioning information can include three dimension position information in a building that can then be used to deliver services and information to a mobile device. The content delivered to a mobile device can include multimedia, text, audio, and/or pictorial information. The positioning information along with other location or positioning information can be used in providing augmented reality or location aware services. The light sources can be independent beacons that broadcast information in visible light at a rate that is undetectable by the human eye. Content can be retrieved from a server over a communications connection.
US08964011B2
A device for displaying a video includes: a content processor which, if a content is received, determines a type of the content according to additional information of the content; a controller which, if the content is a 3D content, operates in a 3D display mode and, if the content is a multi-view content, operates in a multi-view mode; and a display which performs a 3D display or multi-view display according to an operation mode of the controller.
US08964009B2
Moiré generated in an autostereoscopic display utilizing a parallax barrier method is cancelled. The interval between visible light transmitting sections that are abutting in the horizontal direction of a parallax barrier is determined using: the average number of subpixels constituting one pixel for three-dimensional display in one row in the horizontal direction; the width of a subpixel, which forms a display; the distance from a predetermined diagonal moiré canceling position to the parallax barrier; the number of viewpoints of a video image used for displaying an autostereoscopic video image; and the distance (Z) from the image display surface of the display to the parallax barrier.
US08964008B2
Various embodiments are disclosed that relate to the presentation of video images in a presentation space via a head-mounted display. For example, one disclosed embodiment comprises receiving viewer location data and orientation data from a location and orientation sensing system, and from the viewer location data and the viewer orientation data, locate a viewer in a presentation space, determine a direction in which the user is facing, and determine an orientation of the head-mounted display system. From the determined location, direction, and orientation, a presentation image is determined based upon a portion of and an orientation of a volumetric image mapped to the portion of the presentation space that is within the viewer's field of view. The presentation image is then sent to the head-mounted display.
US08964003B2
A 3-D image pick-up device is disclosed, the device including: a PCB mounted with two camera modules including an image sensor; and a reinforcing member mounted with two exposure windows, wherein the PCB and the reinforcing member are mutually adhered to allow the camera modules of the PCB to be exposed through the exposure window of the reinforcing member.
US08964001B2
One of stereo cameras is set such that a front view of a support surface of a workpiece is imaged, an image produced by the camera is displayed, and a range of an area where measurement processing is enabled is assigned by a rectangular frame. A manipulation assigning an upper limit and a lower limit of a height measurement range is accepted. When each assignment is fixed, zero is set as a z-coordinate to each constituent pixel of an image to which the rectangular frame is set, and a z-coordinate based on the upper limit of the height measurement range and a z-coordinate based on the lower limit are set to coordinates corresponding to the rectangular frame. Perspective transformation of three-dimensional information produced by the setting is performed from a direction of a line of sight set by a user, a produced projection image is displayed on a monitor.
US08964000B2
A digital signal processing apparatus including a receiver configured to receive a digital signal including a first image source and a second image source, an image processor configured to generate a main image from the first image source and an additional image from the second image source, wherein the additional image is an expanded image of the main image, and the expanded image is partially corresponding to the main image, a first display unit configured to display the main image, and a second display unit configured to display the additional image which is seamlessly connected to an edge region of the main image.
US08963999B1
Systems, methods and articles of manufacture for augmenting reality are described herein. An embodiment may include computing a real-world depth map using real-world imagery captured by an imaging device, providing, to a rendering engine, perspective information including location coordinates representing a location of the imaging device, rendering a computed depth map based on geographical data retrieved from a server in response to the providing, the geographical data corresponding to at least the location of the imaging device, correlating the real-world depth map with the computed depth map to improve accuracy of the location of the imaging device represented by the location coordinates, and overlaying the real-world imagery with virtual information based on the correlated real-world depth map and the computed depth map.
US08963985B2
An electronic door lock system having a doorbell for automatically ringing the doorbell is provided. The electronic door lock system includes an outdoor unit installed outside a door and provided with a keypad implemented using a numeric key area so that a password is entered so as to open and shut the door, and an indoor unit installed inside the door and configured to open and shut the door in response to door unlock and lock signals based on a password. Further, a doorbell button for calling a person in an indoor area is mounted in a predetermined place on the outdoor unit so that when the doorbell button is manipulated, a melody is output, and when the numeric key area of the keypad is pressed, a melody is output in a same manner as when the doorbell button is manipulated.
US08963984B2
Quick Response barcodes (“QR Codes”) are used for videoconferencing between a peripheral device and a videoconferencing system, which can include a conferencing server and/or a videoconferencing unit. Conferencing related QR codes are embedded within video frames and are identified by either a peripheral device or a videoconferencing unit. Once identified, the device or unit acts according to the information provided by the QR code. The QR codes enables the peripheral device, videoconferencing unit, and conferencing server to operation in conjunction with one another even though one or more of the device may not share a compatible operation platform that would allow for direct communication of requests and responses.
US08963965B2
A method for generating data for driving a display panel is provided in which first compensation data of (N+k) bits, corresponding to grayscale data of N bits, is generated, wherein values of N and k are natural numbers. A first gamma curve is applied to the first compensation data of (N+k) bits. Second compensation data of (N+k) bits, corresponding to the grayscale data of N bits, is generated. A second gamma curve is applied to the second compensation data of (N+k) bits. The first compensation data or the second compensation data are selectively output and converted into analog data signals. The analog data signals are output to a data line. Accordingly, the first compensation data and second compensation data includes a multidomain structure which improves display quality. A data driving circuit and a display device including the data driving circuit for performing the method are also provided.
US08963961B2
In a system and a method, a first user input corresponding to a first graphical shape having first boundaries, a first size, and a first position is received on an initial virtual whiteboard having an infinite drawing area and occupying a display area of a user interface. In response to a first command, the first graphical shape is designated as a current virtual whiteboard by resizing the first graphical shape from the first size to a second size, with the second size being equal to the display area of the user interface, and with the first graphical shape having the first boundaries removed to effect an infinite drawing area within the first graphical shape. A second user input corresponding to a second graphical shape is received within the first graphical shape designated as the current virtual whiteboard. In response to a second command, the initial virtual whiteboard is designated as the current virtual whiteboard by restoring the first position and the first size of the first graphical shape within the initial virtual whiteboard and by resizing and re-positioning the second graphical shape to fit within the first graphical shape.
US08963956B2
The technology provides embodiments for providing a location-based skin for a see-through, mixed reality display device system. In many embodiments, a location-based skin includes a virtual object viewable by a see-through, mixed reality display device system which has been detected in a specific location. Some location-based skins implement an ambient effect. The see-through, mixed reality display device system is detected to be present in a location and receives and displays a skin while in the location in accordance with user settings. User data may be uploaded and displayed in a skin in accordance with user settings. A location may be a physical space at a fixed position and may also be a space defined relative to a position of a real object, for example, another see-through, mixed reality display device system. Furthermore, a location may be a location within another location.
US08963954B2
An apparatus for providing a constant level of information in an augmented reality environment may include a processor and memory storing executable computer program code that cause the apparatus to at least perform operations including determining a first number of points of interest associated with a first set of real world objects of a current location(s). The first set of real world objects is currently displayed. The computer program code may further cause the apparatus to determine whether the first number is below a predetermined threshold and may increase a view range of a device to display a second set of real world objects. The view range may be increased in order to increase the first number to a second number of points of interest that corresponds to the threshold, based on determining that the first number is below the threshold. Corresponding methods and computer program products are also provided.
US08963952B2
A display control system includes: a display information acquisition section that acquires display information by using given account information; and a corrected display information creation section that, based on first display information acquired by the display information acquisition section using first account information and second display information acquired by the display information acquisition section using second account information different from the first account information, determines whether the display contents shown by the first display information are included in display contents shown by the second display information or not, selects part or all of the display contents shown by the first display information in accordance with a result of the determination, and creates corrected display information which includes the selected part of the display contents shown by the first display information.
US08963951B2
To allow a viewer to easily understand the details of a moving image shot by an image capturing apparatus in the case where the moving image is browsed. A camerawork detecting unit 120 detects the amount of movement of an image capturing apparatus at the time of shooting a moving image input from a moving-image input unit 110, and, on the basis of the amount of movement of the image capturing apparatus, calculates affine transformation parameters for transforming an image on a frame-by-frame basis. An image transforming unit 160 performs an affine transformation of at least one of the captured image and a history image held in an image memory 170, on the basis of the calculated affine transformation parameters. An image combining unit 180 combines, on a frame-by-frame basis, the captured image and the history image, at least one of which has been transformed, and causes the image memory 170 to hold a composite image. The composite image generated by the image combining unit 180 is displayed on a display unit 191.
US08963950B2
There is provided a display control apparatus including a pickup image acquisition unit that acquires a pickup image of a viewer viewing a display image, a detection unit that detects a viewing position and a viewing distance of the viewer with respect to the display image based on the pickup image of the viewer acquired by the pickup image acquisition unit, and a display control unit that changes a size of the display image in accordance with the viewing distance of the viewer detected by the detection unit while associating the viewing position of the viewer detected by the detection unit with a display position of the display image.
US08963949B2
A method is disclosed that includes receiving multiple sequential images captured by an image capture device. The method includes selecting a subset of the multiple sequential images that are aligned to each other. The method further includes averaging pixel values from each image in the subset of the multiple sequential images to produce a combined image.
US08963918B2
Described is a technology by which a ray tracer incorporates a GPU-based kd-tree builder for rendering arbitrary dynamic scenes. For each frame, the ray tracer builds a kd-tree for the scene geometry. The ray tracer spawns and traces eye rays, reflective and refractive rays, and shadow rays. For each ray to be traced, the ray tracer walks through the kd-tree until it reaches leaf nodes and associated triangles. When a ray passes through both sides of a splitting plane, the “far” sub-tree is pushed into the stack and the “near” sub-tree is traversed first.
US08963917B2
Generating a right-eye image by combining a right-side capturing image (4° capturing image) of a right breast with a left-side capturing image (0° capturing image) of a left breast rotated by 180° such that the chest walls of the breasts face to each other and a left-eye image by combining a left-side capturing image (0° capturing image) of the right breast with a right-side capturing image (4° capturing image) of the left breast rotated by 180° such that the chest walls of the breasts face to each other. Based on the right-eye and left-eye images generated in the manner described above, displaying a stereoscopic image on a monitor.
US08963908B2
The liquid crystal display of the present invention lowers the power consumption and heat generation of the data driving circuit by controlling the polarity of a data voltage by divided block-type column inversion to maintain the polarity of the data voltage within one block, and prevents picture quality degradation by inverting the polarity of a data voltage between neighboring blocks.
US08963906B2
A display device and a method for driving the same are disclosed. The disclosed display device includes a display panel for displaying an image corresponding to a plurality of data signals transferred via a plurality of data lines, a data driver for driving the plurality of data lines, a timing controller for controlling driving timing of the data driver, and a charge sharing unit comprising a first charger allocated to a first data line group of the plurality of data lines, and a second charger allocated to a second data line group of the plurality of data lines, the charge sharing unit selectively performing charging and discharging operations among the first data line group, the first charger, the second data line group and the second charger under control of the timing controller.
US08963902B2
A drive circuit includes: an input-side inverter circuit and an output-side inverter circuit connected to each other in series and inserted between a high voltage line and a low voltage line. The output-side inverter circuit includes a CMOS transistor having a first gate and a second gate, in which a drain is connected to the high voltage line side and a source is connected to an output side of the output-side inverter circuit. The output-side inverter circuit further includes a MOS transistor in which a drain is connected to the low voltage line side and a source is connected to the output side of the output-side inverter circuit. The output-side inverter circuit further includes a correction circuit correcting a voltage of one or both of the two gates of the CMOS transistor.
US08963898B2
A method for controlling a micro-mirror, having the following: generating a first control signal which encodes a tilting motion of the micro-mirror about a first tilt axis, at a first frequency; generating a second control signal which encodes a tilting motion of the micro-mirror about a second tilt axis which is perpendicular to the first tilt axis, at a second frequency which is lower than the first frequency; modulating the second control signal by binary modulation of the second control signal, at the first frequency; and controlling force coupling elements of the micro-mirror, using the modulated second control signal and the first control signal.
US08963897B2
An exemplary display device includes a substrate, a plurality of first and second pixel units, a first display layer, a second display layer, a spacer and a first color filter. The substrate has a first and a second display region. The first and second pixel units are disposed in the first and second display regions, respectively. The first display layer and the second display layer are disposed on the first and second pixel units, respectively. The first display region is surrounded by the spacer therefore the first display layer is separated from the second display layer. The first color filter is disposed on the first display layer. The first display layer and the second display layer are based on different displaying mechanisms. Therefore, the display device has the advantages of both the first display layer and the second display layer.
US08963896B2
A dot inversion TFT array is provided. The dot inversion TFT array includes: a plurality of data lines; a plurality of dot unit pairs, each including a first dot unit and a second dot unit and coupled to one of the data lines; and a plurality of gate line pairs, each including a first gate line and a second gate line. A predetermined dot unit pair of the dot unit pairs is coupled to a predetermined gate line pair of the gate line pairs, and two horizontally neighboring dot unit pairs of the dot unit pairs are mirror-symmetrical.
US08963895B2
A ubiquitously mountable image display system includes a shape-reconfigurable display screen component to which is attached a plurality of circuit modules each having at least one light source. The shape-reconfigurable display screen component is formed of a material that accommodates flexing of the display screen component without creating a perceivable aberration in separation distance between two or more picture elements of an image that is rendered upon a viewing plane of the display screen component when light from the plurality of light sources is directed towards the viewing plane.
US08963894B2
An improved electronic device and method provide an improved clock feature that includes an improved alarm clock function and a BEDTIME mode that is initiated by execution of a BEDTIME mode routine. The alarm clock function enables an alarm to be edited very easily.
US08963890B2
A digital pen comprising: an electric circuit, an acoustic transmitter, detached from the electric circuit, and configured to transmit acoustic signals, and a resilient holder, configured to mechanically press the electric circuit into electrical contact with the transmitter, so as to electrically connect the electric circuit and the transmitter.
US08963886B2
A touch-sensing display panel, comprising a plurality of image-forming pixel elements; a planar light guide with a first refractive index, having a front surface forming a touch-sensing region and an opposite rear surface facing the pixel elements; a plurality of light emitters arranged at a peripheral region of the panel to emit light into the light guide for propagation therein through total internal reflection; a plurality of light detectors disposed at the peripheral region for receiving light from the light guide; and an optical layer disposed at the rear surface of the light guide to cover a plurality of the image-forming pixel elements in at least a central region of the panel, wherein said optical layer is configured to reflect at least a part of the light from the emitters impinging thereon from within the light guide.
US08963885B2
A mobile device or a method performed by a mobile device for interacting with a stylus, wherein the stylus has at least one sensor (e.g., a thermocouple junction), and wherein the mobile device has at least one signal source (e.g., an analog heat source) that produces at least one signal (e.g., at least one analog heat signal), wherein the at least one signal is configured to be detectable by the at least one sensor of the stylus. The mobile device also has at least one signal adjustment mechanism for changing the at least one signal and also has at least one transmitter (e.g., thermal active touch screen display) configured to transmit the at least one signal for receipt by the at least one sensor of the stylus.
US08963878B2
A touch control module and an electronic device thereof are disclosed. The touch control module includes a panel, a plurality of electrodes, and a control module. The panel is a flexible transparent and material and includes a first surface and a second surface. The plurality of electrodes is disposed on the second surface. When the first surface is touched, the plurality of electrodes is used for sensing at least one capacitance signal individually. The control module electronically connects to the plurality of electrode and is used for receiving at least one capacitance signal to control the electronic device.
US08963877B2
Disclosed are a technology capable of improving printing properties and a structure of a touch window manufactured by the same. The touch window according to the present invention comprises: a sensing electrode pattern layer formed on a transparent window and including sensing electrodes which are patterned; and wiring parts connected to the sensing electrodes, wherein the touch window further comprises dummy circuit patterns spaced apart from the wiring parts.
US08963876B2
A touch sensing system comprises: a touch sensing unit which includes regions having predetermined coordinates; and a baseline updating unit for updating a baseline by reflecting sensing signals outputted from the touch sensing unit. The baseline updating unit includes a comparator for calculating difference values between the sensing signal of an n-th frame and the baseline of an n−1-th frame for each region, and for comparing the difference values with predetermined reference values. The touch sensing system further comprises an arithmetic unit for setting the baseline of the n−1-th frame as the baseline of the n-th frame for a region in which the difference values are larger than the reference values and for the region adjacent to it, and for updating the baseline of the n-th frame by a predetermined arithmetic for a remaining region.
US08963869B2
Techniques are disclosed for providing a color pattern unlock mode in electronic touch sensitive devices. The color pattern unlock mode can display an unlock screen to the user, prompting the user to arrange or create a specific color pattern in order to unlock the device. The customizable color pattern may include any uniquely identifiable unlocking pattern including a combination of colors. Example color patterns include a combination of colors arranged in a certain order, a combination of colors combined with a password, a combination of colors combined with one or more words written out in one or more colors, or a combination of colors each matched with a specific image. When the user has arranged the proper color pattern, the device unlocks and may be used. If the correct color pattern is not arranged, the device remains locked.
US08963868B2
An image editing apparatus has editing functions for editing a still image displayed on a screen of an LCD. The image editing apparatus is provided with a touch panel, a judgment section, and a display controller. The judgment section determines which of the editing functions is requested to be executed, in accordance with how a second touch operation is performed while a first touch operation on the still image on the touch panel is maintained. The display controller executes the editing function determined by the judgment section, and displays an edited image on the LCD.
US08963856B2
The present invention relates to a touch sensing layer which comprises at least one first-axis sensing electrode, second-axis sensing electrode, insulating element and conductive bridge. Each first-axis sensing electrode comprises a plurality of first electrode patterns with discontinuity-in-series, and each second-axis sensing electrode is configured to interlace with each first-axis sensing electrode and comprises a plurality of second electrode patterns with continuity-in-series. Each insulating element is continuously formed on the corresponding second-axis sensing electrode, and each conductive bridge is also continuously formed above the corresponding first-axis sensing electrode and crosses the insulating element to connect those first electrode patterns with discontinuity-in-series.
US08963855B2
A method for unlocking a mobile device is disclosed. When the mobile device is in the lock mode, the touch panel screen on the mobile device detects a multi-touch action simultaneously performed by users. The users perform the multi-touch action on a plurality of the touch points displayed on the touch panel screen. If the multi-touch action satisfies a predetermined unlock condition of the mobile device, the mobile device switches from a lock mode to an unlock mode. The simultaneous multi-touch action is provided to users for unlocking the mobile device. Thus, the simultaneity of the action is utilized to shortening the operating time of the unlock process.
US08963851B2
A moving point gesture determination method is disclosed for a touch sense device mapped to a screen according to absolute position. The moving point gesture determination method includes steps of comparing one or more signal values of one or more detecting signals generated by the touch sense device with one or more threshold values, to determine whether any touch event occurs, and determining that a moving point gesture occurs once the determination indicates that a touch event occurs.
US08963847B2
One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for controlling the operations of a consumer electronic (CE) device. A system includes a display device, CE device, and a remote controller with a touchpad. The CE device is configured to output a context-specific user interface for display by the display device. The particular user interface varies based on the operational context of the CE device. The remote controller sends signals that are detected by the CE device and control operations performed by the CE device. More specifically, the remote controller is used as a handheld pointing device to select operations through interactions with the context-specific user interface. A user may apply gestures to the touchpad that are interpreted based on the context-specific user interface to control the CE device.
US08963832B2
In a mobile terminal of the present invention, when the finger of a user is approaching a touch panel, an estimation coordinate as a position of the finger and an estimation distance as a distance between the finger and the touch panel are determined based on a capacitance value between the finger and the touch panel, and capacitance distribution data showing a distribution of the capacitance values is generated. When the capacitance distribution data is similar to set capacitance distribution data, an object icon, which is arranged in the estimation coordinate, of a plurality of icons displayed on the touch panel is displayed on the touch panel in a size larger than in a basic size. In this way, only when detecting that the finger of the user is approaching the touch panel, the icon which is displayed on the touch panel is displayed in an expansion state. Therefore, a malfunction can be prevented and the improvement of operability can be attempted to the user.
US08963828B2
Two bar support portions are provided on opposite sides of a floor mat sensor and a horizontal bar is fixed between these portions to define spaces below into which feet are to be inserted. Then, using the horizontal bar as a reference, an input area, such as “A” or “B”, can be accurately stepped on. A signal receiver reads and stores a first signal, and a signal determination unit determines whether the signal that was read was generated by stepping on area A or area B. Thereafter, when a signal is received indicating a data type was received first, the signal receiver reads the next input signal and the signal determination unit determines whether a signal indicating the data type was received.
US08963818B2
A display panel includes a plurality of data lines, a plurality of gate lines, a plurality of dummy loads, a pad portion and a fanout portion. The data lines are disposed in a display area, on which a plurality of pixels are disposed. The gate lines are disposed in the display area and cross the data lines. The dummy loads are disposed in a peripheral area surrounding the display area. The pad portion is disposed in the peripheral area and includes signal pads and dummy pads. The fanout portion includes a first fanout line portion connecting the data lines to the signal pads, and a second fanout line portion connecting the dummy loads to the dummy pads.
US08963816B2
There are provided a light emitting display comprising at least a light emitting unit comprising at least two light emitting diodes which are electrically connected to the same driving unit to emit light, and a plurality of voltage sources whereby one voltage source supplies a voltage different from the other voltage(s) supplied from the other voltage source(s) to each of the light emitting diodes.
US08963806B1
A head-mountable device configured to authenticate a wearer is disclosed. The head-mountable device can receive an indication of an eye gesture from at least one proximity sensor in the head-mountable device configured to generate sensor data indicative of light reflected from an eye area. The head-mountable device can capture biometric information indicative of one or more biometric identifiers of a wearer of the head-mountable device responsive to receiving the indication of the eye gesture. The head-mountable device can authenticate the wearer of the head-mountable device based on a comparison of the captured biometric information and a stored biometric profile.
US08963804B2
Methods and system for operating a near-to-eye (NTE) display movably coupled to a headset are provided. Information representative of at least one spatial degree of freedom of the NTE display relative to at least one spatial degree of freedom of the headset is received. Spatial coordinates of the NTE display are determined based on said received information. The NTE display is controlled based on the spatial coordinates of the NTE display.
US08963800B2
In order to display an image with a high contrast ratio while suppressing power consumed by a multi-display device and to adjust brightness of images displayed on image display devices, the multi-display device includes light emission APL value adjusting means 102. The light emission APL value adjusting means 102 sends, to light emission control means, a light emission APL value that has been adjusted, on the basis of light emission APL values calculated by light emission APL value calculating means of image display devices 11 to 19, so that total light emission power value of image-display light-emitting means 6 does not exceed an allowable power value and images are displayed at predetermined brightness.
US08963798B2
The display controller includes a decoder, a control circuit, and a video output logic circuit. The decoder is configured to decode a first display command and output a decoding signal and first synchronizing information indicating the first display command is received. The control circuit is configured to generate a first control signal based on second synchronizing information and the decoding signal. The second synchronizing information is output from a second display controller and indicates a second display command is received. The video output logic circuit is configured to send a part of video data stored in a video source and a plurality of first timing control signals for displaying the part of the video data on a display to the display based on the first control signal.
US08963791B1
A radio frequency (RF) horn can include an interior surface with an inner geometry comprising irregular, aperiodic corrugations and/or undulations. The pattern of the inner geometry can excite higher order modes simultaneously in two RF signals each at a different frequency that combine with fundamental modes of the signals to produce substantially Gaussian profiles of the two signals at the output aperture of the horn. Even though the signals are at different frequencies, the illumination pattern of both signals on a reflector antenna at which the horn is directed can be substantially the same.
US08963790B2
A universal joint comprising a pair of circular waveguide ball-joints and a slip-joint allows for simultaneous 3-axis rotation and 3-dimensional translation between an antenna and a stationary source. As such, the universal joint does not have to be physically aligned with the azimuth, and elevation, rotation axis of the antenna and mounted on the gimbal support, greatly simplifying the antenna steering mechanism. The universal joint allows the antenna to be mass-balanced in relation to the azimuth and elevation axis without adding any additional counter weights, thus reducing the size and power requirements of the azimuth and elevation rotation drive systems. Additional ball-joints may be provided to increase the allowed range of motion of the antenna.
US08963787B2
A lens antenna including at least one diffractive dielectric component capable of shaping a microwave frequency wave front having a wavelength comprised in a range from 1 millimeter to 50 centimeters, said diffractive dielectric component including a plurality of main microstructures formed in a substrate material with a substrate refractive index so as to form an artificial material of an effective refractive index, each main microstructure having a size of less than a target wavelength taken from said range of wavelengths, said main microstructures being laid out per zones, so as to make a surface filling level vary, the effective refractive index being a function of said surface filling level, the layout being such that the effective refractive index varies inside said one zone of said diffractive dielectric component quasi monotonously between a minimum value and a maximum value less than or equal to the substrate refractive index.
US08963782B2
An electronic device may have a cavity antenna. The cavity antenna may have a logo-shaped dielectric window. An antenna resonating element for the cavity antenna may be formed from conductive traces on a printed circuit board. An antenna resonating element may be formed from the traces. The antenna resonating element may be mounted on an antenna support structure. A conductive cavity structure for the cavity antenna may have a planar lip that is mounted flush with an interior surface of a conductive housing wall. The cavity structure may have more than one depth. Shallower planar portions of the cavity structure may lie in a plane. The antenna resonating element may be located between the plane of the shallow cavity walls and an external surface of the conductive housing wall.
US08963779B2
The disclosure provides a silicon-based suspending antenna with photonic bandgap structure, which includes a silicon substrate, an electrode layer, a spacing part and an F-shaped structure. The silicon substrate has a first side surface and a second side surface oppositing to the first surface. The electrode layer has a flat part, a first base and at least one second base, in which one side of the flat part has a notch, the first base, the second base and the notch are separately disposed on the second side surface and essentially parallel to the longitudinal edge of the second side surface, the first base has a main body and an extension, and the extension extends from the main body and into the notch. The F-shaped structure has a longitudinal part disposed on the spacing part and is parallel to the second side surface.
US08963777B2
A method for localizing a node in a wireless network, the method including: receiving location signals transmitted by beacons, the location signals including information about the locations of the respective beacons; detecting the respective received signal strengths of the received location signals; obtaining information about the different signal levels at which the beacons can transmit; studying the received location signals; determining the signal levels used by each of the beacons for the transmission of the location signals, based on the studying of the received signals; calculating a distance to each of the beacons based on the detected signal strengths and the determined signal levels; and localizing the node by means of the received location information and the calculated distances. The invention also relates to a node ant to a wireless network.
US08963774B1
A parasitic array antenna and a beamforming method for such a parasitic array antenna are disclosed. The parasitic array antenna may include a single driven element at the center of a ground plane. The driven element may be surrounded by multiple parasitic elements. RF loading may be selectively applied to each parasitic element. When symmetric loading is applied to the parasitic elements, the parasitic array antenna may function as an omnidirectional antenna. When asymmetric loading is applied to the parasitic elements, a null and a directional beam may be formed for the parasitic array antenna, therefore providing beamforming capabilities to the parasitic array antenna.
US08963770B2
The invention relates to a method for determining the distance between a radio beacon and a vehicle device passing in front of said radio beacon, in a road toll system. A signal of a frequency having a known temporal profile is emitted. Said method consists of the following steps: the signal is captured in the other component when passing and the temporal profile of the frequency is recorded in relation to the known temporal profile; a modification in the recorded frequency profile exceeding a first threshold value is detected; two distant wave zones in the frequency profile, lying temporally in front of and behind the detected modification, which displays a frequency modification below a second threshold value, are searched for; the recorded frequency profile is scaled in such a manner that the distance wave zones take the predetermined values; and said distance “a” from the scaled frequency path is determined. The invention also relates to radio beacons, installations and vehicle devices for implementing the method.
US08963769B2
A guided wave radar transmitter for interface measurement comprises a probe defining a transmission line for sensing level of two immiscible liquids to define an interface therebetween. A pulse circuit generates pulses on the transmission line and receives a reflected signal from the transmission line. The reflected signal selectively includes a level pulse representing material level and an interface pulse representing interface level. A controller operates in an interface mode to determine the material level and the interface level responsive to receiving the level pulse and the interface pulse. The controller operates in a medium identification mode responsive to not receiving the interface pulse, comprising calculating an estimated amplitude of the level pulse for the two immiscible liquids and comparing actual amplitude of the level pulse to the estimated amplitude of the level pulse to identify the medium in the vessel.
US08963766B2
According to one embodiment, a target tracking apparatus calculates N-dimensional predicted values from a respective stored (N+1)-dimensional tracks for each of the targets, determines whether or not the N-dimensional predicted value for each of the targets is correlated with the received N-dimensional angle observed value for the target, if the N-dimensional predicted value is not correlated, generates a new (N+1)-dimensional track for the target based on the N-dimensional track corresponding to the N-dimensional angle observed value and if the N-dimensional predicted value is correlated, updates and stores the (N+1)-dimensional track using the N-dimensional angle observed value.
US08963759B2
Electronic devices may include image sensors having image sensor pixels that are coupled to analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). Each ADC may be a sub-ranged ramp ADC that uses a first set of reference voltages to determine a coarse code and a second set of ramping voltages to determine a fine code. In the presence of parasitic capacitances, the reference voltages and the ramp voltages exhibit mismatch that causes the ADC to exhibit non-idealities such as missing codes. Calibration operations may be performed that involve obtaining a first code at a first predetermined input voltage level and obtaining a second code at a second predetermined input voltage level. A code correction value can then be computed based on the first and second codes. The code correction value can be selectively applied to the final ADC code to correct for missing codes.
US08963754B2
A circuit for digitizing a sum of a first input signal and a plurality of second input signals has a passive adder that sums the second input signals and outputs a summation signal and a multi-bit quantizer circuit. The quantizer circuit compares the summation signal at a first comparator input with a signal at a second comparator input, which is derived from the first input signal and has an appropriate polarity so that the difference between the summation signal and the signal at the second comparator input is indicative of the sum of the first input signal and the plurality of second input signals. The comparator also produces a comparator output signal based on the sum of the first input signal and the plurality of second input signals. The quantizer circuit also has a control logic block for determining a multi-bit representation of the sum from the comparator output signal.
US08963751B2
A photonically assisted analog to digital conversion (ADC) system is presented. The system comprises: an optical sampling signal generator configured and operable for generating an optical sampling signal comprising a predetermined sampling pulse sequence in the form of a time separated pulse train of spectral components dispersed in a periodic fashion, where each pulse is distinguishable by a central wavelength thereof different from its neighboring pulses. The generation of the pulse sampling sequence is achieved by combining broadband dispersion and compensation with a periodic dispersion compensator having a free spectral range smaller than the broad bandwidth of the ultrashort pulse. The second innovative element is the introduction of coherent detection with oversampling of the interference terms of the phase modulated pulse sampling sequence and a reference pulse. The over-sampling provides additional measurements of the beat term and by way of error minimization a more reliable phase estimation is provided, translated into a more accurate conversion to digital representation. The system further comprises an electro-optical modulator for interacting an input electric analog signal and an optical sampling signal and generating a modulated optical signal indicative of said input signal; and a detection system configured and operable for receiving said modulated optical signal and generating an output digital signal corresponding to said input electric analog signal.
US08963749B2
A fieldbus adaptor connected between a fieldbus that handles a digital signal and a field device that handles an analog signal, the fieldbus adaptor comprising a first connection unit detachably connected to the fieldbus, a second connection unit detachably connected to the field device, and a conversion unit provided between the first connection unit and the second connection unit, the conversion unit bidirectionally converting the digital signal handled by the fieldbus and the analog signal handled by the field device.
US08963740B2
Architecture that employs crowd-sourced parking-related information to compute the probability of finding parking spots at specific road segments, parking lots, and/or in larger geographic areas. The crowd-sourced parking-related information can be obtained from geolocation (geographical location) traces. This approach utilizes a method of mining location traces to compute the probability of finding parking spots at specific road segments, parking lots, and/or in larger geographic areas. The location traces can be mined to classify parking areas as public, private, and semi-private (e.g., only for company employees in certain area that also include public parking areas). The location traces can be mined to infer the times and dates (e.g., hours of the day and the days of the week) during which a vehicle is allowed to park at a given location.
US08963717B2
Systems and methods for purchasing an article having a security tag attached thereto. The methods involve: obtaining, by a mobile communication device, article information and payment information for purchasing the article; communicating the article information and payment information from the mobile communication device to a remote system via a network connection for completing a purchase transaction; and communicating a detachment key from the mobile communication device to the security tag via a first short-range communication. Notably, the detachment key is communicated to the security tag exclusively if the article was successfully purchased during the purchase transaction. The detachment key is configured to cause an actuation of a detachment mechanism of the security tag.
US08963716B2
A storage container for use in a documents management system with remote location of file folders positioned on support members mounted between walls of the storage container. The support members are electrically connected to an electrical input connector which supplies file folder search signals to the container and receives response signals from address decoder circuits located in each file folder removably received in the container. Each container has an electrical output connector which can be connected to the electrical input connector of another container so that several containers can be connected to one another. Each container can be removably installed in a file cabinet drawer and electrically connected to the file drawer conductive rails to communicate with a file cabinet based file management system.
US08963715B2
An embodiment of an apparatus has a closed housing accommodating an element to be protected, and a pressure sensor coupled to a control unit configured to detect pressure variations within the housing upon opening the housing. The control unit is configured to activate countermeasures upon detecting opening of the housing. For example, the apparatus may be a set-top box, a cell phone, a television set, a printer ink cartridge of toner cartridge, or a meter, wherein the element to be protected is a semiconductor chip and relevant couplings, storing an enabling code or key.
US08963704B2
A driver assist device is provided for an industrial truck (1) that has a load handling device (5). The driver assist device, when located on the industrial truck (1), projects a lighting effect onto the roadway (13). The lighting effect forms a position marking (12) of the load handling device (5) on the roadway (13) which will be reached by the load handling device (5) for a particular steering angle after the industrial truck (1) travels around a curve by a defined curve angle.
US08963702B2
A system and method for detecting use of a wireless device is disclosed. In one embodiment, a system and method for using street map data broadcasts a warning to a driver, wherein the warning is triggered when a vehicle operating parameter does not comply with a limitation for a current street in a street mapping database. The limitation for the current street is also broadcast to the driver. An indication that the limitation for the current street is incorrect is received from the driver. The warning to the driver may be an audible warning and/or a visual warning to the driver. Broadcasting a limitation for the current street may include displaying the limitation to the driver or playing a spoken message to the driver. The limitation may be a posted speed limit or a traffic direction, for example.
US08963700B2
A wireless communication device includes an electric power generation unit, an electric power accumulation unit, a sensor supplied with the electric power from the electric power accumulation unit, and a wireless communication unit supplied with the electric power from the electric power accumulation unit, for transmitting the sensed information outputted by the sensor to outside of the wireless communication device. A storage unit stores the sensed information outputted by the sensor. A control unit controls operation of the wireless communication unit, the sensor and/or the storage unit in accordance, at least in part, with the electric power accumulated in the electric power accumulation.
US08963696B2
An apparatus for performing key control includes an integrated circuit (IC) arranged to detect a key press according to some input/output signals of a key matrix, where the input/output signals include first input/output signals corresponding to a first direction and second input/output signals corresponding to a second direction. In addition, the IC includes a plurality of first pins and a plurality of second pins, for transmitting the first and the second input/output signals, respectively. In particular, during the detection of the key press, the IC controls at least one first pin of the first pins to be in an output mode and controls the second pins to be in an input mode in a first time period, and controls at least one second pin of the second pins to be in an output mode and controls the first pins to be in an input mode in a second time period.
US08963690B2
A method of identifying a plurality of transponders, the method comprising receiving at an interrogator one or more data transmission blocks from each transponder, wherein the first data block contains a uniquely detectable transponder identity and zero or more further data blocks defining a set of data blocks making up a transponder transmission. The first data transmission block also contains in transmission block number; one or more further data transmission blocks containing additional block data and a respective transmission block number; the block number being changed, by decrement or increment, automatically as each data block is transmitted.
US08963687B2
A system and method for Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC) between beacons and onboard units of a road toll system, wherein the beacons have a system-wide key and the onboard units have only individual keys, which are respectively formed from the system-wide key on the basis of a derivation code specific to the onboard units, wherein upon a communication from the onboard unit the derivation code is transmitted to the beacon in order to enable the beacon to emulate the individual key to encrypt/decrypt the communication with the onboard unit and/or for access to data stored in the onboard unit, and wherein upon communications with consecutive beacons the onboard unit transmits varying derivation codes.
US08963686B2
Situational location dependent information is transmitted from a server data processing system to a receiving data processing system. The server data processing system communicates with the receiving data processing system in a manner by pushing content when appropriate. A candidate delivery event associated with a current positional attribute of the receiving data processing system is recognized and a situational location of the remote data processing system is determined. The candidate delivery event may be a location and/or direction change, device state change, or movement exceeding a movement tolerance. The situational location of the remote data processing system may be its location, direction, location and direction, proximity to a location, state change, or location and/or direction relative to a previous location and/or direction, or combinations thereof. A set of delivery content from a deliverable content database is transmitted from the server data processing system to the receiving data processing system according to the situational location of the receiving data processing system, and according to delivery constraints. The delivery content is configurable by authorized administrators on an instant activation basis for proactive delivery.
US08963685B2
The present disclosure is directed to an apparatus and system for and method of registering, admitting and testing of a candidate. Test candidate can be registered and admitted through verification of identity using biometric comparisons and third party identification systems. Scanning of identification documents and comparison with security information database can authenticate the validity and authenticity of identification documents. Authentication of testing candidates can be accomplished by comparison of biometric data of candidate against biometric data contain in identification document. Testing can be conducted on an apparatus remotely located from a proctor monitored administrative station or apparatus. The remote testing station can detect and prevent individuals from cheating, detect unauthorized objects, and can prevent or detect unauthorized copying of an examination or portions thereof.
US08963683B2
A method for operating a door operator, includes inserting a first functional module into a slot of the door operator. The first functional module includes first information data function to be enabled. The first information data is transmitted to the door operator and, determining which additional functions are to be enabled. A first unique first identification is generated in the door operator. This generated first identification is transmitted back to the first functional module and saved in the first functional module. The determined functions to be enabled are activated, respectively enabled in the door operator.
US08963678B2
A circuit breaker closing/opening actuating mechanism and a driving device thereof, the driving device includes: an expansion body (12), and a heater (13), wherein the expansion body (12) is coupled to the force transmitting mechanism (11), when the heater (13) is powered on, the expansive matter (4) inside the shell (2) expands to motivate the force transmitting mechanism (11), so as to realize opening or closing a circuit breaker. The present invention has the following benefits of utilizing the expansion force and displacement generated by matter phase transforming when temperature changes to expand, for the circuit breaker to close or open, so as to realize remote controlling and automatic controlling of an electric switch. The present invention has simple structure, and acts reliably.
US08963677B2
An oil immersed stereo wound-core amorphous alloy transformer, comprising an iron core, a high-low voltage winding, leads and a tank. The core comprises three single frames made of amorphous alloy strips by winding and are identical in structure, and the single frames have a rectangular shape; the vertical sides of every two adjacent frames fit together fixedly to form a core pillar, and the horizontal sides of the single frame form iron yokes; the cross sections of the core pillars have an approximately circular or polygonal shape; the transformer further comprises a clamp, comprising a quasi-triangular upper and lower clamp, and posts, the lower clamp is provide with three food pads; the iron yokes in the lower portion of the iron core are located on the foot pads, and the high-low voltage winding is wound on the core pillars.
US08963662B2
A system comprising a circuit interrupter configured to interrupt flow of current through a circuit during an over current condition, wherein the circuit interrupter comprises two contacts configured to remain in contact when a current flowing through the two contacts is less than a threshold value, a tripping mechanism configured to separate the two contacts when the current equals or exceeds the threshold value, and at least one of either a permanent magnet or an electrode configured to extinguish an electric arc formed between the two contacts of the circuit interrupter when the two contacts are separated, wherein the circuit interrupter does not include an arc chute.
US08963661B2
A nano-electro-mechanical switch includes an input electrode, a body electrode, an insulating layer, an actuator electrode, an output electrode, and a cantilever beam adapted to flex in response to an actuation voltage applied between the body electrode and the actuator electrode. The cantilever beam includes the input electrode, the body electrode and the insulating layer, the latter separating the body electrode from the input electrode, the cantilever beam being configured such that, upon flexion of the cantilever beam, the input electrode comes in contact with the output electrode at a single mechanical contact point at the level of an end of the cantilever beam.
US08963652B2
In a duplexer, a common terminal is arranged in a central region of a back surface of a main body of the duplexer, a transmission terminal and a reception terminal are arranged on a virtual line that is parallel or substantially parallel with one side of the back surface of the main body and that passes through the common terminal such that the common terminal is sandwiched between the transmission terminal and the common terminal. By arranging a plurality of the duplexers such that the transmission terminals are aligned and the reception terminals are aligned, the common terminals, the transmission terminals, and the reception terminals provided on the respective duplexers are not spaced apart from one another.
US08963645B1
An integrated circuit amplifier comprises: a first planar substrate having an upper surface and a lower surface; a second planar substrate having an upper surface and a lower surface, the lower surface of the second planar substrate physically affixed to the upper surface of the first planar substrate; at least one transistor pair comprising a first and second transistor, formed in the upper surface of the second planar substrate; and a conductor electrically coupling a drain electrode of the first transistor to a source electrode of the second transistor. The first substrate material may have a higher thermal conductivity than the second substrate material. The first material may be Silicon Carbide and may have a thickness of about 10 mils. The second material may be Gallium Arsenide and may have a thickness of about 1 to 2 mils.
US08963638B2
An operational amplifier circuit includes an output stage circuit. The output stage circuit includes a first and a second output transistors, a capacitor unit, and a switch unit. A drain of the first output transistor is coupled to a drain of the second output transistor via an output terminal of the output stage circuit. The switch unit is coupled between gates of the first and the second output transistors and coupled to a first terminal of the capacitor unit. A second terminal of the capacitor unit is coupled to the output terminal of the output stage circuit. The switch unit determines to conduct a signal transmission path between the gate of the first output transistor and the first terminal of the capacitor unit or conduct a signal transmission path between the gate of the second output transistor and the first terminal of the capacitor unit according to a control signal.
US08963637B2
A semiconductor device capable of achieving high speed performance in addition to correction of differential offset and a communication device provided with the semiconductor device are provided. For example, there are provided: a variable gain type differential amplifier circuit VGA1 which receives a gain setting signal ASET, which amplifies differential input signals INP and INN by a gain indicated by the gain setting signal, and which outputs differential output signals OUTP′ and OTUN′; and an offset correcting circuit unit OFCBK1 which cancels an offset voltage (VOF and VOFO) generated in the VGA1. Here, the OFCBK1 cancels an output offset voltage VOFO (which results in an input offset voltage VOF) by receiving the ASET, generating a correction voltage changed in accordance with the gain, and adding the correction voltage to the OUTP′ and OUTN′.
US08963633B2
An automatic gain control device includes: a variable gain adjusting unit, for adjusting an input signal by a variable gain and outputting an adjustment result; an analog-digital converting unit, for performing analog-digital conversion on the adjustment result to obtain an analog-digital conversion result; and a gain determining unit, for determining a distribution status over a predetermined period of time of a maximum or a minimum of the analog-digital conversion result, comparing the distribution status with a first distribution condition, and if the distribution status meets the first distribution condition, then keeping the variable gain unchanged, otherwise changing the variable gain and determining newly a distribution status until the newly determined distribution status meets a second distribution condition which is at least as strict as the first distribution condition.
US08963631B2
A signal amplifying circuit of a communication device is disclosed including: an amplifier comprising a first input terminal, a second input terminal, and an output terminal, wherein the input terminal is coupled with a fixed voltage level; a feedback circuit coupled with the second input terminal and the output terminal of the amplifier; a digital-to-analog converter (DAC); a signal processing circuit; a switch for selectively coupling the second input terminal of the amplifier with the DAC or the signal processing circuit; and a control unit coupled with the switch for controlling the operations of the switch.
US08963626B2
In various embodiments, a circuit is provided including a supply terminal, a logic circuit, an inverter and a control transistor which may include a body region, first and second source/drain regions, a gate insulating region having a layer thickness and a gate region. The first source/drain region may be coupled to the supply terminal. The logic circuit may have an internal supply terminal connected to the second source/drain region of the control transistor and a plurality of transistors each having a gate insulating region having a second layer thickness. The inverter input may be coupled to the internal supply terminal of the logic circuit and the output to the gate region of the control transistor. The inverter may include a transistor with a gate insulating region having a third layer thickness substantially equal to the first and second layer thicknesses.
US08963624B2
A boosting circuit, includes an output circuit including a first transmission circuit, transmitting charges of a first boosting node to a first output node according to a first transmission control signal, a detection circuit, detecting the voltage level of the first output node, and a pre-charge circuit pre-charging the first boosting node according a detection signal of the detection circuit; a first pump circuit includes a second transmission circuit, transmitting charges to a second output node according to a second transmission control signal, and a first capacitance unit, coupled to the first boosting node, boosting the voltage level of the first boosting node according to charges transmitted in the second output node; and a control circuit, coupled to the output circuit and the first pump circuit, controls the second transmission control signal according to the voltage level of the first output node.
US08963617B1
A circuit for providing connection between a first node at a first voltage and a second node at a second voltage. The circuit has a first inductive element having a first terminal coupled to the first node, a first switching element coupled between a second terminal of the first inductive element and the second node, a second inductive element having a first terminal configured for receiving current from the second terminal of the first inductive element, and having a second terminal coupled to a third node, and a second switching element coupled between the first terminal of the second inductive element and the second node. The first and second switching elements are configured for providing alternating current flow paths between the first node and the second node.
US08963616B2
A circuit for a phase connection of an inverter includes upper and lower bridge halves and respectively associated upper and lower bridge segments. Each bridge half has an outer switch and an inner switch connected in series. Each bridge segment has a diode and the inner switch of the associated bridge half connected in series. An output of the circuit is respectively connected to upper and lower potentials through the outer switches and is further connected to a center potential applied between the upper and lower potentials through each of the upper and lower bridge segments. Each bridge half further has a parallel power switch. The parallel switch of each bridge half is connected in parallel to the series-connected outer and inner switches of the bridge half. The output of the circuit is further respectively connected to the upper and lower potentials through the parallel switches.
US08963615B1
A system is provided that includes an input node configured to receive a signal indicative of sensor data. The system also includes a first transistor configured to route the signal to a positive channel when a polarity of the signal is positive. Moreover, the system includes a second transistor configured to route the signal to a negative channel when a polarity of the signal is negative. Additionally, the system includes the positive channel coupled to the first transistor configured to route the signal to an analysis component. Furthermore, the system includes the negative channel coupled to the second transistor and configured to route the signal to the analysis component.
US08963614B2
A semiconductor device includes an internal high voltage terminal supplied with an internal high voltage, an internal negative voltage terminal supplied with an internal negative voltage, a monitoring pad suitable for monitoring the internal high and negative voltages, a first switch suitable for controlling electrical connection between the high voltage terminal and the monitoring pad and including two or more transistors coupled in series, and a second switch suitable for controlling electrical connection between the negative voltage terminal and the monitoring pad and including two or more transistors coupled in series.
US08963613B2
A current mirror circuit is described. The current mirror circuit includes a first transistor and a second transistor. The gates of the first transistor and the second transistor are coupled at a bias voltage. The current mirror circuit also includes an auxiliary transistor that is biased into weak inversion by receiving the bias voltage at a gate of the auxiliary transistor after being reduced by an offset voltage. The sources of the first transistor, second transistor and auxiliary transistor are coupled together. A primary current from the drain of the second transistor is combined with an auxiliary current from the drain of the auxiliary transistor to produce an output current.
US08963607B1
DC offset correction is provided with low frequency support. A first input terminal for receiving an input signal is selectively coupled to a resistance and a capacitor that are series coupled between the first input terminal and a corresponding output terminal. In a calibration phase, the series resistance is coupled between the input terminal and the capacitor and an average voltage level of the input is stored on capacitor. In a signal processing phase, the charged capacitor is coupled in series between the input terminal and the output terminal while the resistance is bypassed. The output signal obtained contains the high and low frequency components of the input signal, while the DC offset in the input signal is removed from the output signal. A differential circuit and methods are disclosed. Additional embodiments are disclosed.
US08963605B2
Disclosed is a multi-phase clock signal generation circuit including two circuit blocks, each of which includes a cross-coupled structure and two delay units, and the delay units are adjustable. One circuit block (MD1) includes two NMOS transistors, two PMOS transistors, and two delay units, and the other circuit block (MD2) may include two NMOS transistors, two PMOS transistors, and two delay units. The circuit can generate clock signals with respective phases whose relationship is relatively independent of integration process, operating voltage and temperature, thereby allowing guaranteed efficiency for a multi-phase charge pump.
US08963592B2
A PLL circuit includes a divider configured to generate a divided signal having a cycle of T/M (where M is an integer greater than or equal to two) by dividing an oscillation signal; a phase comparator configured to generate a phase comparison result by calculating an exclusive logical OR of M reference signals and the divided signal, the M reference signals having the cycle of T and respective time intervals shifted sequentially by T/2M; a loop filter configured to generate a voltage signal using the phase comparison result as input; and a voltage-controlled oscillator configured to generate the oscillation signal by oscillating at a frequency depending on the voltage signal.
US08963588B2
An oscillator may output phased signals to a phase interpolator which is to generate an adjustable output clock signal having a phase offset relative to at least one of the phased signals received from the oscillator. A divider may then divide the frequency of the output signal generated by the phase interpolator by an integer factor.
US08963584B2
A circuit for converting the state of a sensor into a signal interpretable by an electronic circuit, including: a comparator of the voltage level of an input terminal with respect to a reference level, the sensor being intended to be connected between a terminal of application of a first power supply voltage and the input terminal; a current-limiting element between said input terminal and the ground; and a switching element in series with the current source and intended to be controlled by a pulse train.
US08963581B1
One embodiment relates to a circuit for pipelined direct-drive routing, the circuit including a routing multiplexer, a flip-flop, and a mode multiplexer. The output of the routing multiplexer is coupled to an input of the mode multiplexer and to the flip-flop. The output of the flip-flop is connected to another input of the mode multiplexer. The flip-flop may be directly connected to the routing multiplexer and the mode multiplexer, or, in an alternate embodiment, the flip-flop may be a member of a pipeline register pool. Another embodiment relates to a circuit for pipelined direct-drive routing which uses a pulse latch. Other embodiments relate to method for pipelined direct-drive routing which includes a degree of logical separation between logic elements and flip-flop elements. Another embodiment relates to a logic array block. Other embodiments, aspects, and features are also disclosed.
US08963575B2
An analog majority voting circuit is formed of a cascade of two differential amplifiers and decouples heavily loaded nodes from a high voltage swing nodes, delivering high bandwidth while maintaining relatively high gain. A first stage's differential amplifier receives a first set of n input and a second set of n inputs and generates from these first and second intermediate outputs with a high capacitive load and low swing. These intermediate outputs are then the inputs for a second stage's differential amplifier, providing a low capacitive load, high swing output that can then be fed to an inverter for the final output of the voter.
US08963573B2
According to an example implementation, a universal tester includes a host interface slot connected to a first pluggable host card during an electrical test mode of operation to provide a stressed electrical signal to a host under test. The host interface slot is connected to a second pluggable host card during an optical test mode of operation, the second pluggable host card including an electrical-optical conversion block to convert a stressed electrical signal to a stressed optical signal that is provided to a host under test. A stressor generator may operation in pass-through mode or a loop-back mode.
US08963571B2
Disclosed is an inspection device for a glass substrate, comprising at least one probe, a holder, a stretch controller and a control circuit. The probe is installed on the stretch controller, the stretch controller is employed to stretch the probe out of the holder as an electrical signal is received; and to retract the probe backward in the holder as the electrical signal stops. The present invention promotes the inspection efficiency for the glass substrate.
US08963568B2
The resistive probing tip system has one or more carriers and one or more electrical contact assemblies. Each carrier has opposing surfaces with a plurality of resistors engaging the carrier. Each of the plurality of resistors has opposing electrical contacts that are exposed at respective opposing surfaces of the carrier. Each electrical contact assembly has opposing surfaces with electrical contacts exposed at the opposing surfaces with each electrical contact exposed on one surface coupled to a corresponding electrical contact on the other opposing surface. The carrier(s) and the electrical contact assembly(s) selectively mate to and mate from one another with the electrical contacts exposed at the opposing surfaces the carrier(s) and the electrical contact assembly(s) contacting one another. The carrier(s) and/or the electrical contact assembly(s) may be selectively secured to either of a circuit board or a probe head.
US08963560B2
An antenna system for electromagnetic compliance testing within a frequency range includes a driven element mounted on a boom and including opposed first and second length-adjustable conductors. A length-adjustable passive element is mounted on the boom and spaced apart from the driven element and including opposed third and fourth length-adjustable conductors. An RF input connector is coupled between a feed path to a feed end of each length-adjustable conductors in the driven element. The feed path is configured to minimize stray reactances and stub effects within the frequency range.
US08963558B2
A current differential protection system for a multi-terminal power line includes a current sensor for sensing a current at a local terminal, a controller for time synchronizing the local terminal and remote terminals, and a fault detection module to detect a fault in the multi-terminal power line if a differential current exceeds a threshold value. The controller includes a time measurement exchange module for exchanging time stamp data with remote terminals, an upper range clock for exchanging time stamp data with remote terminals and a lower range clock for indexing the current at the local terminal. A first time period of the upper range clock is N times a second time period of the lower range clock where N is a number of multi-terminals. The controller includes a clock offset calculation module for determining an average time offset based on time stamp data from remote terminals and the local terminal.
US08963552B2
A device for detecting an electrostatic discharge event by an object, the device comprising: a receiver for forming a first capacitive coupling with the object and a second capacitive coupling with a ground; and a first discharge path for discharging the second capacitive coupling to the ground, such that an electrostatic discharge event by the object charges the second capacitive coupling by an amount in a first time interval Δt1 that is substantially less than a second time interval Δt2 that it takes for the second capacitive coupling to discharge by the same amount through the first discharge path.
US08963548B2
A cylindrical gradient coil arrangement is provided for a magnetic resonance device. The arrangement includes at least one conductive structure that forms at least one gradient coil and a cooling device that uses a cooling fluid to cool the at least one conductive structure. The arrangement includes an outer carrier structure and an inner carrier structure. The outer carrier structure includes two tubular, coaxial outer sections with different diameters. The inner, tubular carrier structure is arranged between and coaxially with the outer sections. The conductive structure is placed on the inner carrier structure. The inner carrier structure is spaced from the outer sections by a clearance. The clearance forms a cooling channel through which the cooling fluid of the cooling device may flow. The inner carrier structure is fastened to the outer carrier structure at least in a point-by-point manner.
US08963545B2
The present invention relates to a magnetic sensor that provides the sensitivity adjustment on a wafer and that has a superior mass productiveness and a small characteristic variation. The magnetic sensor includes a magnetic sensitive portion provided on a substrate that is made of a compound semiconductor and that has a cross-shaped pattern. This magnetic sensitive portion includes input terminals and output terminals. At least one of input terminals of the input terminal is series-connected to a trimming portion having a compound semiconductor via a connection electrode. By performing laser trimming on the trimming portion series-connected via the connection electrode to the magnetic sensitive portion while performing a wafer probing (electric test), the adjustment of the constant voltage sensitivity is provided.
US08963544B2
A magnetic detection element includes a magnetoresistance effect portion composed of a magnetoresistance effect material and a pair of yoke portions. The pair of yoke portions is composed of a soft magnetic material and are respectively arranged so as to be electrically connected to both sides of the magnetoresistance effect portion. The pair of yoke portions guides magnetic flux into the magnetoresistance effect portion. The magnetic detection element also includes a bypass portion, which is composed of a soft magnetic material and is saturated with magnetic flux at lower magnetic field intensity than the yoke portions, and which guides a part of the magnetic flux generated in the yoke portions so as to divert the magnetic flux from the magnetoresistance effect portion.
US08963542B2
A multi-pole variable reluctance resolver is balanced wired and driven by 180 degree differential signals. Capacitive passive elements may be serially added to the resolver to minimize magnetic interference and cancel flux between poles of the same polarity and orthogonal poles, as well as minimize the effect of input driving signal distortion. Symmetric networks of resistive and capacitive elements may also be added to the resolver to overcome noise sensitivity associated with balanced wired resolvers.
US08963526B2
A voltage conversion circuit is disclosed. The voltage conversion circuit includes an inductor, a first switch transistor, a second switch transistor, a first resistor, a second resistor and a P type transistor. When an input voltage is larger than an output voltage and a switch signal is transited to low voltage level, a control signal is a clamping voltage and the P type transistor enters into a saturation region, so that a drain voltage of the first switch transistor is a sum of the clamping voltage and a source-gate voltage of the P type transistor. When an output voltage is larger than an input voltage and a switch signal is changed to low voltage level, the control signal is the switch signal and the P type transistor enters into a linear region, so that a drain voltage of the first switch transistor is sum of the output voltage and voltage-drop of the P type transistor.
US08963522B2
According to one embodiment, a circuit includes an amplifier, first and second capacitors, a switch and a monitoring-comparator. The amplifier amplifies source and drain voltages to output first and second amplified-signals. The first and second capacitors are connected to the amplifier's first and second terminals. The first and second amplified-signals are outputted from the first and second terminals. The switch forms first and second loops when a switching-transistor is OFF. The switch supplies a common-reference-voltage to the first and second loops to store charge in the first and second capacitors. The switch ends the first and second loops based on a gate-signal when the switching-transistor is ON. The monitoring-comparator compares first and second inputs. The monitoring-comparator outputs a signal depending on a comparison result when the switching-transistor is ON. The first and second inputs are input through the first and second capacitors.
US08963517B2
A transistor includes a gate, a source, and a drain, the gate is electrically connected to the source or the drain, a first signal is input to one of the source and the drain, and an oxide semiconductor layer whose carrier concentration is 5×1014/cm3 or less is used for a channel formation layer. A capacitor includes a first electrode and a second electrode, the first electrode is electrically connected to the other of the source and the drain of the transistor, and a second signal which is a clock signal is input to the second electrode. A voltage of the first signal is stepped up or down to obtain a third signal which is output as an output signal through the other of the source and the drain of the transistor.
US08963502B2
An energy amount required for charging from the remaining capacity management value to the vicinity of a charge end and an energy amount required for discharging from the remaining capacity management value to the vicinity of a discharge end are calculated. A charge/discharge energy amount available for the secondary battery is predicted. A time required to complete the correction in the vicinity of the charge end and a time required to complete the correction in the vicinity of the discharge end are predicted based on the calculated energy amount and the predicted energy amount. A correction method having the shorter predicted time of the predicted times is selected. A state of charge of the secondary battery is controlled in such a manner that the remaining capacity management value of the secondary battery is corrected by the selected correction method.
US08963487B2
A power supply apparatus for supplying electric power wirelessly to a power receiving apparatus which charges a battery informs charging information indicating a charging state of the power receiving apparatus, if a position of the power receiving apparatus is changed to more than the predetermined value.
US08963485B2
A battery charger system and method are disclosed for increasing a charge of a battery. In one embodiment of the battery charger, an input for an electric charging power source is configured to supply electrical charging power to a rechargeable battery via an output circuit portion interposed therebetween. A transfer function circuit portion is configured to sense the voltage of the rechargeable battery as a sensing voltage such that the change in the sensing voltage is directly proportional to the internal impedance of the rechargeable battery. A control logic circuit portion is configured to select between: a constant current, variable voltage operational mode; a constant current, scalable voltage operational mode; and a variable current, constant voltage operational mode to furnish rapid recharging of the rechargeable battery.
US08963478B2
Protection of a motor controller from a transient voltage and/or an over-voltage condition is described. A drive circuit includes a rectifier portion and at least one inductive device coupled to the rectifier portion. The drive circuit further includes at least one voltage clamping device coupled in parallel with the at least one inductive device, and at least one switching device configured to open as a function of a direct current (DC) link voltage value.
US08963471B1
A controller for a DC motor comprises an output switching element configured to couple to the DC motor; an input switching element coupled to the output switching element; a pulse width modulated (PWM) signal coupled to a control terminal of the input switching element and a supply voltage applied to the output switching element. A resistive-capacitive (RC) network may be coupled to a control terminal of the output switching element, with the RC network being configured to integrate the PWM signal into a DC voltage. A first resistive network may be configured to set a bias for the output switching element when the input switching element is turned off, and a second resistive network may be configured to set the bias for the output switching element when the input switching element is turned on, such that the controller is effective to provide zero-to-full supply voltage control to the DC motor.
US08963466B2
A fan array vibration control system may include a fan array having a plurality of fans, and a control unit operatively connected to the fans. The control unit is configured to operate the plurality of fans and detect a phase relationship among the plurality of fans. The control unit is configured to reduce the phase relationship among the plurality of fans in order to reduce vibrations within the fan array.
US08963463B2
Dynamic reconfiguration-switching of motor windings is optimized between winding-configurations. Acceleration is traded off in favor of higher velocity upon detecting a tape storage drive is at an optimal angular-velocity for switching to an optimal lower torque constant and voltage constant. The total back electromotive force (BEMF) is prohibited from inhibiting further acceleration to a higher angular-velocity.
US08963461B2
A motor control device includes an inverter driving an electric motor, a vector controller determining an output frequency and a command output voltage to drive the inverter, a speed controller determining a torque command value, a current command calculation unit and an inertia moment estimation unit obtaining a load torque estimate value and estimating inertia moment that is a combination of inertia moment of a motor rotor and inertia moment of a load apparatus, based on a deviation between an acceleration/deceleration torque output value obtained by subtraction of the load torque estimation from motor torque and an acceleration/deceleration torque estimate value obtained by multiplying a variation amount in the speed estimate value per unit time by an inertia moment estimate value. The speed controller is configured to be capable of adjusting a control parameter based on an inertia moment estimate value estimated by the inertia moment estimation unit.
US08963455B2
When a motor drive control device is integrated in a semiconductor integrated circuit having a small chip area, calibration for improving the accuracy of detection of a counter electromotive voltage, which is for detecting the speed of a motor, is enabled. A first multiplier performs multiplication between a drive current detection signal and first gain information in a first register. A subtractor performs subtraction between a drive voltage command signal and a first multiplication result in the first multiplier. A second multiplier performs multiplication between a subtraction result in the subtractor and second gain information in a second register to generate counter electromotive voltage information as information on a second multiplication result. The drive voltage command signal in a control unit is set to a predetermined value to generate a condition which maintains the speed of the motor and a counter electromotive voltage at substantially zero.
US08963446B2
A lighting apparatus having at least one set of light sources, a microprocessor, and an orientation sensor. The microprocessor and the orientation sensor are capable of maintaining the light source in a desired orientation. The lighting apparatus and devices having a lighting apparatus are capable of controlling the plurality of light sources to maintain the desired orientation of the lighting. The lighting apparatus may be connected to a device, such as a piece of wheeled luggage, stroller or hat, such that when the luggage is tilted the light source maintains an desired orientation relative to a fixed orientation, such as a horizontal orientation.
US08963442B2
According to one exemplary embodiment, driver circuit coupled between an AC line and a load includes a first semiconductor switch interposed between a bus voltage and a resonant circuit and a second semiconductor switch interposed between the resonant circuit and a ground, where the resonant circuit drives the load. In the driver circuit, the bus voltage has a shape substantially corresponding to a shape of a rectified AC line voltage, thereby increasing a power factor of the driver circuit. The driver circuit can further include a full-bridge rectifier disposed between the resonant circuit and the load. The load can include at least one LED.
US08963432B2
According to one embodiment, a lighting system includes a luminaire and a lighting control device. The lighting control device includes an operation section, a target-value managing section, a transmitting section, and a display section and controls the luminaire. The target-value managing section stores an operation state of the luminaire and, when the operation section is operated, calculates an operation target value on the basis of the stored operation state of the luminaire and updates the operation state to the operation target value serving as an operation state of the luminaire after the operation. The transmitting section transmits the operation target value as a radio signal. The display section performs display based on the operation target value.
US08963429B2
A lighting apparatus for a fluorescent tube and a driving method thereof are provided. The lighting apparatus includes a fluorescent tube, an open-loop protection unit and a driving device. The driving device includes an inverter and a power unit. The open-loop protection unit detects and determines an open-loop situation of two nodes of the fluorescent tube to produce an open-loop protection signal. The inverter receives a power voltage to light the fluorescent tube with a dual high-voltage method according to a trigger signal. The power unit coupled to the open-loop protection unit and the inverter provides the power voltage and determines whether to turn off the inverter according to the open-loop protection signal. When the open-loop situation of the fluorescent tube is occurred or driving voltage of the fluorescent tube is greater than a rated operating voltage, the inverter is turned off immediately to avoid components from overheating or burning.
US08963427B2
A device (200) for generating a plasma that comprises a plasma source (241) designed as a hollow space and a resonator (201) that includes a waveguide (211, 212, 2131) and the plasma source (241), wherein the waveguide (212, 213) is operatively connected with the plasma source (241); the device further comprising a first coupling means (231) for energy introduction (251) and a second coupling means (232) for energy extraction (252), wherein each coupling means (231, 232) is in an energy- and signal-carrying (251, 252) operative connection with the waveguide; the device further comprising an active element (261) for energy supply to the resonator (201), operatively connected with the first (231) and the second (232) coupling means, wherein the plasma source (241) is at least partially integrated into a section of the waveguide (211, 212, 213) that extends between the first coupling means (231) and the second coupling means (232).
US08963426B2
An LED light includes a light body; an LED light board disposed in the light body and disposed thereon a plurality of LED dies; at least one battery coupling member, which is a detachable battery carrier, disposed at an outside edge of the light body for accommodating therein a battery device which is a replaceable element; and a power switch control circuit disposed in the light body and electrically coupled to an alternate current source, the at least one battery coupling member and the LED light board so that either of an alternate current received from the alternate current source and a direct current received from the battery device is transmitted to the LED light board. The replaceable battery device disposed at the outside edge of the light body and used as a backup power supply for emergency illumination is simple in structure and low in cost.
US08963424B1
A cylindrical waveguide with a mode converter transforms a whispering gallery mode from a gyrotron cylindrical waveguide with a helical cut launch edge to a quasi-Gaussian beam suitable for conveyance through a corrugated waveguide. This quasi-Gaussian beam is radiated away from the waveguide using a spiral cut launch edge, which is in close proximity to a first mode converting reflector. The first mode converting reflector is coupled to a second mode converting reflector which provides an output free-space HE11 mode wave suitable for direct coupling into a corrugated waveguide. The radiated beam produced at the output of the second mode converting reflector is substantially circular.
US08963408B2
A spark plug for internal combustion engines is provided, where the spark plug includes a cylindrical housing, a cylindrical insulation porcelain part, a center electrode, and a ground electrode. The insulation porcelain is housed in the housing and the center electrode is held inside the insulation porcelain. The ground electrode protrudes from a top end portion of the housing. A spark discharge gap is left between the ground and center electrodes. Further, first to third projections are formed on the top end portion. The first projection is opposed to the ground electrode with the center electrode therebetween. The second projection is closer to the ground electrode than to the first projection. The third projection is closer to the first projection than to the ground electrode.
US08963405B2
A light bulb includes a light guide, light source, and housing. The light guide is configured as an open-ended hollow body surrounding an internal volume and defining a longitudinal axis. The light guide has inner and outer major surfaces. The light source is configured to edge light the light guide. The housing is at one end of the light guide. In one embodiment, fins extend from the housing adjacent the outer major surface, each fin separated from the outer major surface by an air gap to allow air flow between the fin and outer major surface. In another embodiment, a heat sink is disposed in the internal volume and configured as a hollow body with a branched cross section. Each branch extends outward from a common center and defines an air flow channel that terminates in an orifice aligned with a respective through-slot of the light guide.
US08963404B2
Energy harvesting devices are provided. The energy harvesting device includes a body, a proof mass spaced apart from the body, a cantilever extending from the body onto the proof mass, a first electrode layer on the cantilever opposite to the body, a first piezoelectric layer on the first electrode layer, a second electrode layer on the first piezoelectric layer, a second piezoelectric layer on the second electrode layer, a pair of third electrode layers on the second piezoelectric layer, and a magnetic layer between the second electrode layer and the second piezoelectric layer. Related methods are also provided.
US08963399B2
An induction machine short circuit stop is interposed between a brace and a machine component, such as a generator building bolt, in order to limit component motion during a short circuit event. The stop is a block of resilient non-conductive material that is oriented proximal the machine component at a desired spaced gap. Gap dimensions may be modified by use of different height stop blocks and/or shims. The stop is affixed to the brace by straps, cordage or fasteners, such as threaded studs. The stop is suitable for retrofitting existing induction machines in the field or in refurbishing service centers.
US08963393B2
Rotating machines and magnetic thrust bearings therefor are disclosed. Magnetic thrust bearings may include a rotor core configured to extend coaxially around a shaft of a rotating machine, a non-magnetic element configured to be coaxially disposed on the shaft, and a stator comprising a stator core and a coil, both of which are configured to extend coaxially around the axis. The rotor core may include a substantially radially extending thrust face and a substantially axially extending peripheral surface. The non-magnetic element may radially space the thrust face from the shaft. The stator core may include a substantially radially extending first pole surface and a substantially axially extending second pole surface. The first pole surface may define an axial air gap with the thrust face, and the second pole surface may define a radial air gap with the peripheral surface.
US08963391B2
A clutch member for use in a generator clutch has actuation structure including a face with a ramp. The ramp has a ramp angle of between 6.2° and 6.4°. The clutch member may be a sliding decoupler shaft. In addition, a rotor and a generator including the clutch members are also disclosed and claimed.
US08963388B2
A drive unit used in an electric power steering device has a motor and a control unit. A motor wire of the motor has a terminal, which is engaged with a power board side terminal of the control unit to electrically couple the motor and the control unit. In such structure, the motor and the control unit may be electrically coupled and decoupled, without the use of a special tool. Further, a terminal holder is disposed on an opening of the motor by a first short protrusion and a second short protrusion, thereby coupling the terminal to the motor.
US08963385B2
A spindle motor is provided, the motor including: a base plate; a PCB Printed Circuit Board arranged on an upper surface of the base plate; a bearing assembly coupled to the base plate; a stator coupled to a periphery of the bearing assembly; and a rotor rotationally coupled to the bearing assembly, wherein the base plate is formed with a foreign object inflow prevention fence to inhibit inflow of foreign objects into the stator and the base plate.
US08963377B2
Embodiments of the invention provide IGBT circuit modules with increased efficiencies. These efficiencies can be realized in a number of ways. In some embodiments, the gate resistance and/or voltage can be minimized. In some embodiments, the IGBT circuit module can be switched using an isolated receiver such as a fiber optic receiver. In some embodiments, a single driver can drive a single IGBT. And in some embodiments, a current bypass circuit can be included. Various other embodiments of the invention are disclosed.
US08963376B2
The electrical load driving apparatus includes means for alternately lowering the gate voltages of two current supply transistors connected in parallel to each other at regular time intervals, a current being supplied to an electrical load through drain-source paths of both the current supply transistors, and means for detecting wire breakage in two current supply wires in which the current supply transistors are interposed respectively at portions opposite the electrical load with respect to the current supply transistors based on the drain-source voltages of the current supply transistors.
US08963372B2
Disclosed is an inverter having improved power conversion efficiency. The inverter (200) converts direct current power supplied from a plurality of direct current power supplies (V1, V2) having different voltages into alternating current power. The inverter (200) is provided with a control unit (20). The control unit (20) generates modified sine waves using a power supply voltage (E1) of the power supplied from the first direct current power supply (V1), a power supply voltage (E2) of the power supplied from the second direct current power supply (V2), and a potential difference (E1−E2) between the two power supply voltages. The control unit (20) generates the modified sine waves by controlling H bridge circuits provided for the direct current power supplies (V1, V2), respectively.
US08963367B2
A technique for power feeding of a common element of an access network from subscribers of the access network connected to the common element through subscriber lines being electric wires or optical fibers, the method comprises providing the subscribers with respective local power sources, and powering the common element from the one or more local power sources by selectively and/or dynamically combining power conducted there-from through the subscriber lines, thereby allowing at least partial operation of the common element.
US08963363B2
The present invention provides a method and a device for providing a three-phase electrical system alternating voltage for an electrical system of an aircraft, a plurality of voltage sources being provided which comprise at least one engine generator and a further voltage source, in particular a fuel cell, comprising one or more frequency converters for converting an alternating voltage of variable frequency provided by the respective engine generator into a first output alternating voltage and comprising at least one cyclo-inverter for cyclo-inverting a voltage provided by the respective further voltage source into a second output alternating voltage which is synchronous with the first output alternating voltage and constitutes the electrical system alternating voltage.
US08963362B2
A method of using a bagged power generation system comprising windbags and water-bags for harnessing wind and water power to produce electricity to meet the escalating energy needs of mankind. Windbags integrated with aerodynamically shaped inflatable bodies filled with lighter-than-air gas: HAV, UAV, airplanes; enabling the apparatus to attain high altitude to capture and entrap high velocity wind. Water-bags integrated with hydrodynamic shaped bodies HUV, UUV, Submarine-boats; enabling the apparatus to dive, capture and entrap swift moving tidal-currents. Attached tether-lines pulling on the rotating reel-drums and generators to produce electricity. Active control surfaces, turbo-fans, propellers provide precision control of the apparatus. A system configured to maximize fluids capture, retention and optimized extraction of its kinetic energy. An extremely scalable and environmentally friendly method, system, apparatus, equipment and techniques configured to produce renewable green energy with high productivity and efficiency.
US08963359B2
A co-generation apparatus for the generation of electricity from an external source of forced air is described in which the co-generation apparatus comprises a turbine, a generator, a co-generation control unit, and an adjustable standoff. The turbine is connected to the generator for the production of electricity. The generator interface electrically connects the generator to an electrical system. The co-generation control unit is connected to the turbine and generator interface. The forced air drives the turbine. The turbine can be positioned in a turbine housing that receives the forced air. An adjustable standoff is connected to the turbine. The standoff adjusts the position of the turbine relative to the forced air.
US08963356B2
Power conversion device including: a first fluid conduit; a diffuser attached thereto with at least one vane supporting a diffuser hub; a rotor supported by the diffuser hub and having a rotor blade, hub, and shroud at the periphery thereof with at least one magnet thereon; a housing surrounding the shroud and attached to the diffuser, and having a stator including laminations forming poles and at least one coil therearound, the stator encapsulated in a non-metallic compound to prevent fluid contact with laminations and coil(s); a commutation control connected to the coil(s) and having external leads; and a second fluid conduit attached to the housing so fluid flow causes a torque load on the blades, rotating the rotor and inducing a magnetic field in the poles to generate current in the coil, converting hydraulic power to electric power. The device operates as a turbine/generator and as a motor/pump.
US08963352B2
A wave energy electric power generation system has a buoyant body responsive to wave movement and an associated, relatively vertically stationary body, a compressor, a pressure regulator, and an impulse air turbine/generator set. The compressor has a piston that moves reciprocally relative to a cylinder to alternately compress air in opposed chambers. A pressure regulator tank defines a chamber in communication with the compressor for alternately receiving compressed air from opposed compression chambers, a floating piston within the tank applying pressure to compressed air in the chamber, a pressure regulator controlling pressure applied by the piston to the compressed air, and an hydraulic dampening system coupled to the floating piston to restrict unwanted vertical oscillations of the piston, for output of a continuous flow of compressed air at relatively constant pressure.
US08963349B2
Some embodiments relate to an example generator management system. The generator management system includes a first generator having a first set of power leads and a second generator having a second set of power leads. The generator management system further includes a bus that connects the first output and the second output. A controller selectively cuts off fuel to the second generator to add a load to the bus. It should be noted that embodiments are contemplated where the generator management system alternatively cuts off fuel to the first generator to add a load to the bus.
US08963347B2
An air separation unit is integrated with a power generating plant to improve the efficiency of power generation. The methods and systems improve the efficiency of power generation by utilizing liquid nitrogen from the air separation unit as the working fluid in a turbine. The liquid nitrogen is pressurized while in the liquid state. After warming the pressurized nitrogen stream by cooling the air for the air separator unit, the compressed nitrogen is expanded in a turbine to perform work. After expansion, the nitrogen is vented to ambient air. The nitrogen in its pressurized state can be used for energy storage and/or for smoothing out power demand on a power grid.
US08963345B2
An encapsulation device including two casings made of a flexible polymer material, each delimiting a sealed space, and at least one hydrophobic material filling each of the casings, the casings being stacked and sealingly interconnected at peripheral edges thereof, a sealed space then being defined between the two casings for receiving a device to be encapsulated.
US08963344B2
An epoxy resin composition for semiconductor encapsulation of the present invention contains an epoxy resin (A) and a curing agent (B) and is used to encapsulate a copper wire (4) and a semiconductor element (1) connected to this copper wire (4). This epoxy resin composition is such that when a cured product of the epoxy resin composition is heated for 10 hours at 200° C., the amount of generation of a first corrosive gas that is a sulfur compound having corrosiveness to the copper wire (4) is less than or equal to 70 ppm.
US08963342B1
Structures, architectures, systems, an integrated circuit, methods and software for configuring an integrated circuit for multiple packaging types and/or selecting one of a plurality of packaging types for an integrated circuit. The structure generally comprises a bump pad, a plurality of bond pads configured for independent electrical connection to the bump pad, and a plurality of conductive traces, each adapted to electrically connect one of the bond pads to the bump pad. The method of configuring generally includes the steps of forming the bump pad, the bond pads, and the conductive traces from an uppermost metal layer, and forming an insulation layer thereover. The method of selecting generally comprises the uppermost metal layer-forming step, and forming either (i) a wire bond to at least one of the bond pads, or (ii) a bumping metal configured to electrically connect at least one of the bond pads to the bump pad.
US08963337B2
A semiconductor wafer assembly formed by bonding a support wafer to a thin wafer using a double-sided bonding release tape. The support wafer provides support for the thin target wafer such that existing handling tools can accommodate transporting and processing the assembly without compromising the profile of the thin target wafer.
US08963333B2
Some embodiments of the invention include a connecting structure between a support and at least one die attached to the support. The die includes a number of die bond pads on a surface of the die. The connecting structure includes a plurality of via and groove combinations. Conductive material is formed in the via and groove combinations to provide connection between the die bond pads and bond pads on the support. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08963332B2
A semiconductor device includes a first main strap, a second main strap, a plurality of first sub straps, a plurality of second sub straps, and a plurality of dummy lines. The first main strap is extended in a first direction. The second main strap is extended in the first direction. A plurality of first sub straps is branched from the first main strap. The plurality of second sub straps is branched from the second main strap. The plurality of dummy lines is positioned between the first main strap and the second main strap. Each of the plurality of dummy lines is positioned between each of the plurality of first sub straps and each of the plurality of second sub straps. Each of the dummy lines is spaced apart from the first main strap, the second main strap, each of the first sub straps and each of the second sub straps.
US08963331B2
Some embodiments include semiconductor processing methods in which a copper barrier is formed to be laterally offset from a copper component, and in which nickel is formed to extend across both the barrier and the component. The barrier may extend around an entire lateral periphery of the component, and may be spaced from the component by an intervening ring of electrically insulative material. The copper component may be a bond pad or an interconnect between two levels of metal layers. Some embodiments include semiconductor constructions in which nickel extends across a copper component, a copper barrier is laterally offset from the copper component, and an insulative material is between the copper barrier and the copper component.
US08963329B2
Provided is a semiconductor device capable of increasing the number of signals. A semiconductor device according to an embodiment of the invention includes memories; a controller that designates addresses of the memories; a mounting board having lines formed thereon, the lines connecting the controller with the memories; and a first ball group that connects the controller with the lines of the mounting board. A plurality of address lines formed on the mounting board includes an address line formed of a front surface wiring layer, and an address line formed of a back surface wiring layer. In each of the front surface wiring layer and the back surface wiring layer, each of the address lines from first balls of the first ball group is routed in order from a first memory to a fourth memory.
US08963315B2
A semiconductor device includes a plate-shaped semiconductor element and an electrically insulating resin member. The semiconductor element has a front-surface electrode on its front surface and a back-surface electrode on its back surface. The resin member encapsulates the semiconductor element. The front-surface electrode is exposed to a front side of an outer surface of the resin member. The back-surface electrode is exposed to a back side of the outer surface of the resin member. The resin member has an extension portion that covers the entire side surface of the semiconductor element and extends from the side surface of the semiconductor element in a direction parallel to the front surface of the semiconductor element.
US08963314B2
Packaged semiconductor product (2) including a first semiconductor device (4A) and a packaging structure with a protective envelope (6) and a first and second external electrode (8,10). The first semiconductor device (4A) has a first substrate (11A) and is provided with a first passivation layer (12A) and a first electronic structure. The first substrate has a first main surface (14). The first substrate (11A) is embedded in the protective envelope (6) and the first main surface (14) faces a first opening (23) of the protective envelope (6). The first electronic structure has a first and a second contact region (20, 22) for electrically contacting the first electronic structure. The first passivation layer (12A) substantially covers the first main surface (14) and the first electronic structure. The protective envelope (6) extends between the first passivation layer (12A) and the first external electrode (8) towards the first contact region (20).
US08963308B2
Semiconductor packages are provided. The semiconductor packages may include an upper package including a plurality of upper semiconductor devices connected to an upper package substrate. The semiconductor packages may also include a lower package including a lower semiconductor device connected to a lower package substrate. The upper and lower packages may be connected to each other.
US08963301B1
Packages for an integrated circuit die and methods and lead frames for making such packages are disclosed. The package includes a die, a die pad, peripheral metal contacts, bond wares, and an encapsulant. The die pad and contacts are located at a lower surface of the package. The die pad and the contacts have side surfaces which include reentrant portions and asperities to engage the encapsulant.
US08963292B2
Present embodiments relate to a semiconductor device having a backside redistribution layer and a method for forming such a layer. Specifically, one embodiment includes providing a substrate comprising a via formed therein. The substrate has a front side and a backside. The embodiment may further include forming a trench on the backside of the substrate, disposing an insulating material in the trench, and forming a trace over the insulating material in the trench.
US08963288B2
An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit is coupled between first and second pads to protect an internal circuit therebetween. Under a normal operating condition, a voltage on the first pad is higher than that on the second pad. The ESD protection circuit includes a substrate of a first conductivity type; first well of a second conductivity type in the substrate, wherein the first well is coupled to the first pad; a snapback device housed in the first well; and a diode string in the substrate, connected in series with the snapback device and separated from the first well, wherein the serially connected diode string and snapback device is connected between the first pad and the second pad. With the isolation from the first well, the holding voltage of the ESD protection circuit can be tuned by adjusting the number of diodes in the diode string without using a guard ring.
US08963286B2
A finger metal oxide metal (MOM) capacitor includes an outer conducting structure defined in a plurality of metal layers and a plurality of via layers of an integrated circuit. First and second side portions include a plurality of first and second finger sections extending in the plurality of metal layers and first and second hole vias connecting the first and second finger sections, respectively. A middle portion connects the first and second side portions. An inner conducting structure is defined in the plurality of metal layers and the plurality of via layers of the integrated circuit. A plurality of “T”-shaped sections are defined in the plurality of metal layers and third hole vias connecting the plurality of “T”-shaped sections. Middle portions of the plurality of “T”-shaped sections extend towards the middle portion and between the first side portion and the second side portion of the outer conducting structure.
US08963285B2
A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate having a first main surface in which a recess is formed. Further, the semiconductor device includes an electrical interconnect structure which is arranged at a bottom of the recess. A semiconductor chip is located in the recess. The semiconductor chip includes a plurality of chip electrodes facing the electrical interconnect structure. Further, a plurality of electrically conducting elements is arranged in the electrical interconnect structure and electrically connected to the plurality of chip electrodes.
US08963283B2
A structure and method is provided for fabricating isolated capacitors. The method includes simultaneously forming a plurality of deep trenches and one or more isolation trenches surrounding a group or array of the plurality of deep trenches through a SOI and doped poly layer, to an underlying insulator layer. The method further includes lining the plurality of deep trenches and one or more isolation trenches with an insulator material. The method further includes filling the plurality of deep trenches and one or more isolation trenches with a conductive material on the insulator material. The deep trenches form deep trench capacitors and the one or more isolation trenches form one or more isolation plates that isolate at least one group or array of the deep trench capacitors from another group or array of the deep trench capacitors.
US08963278B2
A donor wafer containing integrated semiconductor device. The donor wafer has a donor wafer membrane portion that has a device layer and a buried insulating layer. The donor wafer membrane portion has a number of integrated semiconductor devices where each integrated semiconductor device within the plurality of semiconductor devices corresponds to a die formed on the donor wafer. The donor wafer membrane portion has a diameter of at least 200 mm. The donor wafer has a crystalline substrate that is substantially removed from an area of the donor wafer membrane portion such that the device layer and the buried insulating layer of the donor wafer membrane in the area is configured to conform to a pattern specific topology on an acceptor surface. The donor wafer further has a support structure attached to regions of the donor wafer that are outside of the donor wafer membrane portion.
US08963264B2
Various embodiments may configure a magnetic stack with a magnetically free layer, a reference structure, and a biasing layer. The magnetically free layer and reference structure can each be respectively configured with first and second magnetizations aligned along a first plane while the biasing layer has a third magnetization aligned along a second plane, substantially perpendicular to the first plane.
US08963259B2
Embodiments herein provide approaches for device isolation in a complimentary metal-oxide fin field effect transistor. Specifically, a semiconductor device is formed with a retrograde doped layer over a substrate to minimize a source to drain punch-through leakage. A set of replacement fins is formed over the retrograde doped layer, each of the set of replacement fins comprising a high mobility channel material (e.g., silicon, or silicon-germanium). The retrograde doped layer may be formed using an in situ doping process or a counter dopant retrograde implant. The device may further include a carbon liner positioned between the retrograde doped layer and the set of replacement fins to prevent carrier spill-out to the replacement fins.
US08963250B2
A semiconductor device includes an n channel conductivity type FET having a channel formation region formed in a first region on a main surface of a semiconductor substrate and a p channel conductivity type FET having a channel formation region formed in a second region of the main surface, which second region is different from the first region. An impurity concentration of a gate electrode of the n channel FET has an impurity concentration greater than an impurity concentration of the gate electrode of the p channel FET to thereby create a tensile stress in the direction of flow of a drain current in the channel forming region of the n channel FET. The tensile stress in the flow direction of the drain current in the channel forming region of the n channel FET is greater than a tensile stress in the direction of flow of a drain current in the channel forming region of the p channel FET.
US08963249B1
A field effect transistor having a source, drain, and a gate can include a semiconductor substrate, a buried insulator layer positioned on the semiconductor substrate, and a semiconductor overlayer positioned on the buried insulator layer; a low dopant channel region positioned below the gate and between the source and the drain and in an upper portion of the semiconductor overlayer; and a plurality of doped regions having a predetermined dopant concentration profile, including a screening region positioned in the semiconductor overlayer below the low dopant channel region, the screening region extending toward the buried insulator layer, and a threshold voltage set region positioned between the screening region and the low dopant channel, the screening region and the threshold voltage set region having each a peak dopant concentration, the threshold voltage region peak dopant concentration being between 1/50 and ½ of the peak dopant concentration of the screening region.
US08963244B2
A semiconductor device includes a transistor. The transistor includes a source region, a drain region, a body region, a drift zone, and a gate electrode adjacent to the body region. The body region, the drift zone, the source region and the drain region are disposed in a first semiconductor layer having a first main surface. The body region and the drift zone are disposed along a first direction between the source region and the drain region, the first direction being parallel to the first main surface. Trenches are disposed in the first semiconductor layer, the trenches extending in the first direction. The transistor further includes a drift control region arranged adjacent to the drift zone. The drift control region and the gate electrode are disposed in the trenches.
US08963243B2
The p-channel LDMOS transistor comprises a semiconductor substrate (1), an n well (2) of n-type conductivity in the substrate, and a p well (3) of p-type conductivity in the n well. A portion of the n well is located under the p well. A drain region (4) of p-type conductivity is arranged in the p well, and a source region (9) of p-type conductivity is arranged in the n well. A gate dielectric (7) is arranged on the substrate, and a gate electrode (8) is arranged on the gate dielectric. A body contact region (14) of n-type conductivity is arranged in the n well. A p implant region (17) is arranged in the n well under the p well in the vicinity of the p well. The p implant region locally compensates n-type dopants of the n well.
US08963231B2
Three dimensional semiconductor memory devices and methods of fabricating the same are provided. According to the method, sacrificial layers and insulating layers are alternately and repeatedly stacked on a substrate, and a cutting region penetrating an uppermost sacrificial layer of the sacrificial layers is formed. The cutting region is filled with a non sacrificial layer. The insulating layers and the sacrificial layers are patterned to form a mold pattern. The mold pattern includes insulating patterns, sacrificial patterns, and the non sacrificial layer in the cutting region. The sacrificial patterns may be replaced with electrodes. The related semiconductor memory device is also provided.
US08963230B2
According to one embodiment, a columnar semiconductor, a floating gate electrode formed on a side surface of the columnar semiconductor via a tunnel dielectric film, and a control gate electrode formed to surround the floating gate electrode via a block dielectric film are provided.
US08963229B2
A non-volatile semiconductor memory device is proposed whereby voltage can be more flexibly set in accumulating electric charges into a selected memory cell transistor in comparison with a conventional device. In a non-volatile semiconductor memory device (1), when a selected memory cell transistor (115) is caused to accumulate electric charges, high voltage as writing prevention voltage is applied from a PMOS transistor (9b) while low voltage as writing voltage is applied from an NMOS transistor (15a). Thus, a role of applying voltage to either the selected memory cell transistor (115) or a non-selected memory cell transistor (116) is shared by the PMOS transistor (9b) and the NMOS transistor (15a). Therefore, the gate voltage and the source voltage of the PMOS transistor (9b) and those of the NMOS transistor (15a) can be separately adjusted, and gate-to-substrate voltage thereof can be finally set to be, for instance, 4[V] or etc.
US08963227B2
Methods of manufacturing a semiconductor device include forming a gate insulation layer including a high-k dielectric material on a substrate that is divided into a first region and a second region; forming a diffusion barrier layer including a first metal on a second portion of the gate insulation layer in the second region; forming a diffusion layer on the gate insulation layer and the diffusion barrier layer; and diffusing an element of the diffusion layer into a first portion of the gate insulation layer in the first region.
US08963210B2
An integrated circuit (IC) cell may include first and second semiconductor regions, and parallel electrically conductive lines extending above the first and second semiconductor regions. The IC cell may further include electrically conductive line contacts electrically connected to the parallel electrically conductive lines, and may include at least one first line contact between the first semiconductor region and a corresponding end of the IC cell, and at least one second line contact between the first semiconductor region and the second semiconductor region. Adjacent ones of the electrically conductive lines may be respectively coupled to one of the at least one first line contact and to one of the at least one second line contact.
US08963205B2
A transistor of a semiconductor device includes a substrate, a gate over the substrate, a source/drain region formed in the substrate to have a channel region therebetween, and an epitaxial layer formed below the channel region to have a different lattice constant from the substrate. The epitaxial layer having a different lattice constant with a substrate material is formed below the channel region to apply a stress to the channel region. Thus, the mobility of carriers of the transistor increases.
US08963200B2
Methods and apparatus for increased holding voltage SCRs. A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate of a first conductivity type; a first well of the first conductivity type; a second well of a second conductivity type adjacent to the first well, an intersection of the first well and the second well forming a p-n junction; a first diffused region of the first conductivity type formed at the first well and coupled to a ground terminal; a first diffused region of the second conductivity type formed at the first well; a second diffused region of the first conductivity type formed at the second well and coupled to a pad terminal; a second diffused region of the second conductivity type formed in the second well; and a Schottky junction formed adjacent to the first diffused region of the second conductivity type coupled to a ground terminal. Methods for forming devices are disclosed.
US08963199B2
An N type well (NW) is formed over a prescribed depth from a main surface of a semiconductor substrate (SUB), and a P type well (PW) and an N type drain region (ND) are formed in the N type well (NW). An N type source region (NS), an N+ type source region (NNS), and a P+ type impurity region (BCR) are formed in the P type well (PW). The N type source region (NS) is formed on a region situated directly below the N+ type source region (NNS), and not on a region situated directly below the P+ type impurity region (BCR), and the P+ type impurity region (BCR) is in direct contact with the P type well (PW).
US08963182B2
A light emitting assembly comprising a solid state device coupleable with a power supply constructed and arranged to power the solid state device to emit from the solid state device a first, relatively shorter wavelength radiation, and a down-converting luminophoric medium arranged in receiving relationship to said first, relatively shorter wavelength radiation, and which in exposure to said first, relatively shorter wavelength radiation, is excited to responsively emit second, relatively longer wavelength radiation. In a specific embodiment, monochromatic blue or UV light output from a light-emitting diode is down-converted to white light by packaging the diode with fluorescent organic and/or inorganic fluorescers and phosphors in a polymeric matrix.
US08963177B2
A semiconductor light emitting element, includes: a laminated structure body including an n-type semiconductor layer, a p-type semiconductor layer, and a light emitting layer; a p-side electrode provided in contact with the p-type semiconductor layer; an n-side electrode provided in contact with the n-type semiconductor layer; a highly reflective insulating layer provided in contact with the n-type semiconductor layer and having a higher reflectance than a reflectance of the n-side electrode; and an upper metal layer provided on at least a part of the n-side electrode and on at least a part of the highly reflective insulating layer and electrically connected to the n-side electrode. An area of a region of the n-side electrode in contact with the n-type semiconductor layer is smaller than an area of a region of the highly reflective insulating layer sandwiched between the n-type semiconductor layer and the upper metal layer.
US08963176B2
According to one embodiment, a semiconductor light-emitting device includes an n-type semiconductor layer including a nitride semiconductor, a p-type semiconductor layer including a nitride semiconductor, a light-emitting portion and a stacked body. The light-emitting portion is provided between the n-type and p-type semiconductor layers and includes a barrier layer and a well layer. The well layer is stacked with the barrier layer. The stacked body is provided between the light-emitting portion and the n-type semiconductor layer and includes a first layer and a second layer. The second layer is stacked with the first layer. Average In composition ratio of the stacked body is higher than 0.4 times average In composition ratio of the light-emitting portion. The layer thickness tb of the barrier layer is 10 nanometers or less.
US08963166B2
Toward making available III nitride crystal substrates advantageously employed in light-emitting devices, and light-emitting devices incorporating the substrates, a III nitride crystal substrate has a major face whose surface area is not less than 10 cm2 and is characterized by: edge dislocations in the crystal being concentrated along propagation lines forming an angle of some 0° to 5° with a given {0001} plane of the crystal; screw dislocations in the crystal being concentrated along propagation lines forming an angle of some 45° to 60° with the given {0001} plane; and in a major-face principal region excluding the peripheral margin of the major face from its outer periphery to a 5 mm separation from its outer periphery, the total dislocation density being between 1×104 cm−2 to 3×106 cm−2 inclusive, and the ratio of screw-dislocation density to the total dislocation density being 0.5 or greater.
US08963164B2
A compound semiconductor device includes: a substrate; an electron transit layer formed over the substrate; an electron supply layer formed over the electron transit layer; and a buffer layer formed between the substrate and the electron transit layer and including AlxGa1-xN(0≦x≦1), wherein the x value represents a plurality of maximums and a plurality of minimums in the direction of the thickness of the buffer layer, and the variation of x in any area having a 1 nm thickness in the buffer layer is 0.5 or less.
US08963163B2
A semiconductor device having a construction capable of achieving suppressed deterioration of electric characteristics in an insulating member is provided. An n− SiC layer, a source contact electrode formed on a main surface of the n− SiC layer, a gate electrode arranged at a distance from the source contact electrode on the main surface of the n− SiC layer, and an interlayer insulating film located between the source contact electrode and the gate electrode are provided. A rate of lowering in electric resistance in the interlayer insulating film when heating to a temperature not higher than 1200 ° C. is carried out while the source contact electrode and the interlayer insulating film are adjacent to each other is not higher than 5%.
US08963155B2
To provide a semiconductor device which has transistor characteristics with little variation and includes an oxide semiconductor. The semiconductor device includes an insulating film over a conductive film and an oxide semiconductor film over the insulating film. The oxide semiconductor film includes a first oxide semiconductor layer, a second oxide semiconductor layer over the first oxide semiconductor layer, and a third oxide semiconductor layer over the second oxide semiconductor layer. The energy level of a bottom of a conduction band of the second oxide semiconductor layer is lower than those of the first and third oxide semiconductor layers. An end portion of the second oxide semiconductor layer is positioned on an inner side than an end portion of the first oxide semiconductor layer.
US08963154B2
A thin film transistor substrate includes a base substrate, an active pattern disposed on the base substrate, a gate insulation pattern disposed on the active pattern, a gate electrode disposed on the gate insulation pattern and overlapping the channel, and a light-blocking pattern disposed between the base substrate and the active pattern and having a size greater than the active pattern. The active pattern includes a source electrode, a drain electrode, and a channel disposed between the source electrode and the drain electrode.
US08963145B2
An OLED touch display panel structure includes an upper substrate, a lower substrate, a cathode layer, an anode layer, and a thin film transistor and sensing electrode layer. The thin film transistor and sensing electrode layer includes a scan line sub-layer and a data line sub-layer. The scan line sub-layer has a plurality of scan lines arranged in a first direction and a plurality of sensing conductor segments arranged in a second direction. The plurality of sensing conductor segments arranged in the second direction are separated by the plurality of scan lines. The data line sub-layer is disposed at one side of the scan line sub-layer facing the OLED layer and has a plurality of data lines arranged in the second direction and a plurality of sensing conductor segments arranged in the first direction. The plurality of sensing conductor segments arranged in the first direction are separated by the plurality of scan lines.
US08963141B2
A method for fabricating a thin-film transistor is provided whereby isolation of transistor devices is realized and the performance and the stability of the product thin-film transistor are improved. The thin-film transistor includes a substrate; a gate electrode laminated on the substrate; a gate insulating layer laminated on the substrate and the gate electrode; a recessed portion provided in the gate insulating layer; a semiconductor layer formed in the recessed portion of the gate insulating layer; and a source electrode and a drain electrode connected to the semiconductor layer at respective positions which are spaced apart from each other.
US08963137B2
An organic electro-luminescence device capable of reducing a resistance of a cathode electrode to enhance brightness uniformity at each location within the device is described. The organic electro-luminescence device includes a bank layer formed over a substrate, the bank layer including a first, second, and third portion. A first electrode is formed between the first and second portions of the bank layer. An auxiliary electrode is formed where at least a part of the auxiliary electrode is formed between the second and third portions of the bank layer. A voltage drop prevention pattern is formed on the auxiliary electrode. An organic material layer formed between the first and second portions of the bank layer. A second electrode formed on the organic material layer, where at least a portion of the second electrode is electrically coupled to the auxiliary electrode.
US08963130B2
Disclosed are a transparent electrode including a first light-transmission layer, a metal layer, and a second light-transmission layer sequentially formed, an organic light emitting device including the transparent electrode, and a method of manufacturing the same. The second light-transmission layer includes a conductive oxide and a metal catalyst.
US08963128B2
A compound for an organic thin film transistor having a structure represented by the following formula (1): wherein at least one of R1 to R6 is a substituent, and the remaining R1 to R6 are a hydrogen atom.
US08963122B2
In a semiconductor light emitting element outputting light indicating green color by using a group III nitride semiconductor, light emission output is improved. A semiconductor light emitting element includes: an n-type cladding layer containing n-type impurities (Si); a light emitting layer laminated on the n-type cladding layer; and a p-type cladding layer containing p-type impurities and laminated on the light emitting layer. The light emitting layer has a barrier layer including first to fifth barrier layers and a well layer including first to fourth well layers, and has a multiple quantum well structure to sandwich one well layer by two barrier layers. The light emitting layer is configured such that the first to fourth well layers are set to have a composition to emit green light, and the first barrier layer is doped with n-type impurities, whereas the other barrier layers are not doped with n-type impurities.
US08963120B2
An optoelectronic semiconductor component includes a semiconductor layer sequence having at least one active layer, and a photonic crystal that couples radiation having a peak wavelength out of or into the semiconductor layer sequence, wherein the photonic crystal is at a distance from the active layer and formed by superimposition of at least two lattices having mutually different reciprocal lattice constants normalized to the peak wavelength.
US08963118B2
In an embodiment, a transistor arrangement is provided. The transistor arrangement comprises a nanowire including a first nanowire region and a second nanowire region; a first gate contact disposed over the first nanowire region; an insulating region disposed over the second nanowire region; a second gate contact disposed over the insulating region; wherein the first nanowire region and the first gate contact forms a part of an enhancement mode transistor and the second nanowire region, the insulating region and the second gate contact forms a part of a depletion mode transistor. A method of forming a transistor arrangement may also be provided. Also contemplated is a transistor and a method for forming said transistor, where the transistor comprises a nanowire and a gate contact, where the gate contact is formed by directly writing the gate contact onto a region of the nanowire.
US08963106B2
A method is provided for the thermal photoswitching of spin-transition compounds from the low-spin state to the high-spin state, including at least one step of exposing the material to a non-polarized laser beam which is at room temperature, and the wavelength of which is in the infrared range and the power of which is 1 mW·cm−2 to 1 W·cm−2. The method may be used for the temporary or permanent marking of materials including particles of at least one spin-transition compound including an iron(II) and triazole ligand compound.
US08963103B2
A device for sterilizing a sample chamber in an automated live cell microscope, having a sample holding frame contained in a housing of the microscope. The device includes a UVC sterilizing unit that emits an ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 280 nm to 100 nm (UVC radiation). The UVC sterilizing unit is arranged so that it is able to travel through the sample chamber for sterilization purposes.
US08963099B2
An electrode to be used for an electrostatic lens, wherein the electrode at least includes: a first substrate having a first through-hole and a second substrate having a second through-hole; the first substrate having a thickness smaller than the second substrate; the first through-hole having a diameter smaller than the second through-hole; the second substrate having a specific resistance smaller than the first substrate, wherein the first substrate and the second substrate are superimposed so that the first through-hole and the second through-hole are aligned relative to each other. Notching taking place near any of the through-holes in a dry etching process can be reduced, and thus, the through-holes can be formed accurately.
US08963096B2
Example embodiments are directed an X-ray detector including an oxide semiconductor transistor. The X-ray detector including the oxide semiconductor transistor includes an oxide semiconductor transistor and a signal storage capacitor in parallel to each other on a substrate. The oxide semiconductor transistor includes a channel formed of an oxide semiconductor material, and a photoconductor. A pixel electrode and a common electrode are formed on opposite surfaces of the photoconductor. The channel includes ZnO, or a compound including ZnO and at least one selected from a group consisting of gallium (Ga), indium (In), hafnium (Hf), and tin (Sn).
US08963095B2
The present invention provides electrokinetic microfluidic cytometers useful for detecting and/or sorting fluid-borne particles. In some embodiments, the electrokinetic microfluidic flow cytometer apparatus comprises a substrate having a microchannel formed therein, a particle-sensing gate that reduces the cross-sectional area of a portion of the microchannel, a pair of signal- and noise-detection electrodes, and a particle-detection circuit that is electrically connected to the signal- and noise-detection electrodes and is configured to generate a particle-detection signal responsive to differences in resistivity across the particle-sensing gate.
US08963086B2
In an electrical device controlled by infrared signals from a remote control, a power saving device has an infrared detection module and a processor. The infrared detection module includes an infrared sensor configured to monitor the output of the remote control device, and a shield which is at least substantially impervious to infrared radiation, and which at least partially shields the infrared sensor from infrared radiation which does not emanate from the remote control device. The processor is coupled to the infrared detection module, and supplies power to the electrical device at least substantially only when the electrical device is in active use by a nearby user, and based at least in part upon input from the infrared sensor.
US08963081B2
When a time-of-flight mass selector having a chopper using a deflector selects the masses of the ions, an ion beam is deflected. As a result, at least a part of the ion beams diagonally pass through an aperture electrode with respect to the axis. Accordingly, there has been a problem that a position on an object irradiated with a cluster ion beam, results in moving. This mass selector includes: a flight tube having an equipotential space that makes a charged substance fly therein; a deflector that is installed in a downstream side with respect to the flight tube in a direction in which the charged substance flies; a first aperture electrode that is installed in a downstream side with respect to the deflector in a direction in which the charged substance flies; and a second aperture electrode that is installed in between the deflector and the first aperture electrode.
US08963078B2
The present invention provides an ion group irradiation device which includes: an ion source which generates an ion; and an ion group selecting unit which selects an ion group containing a cluster ion from ions released from the ion source, in an ion group irradiation device for irradiating a sample with the ion group, wherein the ion source has a pressure gradient forming unit for changing a pressure with which a material of the cluster ion is jetted, with time, the ion group selecting unit has a chopper which performs a chopping operation of selecting the ion group by passing and blocking the cluster ions in a traveling direction by the opening and closing of the chopper, and the chopper performs two or more times of the chopping operations per one time of a pressure gradient forming operation by the pressure gradient forming unit.
US08963075B2
A novel system and method for charge-monitoring mass spectrometry is provided. The mass spectrometer can be used to measure the mass of one or more analytes having masses in the range of about a few Daltons to more than about 1015 Daltons. The invention can be used for rapid mass distribution measurements. For example, the system and method can be used to distinguish cancer cells from normal cells when their mass distributions are different.
US08963069B2
The disclosure relates to a method for detecting the presence of an object near a detection device, comprising: reverse biasing single photon avalanche photodiodes, at a bias voltage greater than a breakdown voltage of a PN junction of each photodiode, emitting pulses of an incident photon beam, detecting photodiodes which avalanche trigger after the reception by the photodiode of at least one photon of a reflected photon beam produced by a reflection of the incident beam on an object near the detection device, determining the object presence as a function of the existence of at least one avalanche triggering in one of the photodiodes, and selecting a number of photodiodes to be reverse biased in relation to the detection device, as a function of a load of a circuit for generating the bias voltage.
US08963068B2
Disclosed herein is a system for an apodization mask composed of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) for absorbing unwanted stray light. An apodization mask is a precise pattern or shape that is mathematically derived using light scattering measurement techniques to achieve optimal light absorption.Also disclosed herein is an apparatus for a duplex telescope with stray light suppressing capabilities comprising: a primary mirror for transmitting and receiving light; a secondary mirror for defocusing transmitted light onto the primary mirror and for focusing received light; a photodetector which receives light; a laser transmitter which transmits light; and an apodization mask for absorbing stray transmitted light.
US08963060B2
There is described an automated heating system for heating a sample contained in a sample holder, comprising: a heating chamber having at least one opening and adapted to receive the sample holder; a microwave generator in microwave transfer communication with the heating chamber; a conveyor extending into the heating chamber and adapted to receive and transport the sample holder into and out of the heating chamber; at least one microwave barrier movable between an open position to allow access to the heating chamber and a closed position to prevent microwaves from leaking out of the heating chamber when the microwave generator is activated; and a control unit for controlling the microwave generator and the conveyor.
US08963058B2
A system for inductively heating a workpiece may include an induction coil, at least one susceptor face sheet, and a current controller coupled. The induction coil may be configured to conduct an alternating current and generate a magnetic field in response to the alternating current. The susceptor face sheet may be configured to have a workpiece positioned therewith. The susceptor face sheet may be formed of a ferromagnetic alloy having a Curie temperature and being inductively heatable to an equilibrium temperature approaching the Curie temperature in response to the magnetic field. The current controller may be coupled to the induction coil and may be configured to adjust the alternating current in a manner causing a change in at least one heating parameter of the susceptor face sheet.
US08963055B2
Disclosed is a heat roller control device comprising a high temperature malfunction detection unit configured to receive a temperature value detected by a heat roller temperature sensor; an electrical power control unit configured to cut off, when receiving a high temperature malfunction detection signal, power feeding to a heat roller from an electrical power unit; an analog-to-digital converter configured to periodically convert plural of the temperature values from the heat roller temperature sensor to plural digital temperature values; a temperature value storage unit configured to receive and store the plural digital temperature values from the analog-to-digital converter; a temperature value processing unit configured to read and process the plural digital temperature values stored in the temperature value storage unit; and a high temperature malfunction determination unit configured to receive the processed data, and then based on the processed data, determine whether high temperature malfunction occurs.
US08963048B2
The invention includes a heating assembly, a heating device and an auxiliary cooling module for a battery. The heating assembly is connected to a battery and includes a heat-conducting element and a heating element. The heat-conducting element has at least one heat-absorbing portion and at least one heat-conducting portion. The heat-conducting portion is provided to correspond to the battery. The heating element has at least one first heating portion located to correspond to the heat-absorbing portion for heating the heat-absorbing portion. The other side of the heat-conducting element opposite to the battery is provided with a heat-insulating portion. The auxiliary cooling module is further provided with at least one cooling pipe in the heat-conducting element, thereby cooling the battery. With the heating assembly, the heating device, and the auxiliary cooling module of the present invention, the battery can be kept in a normal range of working temperature, so that the efficiency and lifetime of the battery can be increased greatly.
US08963044B2
Plasma jet assemblies are provided. A plasma jet assembly may include: a tube through which a gas flows; a power source providing a high frequency power exciting the gas in plasma state; a power electrode applying the high frequency power to the gas; and a plasma control unit removing arc discharge of a plasma gas generated in the tube by the high frequency power applied to the power electrode.
US08963040B2
A device and method for removal of fasteners by Electro-discharge Machining (EDM) such that portions of the fastener, such as a flange, may be separated from other portions of the fastener, such as a shank.
US08963038B2
The high voltage relay consists of a main body (1). One set of electrical contacts (2a, 2b) upper and lower respectively. High voltage connections to connect the voltage being switched (3a, 3b) are electrically connected to the upper and lower contacts respectively. Several size options for the electrical contacts will allow for a wide range of currents. A cylinder (4) driven by a fluid (e.g. Air, Nitrogen, Hydraulic fluid) moves the electrical contacts together during the ON state of the device. During the OFF state of the device the cylinder moves the electrical contacts apart to isolate the switch voltage. The greater the High Voltage being switched the greater the distance the electrical contacts must be moved apart in the OFF state. The cylinder is supplied the fluid power from a small solenoid (5) on the device. This solenoid has control voltage connections to actuate the device.
US08963031B2
A switch unit includes an upper case that has an operation portion attached therein; a circuit board that has a switch attached thereto that is able to switch contact points by operation of the operation portion; and a lower case that fits into the upper case such that the lower case is surrounded by the upper case, and that accommodates the circuit board between the upper case and the lower case. A draining portion is provided at a side surface of the upper case, and the draining portion is integrally formed with a sidewall forming the side surface and protrudes downward, and has a width that gradually narrows from the top to the bottom thereof.
US08963028B2
A multi-point tilt switch includes an insulator housing surrounding a chamber, a first conductive component mounted to the housing and having a contact portion bordering the chamber, a plurality of second conductive components each having a contact portion in the chamber, and a conductor accommodated in the chamber. Each of the first and second conductive components has a connection portion exposed from the housing. The conductor is movable in the chamber to contact or not to contact the contact portions of at least two of the first and second conductive components, so as to make or break electrical connection therebetween.
US08963021B2
An electromagnetic interference shield includes a shell body and a magnetic material layer formed on the shell body. A number of holes are defined in the shell body. A number of through holes are defined in the magnetic material layer aligned with the holes. An electronic device having the electromagnetic interference shield is also provided.
US08963018B2
The present invention concerns a printed circuit board, PCB. The PCB comprises a number of signal layers comprising routing channels and at least one ground layer being adjacent to at least one signal layer. A number of via holes connects different signal layers of the PCB. In the signal layers the via holes are connected to pads and in the ground layers they are be surrounded by anti-pads. The pads are shaped such that at least a part of a via hole connected to the pad is on the outside of, or in close proximity to, the edge of the pad, irrespective of where on the pad the centre of the via hole is positioned.
US08963017B2
In a multilayer board, a stacked body includes thermoplastic resin films and low-fluidity resin films with conductive patterns, which are alternately stacked. The stacked body and a resin base film are integrated by hot pressing. The base film has a terminal-connecting through hole for receiving an electrode terminal of an electronic component to be connected to a conductive pattern of the low-fluidity resin film disposed at an end of the stacked body. An electronic component mounting section of the stacked body, which is an area corresponding to the electronic component mounted on the base film in a stacking direction, is configured such that a number of the conductive patterns located in a corresponding section that corresponds to the through hole in the stacking direction is greater than a number of the conductive patterns located in a non-corresponding section without corresponding to the through hole in the stacking direction.
US08963006B2
A press-clamping structure includes: an aluminum electric wire having a conductor portion in which strands of aluminum or aluminum alloy are twisted; and a terminal which includes a bottom plate portion for placing the conductor portion thereon, and a pair of conductor caulking pieces which are provided consecutively to the bottom plate portion and are caulked to hold the conductor portion placed on the bottom plate portion. The conductor caulking pieces are bent so that distal end portions thereof are inserted into the conductor portion, to thereby embrace part of the strands of the conductor portion. At least one projection is formed on the bottom plate portion between the conductor caulking pieces. Outer surfaces of the respective distal end portions of the conductor caulking pieces are oriented towards the projection. The strands are partially held between the outer surfaces of the respective distal end portions and the projection.
US08963001B2
An electrical device cover assembly configured for mounting over an electrical device is described. The electrical device cover assembly comprises a base comprising an opening large enough to receive an electrical device. A lid comprising a lid face, a lid ring, and an expansion section between the lid face and the lid ring, the lid coupled to the base and comprising an inside surface and an expansion section, the expansion section expandable from a first depth to a second depth at least twice as deep as the first depth is provided. An expansion arm moveable between a first collapsed position when the expansion section is at its first depth and an second expanded position when the expansion section is at its second depth, wherein in the second position the expansion arm is in contact with and supports the lid at its second depth is also provided.
US08962993B2
Multijunction solar cells having at least four subcells are disclosed, in which at least one of the subcells comprises a base layer formed of an alloy of one or more elements from group III on the periodic table, nitrogen, arsenic, and at least one element selected from the group consisting of Sb and Bi, and each of the subcells is substantially lattice matched. Methods of manufacturing solar cells and photovoltaic systems comprising at least one of the multijunction solar cells are also disclosed.
US08962989B2
A device containing a solar cell chip that may include a hermetically sealed chamber containing optical matching fluid and a threaded pedestal mounting to allow for replacement of solar cell units and that are easily mountable to a master heat sink.
US08962987B2
The present invention provides a back sheet for a solar cell, the back sheet including a polymer base and a polymer layer that is disposed by coating on at least one surface of the polymer base material, the polymer layer including an amorphous colloidal silica and, as a binder, at least one of a polymer selected from a fluorine-based polymer or a silicone-based polymer, the polymer formed by coating having excellent uniformity and the back sheet having superior weather resistance compared to conventional back sheets.
US08962986B2
A conductive adhesive comprising conductive particles including metal, a thermosetting resin, a flux activator, and preferably a rheology control agent is provided. A melting point of the conductive particles is preferably 220° C. or lower. The conductive adhesive is used for electrically connecting and adhering wiring members 4a, 4b to electrodes 3a, 3b connected to a solar battery cell 6.
US08962984B2
Disclosed is a solar cell apparatus and manufacturing method thereof. A solar cell apparatus includes: a support substrate; a first back electrode disposed on the support substrate; a light absorber part disposed on the first back electrode; a buffer disposed on the light absorber part; and a barrier film disposed on a side surface of the light absorber part and extending from the buffer.
US08962980B2
A method of readily forming a dye-sensitized solar cell having a porous layer of increased thickness. The dye-sensitized solar cell includes a translucent substrate, and a plurality of collecting electrode traces formed on the translucent substrate. The solar cell also includes a trench that is trapezoidal in cross-section and is formed on the translucent substrate between the collecting electrode traces. The solar cell also includes a porous layer upon which a sensitizing dye is adsorbed. The porous layer covers the translucent substrate within the trench and the collecting electrode traces.
US08962976B2
Implementations and techniques for doped diamond solar cells are generally disclosed.
US08962966B2
In response to an operation of a key, a drive signal indicating a sound waveform corresponding to the key is supplied to an excitation unit provided on a soundboard. The soundboard is vibrated in response to a mechanical vibration generated by the excitation unit and generates an actively-vibrated-soundboard sound as well as an acoustic effect generated by propagation of the vibration of the soundboard to a string. The excitation unit has a voice coil excited by the drive signal. The length of the voice coil is equal to or smaller than a sum of a magnetic path width (mw) of a magnetic path space and a double of a maximum deflection amount (sw) of the vibration member connected to the soundboard. In this way, an effective drive force for exciting the soundboard can be obtained and an enhanced responsiveness in a high frequency band can be obtained.
US08962964B2
Systems and methods for creating and editing collaborative music compositions via a computer network, including remote uploading tracks by musicians, and for creating and joining a band, wherein the system and methods provide for at least one musician to join a virtual group of at least one other musician for the purpose of virtual collaborative creating and/or editing music tracks remotely, via an online network and interactive website therefor.
US08962954B2
The present invention relates to an inbred sunflower line, designated CN5110R. The invention relates to the seeds of inbred sunflower line CN5110R, to the plants of inbred sunflower line CN5110R and to the methods for producing a sunflower plant, either inbred or hybrid, by crossing the inbred line CN5110R with itself or another sunflower line. The invention further relates to methods for producing a sunflower plant containing in its genetic material one or more transgenes and to the transgenic plants produced by that method and to methods for producing other inbred sunflower lines derived from the inbred CN5110R.
US08962948B1
A novel maize variety designated PH1DDK and seed, plants and plant parts thereof. Methods for producing a maize plant that comprise crossing maize variety PH1DDK with another maize plant. Methods for producing a maize plant containing in its genetic material one or more traits introgressed into PH1DDK through backcross conversion and/or transformation, and to the maize seed, plant and plant part produced thereby. Hybrid maize seed, plant or plant part produced by crossing the variety PH1DDK or a locus conversion of PH1DDK with another maize variety.
US08962940B1
A novel soybean variety, designated XBP18006 is provided. Also provided are the seeds of soybean variety XBP18006, cells from soybean variety XBP18006, plants of soybean XBP18006, and plant parts of soybean variety XBP18006. Methods provided include producing a soybean plant by crossing soybean variety XBP18006 with another soybean plant, methods for introgressing a transgenic trait, a mutant trait, and/or a native trait into soybean variety XBP18006, methods for producing other soybean varieties or plant parts derived from soybean variety XBP18006, and methods of characterizing soybean variety XBP18006. Soybean seed, cells, plants, germplasm, breeding lines, varieties, and plant parts produced by these methods and/or derived from soybean variety XBP18006 are further provided.
US08962938B2
A novel soybean variety, designated XB05A13 is provided. Also provided are the seeds of soybean variety XB05A13, cells from soybean variety XB05A13, plants of soybean XB05A13, and plant parts of soybean variety XB05A13. Methods provided include producing a soybean plant by crossing soybean variety XB05A13 with another soybean plant, methods for introgressing a transgenic trait, a mutant trait, and/or a native trait into soybean variety XB05A13, methods for producing other soybean varieties or plant parts derived from soybean variety XB05A13, and methods of characterizing soybean variety XB05A13. Soybean seed, cells, plants, germplasm, breeding lines, varieties, and plant parts produced by these methods and/or derived from soybean variety XB05A13 are further provided.
US08962930B2
The invention provides seed and plants of the lettuce line designated PS 06518403. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of lettuce line PS 06518403, and to methods for producing a lettuce plant produced by crossing a plant of lettuce line PS 06518403 with itself or with another lettuce plant, such as a plant of another line. The invention further relates to seeds and plants produced by such crossing. The invention further relates to parts of a plant of lettuce line PS 06518403, including the gametes of such plants.
US08962923B2
The present invention relates to plants of a carrot variety NUN 89141 CAC and seeds and progeny thereof. The invention further relates to methods for producing a carrot plant by traditional breeding methods. The invention further relates to a method for producing a carrot plant containing in its genetic material one or more transgenes.
US08962909B2
The invention relates to a moisture detecting module for monitoring a moisture state of a napkin. The module comprises a moisture sensitive sensor and a moisture non-permeable layer covering the sensor. The moisture non-permeable layer is arranged for attachment to a napkin surface that, during use of the napkin by a person, is facing towards the person's skin such that the moisture sensitive sensor contacts the napkin surface. The moisture detection module is a RLC circuit that acts as a RF-tag thereby transmitting moisture information to a remote reading device.
US08962907B2
The present invention intends to provide a method for removing radioactive cesium, or radioactive iodine and radioactive cesium that is simple and low-cost, further does not require an energy source such as electricity, moreover can take in and stably immobilize the removed radioactive substances within a solid, and can reduce the volume of radioactive waste as necessary, and to provide a hydrophilic resin composition using for the method for removing radioactive cesium, or radioactive iodine and radioactive cesium, and the object of the present invention is achieved by using a hydrophilic resin composition containing: at least one hydrophilic resin selected from the group consisting of a hydrophilic polyurethane resin, a hydrophilic polyurea resin, and a hydrophilic polyurethane-polyurea resin each having at least a hydrophilic segment; and a zeolite dispersed therein in a ratio of at least 1 to 200 mass parts relative to 100 mass parts of the hydrophilic resin.
US08962904B2
Catalytic composition for producing an alpha-olefin and methods of making same. The catalytic composition includes a gamma-alumina substrate dopes with at least one element consisting of bismuth, copper, gallium, phosphorus, tin, and zinc, an amount of each element being within a range of from 150 parts per million to 1000 parts per million relative to a total doped weight of the gamma-alumina substrate. Additionally, at least one element is combined with at least one element consisting of cesium, lithium, and magnesium, an amount of each element being within the range of from 150 parts per million to 1000 parts per million relative to the total doped weight of the gamma-alumina substrate.
US08962897B2
In one embodiment, the invention is to a catalyst composition for converting ethanol to higher alcohols, such as butanol. The catalyst composition comprises one or more metals and one or more supports. The one or more metals selected from the group consisting of cobalt, nickel, palladium, platinum, zinc, iron, tin and copper. The one or more supports are selected from the group consisting of Al2O3, ZrO2, MgO, TiO2, zeolite, ZnO, and mixtures thereof, wherein the catalyst is substantially free of alkali metals and alkaline earth metals.
US08962896B2
Catalytic processes to produce a reaction product comprising 1-butanol by contacting a reactant comprising ethanol with a catalyst composition under suitable reaction conditions are provided. The catalyst composition may comprise a hydroxyapatite of the Formula (MwM′xM″yM′″z)5(PO4)3(OH), wherein M is Mg; M′ is Ca; M″ is Sr; M′″ is Ba; w is any number between 0 and 1 inclusive; x is any number from 0 to less than 0.5; y is any number between 0 and 1 inclusive; z is any number between 0 and 1 inclusive; and w+x+y+z=1. Base-treated catalyst compositions may be used. Also provided are processes for contacting an initial catalyst composition comprising the hydroxyapatite with a base to produce a base-treated catalyst composition, and the base-treated catalyst compositions so obtained.
US08962895B2
The present invention relates to a method for the production of ethylene glycol using a feedstock comprising an oxalate and a catalyst containing copper and/or a copper oxide, comprising contacting the feedstock with the catalyst in a reactor under the conditions of a temperature in the range from about 170 to about 270° C., a weight hourly space velocity of the oxalate in the range from about 0.2 to about 5 h−1, a molar ratio of hydrogen to the oxalate in the range from about 40:1 to about 200:1 and a reaction pressure in the range from about 1.5 to about 10 MPa, to produce an effluent containing ethylene glycol, in which the reactor is a tube-array reactor using partitioned heat exchange and adopting outer and inner tubes configured in a double-tube structure to facilitate the heat exchange of the catalyst.
US08962892B2
The invention relates to a process for the preparation of tris(perfluoroalkyl)phosphine oxides by reaction of tris(perfluoroalkyl)difluorophosphorane with alkaline-earth metal oxides, alkaline-earth metal carbonates, zinc oxide, copper(I) oxide, copper(II) oxide, silver oxide, mercury(II) oxide, cadmium oxide or cadmium carbonate.
US08962888B2
Methods for forming spherical crystal habit are shown. A needle-shaped crystal habit, a solvent, and a surfactant are combined and dissolved forming a first solution. The first solution and an anti-solvent are combined forming a second solution. The second solution is cooled. Spherical crystal habit is formed.
US08962884B2
The invention concerns a method for preparing a complex of an acid chosen from among methionine, 2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutanoic acid (HMTBA) and lactic acid, and of at least one metal, starting from said acid and a mineral metal source, wherein the acid is caused to react with the mineral metal source in an extruder.
US08962876B2
A precursor for the deposition of a thin film by atomic layer deposition is provided. The compound has the formula MxLy where M is a metal and L is an amidrazone-derived ligand or an amidate-derived ligand. A process of forming a thin film using the precursors is also provided.
US08962875B2
Organometallic compounds suitable for use as vapor phase deposition precursors for metal-containing films are provided. Methods of depositing metal-containing films using certain organometallic precursors are also provided. Such metal-containing films are particularly useful in the manufacture of electronic devices.
US08962867B2
A method to produce levulinic acid (LA) and gamma-valerolactone (GVL) from biomass-derived cellulose or lignocellulose by selective extraction of LA using GVL and optionally converting the LA so isolated into GVL, with no purifications steps required to yield the GVL.
