US09723760B2
A cooling apparatus and method including a plurality of heat-producing devices positioned in a plurality of cabinets arranged in a row that allows flow of a first fluid through the heat-producing devices and cabinets where the flow is directed from an upstream end of the row to a downstream end of the row. The cabinets have a space therebetween wherein a heat exchanger is positioned between and adjacent to the cabinets, thereby the cabinets and heat exchangers alternate in the row. Each heat exchanger allows flow of a second fluid therethrough for cooling the first fluid. A fluid-moving device is positioned adjacent the heat-producing devices for encouraging flow of the first fluid through the cabinets' heat-producing devices and through the heat exchangers, thereby encouraging heat transfer in each of the heat exchangers from the first fluid to the second fluid.
US09723755B2
A drive unit for driving a motor has a component assembly including a main circuit board having a component side and a solder side, one or more main circuit conductors formed in at least one layer of the main circuit board, a power component module including one or more power components, the power component module having electrical connection terminals for connecting the power component(s) to the one or more main circuit conductors of the main circuit board and a cooling plate coupled to the power component(s) in a manner enabling transfer of heat from the power component(s) to the cooling plate. The power component module is mounted to the component side of the main circuit board. The component assembly further includes a heat sink mounted on the cooling plate and a fan mounted on the heat sink.
US09723751B2
In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, a vibrational isolator may include at least one supporting section and at least one attachment member mechanically coupled to the at least one supporting section and configured to mechanically couple to a chassis, such that when disposed in a chassis, the at least one supporting section suspends from the chassis and is configured to support vibration-generating equipment.In accordance with these and other embodiments of the present disclosure, a method may include forming at least one supporting section and forming at least one attachment member mechanically coupled to the at least one supporting section and configured to mechanically couple to a chassis, such that when disposed in a chassis, the at least one supporting section suspends from the chassis and is configured to support vibration-generating equipment.
US09723744B1
An information technology (IT) rack that includes IT appliances, housed by the IT rack, and a set of backplanes. Each backplane includes appliance-interfacing connectors. Insertion of the IT appliances into the IT rack causes mating of backplane-interfacing connectors of the IT appliances with the appliance-interfacing connectors. The IT rack further includes a centrally located interface to which the appliance-interfacing connectors are wired. The centrally located interface determines a connectivity of the IT appliances.
US09723739B2
An electronic control unit includes a control board, a battery pack, and a housing that accommodates the control board and the battery pack. The electronic control unit further includes a battery holder that has a bent shape and includes a bottom surface along a longitudinal direction of the battery pack, the battery holder clamping a main body of the battery pack, and a fixing frame that includes a juxtaposing and mounting part on which a plate surface of the control board and the bottom surface of the battery holder are mounted in a state of being adjacent to each other with a boundary line along the longitudinal direction therebetween, the control board and the battery holder being fixed to the juxtaposing and mounting part. The housing includes an opening portion into which the juxtaposing and mounting part of the fixing frame is inserted, and a back side holding portion that holds the juxtaposing and mounting part at an inner back side of the housing opposed to the opening portion. The fixing frame further includes a sealing front part that closes the opening portion of the housing with the juxtaposing and mounting part accommodated in the housing and that is fixed to the housing in a state of closing the opening portion.
US09723738B2
An enclosure for electrical installations includes a bottom part and a cover hinged to the bottom part, the bottom part including a first top edge with a first fastener including a first recess and a first platform for receiving a hinge of the enclosure in a form-locked manner, and a second top edge with a second fastener including a second recess and a second platform that permits the receipt of the hinge of the enclosure in a form-locked manner, and the first fastener and second fastener are arranged on respective top edges of the enclosure to be diametrically opposite each other. In order to hinge the cover on the desired top edge of the bottom part of the enclosure and to provide the locking of the cover to the bottom part with a turnable latch, the first platform forms a first cavity on a first inner wall of the bottom part of the enclosure for receiving the latch, and the second platform forms a second cavity on a second inner wall of the bottom part of the enclosure for receiving the latch.
US09723737B2
An electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes an electronic component connected to a Printed Circuit Board (PCB), a housing comprising a recess configured to accommodate the electronic component and a hole formed in at least part of the recess to pass the PCB, and a sealing member disposed in at least part of the hole and configured to cover at least part of the PCB.
US09723736B2
An electrical junction box has a main body provided with a circuit board, and a cover externally fitted to the main body. The electrical junction box is assembled in a state in which the main body is accommodated in the cover. The main body includes an opposing surface that opposes an inner surface of the cover. The opposing surface has a water capturing hole that is a recess that opens toward the inner surface of the cover. A first opposing distance between the inner surface of the cover and an upper opening edge of the water capturing hole is larger than a second opposing distance between the inner surface of the cover and a lower opening edge of the water capturing hole.
US09723729B2
A printed wiring board includes a substrate, a first conductor layer formed on first surface of the substrate, a second conductor layer formed on second surface of the substrate, a through-hole conductor penetrating through the substrate and connecting the first and second conductor layers, a build-up layer formed on the second surface of the substrate and including conductor layers, insulating layers and via conductors, and a first insulating layer formed on the first surface the substrate and covering the first conductor layer. The substrate has a cavity penetrating through the first insulating layer and substrate and exposing the build-up layer on the substrate, the via conductors include a lowermost via conductor having a bottom portion exposed at bottom of the cavity, and the bottom portion of the lowermost via conductor is recessed relative to surface of a lowermost insulating layer in the build-up layer at the bottom of the cavity.
US09723727B2
The modular electronic instrumentation platform chassis is for use with a plurality of instrumentation modules and includes a frame defining a module area and a non-module area. The module area includes a plurality of slots open to a front of the frame and configured to receive instrumentation modules therein. A front panel may be carried by the front of the frame adjacent the plurality of slots. A chassis power unit is configured to provide power to the plurality of instrumentation modules received in the slots. A reference clock unit carried by the frame in the non-module area and is configured to provide a low phase-noise reference clock for the plurality of instrumentation modules received in the slots. The reference clock unit includes vibration dampening mounts that mount the reference clock unit to the frame, power supply circuitry, reference clock circuitry, a shield to isolate the power supply circuitry from the reference clock circuitry, and a plurality of reference clock outputs mounted in the front panel and coupled to the reference clock circuitry.
US09723719B2
This disclosure provides example methods, devices, and systems for a flexible interconnect structure for a sensor assembly. In one configuration, a flexible interconnect structure may couple a first portion of a differential sensor structure to a second portion of the differential sensor structure. Further, the flexible interconnect structure may couple the differential sensor structure to an external component such as a circuit board, used to receive measurement information from the differential sensor.
US09723715B2
An anisotropic conductive film, which contains a crystalline resin, an amorphous resin, and conductive particles, wherein the anisotropic conductive film is an anisotropic conductive film configured to anisotropic conductively connect a terminal of a first electronic part and a terminal of a second electronic part, and wherein the crystalline resin contains a crystalline resin containing a bond characterizing a resin, which is identical to a bond characterizing a resin contained in the amorphous resin.
US09723713B1
In order to limit the stress and strain applied to a printed circuit board while still maintaining flexibility, a flexible section of the printed circuit board is configured to have a non-linear portion that functions as a hinge when the flexible section is bent, flexed, twisted or otherwise subjected to a motion related force. The hinge configuration improves durability and flexibility while minimizing ripping and cracking of the printed circuit board, particularly interconnects within the flexible section and a transition region between the flexible section and a rigid section of the printed circuit board. The hinge is configured to have a non-linear shape, such as a serpentine or circuitous path that can include curved portions, different linear portions or some combination of curved and linear portions.
US09723709B2
The present invention is a mobile device capable of transmitting or receiving wireless signals and incorporating an FPC shielded RF signal conductor for connecting transmitter and/or receiver circuitry to an associated RF antenna or antennas. In some embodiments FCP may incorporate the antenna in an unshielded section of the FPC. In some embodiments a single FPC may provide for multiple RF carrier conductors each with their own associated shielding.
US09723708B2
The present invention provides a conductive-layer-integrated flexible printed circuit board that has excellent electrical insulation reliability and that prevents the electrically conductive layer from being detached during a reflow process. The conductive-layer-integrated flexible printed circuit board includes: (A) an electromagnetic-shielding conductive layer; (B) an insulator film; and (C) a wiring-pattern-equipped film, (A) the electromagnetic-shielding conductive layer, (B) the insulator film, and (C) the wiring-pattern-equipped film being laminated in this order, (B) the insulator film containing at least (a) a binder polymer and (b) a black coloring agent having a reflective range within the infrared range.
US09723696B2
A handheld device having a communication interface configured to wirelessly communicate with a plurality of lighting fixtures and control circuitry is described. In one embodiment, the circuitry is configured to effect selection of a first lighting fixture in a first group of lighting fixtures via the communication interface; identify the first group of lighting fixtures based on information from the first lighting fixture; determine new settings for the first group of lighting fixtures; and send the new settings to each of the first group of lighting fixtures via the communication interface, wherein the first group of lighting fixtures includes a defined plurality of lighting fixtures that are associated to operate in a coordinated manner.
US09723693B1
A lighting device includes a light source, an image sensor, a controller, a memory, and a wireless transceiver. The light source is configured to emit light for general illumination. The image sensor is configured to acquire an image of an area illuminated by the light source. The controller is coupled to control the image sensor and to receive the acquired image of the illuminated area from the image sensor. The controller is configured to operate the wireless transceiver to receive identification information from a wireless device in the illuminated area. The controller is further configured to automatically generate a visual signature based on image information of a person or object, obtained from the image of the illuminated area. The controller also is configured to store the visual signature of the person or object in the memory in association with the wireless device identification information.
US09723692B2
A system for monitoring a trailer hitch assembly includes a first sensor sensing the position of a kingpin of a trailer relative to a throat of a hitch plate, a second sensor sensing a position of the locking mechanism movable between locked and unlocked positions, a control circuit coupled with the first sensor and determining whether the first sensor indicates a proper location of the kingpin relative to the throat and whether the second sensor indicates that the locking mechanism is in the locked position, and a light source proximate the throat of the kingpin and activated when the control circuit determines that the kingpin is properly located and that the locking mechanism is in the locked position, such that the light source illuminates the throat and the kingpin assisting visual inspection of the position of the kingpin relative to the throat.
US09723677B2
An aircraft landing light unit includes a plurality of LEDs, an optical system associated with the plurality of LEDs for shaping a light output of the aircraft landing light unit for illuminating an aircraft environment, a control unit for controlling the plurality of LEDs, and a photo detector arranged for detecting light, emitted by the plurality of LEDs, output via the optical system and reflected by atmospheric haze, such as clouds, fog, rain and snow, wherein the control unit is coupled to the photo detector and is configured to control the plurality of LEDs on the basis of the light detected by the photo detector, thereby adjusting the light output of the aircraft landing light unit to the atmospheric haze.
US09723672B2
Self-identifying solid-state transducer (SST) modules and associated systems and methods are disclosed herein. In several embodiments, for example, an SST system can include a driver and at least one SST module electrically coupled to the driver. Each SST module can include an SST and a sense resistor. The sense resistors of each SST module can have at least substantially similar resistance values. The SSTs of the SST modules can be coupled in parallel across an SST channel to the driver, and the sense resistors of the SST modules can be coupled in parallel across a sense channel to the driver. The driver can be configured to measure a sense resistance across the sense resistors and deliver a current across the SSTs based on the sense resistance.
US09723666B2
Provided is a lighting device including two switching elements, a control circuit, a resonance circuit, a rectification circuit, and a feedback circuit. The control circuit controls two switching elements such that the two switching elements operate separately from each other. The control circuit changes the switching frequencies of the two switching elements from high frequencies to low frequencies, relative to one another, when the operation (switching operation) of the switching elements is started. The control circuit controls the feedback circuit such that the difference output from an error amplifier approaches zero within a period of time from a point of time at which the switching operation is stopped to a point of time at which the switching operation is next started.
US09723665B2
Lighting apparatus includes: AC/DC converter which converts AC voltage Vac to DC voltage Vdc; DC/DC converter which converts DC voltage Vdc to a DC voltage to be applied to LED; and detection circuit which detects AC voltage Vac. DC/DC converter includes switching element, and control circuit that performs a control of repeatedly turning on and off switching element in a boundary conduction mode. Control circuit performs the control under which ON time Ton is kept from exceeding an upper limit that is previously determined, and raises the upper limit when AC voltage Vac detected by detection circuit falls below a predetermined value. ON time Ton is a period of time during which switching element is kept ON.
US09723651B2
Semi-connected state operation for UEs in multiple-access networks is described. In the semi-connected state, UEs may monitor system information and paging, and mobility may be UE-controlled. Base stations may determine whether to transition UEs from the connected state to the semi-connected state based on capabilities, priority, data connections, or loading conditions. Base stations may maintain context information and logical traffic connections for UEs while UEs continue to be served by the base station in the semi-connected state. Thus, when a transition from the semi-connected state to the connected state occurs, the base station does not have to re-establish security parameters, nor re-establish logical traffic connections within the network for carrying control plane and user plane data for the UE. Context information for semi-connected state UEs may be shared between neighboring base stations or base stations within a context area. The techniques may be applied to LTE/LTE-A networks.
US09723650B2
A communication apparatus includes a first communication unit configured to perform wireless communication with another communication apparatus by a first communication method, a second communication unit configured to perform wireless communication with the other communication apparatus by a second communication method which is different from the first communication method, a transmission unit configured to transmit, through the first communication unit, a message for requesting a connection parameter to be used for connection to the other communication apparatus through the wireless communication using the second communication unit, and a controller configured to control wireless connection through the second communication unit in accordance with a state of a service executed through the wireless communication using the second communication unit employing the connection parameter.
US09723648B2
Disclosed are an NAS connection establishment method and a radio access network node, the method includes: a radio access network node receiving, from a machine type communication (MTC) user equipment (UE), an Access Stratum (AS) message carrying a non-access stratum (NAS) request message, wherein the AS message carries a request reason of the AS request message; the radio access network node converting the request reason in the AS message into priority indication information and sending a signaling to a core network node, wherein the signaling includes priority indication information and the NAS request message carried in the AS message; the core network node determining the priority of the NAS request message based on the priority indication information in the signaling, and when the core network has a congestion, the core network node sending a rejection response message to a UE that sends an NAS request message with a low priority.
US09723644B2
Provided herein is an access point including a communicator configured to communicate with an external electronic apparatus; and a controller configured to, in response to determining that a preset first electronic apparatus is connected to the communicator, provide a signal for requesting connection between a second electronic apparatus connected to another access point and the first electronic apparatus to the another access point based on a type of an IP address (Internet Protocol) allocated to the access point, and form a single network with the another access point based on a signal in response to the connection request signal, thereby providing a user with convenience in communication connection with the electronic apparatus.
US09723639B2
A communication method and a terminal are provided. The terminal may be equipped with circuitry that supports connecting to a wireless router using two or more frequency bands. The router may provide multiple networks using respective frequency bands. The terminal may be connected to the router a first frequency band. The method and terminal may facilitate establishment of a direct communication between the terminal and another terminal that is connected to the router using a network of a second frequency band. The another terminal may be equipped with a circuitry that only supports the second frequency band. The method and terminal describe determining a network that a target communication device is connected to, and connecting the terminal to that network. The terminal may then communicate with the target communication device through the network.
US09723626B2
The invention relates to a method for dynamically indicating a TDD re-configuration to the mobile station by encoding the dynamic TDD re-configuration indication into the DCI or CRC calculated for the DCI. In one embodiment, the TDD configuration indication is implicitly encoded as an RNTI into the CRC, when scrambling the CRC for the DCI with a TDD-RNTI. In another embodiment, the TDD configuration indication is part of the DCI payload, while the CRC for the DCI is scrambled with a cell identifier, identifying the target cell for which the dynamic TDD re-configuration is to be applied. In still another embodiment, the TDD configuration indication is part of the DCI payload, where the DCI payload further includes an invalid parameter indicating to the mobile station that the DCI carries the TDD configuration indication.
US09723608B2
The present invention discloses a method for D2D communication. The method includes carrying control information and data information, to be sent, in a physical resource block, wherein the physical resource block comprises M OFDM symbols in the time domain and N subcarriers in the frequency domain. The control information comprises at least one of MCS, RV, and NDI, at least one of the MCS, the RV, and the NDI being mapped onto an RE in a high frequency part of the physical resource block. The data information is mapped onto a blank RE in the physical resource block excluding the RE onto which the control information is mapped. The method also includes sending the physical resource block to a target user equipment on a D2D communication link. Spectral efficiency and data transmission rate can be improved by reasonably configuring an uplink physical channel of D2D communication.
US09723607B2
A method for transmitting machine type communication (MTC) downlink data. The method includes acquiring, by a user equipment (UE), downlink transmission parameters, where the downlink transmission parameters include a quantity of resource blocks in downlink transmission bandwidth that is configured by a base station for the UE, an antenna port used by the base station for sending the MTC downlink data, and at least one of the following a cell-specific frequency shift value or a cyclic prefix (CP) type, setting, by the UE, a local oscillator frequency of a receiver according to the downlink transmission parameters; and receiving, by the UE, the MTC downlink data sent by the base station, where a subcarrier located in a subcarrier reservation location does not carry any data signal or reference signal, and the subcarrier reservation location is determined in the downlink transmission bandwidth by the base station according to the downlink transmission parameters.
US09723606B2
The present invention relates to a wireless communication system, and more specifically, to a method and an apparatus for enhanced control channel-based operation. A method for a base station for transmitting a downlink control channel in a wireless communication system according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises the steps of: determining one antenna port to be used for the downlink control channel; mapping the downlink control channel to a resource element on the basis of a reference signal for the one antenna port; and transmitting the mapped downlink control channel to a terminal, wherein an index for the one antenna port can be determined on the basis of a control channel element (CCE) index of the downlink control channel derived from the terminal identifier.
US09723603B2
In order to prevent any increase in number of blind detections and make efficient use of radio resources even when a format of downlink control information is changed in accordance with a communication environment, the present invention provides a radio communication method for generating control information by using a predetermined DCI format out of a plurality of DCI formats including a first DCI format having an uplink scheduling grant and a second DCI format having downlink scheduling assignment. When the first DCI format is extended in size, the second DCI format is added with an information field so as to have the same size as the extended first DCI format, and information to extend an existing function of the second DCI format and/or information to add a new function is added to the information field thereby to generate the control information.
US09723598B2
The present invention relates to a wireless communication system, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for transmitting an uplink signal. A method for transmitting an uplink signal at a UE in a wireless communication system includes, when a virtual cell ID for a reference signal for demodulation of a physical uplink channel is provided, generating a sequence of the reference signal on the basis of the virtual cell ID, and transmitting the generated reference signal to an eNB. A group hopping pattern of the reference signal can be determined on the basis of the virtual cell ID.
US09723596B2
A method and apparatus for enhanced uplink (EU) dedicated channel data transmission. On a condition that a scheduling message is not available, wherein the scheduling message is for scheduling scheduled data transmission, a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) transmits non-scheduled data up to a threshold amount of data in absence of the scheduling message. On a condition that scheduled data for a logical channel is in an EU data buffer of the WTRU, the WTRU transmits EU scheduling information with EU non-scheduled data transmission in absence of the scheduling message, wherein the scheduling information indicates a total amount of data in the EU data buffer and an amount of EU data buffered for a priority logical channel. The WTRU receives a scheduling message in response to the transmitted EU scheduling information and transmits the scheduled data in response to the scheduling message.
US09723593B2
A terminal apparatus sets a first UL-DL configuration, receives information indicating a second UL-DL configuration via a physical downlink control channel, and monitors a physical downlink control channel with a C-RNTI, during an active time based on a first subframe which is set as a downlink subframe or a subframe including a downlink pilot time slot (DwPTS) on the basis of the first UL-DL configuration, in a second subframe which is set as a downlink subframe or a subframe including a DwPTS on the basis of the second UL-DL configuration.
US09723592B2
A UE receives downlink control information from an eNB through a PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel) including one or more CCEs (Control Channel Elements). The UE transmits ACK/NACK (ACKnowledgment/Negative ACK) information associated with the downlink control information to the eNB by using at least one of a first PUCCH resource, which corresponds to an index determined on the basis of first offset information and an index of a specific CCE in the PDCCH and is generated using first cell identification information, and a second PUCCH resource, which corresponds to an index determined on the basis of second offset information and the index of the specific CCE and is generated using second cell identification information.
US09723582B1
The present disclosure describes methods and apparatus for synchronizing beacon transmissions. Synchronization beacons may be transmitted from multiple nodes during a same time slot of a discovery window with accommodation for managing potential signal interference. For certain example embodiments, a first wireless communication device includes a transceiver and a synchronization beacon transmission system. A transceiver may be configured to transmit a synchronization beacon in a neighbor awareness networking (NAN) environment, wherein the NAN environment includes multiple wireless communication devices arranged in a cluster. A synchronization beacon transmission system may be configured to determine a transmission time based at least partially on an operation that separates the wireless communication devices of the cluster into multiple groups. A synchronization beacon transmission system may further be configured to cause the transceiver to transmit the synchronization beacon responsive to the determined transmission time.
US09723568B2
A communication apparatus includes a terminal unit, first-signal and second-signal converting units, a selector, and a controller. The terminal unit may alternatively receive a first signal having multiplexed signals based on different standards, a second signal which is one of the signals, and a third signal based on a standard different from the standards of the signals. The first-signal converting unit converts the first or second signal into an internal connection signal. The second-signal converting unit converts the second or third signal into the internal connection signal. The selector performs switching so that a signal from the terminal unit is connected to the first-signal or second-signal converting unit. The controller controls the selector so that, when one of the first-signal and second-signal converting unit is converting the second signal into the internal connection signal, the signal from the terminal unit is connected to the other signal converting unit.
US09723563B1
A method of waking up a device includes capturing an image by scanning a fingerprint pattern in a sleep mode; analyzing the captured image representing the scanned fingerprint pattern to obtain an amount of pixels in the captured image with respect to each brightness value; transforming the analyzed captured image into brightness distribution; operating the brightness distribution to obtain a feature value; and comparing the feature value with a pre-stored value, the device being woken up when the feature value is matched with the pre-stored value.
US09723560B2
An apparatus includes a first amplifier stage configured to amplify a first carrier signal. The apparatus includes a second amplifier stage configured to amplify a second carrier signal. A resistive-capacitive (RC) network is coupled to the first amplifier stage and to the second amplifier stage. The RC network includes a resistive element coupled to a capacitive element.
US09723556B2
The disclosure relates to a DRX method with TRM limitation. In one embodiment, the DRX method comprises steps of detecting a DRX wake sub-frame to be set for a first BS at least partially overlaps with a sub-frame allocated to a second BS, and removing a collision of the DRX wake sub-frame to the sub-frame allocated to the second BS without change to the sub-frame allocated to the second BS. There is also provided a user equipment using the DRX method. By removing the collision without change to the sub-frames allocated in accordance with TDM, the user equipment may work in the DRX mode well.
US09723538B2
In one embodiment, a particular node in a shared media computer network may determine a set of network parameters for the network, and a timing of super-frames in the network, each super-frame having one or more frames, each frame divided into a plurality of timeslots. In addition, the particular node computes a discovery scheduling function using its own identification to determine in which particular timeslot of the frames to transmit a network discovery packet. Accordingly, the particular node may transmit the network discovery packet in the particular timeslot of the frames. In an additional or alternative embodiment, the particular node may receive a network discovery request from a requesting node. In response, the particular node determines whether it is free to reply to the network discovery request based on parameters in the network discovery request, and if free to reply, may transmit a network discovery packet to the requesting node.
US09723537B2
A method for configuring a communication system (20) comprising an exchange (34), the method comprising: identifying a type of the exchange; selecting a configuration module (56) adapted to communicate with the identified type of the exchange; and under the control of the selected configuration module, retrieving and analyzing automatically a configuration database from the exchange, and configuring the exchange to provide communication connectivity to both a fixed network and a mobile network.
US09723531B2
A method includes responsive to receiving a first packet of a plurality of packets at a first radio access node enabling said first radio access node to receive at least one other of said plurality of packets. The method further includes causing said first packet to be sent by said first radio access node to a user equipment before said at least one other of said plurality of packets is caused to be sent to said user equipment.
US09723525B2
One of the embodiments of the present invention relates to a method for calibrating mobile robustness optimization function for inter-cell handover. The method comprises detecting mobile robustness optimization deviation; calibrating said mobile robustness optimization function by—compensating the detected mobile robustness optimization deviation. The embodiments of the present invention further provide corresponding apparatuses and base stations.
US09723524B2
The present application relates to a method for determining handover criterion in a cellular wireless communication system, said cellular wireless communication system employing handover procedures according to which mobile stations may be handed over from a cell to another cell; said method comprising the steps of: receiving at least one handover control criterion parameter, and determining at least one handover criterion based on said at least one handover control criterion parameter. Furthermore, the present application also relates to a method in a network control entity, a method in a network entity, a computer program, a computer program product, a network control entity device, a network entity device and a cellular communication system comprising such devices.
US09723522B2
The present invention provides a method involving at least one mobile node and a heterogeneous network comprising a plurality of access nodes. The method includes transferring event context information associated with a mobile node from a first access node to a second access node.
US09723518B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a network offload method and apparatus, where the method includes: receiving, by a first network controller, network state information of a terminal, where there is at least one terminal, the network state information is state information of the terminal on at least one corresponding access network, and the first network controller is a network controller of a first access network; generating, by the first network controller, an offload policy for the terminal according to the network state information; and sending, by the first network controller, the offload policy to the terminal; and/or sending the offload policy to an access device of the at least one access network, so that a network-side device or the terminal performs offload according to the offload policy and the network side can implement control on terminal offloading.
US09723515B2
A method and system is provided for transmitting data in a communication system operating in the HF band comprising a link layer and a physical layer. The system comprises a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter comprises at least one scheduler. The method comprises a step of segmenting at least two data streams F1,F2 each of the streams having a service constraint, each being segmented into a plurality of data sub-blocks FjBi, a step in which the data sub-blocks are transformed into a frame then a step of coding and interleaving the first frame TF1, and of the second frame TF2, producing sub-frames STF1c, STF2c, then generating a frame to be transmitted by mixing n sub-frames STF1c of the data stream F1 with m sub-frames STF2c of the data stream F2.
US09723512B2
A method of and an application server and user equipment for providing at least one of chat and Voice over Internet Protocol, chat/VoIP, services to the mobile user equipment in a mobile telecommunications network. The mobile user equipment comprises a chat/VoIP client for accessing a chat/VoIP service application interfacing the mobile telecommunications network. The chat/VoIP service application interfaces a plurality of proprietary chat/VoIP clients for accessing a plurality of proprietary chat/VoIP communication environments operated by a plurality of chat/VoIP service providers, for providing chat/VoIP services to the chat/VoIP client of the mobile user equipment. The chat/VoIP client and the chat/VoIP service application may be arranged such that privileged use of the mobile telecommunications network is enabled, providing a session between the user equipment and a communication environment with a predetermined or agreed Quality of Service.
US09723510B1
The present application is directed to wireless communication networks. More specifically, the present application is directed to creation and usage of radio maps for cloud-based control of self-organizing networks. Methods for localizing elements in a wireless network are provided. Methods for operating a wireless communication network. Apparatuses configured to operate within a wireless communication network are provided. Apparatuses configured to operate within a wireless communication network are provided.
US09723508B2
A User Equipment and an eNodeB system are configured for performing interference mitigation in the UE. Input circuitry in the wireless communication device receives an OFDM downlink channel signal associated with a serving cell and receives downlink control information for an interfering cell. The downlink control information is used by the UE to perform channel estimation for the interfering cell. An interference mitigation module is provided for calculating an interference-mitigated version of the received channel signal using estimated channel transfer functions for both the serving cell and the interfering cell, power control parameters and using set of modulation constellation points corresponding to the OFDM downlink channel. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.
US09723493B2
Implementations relate to configuring wireless access points in a wireless network. In some implementations, a method includes selecting, from a plurality of wireless access points in a communication network, a configuring subset of wireless access points and a different compensating subset of wireless access points. New settings are applied to the compensating subset of wireless access points to change a physical coverage of wireless communication provided by the compensating subset, thus at least partially compensating for disabled wireless communication of the configuring subset. The method disables wireless communication provided by the configuring subset, and configures the disabled configuring subset of wireless access points.
US09723490B2
In some examples, a method may include determining whether a data packet is correctly received. In response to the data packet being correctly received, the method may include reading a received signal strength indication (RSSI) value, and based on the RSSI value, determining whether to transmit an acknowledgement (ACK) packet.
US09723489B1
A testing system tests applications executable on a computing platform, when the app under test executes on the computing platform, the app program code refers to a tree data structure for its user interface operations. That tree data structure is accessed without needing to interrupt the app under test or without needing software hooks into the app. The testing system obtains a specification of user interface criteria from an operator, processes the tree data structure with the specification to identify nodes of the tree data structure that match the user interface criteria, and outputs a representation of the matching nodes. The matching nodes are user interface entry points capable of being used to test the app for vulnerabilities. The specification can include edge criteria, wherein an edge criterion corresponds to a characteristic of an edge in the tree data structure between at least two nodes of the tree data structure.
US09723484B2
One or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprises logic, where the logic corresponds to an application associated with a remote device and a remote system. When executed, the logic is operable to receive, from the remote system, data identifying a plurality of compromising entities, identify a pending outgoing communication initiated by the remote device, and identify information regarding a destination of the outgoing communication. Additionally, the logic is operable to determine an entity associated with the destination of the outgoing communication and determine that the entity associated with the destination matches at least one of the plurality of compromising entities based on comparing the data identifying the plurality of compromising entities and the entity associated with the destination of the outgoing communication. In addition, the logic is operable to generate a signal configured to block the outgoing communication, where the signal is generated before the outgoing communication is sent.
US09723482B2
An anti-theft protection method and device for a cellular phone is provided. The method includes: judging whether the cellular phone satisfies a pre-set condition for starting an anti-theft mode, if so, starting the anti-theft mode; and transmitting anti-theft protection information to a designated contact to instruct the designated contact to perform anti-theft processing for the cellular phone. The device comprises a judgment module, a starting module, and a transmission module.
US09723476B2
The invention relates to device-to-device (D2D) communications an in particular to location registration of a D2D User Equipment (UE) being in idle mode. A D2D capable UE (D2D cluster head) is [1] configured to communicate with a communication network, is [2] able to establish D2D communication with another D2D capable UE, receives [3] from the communication system a configuration so as to send location update related messaging on behalf of UEs with which D2D communications has been established, obtains [4] information of a change of status of a UE regarding a D2D communication or a change of cell of a UE and in response to the information, causes [5] the sending of a message to the communication network, the message comprising a location update request regarding the UE.
US09723475B2
A first wireless device includes network discovery circuitry to initiate a discovery protocol to discover second wireless devices and to establish a wireless connection with at least one of the second wireless devices. Transmission circuitry transmits first discovery-related packets on a wireless channel and receiver circuitry receives second discovery-related packets from the second wireless devices on the wireless channel. The network discovery circuitry is further to determine, based on the second discovery-related packets, how many of the second wireless devices are within a predetermined range of the first wireless device, adjust a configurable parameter of the discovery protocol based on how many of the second wireless devices were determined to be within the predetermined range of the first wireless device, and complete the discovery protocol in accordance with the adjusted configurable parameter to establish the wireless connection with the at least one of the second wireless devices.
US09723470B1
A system includes a network interface and one or more processors. The processors are configured to track a first pattern with which a user terminal consumes one or more data services while served by a home network specified for the user terminal, to track a second pattern with which the user terminal consumes the one or more data services while served by one or more networks other than the home network, to estimate a reduction in usage of the one or more data services between the first and second patterns, and to selectively enable at least one data service to the user terminal by the networks other than the home network, based on the estimated reduction in usage.
US09723469B2
An anomaly detection system is provided in connection with a transport service. The anomaly detection system can construct routine route profiles for individual users of the transport service using historical route data. The anomaly detection system can monitor a current route traveled by a user. The anomaly detection system can further identify a matching routine route profile of the respective user. The anomaly detection system can utilize the matching routine route profile to identify a probable anomaly in the current route. In response to detecting the probable anomaly, the anomaly detection system can enable a safety protocol to perform a number of actions.
US09723461B2
When a telephone call is made to a user with a cellular telephone that has weak or no wireless signal receptions, the telephone call may be re-routed to another telephone located near the user, such that the telephone call may reach the user via another telephone. A system or method is provided to determine an alternate telephone, to which the telephone call is re-routed when the primary receiving telephone is a cellular phone that has weak or no wireless signal reception. The alternate telephone may be determined in a context and/or social aware basis. The alternate telephone may belong to a friend or family member of the user of the primary receiving telephone. Further, the alternate telephone may be located near the user of the primary receiving telephone, such that the user of the primary receiving telephone may be reached when the telephone call is re-routed to the alternate telephone.
US09723453B2
Method, systems and devices for determining for performing enhanced location based trilateration include receiving location information (e.g., waypoints) from one or more external devices, determining the validity of the received location information, performing normalization operations to normalize the received location information, assigning an overall ranking and a device-specific ranking to the location information, and storing the validated and normalized location information in memory. The enhanced location based trilateration may also include selecting four locations (e.g., waypoints) from the memory based on a combination of the overall ranking and the device-specific ranking, and generating a final location value or waypoint based on a result of applying the four selected waypoints to a kalman filter. The output of the kalman filter may also be reported and/or used as the device's current location.
US09723452B2
A method for predicting crowd formation based on movement of a plurality of mobile devices is provided. The method may include collecting a plurality of location data snapshots based on the plurality of mobile devices and a plurality of cell towers. The method may include determining a plurality of device positions based on the collected plurality of location data snapshots. The method may include determining a device movement direction based on the determined plurality of device positions. The method may include determining a device velocity based on the determined plurality of device positions. The method may include identifying a mobile device subset, whereby the mobile device subset converges on a convergence area. The method may include determining if the mobile device subset converging on the convergence area exceeds a threshold value. The method may include triggering a convergence response.
US09723441B2
Location based on call detail record. The method includes: acquiring handover call detail record (HCDR) data and handover (HO) data corresponding to at least one cell transfer during a call; The HCDR data can include a start time, an end time, passed cells during the call; The HO data can include the HO time for each pair of adjacent cells among the passed cells during the call. The method can further include estimating the location of the subscriber based on the HCDR data and the HO data.
US09723424B2
Audio signals are recorded with microphones receiving acoustic information from one or more directions. The corresponding audio signals can be pre-listened to in production studios. However, Higher Order Ambisonics (HOA) audio signals are matrixed in such a way that the matrixing prevents listening to the matrixed sound signals without dematrixing the matrixed sound signals. For enabling a sound engineer to listen to such a matrixed signal without full HOA decoding, an informative audio signal is added together with related side information data at encoding side to a selected part of the matrixed signal. This informative audio signal is removed before the inverse matrixing process at decoding side.
US09723416B2
A hearing assistance device including a housing, a user manipulatable control element, and a printed circuit board having a flexible substrate, sound processor circuitry on the flexible substrate, and a variable resistor that is an integral part of the printed circuit board and/or is secured to the housing.
US09723415B2
A new hearing aid system is provided that facilitates determination of listening performance of a user of the hearing aid system and adjustment of a hearing aid for improved listening performance.
US09723413B2
A binaural hearing aid system includes: a first hearing aid having a first microphone, a first processing unit, a first receiver, and a first communication unit; and a second hearing aid having a second microphone, a second processing unit, a second receiver, and a second communication unit; wherein the first communication unit of the first hearing aid is configured to transmit a filtered signal for reception by the second communication unit of the second hearing aid in response to a signal associated with a phone.
US09723403B2
A wearable, shoulder-mounted microphone array apparatus and system used as a bi-directional audio and assisted listening device system. The present invention advances hearing aids and assisted listening devices to allow construction of a highly directional audio array that is wearable, natural sounding, and convenient to direct, as well as to provide directional cues to users who have partial or total loss of hearing in one or both ears. The advantages of the invention include simultaneously providing high gain, high directivity, high side lobe attenuation, and consistent beam width; providing significant beam forming at lower frequencies where substantial noises are present, particularly in noisy, reverberant environments; and allowing construction of a cost effective body-worn or body-carried directional audio device.
US09723399B2
An electronic device may include a housing having an audio output port therein, a display carried by the housing, and a baffle enclosure carried within the housing. The electronic device may also include an audio output transducer carried by the baffle enclosure and acoustically coupled to the audio output port, and a passive radiator carried by the baffle enclosure, acoustically coupled between the audio output transducer and the display, and acoustically isolated from the audio output port.
US09723388B2
Present invention can enable significant bandwidth to a connected home, which comprises an intelligent subscriber optical subsystem, configured for receiving wavelength/bandwidth on-Demand. The intelligent subscriber optical subsystem also connects with one or more objects; and one or more intelligent appliances, wherein the one object at least comprises a radio module and a sensor/bio-sensor module, wherein the one intelligent appliance at least comprises a processor module and a radio module.
US09723378B2
A method and a system are provided for achieving integration of smart TV program channels with applications. The method may include performing normalization processing on data of TV program channel information, maintaining a data structure for each TV program channel, and obtaining a program table with items thereof being the information of multiple TV program channels. The method may also include performing normalization processing on data of application information, maintaining a data structure for each application, and obtaining an application table with items thereof being information of multiple applications. The method may further include mixing and arranging items in the program table and the application table to obtain a mixed table and, upon receiving a control command, looking for an item corresponding to said control command in said mixed table and displaying the corresponding content.
US09723373B2
In particular embodiments, a social networking system queries a social graph of the social-networking system for social content associated with video content provided to one or more users of the social-networking system and accesses privacy settings associated with each of the one or more users. The privacy settings indicate whether a particular user has authorized the social-networking system to share social content associated with the particular user with one or more third parties. The social networking system provides the social content associated with video content provided to the one or more users to a particular third party if the privacy settings of the one or more users indicate that the one or more users have authorized the social-networking system to share the social content with one or more third parties.
US09723365B2
A system incorporating teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a server having a controller to monitor for a first adjustment made by a first communication device associated with a user where the first communication device is capable of presenting media content and where the first adjustment is associated with the presentation of the media content, determine a second adjustment to be made to a second communication device associated with the user where the determination is based at least in part on the monitored first adjustment where the second adjustment is associated with the presentation of the media content and where the second communication device is a battery-operated mobile device, and wirelessly communicate adjustment information to the second communication device that is representative of the second adjustment, where the adjustment information is adapted for allowing the second communication device to perform the second adjustment. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US09723363B2
Systems and methods are provided herein in relation to notifications about alternative viewing opportunities for recording and playback of media programs. In particular, the systems and methods provide users with information related to alternative recorded programming viewing opportunities for programs scheduled for recording by a user.
US09723362B2
The present invention relates to a control device and a control target device, and particularly, to a method for transmitting a content list of a control target device and a control device. A method for allowing a control point device to receive a content list from a control target device, according to one embodiment of the present invention, comprises the steps of: transmitting a content list request message to the control target device; receiving a response message which includes a fragment of the content list; and displaying the content list based on the fragment, wherein the fragment includes a plurality of content objects corresponding to the number of content objects for one content list fragment.
US09723360B2
A digital broadcast receiver has a storage device and a processing device. The storage device is configured to store a questionnaire received from at least one service provider of a digital broadcast system, and answers to the questionnaire. The questionnaire comprises a data structure common to at least two service providers. The processing device is configured to manipulate the questionnaire and answers. The questionnaire pertains to viewer preferences, demographics, and interests (PDI) information.
US09723357B2
The present disclosure teaches a method and apparatus for allowing a user to select and view one or multiple programs at random whenever he desires and to suspend viewing in the middle of a program to accommodate an interruption and to continue viewing after the interruption without missing any of the program. In addition, previously stored programs may be viewed at accelerated or decelerated speed, or repeated or portions reviewed, to allow the user to review such in other than real time.
US09723354B2
A system includes a server in communication with a first set top box and a second set top box. The server receives a request from the first set top box to access an available tuner of the second set top box, accesses account information associated with the first set top box, and commands the second set top box to stream content from the available tuner to the first set top box according to the account information. A method includes identifying available tuners of set top boxes assigned to different customers, receiving a request from a first set top box to access an available tuner of a second set top box, accessing account information associated with the first set top box, and commanding the second set top box to stream content to the first set top box according to the account information of the first set top box.
US09723349B2
A terminal device acquires a part of an audio-visual content regenerated by a video display apparatus. The terminal device acquires contents information of the audio-visual content based on the part of the audio-visual content. The terminal device acquires the available enhanced service based on the contents information and regenerates the available enhanced service.
US09723346B2
The MEDIA CONTENT SYNCHRONIZED ADVERTISING PLATFORM APPARATUSES AND SYSTEMS (“AD-SYNCH”) transforms TV program schedule listing information and user channel selection via AD-SYNCH components, into channel-synchronized product placement advertisement. A system is disclosed, comprising: a memory; a processor disposed in communication with said memory, and configured to issue a plurality of processing instructions stored in the memory, wherein the processor issues instructions for: providing TV program schedule listing data including a plurality of ad tags to a user mobile device, receiving a user media program selection message from the user mobile device; retrieving an ad tag associated with the user selected media program from the TV program schedule listing data; identifying an advertised item embedded in the media program based on the retrieved ad tag; determining an available ad template associated with the retrieved ad tag; generating an ad for the embedded advertised item based on the available ad template; and providing the generated ad to the user mobile device based on a timestamp of the ad tag.
US09723341B2
The present invention relates to an apparatus for transmitting broadcast signals, an apparatus for receiving broadcast signals and methods for transmitting and receiving broadcast signals. The method of transmitting broadcast signals includes encoding data corresponding to each of data transmission channel which carries at least one service data or service component data, building at least one signal frame including the encoded data, modulating the at least one signal frame by an OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex) scheme; and transmitting the broadcast signals carrying the at least one modulated signal frame.
US09723322B2
Various embodiments for decoding a current block of a picture are provided. One or more candidates of a first type are derived, with each of the candidates having a first motion vector predictor derived from a first motion vector that has been used to decode a first block. A candidate of a second type is derived, with the candidate having a second motion vector predictor. The candidate of the second type is different from the candidates of the first type. A coded index corresponding to a selected candidate is decoded. The selected candidate is one of a plurality of candidates which includes the candidates of the first type and the candidate of the second type. A total number of the candidates of the first type is less than a predetermined maximum candidate number which is fixed for all blocks in the picture.
US09723320B2
An image decoding method is provided which includes a time information determination step of determining time information of a current picture, a first reference picture referred to by the current picture and a second reference picture referred to by the current picture; a scaling parameter calculation step of calculating a scaling parameter based on a time distance between the first reference picture and a second reference picture; a weighting coefficient determination step of determining two weighting coefficients based on the scaling parameter; a predictive pixel value generation step of generating a predictive pixel value of the current picture by scaling a pixel value of the first reference picture and a pixel value of the second reference picture using the two weighting coefficients determined in the weighting coefficient determination step; and a decoding step of decoding the current picture using the predictive pixel value.
US09723316B2
When an intra prediction parameter indicates a horizontal prediction process, an intra prediction unit adds a value proportional to a change in a horizontal direction of the luminance values of pixels adjacent to the top of each block, which is a unit for prediction process of a coding block, to the luminance value of a pixel adjacent to the left of the block to set a result of the addition as a predicted value of a prediction image, whereas when the intra prediction parameter indicates a vertical prediction process, the intra prediction unit adds a value proportional to a change in a vertical direction of the luminance values of pixels adjacent to the left of the block to the luminance value of the pixel adjacent to the top of the block to set the result of the addition as a predicted value of the prediction image.
US09723313B2
The embodiments of the present invention provide a method and a device for encoding and decoding videos, and relate to the communication field, and an efficient transformation matrix corresponding to features of each residual block is selected for transformation, which therefore improves encoding efficiency. The solution provided in an embodiment of the present invention is: generating a prediction residual according to input video data; selecting a set of best transformation matrixes among multiple candidate transformation matrixes according to an intra-frame prediction mode and rate-distortion criteria to perform transform-coding on the prediction residual and obtain a transformation result; and generating an encoded stream according to the transformation result and selected transformation matrix index information.
US09723302B2
A measuring system for measuring video processing quality of a device under test includes a measuring device comprising transmission means set up for transmitting a video to the device under test. The device under test is set up for receiving the video and displaying it using a display included by the device under test. The video includes at least a first barcode to be displayed for a first duration. The measuring system includes a barcode reader set up for reading the first barcode from the display of the device under test. The measuring system is set up for determining the video processing quality of the device under test based upon measuring results of the barcode reader.
US09723298B2
A system and computer implemented method for managing a display for a software application is disclosed. The software application may have a set of portions. The method can include collecting, for a first portion and a second portion of the set of portions, optical tracking information including a set of viewing coordinates having a temporal feature. The method can also include determining, based on the optical tracking information including the set of viewing coordinates having the temporal feature, a set of viewing scores including a first group of viewing scores and a second group of viewing scores. The method can also include generating a frustum having a set of regions. The set of regions can include a first region, to provide the first portion, based on the first group of viewing scores, and a second region, to provide the second portion, based on the second group of viewing scores.
US09723282B2
An in-vehicle imaging device is provided with a detection region setting unit for setting a detection region, which corresponds to a predetermined object to be detected within an imaging screen; a color signal determination unit for setting a specific color corresponding to the object to be detected, and for determining whether the color data of pixels contained in the detection region are close to the specific color; and a gain control unit for averaging the color data of pixels (approximate color pixels) that were determined to be close to the specific color within the detection region and for adjusting the color gain of the image signal on the basis of a differential value of the color data of the specific color and the average value of the color data of the approximate color pixels.
US09723281B2
In a projector, a comparator included in a trapezoid correction unit compares the aspect ratio of a rectangular input unit with that of the device area. A projection area determination unit determines an effective projection area that is an area included in the projection area and that is rectangular on the object on the basis of a result of the comparison. The device area determination unit determines an effective device area so that the relation of the effective projection area with the projection area corresponds to the relation of the effective device area with the device area. A geometric transformation unit projects the input image into the effective device area so that the input image is projected without distortion within the effective projection area of the object.
US09723271B2
Techniques are disclosed for analyzing a scene depicted in an input stream of video frames captured by a video camera. The techniques include receiving data for an object within the scene and determining whether the object has remained substantially stationary within the scene for at least a threshold period. If the object is determined to have remained stationary for at least the threshold period, a rareness score is calculated for the object to indicate a likelihood of the object being stationary to an observed degree at an observed location. The rareness score may use a learning model to take into account previous stationary and/or non-stationary behavior of objects within the scene. In general, the learning model may be updated based on observed stationary and/or non-stationary behaviors of the objects. If the rareness score meets reporting conditions, the stationary object event may be reported.
US09723261B2
A disclosed information processing device transmits and receives, as elements, audio information of inputted audio, video information of video taken, and screen image information of a screen image to be shared. The information processing device includes a determination criteria storing unit configured to store determination criteria created in terms of the elements for determining whether to continue transmission or reception of the elements, an information obtaining unit configured to obtain specified information related to the elements from the elements being transmitted and received, and an element determination unit configured to determine from the obtained information whether to continue or not the transmission or the reception of the elements by referring to the determination criteria.
US09723258B2
System, method, and computer product embodiments for proving an orientation adjustment for casting visual content on a display device are described. A computing device selects an orientation adjustment to be used in transcoding a video having a frame and assigned an orientation. The computing device requests a transcoder within the computing device to transcode the frame based on the orientation adjustment to generate a transcoded frame. The transcoded frame is converted into a format comparable to a reference frame representing the frame that is corrected transcoded to the assigned orientation. Then, the computing device compares the converted frame with the reference frame to determine that the frame is transcoded correctly to the assigned orientation. If the frame is transcoded correctly, the computing device uses the selected orientation adjustment when transcoding visual content for casting or streaming on a display device in an orientation matching that of the visual content.
US09723249B2
A system for receiving and presenting broadcast programming has a television receiver connected to a set-top box having an internal hard disc on which selected programs may be recorded. As the internal hard disc has a finite capacity it can become full, particularly if the viewer wishes to retain a library of recordings. The system provides for the automatic transfer of programs stored on the internal hard disc to external hard drives. The viewer is enabled to set the criteria for such archiving using the remote control unit and on-screen menu options. Content with the largest size, the earliest recorded content, or the content viewed less frequently, may be automatically archived. The set-top box is also enabled to collate information identifying the externally stored content and to store that on the internal hard drive together with information as to the location of the stored content. This enables a viewer to retrieve the transferred content.
US09723248B1
Information regarding actions or activities to be performed at a workstation may be projected upon a portion of the workstation using one or more projectors. The information may include one or more arrows or other indicators referencing specific tools, materials or objects that may be used to perform one or more of the actions or activities. Such arrows or indicators may be rendered in a manner that simulates a three-dimensional or floating appearance thereof from a perspective of a user that may be adjusted or modified based on changes in the perspective of the user, and with respect to one or more physical or virtual sources of light.
US09723243B2
A user interface method for a terminal for a vehicle is provided. The terminal obtains position information to detect a point of a road. A road image of a driving direction is obtained, a lanes of the road represented on the obtained road image is recognized, and a point of a road and lane in which the vehicle having the terminal arranged therein is detected. A virtual road image regarding the recognized lanes is generated, and the generated virtual lanes are added to the road image of the driving direction of the vehicle, and displayed. Traffic information for each lane and surrounding information (i.e. lane closure, construction, accident, etc.,) at the detected point of the relevant road are obtained, and the obtained information is displayed for each virtual lane.
US09723237B2
An imaging device including a pixel array section functioning as a light receiving section which includes photoelectric conversion devices and in which a plurality of pixels, which output electric signals when photons are incident, are disposed in an array; a sensing circuit section in which a plurality of sensing circuits, which receive the electric signals from the pixels and perform binary determination regarding whether or not there is an incidence of photons on the pixels in a predetermined period, are arrayed; and a determination result integration circuit section having a function of integrating a plurality of determination results of the sensing circuits for the respective pixels or for each pixel group, wherein the determination result integration circuit section derives the amount of photon incidence on the light receiving section by performing photon counting for integrating the plurality of determination results in the plurality of pixels.
US09723234B2
A solid-state imaging device includes a pixel array and a pixel value correcting unit. The pixel array includes a plurality of pixels, the plurality of pixels each having one of a different exposure time and a different exposure sensitivity and being disposed according to a predetermined rule. The pixel value correcting unit is configured to correct, among pixel values obtained from the plurality of pixels in the pixel array, a pixel value of a pixel of the plurality of pixels that applies to a preset condition, by using a pixel value of another pixel of the plurality of pixels.
US09723223B1
A server includes an input node to receive video streams forming a panoramic video. The server also receives audio tracks corresponding to the video streams. A module forms an audio track based upon a combination of at least two of the audio tracks and directional viewing data. The audio track may be a stereo, mixed or surround sound audio track with volume modulation based upon the directional viewing data. An output node sends the audio track to a client device.
US09723221B2
An imaging device shoots a common subject in synchronization with other imaging devices. The imaging device includes a processor. The processor receives states of the other imaging devices, compare an own state of the imaging device with the received states of the other imaging devices, and determine whether the imaging device functions as a main device or a subordinate device for setting an imaging condition. When the processor determines that the imaging device functions as the main device, the processor sends imaging information acquired or determined by the imaging device for shooting the common subject to the subordinate devices. When the processor determines that the imaging device functions as the subordinate device, the processor sets the imaging condition in the imaging device based on the imaging information received from the main device.
US09723208B2
An image processing apparatus comprises a first calculation unit for calculating a shake correction amount for a moving image by using a shake signal output from shake detection unit, a second calculation unit for calculating a shake correction amount for a still image by using a shake signal output from the shake detection unit, a generation unit for generating, based on a comparison result between the shake correction amount for the moving image and the shake correction amount for the still image, evaluation values serving as indices used for extracting a still image from among frame images of the moving image, and a recording unit for recording the evaluation values in association with the frame images of the moving image.
US09723202B2
A method of capturing images includes pre-storing a plurality of image templates in a storage device, wherein each of the plurality of image templates includes a predetermined subject. An area of the predetermined subject in each of the plurality of image templates is predetermined. One of the image templates is invoked from the storage device. The predetermined subject of the invoked image template is hollowed according to the area of the predetermined subject, and a hollowed area of the invoked image template is obtained. A captured image is obtained. Once a size of the captured image is adjusted to be equal to a size of the hollowed area of the invoked image template, the hollowed area of the invoked image template is filled with the captured image.
US09723192B1
The video recording systems disclosed herein comprise recording devices built in a variety of system architectures depending on the type of intended use. The guiding principle of the system architectures is that an optimal recording device will have optics, sensor, control electronics, and communication capability designed for the purpose of use. User controls, as well as power sources may be separated from the optimal recording device. Different applications may demand a variety of accessories including camera mounts, automatic camera orientation capabilities, remote control devices, and remote power sources, all of which may be designed as use-specific devices and optimized for the purpose of use.
US09723183B2
The present invention relates to an enclosure for recess mounting of a camera or camera head in a recess of a surface, the enclosure comprising an attachment portion, a cable sealing portion being adapted to seal against an outer surface of the cable extending through the cable sealing portion, and a circumferential wall portion adapted to extend along a closed path in a circumferential direction and in a first direction extending from the attachment portion towards the cable sealing portion, wherein at least a portion of the circumferential wall portion is formed of a flexible and/or elastic material such that the cable sealing portion is movable relative the attachment portion. The present invention also relates to an arrangement for recess mounting of a camera or camera head in a recess of a surface.
US09723176B2
An image processing apparatus includes a providing unit, a transfer unit, a reception history record recording unit, a printing history record recording unit, and a deletion unit. The providing unit provides document data accumulated in the image processing apparatus in response to a request from another image processing apparatus within the same group. The transfer unit transfers a duplicate of a document to another image processing apparatus within the same group. Upon receiving a duplicate of a document from another image processing apparatus within the same group, the reception history record recording unit accumulates the duplicate, and records a reception history. In response to printing of a document, the printing history record recording unit records a printing history for the document. Upon obtaining a reception history and a printing history for a document accumulated in the image processing apparatus, the deletion unit deletes the document from the image processing apparatus.
US09723172B2
According to this invention, in a reception end facsimile apparatus having a first communication mode for performing communication at a high speed and a second communication mode for performing communication at a low speed, it is determined based on an instruction from a transmission end facsimile apparatus whether to perform error correction during facsimile communication. Control is done not to perform communication in the first communication mode based on a fact that it is determined not to perform error correction during facsimile communication.
US09723163B2
There is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor of an information processing apparatus including a displaying device, cause the processor to execute processes of receiving a designation of the group of images to be displayed on the displaying device, judging whether arrangement information representing an arranging direction of a group of images when displayed on the displaying device is associated with the designated group of images, displaying the designated group of images on the displaying device such that: (1) when the designated group of images is associated with the arrangement information, the designated group of images are displayed with the arranging direction represented by the arrangement information, and (2) when the designated group of images is not associated with the arrangement information, the designated group of images are displayed with a predetermined default arranging direction.
US09723159B2
A handheld imaging device is described to provide high quality RAW image data to a smartphone, or similar handheld imaging device. The imaging device can have a larger dimension, particularly with regard to the thickness of the device, thus overcoming some of the physical limitations to providing high quality optics and image sensing within the thin form factor of a modern smartphone. As the device is only connected when capturing images the smartphone form factor is not altered. The device does not replicate the high-end image processing functionality of a smartphone, but instead transfers RAW images to the smartphone for high-end image processing & enhancement on the smartphone CPU/GPU. Thus it can be manufactured at lower cost than a dedicated camera with equivalent capabilities by taking advantage of the sophisticated image processing capabilities of today's smartphones.
US09723151B2
A system and method for routing interactions to contact center agents. The system is adapted to concurrently identify a plurality of interactions waiting to be routed, and identify a plurality of candidate agents viable for handling the plurality of interactions. The system is also adapted to calculate a predicted wait time associated with each of the candidate agents. For each agent of the plurality of candidate agents, the system is adapted to estimate an expected value to be obtained by routing each of the plurality of the interaction to the agent. The expected value is a function of the predicted wait time. The system is further adapted to assign each of the plurality of the interactions to one of the plurality of candidate agents based on the estimated reward, and signal a routing device for routing each of the plurality of the interactions to the agent assigned to the interaction.
US09723150B2
A technique is disclosed that enables a contact center to provide enhanced services to its agents. An agent server is interconnected with the automatic call distributor (ACD) and agent telephones of the contact center. The server intercepts messages sent by the ACD, which contain caller-provided data obtained by an interactive voice response system. When it is determined that the particular agent has access to both a telephone and a personal computer, the agent server draws a distinction in the information content of the received message. In doing so, the agent server provides the call initialization information in the message to the agent's telephone, and appears as if the information were coming from the ACD; additionally, the agent server provides the caller-provided data to the agent's personal computer. The personal computer is then able to execute a predetermined application, such as a display-oriented presentation application, based on the caller-provided data.
US09723148B2
The present application discloses systems and methods for systematically identifying situations, improving processes, and producing proactive, actionable results to address customer inquiries. The systems and methods produce actionable proactive results (i.e., actions to be taken by predicting a likelihood of a customer interacting with an organization, such as an insurance provider). This allows an organization to avoid unnecessary and/or repeat customer contacts and inquiries, which generate protracted work and the need for case management and escalations. In addition, the systems and methods improve first contact resolution metrics and customer experience, by predicting the need for an interaction without having to communicate with the customer.
US09723140B2
A communication system with a plurality of information processing terminals and an information processing device communicating with the information processing terminals includes a positional information obtaining unit configured to obtain positional information about the information processing terminals; a converting unit configured to convert the positional information obtained by the positional information obtaining unit into alphanumeric information representing a name of a location which corresponds to the positional information; a transmitting unit configured to, when responding to a request from a first information processing terminal of the information processing terminals, transmit to the first information processing terminal the alphanumeric information obtained in conversion by the converting unit from a second information processing terminal of the information processing terminals; and the location with the alphanumeric information transmitted by the transmitting unit.
US09723132B1
A mechanism for providing additional layer of security to the already existing and authentication mechanism available on a mobile device is provided. According to an embodiment, the system comprises a usage authentication interface (114) that displays one or more mobile software applications for usage based authentication, wherein the usage based authentication interface allows the user to select one or more software applications for usage based authentication. The usage pattern computing module (116) calculates plurality of usage statistics for one or more selected mobile software applications by user wherein usage statistic comprises a set of calculated value. The usage bracket matrix stores one or more usage patterns which comprise plurality of calculated values generated by the usage pattern computing module (116). An authentication application module (118) authenticates user to log on to the mobile device based on successful matching of patterns stored in usage bracket matrix with user-fed usage pattern.
US09723126B2
Systems and methods are presented for identifying individuals through facial recognition, voice recognition, or the like, recalling past recorded conversations with the identified individuals, and recording and inventorying conversations with the individuals with mobile devices. In some embodiments, a method is presented. The method may include identifying, at a device, an individual through facial recognition, voice recognition, or a unique RFID. The method may also include recording a conversation with the identified individual, and recalling past relevant recorded conversations based on the identification of the individual, and transmitting the recording of the conversation to a display system configured to display the recording of the event.
US09723125B2
A method for accessing offline voicemail messages within a mobile messaging application may be provided. First, a voice mail message may be received and the voicemail message may be transcribed to text. Next, the voicemail message and the text transcription may be stored. The recipient may then be presented with a list of voicemail messages and the voicemail message may be retrieved in response to the recipient. The recipient may read or listen to the voicemail message or both. The recipient may also annotate the voicemail message.
US09723112B1
Embodiments are described for systems and methods that optimize large-scale data transfers over a wide area network by providing a data transmission protocol stack comprising a TCP layer that exchanges data processed by a host, and an IP layer that transports datagrams encapsulating the data to routers in the WAN, and a UDP-based transmission layer within the data transmission protocol stack that interfaces with the TCP layer and transmits data and control packets between the host and receivers of the WAN using a unicast duplex protocol. The stack has a WAN optimization components layer that interacts with the UDP-based transmission layer and provides transport protocol optimization through the UDP-based transmission layer and certain data de-duplication, compression, link aggregation, and application awareness functions.
US09723098B2
A time a user of a client application is likely to access a preferred network connection is predicted. A pre-download index for one or more multimedia content items is calculated, where the pre-download index represents how likely the user is to interact with the one or more multimedia content items at approximately the predicted time. The indexed multimedia content items are ranked based on the pre-download index of each of the one or more multimedia content items. The ranked multimedia content items are provided to the client application at the predicted time.
US09723095B2
A system for providing a multi-delivery-method policy-controlled client proxy is disclosed. The system may receive a request for a network service from a client. Based on the request for the network service, the system may detect the presence of a client proxy associated with the client. If client proxy is detected, the system may provide a data object that includes information that indicates that the client proxy is a primary source for content that may be requested by the client. The system may redirect, based on the data object, a request for the content received from the client to the client proxy. The system may then obtain, via the client proxy, the content by utilizing a delivery method that is selected based on a policy. Finally, the system may provide, via the client proxy, the content to the client.
US09723094B2
A method for transmitting contents and user's interactions among multiple devices is provided. The method includes determining a group of object devices including a portion of the plurality of object devices, transmitting the data to the object devices of the determined group, receiving confirmation information from the object device which completes receiving of the data, among the object devices of the determined group, determining a clone device based on the received confirmation information. The transmitted clone information is used to transmit the data from the determined clone device to at least one object device which is not included in the object devices of the determined group among the plurality of object devices.
US09723089B2
A method and a system are provided for constructing a data pipeline having scalability and low latency. In one example, the system provides a primary data distributor cluster. The system provides one or more non-primary data distributor clusters. The system arranges a cascade configuration that includes the primary data distributor cluster and the one or more non-primary data distributor clusters.
US09723075B2
Systems and methods for synchronizing data between a communications management system and data management system. In some implementations, contact data may be requested from a data management system external to and/or operated by a distinct entity with respect to a communications management system. The requested contact data may be received at the communications management system and the communications management system may be used to establish a communication using at least one contact from the requested contact data. The requested contact data may be updated using data generated during the communication and then updated contact data may be transmitted to the data management system to synchronize the two systems.
US09723069B1
Network connection management is disclosed. Internet Protocol addresses associated with an initial host identifier of a first network node of a network cluster of a plurality of network nodes are requested. In response to the request, a plurality of IP addresses is received. For each of the received IP addresses, an alternate host identifier is discovered. A request to establish a network connection with the first network node is received from a client. It is determined whether to redirect the network connection to a second network node of the network cluster. In the event it is determined that the network connection should be redirected, one of the discovered alternate host identifiers is selected as a redirect destination identifier and providing to the client the selected alternate host identifier as the redirect destination identifier.
US09723067B2
Features are provided for facilitating prioritized transmission of content between content providers and content requesters. A content provider or intermediary entity obtains prioritization rules for transmitting network resources, such as resources embedded in or otherwise associated with web pages. The prioritization rules can be general rules applying to the transmission of all network resources or a large number thereof, or they can be customized for a specific network resource or small group thereof. The prioritization rules can be applied to the relative bandwidth utilization or data transfer rates of network resources. The relative bandwidth utilization or data transfer rates can be adjusted in response to network or user events.
US09723066B2
A method for calculating arrangement data between devices includes: receiving an input of a first point on a display of a first device; receiving an input of a second point on a display of a second device; and calculating arrangement data between the first device and the second device based on data of a virtual straight line connecting the first point and the second point, and the arrangement data include a distance between the first device and the second device and an angle between the first device and the second device.
US09723065B2
A hybrid cloud computing system having a private data center and a public cloud computing system is discussed. The private data center is managed by a first organization. The public cloud computing system is managed by a second organization, and the first organization is a tenant in the public cloud computing system. The hybrid cloud computing system is configured to generate a mapping that contextualizes virtual objects migrated between the private data center and the public cloud computing system based on the objects' location. Such a mapping is maintained to expose the true hybridity of the hybrid cloud rather than present two distinct views of a private data center (or private cloud) and a public cloud.
US09723045B2
Multiple tuples are combined (202) by a processing node into a message that has a key portion including a value of a key, and a payload including a relation containing content of the combined plurality of tuple. The message is sent (204) to a receiving node.
US09723030B2
A method (100) for use in a Mobility Management Entity, an MME, in an LTE system, comprising (110) obtaining and determining the capability of a mobile terminal in the LTE system regarding the mobile terminal's capability for handover over from the LTE system to a 2G and/or a 3G system, comparing (115) the mobile terminal's capability and the LTE system's capability for Single Radio Voice Channel Continuity, SRVCC, handover over from the LTE system to a 2G and/or a 3G system, and, depending on the outcome of the comparison, instructing (120, 125) the mobile terminal to use Voice over LTE, VoLTE, or Circuit Switched, CS, fallback when initiating voice sessions.
US09723027B2
A user of a client device that is protected by a firewall may navigate to a website using a particular browser process (e.g., a window/tab of a browser) of the client device, sending a content request toward a web content server in the process. The firewall may intercept the content request, and may also receive information from the client device identifying which browser process initiated the content request. Before passing the content request to the appropriate web content server, the firewall may request and download a security policy from a security policy server. The security policy may notify the firewall which hosts are authorized/unauthorized for use with a particular domain, and which file types from each of these hosts are authorized/unauthorized for use with the particular domain. The firewall may then filter content related to the identified browser process based on the security policy.
US09723017B1
There is disclosed herein techniques for use in detecting risky communications. In one embodiment, the techniques comprise a method including the following steps. The method comprises determining entropy in connection with a communication. The method also comprises performing a comparison based on the entropy and historical communications. The method further comprises determining the similarity between the communication and the historical communications based on the comparison.
US09723013B2
A system for identify threats to the security of an owner's electronic information by performing a secondary background authorization (SABA) that is transparent to the requester to verify or flag unauthorized access to systems, data or company offices being requested. The secondary background authorization relies on a proprietary security, big data pattern-matching, and modeling approach made possible by the creation, expansion, and analysis of new “data streams” that, together with Operating systems, applications, and devices data, uniquely allows the system to determine a security access risk and provide information to the owner.
US09723012B2
A method may also include receiving from each of one or more of potential peer information handling systems a connection request comprising a peer minimum acceptable security level for the peer information handling system. The method may additionally include comparing the peer minimum acceptable security level to a security level of the information handling system. The method may further include completing a peer-to-peer connection between the information handling system and the peer information handling system if the minimum acceptable security level is not higher than that of the security level of the information handling system.
US09723009B2
A security solution provides secure communication in a multi-tenant environment which includes a connection-based fabric, storage cells holding data associated with different tenants, database servers which provide a plurality of database services using said data, application servers hosting database service consumers. The fabric is configured into partitions isolating the storage cells from the database service consumers. The application servers securely associate unique database service consumer identities with each database service consumer and all communications with the database servers. The database servers reject all communications from the application servers which do not include an identity and use an access control list to control access from the database service consumers to the database services using address resolution access control, connection establishment access control, and data exchange access control based on said access control list. DoS attack prevention can also be performed based on consumer identities included in packets.
US09723002B2
A computer-implemented method, system, and/or computer program product controls access to an appliance. A host system receives, from a client computer, appliance-specific user data that includes a user password, a user-created name of an appliance, a user identifier, and a network address of the client computer, and then concatenates the appliance-specific user data with a host name of the host system to create and store an Aggregate Identity Instance (AII) in the host system. The host system receives, from the client computer, a request to access the appliance, and determines whether appliance-specific user data sent with the request is in the AII in the host system. If so, then the host system matches the user-created name of the appliance to an address of the appliance; establishes a session between the client computer and the appliance; and uses the AII to encrypt and decrypt data.
US09722999B2
A system and method are provided to access a secure host device using a personal security device (PSD). A user's PSD may hold a credential of a requesting component of the secure host device. The credential may only be readable from the PSD when a secure channel is established therewith. The establishment of a secure channel with the PSD may require access to keys. The secure host device may contain a SAM capable of securely storing and operating keys. The SMA may contain the relevant keys to support establishment of a secure channel with the personal security device and release a credential to its requesting component. These criteria may achieve the secure release of the credential from the PSD to the requesting component of the secure host device to achieve access by the user when the PSD is presented in the non-contract field of a card reader monitored by the secure host device.
US09722998B1
A system, method, and apparatus are provided for using distinctive signals associated with an electronic device to authenticate or validate a cookie or other identifier issued to the device from a website or other source. When the device receives content (e.g., a web page) from the source, it also receives code for collecting the signals, which is executed when the content is rendered. The device transmits the signals to the source or other specified destination, where they may be processed (e.g., hashed) and retained. Upon subsequent access to content from the source, signals are again collected, transmitted to the source, and compared with those that were previously retained. If the current signals do not match the retained signals, the current device may be spoofing the valid/original device, and the source may take appropriate action (e.g., prevent some activity, require further authentication). Matching may be performed online and/or offline.
US09722996B1
A system that permits authentication based on a partial password, in which a risk score is assigned to an authentication request, and a minimum partial password size is generated based on the risk score. User-entered password characters are compared to one or more partial passwords having lengths equal to or greater than the minimum partial password size. If a match is found, the user is authenticated. A password similarity threshold for the request may also be generated based on the risk score, indicating a minimum level of similarity required between the user-entered password characters and the characters in a partial password, in order for there to be a match. When the user-entered password characters match a partial password, and the requesting user is authenticated, the system may stop inputting user-entered password characters, and/or transmitting the user-entered password characters to a server computer.
US09722992B2
The invention relates to a device for decrypting protected content and for providing the decrypted content for playback, the device comprising a secure module for carrying out cryptographic operations including the decryption of the protected content using decryption information, and the device being configured to install therein at least one client software module assigned to a provider of protected content, the client software module being adapted to forward decryption information for decrypting the protected content of the provider to the secure module in an encrypted form. The secure module is adapted to store therein a public key assigned to the provider and to authenticate at least one link key provided by the content provider using the stored public key. Further, the secure module is adapted to receive a protected software image of the client software module and to initiate the installation of the client software module in the device upon having decrypted and/or validated the software image by means of a link key authenticated using the registered public key or by means of a key of a key ladder derived from the authenticated link key, and, during execution of the installed client software module, the secure module is adapted to decrypt the decryption information by means of a link key authenticated using the registered public key or by means of key of a key ladder derived from the authenticated link key. Moreover, the invention relates to a method for operating the device.
US09722989B2
Systems and methods are disclosed for collaborative authentication of a person based on an interaction with another person. A request for collaborative authentication is sent to the computing device of a person wanting to access a system, including an authentication ID unique to the request. The person collaborates with another person associated with the system and provides the second person with the authentication ID. The second person sends the authentication ID to the system such that the system associates the second person with the first person. Data is sent to the second person in order to challenge the first person. The first person responds to the challenge using the computing device and the system receives the response. The system compares the response to an expected answer and can either allow or deny the first person access to the system based on the comparison. Co-location may also be verified.
US09722973B1
A method and system for a distributed anonymization system is disclosed. A master anonymization system is provided. A slave anonymization system is configured to communicate with the master anonymization system, wherein the master anonymization system permits the slave anonymization system to perform one or more functions. The slave anonymization system is configured receives a request from a user computer that requires slave anonymization system to perform a function. The performance of the function requires either storage of data to a data store in a destination computing device or retrieval of data from the data store in the destination computing device, wherein the data is stored or retrieved in an anonymized form. The slave anonymization system verifies if the function to be performed is a permitted function. If it is a permitted function, the function is performed.
US09722971B2
The present invention concerns the field of the emulation of contactless payment cards and more particularly the routing of the contactless communication within a device comprising several contactless payment card emulation circuits.The invention proposes a method for routing messages within an NFC controller. This controller has a table of the various applications hosted by the various secure elements. When the controller receives a request for the list of applications contained in the virtual payment card, it intercepts this request and responds with the list of the various applications accessible on the various secure elements. When a request aimed at selecting an application is received, the controller stores the secure element concerned and redirects all the messages to this element as long as it does not receive any new selection request.
US09722969B2
A maintenance method for network connection and a computer system are provided. The method is adapted to a computer system having a timer. The timer is configured to regularly wake up the computer system to check whether a network connection is working normally. In the method, the computer system is waked up at intervals of a first time interval within a predetermined period and a current IP address of the computer system is extracted. The predetermined period is divided into a plurality of periods by the first time interval. Whether a change occurs on the IP address is determined within each of the periods, and accordingly the computer system is waked up to check the network connection.
US09722967B2
A method and apparatus are disclosed for providing virtual Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) attribute subtypes based on metadata associated with a relevant data type. In one embodiment, a computer system receives a request that specifies an LDAP attribute. The computer system identifies metadata corresponding to a data type of the LDAP attribute and identifies, based on the metadata, an attribute subtype of the LDAP attribute.
US09722961B2
An email is received. The email consists of a common content, at least one recipient for the common content, a private content, and at least one recipient for the private content. Each of the at least one recipients for the private content is a recipient of the common content. The common content is stored in a first storage location, and the private content is stored in a second storage location.
US09722957B2
A system and method are disclosed which enable more effective email response authoring by contact center agents, for example, by automatically suggesting prototypical (entire) email responses to the human agent and interactive suggestion of next sentence candidates during the writing process. In one method, a customer inquiry is received and a latent topic prediction is generated, based on a word-based representation of the customer inquiry. A latent topic prediction is generated for an entire agent's reply to the customer inquiry as a function of the latent topic prediction generated for the customer inquiry. A further latent topic prediction is generated for a next sentence of the agent's reply as a function of a topic prediction for the next sentence which is generated with a prediction model that has been trained on annotated sentences of agent replies. Information is output to assist the agent, based on the topic predictions.
US09722956B2
A first computer sends an electronic message transparently to a second computer of intended recipients of an electronic mail (e-mail), in response to the e-mail addresses of the intended recipients being entered, by a first end-user on the first computer, into a ‘To’ message header field of the e-mail. The second computer sends a Boolean value to the first computer, wherein one of the intended recipients is not available to respond to the e-mail. The first computer queries a repository to return to the first end-user contact information of backup contact entities to respond the e-mail for the intended recipients that are not available to respond to the e-mail. The first computer sends the e-mail to the backup contact entities that are available to respond to the e-mail. The first computer deletes the e-mail from each inbox of the backup contact entities that received but did not read the e-mail before the intended recipients read the e-mail.
US09722955B2
A switch appliance includes a first network port for communication with a first node, where the first network port is configured to receive a packet, and a second network port for communication with a second node. The switch appliance further includes a first instrument port for communication with a first inline tool, a buffer, and a processing unit coupled to the first network port, the second network port, the first instrument port and the buffer. The processing unit is configured to determine whether a packet processing state has been set as an inline-tool processing state or a bypass state, and is configured to pass the packet to the second network port for transmission to the second node, and to store a copy of the packet in the buffer, if the packet processing state has not been set as the inline-tool processing state nor the bypass state.
US09722942B2
A communication device, includes: a plurality of queues each configured to accumulate a packet; a scheduler configured to provide a permissible readout amount to each of the plurality of queues in accordance with an order that is based on a priority of each queue; a read processor configured to read out the packet from the plurality of queues, the permissible readout amount being consumed according to amount of the packets read out; and an accumulation amount counter configured to count an accumulation amount of the packets accumulated in each of the plurality of queues, wherein the accumulation amount counter notifies the scheduler of a change in the accumulation amount, and wherein the scheduler adjusts the priority of, among the plurality of queues, the queue of which the accumulation amount has changed, in response to the notification from the accumulation amount counter.
US09722930B2
Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method for placing components of a plurality of instances of a cloud application on nodes in a cloud infrastructure, the method including: receiving scenario probabilities of a plurality of cloud application scenarios, wherein the plurality of cloud application scenarios define the modes of operation of the cloud application; receiving cloud infrastructure performance data; defining a performance metric of the cloud application based upon cloud infrastructure performance data; defining constraints on the placement of the application components; receiving a service level agreement performance requirement based upon a probability; optimizing the placement of the components of the plurality of instances of the cloud application on nodes in the cloud infrastructure based upon the scenario probabilities, cloud infrastructure performance data, the performance metric, and the constraints on the placement of the application components to meet the service level agreement performance requirement.
US09722921B2
This method (100) for encoding a list of identifiers in a network including a transmitter including a global list of identifiers and able to transmit a code corresponding to a coded list of identifiers, comprises the following steps: associating (105) with each identifier an ordinal number; ordering the list of identifiers in order to obtain a sorted list; defining (120) a variable equal to the number of identifiers in the list to be transmitted; if the variable is positive (125), coding (130, 135) the first identifier of the sorted list with a code corresponding to the number of sub-sets of the global list of cardinal equal to the number of identifiers of the sorted list and including at least one identifier, for which the ordinal number is in a strict order relationship with the ordinal number of the first identifier, removing (140) this identifier from the sorted list; coding (145) the list with the sum of the obtained codes.
US09722911B2
According to an implementation, a method for signaling that a first network node exists in a network is following entry of the first network node into a reduced power mode includes receiving, in a second network node, an indication that the first network node will enter into the reduced-power mode. The method also includes generating information that signals the existence of the first network node and that the first network node is reachable in the network and communicating the information to the network such that the second network node operates as a proxy advertiser for the first network node following entry of the first network node into the reduced-power mode.
US09722898B2
An quality estimation method executed by a processor included in a quality estimation apparatus, the method includes obtaining a plurality of packets communicated between a client device at a first point and a server device; extracting a number of losses indicating the number of lost packets among the plurality of packets by analyzing the plurality of packets; determining statistics information of a delay time due to packet loss of the plurality of packets, based on the number of losses and quality information indicating quality of a network used for communication between a client device at a second point and the server device; and estimating a response time of the server device on operation performed by the client device at the second point based on the determined statistics information.
US09722896B2
Networks devices interconnected via link groups may implement micro operations administration and maintenance (micro-OAM) sessions. The micro-OAM sessions may be used to monitor the status of individual links within the link groups at small time scales. The micro-OAM session may be implemented on a non-internet protocol (non-IP) layer. In some cases, independent micro-OAM sessions may be used to monitor different links within a link group.
US09722893B2
A method for displaying network performance information by selecting an aggregated end-to-end connection profile, and then displaying network performance information corresponding to the aggregated end-to-end connection profile. The network performance information corresponding to the aggregated end-to-end connection profile is retrieved from a local storage unit or a remote storage unit. The aggregated end-to-end connection profile is corresponding to an aggregated end-to-end connection comprising a plurality of end-to-end connections. In one embodiment, identities of all WAN interfaces corresponding to the aggregated end-to-end connection are displayed. Alternatively, identities of a plurality of WAN interfaces corresponding to the aggregated end-to-end connection are displayed, where the plurality of WAN interfaces are selected according to a policy or a user's selection. Furthermore, a message may be displayed for helping the user to select end-to-end connections for transmitting and receiving data packets based on the network performance information.
US09722890B2
Systems and methods to provide integrated incident management for hybrid landscapes are provided. In example embodiments, an incident ticket is received, at a communication hub, from a first component of a first landscape indicating an incident. A second component in a second landscape is determined to which to route incident information including the incident ticket. The determination of the second component is based on an attribute extracted from the incident ticket. The incident information is transmitted to the second component by the communication hub. A solution for the incident ticket is received from the second component based on the second component having the solution or is received from a component of a service backbone based on the component of the service backbone having the solution by the communication hub, and the solution is forwarded to at least one of the first component or the second component.
US09722883B2
A method is operable in a network comprising multiple service endpoints running on a plurality of devices, A node in a group of the multiple service endpoints receives a request relating to a particular resource. The node determines what kind of responsibility it has for the request based on at least one kind responsibility assigned to the node for requests relating to the particular resource; and based on the determining, the node attempts to process the request in accordance with the type of the particular resource and the kind of responsibility the node has for the resource.
US09722876B2
A method and apparatus for identifying logical locations of network devices on a Local Area Network (LAN) is provided herein. The method may include receiving an input including a network identifier of a network terminal adaptor on a LAN, determining, using the received network identifier, one or more network devices connected upstream of the TA, wherein a network address of each of the one or more network devices connected upstream is filtered such that only network devices including a private IP address are identified; determining device telemetry data associated with each determined network device and the network terminal adaptor, and generating, using the device telemetry data, a data structure including (a) a representation of a logical location of the network terminal adaptor and of each determined network device connected to the LAN, and (b) at least some of the device telemetry data.
US09722865B2
A method of carrying out a self-configuration process in respect of a network element in a cellular wireless network including the steps of: generating first configuration parameters at a domain manager level; determining required second configuration parameters which are not to be generated at the domain manager level; notifying a network manager level of the first configuration parameters and the second configuration parameters to cause this level to generate and provide the second configuration parameters and to provide them to the domain manager level; and using the first configuration parameters and the second configuration parameters at the domain manager level to configure the network element.
US09722862B2
In a system, a first status of a first ESP engine (ESPE) executing at a first computing device is determined as newly active; a last published event block object identifier is determined as an identifier uniquely identifying a last event block object published to an out-messaging network device; a next event block object having an event block object identifier greater than the determined last published event block object identifier is selected from a first computer-readable medium; and the selected next event block object is published to the out-messaging network device. A first event block object is received from a second ESPE executing at a second computing device. A first status of the second ESPE is determined as standby by the second computing device. The received first event block object is stored by the second computing device in a second non-transitory computer-readable medium.
US09722859B2
To select a master controller from a plurality of controllers, a computing system may consider whether connections between components within field replaceable units (FRUs) are functional as well as the data dependencies between the FRUs. For example, in addition to identifying whether the connections between the FRUs and the controllers are functional, the computing system sends instructions to each of the FRUs coupled to the controllers to determine if inter- and intra-FRU connections required for booting a compute node hosting the FRUs are functional. For instance, one FRU may depend on data from another FRU in order to boot. If a communication link between the FRUs is non-functional, the compute node may fail to boot. The computer system uses these evaluations to determine which of the controllers to select as the master.
US09722855B1
A method for arranging services in a computing infrastructure is provided. The method includes receiving a request for services, with requested capabilities, to be provided from a computing infrastructure and reserving portions of the computing infrastructure until services, with at least the requested capabilities being reserved. The method includes committing the services with at least the requested capabilities, as reserved and providing the services, with at least the requested capabilities, in fulfillment of the request for the services, wherein at least one method operation is performed by a processor.
US09722847B2
A preamble generating unit generates first and second synchronization preambles having different numbers of subcarriers. A transmission signal generating unit generates an OFDM transmission signal through time-division multiplexing by using the generated first and second synchronization preambles. A transmission RF unit converts the generated OFDM transmission signal into a radio-frequency OFDM signal and transmits the radio-frequency OFDM signal. The preamble generating unit adds a predetermined dummy period between the first synchronization preamble and the second synchronization preamble.
US09722842B2
Methods and systems are described for transmitting data to a node using a plurality of radio frequency channels. The data may be allocated, based on feedback from the node, into various portions amongst multiple radio frequency channels and/or amongst tones associated with the radio frequency channels. The data portions may be transmitted to the node, using frequency diversity, via respective radio frequency channels as at least part of respective orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) transmissions, which may be at least partially concurrent transmissions.
US09722840B2
Disclosed herein is a broadcast signal receiver. A broadcast signal receiver according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a synchronization/demodulation module configured to perform signal detection and OFDM demodulation on a received broadcast signal, a frame parsing and deinterleaving module configured to parse and deinterleave the signal frame of the broadcast signal, a demapping and decoding module configured to convert the data of at least one Physical Layer Pipe (PLP) of the broadcast signal into a bit domain and to perform FEC decoding on the data, and an output processing module configured to receive the data of the at least one PLP and to output a data stream.
US09722836B2
A data processing apparatus maps input symbols to be communicated onto a predetermined number of sub-carrier signals of an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexed (OFDM) symbol. The data processor includes an interleaver memory which reads-in the predetermined number of data symbols for mapping onto the OFDM sub-carrier signals. The interleaver memory reads-out the data symbols on to the OFDM sub-carriers to effect the mapping, the read-out being in a different order than the read-in, the order being determined from a set of addresses, with the effect that the data symbols are interleaved on to the sub-carrier signals. The set of addresses are generated from an address generator which comprises a linear feedback shift register and a permutation circuit.
US09722831B2
The invention provides a carrier frequency offset processing method, an apparatus and a receiver. The method comprises: receiving, through a software and hardware interface, an estimated value of frequency offset of a data packet transmitted by an automatic frequency offset control module; collecting the received estimated value of frequency offset of the data packet and performing statistical analysis to obtain a statistical value of carrier frequency offset between a receiving module and a transmitting module; and dynamically adjusting, according to the statistical value of carrier frequency offset, a bandwidth of a low-pass filter through the software and hardware interface. The invention realizes dynamic adjustment of the bandwidth of the low-pass filter in the process of a receiver receiving signals, solving the problem of the impact on processing performance brought by the fixed bandwidth of a low-pass filter in the prior art.
US09722822B1
A driver circuit device using driver equalization in power and ground terminated transmission line channels. The driver circuit device can include a weaker pull-up driver, which is needed to pre-emphasize the pull-up signal for driver equalization in power terminated transmission line channels. The driver circuit device can also include a weaker pull-down driver, which is needed to pre-emphasize the pull-down signal for driver equalization in ground terminated transmission line channels. In the transmission line channels with power terminations, a weaker pull-up Ron is implemented. In the transmission line channels with ground terminations, a weaker pull-down Ron is implemented. Drivers implemented in power and/or ground terminated transmission line channels can be used to improve device performance, such as in signal eye opening.
US09722820B1
A method of calibrating coefficients of a calibrated decision feedback equalizer (DFE) across a process, voltage, and temperature (PVT) range, the calibrated DFE comprising a plurality of DFE taps for reducing distortions of an input signal, and a sampler for sampling the input signal, the method including applying a preset voltage to an input of the calibrated DFE, setting a DFE tap of the plurality of DFE taps to a maximum value, generating a source reference, via a source reference calibrator, to apply to the DFE tap, changing the source reference to a first level that causes an output of the sampler to transition from a first state to a second state, determining the first level as a calibrated source reference, and applying the calibrated source reference to the DFE tap during normal operation of the calibrated DFE.
US09722814B2
A node within a wireless endpoint device may be coupled to multiple heterogeneous networks simultaneously. The node is configured to select between the different networks based on various constraints associated with the endpoint device, applications executing on the endpoint device, traffic routed by the endpoint device, and constraints associated with the multiple networks. Based on these different constraints, and based on the current operating mode of the node, the node rates each network, and then selects the network with the highest rating to be used for routing purposes.
US09722802B2
Embodiments of the present invention disclose a method, an apparatus, and a system for increasing network security. The method for increasing network security includes: receiving, by a network management system, a certificate message reported by a network element; generating, by the network management system, a first list; when determining that a certificate corresponding to certificate information in the first list needs to be revoked, generating, by the network management system, a certificate revocation request file according to the certificate information, and removing the certificate information in the first list from the first list; and sending, by the network management system, the certificate revocation request file to a public key infrastructure (PKI) system.
US09722799B2
A distributed multi-function secure system for verifiable signer authentication having a personal private key stored in a secure storage of a mobile device where the mobile device connects to a fragmented distributed signing engine by a secure protocol and is issued a signer certificate from a circle of trust certificate server to securely electronically sign documents.
US09722792B2
The disclosure relates to a method for reading at least one attribute stored in an ID token, wherein the ID token is assigned to a user, said method comprising: determining, by a terminal, of whether a contact-based interface of the ID token is present and can be used for data exchange with the terminal. If the ID token does not have the contact-based interface or this cannot be used, implementing a zero-knowledge authentication protocol via a contactless interface of the terminal and ID token;and deriving an ID token identifier by the terminal. If the ID token has the contact-based interface and this can be used, authenticating the user to the ID token via the contact-based interface; accessing to an ID token identifier by the terminal; sending of the ID token identifier from the terminal to an ID provider computer; use of the ID token identifier by the ID provider computer in order to authenticate the ID provider computer to the ID token; and read access of the ID provider computer to the at least one attribute stored in the ID token.
US09722790B2
Logic on a first remote device receives a first transaction number and personal data transmitted from a second remote device. The first transaction number was received from a distributed public database in response to a transmission, from the second remote device, of a signed hash value and a first public key associated with a first private key on the second remote device. The signed hash value was created by signing a hash value with the first private key and the hash value was generated by hashing the personal data with a hashing algorithm on the second remote device. The logic uses the first transaction number to retrieve the signed hash value and the first public key from the distributed public database. The logic hashes the personal data using the hashing algorithm to create a generated hash value and verifies the signed hash value against the generated hash value.
US09722789B2
An approach for improved security protocols in a mobile satellite system is provided. A remote terminal performs a key establishment function, including determination of a first encryption key for encrypting data for transmission over the satellite communications channels, and determination of an authentication key for authenticating entities communicating over the communications channels. The remote terminal receives a security mode command including a key indicator, and determines a second encryption key for enhanced session data security over communications channels. The second encryption key is determined based on the key indicator and a key generation algorithm. The remote terminal further determines a key indicator response and transmits a security mode complete command including the key indicator response to a satellite base station subsystem (SBSS). The key indicator response is constructed for the SBSS to determine the second encryption key based on the key indicator response and a key generation algorithm.
US09722780B2
Methods, computing systems and computer program products implement embodiments of the present invention that include defining multiple primitives, each of the primitives including ranking and unranking methods. Two or more of the multiple primitives are selected, and an operation is performed on the selected primitives, thereby defining a complex format. Upon an encryption processor receiving a data record including a plaintext, the complex format is applied to the plaintext, thereby generating a non-reversible token. In some embodiments, the generated token is transmitted a remote computer.
US09722779B1
There is provided a computer program which, when executed by a processor of an information processing device, causes the processor to function as a secret splitting module and a control module. The secret splitting module is configured to recover secret data from at least two pieces of split data using secret splitting and the control module is configured to control reading out or writing each piece of the split data. Secret data is maintained within a virtual drive. The control module is further configured to read out first split meta-data from a first storage device, read out second split meta-data from a second storage device, cause the secret splitting module to recover virtual drive meta-data at least from the first and second split meta-data, and generate the virtual drive based on the recovered virtual drive meta-data. Corresponding method and system are also provided.
US09722775B2
A device includes one or more communication interfaces that communicate via at least one link or a network; a device memory; a device processing unit; and a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) that is secure from the device processing unit and the device memory. The TEE obtains a public encryption key and a private encryption key pair, stores the private encryption key in a secure memory in the Trusted Execution Environment (TEE), and executes a first trusted application, within the TEE, to perform a PKI function using the private encryption key.
US09722768B2
A carrier recovery unit is provided including: separation-and-output section that outputs separated symbol group formed into block; a priori state-estimation section that obtains a priori estimate acquired by estimating values processed this time from among values of intra-block frequency and central phase processed last time; provisional compensation section that provisionally compensates the phase of each separated symbol based on the a priori estimation phase; decision section that performs decision based on the reference signal for the symbol before decision, and obtains symbol after decision; error-estimation section that calculates the frequency and phase errors; a posteriori state-estimation section that obtains a posteriori estimate based on the frequency and phase errors; actual compensation section that actually compensates the phase based on the a posteriori estimation phase; and feedback processing section that feeds back the a posteriori estimate as the values processed last time to the a priori state estimation section.
US09722763B2
A communication link comprising: a first transceiver configured to transmit a first set of packets at a predetermined rate with a first error resistance level, store the transmitted data in a buffer, receive a retransmission request, and retransmit the relevant data using one or more packets encoded with a second error resistance level that is higher than the first error resistance level. And a second transceiver configured to receive the first set of packets, detect an erroneous packet, request retransmission of the erroneous packet, and forward the data received in the packets according to its original order approximately after a fixed delay.
US09722762B2
A method according to an embodiment of the invention includes receiving and transmitting signals over a time division duplex (TDD) communication path. Signals are received over the TDD communication path via a first portion of a first frequency band. The first frequency band is adjacent to a second frequency band and to a third frequency band. The first frequency band is different from the second frequency band and from the third frequency band. A first frequency division duplex (FDD) communication path can be operable in the second frequency band. A second FDD communication path can be operable in the third frequency band. Signals are transmitted over the TDD communication path via a second portion of the first frequency band that is different from the first portion of the first frequency band.
US09722757B2
A method and a communication apparatus for transmitting uplink control information in a wireless communication system; and a method and a communication apparatus for receiving uplink control information in a wireless communication system are discussed. The method according to an embodiment includes identifying a Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest-Acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK)(0), HARQ-ACK(1) and HARQ-ACK(2); and transmitting bits b(0)b(1) using a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) resource based on the HARQ-ACK (0), the HARQ-ACK(1) and the HARQ-ACK(2), according to a relation including Table 1. The HARQ-ACK(0) and the HARQ-ACK(1) indicate Acknowledgement (ACK)/Negative ACK (ACK/NACK)/Discontinuous Transmission (DTX) responses to data blocks related to a first cell, the HARQ-ACK(2) indicates ACK/NACK/DTX response to a data block related to a second cell, n(1)PUCCH,0 indicates a PUCCH resource linked to a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) on the first cell, and n(1)PUCCH,2 indicates a PUCCH resource linked to a PDCCH on the second cell.
US09722749B2
Method and an apparatus for providing channel quality information in a wireless communication system
A method for transmitting channel quality information for a downlink channel; a user equipment (UE) therefore; a method for receiving channel quality information for a downlink channel; and a base station therefore are discussed. The method for transmitting channel quality information for a downlink channel includes according to one embodiment receiving, by a user equipment (UE), configuration information on periodic channel state information (CSI) reporting by higher layer signaling; determining, by the UE, a channel quality information index at least based on a number of a specific resource element; and transmitting the determined channel quality information index to a base station. The number of the specific resource element is determined based on a UE-specific reference signal overhead. A resource element allocated for a Channel Status Information-Reference Signal (CSI-RS) is regarded as the specific resource element regardless of transmitting the CSI-RS.
US09722747B2
A data transmission method and an apparatus in a network supporting coordinated multipoint transmission are provided. The method includes transmitting candidate sets of initial state information used to generate Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS) scrambling sequences for the transmission points to the UE, and transmitting an indication corresponding to at least one candidate set of initial state information respectively associated with at least one transmission point to the UE, wherein the initial state information is used by the UE to generate DMRS scrambling sequences.
US09722742B2
The present invention discloses a method for implementing coordinated multiple point transmission CoMP, including: configuring, by the network side, a range setting group to a user equipment, UE, and acquiring the original mapping pattern of various cells in the group; receiving the channel information of various cells in the group returned by the UE; selecting, by the network side, cells for practically sending data to the UE currently, determining the update mapping patterns for the cells selected in the group performing CoMP, and controlling the selected various cells to send a physical downlink shared channel to the UE according to the update mapping pattern. The present invention further discloses an apparatus for implementing CoMP In accordance with the method and apparatus for implementing CoMP of the present invention, the mapping patterns of the cells for practically sending data to a UE are updated by acquiring the CRS and CSI-RS mapping locations of the original mapping pattern of cells of the range setting group to get the update mapping pattern for use in the CoMP, so that it is possible to meet the design principle of CRS and CSI-RS and guarantee the normal application of CoMP at the same time.
US09722741B1
A wireless telecommunications system that mitigates infrasymbol interference due to Doppler-shift and multipath and enables multiple access in one radio channel. Embodiments of the present invention are particularly advantageous for wireless telecommunications systems that operate in high-mobility environments, including high-speed trains and airplanes.
US09722739B2
An example method for managing time offset and frequency drift in asynchronous Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) Remote Physical layer (R-PHY) network environments is provided and includes receiving, at a first hardware device, time synchronization message from a remote second hardware device in the DOCSIS R-PHY network, determining a time difference between a first clock at the first hardware device and a second clock at the second hardware device from the time synchronization message; and re-stamping an event message based on the time difference.
US09722738B2
A method of data transmission includes determining the number of layers, generating mapping symbols by mapping modulation symbols for a first codeword and modulation symbols for a second codeword to each layer, and transmitting the mapping symbols through a plurality of antennas. At least one of the first codeword and the second codeword is mapped to at least 3 layers and the number of layers is larger than 3.
US09722725B2
A system and method for resource management in a heterogeneous wireless network that is performed via distributed implementation wherein the resources of the mobile communications system are managed on a coarse time-scale and a fine time-scale. The coarse time-scale management comprises a first stage of determining the user association for each of the TPs followed by a second stage of determining activation fractions for all TPs. The determining of the user association is performed by utilizing a GLS procedure having a Greedy Stage and a Local Search Stage. In the Greedy Stage, new user, TP pairs are analyzed and the pair with the greatest improvement in system utility is selected. In the Local Search Stage, potential swaps are analyzed and a pair offering the greatest improvement that exceeds a threshold is selected. The determining of activation fractions for all TPs is performed by utilizing an auxiliary function method.
US09722717B2
Technologies for robust data transmission include a network port logic having a physical coding sublayer (PCS). The PCS may transmit a series of rapid alignment markers (RAMs) to a link partner, with each RAM indicative of a counter value. The PCS transitions to a sleep state if the counter value equals two and a low power idle (LPI) command is set by an upper-layer client. The PCS transitions to an active state if the counter value equals one and the LPI command is not set. The PCS may receive a low power idle symbol (LI) from the link partner and start a guard timer in response to receipt of the LI symbol. The PCS transitions to a sleep state if the guard timer expires and transitions to the active state if data other than LI is received prior to expiration of the guard timer. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US09722714B1
A receiver having a test signal generator configured to generate a test signal that free of a requirement to be frequency locked, and to measure a frequency of the test signal; and a local oscillator signal source configured to tune a local oscillator signal to a difference frequency with respect to the measured test signal frequency, wherein the difference frequency falls within a passband of a passband filter of the receiver.
US09722712B2
A communication network comprising of at least one remote base station; and a plurality of antenna ports connected to the at least one remote base station; wherein the remote base station controls the plurality of antenna ports. The remote base station is configured for defining mutually exclusive entry and exit points for the antenna ports in at least one of time; or frequency. Also, disclosed herein is a communication network comprising of at least one network controller and at least one base station, wherein the network controller is configured for assigning entry and exit points for each base station.
US09722711B2
A duplex communication system having gate-implemented noise management is contemplated. The system may include a gate or other device sufficiently operable to facilitate managing upstream and downstream signaling so as to ameliorate noise funneling between communicating endpoints by selectively controlling communication paths through which noise may be propagated. Optionally, the system may be operably configured to facilitate this type of gate-implemented noise management for time domain duplex (TDD) and frequency domain duplex (FDD) communications.
US09722709B2
A system for transmitting routable energy packets includes an optical power source and a processing circuit. The optical power source is configured to generate an optical power packet having optical energy, generate an optical data packet comprising routing information configured to control a route of the optical power packet, and transmit the optical power packet and the optical data packet via a conduit. The processing circuit is configured to generate the routing information to be transmitted within the optical data packet, and control a transmission by the optical power source.
US09722705B2
An apparatus for controlling, monitoring, and communicating with an optical device, photonic integrated circuit or subassembly is provided. The apparatus includes an optical device or subassembly; and afield programmable device including programmable hardware gates coupled to the optical device or subassembly. The field programmable device may be configured to implement a plurality of functions at a gate level for controlling, monitoring, and/or communicating with the optical device or subassembly, each of the plurality of functions being configured to execute as a concurrent process, without use of a microprocessor or a microcontroller. Further, a programmable optical device, such as a programmable optical transmitter, optical subassembly, or transceiver based on a tunable laser having field programmable device centric control systems with software-enabled features offer extensive real-time control and monitoring functionality based on for example actual traffic flows.
US09722701B2
A visible light communication (VLC) device and method for discovery and association with a VLC infrastructure node are disclosed. The VLC device is configured to receive a beacon frame from a VLC infrastructure node. The VLC device is further configured to transmit an association request to the VLC infrastructure node. The association request includes an indication of physical layer (PHY) capabilities and an indication of medium access control (MAC) capabilities of the VLC device. The VLC device is further configured to receive an association response from the VLC infrastructure node. The association response includes information for use in communicating with the VLC infrastructure node.
US09722698B2
A method is provided for carrying out channel performance monitoring in an optical communication system. The method comprising: receiving an optical signal; obtaining digitized samples associated with the optical signal; storing the digitized samples; carrying out an off-line processing of the stored samples. The off-line processing includes: using the digitized samples to determine information characterizing the at least one optical channel used for conveying the optical signal; using the determined information to estimate a value of at least one optical channel performance parameter characterizing the at least one optical channel; and forwarding the value of the at least one optical channel performance parameter to a network management element; and wherein the at least one optical channel performance parameter is estimated without a prior knowledge of information on a modulation format associated with the optical channel.
US09722697B2
A polarization demultiplexing optical communication receiver is provided with a signal quality change imparting means which imparts a signal quality change to multiplexed two optical signals; and a signal quality monitoring means which compares signal qualities of the two optical signals with each other after the multiplexed two optical signals imparted with the signal quality change are subjected to polarization separation so as to specify the two optical signals based on a result of the comparison. This makes it possible to reduce transmission characteristics degradation of a polarization-multiplexed optical signal, and to implement transmission having high reliability.
US09722696B2
A method of monitoring a communications network by monitoring packet errors in one of the paths having at least two optical sections coupled in series with a break in continuity of optical transmission monitoring between the optical sections, and monitoring a transmission quality of each of these optical sections. A state is detected in which the monitored packet errors do exceed an acceptable threshold, but at the same time the transmission quality of each of the optical sections is acceptable, and an indication is transmitted of the detection. This can cause a request for an alternative path for the packets, or cause adapting of these optical sections to reduce bit errors. This can enable handling of potential conflict between packet and optical layers, when the packet layer sees errors but the optical layer indicates no problem.
US09722692B1
Systems, methods, and software described herein provide enhancements for deploying applications in satellites. In one example, a satellite may receive software applications capable of execution as virtual nodes on the satellite, and receive a resource schedule associated with the software applications. The satellite may further execute the software applications on the satellite based on the resource schedule, wherein the resource schedule allocates processing resources and user sensor resources to the software applications.
US09722691B2
A data detection method, having the steps of: a. receiving a signal transmitted over a communication channel, the signal being representative of at least a stream of interfering symbols xk, each representing one or more bits of a transmitted message; b. filtering the received signal through at least a filter bank having at least a first filter representative of a linear response of the channel and a second filter representative of a non-linear response of the channel, and sampling the filtered signals at the symbol rate, thus obtaining respective sequences of filtered samples rk(1) rk(3); and c. jointly computing the a posteriori probabilities of N>1 consecutive symbols xk. A data detector for carrying out such a method, and a method of transmitting data over a nonlinear channel, optimizing spectral efficiency when data detection is performed using such a method is also provided.
US09722685B2
A method and user equipment for transmitting channel state information (CSI) are provided. The method includes identifying a first CSI configuration with a first channel measurement information, a first interference measurement information, and a first information for a period and an offset; identifying a second CSI configuration with a second channel measurement information, a second interference measurement information, and a second information for a period and an offset; generating a first CSI based on the first channel measurement information and the first interference measurement information; generating a second CSI based on the second channel measurement information and the second interference measurement information; transmitting the first CSI for the first CSI configuration based on the first information; and transmitting the second CSI for the second CSI configuration based on the second information.
US09722683B2
Embodiments of a mobile device transmitter and methods for transmitting signals in different signal dimensions are generally disclosed herein. The mobile device transmitter comprises a mapper to map a block of two or more input modulation symbols to different signal dimensions comprising two or more spatial dimensions, and linear transform circuitry to perform a linear transform on the block of mapped input modulation symbols to generate a block of precoded complex-valued output symbols such that each output symbol carries some information of more than one input modulation symbol. The mobile device also comprises transmitter circuitry to generate time-domain signals from the blocks of precoded complex-valued output symbols for each of the spatial dimensions for transmission using the two or more antennas. The precoded complex-valued output symbols are mapped to different signal dimensions comprising at least different frequency dimensions prior to transmission.
US09722681B2
Disclosed is a sounding reference signal transmission method which is efficient in an uplink wireless telecommunications system using a multiple antenna technique and sounding reference signal hopping. A terminal is equipped with a plurality of antennas, and a base station receives the sounding reference signal transmitted from these antennas and estimates the uplink channel state of each antenna. The sounding reference signal performs frequency hopping so that the base station determines the channel condition for the entire bandwidth to which data is transmitted in the uplink system. In this environment, the sounding reference signal is transmitted through an antenna pattern through the entire data transmission bandwidth of the uplink system for each antenna of the terminal without additional overhead.
US09722676B2
A base station is connected to a first user terminal in a mobile communication system that performs spatial multiplexing transmission for the first user terminal and a second user terminal by applying a same radio resource and a same precoder matrix. The base station comprises: a control unit that notifies another base station connected to the second user terminal of a first statistic for each piece of first precoder matrix information fed back from the first user terminal and a second statistic for each downlink radio resource in the first user terminal.
US09722673B2
Described herein are techniques related to near field coupling (e.g., wireless power transfers (WPF) and near field communications (NFC)) operations among others. This Abstract is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.
US09722672B2
A calibrator to process an output signal of an analog digital converter in a wireless communication device, the calibrator comprising a level filter to remove noise from the output signal of the analog digital converter using mask information regulating a signal level; a timing filter to remove pulses from the level-filtered signal that are beyond a reference duty ratio by using timing information; a pattern filter to remove pulses from the timing-filtered signal that are judged to not comprise a reference number of consecutive pulses by using pattern information; and a duty correction circuit to correct a duty of the pattern-filtered signal to improve performance of the wireless communication device by separately performing a filtering operation on noise and a damping component included in a normal signal.
US09722670B2
The present invention relates to a wireless power transmission network and to a wireless power transmission method. In the wireless power transmission method according to one aspect of the present invention, a base station, which wirelessly transmits power using a magnetic field, performs in-band communication through the magnetic field used for wireless power transmission in order to determine whether an electronic device receiving power is in a charging area or in a communication area, and transmits wireless power accordingly.
US09722667B2
A system for sensing proximity using EHF signals may include a communication circuit configured to transmit via a transducer an EM signal at an EHF frequency, and a proximity sensing circuit configured to sense a nearby transducer field-modifying object by detecting characteristics of a signal within the communication circuit. A system for determining distance using EHF signals may include a detecting circuit coupled to a transmitting communication circuit and a receiving communication circuit, both communication circuits being mounted on a first surface. The transmitting communication circuit may transmit a signal toward a second surface, and the receiving communication circuit may receive a signal relayed from the second surface. The detecting circuit may determine distance between the first surface and a second surface based on propagation characteristics of the signals.
US09722665B2
Methods of operating a communication node are provided. A method of operating a communication node may include transmitting a first power line communication signal from the communication node to a sensor device that is at or adjacent an electric grid device. The method may include receiving from the sensor device a second power line communication signal that is responsive to the first power line communication signal, at the communication node. Moreover, the method may include determining a distance between the communication node and the electric grid device by measuring an electrical parameter of the second power line communication signal, at the communication node. Related communication nodes are also described.
US09722660B1
In general, the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods, systems, and program products for identifying data that is designated for wireless transmission to a remote computing device. A digital signal that encodes the data for transmission across a band of radio frequency channels is generated.Multiple radio frequency channels in the band that are available are determined. The digital signal is filtered to substantially reduce a power level of the digital signal at frequencies that correspond to channels in the band that have not been determined to be available. The filtered digital signal is converted to an analog signal. The analog signal is provided to an analog transmitter that isolates the band of channels to generate an isolated analog signal and that wirelessly transmits the isolated analog signal over the multiple available channels using one or more antennas.
US09722659B2
A method for generating a digital frequency ramp signal including a sequence of frequency ramps is disclosed herein. In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention the method comprises loading a first data word of a data record from a memory. The data record includes information associated with a first frequency ramp, wherein the first data word of the data record includes a header. The method further includes the evaluation of the header to determine whether, or not, the data record includes one or more additional data words and to determine, which information is included in the additional data word(s). Dependent on the evaluation of the header, the additional data word(s) of the data record are loaded from the memory. In accordance with the information stored in the first data word and, if loaded, the additional data word(s) ramp parameters and/or configuration parameters are updated. The method includes, moreover, generating digital ramp signal values in accordance with the updated ramp parameters and synchronous to a clock signal.
US09722657B2
A protective covering configured for use with a mobile electronics device, including a front wall and a plurality of side walls defining a primary cavity. A back wall is disposed within the primary cavity separating the primary cavity into a protective covering electronics housing cavity and a mobile electronic device housing cavity. One or more apertures are disposed within the front wall. A light source is disposed within the protective covering electronics housing cavity, wherein at least a portion of the light source is disposed outside of the protective covering electronics housing cavity and through at least one of the one or more apertures in the front wall. A heat sink is disposed within the protective covering electronics housing cavity and in contact with the light source.
US09722648B2
An integrated circuit comprises a frequency detector. The frequency detector comprises a timer state machine unit operably couplable to a timer and arranged to receive an incoming carrier signal; determine whether the incoming carrier signal comprises a valid frequency; generate a valid carrier indication when the incoming carrier signal is determined as having a valid frequency; and adjust the timer between at least a first timing mode of operation and a second timing mode of operation of the frequency detector in response to the determination.
US09722644B2
Appropriate signal processing may be beneficial in a variety of communication systems and elements thereof. For example, time domain digital pre-distortion may benefit from suitable treatment of frequency switching. A method can include determining whether an instantaneous frequency of an input signal is positive or negative. The method can also include selecting a pre-distortion model from a set of pre-distortion models based on the determination of positive or negative instantaneous frequency. The method can further include applying the selected pre-distortion model to the input signal for a time corresponding to the determination of instantaneous frequency to provide an output signal. The method can additionally include providing the output signal to a power amplifier.
US09722641B2
A semiconductor device (10) includes a transmitting circuit (12) that converts transmission data into a transmission signal with a specified frequency, an amplifier (13) that amplifies a power of the transmission signal, a matching circuit (14) that converts the transmission signal from a balanced signal to an unbalanced signal, and a filter circuit (14) that restricts a frequency band of the transmission signal. The matching circuit includes a primary inductor and a secondary indictor, the filter circuit includes an inductor for a filter, and the primary inductor, the secondary indictor and the inductor for a filter are wound substantially concentrically on one plane.
US09722640B2
A method and system for determining position and/or pose of an object. A robotic device moves throughout an environment and includes a master transceiver tag and, optionally, additional tags. The environment includes a plurality of anchor nodes that are configured to form a network. A master anchor node is in communication with at least a portion of the plurality of anchor nodes and is configured to transmit a ranging message as a UWB signal, receive a ranging message response from each other anchor node in the network, generate a reference grid representing physical locations of the plurality of anchor nodes within the network based upon the received ranging message responses, and distribute the reference grid to each of the other anchor nodes. The master transceiver tag receives the reference grid information and, based upon further calculations, determines a specific position and pose of the robotic device within the environment.
US09722637B2
This invention gives a coding method of MBR (Minimum Bandwidth Regenerating) codes. The related method includes the following steps: equally divide the original file of size B into k(k+1)/2 blocks, obtaining the first packets; construct a symmetrical k×k system matrix S with these first packets; generate k ID codes, wherein each ID code contains k elements; obtain the coded packet through operations between one column of the system matrix and the ID code; repeat the above steps with (n−k) different columns of the system matrix separately to get the (n−k) coded packets; construct the (n−k)×k check matrix P with the column number g which is the serial number of the ID codes in the coded packet set Pg; store the rows of the system matrix and coded matrix to n nodes, each node stores one row. The present invention also involves a method to repair the failed nodes of the above coding scheme.
US09722634B2
Systems and methods for data transport, including encoding streams of input data using generalized low-density parity check (GLDPC) encoders, the one or more GLDPC encoders being configured to generate GLDPC coded data streams using a plurality of component local codes to improve error correction strength, employ single-parity checks and two or more local block codes during generation of the GLDPC codes, and enable continuous tuning of code rate using the generated GLDPC codes. Signals may be generated using mappers, the mappers configured to assign bits of signals to signal constellations and to associate the bits of the signals with signal constellation points. The signal may be modulated using an I/Q or 4-D modulator composed of one polarization beam splitter, two I/Q modulators, and one polarization beam combiner. The modulated signals are multiplexed using a mode-multiplexer, transmitted over a transmission medium, and the signals are received and decoded using GLDPC decoders.
US09722628B2
In a method in a computer system for recoding a coded intermediate variable into a recoded result variable a product is formed by multiplying an input constant by an input variable to be coded. The coded intermediate variable is formed as a function of the product and a multiplicative inverse is determined on the basis of the input constant. The multiplicative inverse is applied to the coded intermediate variable, so that no uncoded or partially uncoded interim result is produced and/or an error information potentially contained in the coded intermediate variable is still detectable in the interim result.
US09722625B2
A semiconductor device includes an analog-digital converter circuit. The analog-digital converter circuit includes a delay cell array that includes n-number (n is a natural number of 2 or more) of serially-coupled delay cells, receives a reference clock signal, and utilizes an analog input signal as the power supply voltage for delay cells in each stage, and an encoder that encodes the output signal of the delay cells in each stage of the delay cell array. The n number of delay cells include a delay quantity weighted for each delay cell, and the encoder encodes the output signal of the delay cell in each stage of the delay cell array by weighting corresponding to the number of delay cell stages. The delay cells output signal without changing polarity of inputted signals.
US09722620B1
The overall performance of a dual-path ADC system may be improved by using a VCO-based ADC for small-amplitude signals and employing non-linear cancelation to remove nonlinearities in signals output by the VCO-based ADC. In particular, VCO-based dual-path ADC systems of this disclosure may be configured to receive a first digital signal from a first ADC and a second digital signal from a second ADC, wherein the second digital signal is more non-linear than the first digital signal. The dual-path systems may also be configured to determine one or more non-linear coefficients of the second digital signal based, at least in part, on processing of the first and second digital signals. The dual-path systems may be further configured to modify the second digital signal based, at least in part, on the determined one or more non-linear coefficients to generate a more linear second digital signal.
US09722619B2
A frequency synthesis device, including: a first generator configured to generate a periodical signal with a frequency f1; a second generator, coupled to the first generator and generating from the signal with a frequency f1 a signal SG corresponding to a train of oscillations with a frequency substantially equal to N·f1, with a duration lower than T1=1/f1 and periodically repeated at the frequency f1; a third generator generating, from the signal SG, m periodical signals SLO_CH1 to SLO_CHm with frequency spectra each include a main line with a frequency fLO_CHi corresponding to an integer multiple of f1, with 1≦i≦m, the third generator operating as a band-pass filter applied to the signal SG and discarding from the frequency spectra of each of the periodical signals SLO_CH1 to SLO_CHm lines other than the main line with a frequency fLO_CHi.
US09722613B1
A circuit arrangement for enabling a partial reconfiguration of a circuit implemented in an integrated circuit device is described. The circuit arrangement comprises a plurality of circuit blocks, wherein each circuit block is configurable to implement a predetermined function and comprises a control circuit configured to receive a global enable signal and a plurality of global reconfiguration signals; and a routing network coupled to the plurality of circuit blocks for routing the global enable signal and the plurality of global reconfiguration signals to each circuit block of the plurality of circuit blocks; wherein each circuit block of the plurality of circuit blocks is configured to independently receive a local enable signal enabling a partial reconfiguration of the circuit in response to the plurality of global reconfiguration signals.
US09722606B2
Described is an apparatus which comprises: a clamp coupled between a first power supply and a second power supply, the clamp including a plurality of transistors, a circuit to operate with the second power supply; and a control unit to turn on and off the plurality of transistors to adjust the second power supply when the apparatus enters a low power mode. The control unit includes a first comparator to compare the second power supply with a first reference, a second comparator to compare the second power supply with a second reference, and a counter. The counter counts up when the second power supply is higher than the first reference and counts down when the second power supply is lower than the second reference.
US09722604B2
In one example, a current-mode logic (CML) circuit includes a differential transistor pair having a differential input port configured to receive a differential input voltage, a bias port configured for coupling to a current source, and a differential output port. The CML circuit further includes a load circuit coupled to the differential output port. The load circuit includes an active inductive load, a cross-coupled transistor pair, and a switch coupled between the cross-coupled transistor pair and the differential output.
US09722594B2
A drive device includes an off-side circuit controlling a gate current of a power switching element to perform an off operation. The off-side circuit includes: a main MOS transistor; a sense MOS transistor defining a drain current of the main MOS transistor; and a sense current control circuit controlling a drain current of the sense MOS transistor to be constant. The sense current control circuit includes: a reference power supply; a reference resistor; and an operational amplifier generating an output at the gate of the sense MOS transistor so that a potential between the reference resistor and the sense MOS transistor approaches the reference potential. The sense current control circuit flows a current, determined by a resistance value of the reference resistor and the reference potential, as the drain current of the sense MOS transistor.
US09722590B1
A skew adjustment circuit includes: flip flop circuits for taking in an input signal in response to first clock signals; a clock phase adjustment circuit for adjusting phases of second clock signals, based on the second clock signals generated based on a reference clock signal and an output signal from the flip flop circuits; a phase interval detection circuit for detecting a phase interval between the first clock signals, based on a reference value; and a phase interval adjustment circuit for performing adjustment such that phase intervals become equal to each other between the second clock signals adjusted by the clock phase adjustment circuit, based on a skew adjustment signal from the phase interval detection circuit. The reference value is obtained by calibration, and the second clock signals adjusted by the phase interval adjustment circuit are provided as the first clock signals to the flip flop circuits.
US09722585B2
A circuit to a extend signal comparison voltage range includes a latching circuit and a comparator responsive to common-mode input signals. The comparator is coupled to the latching circuit and to a dynamic node. The circuit also includes a clocked boost circuit coupled to the dynamic node. The clocked boost circuit is configured to extend a supply voltage range of the comparator via biasing the dynamic node. A method to extend a signal comparison voltage range includes selectively shifting a voltage level of one of a ground reference of a dynamic circuit or a supply reference of the dynamic circuit in response to a clock signal.
US09722584B1
Provided is a non-volatile latch, which includes a latch circuit, a first switch circuit, a non-volatile memory device, a second switch circuit and a third switch circuit. A first terminal of the first switch circuit is coupled to a first output terminal of the latch circuit. The first switch circuit is turned off in a normal operation period. A first terminal of the non-volatile memory device is coupled to a second terminal of the first switch circuit. A second terminal of the non-volatile memory device is coupled to a programming voltage via the second switch circuit. In a store period, according to latched data of the latch circuit and a state transformation condition of the non-volatile memory device, the third switch circuit can dynamically determine whether to couple the first terminal of the non-volatile memory device to a reference voltage.
US09722582B2
A semiconductor device includes: a pre-emphasis control signal generation block suitable for generating first and second pre-emphasis control signals for controlling a pre-emphasis operation; at least one first output driver suitable for being selectively enabled in response to a selection code signal and driving a pad in response to a first output signal; and at least one second output driver suitable for being selectively enabled in response to the selection code signal and the first pre-emphasis control signal, performing the pre-emphasis operation with a driving force corresponding to a calibration code signal, and performing the pre-emphasis operation with a maximum driving force in response to the second pre-emphasis control signal.
US09722568B2
Surface mount components and related methods involve thin film circuits between first and second insulating substrates. The thin film circuits may include passive components, including resistors, capacitors, inductors, arrays of such components, networks, or filters of multiple passive components. Such thin film circuit(s) can be sandwiched between first and second insulating substrates with internal conductive pads which are exposed to the outside of the surface mount component and electrically connected to external terminations. External terminations may include at least one layer of conductive polymer. Optional shield layers may protect the surface mount components from signal interference. A cover substrate may be formed with a plurality of conductive elements that are designed to generally align with the conductive pads such that conductive element portions are exposed in groups along surfaces of a device.
US09722560B2
A filter for equalizing the frequency response of loudspeaker systems includes at least one band filter section (11) comprised an n-order high boost or cut shelving fitter (13) having a break point frequency, ω1, and an n-order low boost or cut shelving filter (15) having a break point frequency, ω2, wherein ω1<ω2. The order, n, of at least one, and preferably both of the shelving filters of the band filter sections can be selected for adjusting the slope of the shelving filter at one or both of its break point frequencies. The high and low n-order shelving filters forming the band filter sections have substantially the same gain and produce a resultant band gain for the band filter section. Gain correction is provided for the selectable n-order high shelving filter and n-order low shelving filter for correcting the resultant band gain to a base gain level.
US09722549B2
A pixel master-slave photodiode bias control amplifier system is disclosed. The pixel master-slave photodiode bias control amplifier system may include a master pixel and one or more slave pixels. The slave pixel(s) may be connected to a portion of the master pixel. In this manner, components may be shared between/among the master pixel and the slave pixel(s); thus, for example, optimizing the component count of the pixel master-slave photodiode bias control amplifier system and the size occupied by the pixel master-slave photodiode bias control amplifier system.
US09722547B2
Compression control through amplitude adjustment of a radio frequency input signal. A power amplifier module can include a power amplifier. The power amplifier can include a cascode transistor pair. The cascode transistor pair can include a first transistor and a second transistor. The power amplifier module can include a power amplifier bias controller. The power amplifier bias controller can include a current comparator, a saturation controller, and a radio frequency (RF) attenuator. The current comparator can be configured to compare a first base current of the first transistor and a second base current of the second transistor to obtain a comparison value. The saturation controller can be configured to supply a reference signal to the RF attenuator based on the comparison value. The RF attenuator can be configured to modify the amplitude of an RF input signal supplied to the power amplifier based at least in part on the reference signal.
US09722540B2
The present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for setting the frequency of wireless power transmission. To this end, the method for setting the frequency of a wireless power transmission apparatus can include the steps of: obtaining power transmission information from the wireless power receiving apparatus receiving a wireless power signal; and setting the transmission frequency of the wireless power signal on the basis of the obtained power transmission information.
US09722538B2
Provided are a constant voltage circuit configured to, when a power supply voltage is low, detect a leakage current to output a stable voltage at a power supply voltage level, and a crystal oscillation circuit using the constant voltage circuit. The constant voltage circuit includes a leakage current detection circuit including a PMOS transistor for monitoring a leakage current, which has a gate and a source being grounded. When a leakage current is detected, even with a constant voltage power supply, a voltage sufficient for turning on an output transistor of the constant voltage circuit can be applied to a gate of the output transistor.
US09722537B2
A novel and useful look-ahead time to digital converter (TDC) that is applied to an all digital phase locked loop (ADPLL) as the fractional phase error detector. The deterministic nature of the phase error during frequency/phase lock is exploited to achieve a reduction in power consumption of the TDC. The look-ahead TDC circuit is used to construct a cyclic DTC-TDC pair which functions to reduce fractional spurs of the output spectrum in near-integer channels by randomly rotating the cyclic DTC-TDC structure so that it starts from a different point every reference clock thereby averaging out the mismatch of the elements. Associated rotation and dithering methods are also presented. The ADPLL is achieved using the look-ahead TDC and/or cyclic DTC-TDC pair circuit.
US09722534B2
Described herein are technologies pertaining to computing the solar irradiance distribution on a surface of a receiver in a concentrating solar power system or glint/glare emitted from a reflective entity. At least one camera captures images of the Sun and the entity of interest, wherein the images have pluralities of pixels having respective pluralities of intensity values. Based upon the intensity values of the pixels in the respective images, the solar irradiance distribution on the surface of the entity or glint/glare corresponding to the entity is computed.
US09722530B2
A drive circuit for an electric motor, has a driving source unit, configured to generate a driving source signal and a driving unit, connected to the motor and configured to drive the motor according to the driving source signal. A sensing unit senses the actual speed of the motor. A control unit stops operation of the motor when the actual speed of the motor falls below a predetermined level. A timing unit counts a predetermined time period from the time the motor stops operation. The motor resumes operation at the end of the predetermined time period.
US09722528B2
A motor control device includes a power-consumption calculator that calculates a power loss L according to a motor current I or according to the motor current I and a motor velocity v, and calculates a motor output W from a product of the motor velocity v and a torque τ or thrust force, to determine whether a regenerative resistance is in an energized state. When the regenerative resistance is in an energized state, if a total value W+L of the power loss L and the motor output W is equal to or greater than 0 (W+L≧0), the power-consumption calculator calculates a power consumption P as W+L, and if a total value W+L of the power loss L and the motor output W is less than 0 (W+L<0), the power-consumption calculator calculates the power consumption P=0.
US09722524B2
A motor controller of a permanent magnet motor includes an inverter, a torque and flux calculator configured to estimate or measure torque and flux generated in the permanent magnet motor as calculated torque flux, based on an output from the inverter and a rotor angle of the permanent magnet motor, a switching pattern selector configured to input a signal to the inverter to select one of a plurality of switching patterns based on comparison results of a reference torque and the calculated torque and a reference flux and the calculated flux, and a flux phase angle, and a reference flux calculator configured to compare a highest phase flux out of three phase fluxes obtained by the torque and flux calculator with a flux limit and to reduce the reference flux when the maximum phase flux is higher than the flux limit.
US09722521B2
A control circuit for a microelectromechanical element includes: a waveform generator, which is designed to generate a digital trigger signal for the microelectromechanical element, a modulator, which is designed to oversample the digital trigger signal, to subject the signal to a noise shaping, and to output the oversampled and noise-shaped digital trigger signal; and a digital driver device, which is designed to drive the microelectromechanical element using the oversampled and noise-shaped digital trigger signal.
US09722510B2
Modular inverter platforms and methods for providing physical and electrical configurability and scalability are disclosed. The modular inverter apparatus includes a printed circuit board (PCB) comprising at least two modules and one or more mounting components structured to switch the at least two modules between a plurality of physical configurations. The modular inverter apparatus also includes a plurality of electrical interconnections structured to electrically connect the at least two modules and to switch the at least two modules between a plurality of electrical configurations.
US09722504B2
An inverter for converting an input direct current (DC) waveform from a DC source to an output alternating current (AC) waveform for delivery to an AC grid includes an input converter, an output converter, and an active filter, each of which is electrically coupled to a bus. The bus may be a DC bus or an AC bus. The input converter is configured to convert the input DC waveform to a DC or AC bus waveform. The output converter is configured to convert the bus waveform to the output AC waveform at a grid frequency. The active filter is configured to reduce a double-frequency ripple power of the bus waveform by supplying power to and absorbing power from the power bus.
US09722499B2
Energy transfer element circuitry for use in a power converter includes a cancellation shield winding wound around an energy transfer element core. A first trimming capacitor is coupled to a first end of the cancellation shield winding to adjust a shield response of the cancellation shield winding. A second end of the cancellation shield winding is unconnected. A primary winding is wound around the energy transfer element core. A balance shield winding is wound around the energy transfer element core. A second trimming capacitor is coupled to a second end of the balance shield winding to adjust a shield response of the cancellation shield winding. A first end of the balance shield winding is unconnected. A secondary winding is wound around the energy transfer element core.
US09722494B2
A controller for a multiphase converter comprises a first stage controller for producing a first gate drive signal to turn on a first power transistor of a first boost converter; a delay element configured to produce a delayed signal by delaying the first gate drive signal by half a cycle length; a time difference detection element configured to: output a turn on command based on a zero crossing detection (ZCD) signal indicating that one or more zero current conditions of a second boost converter of the multiphase converter are met and the delayed signal; and a second stage controller configured to assert a second gate drive signal to turn on a second power transistor of the second boost converter based on the turn on command.
US09722487B2
Methods, devices, and integrated circuits are disclosed for controlling a power converter. In one example, a controller includes a peak current reference module configured to output a peak current reference. The controller further includes a valley current reference module configured to output a valley current reference. The controller further includes one or more comparators configured to compare a current through the power converter to the peak current reference and the valley current reference, to turn a gate switch of the power converter on when the current through the power converter falls to the valley current reference, and to turn the gate switch of the power converter off when the current through the power converter rises to the peak current reference.
US09722484B2
A noise filter circuit uses open loop signal processing to process the signal that causes the noise and generate a signal to be fed back into the system to cancel noise currents.
US09722480B2
A linear drive for a miniaturized optical system, as used for example in an endoscope, includes a stator and an armature. The stator has a coil with two stator pole shoes arranged in axial direction, and two magnetic field sensors arranged at the outer side of the stator pole shoes. The armature has permanent magnets which are polarized in opposite directions, and a center armature pole shoe between the two permanent magnets, and an armature pole shoe at each side of the permanent magnet, opposite to the center armature pole shoe in axial direction. The magnetic field of the outer armature pole shoe goes completely or only in part, dependent from the armature position, through the magnetic field sensor and thus generates a position-dependent signal. This signal can be used for measuring and/or controlling the position of the armature.
US09722475B2
Apparatus and method for winding coils of dynamoelectric machines, wherein a coil comprises members formed of leg portions (19a, 190a). The leg portions (19a, 190a) being inserted in slots (17, 170) of cores (18, 180) of the dynamo electric machine, wherein the slots (17, 170) are provided with insulation members (33, 330) for lining the walls of the slots (17, 170). The leg portions (19a, 190a) are inserted in the slots (17, 170) of the cores (18, 180) of the dynamoelectric machines. A passage member (20, 200) having passages (22, 220) is provided aligned with a core (18 ,180) to align the passages (22, 220) with the slots (17, 170). The area (23, 230) adjacent an edge of a passage (22) is aligned with the end (32, 320) of an insulation member (33, 330) of a slot (17, 170) for engaging the end (32, 320) of the insulation member (33, 330) during insertion of the leg portions (19a, 190a).
US09722472B2
Provided are embodiments of systems, computer medium and computer-implemented methods for harvesting human energy from an employee. The techniques including determining an amount of energy harvested, and selectively enabling/disabling one or more electronic user devices based at least in part on the amount of energy harvested. The amount of energy harvested including kinetic energy and neural energy. The kinetic energy having been harvested by a kinetic energy system including one or more kinetic energy harvesting devices that harvest kinetic energy generated by physical activity of an employee. The neural energy having been harvested by a neural energy system that includes one or more neural energy harvesting devices that harvest neural energy generated by neural activity of the employee.
US09722470B2
A rotating electric machine includes a rotation body driven to rotate, an accommodation body housing the rotation body, a first power-supply member electrically connected to a positive electrode of a power source, a second power-supply member electrically connected to a negative electrode of the power source, an insulation layer contacting outer peripheral surfaces of the first and second power-supply members, and a conductive layer contacting the insulation layer on an opposite side of the insulation layer from the outer peripheral surfaces of the first and second power-supply members. The conductive layer is electrically connected to the accommodation body.
US09722467B2
According to one embodiment, there is provided armature windings of a rotating electrical machine, in which a 3-phase winding of two layers including upper and lower layers is constituted of phase belts having an electrical phase difference of 60° in between, pairs of upper coil pieces and lower coil pieces are contained in slots, the number of slots per pole per phase includes a fractional number, and a denominator thereof is an integral number greater than or equal to 4, wherein coil arrangement is carried out such that at least one coil piece in either of the upper or lower coil pieces included in two layers of upper and lower layers in one phase belt is replaced with a coil piece of an adjacent different phase.
US09722465B2
A tooth of a stator has a tapered shape in which a tooth width decreases toward a distal end portion thereof. A winding is formed of an edgewise winding wound around the tooth in a row. The winding is supplied with power so that a terminal on a base portion side of the tooth may have a higher voltage than that of a terminal on the distal end portion side thereof. A tooth width Th of the base portion is set within the range of Tmin
US09722461B2
A digital multifunction peripheral including a contactless power feeding unit having a function of communicating with a terminal apparatus and a function of feeding the power in a contactless manner to the terminal apparatus is configured to detect a status of the digital multifunction peripheral, detect the presence or absence of a power receiving apparatus capable of communicating with the contactless power feeding unit, and, when such a power receiving apparatus is present, detect the status of the power receiving apparatus, and perform power-saving control based on the result of the detections.
US09722460B2
Described herein are techniques related to near field coupling (e.g., wireless power transfers (WPF) and near field communications (NFC)) operations among others. This Abstract is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.
US09722458B2
A power conversion device includes a smoothing capacitor, an input voltage detection unit, a power conversion unit, and a controller. The input voltage detection unit detects a voltage value of the input voltage. The power conversion unit converts a direct-current voltage smoothed by the smoothing capacitor into an alternating-current voltage to output the alternating-current voltage to a power system. The controller has a first operation mode of outputting active power to the power system, has a second operation mode of outputting reactive power to the power system, determines whether or not the voltage value is one of equal to and higher than a determination value, and makes a transition from the first operation mode to the second operation mode within a predetermined time from a time point when it is determined that the voltage value is lower than the determination value.
US09722455B2
An apparatus, method, and computer program product for: receiving an indication of presence of a wireless charging field, detecting a change of orientation of a device during the presence of the wireless charging field and controlling an application parameter based on the detected change.
US09722451B2
An electronic unit includes: an electricity reception section configured to receive power transmitted using one of a magnetic field and an electric field; a secondary battery; a charging section configured to charge the secondary battery based on incoming power received by the electricity reception section; a load configured to perform predetermined operation based on supplied power; a first power supply path running from one of a side of the electricity reception section and a side of the secondary battery to a side of the load via the charging section; and a second power supply path running from the electricity reception section side to the load side around the charging section.
US09722450B2
A first electronic device includes an inner inductive coil positioned at least partially around a shield core and a second electronic device includes an outer inductive coil positioned around an aperture. The first electronic device is operable to receive power from and/or transmit power to the second electronic device when a portion of the first electronic device is inserted into the aperture of the second electronic device, positioning the inner inductive coil within the aperture and within the outer inductive coil. When power is being transmitted between the first and second electronic devices, the shield core concentrates magnetic flux around the inner inductive coil and/or the outer inductive coil. In some implementations, an outer shield may be positioned at least partially around the outer inductive coil and may also concentrate magnetic flux around the inner inductive coil and/or the outer inductive coil.
US09722448B2
Aspects of a protection circuit and method are disclosed. An apparatus to transmit wireless power comprises a transmit antenna, a driver, a sensing circuit, and a control circuit. The transmit antenna generates a wireless field to charge devices. The driver powers the transmit antenna for generation of the wireless field. A power level of the wireless field is based on a power level of the driver. The sensing circuit senses wireless power received at the transmit antenna and generates a monitoring signal based on the sensed wireless power received at the transmit antenna. The control circuit controls the power level or inhibits the driver from powering the transmit antenna when the monitoring signal indicates that the transmit antenna is receiving wireless power from a foreign antenna.
US09722444B2
An electronic device includes a platform controller hub and a charging interface. The charging interface includes a connector for coupling to a peripheral device, and a charging integrated circuit coupled to the connector. The connector includes an insert detecting member for detecting if the peripheral device is inserted. The charging integrated circuit can provide power to the connector. The platform controller hub can exchange data through the connector through the charging integrated circuit. The charging integrated circuit can cut off the power to the connector when the insert detecting member detects that no peripheral device is inserted in the connector.
US09722443B2
There is a request for charging and discharging of a lithium-ion battery with as less degradation as possible. In an operation using only binary values as in conventional technology, however, in a charged state in which the battery is used, there is a high possibility that the battery is used toward accelerating the degradation thereof. In a power distribution device for distributing power between a plurality of batteries and a plurality of customers, when distributing the power of the batteries to the loads of the customers, by being based at least on the degradation information of the batteries, the state of charge, and the temperature data of the batteries, a battery discharging function is achieved that makes the degradation of the batteries minimum.
US09722442B2
An embodiment of the present invention relates to a vehicle. The vehicle includes an energy storage device and a traction motor electrically connected to the energy storage device. The traction motor is configured to convert electrical energy supplied by the energy storage device into a mechanical output to propel the vehicle. The vehicle also includes a vehicle connecting mechanism electrically coupled to the energy storage device and being configured for electrical coupling with a second vehicle connecting mechanism of a second vehicle to establish an electrical interface between the vehicle and the second vehicle. The electrical interface enables the transfer of electric power between the vehicle and the second vehicle.
US09722441B2
A hand tool battery includes a charging coil and a bridge rectifier. The bridge rectifier has at least two rectifying arrangements for synchronous rectification.
US09722436B2
A method for equalizing capacities of electric storage devices that are connected in series in an electric storage device assembly charged and discharged by a charger/discharger includes charging/discharging the electric storage device assembly at a charging/discharging rate of 1 C or lower, individually measuring voltages of the electric storage devices, respectively, determining whether a time rate of change in voltage of one electric storage device of the electric storage devices has reached a time-rate-of-change reference value and then a time rate of change in voltage of another electric storage device of the electric storage devices has reached the time-rate-of-change reference value, and individually discharging, based on a determining result, the electric storage device by a discharging circuit provided separately from the discharger.
US09722431B2
In the specimen processing system in which each of a specimen input portion which inputs a specimen, a specimen processing portion which processes the specimen, a specimen recovery portion which recovers the processed specimen, and a specimen transporting line which transports the specimen between the specimen input portion, the specimen processing portion, and the specimen recovery portion, are connected to each other by a plurality of processing (analysis) units, the processing (analysis) unit is provided with a CPU that controls the operation, and provided with a mechanism control portion which receives an electric signal from the CPU and operates the mechanism parts in the processing unit, and the mechanism part control portion includes means which can supply and stop the power of one or more arbitrarily specified mechanism parts by the electric signal from the CPU.
US09722430B2
A method for analyzing a user load in conjunction with time information and a system thereof are provided. In the case that an enterprise operates in a non-full-time operational mode, operation periods of the enterprise are adjusted, electricity prices for respective adjusted operation periods are obtained, and the electricity prices are multiplied with electricity consumptions to obtain electricity charges of the enterprise. In the case that the enterprise operates in a full-time operational mode, electricity consumptions in respective hours of the enterprise are adjusted, the electricity consumptions are multiplied with electricity prices for the respective hours to obtain electricity charges of the respective hours of the enterprise, and the electricity charges of the respective hours are accumulated to obtain a total electricity charge of the enterprise.
US09722428B2
Methods and systems are provided to power an appliance coupled to a data connection port, the data connection port having an independent power supply separate from the power grid and being coupled to the appliance via a coupling, wherein the appliance is powered by the independent power supply via the coupling. Methods and systems are provided to power an appliance coupled to an Ethernet port via a Category 5 cable, the appliance being powered via an independent power supply of the Ethernet port via the Category 5 cable, the independent power supply being separate from the power grid.
US09722424B2
A system (0) includes an electrical load system (54) with a load network battery (82), and a fuel cell system (1). Operation is simplified, especially during start of the fuel cell system (1) if the fuel cell system (1) has a system battery (56). A system voltage across the system battery (56) can be supplied to electrical system loads (80) of the fuel cell system (1) and, via a load voltage converter (77) and at least one additional voltage converter (86), to the load system (54) and secondary electrical loads (84, 85).
US09722420B2
Advances in the arts are disclosed with novel methods and circuit systems for controlling power in an energy harvesting system. Techniques and related systems for controlling power output of an energy harvesting device provide for monitoring at least one power parameter at a power source and monitoring at least one power parameter at a load such as a storage medium. The power source output is adjusted in order to optimize energy harvesting and/or storage based on real-time performance parameters.
US09722419B2
An electrostatic discharge protection circuit comprises at least two electrostatic discharge protection units connected in series between respective pairs of at least three input terminals, one of the input terminals being a reference input terminal. Each of the units comprises a silicon controlled rectifier and a current mirror. The output of the silicon controlled rectifier constitutes a first output of the respective unit and is connected to an input terminal of the circuit. The output of the current mirror constitutes a second output of the respective unit and is connected with the reference input terminal of the circuit. Thus the units are connected in series but the output terminals of the current mirrors are all connected with the reference input terminal, which may be a ground terminal, so as to minimize the breakdown resistance of the circuit.
US09722414B2
A method includes supplying power from a power supply to a first electrical circuit breaker. The method includes detecting whether at least one of a current and a voltage of the power has exceeded an operating threshold for the first electrical circuit. The method includes, in response to detecting that at least one of the current and the voltage of the power has exceeded the operating threshold for the first electrical circuit, shutting off the power supply and the first electrical circuit breaker. The method includes in response to detecting that at least one of the current and the voltage of the power has not exceeded the operating threshold for the first electrical circuit, supplying the power from the power supply to the second electrical circuit breaker that is electrically coupled to the second electrical circuit.
US09722409B2
A selectivity module for dividing a load current in an installation system includes a housing, a plurality of branches in the housing, a plurality of switching devices, and a control unit. Each of the plurality of switching devices is configured for switching a branch current on and off in a corresponding one of the plurality of branches. The plurality of switching devices serves to output information about corresponding switching states. The control unit is connected to the plurality of switching devices and configured to output a status signal as a function of the output information from the plurality of switching devices. The output information relating to the individual switching states of all of the plurality of switching devices is contained in the status signal in a serial encoded form.
US09722400B2
A method for providing tension to a data or power transmission line in a pipe includes inserting a transmission line into a transmission line channel of a pipe. The transmission line has a first end and a second end and is inserted into a first end of the pipe second-end-first and has a first tension-load-supporting mechanism attached to the first end of the transmission line. The method includes applying a first level of tension to the transmission line in the pipe and applying a second tension-load-supporting mechanism to the second end of the transmission line while the first level of tension is applied to the transmission line. The method further includes removing the first level of tension from the transmission line to maintain a second level of tension along the transmission line between the first and second tension-load-supporting mechanisms.
US09722399B2
A connection device is for an electrical system. The electrical system has a powering apparatus, an electrical switching apparatus, and a switchgear bus. The electrical switching apparatus is coupled to the powering apparatus. The connection device includes: a mounting assembly having a panel and a support wall opposite the panel; an electrical transfer assembly including: a number of interconnect assemblies each having a load interconnect member, the load interconnect member being coupled to the panel and electrically connected to the powering apparatus; and a number of base assemblies each including: a number of stud members each coupled to the support wall. At least one of the number of stud members is electrically connected to the load interconnect member and electrically connected to the switchgear bus.
US09722398B2
An optical device includes a gallium nitride substrate member having an m-plane nonpolar crystalline surface region characterized by an orientation of about −1 degree towards (000-1) and less than about +/−0.3 degrees towards (11-20). The device also has a laser stripe region formed overlying a portion of the m-plane nonpolar crystalline orientation surface region. In a preferred embodiment, the laser stripe region is characterized by a cavity orientation that is substantially parallel to the c-direction, the laser stripe region having a first end and a second end. The device includes a first cleaved c-face facet, which is coated, provided on the first end of the laser stripe region. The device also has a second cleaved c-face facet, which is exposed, provided on the second end of the laser stripe region.
US09722384B2
A gas laser apparatus may include: a laser chamber connected through a first control valve to a first laser gas supply source that supplies a first laser gas containing a halogen gas and connected through a second control valve to a second laser gas supply source that supplies a second laser gas having a lower halogen gas concentration than the first laser gas; a purification column that removes at least a part of the halogen gas and a halogen compound from at least a part of a gas exhausted from the laser chamber; a booster pump, connected through a third control valve to the laser chamber, which raises a pressure of a gas having passed through the purification column to a gas pressure that is higher than an operating gas pressure of the laser chamber; and a controller that calculates, on a basis of a first amount of a gas supplied from the booster pump through the third control valve to the laser chamber, a second amount of the first laser gas that is to be supplied to the laser chamber and controls the first control valve on a basis of a result of the calculation of the second amount.
US09722383B2
An electrical connector (100) includes a shielding plate (1), a base portion (2) insert molded with the shielding plate and defining two rows of passageways (21), two rows of terminals (3) affixed to the base portion, and an insulative housing (4) over molded with the base portion. The two rows of passageways extend through the base portion along a front-to-back direction and exposed completely upwardly and downwardly. Each terminal includes a contacting beam (31) having a contacting portion (311). The shielding plate is located between the two rows of terminals.
US09722377B1
Disclosed is a pluggable power supply device. When a pluggable plug is to be in combination with a power supply seat, an insertion portion is first inserted in an accommodation portion of the power supply seat, allowing a second engagement portion to be engaged with a first engagement portion, and causing the gripping device on the power supply seat to be translated horizontally; a sliding block is then moved horizontally to a separation position and drive a first gripping portion on one side of thereof, allowing a second gripping portion to enter the accommodation portion. Thereafter, an elastic element drives the sliding block to translate horizontally to a gripping position, thereby moving the first gripping portion to be engaged with the second gripping portion. When the pluggable plug is to be removed, it can be taken out only by moving the sliding block horizontally.
US09722373B2
An insertion plug includes:a rotor fixed around a blade, and housed in an insulating plug case;a guide unit in the insulating plug case to guide the rotor around an axis extending in a longitudinal direction of the blade and within a rotation angle of at least 90 degrees between a first rotation position at which the blade becomes substantially parallel with another blade and a second rotation position at which the blade becomes substantially orthogonal to the other blade; anda positioning unit that positions the rotor at the first rotation position or the second rotation position,the blades caused to project from a position corresponding to an AC power source outlet if the rotor is positioned at the first rotation position, andthe blades caused to project from a position corresponding to a DC power source outlet if the rotor is positioned at the second rotation position.
US09722357B1
For a chassis having a port mounted on a side of the chassis and connected to electronics in the chassis, with a plug mated in the port and a cable connected to the plug, first and second supports are mounted on the chassis side on opposing sides of the port, where each support has a respective, predetermined length extending away from the chassis side. A strap defines a slot beginning at a first end of the strap and extending along a portion of the strap's length. The strap is placed with the cable inserted in the slot and the plug at a central portion of the strap. With the supports mounted on the chassis side on opposing sides of the port, the strap connected to the respective supports, at least the plug forces curvature in a central portion of the strap, so that the central portion of the strap clamps the plug.
US09722356B2
A connector includes a ground frame, an insulator held by the ground frame and having a connection target housing portion, a contact having a contact portion and held by the insulator such that the contact portion is exposed at the connection target housing portion, and a cover member held by the ground frame to be rotatable between an open position and a closed position and having a cover member side locking portion, the ground frame having a projection that is fitted to a positioning shaped portion of the connection end of the connection target, when the connection end is housed in the connection target housing portion, to position the connection target and that catches on the cover member side locking portion, when the cover member is in the closed position, to lock the cover member in the closed position.
US09722355B1
A power adapter is provided for a computer including a power port and a housing defining an aperture. The power adapter includes a power head, a lock head disposed on the power head and a main housing including a body affixed to a security element, wiring for supplying power to the computer extending through the body to the power head and a lock system selectively actuatable with a key to orient the lock head in first and second orientations. The first orientation is characterized in that the power head is movable relative to the aperture for power head insertion into and removal from the power port. The second orientation is characterized in that the power head is immovable relative to the aperture.
US09722350B1
A connector terminal with a unit-mountable connector of that includes a connector body having an adapter engagement end and a unit engagement end, and a mounting member therebetween for mounting the connector body to a unit. An insert extends through the connector body and has an inner bore extending between a cable interface end and a unit interface end, and a connector body interface portion between the ends. One or more double-sided contacts are received in the insert. The double-sided contact is one-piece with one end that is a cable termination end configured to terminate to a conductor of a cable and an opposite end that is a unit termination end configured to terminate to a conductor of the unit. The unit-mountable connector is adapted to mate with a cable sealing adapter. The cable sealing adapter is devoid of contact.
US09722348B2
A system having a plurality of plug-in connectors each with a housing, the shape of the housings differing such that the housings have first housing parts which, at least in terms of the interface connections to second housing parts, are identical to the other components of the particular plug-in connector, and second housing parts having identical connecting means for connecting with the first housing part, and differ slightly in the external shape which serves to form a coding by which the individual positions of the individual plug-in connectors on or in the multiple housing are assigned.
US09722335B2
An enhanced dual in line memory module (DIMM) connector includes internal conductive paths that provide access to signaling on standard conductive paths to an industry standard DIMM. The internal conductive paths are coupled in series or in parallel with the standard conductive paths through the connector. Interposer circuitry, such as control circuitry and or supplemental memory circuitry, may be incorporated on or within the connector. The interposer circuitry may include field effect transistor (FET) switching circuitry configured to selectively decouple a defective dynamic random memory (DRAM) on a DIMM from a conductive path to a memory controller and couple a substitute DRAM to the conductive paths in its place.
US09722332B1
A conductive base for illuminating building blocks has a base plate, an anode conductive component, and a cathode conductive component. The base plate further has a plurality of hollow studs. The anode conductive component and the cathode conductive component electrically connect to an external power supply. The anode conductive component and the cathode conductive component are projected out of recesses of the hollow studs to contact circuit boards of illuminating building blocks stacked on the base plate and then build electric connections. The neighboring illuminating building blocks stacked on the base plate can emit light together by the above base plate without intricate circuits.
US09722319B2
The disclosure relates to a metamaterial antenna, where the metamaterial antenna includes an enclosure, a feed, a first metamaterial that clings to an aperture edge of the feed, a second metamaterial that is separated by a preset distance from the first metamaterial and is set oppositely, and a third metamaterial that clings to an edge of the second metamaterial, where the enclosure, the feed, the first metamaterial, the second metamaterial, and the third metamaterial make up a closed cavity; and a central axis of the feed penetrates center points of the first metamaterial and the second metamaterial; and a reflection layer for reflecting an electromagnetic wave is set on surfaces of the first metamaterial and the second metamaterial, where the surfaces are located outside the cavity.
US09722312B2
A loop antenna with a magnetically coupled element is described. In an embodiment, the loop antenna comprises a loop element that has a feed contact and a ground contact. The loop antenna further comprises an open ended conductor that is magnetically coupled around the ground contact.
US09722311B2
The disclosure is related to an antenna device with continuous bending structure using the antenna. The radiation body of the antenna device includes a main region having at least three L-type continuous bending structures, and a ground region having at least one L-type bending structure. Two adjacent sides of the planar structure of the antenna device render an aspect ratio of approximately one to one. A signal feeding point and a signal grounding point are formed upon the main region. The two points are connected over a wire for forming a signal-feeding direction. According to a demand, the aspect of the present invention allows for modifying the signaling direction of the antenna by adjusting the mounting angle in an electronic device so as to modify the direction of radiation field intensity of the electronic device.
US09722302B2
The present invention discloses a planar antenna microwave module, including an oscillation circuit board and a planar antenna board. The oscillation circuit board is a double-sided printed circuit board. The planar antenna board is a double-sided PCB independent of the oscillation circuit board. PCB copper foil of the planar antenna board forms a transmitting/receiving planar antenna. The planar antenna is laminated on a bottom surface of the oscillation circuit board by using a solder joint that runs through and electrically connects two layers of PCB copper foil, and is electrically connected to the oscillation circuit board through the solder joint. The antenna boards in the present invention are of independent and separate structures, and have a small design size, a simple manufacturing process, a short production cycle, low costs, and high economic benefits.
US09722295B2
A bracket for mounting radio equipment to a radio tower comprises a frame including first and second longitudinal pipe members opposed from each other, the first and second pipe members including a top portion, a center portion and a bottom portion, the first and second longitudinal pipe members being disposed vertically. The frame includes top, center and bottom rails attached to, respectively, to the top portion, the center portion and the bottom portion. The frame includes a front side and a rear side. Longitudinal plate members are attached to the first and second longitudinal pipe members between the top rail and the center rail and between the center rail and the bottom rail, the longitudinal plate members facing the front side and the rear side of the frame, the longitudinal plate members being disposed vertically along the first and second longitudinal pipe members. A radio plate is removably attached to and positionable along the longitudinal plate members between the top rail and the center rail; and a filter plate removably attached to and positionable along the longitudinal members between the center rail and the bottom rail.
US09722287B2
Disclosed is a frame for a secondary battery, which has an improved structure to prevent a cooling plate from being deformed or distorted due to shrinkage of a main frame. The frame for a secondary battery includes a cooling plate made of a thermally conductive material with a plate shape, and a main frame having a plurality of unit frames spaced apart from each other in a horizontal direction by a predetermined distance, the main frame being configured to surround a rim of the cooling plate and made of a material different from the cooling plate.
US09722286B2
A battery pack is provided. The battery pack includes first and second temperature sensors that are disposed in first and second interior spaces, respectively. The first temperature sensor generates a first signal indicative of a first temperature level of the battery cell. The second temperature sensor generates a second signal indicative of a second temperature level of the DC-DC voltage converter. The battery pack further includes a microprocessor that determines a first fan speed percentage value of the electric fan based on the first temperature level, and a second fan speed percentage value of the electric fan based on the second temperature level. The microprocessor selects the first fan speed percentage value if the first fan speed percentage value is greater than the second fan speed percentage value.
US09722277B2
An energy storage device comprising: an anode; and a solute-containing electrolyte composition wherein the solute concentration in the electrolyte composition is sufficiently high to form a regenerative solid electrolyte interface layer on a surface of the anode only during charging of the energy storage device, wherein the regenerative layer comprises at least one solute or solvated solute from the electrolyte composition.
US09722275B2
The present invention provides a battery cell, comprising: (a) an anode comprising an active metal or a metal ion storage material (e.g., an intercalation compound that accommodates lithium ion); (b) a cathode structure; and (c) an ionically conductive protective layer on a surface of the anode and interposed between the anode and the cathode structure. This protective layer comprises a porous membrane having pores therein and a soft matter phase disposed in at least one of the pores, wherein the soft matter phase comprises oxide particles dispersed in a non-aqueous alkali, alkaline, or transition metal salt solution. Most preferably, this battery cell is a lithium metal secondary cell that is essentially free from dendrite and exhibits a safer and more stable cycling behavior. Such a high-capacity rechargeable battery is particularly useful for powering portable electronic devices and electric vehicles.
US09722267B2
This disclosure relates to module level redundancy for fuel cell systems. A monitoring component monitors a set of operational parameters for a fuel cell group. The fuel cell group includes a set of fuel cell units, each having a set of fuel cell stacks. The fuel cell stacks include a set of gas powered fuel cells that convert air and fuel into electricity using a chemical reaction. The monitoring component determines that the set of operational parameters do not satisfy a set of operational criteria, and, in response, a load balancing component adjusts the electrical output capacity of the set of fuel cell units included in the fuel cell group.
US09722259B2
A ceramic substrate for an electrochemical element that includes a ceramic layer and a high-thermal-expansion-coefficient material layer that is laminated on the surface of the ceramic layer. The high-thermal-expansion-coefficient material layer has a higher coefficient of thermal expansion than the ceramic layer, and applies compressive stress to the ceramic layer.
US09722257B2
One embodiment includes a method of forming a hydrophilic particle containing electrode including providing a catalyst; providing hydrophilic particles suspended in a liquid to form a liquid suspension; contacting said catalyst with said liquid suspension; and, drying said liquid suspension contacting said catalyst to leave said hydrophilic particles attached to said catalyst.
US09722251B2
In an aspect, a binder composition for a secondary battery including a first fluoropolymer binder containing a polar functional group; a second fluoropolymer binder that does not contain a polar functional group; and a non fluoropolymer binder is provided.
US09722248B2
Disclosed herein are cathode formulations comprising graphenes. One embodiment provides a cathode formulation comprising an electroactive material, and graphene interspersed with the electroactive material, wherein a ratio of (mean electroactive material domain size)/(mean graphene lateral domain size) ranges from 3:2 to 15:1. Also disclosed are cathodes comprising such materials and methods of making such cathodes.
US09722236B2
Some embodiments provide energy storage systems that comprise: a first electrode; a second electrode; an electrolyte; the first electrode, the second electrode and the electrolyte are positioned such that the electrolyte is in contact with at least the first electrode; and a polarity reversal system electrically coupled with the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein the polarity reversal system is configured to allow the energy storage system to operate while a first polarity to charge and discharge electrical energy while operating in the first polarity, and the polarity reversal system is configured to reverse the voltage polarity across the first and second electrodes to a second polarity to allow the energy storage system to continue to operate while the second polarity is established across the first electrode and the second electrode to continue to charge and discharge electrical energy while operating in the second polarity.
US09722233B2
A lithium ion battery module includes a battery cell stack disposed within a housing of the battery module. The stack includes a first battery cell, a second battery cell positioned adjacent to the first battery cell, and a battery cell separator fitted over the first battery cell. The battery cell separator includes a plurality of walls formed from a continuous material and defining a pocket in which the first battery cell is disposed. The plurality of walls is configured to electrically insulate the first cell from the second cell. The separator also includes a projection extending from a wall of the plurality of walls, the projection is positioned between a terminal of the first battery cell and a terminal of the second battery cell and is configured to electrically insulate the terminals from one another.
US09722232B2
A secondary battery, including an electrode assembly; a cap plate that seals the electrode assembly; an electrode pin electrically connected to the electrode assembly and on the cap plate with an insulating gasket therebetween; and a first lead tab coupled to the electrode pin, a relative ratio W2/W1 of a width W2 of the insulating gasket to a width W1 of the first lead tab satisfying 1.0
US09722230B2
A battery pack includes a single cell having a cylindrical shape, the single cell having a positive electrode at one end of the single cell and a negative electrode at the other end of the single cell, a plurality of the single cells being arranged in a radial direction of the single cell; a fuse; a first bus bar connected via the fuse to one electrode, from among the positive electrode and the negative electrode; a second bus bar directly connected to the other electrode, from among the positive electrode and the negative electrode; and a retaining member configured to retain the plurality of single cells from the radial direction of the single cell, in a manner such that when the fuse is disconnected, retaining force with which the single cell is retained by the retaining member decreases and the single cell moves in a direction away from the fuse.
US09722221B2
Provided are a battery cell for a secondary battery and a method for manufacturing the same, and more particularly, a battery cell having a frame, the frame protecting the battery cell.
US09722218B2
A plating layer 4 is formed on a surface of a battery cover 3, and a peripheral edge part 37b of a cover case 37 is arranged on an upper surface of the plating layer 4. A welding part 40 is formed at a tip part of the peripheral edge part 37b. The welding part 40 includes a melted part 41 in which the tip of the peripheral edge part 37b is melted, and an elution part 42 flowing from the tip onto the plating layer 4, and the melted part 41 and the elution part 42 are welded to the plating layer 4 in the upper surface of the plating layer 4.
US09722216B2
An energy storage device that includes a housing, which includes at least one end panel that includes at least one aperture therethrough. The device further includes a battery cell housed in the housing. The battery cell includes mutually opposed first and second faces joined at their edges. The device also includes a heat sink adjacent to the battery cell and in thermal contact with the first face of the battery cell. The heat sink defines at least one cooling medium passage extending parallel to the face of the adjacent battery cell. The cooling medium passage opens onto the at least one aperture formed through the at least one end panel of the housing.
US09722205B2
An active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) display panel, which includes an array substrate (1) and a color filter (CF) substrate (2) which are cell-assembled, is disclosed. The CF substrate (2) includes an anti-reflecting layer (21), a water blocking layer (24) and a CF layer (22) and a black matrix (BM) (23) arranged on the same layer. The anti-reflecting layer (21) is disposed on a side of the CF layer (22) and the BM (23) facing away from the array substrate (1). The water blocking layer (24) is disposed on a side of the CF layer (22) and the BM (23) close to the array substrate (1), or the water blocking layer (24) is disposed between the anti-reflecting layer (21) and the CF layer (22) and the BM (23). The AMOLED display panel can prevent water from entering the AMOLED display panel and is lighter and thinner.
US09722201B2
Provided are an organic electroluminescence device capable of enhancing reflectance of an anode, thereby resulting in improved light-emitting efficiency and a method of manufacturing the same. An anode (12), a thin film layer for hole injection (13), an insulating layer (14), an organic layer (15) including a luminescent layer (15C) and a cathode (16) including a semi-transparent electrode (16A) are laminated in order on a substrate (11). The anode (12) comprises silver which is a metal with high reflectance or an alloy including silver, and the thin film layer for hole injection (13) comprises chromium oxide or the like. Light generated in the luminescent layer (15C) is multiply reflected between the anode (12) and the semi-transparent electrode (16A) to be emitted from the cathode (16). As the reflectance of the anode (12) is enhanced, the light generated in the luminescent layer (15C) can be efficiently emitted. An alloy comprised in the anode (12) preferably includes silver, palladium and copper, and a silver content is preferably 50% by mass or over.
US09722198B2
A light-emitting device having a first light-emitting layer with a first quantum dot having a first core part and a first shell part. The first shell part has a surface coated with a surfactant, and the first shell part has a thickness of 3 to 5 ML based on the constituent molecule of the first shell part. The light-emitting device also can have second light-emitting layer with a second quantum dot having a second core part and a second shell part. The second shell part has a surface coated with two types of hole-transporting and electron-transporting surfactants, and the second shell part has a thickness of less than 3 ML based on the constituent molecule of the second shell part.
US09722189B2
Provided are an organic EL device practically satisfactory in terms of its light-emitting characteristics, driving voltage, and durability, and a compound for an organic EL device to be used in the device. The organic EL device has a structure in which an anode, a plurality of organic layers including a light-emitting layer, and a cathode are laminated on a substrate, and the organic EL device contains, in at least one organic layer selected from the light-emitting layer, a hole-transporting layer, an electron-transporting layer, a hole-blocking layer, and an electron-blocking layer, an adamantane compound having at least one triarylborane structure in a molecule thereof as the compound for an organic EL device.
US09722181B2
Provided are a laminate including an organic material mask and a method for preparing an organic light emitting device using the same. The laminate includes a substrate; and a mask provided on the substrate and including an organic material.
US09722180B2
An all-spray fabrication method for large scale inverted organic solar array is provided. Zinc oxide sol gel solutions and revised layers shorten the fabrication process from 2 days to 5 hours and concurrently improve transparency and visual effect of solar windows, and improve power conversion efficiency over 2× compared to previous devices, due to enhanced device characteristics like increased shunt resistance and fill factor. The method also eliminates human factors such as manual erasing of active layer to make series connections by providing a complete solution processable manufacturing process. The semi-transparency of the solar module allows for applications on windows and windshields. The inventive modules are more efficient than silicon solar cells in artificial light environments, significantly expanding their use in indoor applications. Additionally, these modules can be integrated into soft fabrics such as tents, military back-packs or combat uniforms, providing a highly portable renewable power supply for deployed military forces.
US09722179B2
A resistive switching memory comprising a first electrode and a second electrode; an active resistive switching region between the first electrode and the second electrode, the resistive switching region comprising a transition metal oxide and a dopant comprising a ligand, the dopant having a first concentration; a first buffer region between the first electrode and the resistive switching material, the first buffer region comprising the transition metal oxide and the dopant, wherein the dopant has a second concentration that is greater than the first concentration. In one embodiment, the second concentration is twice the first concentration. In one embodiment, the first buffer region is thicker than the active resistive switching region.
US09722173B2
According to one embodiment, a memory device includes a stacked body and a controller. The stacked body includes a first magnetic layer, a second magnetic layer stacked with the first magnetic layer, and a first nonmagnetic layer provided between the first magnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer. The second ferromagnetic layer includes a first portion and a second portion stacked with the first portion. The controller causes a current to flow in the stacked body in a programming period. The programming period includes a first and a second period. The current has a first value in the first period and a second value in the second period. The second value is less than the first value.
US09722168B2
There is provided a vibration generating apparatus including: an elastic member having both end portions fixed to a housing; a piezoelectric element installed on one surface of the elastic member; and a circuit board connected to the piezoelectric element, wherein the elastic member has support parts formed on both side surfaces of both end portions thereof and bent downwardly in order to be installed in the housing, and a portion of the circuit board passing between the support parts has a flat panel shape.
US09722166B2
A tunnel-effect power converter including first and second electrodes having opposite surfaces, wherein the first electrode includes protrusions extending towards the second electrode.
US09722165B2
A thermoelectric pixel includes a micro-platform and a device layer having one or more support layers suspended at a perimeter thereof. The pixel includes structures which reduce thermal conductivity and improve platform planarity. In embodiments providing an infrared sensor, carbon nanotubes are used to enhance infrared absorption into the sensor pixel. In other embodiments, the pixel provides a thermoelectric energy harvester.
US09722156B2
A light-emitting device includes a light-emitting element; a first light transmissive member that is disposed over the light-emitting element and that includes a first upper surface, a lower surface, a first lateral surface; and a second lateral surface positioned outside the first lateral surface, a second light transmissive member that covers at least a part of the first lateral surface; and a light reflective member that is disposed on a lateral surface of the second light transmissive member, the second lateral surface of the first light transmissive member, and a lateral surface of the light-emitting element.
US09722149B2
A light-emitting device includes a light-emitting element for emitting primary light, and a wavelength conversion unit for absorbing part of the primary light and emitting secondary light having a wavelength longer than that of the primary light, wherein the wavelength conversion unit includes plural kinds of phosphors having light absorption characteristics different from each other, and then at least one kind of phosphor among the plural kinds of phosphors has an absorption characteristic that can absorb the secondary light emitted from at least another kind of phosphor among the plural kinds of phosphors.
US09722141B2
An optoelectronic semiconductor element may include at least one LED chip which emits infrared radiation via a top side during operation. The radiation has a global intensity maximum at wavelengths between 800 nm and 1100 nm. The radiation has, at most 5% of the intensity of the intensity maximum at a limit wavelength of 750 nm. The radiation has a visible red light component. The semiconductor element may further include a filter element, which is arranged directly or indirectly on the top side of the LED chip and which has a transmissivity of at most 5% for the visible red light component of the LED chip, wherein the transmissivity of the filter element is at least 80%, at least in part, for wavelengths between the limit wavelength and 1100 nm, and a radiation exit surface provided for emitting the filtered radiation.
US09722133B2
A method of processing quantum dots is disclosed. The method comprises applying energy to excite the quantum dots to emit light and placing the quantum dots under vacuum after excitation of the quantum dots. Also disclosed is a method of processing a component including quantum dots comprising applying energy to the component including quantum dots to excite the quantum dots to emit light; and placing the component including quantum dots under vacuum after excitation. A method for processing a device is further disclosed, the method comprising applying energy to the device to excite the quantum dots to emit light; and placing the device under vacuum after excitation of the quantum dots. A method for preparing a device is also disclosed. Quantum dots, component, and devices of the methods are also disclosed.
US09722118B2
A method for the production of a photovoltaic module comprising back-contact solar cells. A lower encapsulating layer, followed by an alignment and an application of the lower encapsulating layer to the inner surface of the back-contact back-sheet. The lower encapsulating layer, comprises a lower surface facing the back-contact back-sheet and an upper surface opposite the lower surface. The method includes adhesion of one or more predetermined portions of the lower surface of the encapsulating layer to the back-contact back-sheet, having each portion a predetermined superficial area which is lower than the total area of the lower surface of the lower encapsulating layer. The adhesion of the lower encapsulating layer is followed by the application of the lower encapsulating layer to the back-contact back-sheet.
US09722113B2
A multilayer stack including a substrate, an active layer, and a tetradymite buffer layer positioned between the substrate and the active layer is disclosed. A method for fabricating a multilayer stack including a substrate, a tetradymite buffer layer and an active layer is also disclosed. Use of such stacks may be in photovoltaics, solar cells, light emitting diodes, and night vision arrays, among other applications.
US09722112B2
Methods and semiconductor materials produced by such methods that are suitable for use in photovoltaic cells, solar cells fabricated with such methods, and solar panels composed thereof. Such methods include a wet-chemical synthesis method capable of producing a Group I-III-VI2 semiconductor material by forming a solution containing an organic solvent, at least one Group I precursor of at least one Group I element, and at least one Group III precursor of at least one Group III element. The Group I precursor is present in the solution in an amount of less than 120% of a stoichiometric ratio of the Group I element in the Group I-III-VI2 semiconductor material, and the Group III precursor is present in the solution in an amount of greater than 55% of a stoichiometric ratio of the Group III element in the Group I-III-VI2 semiconductor material.
US09722107B2
A photoelectric conversion device according to an exemplary embodiment includes a pixel which includes a photoelectric conversion unit, an amplifier transistor that outputs a signal from the photoelectric conversion unit, and a reset transistor that supplies a reset voltage to the amplifier transistor. The photoelectric conversion unit includes a first electrode, a second electrode electrically connected to the amplifier transistor, a photoelectric conversion layer, and an insulating layer disposed between the photoelectric conversion layer and the second electrode. The pixel includes a first capacitor electrically connected to the second electrode. The capacitance value of the first capacitor, the capacitance value of a second capacitor between the first electrode and the second electrode, and a voltage supplied to the pixel satisfy a certain relationship.
US09722089B2
A thin film transistor array panel includes a substrate and a gate line disposed on the substrate. The gate line includes a gate electrode. A gate insulating layer is disposed on the gate line. An oxide semiconductor layer is disposed on the gate insulating layer. The oxide semiconductor layer at least partially overlaps the gate electrode. A data line is disposed on the oxide semiconductor layer. The data line includes a source electrode and a drain electrode facing the source electrode. The oxide semiconductor layer includes tungsten, indium, zinc, or tin.
US09722076B2
A semiconductor device includes a substrate, two gate structures, an interlayer dielectric layer and a material layer. The substrate has at least two device regions separated by at least one isolation structure disposed in the substrate. Each device region includes two doped regions disposed in the substrate. The gate structures are respectively disposed on the device regions. In each device region, the doped regions are respectively disposed at two opposite sides of the gate structure. The interlayer dielectric layer is disposed over the substrate and peripherally surrounds the gate structures. A top of the interlayer dielectric layer has at least one concave. The material layer fills the concave and has a top surface elevated at the same level with top surfaces of the gate structures. A ratio of a thickness of a thickest portion of the material layer to a pitch of the gate structures ranges from 1/30 to 1/80.
US09722065B1
A semiconductor device includes a transistor, a semiconductor layer, an active region and a conductive layer. The active region is in the semiconductor layer. The conductive layer is configured to maintain a channel in the active region when the transistor is triggered to be conducted.
US09722063B1
A high-voltage field effect transistor (HFET) includes a first semiconductor material, a second semiconductor material, and a heterojunction. The heterojunction is disposed between the first semiconductor material and the second semiconductor material. The HFET also includes a plurality of composite passivation layers, where a first composite passivation layer includes a first insulation layer and a first passivation layer, and a second composite passivation layer includes a second insulation layer and a second passivation layer. A gate dielectric is disposed between the first passivation layer and the second semiconductor material. A gate electrode is disposed between the gate dielectric and the first passivation layer. A first gate field plate is disposed between the first passivation layer and the second passivation layer. A source electrode and a drain electrode are coupled to the second semiconductor material, and a source field plate is coupled to the source electrode.
US09722062B2
The characteristics of a semiconductor device are improved. A semiconductor device has a potential fixed layer containing a p type impurity, a channel layer, and a barrier layer, formed over a substrate, and a gate electrode arranged in a trench penetrating through the barrier layer, and reaching some point of the channel layer via a gate insulation film. Source and drain electrodes are formed on opposite sides of the gate electrode. The p type impurity-containing potential fixed layer has an inactivated region containing an inactivating element such as hydrogen between the gate and drain electrodes. Thus, while raising the p type impurity (acceptor) concentration of the potential fixed layer on the source electrode side, the p type impurity of the potential fixed layer is inactivated on the drain electrode side. This can improve the drain-side breakdown voltage while providing a removing effect of electric charges by the p type impurity.
US09722060B2
In a semiconductor device, an element forming region formed with a semiconductor element for controlling a current is defined on a surface of a semiconductor substrate. A termination region is defined so as to surround the element forming region. In a gate electrode, a probe-contacting region and a wire region are defined. The probe-contacting region and the wire region are separated by an insulator formed on a surface of the gate electrode. Thus, the surface of the probe-contacting region and the surface of the wire region are located at the same height.
US09722058B2
This disclosure relates to bipolar transistors, such as heterojunction bipolar transistors, having at a doping spike in the collector. The doping spike can be disposed relatively near an interface between the collector and the base. For instance, the doping spike can be disposed within half of the thickness of the collector from the interface between the collector and the base. Such bipolar transistors can be implemented, for example, in power amplifiers.
US09722057B2
Device structure and fabrication methods for a bipolar junction transistor. A trench isolation region is formed that bounds an active device region along a sidewall. A dielectric region is formed that extends laterally from the sidewall of the active device region into the active device region. The dielectric region is located beneath a top surface of the active device region such that a section of the active device region is located between the top surface and the dielectric region.
US09722053B1
At least one method, apparatus and system are disclosed for forming a fin field effect transistor (finFET) while reducing oxidization and fin critical dimension loss. A plurality of fins of a transistor are formed. A hard mask layer is formed on top of the fins. A first liner layer is formed over the fins and the hard mask layer. A partial deposition process is performed for depositing a first insulation material in a first portion of a channel between the fins. A second liner layer is formed above the fins, the first insulation material, and the channel. A second insulation material is deposited above the second liner layer. A fin reveal process is performed for removing the second insulation material to a predetermined height. An etch process is performed for removing the hard mask layer and the first and second liner layers above the predetermined height.
US09722051B2
A FinFET comprises an isolation region formed in a substrate, a cloak-shaped active region formed over the substrate, wherein the cloak-shaped active region has an upper portion protruding above a top surface of the isolation region. In addition, the FinFET comprises a gate electrode wrapping the channel of the cloak-shaped active region.
US09722044B2
A semiconductor device having an n channel MISFET formed on an SOI substrate including a support substrate, an insulating layer formed on the support substrate and a silicon layer formed on the insulating layer has the following structure. An impurity region for threshold adjustment is provided in the support substrate of a gate electrode so that the silicon layer contains carbon. The threshold value can be adjusted by the semiconductor region for threshold adjustment in this manner. Further, by providing the silicon layer containing carbon, even when the impurity of the semiconductor region for threshold adjustment is diffused to the silicon layer across the insulating layer, the impurity is inactivated by the carbon implanted into the silicon layer. As a result, the fluctuation of the transistor characteristics, for example, the fluctuation of the threshold voltage of the MISFET can be reduced.
US09722042B2
The present invention discloses a group-III nitride semiconductor device, which comprises a substrate, a buffer layer, a semiconductor stack structure, and a passivation film. The buffer layer is disposed on the substrate. The semiconductor stack structure is disposed on the buffer layer and comprises a gate, a source, and a drain. In addition, a gate insulating layer is disposed between the gate and the semiconductor stack structure for forming a HEMT. The passivation film covers the HEMT and includes a plurality of openings corresponding to the gate, the source, and the drain, respectively. The material of the passivation film is silicon oxynitride.
US09722038B2
A CMOS fabrication process provides metal gates and contact metallization protected by metal cap layers resistant to reagents employed in downstream processing. Cobalt gates and contact metallization are accordingly feasible in CMOS processing requiring downstream wet cleans and etch processes that would otherwise compromise or destroy them. Low resistivity metal cap materials can be employed.
US09722033B2
A semiconductor device includes a substrate and a p-doped layer including a doped III-V material on the substrate. An n-type layer is formed on or in the p-doped layer. The n-type layer includes ZnO on the p-doped layer to form an electronic device.
US09722030B1
A semiconductor device includes a substrate including a plurality of transistor devices formed thereon, at least an epitaxial structure formed in between the transistor devices, and a tri-layered structure formed on the epitaxial structure. The epitaxial structure includes a first semiconductor material and a second semiconductor material, and a lattice constant of the second semiconductor material is larger than a lattice constant of the first semiconductor material. The tri-layered structure includes an undoped epitaxial layer, a metal-semiconductor compound layer, and a doped epitaxial layer sandwiched in between the undoped epitaxial layer and the metal-semiconductor compound layer. The undoped epitaxial layer and the doped epitaxial layer include at least the second semiconductor material.
US09722022B2
A method for forming active regions of a semiconductor device comprising forming a nanosheet stack on a substrate, forming the nanosheet stack comprising forming a sacrificial nanosheet layer on the substrate, and forming a nanosheet layer on the sacrificial nanosheet layer, forming an etch stop layer on the nanosheet stack, forming a mandrel layer on the etch stop layer, removing portions of the mandrel layer to form a mandrel on the etch stop layer, forming sidewalls adjacent to sidewalls of the mandrel, depositing a fill layer on exposed portions of the etch stop layer, removing the sidewalls and removing exposed portions of the etch stop layer and the nanosheet stack to expose portions of the substrate.
US09722018B2
A silicon carbide vertical MOSFET includes an N-counter layer of a first conductivity type formed in a surface layer other than a second semiconductor layer base layer selectively formed in a low concentration layer on a surface of the substrate, a gate electrode layer formed through a gate insulating film in at least a portion of an exposed portion of a surface of a third semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type between a source region of the first conductivity type and the N-counter layer of the first conductivity type, and a source electrode in contact commonly with surfaces of the source region and the third semiconductor layer. Portions of the second conductivity type semiconductor layer are connected with each other in a region beneath the N-counter layer.
US09722017B2
A silicon carbide semiconductor device capable of achieving a decrease in ON resistance and an increase in breakdown voltage and a method for manufacturing a silicon carbide semiconductor device. A silicon carbide semiconductor device includes a silicon carbide substrate and a drift layer. The drift layer includes a breakdown voltage holding layer extending from a point where a doping concentration has a predetermined value to a surface of the drift layer. The doping concentration in the breakdown voltage holding layer continuously decreases from the point where the doping concentration has the predetermined value to a modulation point located further toward the surface of the drift layer than a midpoint in a film thickness direction of the breakdown voltage holding layer. The doping concentration in the breakdown voltage holding layer continuously increases from the modulation point to the surface of the drift layer.
US09722016B2
Proton irradiation is performed a plurality of times from rear surface of an n-type semiconductor substrate, which is an n− drift layer, forming an n-type FS layer having lower resistance than the n-type semiconductor substrate in the rear surface of the n− drift layer. When the proton irradiation is performed a plurality of times, the next proton irradiation is performed to as to compensate for a reduction in mobility due to disorder which remains after the previous proton irradiation. In this case, the second or subsequent proton irradiation is performed at the position of the disorder which is formed by the previous proton irradiation. In this way, even after proton irradiation and a heat treatment, the disorder is reduced and it is possible to prevent deterioration of characteristics, such as increase in leakage current. It is possible to form an n-type FS layer including a high-concentration hydrogen-related donor layer.
US09722015B1
The present disclosure provides a capacitor structure, including a substrate having a conductive region; a trench in the conductive region and having a bottom portion and an inner sidewall portion; a spacer over the inner sidewall portion of the trench; a first conductive layer over the bottom portion and the spacer in the trench; a first dielectric layer over the first conductive layer and in the trench; a second conductive layer over the first dielectric layer and in the trench; and a second dielectric layer over the second conductive layer and in the trench, wherein the spacer comprises an angle in a range of from about 85 to about 89 degrees with respect to the bottom portion of the trench and comprises a flared opening opposite to the bottom portion of the trench. The present disclosure also provides a method for manufacturing the capacitor structure.
US09722009B2
A pad electrode structure including a substrate, an insulating layer on the substrate, a pad electrode on a portion of the insulating layer, and an organic insulating layer on the pad electrode and having an opening exposing an upper surface of the pad electrode, wherein an insertion area is in the insulating layer near the substrate, and wherein the organic insulating layer is separated from an end portion of the substrate, and a portion of the organic insulating layer is in the insertion area.
US09722007B2
Provided is a light emitting display device.The emitting display device comprises: a substrate including a plurality of pixels which are arranged in a first direction and a second direction that crosses the first direction, the plurality of pixels comprising a first main pixel block and a second main pixel block; a planarization pattern arranged on the substrate; a first electrode on the planarization pattern for each of the plurality of pixels; a pixel defining layer partitioning the respective pixels on the substrate and having an opening for exposing the first electrode; an organic layer on the first electrode; and a second electrode on the organic layer, wherein a thickness of the planarization pattern of the pixel in the second main pixel block is larger than a thickness of the planarization pattern of the pixel in the first main pixel block.
US09722002B2
An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display is disclosed. In one aspect, the OLED display includes a substrate including a pixel region including a plurality of pixels. A plurality of lighting test transistors is formed in a peripheral region surrounding the pixel region and electrically connected to the pixels, and the lighting test transistors are configured to test lighting of the pixels. Each of the lighting test transistors includes a first active layer pattern formed over the substrate, a first gate electrode formed over the first active layer pattern, and a conductive pattern formed over the first gate electrodes. The conductive pattern is electrically connected to the first gate electrode, the first gate electrodes are spaced apart from each other and have substantially the same shape, and the conductive patterns are integrally formed.
US09722001B2
An organic light emitting display including a substrate, a first electrode and a second electrode on the substrate and facing each other, at least two organic light emitting layers between the first electrode and the second electrode, and at least two color filters on the second electrode, the organic light emitting layers emitting a first color light, and the color filters emitting a second color light and a third color light.
US09721998B2
Disclosed is a display device including a pixel portion having a plurality of pixels which have a display element and a transmissive portion. The display element includes a light-emitting element which does not transmit external light, while the transmissive portion is arranged to transmit external light. In the display element, a top-emission or bottom-emission type light-emitting element is provided. On the other hand, no light-emitting element or a dual-emission type light-emitting element which possesses an EL layer interposed between two light-transmissive electrodes is provided to the transmissive portion. The emission color of the display element is controlled by a color filter which overlaps with the light-emitting element in the display element, while no color filter is given to the transmissive portion.
US09721994B2
According to an embodiment, a semiconductor device includes a silicon substrate, a photoelectric conversion layer, a termination layer, and an electrode layer. In the silicon substrate, first semiconductor regions and second semiconductor regions are alternately arranged along a first surface on a light incident side of the silicon substrate. The first semiconductor regions are doped with impurities of first concentration and have a conductivity of either one of p-type and n-type. The second semiconductor regions are doped with impurities of a second concentration lower than the first concentration and have a conductivity of the other type. The photoelectric conversion layer is disposed on a first surface side of the silicon substrate. The termination layer is disposed between the silicon substrate and the photoelectric conversion layer, in contact with the first surface, and to terminate dangling bonds of the silicon substrate. The electrode layer is provided on the light incident side.
US09721990B2
A magnetic tunnel junction cell includes a first electrode having an axis extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to an active surface of a substrate. The magnetic tunnel junction further includes a fixed layer, a U-shaped free layer, a tunnel layer sandwiched between the fixed layer and the U-shaped free layer and a second electrode embedded in the U-shaped free layer. The fixed layer, the tunnel layer and the U-shaped free layer are disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode and constitute a magnetic tunnel junction. The tunnel layer may also be U-shaped.
US09721977B2
A display device includes a substrate, a display element, a transistor as a drive element of the display element, and a holding capacitance element holding electric charge corresponding to a video signal, and including a first conductive film, a first semiconductor layer including an oxide semiconductor, an insulating film, and a second conductive film in order of closeness to the substrate. The display element, the transistor, and the holding capacitance element are provided on the substrate.
US09721975B2
A semiconductor device including: one or more pieces of first wiring having a main wiring section and a bifurcation wiring section; one or a plurality of pieces of second wiring having a trunk wiring section and a plurality of branch wiring sections within a gap region between the main wiring section and the bifurcation wiring section; one or a plurality of transistors each divided and formed into a plurality of pieces, the plurality of branch wiring sections individually functioning as a gate electrode and the one or plurality of transistors having a source region formed within the main wiring section and within the bifurcation wiring section and having a drain region formed between the plurality of branch wiring sections; and one or a plurality of pieces of third wiring electrically connected to the drain region of the one or plurality of transistors.
US09721974B2
The present invention relates to an array substrate, a method for manufacturing the same and a display device. The array substrate comprises a substrate, and a first region and a second region that are provided on the substrate and adjacent to each other and a difference in level between the two exceeds a threshold, a difference-in-level compensation pattern is provided on the substrate, which overlaps with both the first region and the second region in a direction perpendicular to the substrate and does not exceed the first region and the second region. By the technical solution of the present invention, the difference in level between the data line and an adjacent region on the array substrate is reduced, so that during a rubbing process, the rubbing area of a polyimide solution is increased, and the risk of light leakage is reduced without a decrease of the pixel aperture ratio.
US09721968B2
A semiconductor device with a novel structure that can consume less power and have a reduced size of a circuit. In the semiconductor device, when configuration operation is started in a path transistor in a configuration memory, supply of an H-level potential to a signal pass node is stopped and then the potential of the signal pass node is set at L level, whereby configuration data is input to a memory potential retaining node, which is a gate of the path transistor. After the configuration operation is completed, the supply of the H-level potential to the signal pass node is resumed so that capacitive coupling occurs between the path transistor and the memory potential retaining node and increase the gate potential of the path transistor, so that a boosting effect is obtained. The above structure eliminates the need for a keeper circuit, reducing the power consumption and the circuit area.
US09721967B2
A nonvolatile memory device includes gate electrodes three dimensionally arranged on a semiconductor substrate, a semiconductor pattern extending from the semiconductor substrate and crossing sidewalls of the gate electrodes, a metal liner pattern formed between the semiconductor pattern and formed on a top surface and a bottom surface of each of the gate electrodes, and a charge storage layer formed between the semiconductor pattern and the metal liner pattern.
US09721961B2
In this semiconductor memory device, the first conducting layers are arrayed laminated in a first direction, and extend in a second direction intersecting with the first direction. The first conducting layers are arrayed in a third direction via interlayer insulating films. The third direction intersects with the first direction and the second direction. The interlayer insulating film is disposed between the first conducting layers arrayed in the third direction, and extends in the first direction. The second conducting layer is disposed between the first conducting layers arrayed in the third direction, and extends in the first direction. The second conducting layer has an approximately circular cross-sectional shape intersecting with the first direction. The variable resistance layer surrounds a peripheral area of the second conducting layer, and is disposed at a position between the second conducting layer and the first conducting layer.
US09721959B2
To provide a semiconductor device that holds data even when power supply is stopped. The semiconductor device includes a first transistor, a second transistor, a third transistor, and a capacitor. One of a source electrode and a drain electrode of the first transistor is electrically connected to one of a source electrode and a drain electrode of the third transistor and one electrode of the capacitor. A gate electrode of the second transistor is electrically connected to the other of the source electrode and the drain electrode of the third transistor.
US09721953B2
A semiconductor device capable of retaining data for a long time is provided. The semiconductor device includes first to third transistors, a fourth transistor including first and second gates, first to third nodes, a capacitor, and an input terminal. A source of the first transistor is connected to the input terminal. A drain of the first transistor and a source of the second transistor are connected to the first node. A gate of the second transistor, a drain of the second transistor, and a source of the third transistor are connected to the second node. A gate of the third transistor, a drain of the third transistor, the capacitor, and the second gate of the fourth transistor are connected to the third node.
US09721949B1
A method of making a semiconductor structure is provided including providing a plurality of fins on a semiconductor substrate; depositing a layer containing silicon dioxide on the plurality of fins and on a surface of the semiconductor substrate; depositing a photoresist layer on one or more but less than all of the plurality of fins; etching the layer of silicon dioxide off of one or more of the plurality of fins on which the photoresist layer had not been deposited; stripping the photoresist layer; depositing a layer of pure boron on one or more of the plurality of fins on which a photoresist had not been deposited; and depositing a silicon nitride liner step on the plurality of fins. A partial semiconductor device fabricated by said method is also provided.
US09721942B2
By holding a voltage that depends on a video signal in a first capacitor, holding a voltage that depends on a threshold voltage of a transistor in a second capacitor, and then applying a total voltage of the voltage held in the first capacitor and the voltage held in the second capacitor between a source and a gate of the transistor, even when the threshold voltage varies, a current corresponding to the video signal can be supplied to a load. The voltage that depends on the video signal and the voltage that depends on the threshold voltage of the transistor are separately acquired.
US09721934B2
An LED lighting apparatus includes an LED substrate, a LED chip, a sealing resin member, and a reflecting face. The LED substrate has a main surface. The LED chip is mounted on the main surface of the LED substrate. The sealing resin member is made of a material that transmits light from the LED chip. The sealing resin member covers the LED chip. The sealing resin member has a shape bulging in the direction in which the main surface faces. The reflecting face surrounds the sealing resin member.
US09721933B2
A package includes a device die, a first plurality of redistribution lines underlying the device die, a second plurality of redistribution lines overlying the device die, and a metal pad in a same metal layer as the second plurality of redistribution lines. A laser mark is in a dielectric layer that is overlying the metal pad. The laser mark overlaps the metal pad.
US09721931B2
A semiconductor light emitting device including a substrate, a plurality of semiconductor light emitting units and a plurality of non-conductive walls is provided. The semiconductor light emitting device is disposed on the substrate in an array. Each of the semiconductor light emitting units has a first electrode and a second electrode opposite to the first electrode. Each of the semiconductor light emitting units is electrically connected to the substrate through the first electrode, and the semiconductor light emitting units are electrically connected together to a conducting layer through the second electrodes. The semiconductor light emitting units have different emission colors. The non-conductive walls are disposed between adjacent semiconductor light emitting units, to separate the semiconductor light emitting units. A fabricating method of semiconductor light emitting device is also provided.
US09721930B2
A semiconductor package includes a first semiconductor chip stacked on a package substrate in which a first surface of the first semiconductor chip faces the package substrate and a second surface that is opposite to the first surface, a second semiconductor chip stacked on the first semiconductor chip that includes a third surface facing the first semiconductor chip and a fourth surface that is opposite to the third surface, and an integral adhesive structure that substantially continuously fills a first space between the package substrate and the first semiconductor chip and a second space between the first and second semiconductor chips. The integral adhesive structure includes an extension protruding from outer sidewalls of the first and second semiconductor chips. The extension has one continuously convex sidewall between a level of the first surface and a level of the fourth surface.
US09721922B2
A semiconductor device has a first conductive layer including a plurality of conductive traces. The first conductive layer is formed over a substrate. The conductive traces are formed with a narrow pitch. A first semiconductor die and second semiconductor die are disposed over the first conductive layer. A first encapsulant is deposited over the first and second semiconductor die. The substrate is removed. A second encapsulant is deposited over the first encapsulant. A build-up interconnect structure is formed over the first conductive layer and second encapsulant. The build-up interconnect structure includes a second conductive layer. A first passive device is disposed in the first encapsulant. A second passive device is disposed in the second encapsulant. A vertical interconnect unit is disposed in the second encapsulant. A third conductive layer is formed over second encapsulant and electrically connected to the build-up interconnect structure via the vertical interconnect unit.
US09721921B2
A semiconductor device has a plurality of semiconductor die disposed over a carrier. An electrical interconnect, such as a stud bump, is formed over the semiconductor die. The stud bumps are trimmed to a uniform height. A substrate includes a bump over the substrate. The electrical interconnect of the semiconductor die is bonded to the bumps of the substrate while the semiconductor die is disposed over the carrier. An underfill material is deposited between the semiconductor die and substrate. Alternatively, an encapsulant is deposited over the semiconductor die and substrate using a chase mold. The bonding of stud bumps of the semiconductor die to bumps of the substrate is performed using gang reflow or thermocompression while the semiconductor die are in reconstituted wafer form and attached to the carrier to provide a high throughput of the flipchip type interconnect to the substrate.
US09721920B2
A method for manufacturing an embedded chip package is provided. The method may include: forming electrically conductive lines over a substrate; placing the substrate next to a chip arrangement comprising a chip, the chip comprising one or more contact pads, wherein one or more of the electrically conductive lines are arranged proximate to a side wall of the chip; and forming one or more electrical interconnects over the chip arrangement to electrically connect at least one electrically conductive line to at least one contact pad.
US09721916B2
An integrated circuit structure includes an alignment bump and an active electrical connector. The alignment bump includes a first non-solder metallic bump. The first non-solder metallic bump forms a ring encircling an opening therein. The active electrical connector includes a second non-solder metallic bump. A surface of the first non-solder metallic bump and a surface of the second non-solder metallic bump are substantially coplanar with each other.
US09721908B2
Provided is a thermal flow meter that can be prevented from being eroded due to adhesion of water or like to a cut end portion of the lead exposed from the mold resin of the circuit package. A thermal flow meter 300 of the present invention is a thermal flow meter having a circuit package 400 formed by mounting a detection element 518 on leads 544 and 545 supported by a support frame 512, sealing with a mold resin, and cutting off the support frame 512, wherein cut end portions 544a and 545a of the leads 544 and 545 exposed from the mold resin of the circuit package 400 by cutting off the support frame 512 is covered by a covering portion 371.
US09721904B2
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor package and the semiconductor package are provided. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor package may include arranging a conductive elastic plate over a package substrate including through slits disposed along edges of a chip mounting region and a conductive guard rails providing a concave trench shape, and bending the conductive elastic plate. Edge portions of the conductive elastic plate may be inserted into the trenches of the conductive guard rails and supported by the conductive guard rails by a force trying to stretch by the elastic restoring force of the wing portions of the conductive elastic plate.
US09721888B2
A modified trench metal-semiconductor alloy formation method involves depositing a layer of a printable dielectric or a sacrificial carbon material within a trench structure and over contact regions of a semiconductor device, and then selectively removing the printable dielectric or sacrificial carbon material to segment the trench and form plural contact vias. A metallization layer is formed within the contact vias and over the contact regions.
US09721886B2
An embodiment includes a semiconductor apparatus comprising: a redistribution layer (RDL) including a patterned RDL line having two RDL sidewalls, the RDL comprising a material selected from the group comprising Cu and Au; protective sidewalls directly contacting the two RDL sidewalls; a seed layer including the material; and a barrier layer; wherein (a) the RDL line has a RDL line width orthogonal to and extending between the two RDL sidewalls, and (b) the seed and barrier layers each include a width parallel to and wider than the RDL line width. Other embodiments are described herein.
US09721879B2
A device with pillar-shaped components, includes a substrate; a wiring layer disposed on the substrate; and pillar-shaped components disposed on any of the substrate and the wiring layer, each of the pillar-shaped components having a bottom part connected to the substrate and/or the wiring layer, a top part opposed to the bottom part, and a lateral face part extending from the bottom part and connected to the top part; wherein each of the pillar-shaped components includes a first pillar-shaped part formed by plating, a second pillar-shaped part formed on the first pillar-shaped part by plating, and a ring-like projection part formed on the lateral face part to project outward and extend in a circumferential direction, and to be in a position higher than a joint position between the first pillar-shaped part and the second pillar-shaped part.
US09721873B2
A semiconductor device with a through via penetrating a semiconductor substrate, in which shorting between a wiring and a semiconductor element is prevented to improve the reliability of the semiconductor device. A liner insulating film as a low-k film, which has a function to insulate the semiconductor substrate and a through-silicon via from each other and is thick enough to reduce capacitance between the semiconductor substrate and the through-silicon via, is used as an interlayer insulating film for a first wiring layer over a contact layer. This prevents a decrease in the thickness of an interlayer insulating film in the contact layer.
US09721865B2
A semiconductor device (1,21) includes a solid state device (2,22), a semiconductor chip (3) that has a functional surface (3a) on which a functional element (4) is formed and that is bonded on a surface of the solid state device with the functional surface thereof facing the surface of the solid state device and while maintaining a predetermined distance between the functional surface thereof and the surface of the solid state device, an insulating film (6) that is provided on the surface (2a, 22a) of the solid state device facing the semiconductor chip and that has an opening (6a) greater in size than the semiconductor chip when the surface of the solid state device facing the semiconductor chip is vertically viewed down in plane, and a sealing layer (7) that seals a space between the solid state device and the semiconductor chip.
US09721862B2
A semiconductor device includes a standardized carrier. A semiconductor wafer includes a plurality of semiconductor die and a base semiconductor material. The semiconductor wafer is singulated through a first portion of the base semiconductor material to separate the semiconductor die. The semiconductor die are disposed over the standardized carrier. A size of the standardized carrier is independent from a size of the semiconductor die. An encapsulant is deposited over the standardized carrier and around the semiconductor die. An interconnect structure is formed over the semiconductor die while leaving the encapsulant devoid of the interconnect structure. The semiconductor device is singulated through the encapsulant. Encapsulant remains disposed on a side of the semiconductor die. Alternatively, the semiconductor device is singulated through a second portion of the base semiconductor and through the encapsulant to remove the second portion of the base semiconductor and encapsulant from the side of the semiconductor die.
US09721858B2
An integrated circuit includes several metallization levels separated by an insulating region. A hollow housing whose walls comprise metallic portions is produced within various metallization levels. A controllable capacitive device includes a suspended metallic structure situated in the hollow housing within a first metallization level including a first element fixed on two fixing zones of the housing and at least one second element extending in cantilever fashion from the first element and includes a first electrode of the capacitive device. A second electrode includes a first fixed body situated at a second metallization level adjacent to the first metallization level facing the first electrode. The first element is controllable in flexion from a control zone of this first element so as to modify the distance between the two electrodes.
US09721855B2
A method for aligning a chip onto a substrate is disclosed. The method includes, depositing a ferrofluid, onto a substrate that has one or more pads that electrically couple to a semiconductor layer. The method can include a chip with solder balls electrically coupled to the logic elements of the chip, which can be placed onto the deposited ferrofluid, where the chip is supported on the ferrofluid, in a substantially coplanar orientation to the substrate. The method can include determining if the chip is misaligned from a desired location on the substrate. The method can include adjusting the current location of the chip in response to determining that the solder balls of the chip are misaligned from the desired location on the pads of the substrate, until the chip is aligned in the desired location.
US09721854B2
A system, method and apparatus may comprise a wafer having a plurality of spiral test structures located on the kerf of the wafer. The spiral test structure may comprise a spiral connected at either end by a capacitor to allow the spiral test structure to resonate. The spiral structures may be located on a first metal layer or on multiple metal layers. The system may further incorporate a test apparatus having a frequency transmitter and a receiver. The test apparatus may be a sensing spiral which may be placed over the spiral test structures. A controller may provide a range of frequencies to the test apparatus and receiving the resonant frequencies from the test apparatus. The resonant frequencies will be seen as reductions in signal response at the test apparatus.
US09721851B2
Forming a set of semiconductor fins is disclosed. Forming the set of semiconductor fins can include forming a base structure including a silicon substrate, an insulator layer stacked on the silicon substrate, and a plurality of silicon semiconductor fins each stacked directly on the insulator layer. Forming the set of semiconductor fins can include depositing a first atomic layer of germanium atoms on a first set of semiconductor fins in the plurality of semiconductor fins and annealing the first atomic layer and the first set of semiconductor fins. Forming the set of semiconductor fins can include forming, from the annealing, a first set of silicon-germanium semiconductor fins.
US09721844B2
A semiconductor device comprising a switch and a method of making the same. The device has a layout that includes one or more rectangular unit cells. Each unit cell includes a gate that divides the unit cell into four corner regions. Each unit cell also includes a source comprising first and second source regions located in respective opposite corner regions of the unit cell. Each unit cell further includes a drain comprising first and second drain regions located in respective opposite corner regions of the unit cell. Each unit cell also includes a plurality of connection members extending over the gate, source and drain for providing electrical connections to the gate, source and drain.
US09721840B2
The present invention provides a complementary metal oxide semiconductor device, comprising a PMOS and an NMOS. The PMOS has a P type metal gate, which comprises a bottom barrier layer, a P work function metal (PWFM) layer, an N work function tuning (NWFT) layer, an N work function metal (NWFM) layer and a metal layer. The NMOS has an N type metal gate, which comprises the NWFT layer, the NWFM layer and the low-resistance layer. The present invention further provides a method of forming the same.
US09721835B2
Recrystallization and grain growth of an interconnect metal, such as Cu, is achieved at higher anneal temperatures of 150° C. to 600° C., for example, for short anneal times of five to 180 minutes by forming a metal stress locking layer on the interconnect metal before anneal and chemical-mechanical polishing. The stress locking layer extends the elastic region of the interconnect metal by suppressing atom diffusion to the free surface, resulting in near zero tensile stress at room temperature after anneal. Stress voiding, which creates reliability problems, is thereby avoided. Improved grain size and texture are also achieved. The stress locking layer is removed after anneal by chemical-mechanical polishing or wet etching leaving the metal interconnect with low stress and improved grain size and texture. Annealing can be done in a forming gas or nitrogen gas atmosphere.
US09721833B2
A semiconductor device with voids within a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) structure and a method of forming the semiconductor device are provided. Voids are formed within a Buried Oxide layer (BOX layer) of the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) semiconductor to enhance a performance index of an RF-SOI switch. The semiconductor device with voids within a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) structure includes a semiconductor substrate; an insulating layer disposed on the substrate; a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) layer disposed on the insulating layer; a device isolation layer and an active area disposed within the SOI layer; one or more voids disposed within the insulating layer; and a sealing insulating sealing an opening of the void.
US09721832B2
Methods of fabricating silicon-on-insulator (SOI) semiconductor devices using blanket fusion bonding
A method for fabricating silicon-on-insulator (SOI) semiconductor devices, wherein the piezoresistive pattern is defined within a blanket doped layer after fusion bonding. This new method of fabricating SOI semiconductor devices is more suitable for simpler large scale fabrication as it provides the flexibility to select the device pattern/type at the latest stages of fabrication.
US09721822B2
Disclosed is an electrostatic chuck apparatus which is configured of: an electrostatic chuck section; an annular focus ring section provided to surround the electrostatic chuck section; and a cooling base section which cools the electrostatic chuck section and the focus ring section. The focus ring section is provided with an annular focus ring, an annular heat conducting sheet, an annular ceramic ring, a nonmagnetic heater, and an electrode section that supplies power to the heater.
US09721820B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide an end effector capable of generating an electrostatic chucking force to chuck a substrate disposed therein without damaging the substrate. In one embodiment, an end effector for a robot, the end effector includes a body having an electrostatic chucking force generating assembly, and a mounting end coupled to the body, the mounting end for coupling the body to the robot.
US09721818B2
An apparatus for transporting a leadframe sheet during semiconductor die assembly includes a rail having sub-rails defining a machine track and an inner space along which the leadframe sheet is moved. A position detector senses a position of the leadframe sheet as the leadframe sheet moves along the machine track. A controller including a processor is coupled to the position detector for receiving the position of the leadframe sheet. A pressurized gas stopper is positioned within the inner space including a gas distributor having at least one gas inlet for receiving a pressured gas supply and at least one gas outlet for directing a flow of gas toward the leadframe sheet sufficient to stop movement of the leadframe sheet. The controller provides control signals for controlling the flow of gas to provide non-contact stopping of the leadframe sheet at one or more locations along the machine track.
US09721814B2
In a substrate processing apparatus, an election head from a position above a substrate held by a substrate holding part to an inspection position above a standby pod disposed outside a cup part. At the inspection position, a processing liquid ejected from the ejection head toward the standby pod is irradiated with planar light emitted from a light emitting part. An imaging part acquires an inspection image including bright dots appearing on the processing liquid, and a determination part determines the quality of the ejection operation of the ejection head on the basis of the inspection image. Accordingly, it is possible to eliminate the influence of reflected light from the substrate and droplets, mist, or the like of the processing liquid having collided with the substrate and to accurately determine the quality of the ejection operation of the ejection head.
US09721811B2
A semiconductor device for high power application in which a novel semiconductor material having high mass productivity is provided. An oxide semiconductor film is formed, and then, first heat treatment is performed on the exposed oxide semiconductor film in order to reduce impurities such as moisture or hydrogen in the oxide semiconductor film. Next, in order to further reduce impurities such as moisture or hydrogen in the oxide semiconductor film, oxygen is added to the oxide semiconductor film by an ion implantation method, an ion doping method, or the like, and after that, second heat treatment is performed on the exposed oxide semiconductor film.
US09721809B2
Disclosed herein is a method of forming a gettering layer for capturing metallic ions on the back side of a semiconductor wafer formed with devices on the face side thereof. The method includes irradiating the back-side surface of the semiconductor wafer with a pulsed laser beam having a pulse width corresponding to a thermal diffusion length of 10 to 230 nm, to thereby form the gettering layer.
US09721797B2
A semiconductor device and a method for forming the same. The semiconductor device includes a tunnel insulating layer, a charge storage layer including a dopant, and a diffusion barrier layer including at least one of carbon, nitrogen, or oxygen interposed between the tunnel insulating layer and the charge storage layer.
US09721796B2
A process is disclosed of forming metal replacement gates for PMOS transistors with oxygen in the metal gates such that the PMOS gates have effective work functions above 4.85. Metal work function layers in the PMOS gates are oxidized at low temperature to increase their effective work functions to the desired PMOS range. Hydrogen may also be incorporated at an interface between the metal gates and underlying gate dielectrics. Materials for the metal work function layers and processes for the low temperature oxidation are disclosed.
US09721789B1
Methods of selectively removing silicon oxide are described. Exposed portions of silicon oxide and spacer material may both be present on a patterned substrate. The silicon oxide may be a native oxide formed on silicon by exposure to atmosphere. The exposed portion of spacer material may have been etched back using reactive ion etching (RIE). A portion of the exposed spacer material may have residual damage from the reactive ion etching. A self-assembled monolayer (SAM) is selectively deposited over the damaged portion of spacer material but not on the exposed silicon oxide or undamaged portions of spacer material. A subsequent gas-phase etch may then be used to selectively remove silicon oxide but not the damaged portion of the spacer material because the SAM has been found to not only preferentially adsorb on the damaged spacer but also to halt the etch rate.
US09721783B2
Methods for removing particles from a wafer for photolithography. A method is provided including providing a semiconductor wafer; attaching a polyimide layer to a backside of the semiconductor wafer; and performing an etch on an active surface of the semiconductor wafer; wherein particles that impinge on the backside during the etch are captured by the polyimide layer. In another method, includes attaching a layer of polyimide film to a backside of a semiconductor wafer; dry etching a material on an active surface of the semiconductor wafer; depositing of an additional layer of material on the active surface of the semiconductor wafer; removing the layer of polyimide film from the backside of the semiconductor wafer; patterning the layer of material using an immersion photolithography process to expose a photoresist on the active surface of the wafer; and repeating the attaching, dry etching, depositing, removing and patterning steps.
US09721777B1
The invention relates to a mass spectrometer having an electron impact ionization source which comprises an ejector for forming a beam of sample gas being driven in a first direction through an interaction region; a magnet assembly configured and arranged such that its magnetic field lines pass through the interaction region substantially parallel to the first direction; an electron emitter assembly for directing electrons toward the interaction region in a second direction being aligned substantially opposite to the first direction, wherein the electrons propagate along and are confined about the magnetic field lines until reaching the interaction region and forming sample gas ions therein; and a mass analyzer located downstream from the interaction region to which the sample gas ions are guided for mass analysis.
US09721772B2
A radiation detection assembly that includes an ionization chamber having a cathode and an anode. The ionization chamber detects radiation that passes into the ionization chamber. The assembly includes an exterior enclosure defining a hollow internal volume within which the ionization chamber is enclosed. The exterior enclosure includes at least two layers. At least one of the layers provides an electromagnetic shield to the hollow internal volume and the ionization chamber enclosed therein.
US09721771B2
A film forming apparatus includes a processing chamber, a gas supply unit, a stage, at least one holder, a power supply, at least one magnet and a magnet rotation unit. The gas supply unit is configured to supply a gas into the processing chamber. The stage is provided in the processing chamber, and has a center coinciding with a central axis which extends in a vertical direction. The stage is configured to cool the object to about −50° C. or below. Each holder is configured to hold a target, and extends in an annular shape above the stage inside the processing chamber. The power supply is configured to generate a voltage to be applied to the target. Each magnet is provided outside the processing chamber and faces the target. The magnet rotation unit is configured to rotate the magnet about the central axis.
US09721770B2
A target for sputtering which enables to attain high rate film-formation of a transparent conductive film suitable for a blue LED or a solar cell. A oxide sintered body includes an indium oxide and a cerium oxide, and one or more oxide of titanium, zirconium, hafnium, molybdenum and tungsten. The cerium content is 0.3 to 9% by atom, as an atomicity ratio of Ce/(In+Ce), and the content of cerium is equal to or lower than 9% by atom, as an atomicity ratio of Ce/(In+Ce). The oxide sintered body has an In2O3 phase of a bixbyite structure has a CeO2 phase of a fluorite-type structure finely dispersed as crystal grains having an average particle diameter of equal to or smaller than 3 μm.
US09721769B2
This invention relates to the in-vacuum rotational device on a cylindrical magnetron sputtering source where the target or target elements of the target construction of such device are enabled to rotate without the need of a vacuum to atmosphere or vacuum to coolant dynamic seal. This invention relates to the use of the device in vacuum plasma technology where a plasma discharge, or any other appropriate source of energy such as arcs, laser, which can be applied to the target or in its vicinity would produce suitable coating deposition or plasma treatment on components of different nature. This invention also relates but not exclusively to the use of the device in sputtering, magnetron sputtering, arc, plasma polymerization, laser ablation and plasma etching. This invention also relates to the use of such devices and control during non-reactive and reactive processes, with or without feedback plasma process control. This invention also relates to the arrangement of these devices as a singularity or a plurality of units. This invention also relates to the target construction which can be used in such device. This invention also relates to the use of these devices in different power modes such as DC, DC pulsed, RF, AC, AC dual, HIPIMS, or any other powering mode in order to generate a plasma, such as sputtering plasma, plasma arc, electron beam evaporation, plasma polymerization plasma, plasma treatment or any other plasma generated for the purpose of a process, for example, and not exclusively, as deposition process or surface treatment process, etc.
US09721765B2
A plasma source is provided. The plasma source includes at least three hollow cathodes, including a first hollow cathode, a second hollow cathode, and a third hollow cathode, each hollow cathode having a plasma exit region. The plasma source includes a source of power capable of producing multiple output waves, including a first output wave, a second output wave, and a third output wave, wherein the first output wave and the second output wave are out of phase, the second output wave and the third output wave are out of phase, and the first output wave and the third output wave are out of phase. Each hollow cathode is electrically connected to the source of power such that the first hollow cathode is electrically connected to the first output wave, the second hollow cathode is electrically connected to the second output wave, and the third hollow cathode is electrically connected to the third output wave. Electrical current flows between the at least three hollow cathodes that are out of electrical phase. The plasma source is capable of generating a plasma between the hollow cathodes.
US09721748B2
An apparatus for generating x-rays includes an electron beam generator and a first device arranged to apply an RF electric field to accelerate the electron beam from the generator. A photon source is arranged to provide photons to a zone to interact with the electron beam from the first device so as to generate x-rays via inverse-Compton scattering. A second device is arranged to apply an RF electric field to decelerate the electron beam after it has interacted. The first and second devices are connected by RF energy transmission means arranged to recover RF energy from the decelerated electron beam as it passes through the second device and transfer the recovered RF energy into the first device.
US09721740B1
A magnetically-triggered proximity switch includes an actuator assembly disposed within a switch body, and the actuator assembly includes an actuator body extending along an actuator axis. A primary contact and a secondary contact is each coupled to the actuator body and may be separated from a center contact along the actuator axis. The actuator assembly is pivotable between a first switch position and a second switch position about a pivot axis. In the first switch position, the center contact is in contact with a common contact and the first contact is in contact with a primary contact, thereby completing a circuit between a common arm and a primary arm. In the second switch position, the center contact is in contact with the common contact and the second contact is in contact with a secondary contact, thereby completing a circuit between the common arm and a secondary arm.
US09721723B2
A hand-held power tool rechargeable battery is provided, including at least one rechargeable battery housing, at least one rechargeable battery cell and at least one inductive charging unit, which includes at least one inductive charging coil for charging the at least one rechargeable battery cell. It is provided that the rechargeable battery housing has at least one molded housing projection, which is delimited at least partially by an area of an inductive charging side of the rechargeable battery housing.
US09721721B2
Disclosed is a wireless power transmitter which transmits power through a wireless power receiver to a load side. The wireless power transmitter includes a power source for generating AC power; a transmission coil for wirelessly transmitting the AC power to a reception coil of the wireless power receiver; and a detecting unit for detecting a coupling state between the transmission coil and the reception coil.
US09721712B2
The present disclosure relates to a hybrid fastener system involving combining mechanical tensile features with magnetic components.
US09721709B2
Various SMES systems that include two magnets in a single cryostat are disclosed. These dual SMES systems can be used, for example, to provide uninterrupted power to a data center. The two coil sets are arranged such that they are magnetically decoupled from each other. In one embodiment, a toroidal coil set is used as the primary coil set. The toroidal coil set has a plurality of toroidal field (TF) coils extending radially outward and evenly spaced in the circumferential direction. The second coil set may be a solenoidal coil set having a main coil and a plurality of shielding coils. The toroidal coil set may be disposed in the space between the main coil and the shielding coils of the solenoidal coil set. Alternate designs are also presented.
US09721697B2
Organic polymeric bi-metallic alkoxide or aryloxide composites are used as dielectric materials in various devices with improved properties such as improved mobility. These composites comprise a poly(meth)acrylate or polyester having metal coordination sites, and the same or different bi-metallic alkoxide or aryloxide molecules that are coordinated with the organic polymer. The bi-metallic alkoxide or aryloxide molecules can be represented by Structure (I) shown herein. Such composites are generally soluble at room temperature in various organic solvents and be provided in homogeneous organic solvent solutions that can be suitably applied to a substrate to form dielectric materials.
US09721696B2
An electrically conductive wire for deep water transmission includes a first wire portion and a second wire portion. The first wire portion makes up one end of the wire, and is formed from a first metal. The second wire portion is formed from a second metal. The first metal has a higher ultimate tensile strength than the second metal. The first wire portion is used to support the weight of the second wire portion, thereby allowing the electrically conductive wire to be used in underwater or subsea power cables which may be freely suspended from their origin for providing electricity to electrical devices located in deep water or ultra-deep water.
US09721677B2
Illustrative embodiments provide a nuclear fission reactor, that includes a reactor vessel, a nuclear fission fuel element capable of generating a gaseous fission product, a valve body defining a plenum for receiving the gaseous fission product, and a valve in operative communication with the plenum for controllably venting the gaseous fission product from the plenum.
US09721670B1
A semiconductor device includes a plurality of first memory strings each first memory string having a channel with a first length and a plurality of second memory strings each second memory string having a channel with a second length shorter than the first length. A method of operating the semiconductor device includes: performing a first read operation on the first read unit, wherein the first read unit includes the first memory cells sharing the same first word line among first memory cells included in the plurality of the first memory strings; and performing a second read operation on the second read unit, wherein the second read unit includes the second memory cells sharing the same second word line among second memory cells included in the plurality of the second memory strings.
US09721669B2
A data protection method for a memory storage apparatus is provided. The method includes obtaining a current system time from a host system as a boot time, if the memory storage apparatus is powered on, and a basic input/output system of the host system loads and executes instruction programs in the expansion ROM of the memory storage apparatus for transmitting the current system time to the memory storage apparatus. The method also includes obtaining a shutdown time corresponding to the memory storage apparatus; calculating an off time from the shutdown time to the boot time and performing a refresh operation on physical erasing units of a rewritable non-volatile memory in the memory storage apparatus if the off time is longer than an off time threshold.
US09721665B2
A data writing method for writing data to a flash memory includes writing an initial value to the data storage area, determining whether or not the writing of the initial value is performed normally based on a write flag, writing data to the data storage area when the writing is performed normally, and erasing a block including the data storage area when the writing is not performed normally. An initial value is written to the data storage area before writing data, so that whether or not an error correction code storage area contains the initial value may be confirmed. An erase operation of the block is performed only when the error correction code storage area does not contain the initial value, so that the number of times of erasure of the block may be reduced and the life of the product may be increased.
US09721661B1
An example content addressable memory. A bit cell of the memory may include a memristor and a switching transistor that are connected in series between a first data line and a second data line. The bit cell may also include a match-line transistor connected between a match line and a rail. A gate of the match-line transistor may be connected to a common node of the memristor and the switching transistor. The switching transistor may be sized such that its channel resistance when on is between a resistance associated with a low-resistance state of the memristor and a resistance associated with a high-resistance state of the memristor.
US09721656B2
A device includes a cross-point array and an access circuit to access subsets of memory elements respectively corresponding to encoded blocks of data. For each of the subsets of memory elements, a row or a column of the cross-point array that includes a first memory element in the subset and a second memory element in the subset further includes a third memory element that is between the first and second memory elements along the row or column and is in one of the subsets corresponding to another of the encoded blocks.
US09721654B1
A memory device according to one embodiment includes a first interconnection, a second interconnection, a charge storage portion provided between the first interconnection and the second interconnection, a tunnel film provided between the first interconnection and the charge storage portion, and a block film. the charge storage portion is capable of accumulating an electron. The tunnel film includes a fine particulate layer that including conductive fine particulates satisfying the Coulomb blockade condition, a first tunnel insulating layer provided between the first interconnection and the fine particulate layer, and a second tunnel insulating layer provided between the fine particulate layer and the charge storage portion. The block film is provided between the charge storage portion and the second interconnection. The block film has an energy structure in which no concave portion with an energy barrier lower than energy barriers on both sides thereof is present.
US09721648B2
There is provided, for example, a write assist circuit for controlling the voltage level of a memory cell power supply line coupled to an SRAM memory cell to be written in the write operation. The write assist circuit reduces the voltage level of the memory cell power supply line to a predetermined voltage level, in response to a write assist enable signal that is enabled in the write operation. At the same time, the write assist circuit controls the reduction speed of the voltage level of the memory cell power supply line, according to the pulse width of a write assist pulse signal. The pulse width of the write assist pulse signal is defined in such a way that the greater the number of rows (or the longer the length of the memory cell power supply line), the greater the pulse width.
US09721641B2
Techniques and mechanisms for determining a timing of a command to access a memory device resource. In an embodiment, a multi-cycle command which is exchanged from a memory controller to a memory device, wherein the multi-cycle command indicates an access to a bank of the memory device. Timing of the one or more other commands is controlled, based on the multi-cycle command, to enforce a time delay parameter which describes an operational constraint of the memory device. In another embodiment, timing of one or more commands is determined with reference to a beginning of a last cycle of a multi-cycle command.
US09721629B2
A system has a plurality of memory devices arranged in a fly-by topology, each having on-die termination (ODT) circuitry for connecting to an address and control (RQ) bus. The ODT circuitry of each memory device includes a set of one or more control registers for controlling on-die termination of one or more signal lines of the RQ bus. A first memory device includes a first set of one or more control registers storing a first ODT value, for controlling termination of one or more signal lines of the RQ bus by the ODT circuitry of the first memory device, and a second memory device includes a second set of one or more control registers storing a second ODT value different from the first ODT value, for controlling termination of one or more signal lines of the RQ bus by the ODT circuitry of the second memory device.
US09721628B1
Data paths are provided to a memory array. The data paths include switches for selectively aligning the data paths to different multiplexors for reading or writing to the memory array. Read data lines are steered to selected sense amplifiers based on the decode address, using the switches. Write data lines are steered to selected write drivers based on the decode address, using the switches.
US09721619B2
A hermetically-sealed hard disk drive (HDD) utilizes a laminated film seal to seal an interface of an electrical feed-through connector and an HDD enclosure base. The laminated film seal may be constructed of a heat sealant layer that bonds with a surface of the base and a surface of the electrical connector, a barrier layer which inhibits gas from escaping from inside the HDD, and a film surface protective layer which protects the heat sealant and barrier layers. Embodiments may include a heat sealant layer comprising a thermoplastic polymer such as polypropylene, a barrier layer comprising a metal such as aluminum, and a film surface protective layer comprising a thermoplastic polymer such as polyethylene terephthalate.
US09721616B2
Systems and methods for displaying content pre-delivered to a user device, playing back content pre-delivered to a user device, and/or pre-delivering content to a user device during concurrent content playback, are described. In some embodiments, the systems and methods include or interact with a mobile application that displays descriptions of content available for playback via the mobile application along with indicators that represent a state of delivery (e.g., a state of pre-delivery) for the content items.
US09721615B2
In one embodiment, a method for non-linear navigation of video content includes: receiving the video content in a live video review buffer, where the video content is indexed according to a time code index, defining video content windows in the video content according to blocks of time according to the time code index, displaying a grid of video tiles, where each of the video tiles is associated with one of the video content windows in the live video review buffer, defining an in-focus status for one of the video tiles, and in response to user input, navigating the video content window associated with the video tile with the in-focus status.
US09721613B2
In a content management system, a still image generation unit generates at least one piece of still image data based on moving image data. A still image selection unit causes a user to select one piece of still image data from among the generated at least one piece of still image data. A management marker registration unit registers the selected still image data or information based on the selected still image data as a management marker in association with the moving image data. An access key issuing unit issues an access key for accessing the moving image data. And a management image generation unit generates management image data including the still image data and the access key.
US09721612B2
An approach is provided for providing content lists using connecting user interface elements. The content-based patching platform causes, at least in part, a rendering of a user interface depicting at least one location-based content list and at least one other location-based content list. Next, the content-based patching platform determines one or more interactions with at least one connecting user interface element to cause, at least in part, an association of the at least one location-based content list with the at least one other location-based content list. Then, the content-based patching platform determines to create at least one mixed content list from the at least one location-based content list, the at least one other location-based content list, or a combination thereof based, at least in part, on the association.
US09721590B2
A magnetic element can be constructed by forming a write pole with a tip portion that continuously extends from an air bearing surface (ABS) along a plane orthogonal to the ABS to a body portion that continuously extends from the tip portion distal the ABS. A first write gap layer can then be deposited in contact with the write pole before a processing layer is deposited in contact with the first write gap layer. A magnetic shield may then be formed atop the processing layer with the magnetic shield being separated from the write pole by a first gap distance on the ABS throughout the tip portion and by a second gap distance distal the ABS along the plane orthogonal to the ABS along the body portion. The first and second gap distances can be measured parallel to the ABS with the second gap distance being greater than the first gap distance.
US09721589B2
Implementations disclosed herein provide a method comprising emitting light at a plurality of locations across a surface of a recording head, detecting light output from a diffraction grating axis with a detector, and determining a target position for mounting a light source on the surface of the recording head by analyzing the detected light output corresponding to one or more of the plurality of locations.
US09721587B2
Embodiments are disclosed that relate to providing visual feedback in a speech recognition system. For example, one disclosed embodiment provides a method including displaying a graphical feedback indicator having a variable appearance dependent upon a state of the speech recognition system. The method further comprises receiving a speech input, modifying an appearance of the graphical feedback indicator in a first manner if the speech input is heard and understood by the system, and modifying the appearance of the graphical feedback indicator in a different manner than the first manner if the speech input is heard and not understood.
US09721586B1
A voice controlled assistant has a housing to hold one or more microphones, one or more speakers, and various computing components. The housing has an elongated cylindrical body extending along a center axis between a base end and a top end. The microphone(s) are mounted in the top end and the speaker(s) are mounted proximal to the base end. A control knob is rotatably mounted to the top end of the housing to rotate about the center axis. A light indicator is arranged on the control knob to exhibit various appearance states to provide visual feedback with respect to the one or more functions being performed by the assistant. In one case, the light indicator is used to uniquely identify participants involved in a call.
US09721582B1
Existing post-filtering methods for microphone array speech enhancement have two common deficiencies. First, they assume that noise is either white or diffuse and cannot deal with point interferers. Second, they estimate the post-filter coefficients using only two microphones at a time, performing averaging over all the microphones pairs, yielding a suboptimal solution. The provided method describes a post-filtering solution that implements signal models which handle white noise, diffuse noise, and point interferers. The method also implements a globally optimized least-squares approach of microphones in a microphone array, providing a more optimal solution than existing conventional methods. Experimental results demonstrate the described method outperforming conventional methods in various acoustic scenarios.
US09721580B2
Provided are methods and systems for providing situation-dependent transient noise suppression for audio signals. Different strategies (e.g., levels of aggressiveness) of transient suppression and signal restoration are applied to audio signals associated with participants in a video/audio conference depending on whether or not each participant is speaking (e.g., whether a voiced segment or an unvoiced/non-speech segment of audio is present). If no participants are speaking or there is an unvoiced/non-speech sound present, a more aggressive strategy for transient suppression and signal restoration is utilized. On the other hand, where voiced audio is detected (e.g., a participant is speaking), the methods and systems apply a softer, less aggressive suppression and restoration process.
US09721577B1
An apparatus and method are disclosed for filtering and performing high frequency reconstruction of an audio signal. The apparatus includes an analysis filter bank, a phase shifter, a high frequency reconstructor, and a synthesis filter bank. The analysis filterbank receives real-valued time domain input audio samples and generates complex valued subband samples. The phase shifter shifts a phase of the complex-valued subband samples by an arbitrary amount. The high frequency reconstructor modifies at least some of the complex valued subband samples. A phase shifter unshifts a phase of the modified complex-valued subband samples by the arbitrary amount. The synthesis filter bank receives the modified complex valued subband samples and generates time domain output audio samples. The analysis filter bank comprises analysis filters that are complex exponential modulated versions of a prototype filter with an arbitrary phase shift.
US09721575B2
Embodiments of systems and methods are described for providing backwards compatibility for legacy devices that are unable to natively render non-channel based audio objects. These systems and methods can also be beneficially used to produce a reduced set of audio objects for compatible object-based decoders with low computing resources.
US09721564B2
Systems and methods for performing ASR in the presence of heterographs are provided. Verbal input is received from the user that includes a plurality of utterances. A first of the plurality of utterances is matched to a first word. It is determined that a second utterance in the plurality of utterances matches a plurality of words that is in a same heterograph set. It is identified which one of the plurality of words is associated with a context of the first word. A function is performed based on the first word and the identified one of the plurality of words.
US09721563B2
A speech recognition system uses, in one embodiment, an extended phonetic dictionary that is obtained by processing words in a user's set of databases, such as a user's contacts database, with a set of pronunciation guessers. The speech recognition system can use a conventional phonetic dictionary and the extended phonetic dictionary to recognize speech inputs that are user requests to use the contacts database, for example, to make a phone call, etc. The extended phonetic dictionary can be updated in response to changes in the contacts database, and the set of pronunciation guessers can include pronunciation guessers for a plurality of locales, each locale having its own pronunciation guesser.
US09721561B2
In a speech recognition system, deep neural networks (DNNs) are employed in phoneme recognition. While DNNs typically provide better phoneme recognition performance than other techniques, such as Gaussian mixture models (GMM), adapting a DNN to a particular speaker is a real challenge. According to at least one example embodiment, speech data and corresponding speaker data are both applied as input to a DNN. In response, the DNN generates a prediction of a phoneme based on the input speech data and the corresponding speaker data. The speaker data may be generated from the corresponding speech data.
US09721557B2
Boomless-microphones are described for a wireless helmet communicator with siren signal detection and classification capabilities. An acoustic component receives an audio signal and comprises a left acoustic sensor and a right acoustic sensor. The left acoustic sensor is mountable or attachable to the surface of a left wall of a helmet and the right acoustic sensor is mountable or attachable to the surface of a right wall. A speaker component can generate an echoless audio signal via signal inversion of the audio signal, outputs to a left speaker mountable or attachable to a left ear area of the helmet and a right speaker mountable or attachable to a right ear area of the helmet. A signal enhancement component can increase an intensity of the first audio signal associated with an emergency siren based on a determined proximity of an emitting emergency vehicle or emergency object to the device.
US09721556B2
An adaptive noise canceling (ANC) circuit adaptively generates an anti-noise signal from a reference microphone signal that is injected into the speaker or other transducer output to cause cancellation of ambient audio sounds. An error microphone proximate the speaker provides an error signal. A secondary path estimating adaptive filter estimates the electro-acoustical path from the noise canceling circuit through the transducer so that source audio can be removed from the error signal. Tones in the source audio, such as remote ringtones, present in downlink audio during initiation of a telephone call, are detected by a tone detector using accumulated tone persistence and non-silence hangover counting, and adaptation of the secondary path estimating adaptive filter is halted to prevent adapting to the tones. Adaptation of the adaptive filters is then sequenced so any disruption of the secondary path adaptive filter response is removed before allowing the anti-noise generating filter to adapt.
US09721548B1
The present invention relates to a bass drum beater apparatus. Specifically, the bass drum beater apparatus comprises a beater head interconnected with a spring element that is, in turn, interconnected to a base element that is connected to a beater rod. A bass drum pedal system is further provided. Methods of making and using the same are further provided.
US09721545B2
The invention relates to a device for carrying a wind instrument. The device comprises a Y-shaped frame having two arms (2, 2′) extending upward, which are arcuate at the free ends (9) of the arms, and a third arm extending downward, which forms a support (4). The two arms (2, 2′) and the support (4) converge in a connecting element (3) and are connected to each other there. The arms (2, 2′) can be designed as one piece together with the support (4) and the connecting element (3) in order to form a unit, or the arms (2, 2′) can be connected to the connecting element (3) in an insertable or pivotable manner. A retaining element (5) for hanging the wind instrument (17) is provided on the connecting element (3).
US09721541B2
A portable communication device equipped with a screen and a random access memory. The device receives a data stream through a radio link for automatically displaying information from the data stream on a display screen, without any user's request, a part of this information being stored in random access memory during a period of time that is longer than the duration of display and displays information from the data stream on the display screen, upon user's request, this information being stored in random access memory during the duration of display only.
US09721540B2
A display device having a scope of accreditation in cooperation with a depth of a virtual object and a controlling method thereof are disclosed in this specification. The display device according to this specification outputs a three-dimensional (3D) image including virtual objects. And a scope of accreditation accrediting (or recognizing) that a virtual object has been selected is configured in the virtual object. At this point, an area of a scope of accreditation may be configured to be in cooperation with a depth of a virtual object along an increasing or decreasing direction of the depth of the virtual object, wherein the depth of the virtual object indicates a distance level between the virtual object and a user's perspective within the 3D image.
US09721538B2
An information display system capable of reducing a trouble about display caused by display of content information corresponding to numerous markers and reducing process loads and a control method of the information display system are provided. In this system, a movement speed and a movement direction of a client apparatus operated by a user are detected, and a size and a position of a marker recognition area for recognizing a marker in an imaged image are determined according to the detected movement speed and the detected movement direction. Then, the content information corresponding to the marker recognized in the marker recognition area is superposed on the imaged image and output to a display screen.
US09721532B2
A color chart detection apparatus that detects a color chart from an image representing the color chart having a plurality of palettes arranged in a predefined order is provided. The color chart detection apparatus: extracts any pixel having a color component corresponding to each designated one of a predetermined number of palettes; selects at least three palettes to form a first group and, when a combination of pixels selected on a palette-by-palette basis from among the pixels extracted for the respective palettes included in the first group is arranged in the predefined order, detects each of the pixels included in the combination as being a candidate pixel; and based on the candidate pixel, computes color information representing color of the palette corresponding to the candidate pixel on the image and position information representing position of the corresponding palette on the image.
US09721531B2
The disclosure provides a pixel arrangement structure, a display device and a display method. The pixel arrangement structure comprises at least one pixel unit arranged in parallel along the longitudinal direction, each pixel unit comprising first pixels and second pixels arranged alternately along the horizontal direction; each first pixel comprising a first sub-pixel and a second sub-pixel arranged in turn in a first row along the horizontal direction and a third sub-pixel in a second row along the horizontal direction; each second pixel comprising a third sub-pixel in the first row along the horizontal direction and a first sub-pixel and a second sub-pixel arranged in turn in the second row along the horizontal direction, sub-pixels located in the first row inclining towards a first direction, sub-pixels located in the second row inclining towards a second direction, wherein the first direction and the second direction are horizontally opposite.
US09721527B2
The embodiments of the present invention disclose an electrochromic display panel, a driving method thereof and a display device; the electrochromic display panel comprises: a first substrate and a second substrate arranged with box alignment; the first substrate being divided into a plurality of pixel units; a plurality of electrochromic strips made of a black electrochromic material are arranged in each pixel unit of the first substrate; a electrochromic layer made of the black electrochromic material is arranged on the second substrate; the black electrochromic material presents a transparent state when it is powered off, and presents a black state when it is powered on. The electrochromic display panel provided by the embodiment of the present invention realizes both color display and black display with one electrochromic material; compared with the prior art, the embodiment of the present invention has advantages of low cost, stable luminous efficiency and simple driving mode.
US09721526B2
A level shift circuit includes first and second NMOS transistors that are coupled between a first supply terminal, and first and second output nodes, respectively, and have respective control terminals receiving input signals of a low amplitude, third and fourth PMOS transistors which are coupled between a second supply terminal, and the first and second output nodes outputting signals of high amplitude, respectively, a fifth PMOS transistor which is coupled between a gate of the third PMOS transistor and the second output node, and has a gate coupled to the first output node, a sixth PMOS transistor which is coupled between a gate of the fourth PMOS transistor and the first output node, and has a gate coupled to the second output node, and first and second load elements which are coupled between the second supply terminal and the gates of the third and fourth PMOS transistors, respectively.
US09721525B2
A display apparatus includes a display panel configured to display an image, a data driver including a voltage generator configured to convert an image data applied thereto to a data voltage and a buffer configured to apply the data voltage to the display panel, a timing controller including a mode controller configured to generate a mode selection signal on the basis of an image frame rate of the image data. The data driver is configured to be operated in a power cut-off mode or a stand-by mode in response to the mode selection signal. The driving voltage switch is configured to cut off the analog driving voltage applied to at least one of the buffer and the voltage generator during the power cut-off mode and the bias controller is configured to reduce a bias current in the stand-by mode.
US09721523B2
A driving device of a display apparatus includes: a gate driver, a gate on voltage modulator, and a signal controller. The gate driver includes a plurality of gate driving circuits, each of the gate driving circuits being configured to: generate a gate signal according to a gate control signal, and apply the gate signal to at least one gate line. The gate on voltage modulator is configured to: modulate a gate on voltage according to a modulation control signal, and generate a first modulated gate on voltage. The signal controller is configured to generate the modulation control signal and the gate control signal. At least one of the plurality of gate driving circuits includes an amplifier configured to: receive the first modulated gate on voltage, and output a second modulated gate on voltage including substantially the same waveform as the first modulated gate on voltage.
US09721513B2
The invention provides a NAND gate latched driving circuit and a NAND gate latched shift register. The NAND gate latched driving circuit includes multiple cascade connected shift register circuits, each of the shift register circuits including a clock control transmission circuit and a NAND gate latch circuit. The clock control transmission circuit is triggered by a first clock pulse of a clock signal to transmit a driving pulse of a former stage to the NAND gate latch circuit, the driving pulse then is latched by the NAND gate latch circuit. The NAND gate latch circuit further is triggered by a subsequent second clock pulse of a first clock signal to output the latched driving pulse. By the above solution, the NAND gate latched driving circuit of the invention is suitable for CMOS process and can achieve low power consumption and wide noise tolerance.
US09721502B2
A display may include an array of organic light-emitting diode display pixels having transistors characterized by threshold voltages subject to transistor variations. Compensation circuitry may be used to measure at transistor threshold voltage for a pixel. The threshold voltage may be sampled by controlling the pixel to sample the threshold voltage onto a capacitor at the pixel. The compensation circuitry may include sense circuitry that may be operated in combination with the pixel to transfer charge from the capacitor to the sense circuitry such that the threshold voltage is produced at an output of the sense circuitry. The compensation circuitry may generate compensation data based on the measured threshold voltage. During display operations, data circuitry may receive digital image data and process the digital image data along with the compensation data to generate analog data signals for the pixel.
US09721501B2
An organic light-emitting display panel including a plurality of pixels arranged at a display area in column and row directions, the plurality of pixels being configured to receive power voltages; a voltage line associated with a pixel column, the voltage line being configured to apply a power voltage to the plurality of pixels included in the pixel column, the power voltage being supplied from a power line; and an auxiliary line coupled to a center node of the voltage line, the center node being located at a middle point of the voltage line, wherein the power voltage supplied from the power line is configured to be applied to the voltage line through the center node.
US09721494B2
A controller for a display panel includes a detector, a timing controller, and a voltage generator. The detector detects a predetermined pattern in an image signal. The timing controller generates a control signal based on detection of the pattern. The voltage generator changes at least one driving voltage for a display panel from a first level to a second level based on the control signal. The predetermined pattern may correspond to at least one region having a predetermined arrangement of at least first and second gray scale values of pixels in an image corresponding to the image signal.
US09721493B2
A touch-type input device includes a touch panel. Capacitors are formed at intersections of drive electrodes and sensor electrodes in the touch panel. A controller determines whether the touch panel has been touched from data values, each indicating a change amount in the capacitance from a reference value. When detecting from the data values a change in the capacitance to a reverse polarity differing from the polarity when a human body touches the touch panel, the controller determines that external noise caused the change and stops detecting touching of the touch panel. When the controller detects a change in the capacitance to the reverse polarity, at the same time, the location of where the capacitance of the reverse polarity is detected does not shift, the controller determines that the change in the capacitance is irrelevant to influence of external noise and continues to detect touching of the touch panel.
US09721486B2
A frame panel for a three-dimensional sign board, a three-dimensional sign board including the panel, and a manufacturing method therefor. The frame panel includes a band-shaped frame panel which is cut into a predetermined length and wound in the form of a coil so that the frame panel can be bent and shaped into a desired pattern such as a character; and hitch units on which an upper panel is fixated, which are formed along the longitudinal direction of the frame panel and which are spaced apart from each other on two ends of one side of the frame panel. The hitch units are made of a soft synthetic resin material, which is the same material as used for the upper panel.
US09721484B2
A shoulder kit assembly for a crash test dummy includes a spine interface member for attachment to a spine of the crash test dummy and a scapula for attachment to the spine interface member. The shoulder kit assembly includes a load cell for attachment to the spine interface member for measuring load in a plurality of axes on a shoulder joint and an upper arm assembly having an arm bone made of a plastic material for operative attachment to the scapula. In addition, the shoulder kit assembly also includes a two axis rotational shoulder joint, a relatively soft molded flesh around the plastic arm bone, and provisions for two accelerometers at the shoulder and at the neck T1 location.
US09721483B2
Medical treatment simulation devices are disclosed. One device includes an overlay, a tracheostomy structure, one or more tubes, at least one sensor, and at least one feedback device. The overlay is configured to be secured to a subject. The overlay is configured to cover at least a portion of a neck and upper torso of the subject. The tracheostomy structure is provided in a neck portion of the overlay. The one or more tubes are positioned within the overlay. The tubes are connected to the tracheostomy structure. The sensor is coupled to the tracheostomy structure and configured to detect a manipulation of the tracheostomy structure. The feedback device is coupled to the overlay. The feedback device is configured to provide feedback based on the manipulation detected by the at least one sensor.
US09721482B2
Simulated pregnant abdominal systems and associated devices, systems, and methods are provided. The pregnant abdominal systems allow an interactive scenario simulating a routine gestation palpation of a fetal baby, the performance of an external cephalic version as well as the Leopold's Maneuvers. Further, the pregnant abdominal systems can be used as a platform to physically hear the fetus heartbeat using stethoscope, Doppler instrument, or a prenatal monitor. Further, in some implementations the fetus can be visualized using standard ultrasound systems.
US09721478B2
A method and apparatus comprising an aircraft, a network interface, a display system, a sensor system, and a computer system. The network interface, the display system, the sensor system, and the computer system are associated with the aircraft. The network interface is configured to exchange data using a wireless communications link. The computer system is configured to run a number of processes to receive simulation data received through the network interface over the wireless communications link. The computer system is configured to generate simulation sensor data using the simulation data. The computer system is configured to receive live sensor data from the sensor system associated with the aircraft. The computer system is also configured to present the simulation sensor data with the live sensor data on the display system.
US09721477B2
System and methods of gating notifications for content objects of an electronic learning platform are described herein. The notification may be conditioned on whether the content object is available to a user receiving the notification, or the state of the content object, for example.
US09721475B2
Systems and methods for displaying object data within an airport moving map (“AMM”) are disclosed. In various embodiments, the systems may comprise an avionics database, a flight management system comprising a processor communicatively coupled to the avionics database, and/or a display communicatively coupled to the processor, the processor configured to receive AMM data from the avionics database, receive object data, and/or display the AMM, the AMM including an image of the object, the AMM further including an image of an area that may be obscured from a field of view of a pilot by the object.
US09721467B2
A traffic lamp and a method of controlling the traffic lamp based on a power signal are provided. The traffic lamp can include a controller and a light emitting element When a plurality of light emitting elements is included in the traffic lamp, each light emitting element is coupled with a separate controller. Each controller can be configured to include a predetermined light emitting timing sequence for the corresponding light emitting element. When the power signal is supplied to the traffic lamp, each controller determines a power signal characteristic such as a frequency or a period of the power signal and controls a light output of the light emitting element: based on the power signal characteristic and the light emitting timing sequence. A plurality of light emitting elements can be synchronized using the power signal applied to the traffic lamp.
US09721453B2
Systems, methods, and computer program products to perform an operation comprising receiving, based on a unique identifier of an identification device in a room, clinical information of a first patient present in the room, receiving a unique identifier from an identification device associated with a garment worn by a health care professional in the room, receiving a history of the garment based on the unique identifier, and upon determining that the history of the garment violates a predefined rule, outputting a notification of the violation.
US09721440B1
A point-of-sale system with a replaceable printer is provided. The point-of-sale system includes a main body and the printer. The main body is electrically connected with a display device. The main body includes a main circuit board, an accommodation member and a positioning structure. The printer includes a detaching element and a position-limiting element, which are connected with each other. The printer is disposed within the accommodation member of the main body and electrically connected with the main circuit board. The position-limiting element of the printer is aligned with the positioning structure of the main body to limit the position of the printer in the accommodation member of the main body. The printer is detached from the main body through the detaching element. Consequently, the printer can be easily detached from the main body through a single keypress action.
US09721431B2
One aspect of the disclosure relates to implementing a system to encourage cross platform operation in an online game. The online game may provide the ability to provide incentives for participating in cross platform game play. The system may monitor the player's performance on a particular console and provide incentives to accomplish tasks through game play on a different platform than the player is currently operating to play the game.
US09721429B2
A promotional game is conducted over participants' cell phones. During a play period, a participant advances on a virtual game board using cell phone commands. During the player period drawing entries are generated proportional to play on electronic gaming devices, play of the promotional game, or retail purchases. Some players receive a multiplier for their drawing entries to enhance chances of winning the promotional game. In one embodiment, the multiplier is removed for a player after a cutoff threshold for prizes awarded to that player is reached.
US09721422B2
A gaming machine comprises a display and a game controller arranged to control images of symbols displayed on the display. The game controller is arranged to play a game wherein at least one random event is caused to be displayed on the display and, if a predefined winning event occurs, a prize is awarded. A plurality of sub-games constitute the game displayed on the display. As an initial display, fewer than a full set of images of each of the sub-games are displayed to show a partial outcome of the game, the fewer than the full set of images being representative of a determination of an expected value for each of the sub-games.
US09721421B2
A table system assists in determining wagering events. The system has a gaming surface; at least one player position on the gaming surface; and at least one area is designated at the at least one player position for placement of wagers in the form of chips. A scale is positioned beneath the at least one area configured to provide electrical signals indicating weight placed in the at least one designated area. A processor is configured to receive the electrical signals and execute code to identify numbers of chips placed in the at least one designated area. The processor is further configured to provide signals indicating the identified number of chips to a display on the gaming table surface at the player position. The display is configured to provide a visual indication of at least the number of chips or the value of chips.
US09721414B2
A document acceptor for authenticating and storing documents includes a document validator, a document cassette and a displacement actuator. The document validator is for authenticating received documents. The document cassette is for storing the documents received by the document validator. The displacement actuator is adapted to change a position of the document cassette from a first position to a second position to mate the document cassette with the document validator. Related apparatus, systems, techniques, and articles are also described.
US09721408B2
A control apparatus for a vehicle opening/closing member that operates the opening/closing member provided in the vehicle in response to a physical expression of a user, having a user authentication unit that authenticates a user whose physical expression is to be detected, a physical expression detecting unit that detects the physical expression of the user, an operation determining unit that determines an operating state of at least one of the user authentication unit and the physical expression detecting unit, and a notification unit that sends notification that, in accordance with a determination result of the operating state determined by the operation determining unit, the user has been authenticated, the detection of the physical expression has been completed, or the detection of the physical expression has failed.
US09721407B2
Method for tracking procedures performed on personal protection equipment and actions of individuals
A method for tracking procedures performed on personal protection equipment (PPE) and actions of individuals includes the following steps. An article of PPE configured with a smart tag is provided to an individual prior to performance of a task. After the individual performs the task, the article of PPE is processed. Information is retrieved from the smart tag during at least one of: before, during and after processing the article of PPE. After the performance of the task, the individual's data is read and the individual enters into a designated area.
US09721404B2
The invention relates to an apparatus (10) for a security system of a vehicle (1), in particular for a keyless activation of a locking mechanism of the vehicle (1), having a communication device (20) for communication with a mobile identification transmitter (100) by means of a radio signal (F) with a radio frequency (F.1), wherein an inductive charging process (L) can be carried out in the region of the vehicle (1) with a charging frequency (L.1), in particular for electrically charging an energy storage device.According to the invention the radio frequency (F.1) differs from the charging frequency (L.1) such that an interference in the communication with the mobile identification transmitter (100) can be prevented.
US09721401B2
A rail vehicle consist may include a master unit and at least one trailing unit coupled to the master unit. The master unit may include a first processor in communication with a second processor of the at least one trailing unit. A power source may be disposed on the at least one trailing unit and may include a sensor associated with the second processor. A display may be disposed on the master unit and may be associated with the first processor to display characteristics monitored by the sensor wherein the display presents a message image, a warning image, and an isolate image.
US09721399B2
A vehicle diagnosing apparatus, a vehicle diagnosing system, and a diagnosing method enable the determination of completion of a repair or part replacement on a vehicle while adapting to changes in environment and overcoming temporal or spatial restrictions. The vehicle diagnosing apparatus reads diagnostic information from an on-board diagnosing unit on the vehicle that detects an abnormality in an on-board device. A result of a maintenance work performed on the on-board device is finalized by a maintenance result finalizing unit. A determination unit determines the appropriateness of the finalized maintenance work result with reference to determination information stored in a database that is continuously updated. The result of the determination is indicated by a notifying unit. Analogy is used to obtain the diagnostic information when the on-board device requires a long time or a certain condition to provide accurate diagnostic information.
US09721397B2
A computer-implemented method, system, and/or computer program product enables automatic toll booth interaction with self-driving vehicles (SDVs). An SDV interrogation transceiver at a toll booth interrogates a driving mode module on an SDV. The SDV is capable of being operated in autonomous mode by an on-board SDV control processor. The driving mode module selectively controls the SDV to be operated in the autonomous mode or in manual mode, in which a human driver of the SDV manually operates the SDV. The SDV interrogation transceiver receives a driving mode descriptor of the SDV, which identifies whether the SDV currently is operating in the autonomous mode or in the manual mode while traveling on a toll road. An adjusted toll charge for the SDV to travel on the toll road is then transmitted based on the driving mode descriptor.
US09721395B2
Methods for generating and displaying images associated with one or more virtual objects within an augmented reality environment at a frame rate that is greater than a rendering frame rate are described. The rendering frame rate may correspond with the minimum time to render images associated with a pose of a head-mounted display device (HMD). In some embodiments, the HMD may determine a predicted pose associated with a future position and orientation of the HMD, generate a pre-rendered image based on the predicted pose, determine an updated pose associated with the HMD subsequent to generating the pre-rendered image, generate an updated image based on the updated pose and the pre-rendered image, and display the updated image on the HMD. The updated image may be generated via a homographic transformation and/or a pixel offset adjustment of the pre-rendered image by circuitry within the display.
US09721393B1
Aspects of the present disclosure include a process for the delivery of virtual reality content that enables a more immersive experience to the user by implementing resolution-defined projections. The resolution-defined projections are two-dimensional and virtual reality content agnostic. According to some aspects, the projections can be used to generate virtual reality content images and video that can be encoded and/or compressed for processing and transmission with lower or without increasing bandwidth requirements, and to be perceived of a higher resolution. Additional aspects include, the adaptive focus via the resolution-defined projections using the user's viewing direction, optimization data from a feedback loop and/or crowdsourcing data.
US09721389B2
In one embodiment, a first perspective of a three-dimensional marker may be detected, where the three-dimensional marker has a shape that presents a different appearance from every angle. A first three-dimensional virtual overlay corresponding to the first perspective of the three-dimensional marker may be identified or generated. The first three-dimensional virtual overlay corresponding to the first perspective of the three-dimensional marker may be projected or displayed such that the first three-dimensional virtual overlay substantially covers the first perspective of the three-dimensional marker.
US09721388B2
A terminal device retains a character image of an own terminal user and a character image of a second terminal user acquired from an AR database server (or second terminal devices) as a character definition in an AR control unit. The terminal device can acquire the position of the second terminal device and a direction in which a camera unit is oriented. The terminal device of a photographer determines whether the user of the second terminal device which is being searched for is present in the acquired direction by causing image recognition unit to identify a face image of a specific user of the second terminal device. When the specific user of the second terminal device is present, the character image of the specific user of the second terminal device is combined in the vicinity of a face image region of the image obtained by the camera unit and is displayed.
US09721384B1
Systems and methods are disclosed for best fitting a subject to a one of a plurality of object variations by capturing images of a user anatomical portion and a reference object from a plurality of angles using a mobile camera; creating a model of the user anatomical portion from the images with dimensions based on dimensions of the reference object; and selecting a best-fit physical object from the plurality of object variations based on the model.
US09721382B2
Portable globes may be provided for viewing regions of interest in a Geographical Information System (GIS). A method for providing a portable globe for a GIS may include determining one or more selected regions corresponding to a geographical region of a master globe. The method may further include organizing geospatial data from the master globe based on the selected region and creating the portable globe based on the geospatial data. The portable globe may be smaller in data size than the master globe. The method may include transmitting the portable globe to a local device that may render the selected region at a higher resolution than the remainder of the portable globe in the GIS. A system for providing a portable globe may include a selection module, a fusion module and a transmitter. A system for updating a portable globe may include a packet bundler and a globe cutter.
US09721378B2
A visual display unit creating a three-dimensional volumetric space. The display includes a first screen in a first focal plane, wherein the first screen displays a first image. The display includes a second screen in a second focal plane distinct from the first focal plane, wherein the second screen displays a second image, and wherein the second screen at least partially overlaps the first screen. The display includes a physical object located between the first screen and said second screen, wherein at least one of the first and second images is displayed in response to a placement of the physical object.
US09721377B2
Methods of characterizing the topography of a surface of a creped material, devices for characterizing surface topography of a creped material, computer systems for characterizing surface topography of a creped material, and the like, are disclosed.
US09721376B2
Fragment merging is performed on a draw call basis. One application is for quad merging. Primitives of the same draw call have many common attributes, such as a graphics state, which facilitates merging of quad fragments. Partially covered quad fragments of the same draw call are considered for possible merging and at least one merge test performed. The merge test may include error tests such as a level of detail error test, interpolated depth, and an interpolation error test.
US09721370B2
A system, method, and computer-readable medium are disclosed for memorizing a configuration sequence comprising: capturing an image of a device to be configured; recording a configuration sequence of physical movements performed by a user when configuring the device to provide a recorded configuration sequence; overlaying the sequence of physical movements with the image of the device to provide an overlaid image of the configuration sequence; and, storing the sequence of physical movements and the overlaid image of the configuration sequence.
US09721367B2
An apparatus and a method for editing symbol images can convert characters of various languages or numerals to symbol images, or can output the characters or numerals by analyzing the symbol images. The symbol images may symbolically represent the Korean characters, and at least one of symbolized objects may be arranged in a part of divided spaces by dividing the space so as to separate initial consonants, medial consonants, and final consonants of the character in the predetermined divided spaces for expressing at least one character.
US09721366B2
In an approach to displaying data, one or more computer processors receive a plurality of coordinates of an overlay on a graphical data display, such that the plurality of coordinates indicate a position and a size of the overlay. The one or more computer processors retrieve one or more data points from the graphical data display. The one or more computer processors de-emphasize at least a portion of the one or more retrieved data points. The one or more computer processors display, in the overlay, one or more retrieved data points of the graphical data display that reside within the plurality of coordinates of the overlay.
US09721357B2
The present disclosure overcomes the limitations of the prior art by using blurring of edges. For example, a first image may contain an edge and a second image may contain the same edge as the first image. The two images may be captured by imaging systems with blur characteristics that vary differently as a function of object depth. For example, a dual-aperture system may simultaneously capture a faster f-number visible image and a slower f-number infrared image. Depth information may be generated by comparing blurring of the same edge in the two images.
US09721345B2
The invention relates to a method and a device for generating at least one virtual image of a measurement object, in which a virtual position and/or a virtual orientation of the measurement object is determined and a virtual position and/or virtual orientation of at least one imaging or image recording device of a coordinate measuring machine is determined. The virtual image is generated on the basis of geometric data of the measurement object and on the basis of optical properties of the measurement object and the virtual image is additionally generated on the basis of imaging parameters of the imaging or image recording device.
US09721344B2
The present disclosure overcomes the limitations of the prior art by using partial blur kernels, rather than using full blur kernels. For example, single-sided blur kernels may be used in order to accommodate different edge orientations. In one aspect, the single-sided blur kernels may be used in order to accommodate edges caused by occlusions, where the two sides of the edge are at different depths.
US09721341B2
In one aspect, a method of detecting at least on feature associated with a blood vessel in at least one image of at least one blood vessel using a matched filter adapted to respond to the at least one feature is provided. The method comprises applying a scale detection filter to selected voxels in the at least one image to determine a scale for the matched filter at each of the selected voxels, determining an orientation for the matched filter at each of the selected voxels, wherein determining the orientation is assisted by using the scale determined at each of the selected voxels, applying the matched filter at each of the selected voxels at the scale and the orientation determined at each of the selected voxels to obtain a filter response at each of the selected voxels, and analyzing the filter response at each of the selected voxels to determine if the respective voxel corresponds to the at least one feature.
US09721336B2
Tomographic reconstruction is performed of cross-sectional images of downhole or surface multiphase flows containing water (brine), oil, and gas phases. Measures are obtained of digital transmission (or analog attenuation) and also of analog transit time to form two views of the same cross sectional flow in a location of interest in a flow conduit. The measures are then merged by synthesizing a composite image of the multiphase flows. Rather than performing a complex tomographic reconstruction requiring a large number of calculations, measures are also obtained directly from the tomographic pattern which can be used to reconstruct an approximation of the cross sectional flow by the superposition of circles of variable position, radius and density representing flow patterns.
US09721334B2
A computer-implemented method, computer program product, and system for detecting work-piece defects. The computer-implemented method may include: receiving a first image of a training work-piece captured using a non-destructive imaging process and a second image of the training work-piece captured using a destructive imaging process; receiving an image of a work-piece captured using a non-destructive imaging process, wherein the work-piece is substantially similar to the training work-piece, and the non-destructive imaging process used to capture the work-piece is substantially similar to the non-destructive imaging process used to capture the training work-piece; matching the image of the work-piece to the first image of the training work-piece; and enhancing the image of the work-piece using the second image of the training work-piece, in response to the image of the work-piece matching the first image of the training work-piece.
US09721326B2
A method and a system for obtaining a high-resolution image of a volume of a sample using laser imaging are provided. The method includes a step of probing the volume of the sample with a first excitation beam having an intensity profile of maximum intensity at a center thereof, thereby obtaining a positive image of the volume. The method also includes a step of probing the volume of the sample with a second excitation beam having an intensity profile of minimum intensity at a center thereof and defining a peripheral region of maximum intensity around the center, thereby obtaining a negative image of the volume. The method finally includes a step of subtracting the negative image from the positive image, thereby obtaining the high-resolution image of the volume of the sample. Advantageously, embodiments of the invention can be probe- and fluorescence-independent, and be conveniently retrofitted into existing laser imaging systems.
US09721322B2
A method for the selective utilization of graphics processing unit (GPU) acceleration of database queries in database management is provided. The method includes receiving a database query in a database management system executing in memory of a host computing system. The method also includes estimating a time to complete processing of one or more operations of the database query using GPU accelerated computing in a GPU and also a time to complete processing of the operations using central processor unit (CPU) sequential computing of a CPU. Finally, the method includes routing the operations for processing using GPU accelerated computing if the estimated time to complete processing of the operations using GPU accelerated computing is less than an estimated time to complete processing of the operations using CPU sequential computing, but otherwise routing the operations for processing using CPU sequential computing.
