| Document | Document Title |
|---|---|
| US08140158B2 |
Heart monitoring device and a system to detect vibrations concerning the status of the heart
An implantable heart monitoring system has a control circuit that operates an implanted vibrator to emit a vibration signal that interacts with tissue in vivo. A vibration sensor detects vibrations after interaction with the tissue, and supplies a detection signal to the control circuit. The control circuit analyzes the vibrations in the detected signal relative to the vibration signal, and derives information concerning at least one mechanical property of the heart therefrom, such as stiffness and/or thickness of at least a part of the heart. |
| US08140153B2 |
Cardiac tachyarrhythmia therapy selection based on patient response information
Cardiac treatment methods and devices providing templates representative of past tachyarrhythmia events, each template associated with a therapy. A cardiac waveform is detected, and if it corresponds to a particular template associated with a previous therapy that was satisfactory in terminating a past event, the previous therapy is delivered again. If unsatisfactory, the previous therapy is eliminated as an option. If, for example, the previous therapy was an antitachycardia pacing therapy unsatisfactory in terminating the past tachyarrhythmia event, delivery of the antitachycardia pacing therapy is eliminated as an option. Instead of ATP therapy, one or more of a cardioversion, defibrillation, or alternate anti-tachycardia pacing therapy may be associated with the particular template. Cardiac waveforms and templates may correspond in terms of one or more of morphology, timing, drug regimen, medication, neural activity, patient activity, hemodynamic status, cardiac tissue impedance, transthoracic impedance, or other information corresponding to the episode. |
| US08140152B2 |
Functional ferrule
Described here are intracranial ferrules, systems, and methods for sensing and stimulating neural tissues. The ferrules are generally designed to include a holding area for retaining an implantable device. In some variations, the ferrule itself may perform the sensing and stimulating functions. In other variations, the ferrule may function to sense data from neural tissues and the implantable device may function to stimulate neural tissues. In yet other variations, the ferrule may function to stimulate, and the implantable device may function to sense data from, the neural tissues. The sensing and stimulating functions may be used to detect and/or treat various neurological conditions. |
| US08140150B2 |
Implantable seizure monitor
An implantable seizure monitor can include at least one sensing electrode and an electronics module configured to detect, record and/or log neurological events. For example, the electronics module can be configured to detect brainwaves indicative of seizures, such as, for example, epileptic seizures, and to create a log indicating when such seizures occur. The implantable seizure monitor can include a cushioning member made of a soft material and configured to be implantable between the epidermis and cranium of a patient. |
| US08140139B2 |
Method and apparatus for the non-invasive sensing of glucose in a human subject
An apparatus for a non-invasive sensing of biological analytes in a sample includes an optics system having at least one radiation source and at least one radiation detector; a measurement system operatively coupled to the optics system; a control/processing system operatively coupled to the measurement system and having an embedded software system; a user interface/peripheral system operatively coupled to the control/processing system for providing user interaction with the control/processing system; and a power supply system operatively coupled to the measurement system, the control/processing system and the user interface system for providing power to each of the systems. The embedded software system of the control/processing system processes signals obtained from the measurement system to determine a concentration of the biological analytes in the sample. |
| US08140136B2 |
Slide module and portable terminal having the same
A portable terminal includes a first body, a second body, and a slide module slidably coupling the first body and the second body, the first body and the second body sliding with respect to each other via the slide module, wherein the slide module includes a first slide member, a second slide member configured to slide with respect to the first slide member between a first position and a second position, and a fixation unit configured to position the first slide member and the second slide member stably at one of the first and second positions, wherein the fixation unit is further configured to allow only a sliding movement between the first and the second positions in a vertical direction, inhibiting relative movement of the first and second slide members in directions other than the vertical direction. |
| US08140135B2 |
Handheld electronic device
A handheld electronic device including a first body, a second body, a sliding block and a linkage mechanism is provided. The first body is stacked on the second body. The sliding block is located between the first body and the second body, and is slidably coupled to the first body. The linkage mechanism is connected between the sliding block and the second body, by which while the first body and the second body are spread in a direction, the first body and the second body are approximately coplanar. Therefore, space in the device can be used efficiently. Besides, the device can be more miniaturized and operated more conveniently. |
| US08140134B2 |
Electronic device
The present invention has an object to provide an electronic device to improve user convenience, in which a cellular phone 1 includes an operation unit side body 2 having an operation face 2A, a display unit side body 3 having a display face 3A, the display unit side body 3 being disposed at the operation face 2A side of the operation unit side body 2, a connecting body 6 disposed between the operation unit side body 2 and the display unit side body 3, a rotating connection unit 4 that connects the display unit side body 3 with the connecting body 6 to be mutually rotatable around a rotational axis Z1 extending in a thickness direction, and a pivoting connection unit 5 that connects the operation unit side body 2 with the connecting body 6 so that an angle between the operation face 2A and the display face 3A can be varied. |
| US08140127B2 |
System and method for controlling notification characteristics of a mobile communication device
A system and method for controlling user notification characteristics of a mobile communication device. Various aspects of the present invention may comprise transmitting a wireless signal from a wireless transmitter. Such a wireless signal may, for example, comprise a characteristic designed to control user notification characteristics of mobile communication devices receiving the wireless signal. Such a wireless signal may, for example, be transmitted to an area in which control of user notification characteristics is desired. Various aspects of the present invention may also comprise receiving a wireless signal at a mobile communication device. The mobile communication device may, based at least in part on a characteristic of the received signal, select one or more user notification characteristics. The mobile communication device may then receive a communication from a communication system and generate a user notification to notify a user of the communication, wherein the user notification comprises the selected characteristic(s). |
| US08140126B2 |
Mobile terminal and control method thereof
Disclosed are a mobile terminal capable of automatically displaying information relating to specific objects among objects displayed on a screen according to a user's manipulation, and a control method thereof. The method comprises: detecting a manipulated state of a mobile terminal by a controller; and automatically displaying information relating to specific objects among objects displayed on a screen based on the detected manipulated state of the mobile terminal. Accordingly, a user's convenience is enhanced, and even a novice not accustomed to functions of the mobile terminal can easily handle the mobile terminal. |
| US08140121B2 |
Base station apparatus, communication system and computer program
There is provided a base station apparatus which allocates communication bands for terminal units from an available communication band, and performs wireless communications with the terminal units using the allocated communication bands, including: a priority table storing priority information used for deriving a priority of the communication; a detecting part detecting a situation change concerning the communications; a band derivation part deriving communication bands required for the communications with terminal units to communicate, when the detecting part detects the situation change; a priority derivation part deriving priorities of the communications with the terminal units on the basis of the priority information stored in the priority table; and an allocating part allocating the communication bands derived by the band derivation part for the wireless communications with the terminal units in the order of descending priorities derived by the priority derivation part. |
| US08140118B2 |
Location information erase on SIM cards
A method and system of erasing at least part of the location information stored on a subscriber identity module (SIM) of a mobile phone. The SIM stores the most recently used service provider in its location information. Either at power down or power up, the location information is erased so during the power up routine, the service provider search schedule will not find a service provide, when it first searches the most recently used service provider stored in the location information. In this case, the service provider search routine will appropriately choose either the home service provider or a preferred service provider rather than the service provider stored in the location information. The method of erasing at least part of the location information may be carried out by a program stored on the SIM card or by a wireless network transmitting an instructive signal to the wireless device. The method and system may also provide that if the service provider stored in the location information corresponds to the home service provider or a preferred service provide, then none of the location information is erased. |
| US08140117B2 |
Circuit board with adaptive, electromagnetic coupler
The invention relates to a circuit board such as an SIM card for use in an apparatus such as a mobile telephone. The circuit board comprises an adaptive electromagnetic coupler, and is arranged to find the different resonance modes for the surrounding metallic structure of the apparatus, which may be of arbitrary geometry and character. The different resonance modes and resonance frequencies are influenced, and the resonance mode that gives the most efficient radiation of electromagnetic energy is selected on the desired frequency. The circuit board can be adapted to combined transmitters and receivers by the ability to put it into transmission or receiving mode with a selector switch. By connecting electromagnetic energy to the surrounding metallic structure, the electromagnetic coupler can be made small, viewed in connection with the frequency employed. This permits it to be designed as a small SIM card. New functionality can be supplied to the existing apparatus by an ordinary SIM card being replaced by an SIM card according to the invention. Additional communication is thereby achieved on other frequencies and protocols than those regularly handled by the apparatus. |
| US08140115B1 |
Application interface
A method and apparatus for detecting a shake by a user to invoke an invoked application, identifying whether there is a conflicting application. When a conflicting application is detected, storing state information for the conflicting application and halting the conflicting application. The method further comprising starting the invoked application, and upon detecting an end of use of the invoked application, restoring the conflicting application to the stored state. |
| US08140105B2 |
Method for controlling output power in a radio communications network
The present invention presents a method for controlling output power and reducing interference in a radio communications network wherein data transmitted over a radio interface is coded and transmitted in radio blocks. The data passes a buffer of a node before transmission. The method is characterized by a step of determining a recommended Modulation and Coding Scheme level, MCS level, based on at least one radio quality measurement. A further characterizing step is analyzing of buffer characteristics and/or radio block usage of transmission radio blocks to determine if there is a preferred MCS level compared to the recommended MCS level. The preferred MCS level is typically a more robust MCS level. The recommended MCS, level if so determined, is decreased to the preferred MCS level, and in relation to decreasing the MCS level decreasing the output power according to a predefined down regulation scheme. The interference level is reduced in the network depending on an application type. |
| US08140102B2 |
Method and apparatus for transmit power calibration in a frequency division multiplexed wireless system
The present disclosure describes a method and apparatus for transmit power calibration in a frequency division multiplexed wireless system (100). The method may include receiving (320), at a user equipment (120), a signal from a base station (130) in a frequency division multiplexed wireless system and mapping (330), in response to receiving the signal from the base station, a power control calibration region to an uplink symbol in a subframe to establish a mapped uplink symbol using predetermined criteria. The method can also include calibrating (350) a transmit power based on transmission in the calibration region and transmitting (360) data at the calibrated transmit power on at least one other symbol following the mapped uplink symbol. |
| US08140101B1 |
Dynamic adjustment of forward-link traffic-channel power levels based on forward-link RF conditions
Methods and systems are provided for dynamic adjustment of forward-link traffic-channel power levels based on forward-link RF conditions. In an exemplary embodiment, a base station provides service on a carrier in a wireless coverage area. The base station computes an Ec/Ior value for the carrier. Based at least in part on the computed Ec/Ior value, the base station adjusts at least one of an initial traffic-channel power level, a minimum traffic-channel power level, and a maximum traffic-channel power level for the carrier. As an example, if Ec/Ior is above a certain threshold, the base station may increase all three of the power levels, so as to improve service quality and coverage of its traffic channels, among other advantages. |
| US08140100B2 |
Method, system and apparatus for implementing push to talk over cellular session storing and broadcasting
A system for storing and broadcasting PoC sessions includes: a message storing module, adapted to receive a media stream in a session, into the media stream into a pattern storable by the message storing module, and store the media stream to the message storing module; read the message from the message storing module, convert the message into a media stream, and send the media stream for participating in the session; and a gateway transfer module. A method and an apparatus for storing and broadcasting PoC sessions are also provided. The present invention enables storing and broadcasting of PoC sessions at lower cost. |
| US08140096B2 |
Customer service messaging, such as on mobile devices
A mobile device and corresponding service provider are configured to provide a user of the mobile device with access to one or more instant messaging help entities, from the mobile device. The one or more instant messaging help entities may be associated with the corresponding service provider or with a service that is external to the corresponding service provider. In some cases, some of the one or more instant messaging help entities may be embedded as part of the mobile device or service, so that access to the one or more help entities may not be permanently terminated by the user. In some cases, the user may control access to some of the one or more instant messaging help entities, such as by adding or removing the access to the instant messaging help entities from a list of instant messaging entities. |
| US08140092B2 |
Sparsed U-TDOA wireless location networks
In an overlay, U-TDOA-based, Wireless Location System, LMUs typically co-located with BTSs, are used to collect radio signaling both in the forward and reverse channels. Techniques are used to compensate for sparse LMU deployments where sections of the U-TDOA service area are uplink demodulation or downlink beacon discovery limited. |
| US08140089B2 |
Network selection for multiple network platforms
Embodiments provide methods, systems, and apparatuses to generate and send a command message to a mobile device connected to a first wireless network to command the mobile device to connect to one of one or more candidate wireless networks. The message includes embedded service flow context information of the candidate networks including one or more attributes of the candidate wireless networks that are of potential interest to the mobile device in determining a performance or security impact if the mobile device switches to the one or more wireless networks. The mobile device can conditionally refuse the command if the candidate wireless networks are unable to meet one or more service level requirements of the apparatus. Other embodiments are disclosed and described. |
| US08140086B2 |
Initial connection establishment in a wireless communication system
A method, user equipment, network equipment and a system for initiating a wireless connection and subsequent communication over a shared physical resource in a wireless communication system between user equipment and network equipment comprising: processing a UE-derived temporary identifier; determining a set of channels that the user equipment will monitor; implicitly or explicitly communicating this channel set; communicating the temporary identifier as an identifier to the network equipment; communicating a downlink message on a channel belonging to the determined channel set conveying the temporary identifier and a description of a scheduled resource on a shared channel, the scheduled resource comprising a resource allocated to the user equipment by the network equipment; and communicating data on the scheduled resource in response to the downlink message. |
| US08140084B2 |
Apparatus and method for allocating Channel Quality Information (CQI) channel in wireless communication system
Apparatus and method for allocating a Channel Quality Information CHannel (CQICH) in a wireless communication system are provided. The method includes determining CQICH patterns required for users using information of one or more users to which CQICH resources are to be allocated, and selecting a CQICH pattern block, including all of the determined CQICH patterns, from among a plurality of pre-generated CQICH pattern blocks; and allocating CQICH sub-blocks corresponding to the users' required CQICH patterns using resource layout information of the CQICH sub-blocks corresponding to the CQICH patterns of the selected CQICH pattern block, and transmitting CQICH allocation information to a Mobile Station (MS). |
| US08140083B2 |
Procedure for non synchronized radio access (NSRA) resource assignment
A procedure for RACH initial access in a mobile terminal is provided such that necessary information is conveyed the for the initial access procedure with less overhead. The method allow an accurate choice of the uplink transport format by allowing the mobile terminal to determine by itself whether a certain transport format may be used for the transmission of a message prior to the first preamble transmission and prior to the power ramping. |
| US08140079B2 |
System and method to facilitate handover
A method to facilitate handover includes detecting that a mobile unit resides within at least one predetermined zone where a handover event from a first radio technology to a second radio technology may need to occur, the second radio technology being different from the first radio technology. |
| US08140078B2 |
Mobile device with a mobility analyzer and associated methods
A method for operating a wireless mobile device moving through different types of networks includes storing within the wireless mobile device a type of network associated with a respective access node as the wireless mobile device moves through the different types of networks. A type of connectivity available for each access node is stored within the wireless mobile device, as well as location of each access node. The wireless mobile device is operated with a current access node corresponding to one type of network based on a current location of the wireless mobile device. Handoff is initiated by the wireless mobile device from the current access node to another access node corresponding to a different type of network based on movement of the wireless mobile device. |
| US08140076B2 |
Method for facilitating a mobile station to perform a fast handoff
A method for facilitating a mobile station to perform a fast handoff in a wireless communication system allows a handoff procedure to be anticipated (by the mobile station, its serving base station, or both) based on historical information regarding prior successful handoff procedures. In operation, the mobile station receives a neighbor list from a serving base station and determines whether a member base station of the neighbor list is a successful target base station based on historical data. If the member base station is not a successful target base station, the mobile station scans the member base station, measures a signal quality associated with the member base station, and sends a measurement report for the member base station when the signal quality meets a standard signal quality threshold. If the member base station is a successful target base station, the mobile station sends the measurement report for the member base station when the measured signal quality meets a lower signal quality threshold. |
| US08140075B2 |
Wireless communication system, server and mobile station therefor
This invention provides a wireless communication system wherein a network to which a mobile station should be handed over can be selected, using parametric data collected from network components other than the mobile station. Time taken for a handover between different types of network systems is reduced. The wireless communication system of the present invention comprises a mobile station equipped with multiple wireless interfaces, a server connected to a fixed network, and multiple access points. The mobile station determines available wireless interfaces and sends notification of the available interfaces' identifiers to the server. The server collects managerial data from network components and selects a wireless interface, based on the notification from the mobile station and the managerial data. The mobile station registers its locations in visiting networks corresponding to multiple available wireless interfaces with the server. The server retains the registrations of mobile station locations for the above wireless interfaces. |
| US08140074B2 |
Mobile communication network
A mobile communication network comprises a home agent supporting mobility of a mobile entity by generating bindings between a home address of the mobile entity and a care of address of the mobile entity. A mapping processor provides at least one set of mappings between a potential future care of address for a mobile entity and a real time characteristic criterion. The mappings may for example be determined in response to previous movements of the mobile entity in the communication network. A processor determines a real time characteristic and the home agent is arranged to change a binding between the home address and a current care of address in response to the at least one set of mappings and the real time characteristic, and without receiving binding updates from the mobile entity. The approach may allow support for mobility of a mobile entity while reducing signalling in support of mobility. |
| US08140070B2 |
Methods for reducing inter-cell interference by precoding signals for transmission in wireless MIMO system
Methods for suppressing inter-cell interference during data transmission using a preceding matrix are provided. Inter-cell interference is suppressed by precoding data (or information) signals for transmission from base station to mobile or vice versa. Methods according to example embodiments also increase intra-cell data transmission rates. The precoding matrix is generated based on estimated channel coefficients for propagation channels between a base station and mobiles inside and outside the base station's coverage area. |
| US08140069B1 |
System and method for determining the audio fidelity of calls made on a cellular network using frame error rate and pilot signal strength
The present invention provides a method and system for defining the mean opinion score (MOS) as a function of frame error rate (FER) and pilot signal strength. In an embodiment of the invention, an entity receives MOS scores that have been obtained using subjective tests for certain calls made within the network. Next, the entity receives FER and pilot signal strength samples that have been obtained for the calls for which MOS scores have been subjectively obtained. Finally, the entity calculates an equation for the MOS as a function of FER and pilot signal strength using a non-linear regression analysis. |
| US08140068B2 |
Techniques for feedback in cellular systems to mitigate interference in downlink
An embodiment of the present invention provides a method, comprising broadcasting base station (BS) channel allocation methods and supported interference mitigation techniques in a whole cell by the base station and reporting classification information by mobile stations (MSs) within the cell to said base station about their preferred interference mitigation (IM) techniques. |
| US08140064B2 |
Methods and apparatus to use an identity module in telecommunication services
An identity module includes a memory and a processor. In the memory are stored installation code for installing in the memory a provider profile that associates the identity module with a communication services provider and communication code that, in combination with the provider profile, supports communication by a host of the identity module using services of the communication services provider. The processor executes the installation code to install the provider profile and then executes the communication code in support of the communication. Preferably, no portion of any such communication suite is stored initially in the identity module. The host requests the provider profile from a server that includes a communication interface for communicating with the host, a memory wherein is stored code for providing to the host a customization suite that includes substantially all of the provider profile, and a processor for executing the code. |
| US08140063B2 |
System and method for automatic updating of contact information
A system and method automatically update contact information. The system comprises a recipient device, a dialer communications device, and an update manager. The recipient communications device receives calls forwarded from a service provider. The recipient communications device is reached using updated contact information. The dialer communications device calls the recipient communications device via the service provider using outdated contact information. The update manager transmits the updated contact information to the dialer communications device for an automatic update. |
| US08140062B1 |
Mobile device monitoring and control system
Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for surreptitiously installing, monitoring, and operating software on a remote computer controlled wireless communication device are described. One aspect includes a control system for communicating programming instructions and exchanging data with the remote computer controlled wireless communication device. The control system is configured to provide at least one element selected from the group consisting of: a computer implemented device controller; a module repository in electronic communication with the device controller; a control service in electronic communication with the device controller; an exfiltration data service in electronic communication with the device controller configured to receive, store, and manage data obtained surreptitiously from the remote computer controlled wireless communication device; a listen-only recording service in electronic communication with the device controller; and a WAP gateway in electronic communication with the remote computer controlled wireless communication device. |
| US08140061B2 |
Telephony system
A telephony system includes a base station and a registration station in communication with the base station. The registration station further includes a base station transceiver for communicating with the base station using a first telecommunications standard, a handset transceiver for communicating with handsets in the vicinity of the registration station, and a registration program that automatically registers handsets in the vicinity of the registration station using a second wireless telecommunications standard. |
| US08140059B2 |
Portable information terminal device
It is an object to provide a digital TV broadcast system and a cellular phone in which content of a data broadcast can be checked with a small display area, and work for checking desired content in detail is easy. Extracted character strings extracted from content data are provided in a picto display area 21 in a horizontally long display state as a marquee display. In the case where a display screen is switched to a vertically long display state during the display of the extracted character strings, a cursor 26 is placed on a character string corresponding to an extracted character string displayed in the horizontally long display state upon the switching, among character strings displayed in a data broadcast display area 25. Based on this, a user can well check the content of the data broadcast by checking the extracted character strings provided as the marquee display, and also because the character string corresponding to the extracted character string displayed in the horizontally long display state is automatically selected by the switching to the vertically long display state, the work for checking desired content in detail is easy. |
| US08140056B2 |
Method and apparatus for notifying user of content change of a page outside a displayed portion
Embodiments of mobile electronic devices and methods are disclosed. In an embodiment of a method, a page is partially displayed on a display, and information is received that the page is changed in a part of said page not displayed on said display. In an embodiment, a user is notified of said change. |
| US08140055B2 |
Method for performing digital broadcasting service in a dual-hinge type mobile terminal
Disclosed is a method for performing a digital broadcasting service in a dual-hinge type mobile terminal including a main housing and a folder, in which the folder is closed and opened with respect to the main housing in such a manner that the folder moves closely to or away from the main housing about a first hinge and a second hinge, and the mobile terminal has a first display mode and a second display mode according to an opening direction of the folder, the method including informing a user about reception of a call, when the call is received during while a digital broadcasting service is being performed in the first display mode; stopping the digital broadcasting service and connecting the call, when a mode transition from the first display mode to the second display mode is performed according to an opening direction of the folder; and releasing a call connection and re-performing the digital broadcasting service upon request of call disconnection by a user. |
| US08140053B2 |
Mobile telecommunications terminal comprising RFID functions and associated method
A mobile telecommunications terminal comprising RFID functions, in addition to an associated method are provided. In one aspect, the terminal comprises a telecommunications interface, a user interface and a data processing unit. A modification made with the aid of an RFID transponder circuit to be controlled via of RFID data records that are stored in an RFID memory unit in such a way that a flexible RFID transponder emulation is achieved at minimal cost. |
| US08140052B2 |
Roaming method with call announcement
A method is disclosed for completing a roaming cellular call between a roaming subscriber and another party. The first step is initiating the roaming call between the roaming subscriber and the another party. The roaming subscriber is provided with a prepaid debit account. The roaming subscriber is then connected to a cellular network when a connection between the subscriber and the another party is to be made such that a call has been built over a calling network. The prepaid debit account of the roaming subscriber is then examined to determine the balance thereof, and then the roaming subscriber is informed of financial information regarding the call connection prior to connecting the roaming subscriber to the another party over the already built call. |
| US08140050B2 |
Portable wireless terminal and wireless communication method
It is an aim of the present invention to easily transmit a user's critical state with certainty by an intuitive operation which is not difficult to operate while being able to avoid incorrect activations. A portable wireless terminal (110) of the present invention includes a vibration detection part (226) which detects a vibration of the portable wireless terminal and obtains a vibration value, a vibration amount judgment part (230) which judges whether a vibration amount calculated based on the detected vibration value and the time during which the vibration value exceeds a predetermined vibration value has reached a predetermined threshold, and a transmission part (232) which transmits to the contact destination terminal registered in the portable wireless terminal in the case where the vibration amount is judged to have reached the predetermined threshold. |
| US08140046B2 |
Mobile station having waiting process with main power off
While main power in an automobile is off, a telematics station in the automobile intermittently runs to execute a process. The station has a first CPU in a wireless section for a wireless signal waiting process and a second CPU, having active and sleep modes, in a control section for resetting the first CPU. At resetting timing, if the first CPU is executing the process, it outputs a signal indicating that it is executing the process for the second CPU not to reset it. When the main power turns on, the second CPU determines that the signal is not outputted in order to reset the first CPU. |
| US08140045B2 |
Semiconductor device
A semiconductor device is provided with a power supply circuit having a function to generate a power supply voltage from a wireless signal and an A/D converter circuit having a function to detect the strength of the wireless signal by an A/D conversion of a voltage generated from the wireless signal. This enables to provide a semiconductor device which does not require replacement of batteries, has few limitations on its physical shape and mass, and has a function to detect a physical position. By formation of the semiconductor device with use of a thin film transistor formed over a plastic substrate, a lightweight semiconductor device, which has flexibility in physical shape and a function to detect a physical location, can be provided at low cost. |
| US08140038B2 |
Adaptive receivers
An adaptive receiver for receiving a radio frequency (RF) signal and converting the RF signal at an RF frequency FRF toward a low intermediate frequency FIF is disclosed. The adaptive receiver comprises a pair of band pass filters with a nominal center frequency Fc equal to FIF, a look-up table (LUT) configured to estimate a frequency offset Δf, representing the center frequency of the band pass filter due to an operating temperature change and/or process variation, a micro controller configured to estimate the operating center frequency of the band pass filter (=FIF+Δf with the frequency offset included) and use this new center frequency as the adaptive intermediate frequency FIF,AD, and a local oscillator generates oscillating signals at a frequency FLO equal to FRF minus FIF,AD. A temperature sensing device may also be included in this adaptive receiver. |
| US08140037B2 |
Wireless transmission apparatus and modulation scheme selection method
A wireless transmission apparatus that can accurately select an optimal modulation scheme on a per block basis in a multi-carrier communication system in which block division of subcarriers and adaptive modulation are performed. In this wireless transmission apparatus, a propagation path characteristics acquisition section acquires the average SNR and SNR variance for each block, which are estimated by a wireless reception apparatus, using received signals inputted from a reception RF section and outputs these to an assignment section. The assignment section selects a modulation scheme for each block based on the average SNR and SNR variance of each block inputted from the propagation path characteristics acquisition section and modulation sections modulate multi-carrier signals included in each block, with the modulation scheme for each block selected by the assignment section. |
| US08140034B2 |
Frequency locked feedback loop for wireless communications
A method and systems for a frequency locked feedback loop for wireless communications are provided. The method includes applying dither modulation from a harmonic modulator to modulated data at a transmit source, and mixing the dither modulation at a dither modulation frequency with the modulated data at a wireless carrier frequency to produce a modulated signal. The method also includes filtering and splitting the modulated signal using a bandpass filter to produce a wireless output signal and a feedback signal. The method further includes determining a frequency error in the feedback signal as a function of alignment of the wireless carrier frequency to a target frequency in a frequency response of the bandpass filter. The method additionally includes adjusting the wireless carrier frequency in response to the frequency error to establish a frequency lock between the wireless carrier frequency and the target frequency. |
| US08140027B2 |
Automatic frequency tuning system and method for an FM-band transmit power amplifier
An automatic frequency tuning system and method for a transmit power amplifier. The transmit power amplifier has an antenna feed line including a series capacitor and is coupled to an output of an output driver. In one embodiment, the system includes: (1) a shunt capacitor array having a plurality of capacitors selectably couplable to the antenna feed line to apply a programmable shunt capacitance thereto, (2) a peak detector circuit couplable to nodes of the antenna feed line associated with both terminals of the series capacitor and (3) a processor configured to control the peak detector circuit to determine a ratio of voltage levels measured at the nodes at a given power level of the output driver. |
| US08140024B2 |
Fast convergence to optimal beam patterns
Systems and methods for joint training of beam patterns in a system having a transmitter and a receiver. Initial transmit and receive beam pattern vectors are first selected. The beam pattern vectors are perturbed to produce a plurality of perturbed transmit and receive beam pattern vectors. A received signal power between the transmitter and the receiver is estimated for each combination of the perturbed transmit and the perturbed receive beam pattern vectors. The transmit and receive beam pattern vectors having a highest received signal power are applied to the transmitter and the receiver respectively. The perturbation, estimation, and application steps are iterated until the received signal power meets a convergence criterion. |
| US08140023B2 |
System and method for communication with adaptive link control
One inventive aspect relates to a system and method for performing communication between a transmitting device and a receiving device along a communication path. The transmit device and the receive device each have at least one antenna. At least one of the devices has a plurality of antennas. The method comprises determining first information about the communication path. The method further comprises determining second information about the desired performance parameters of the communication. The method further comprises selecting based on the first and second information a mode of communication from a predetermined set of communication modes. The set includes a Single Input Single Output (SISO) and at least one Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) communication scheme. The method further comprises performing communication in accordance with the selected mode. |
| US08140022B2 |
Radio communication device and radio communication method
A radio communication device capable of lightening the influence of a frequency selective fading in the wide-band transmission of a single carrier thereby to prevent deterioration of error rate characteristics. In this device, an FFT unit (13) subjects a modulated signal inputted from a modulation unit (12) to a Fourier transformation. A pilot insertion unit (14) inserts a pilot symbol into a plurality of individual frequency components (1-N) of the modulated signal. Weight multiplication units (15-1, 15-2) multiply the individual frequency components (1-N) and the pilot symbols inserted into the individual frequency components (1-N), by weight coefficients (W11-W1N, W21-W2N) set at a weight coefficient setting unit (54). IFFT units (16-1, 16-2) subject the frequency components (1-N) to an inverse Fourier transformation, thereby to convert the frequency components (1-N) into time domains. |
| US08140018B2 |
Communication systems
A wireless communication system is comprised of multiple radio access networks—RANs—which at least partly share the same frequency spectrum. Each RAN is provided with a gateway—GW—(GW1, GW2, GW3) for managing the network. Spectrum sharing in the system is achieved through a hierarchy of processes including long-term—LT—spectrum assignment, short-term—ST—spectrum assignment, and dynamic channel allocation, the latter process assigning sub-channels to base stations (BS1, . . . BS5; BS6, . . . BS10; BS11, . . . BS16) in each RAN. However, so-called “red” sub-channels (subject to interference) are liable to arise. |
| US08140016B2 |
Wireless communication terminals and methods using acoustic ranging synchronized to RF communication signals
Wireless communication terminals and methods are disclosed that determine acoustic ranging synchronized to RF communication signals. A communication terminal can include a RF transceiver, a microphone, and a controller. The controller synchronizes a clock in response to known timing characteristics of received RF communication signals. The controller determines an acoustic signal generation time relative to the RF communication signal synchronized clock at which the other communication terminal will generate an acoustic signal. The controller determines an acoustic signal receipt time relative to the RF signal synchronized clock when the acoustic signal from the other communication terminal is detected in the microphone signal. The controller further determines a propagation time of the acoustic signal from the other communication terminal to the microphone based on a difference between the acoustic signal generation time and the acoustic signal receipt time, and determines a range to the other communication terminal in response to the propagation time of the acoustic signal. |
| US08140015B2 |
Electronic apparatus and communication state notification function control method
According to one embodiment, an electronic apparatus includes a communication module, a communication state notification module, a notification function information obtaining module, and a notification function control module. The communication module executes close proximity wireless transfer. The communication state notification module notifies at least one of a start time and an end time of data transfer executed between the communication module and an external device, the data transfer being executed by the close proximity wireless transfer. The notification function information obtaining module obtains notification function information indicative of a capability relating to a communication state notification function of the external device from the external device. The notification function control module requests the external device to execute or suppress the communication state notification function by the external device, based on the obtained notification function information. |
| US08140014B2 |
Social interaction tracking
A device may include a communication interface configured to transmit and receive communications from a second device. The device may further include logic configured to determine whether a user of the device is in a social interaction with a user of the second device, obtain identification information associated with the second device when the user of the device is in a social interaction with the user of the second device, and store the obtained identification information associated with the second device to track the social interaction with the user of the second device. |
| US08140012B1 |
Bluetooth security profile
A user configurable security profile defining relationships between a plurality of communications devices is utilized to secure a communications device in response to an occurrence of an event. In an example embodiment, the devices (e.g., cellular phone, PDA, computer, car key fob, BLUETOOTH® enabled object) are linked together via a BLUETOOTH® conformant interface. If one of the devices becomes disconnected from the link, the remaining devices are locked. Additionally, a warning can be provided on the remaining devices. A device can be unlocked by providing a code, PIN, password, or the like. A legitimate disconnection from the link, such as turning a device off, or the battery dying, will not result in the remaining devices being locked. If a device is stolen and not recovered, the user can reconfigure the security profile to exclude the stolen device. |
| US08140011B2 |
Radio node apparatus, multi-hop radio system, and multi-hop radio system constructing method
The present invention provides a radio node apparatus, a multi-hop radio system and a multi-hop radio system constructing method, capable of constructing a tree type multi-hop radio system in which mutual radio nodes determine a radio node which becomes a root node of a tree in an autonomous manner and the root node is set as a root in an autonomous manner. The radio node apparatus includes a storage unit for storing state information, used for constructing a multi-hop radio system, including information for specifying a root radio node apparatus positioned at a summit of the multi-hop radio system, with the radio node apparatus has a connection, and the number of hops from the root ratio node apparatus, a collection unit for collecting state information transmitted from surrounding radio node apparatus, and a selection unit for selecting a host connection-accepting radio node apparatus on the basis of the information for specifying the root radio node apparatus and the number of hops included in the collected state information. |
| US08140008B2 |
Service relay device, service receiver for receiving the relayed service signal, and methods thereof
A service relay device is provided. The service relay device includes a receiving unit which receives a service signal, and a service processing unit which changes information regarding an order of changing frequency channels included in the received service signal, using replacement frequency channels, and broadcasts the service signal. The service processing unit includes a detecting unit which detects the information regarding the order of changing frequency channels, a storage unit which stores information regarding replacement frequency channels, an information processing unit which replaces the information regarding the order of changing frequency channels, using the replacement frequency channels stored in the storage unit, and a relay unit which broadcasts a service signal. As a result, service signals are provided stably even in the fringe area. |
| US08140007B2 |
Radio system and method for relaying radio signals with a power calibration of transmit radio signals
The present invention provides a radio system and a method for relaying radio signals, providing a power calibration of transmit radio signals. With the radio system and the method no dedicated calibration signal generator is required for providing the power calibration of the transmit radio signals. The radio system comprises at least one transmit path, a calibration unit at the least one link and a power sensor. A selected one of coupled transmit signals is forwarded to a power sensor for measuring a power level of a portion of the selected one of the coupled transmit signals, wherein the calibration unit is adapted to update a power rating of the at least one transmit path in response to the transmit power level of the selected one of the coupled transmit signals. |
| US08140004B2 |
Digital satellite radio systems and associated methods for providing indoor reception
A digital satellite radio system includes a content server for providing a digital satellite radio channels, and a satellite for broadcasting the digital satellite radio channels. For overcoming indoor reception problems, a modem is connected to the content server via the Internet for receiving a selected digital satellite radio channel while not receiving unselected digital satellite radio channels. A digital satellite radio unit receives the selected digital satellite radio channel from the modem while not receiving the unselected digital satellite radio channels. In lieu of the modem connected to the Internet, a repeater receiving signals from the satellite is used for providing the selected digital satellite radio channel to the digital satellite radio unit. |
| US08140003B2 |
Method and apparatus for supporting multi-hop communications in a peer to peer communication system
Methods and apparatus for wireless communications in networks, e.g., regional ad hoc peer to peer networks, are described. A communications node, e.g., a third node monitors for wireless communications between other peer communication nodes, e.g., a first node and a second node, in its local vicinity. The third node determines from the monitored wireless communication an indication of link quality corresponding to a communication link between the communication nodes which are communicating or seeking to establish a communications link. The third node generates an estimate of a link quality for a communications link between itself and the first node. Based on the indication of link quality and generated estimate of link quality, the third node decides whether or not to send a signal indicating availability to relay communication between the first and second nodes. The third node, when acting as an intermediary node after indicating its availability to so act, may receive traffic data e.g., user data communicated in a peer to peer traffic segment, from the first node. The third node communicates the received traffic data to the second node by transmitting the traffic data. |
| US08140002B2 |
Apparatus and method for controlling radio frequency in portable communication system
Provided is an apparatus and method for altering a frequency of a radio broadcast. The apparatus includes a communication unit, a memory, a radio frequency management unit, and a controller. The communication unit receives a radio broadcast including information on a channel of the radio broadcast and a transmission intensity of the radio broadcast. The memory stores a threshold of an intensity of radio wave for determining a quality of the radio broadcast. |
| US08140001B2 |
Methods of suppressing GSM wireless device threats in dynamic or wide area static environments using minimal power and collateral interference
Techniques for detecting wireless devices that are signaling in high proximity to a convoy or other operation and preventing messages from reaching the wireless devices. One class of the techniques uses surgical jamming methodologies that minimize power consumption and collateral interference, while being maximally inconspicuous; another class uses baiting beacons to prevent the messages from reaching the wireless devices. Still another class of techniques denies wireless devices access to a wireless network. An exemplary embodiment applies the techniques to wireless devices and beacons in a GSM network. |
| US08139999B2 |
Adhesive applicator, and bookbinding and image-forming apparatuses equipped with the applicator
A glue container receiving hot-melt adhesive, an applicator roll, an apparatus casing, and disposed therein, a cooling unit and its control unit, for cooling a post-cover-sheet-processed sheaf, are provided. The control unit is configured to halt the cooling unit when adhesive is being applied to a sheaf with the applicator roll, and to actuate it after adhesive application. The control unit: (1) cools the apparatus casing interior by actuating the cooling unit when a sheaf is conveyed toward a glue application position; (2) halts the cooling unit when adhesive is being applied to a sheaf conveyed into the glue application position; and (3) reactivates the cooling unit after adhesive application. Thus controlling the apparatus-internal temperature appropriately in applying a hot-melt adhesive to a sheaf, and binding the sheaf together with a cover, etc. enables secure binding adhesion in a short time frame, without bookbinding defects such as missing leaves. |
| US08139997B2 |
Image formation device
An image formation device includes an image formation unit, a paper feed unit, a paper discharge unit and a guide unit. The image formation unit prints an image on a recording paper conveyed along an image formation path. The paper feed unit feeds the recording paper to the image formation unit along a paper feed path. The paper discharge unit discharges the recording paper along a paper discharge path. The guide unit is disposed adjacent to a branching point where the paper feed path and the paper discharge path diverge. The guide unit includes a first guide portion and second guide portion. The first guide portion is disposed above the paper feed path and below the paper discharge path and guides the recording paper along the paper feed path and the paper discharge path. The second guide portion is disposed above the paper discharge path and guides the recording paper along the paper discharge path. The first guide portion and the second guide portion are formed integrally. |
| US08139986B2 |
Arrangement for conveying toner from a toner supply container into a toner receiving container
In an arrangement to convey toner from a toner bottle of a toner reservoir into a toner receiving container, the toner bottle has a cover to close an output opening thereof. The cover has an upper cover part to accept the toner bottle and a lower cover part to close the outlet opening. A first locking unit provided within the cover arresting the lower cover part to the upper cover part such that it cannot be displaced before placement of the toner reservoir onto the toner receiving container. The cover is receivable on the toner receiving container so that the outlet opening of the toner reservoir is positioned above a filling opening of the toner receiving container. A slider has an outlet opening, the slider closing or opening the filling opening of the toner receiving container. The slider has an unlocking unit that unlocks the first locking unit upon placement of the toner reservoir on the toner receiving container so that the lower cover part is no longer arrested to the upper cover part. The lower cover part and the slider have a latching unit that engages in an active connection upon placement of the toner reservoir onto the toner receiving container so that the lower cover part moves with movement of the slider. |
| US08139985B2 |
Developing apparatus and image forming apparatus using same
A developing apparatus using a two-component developer constituted by a magnetic carrier and a toner, and an image forming apparatus comprising the developing apparatus. A developing unit and a stirring unit are provided, and in order to suppress toner scattering that may occur after a development operation has been halted for a long time, and thereby suppress contamination of the apparatus interior, the developer in a developing machine is transferred to a stirrer serving as a developer storage unit on the exterior of the developing machine when the development operation ends. Further, to extend the life of the developer, a range in which an angle of a restricting member upstream side central angle α, which is a central angle of the surface of a developing roller serving as a developer carrier on the upstream side of a restricting member opposing position opposing a doctor blade serving as a developer amount restricting member in a surface motion direction of the developing roller, is not less than 0[°] and not more than 60[°] is set as a low magnetic flux density area γ in which the maximum value of a normal direction magnetic flux density on the surface of the developing roller is not more than 30 [mT]. |
| US08139977B2 |
Image forming apparatus with supporting member
An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of image forming units; a pair of supporting members for supporting both end portions of each of the image forming units; and a leg portion abutting against a mounting surface at a lower surface of each of the supporting members. |
| US08139975B2 |
Sealing member and process cartridge
Provided is a sealing member for preventing leakage of a developer from a developer containing portion of a process cartridge detachable from a main body of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus to an outside of the developer containing portion. The sealing member is made of a thermoplastic elastomer that contains at least a copolymer and a plasticizer. In a molecular weight distribution of a tetrahydrofuran soluble matter of the thermoplastic elastomer measured by gel permeation chromatography, at least one peak is present in each of a region of a molecular weight of 4,000 or less and a region of a molecular weight of 30,000 to 200,000, and a percentage of a component of a molecular weight of 800 or less in a region of a molecular weight of 5,000 or less is 30% or less. |
| US08139969B2 |
Apparatuses useful in printing, printing apparatuses and methods of fixing marking material on media
Apparatuses useful in printing, printing apparatuses and methods of fixing marking material on media are provided. An exemplary embodiment of the apparatuses useful in printing includes a marking device; a first transport device which transports a first medium and a successive second medium to the marking device in a process direction with the first medium and second medium separated from each other by a first inter-document zone in the process direction; a fixing device including a first member including a first outer surface and a second member including a second outer surface forming a nip with the first outer surface; a second transport device which transports the first medium and second medium from the marking device to the nip; and a controller configured to control a speed of the marking device, the first member and the second transport device to reduce the first inter-document zone between the first medium and second medium to a second inter-document zone in the process direction between the marking device and the nip. |
| US08139968B2 |
Image forming apparatus
An image forming apparatus includes an image forming mechanism, a transfer mechanism including a first endless belt receiving a toner image formed on an image carrier and a second endless belt receiving the toner image formed on the first endless belt, a first detector to detect a speed of movement of the first endless belt or a toner image transferred at a predetermined position on the first endless belt, a belt speed adjustment unit to adjust a speed of movement of the first endless belt based on results obtained by the first detector, a second detector to detect the toner image transferred at a predetermined position on the second endless belt, and a transfer adjustment unit to adjust a speed of movement of the second endless belt based on results obtained by the second detector. |
| US08139966B2 |
Image forming system having a density correction unit
An image forming system includes an image forming unit, a measurement unit, a correction unit, and an inhibition unit. The image forming unit forms an image. The measurement unit measures densities of a plurality of density patches formed by the image forming unit. The correction unit performs a density correction for the image forming unit based on the densities of the plurality of density patches measured by the measurement unit. The inhibition unit determines whether or not the densities of the plurality of the density patches are normal based on at least one of the densities of the plurality of density patches, and, if the densities are determined not to be normal, inhibits the correction unit from performing a density correction based on the densities of the plurality of density patches determined to be not normal. |
| US08139965B2 |
Method and assembly for generating a given revolving speed of an endless band-shaped image support
In a method to determine a curve of revolution speed of a continuous belt-shaped image substrate, at least two color separations are generated on the image substrate and transferred from the image substrate onto a substrate material to generate a print image. A first offset in a transport direction of the substrate material between the at least two color separations of the print image is determined at a first point. At least one second offset in the transport direction is determined between the at least two color separations of the print image at least one second point. The first point and the second point have at least one interval relative to one another in the transport direction. The curve of the revolution speed of the image substrate is determined with aid of the first offset and the second offset. |
| US08139963B2 |
Image fixing apparatus with safety relay and control thereof
An image fixing apparatus has an integration circuit which is provided in a signal path from a comparison circuit to a relay drive circuit and integrates a signal input to the integration circuit, wherein an integral value of the signal input to said integration circuit reaches a reference value; and a latch circuit having an input port connected to a signal path from said integration circuit to the relay drive circuit and an output port connected to a signal path from the comparison circuit to the integration circuit. The latch circuit continuously transmits a signal from said output port to the integration circuit, upon a change in a signal level of the input port so that the relay is switched to the open position, and latches the relay in the open position. |
| US08139960B2 |
Image-forming device having belt cleaning unit
An image-forming device includes an electrophotographic image-forming section, a receptacle, a detecting unit, a shielding member, a drive mechanism. The electrophotographic image-forming section transfers developer onto a recording sheet to form developer image thereon. The receptacle collects developer not transferred onto the recording sheet. The receptacle includes a detection portion. The detecting unit detects light passing through the detection portion. The shielding member is movably disposed in the detection portion to move between a first position blocking the light to be detected by the detecting unit and a second position allowing the light to pass through the detection portion. The drive mechanism moves the shielding member between the first position and the second position in a direction different from a vertical direction. |
| US08139959B2 |
Print managing apparatus, system, and program
A management server is connected to an MFP and a client PC through LAN. The management server includes a leaving information acquiring portion that acquires leaving information related to recording paper sheets left unremoved for each print job accepted by the MFP, a leaving information count portion that counts the acquired leaving information for each user, and a warning portion that transmits warning information for prompting a user not to leave a recording paper sheet. The leaving information count portion counts the number of print jobs associated with the detection of the recording paper sheets left unremoved for each time zone based on the leaving detection time and the user ID from the leaving information acquiring portion, and when accepting a print job from a client PC, the warning portion transmits warning information to the client PC for a user having the counted number not less than a predetermined number. |
| US08139956B2 |
Bi-directional signal transmission system using a dual-purpose pin
A signal transmission system in accordance with the invention is implemented using a dual-purpose pin of an optical sub-assembly. The dual-purpose pin is used to propagate an analog signal out of the optical sub-assembly and also for providing an access point where an external element may be coupled to the optical sub-assembly for modulating the analog signal. The optical sub-assembly houses a photodetector, a signal transmitter circuit, and a signal receiver circuit. The photodetector receives light and generates a corresponding electrical signal indicative of the light intensity. The signal transmitter circuit converts the electrical signal received from the photodetector into the analog signal that is transmitted out of the dual-purpose pin. The signal receiver circuit located inside the optical sub-assembly is configured to monitor the modulated analog signal from the dual-purpose pin and generate therefrom, a control signal inside the optical sub-assembly. |
| US08139954B2 |
System and method for reducing memory requirements for electrical domain compensation of intra-channel nonlinearity in an optical communications system
A digital filter is provided for processing an electrical input signal to be conveyed through an optical communications system. The processing generates a predistorted electrical signal using a compensation function that substantially mitigates for intra-channel non-linearity imparted to the communications signal by the optical communications system. The digital filter has a memory having a limited size storing a reduced data set used for approximating an original, unreduced data set used to implement the compensation function. The reduced data set is used for the digital filter to apply the compensation function to mitigate the intra-channel non-linearity over longer transmission distances of the optical communications system than would be possible without the use of the reduced data set. |
| US08139953B2 |
Signal transmission device, signal reception device, test module, and semiconductor chip
There is provided a signal transmission device which transmits, in the form of an optical signal, multivalued data which shifts through three or more plurality of logical values, and includes: a light emitting element which outputs light having an intensity corresponding to a power supply current supplied thereto; a current source which is capable of supplying the light emitting element with the power supply current which has a plurality of current values corresponding to the plurality of values through which the multivalued data shifts; and a modulating section which modulates the current value of the power supply current supplied from the current source, in response to a shift of the multivalued data. |
| US08139949B2 |
Electrical signal transmission module, method of transmitting electric signals and electrical inspection apparatus having the same
An electrical signal transmission module includes a plurality of optical signal lines and a plurality of electrical signal lines. The plurality of optical signal lines converting a first externally input electrical signal into an optical signal, transmitting the optical signal, converting the optical signal back into the first electrical signal, and outputting the first electrical signal. The plurality of electrical signal lines transmitting a second externally input electrical signal and outputting the second electrical signal. |
| US08139947B2 |
Optical transmission apparatus with clock selector
An optical transmission apparatus includes a first transceiver unit coupled to a first node, a second transceiver unit coupled to a second node, an electrical signal processing unit provided between the transceiver units, a first transmission clock generating unit configured to generate a clock used by the second transceiver unit based on a clock of a signal arriving through the first node, a second transmission clock generating unit configured to generate a clock used by the first transceiver unit based on a clock of a signal arriving through the second node, a selector configured to select an output clock of the first transmission clock generating unit at a time of optical input interruption at the second node, and a frequency dividing unit configured to produce a frequency-divided clock obtained by dividing frequency of the output clock selected by the selector for provision to the second transmission clock generating unit. |
| US08139940B2 |
Wavelength division multiplexing transmission system and remote apparatus and station apparatus used therein
There is provided a wavelength division multiplexing transmission system and apparatuses used therein, in which a remote apparatus to be newly added to a station apparatus autonomously sets a wavelength to be used in the remote apparatus, thereby avoiding the need for presetting a wavelength to be used in the remote apparatus. The remote apparatus includes wavelength determining means that determines an available wavelength on the basis of an optical signal received from the station apparatus. The wavelength determining means may determine the wavelength of an unreceived optical signal as the available wavelength or may determine the wavelength of a received optical signal as the available wavelength, and may set that wavelength as a transmission and reception wavelength to be used in the remote apparatus. |
| US08139938B2 |
Hierarchical routing query method of automatic switched optical network
A hierarchical route inquiry method in Automatic Switched Optical Network is applied to the networks having multi-layer route domains. According to the method, after the route controller RC in one child domain receives the Route Request, if it can not calculate the complete route, it sends the Route Request to the RC in the parent domain; if the RC in the parent domain can not obtain the complete route, it further interacts with other child domains to obtain the complete route and returns the Route Response back to the requester. The present invention solves the problem of creating a cross-domain connection in route inquiry in the Automatic Switched Optical Network. |
| US08139936B2 |
Method and apparatus of routing convergence in control plane of an intelligent optical network
The embodiments of the invention provide a method of routing convergence in a control plane of an intelligent optical network, which includes: a function unit perceiving a service link state transmitting an alarm notification message indicating a failure in a service link to a routing protocol unit when the service link is in failure; the routing protocol unit confirming a service link failure in the control plane according to the alarm notification message. The embodiments of the invention also provide an apparatus of routing convergence in a control plane of an intelligent optical network. According to the embodiments of the invention, the establishment of a new service or re-routing may be implemented within several seconds or even hundreds of milliseconds after the service link failure in the control plane occurs. |
| US08139930B2 |
Information recording medium, device and method for playing back 3D images
A recording medium allows random access to be performed in playing back 3D graphics. The recording medium includes a digital stream area where a digital stream including temporally-arranged GOP pairs is recorded, and a map information area where map information is recorded. The map information indicates entry addresses in one to one correspondence with entry times on a time axis of the digital stream, and each entry address shows a beginning of a corresponding GOP pair region in the digital stream area. Each GOP pair includes first-type and second-type GOPs, wherein each first-type GOP is data indicating a plain view picture set to be played back from a corresponding entry time, and each second-type GOP is data to be played back with a corresponding first-type GOP to provide a stereoscopic view. The data indicates a difference between a stereoscopic picture set and the plain view picture set. |
| US08139929B2 |
High-resolution optical disk for recording stereoscopic video, optical disk reproducing device, and optical disk recording device
An optical disk for recording stereoscopic videos and high-quality video signals and a system for reproducing the videos and signals from the optical disk are made compatible with the conventional video reproducing system. A reproducing device which is used for reproducing stereoscopic videos and high-quality videos obtains stereoscopic video or high-quality videos by reproducing both first and second interleaved blocks on the optical disk in which first and second video signals are alternately recorded on the left and right sides by dividing the first and second video signals into frame groups of one GOP or more and a reproducing device which is not used for reproducing the stereoscopic videos and high-quality videos obtains ordinary videos by only reproducing either the first or second interleaved block by jumping tracks. |
| US08139926B2 |
Reproduction apparatus, reproduction method, reproduction program, record medium, and data structure
A reproduction apparatus has a player section, a content reproduction section, an interface section. The player section has a read section reading data from the record medium on which the content data containing at least one of a video data stream and an audio data stream and a reproduction control program controlling the reproduction of the content data are recorded, an input section accepting an input from a user, and an output section outputting the reproduced content data. The content reproduction section reproduces the content data according to the reproduction control program. The interface section interfaces among the content reproduction section, the reproduction control program, and the player section. When a command representing an end of the reproduced content data is described in the reproduction control program, the reproduction control program supplies the command to the interface section and the interface section executes a process corresponding to the command. |
| US08139923B2 |
Playback of recorded streaming delta-encoded data
Apparatus having corresponding methods and computer-readable media comprise a circuit adapted to receive a seek time for a first stream of delta-encoded data stored in a stream file; a circuit adapted to select an index time based on the seek time, and adapted to retrieve an index pointer associated with the index time from an index file, wherein the index file includes a plurality of the index times and index pointers each associated with one of the index times; a circuit adapted to select an intraframe based on the index pointer, and adapted to retrieve the intraframe, and a frame pointer associated with the intraframe, from a frame file, wherein the frame file includes a plurality of the intraframes and frame pointers; and an output circuit adapted to transmit a second stream of delta-encoded data based on the intraframe and the delta-encoded data stored in the stream file. |
| US08139922B2 |
Playback apparatus and method, program, recording medium, data structure, and manufacturing method for recording medium
A playback apparatus includes an obtaining unit obtaining playback management information including a main playback path of a main stream set, a first sub playback path of a first sub-stream set, and a second sub playback path of a second sub-stream set. The first and second sub playback paths are allowed for a predetermined category. A selection-receiver receives a selection of streams as a first combination or a second combination. A reading unit reads the corresponding stream sets according to whether the first or second combination is selected. A playback unit plays back the main stream set and the first or second sub-stream set. The number of files that are readable at one time is predetermined. The sub playback paths are determined so that the number of the files that are readable at one time does not exceed the predetermined number. |
| US08139915B2 |
Recording medium, recording method, reproduction apparatus and method, and computer-readable program
An AV Clip generated by multiplexing a video stream and a graphics stream is recorded on a BD-ROM. The graphics stream includes a plurality of DSs (Display Sets) each of which is used for graphics display and includes a control segment and graphics data. When an active period of the control segment in the DS overlaps with an active period of a control segment in an immediately preceding DS on a reproduction time axis of the video stream the graphics data in the DS is assigned a different object_id from graphics data which is referenced by the control segment in the immediately preceding DS, so as to prevent graphics generated by decoding the graphics data in the DS from overwriting graphics generated by decoding the graphics data referenced by the control segment in the immediately preceding DS. |
| US08139913B2 |
Modules including multiple rows of adapters for high density optical fiber distribution frame
A fiber optic telecommunications frame is provided including termination modules positioned on left and right sides of the frame. The frame further includes left and right vertical cable guides. The frame includes a horizontal passage linking the left and right panels and the cable guides. The termination modules hold fiber optic modules with front termination locations. The fiber optic modules can house couplers, such as splitters, combiners, and wave length division multiplexers. A retention mechanism retains each fiber optic module in a partially removed position from the termination module. An adapter retainer may be removably mounted within an open front of the fiber optic modules, and a fiber optic module may include a plurality of rows of adapters. |
| US08139908B2 |
Modular lighting system
A system includes first and second light collecting modules, each having a window and an optical fiber which receives light flowing through the window. The first and second modules are coupled together so they are repeatably rotatable, as a unit, between first and second positions. A light emitting fixture is operatively coupled to the optical fiber. The light emitting fixture includes an electrical light positioned proximate to a light emitting end of the optical fiber. |
| US08139904B2 |
Method and apparatus for implementing optical deflection switching using coupled resonators
A method of implementing optical deflection switching includes directing a tuning operation at a specific region of coupled optical resonators coupled to an input port, a first output port and a second output port, the coupled optical resonator including a plurality of cascaded unit cells; wherein the tuning operation interrupts a resonant coupling between one or more of the unit cells of the coupled resonators so as to cause an input optical signal from the input port to be directed from the first output port to the second output port. |
| US08139888B2 |
Method for filtering of images with bilateral filters and power images
The current invention describes a method for filtering an input image with a bilateral filter. The bilateral filter includes a spatial filter and a range filter. The method constructs a set of power images from an input image including pixels, each pixel having intensity. Then, the method applies, to each power image, the spatial filter to determine a response for the spatial filter and the corresponding power image and combines the responses and the set of power images to produce a response for the bilateral filter. |
| US08139886B2 |
Blur estimation
A two-dimensional blur kernel is computed for a digital image by first estimating a sharp image from the digital image. The sharp image is derived from the digital image by sharpening at least portions of the digital image. The two-dimensional blur function is computed by minimizing an optimization algorithm that estimates the blur function. |
| US08139885B2 |
Method and apparatus for image stabilization
An image stabilization method and an image stabilization device for processing a target image in a video stream are provided. A target accumulated global vector of the target image is first calculated. Then, a low-pass filtering procedure is performed on the target accumulated global vector to generate a final motion vector. Subsequently, the target image is adjusted based on the final motion vector. Thereby, the target image is stabilized. |
| US08139883B2 |
System and method for image and video encoding artifacts reduction and quality improvement
Reducing artifacts and improving quality for image and video encoding is performed in one pass to preserve natural edge smoothness and sharpness. To reduce artifacts and improve quality, several steps are implemented including spatial variation extraction, determining if a block is flat or texture/edge, classifying the pixels as texture or noise, detecting a dominant edge, checking the spatial variation of neighboring blocks, generating base weights, generating filter coefficients, filtering pixels and adaptive enhancement. A device which utilizes the method of reducing artifacts and improving quality achieves higher quality images and/or video with reduced artifacts. |
| US08139881B2 |
Method for locally adjusting a quantization step and coding device implementing said method
The invention relates to a method of locally adjusting a quantization step for each region of an image with respect to a setpoint quantization step. The method comprises the steps of: assigning, to said region of interest, a first quantization step, lower than or equal to said setpoint quantization step; determining a second quantization step higher than or equal to said setpoint quantization step and lower than or equal to a third quantization step such that the number of bits required by the region of interest is lower than the number of bits saved on the potential masking region; and assigning, when such a second quantization step exists, said second quantization step to said potential masking region, otherwise assigning said third quantization step to said potential masking region. |
| US08139877B2 |
Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and computer-readable recording medium including shot generation
An image processing apparatus includes a shot splitting unit that splits a moving image into a plurality of shots each including a plurality of sequential frames; a shot detecting unit that detects, among the shots, a second shot similar to a first shot that is to be encoded; a first shot-generating unit that generates a third shot by correcting a time length of the second shot; a second shot-generating unit that generates a fourth shot by performing motion compensation using at least one of the first shot and the third shot; and an encoding unit that encodes a difference between the first shot and the fourth shot. |
| US08139869B2 |
System and method for comparing documents
The present invention relates to a system and a method for comparing information contained on at least two documents belonging to an entity. The present invention includes at least one device configured to receive information from at least one first document and at least one second document; then, compare at least one first document information and at least one second document information; and determine whether at least one second document contains at least one first document information. The present invention then outputs a result of whether the at least one second document contains at least one first document information. |
| US08139867B2 |
Image segregation system architecture
In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an automated, computerized method is provided for processing an image. According to a feature of the present invention, the method comprises the steps of generating spatio-spectral information for the image, defining a constraint as a function of the spatio-spectral information, and performing an optimization operation as a function of the constraint to generate an intrinsic image corresponding to the image. |
| US08139862B2 |
Character extracting apparatus, method, and program
The present invention provides a technique of accurately extracting areas of characters included in a captured image even in a case where noise or dirt of a relatively large area occurs in a background image. An integrated pixel value is obtained by integrating pixel values in a character extracting direction B for pixel positions in a character string direction A of an image including a character string. A standard deviation value is calculated along the character extracting direction for pixel positions in a character string direction A. The integrated pixel value and the standard deviation value are combined for pixel positions in a character string direction A. A threshold is set automatically or manually. A part of pixel positions in a character string direction A having the combined value of the integrated pixel value and the standard deviation value higher than the threshold is recognized as a character area to be extracted. |
| US08139857B2 |
Local regression methods and systems for image processing systems
This disclosure provides methods, apparatus and systems for performing image processing regression for approximating multidimensional color transformation. According to an exemplary method, a shaping matrix is selected to minimize a cost function associated with a local linear regression representation of the color transformation. |
| US08139852B2 |
Color classification method, color recognition method, color classification apparatus, color recognition apparatus, color recognition system, computer program, and recording medium
A color classification method including: determining a plurality of predetermined process target regions from a plurality of pickup images taken by an imaging device; calculating a plurality of color distributions of pixels contained in the respective determined process target regions; and forming a plurality of clusters by executing a clustering process based on the calculated color distributions for the pickup images, the method being for classifying a plurality of colors with respect to the respective formed clusters, the forming step including: extracting predetermined number of the classified colors, whose calculated rates are highest in the calculated plurality of the rates, from among the predetermined classified colors; defining a plurality of color spaces, dimensions of each of which are selected from the predetermined number of the extracted classified colors. |
| US08139850B2 |
Constraint generation for use in image segregation
In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an automated, computerized method is provided for processing an image. According to a feature of the present invention, the method comprises the steps of providing an image, organizing spatio-spectral information for the image in a matrix equation expressed by: [A][x]=[b], wherein [A] expresses values determined by a constraining relationship imposed upon the spatio-spectral information, [b] expresses recorded information for the image, and [x] expresses an unknown material/illumination component of the image, and utilizing the matrix equation in an image segregation operation. |
| US08139849B2 |
Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and image processing program
There is provided an image processing apparatus for applying an adjusting process to an image including multicolor image signals. An image area including a pixel to be processed is extracted, and one representative signal value is generated from signal values corresponding to a plurality of colors of pixels included in the image area (S2501). A feature amount associated with the image area is calculated based on the representative signal value (S2503, S2505, S2511), and a substitute candidate pixel common to the plurality of colors is selected from the image area based on the calculated feature amount (S2512). Signal values of the pixel to be processed are substituted by new pixel values, which are calculated from the signal values of the pixel to be processed and signal values of the substitute candidate pixel. |
| US08139845B2 |
Evaluation object pattern determining apparatus, evaluation object pattern determining method, evaluation object pattern determining program and pattern evaluating system
There is provided an evaluation object pattern determining apparatus capable of determining local patterns to be evaluated. The apparatus is for use in a pattern evaluating system storing patterns of a LSI chip as CAD data, picking out coordinates of local patterns whose process margin is small from the CAD data by way of simulation and assisting observation of the local patterns produced in a fabrication line. The apparatus includes a risk level map creating section for creating risk level maps in which risk areas are disposed. The risk area is assigned with a risk level obtained by digitizing that the risk area is an area whose process margin is smaller than other areas. The apparatus also includes a superimposition processing section for superimposing the coordinates of the local patterns with the risk level map to pick out the coordinates of the local patterns located within the risk area. |
| US08139844B2 |
Methods and systems for determining a defect criticality index for defects on wafers
Various methods and systems for determining a defect criticality index (DCI) for defects on wafers are provided. One computer-implemented method includes determining critical area information for a portion of a design for a wafer surrounding a defect detected on the wafer by an inspection system based on a location of the defect reported by the inspection system and a size of the defect reported by the inspection system. The method also includes determining a DCI for the defect based on the critical area information, a location of the defect with respect to the critical area information, and the reported size of the defect. |
| US08139843B2 |
Methods and systems for utilizing design data in combination with inspection data
Various methods and systems for utilizing design data in combination with inspection data are provided. One computer-implemented method for binning defects detected on a wafer includes comparing portions of design data proximate positions of the defects in design data space. The method also includes determining if the design data in the portions is at least similar based on results of the comparing step. In addition, the method includes binning the defects in groups such that the portions of the design data proximate the positions of the defects in each of the groups are at least similar. The method further includes storing results of the binning step in a storage medium. |
| US08139841B2 |
Visual inspection method and apparatus and image analysis system
An image feature is calculated based on the image of a detected defect, a coordinate feature is calculated based on position coordinates of the detected defect, and false alarm judgment is performed according to a decision tree constructed by threshold processing to the image feature or the coordinate feature. |
| US08139836B2 |
Automatic segmentation of the heart and aorta in medical 3-D scans without contrast media injections
A method automatically segments the heart and abdominal aorta from volumetric images without the need to inject iodine contrast media into the subject. The method automatically quantifies arterial plaque (hard plaque, soft plaque or both) in the cardiovascular system. Plaque definitions include subject specific in vivo blood/muscle density measurements, subject specific voxel statistical parameters and 2-D and 3-D voxel connectivity criteria, which are used to automatically identify the plaques. The locations and outlines of the major arteries are determined in a 3-D coordinate system and the specific coordinates of the detected plaques are displayed in a plaque map for follow-up exams or ease in plaque review and reporting the results. |
| US08139835B2 |
Method for noise reduction in digital images with locally different and directional noise
A method is disclosed for noise reduction in images with locally different and directional noise, in particular for noise reduction in image data records of computed tomography. In at least one embodiment of the method, two image data records of an identical object region that have mutually independent noise are provided. The two image data records are decomposed by a discrete wavelet transformation into a number of frequency bands, detailed images having high frequency structures being obtained in at least two different directions. Noise images in the respective frequency bands and directions are obtained by subtracting a wavelet coefficient of the two input images. These noise images are used to estimate noise locally and as a function of direction, and on the basis of this estimate local threshold values are calculated and applied to the averaged wavelet coefficients of the input images. A result image with reduced noise is obtained after an inverse wavelet transformation. |
| US08139834B2 |
Displaying computer-aided detection results associated with a medical image volume
Methods, systems, and related computer program products for processing and displaying computer-aided detection (CAD) results in conjunction with breast x-ray tomosynthesis data are described. For one preferred embodiment, as a user pages through a notional stack of tomosynthesis reconstructed slice images (Tr images), including a detection-containing Tr image on which a CAD marker is to be displayed at an identified coordinate location, one or more CAD proximity markers is displayed at that coordinate location on one or more neighboring Tr images. While not themselves indicative of CAD findings on their respective Tr images, the CAD proximity markers encourage user attention toward the coordinate location of the CAD detection marker of the detection-containing Tr image. Preferably, the CAD proximity markers are of noticeably different size from each other and from the CAD detection marker to promote their perception in the peripheral vision of the user during the paging process. |
| US08139830B2 |
System and method for automated alignment of leg volumes in whole-body magnetic resonance scans
A method and system for automatically aligning multiple MR volumes in whole-body MR scans is disclosed. The method and system are capable of automatic alignment of leg-volumes in whole-body MR scans that is insensitive to leg movement. In order to align upper and lower MR volumes, an automatic determination may be made that a junction between the upper and lower MR volumes is in a leg region. The lower MR volume is then divided into left and right regions, and each of the left and right regions are independently aligned with the upper MR volume. One of the left and right regions is then adjusted with respect to the other one to compensate for shifting of the legs with respect to each other. |
| US08139829B2 |
Diagnostic imaging support system and diagnostic imaging support program
A diagnostic imaging support system includes input means (15) for setting a characteristic quantity for performing a predetermined threshold processing for a bone region in an image of a subject; control means (10) for reading out the image from storage means (11) which stores the image of the subject, extracting a diagnostic region including the bone region from the read image on the basis of the characteristic quantity set by the input means, and calculating, for the extracted diagnostic region, structure analysis information of the bone by use of component identification information representing a bone portion component and a component other than the bone portion; and display means (14) for displaying the calculated structure analysis information of the bone while relating it to the image of the subject. |
| US08139828B2 |
Method for enhanced visualization of medical images
A method to process medical images for a desired global and local contrast enhancement. A digital image is accessed and segmented, and a first histogram of the digital image is generated. An overall contrast enhanced histogram is generated using the first histogram. A local contrast enhanced histogram is generated using the first histogram. A combined histogram is generated using the overall contrast enhanced histogram and the local contrast enhanced histogram. A contrast-enhanced digital image is generated using the combined histogram. |
| US08139827B2 |
Biometrical object reader having an ultrasonic wave manipulation device
Devices and methods of creating an image of a biological object are disclosed. In one embodiment of the invention there is a plane wave ultrasonic pulse generator, an ultrasonic wave manipulation device, an ultrasonic detector and an image generator. In a method according to the invention, a biological object is imaged by emitting an unfocussed ultrasonic energy wave front, reflecting at least a portion of the ultrasonic energy wave front from the object, altering a direction of the ultrasonic energy, detecting that energy, and using the detected energy to create an image of the object. |
| US08139823B2 |
Method for capturing images comprising a measurement of local motions
A method for capturing a sequence of video images, using an imager including an estimation of the parameters of a model of global motion between successive images. The method may include measurement of local motions on edges of the images, with the estimation of the parameters of the global motion model performed using the result of the measurement of local motions on the edges of the images. |
| US08139822B2 |
Designation of a characteristic of a physical capability by motion analysis, systems and methods
Motion Analysis is used to classify or rate human capability in a physical domain via a minimized movement and data collection protocol producing a discreet, overall figure of merit of the selected physical capability. The minimal protocol is determined by data mining of a more extensive movement and data collection. Protocols are relevant in medical, sports and occupational applications. Kinematic, kinetic, body type, Electromyography (EMG), Ground Reactive Force (GRF), demographic, and psychological data are encompassed. Resulting protocols are capable of transforming raw data representing specific human motions into an objective rating of a skill or capability related to those motions. |
| US08139816B2 |
Acoustic transducer
This invention relates to acoustic drivers with stationary and moving coils. Time varying signals are applied to the moving and stationary coils to control the movement of a diaphragm, which produces audible sound. The time varying signals correspond to an input audio signal such that the sound corresponds to the input audio signal. Some of the described embodiments include multiple moving coils, multiple stationary coils or both. Some embodiments include feedback for adjusting one or more of the signals based on a characteristic of the acoustic driver. Various compensation and other features of the invention are also described in relation to various embodiments. |
| US08139815B2 |
Damper of rectangular-shaped slim speaker
The present invention relates to a damper of a rectangular-shaped slim speaker that is capable of preventing a vibration plate having an entire outer appearance of a slim oval/track-like shape extended to any one side thereof from being moved in forward and backward directions. The damper of a rectangular-shaped slim speaker includes: fixed end portions formed on either end thereof, respectively, to face each other in a vertical direction; support plate portions each extended backwardly from the fixed end portions; and an elastic portion extended backwardly from the support plate portions, wherein the fixed end portions, the support plate portions, and the elastic portion are formed integrally as an injection molded plastic product. |
| US08139814B2 |
Audio speaker with radial electromagnet
An audio speaker with at least two electric coils on opposite sides of at least one ferro-magnetic plate, the coils and plate forming a radial electro-magnet. A radial electro-magnet can offer many advantages in stereo loudspeakers. The coils are electrically driven in opposite directions. Multiple sets of two coils and intervening ferro-magnetic plate may be provided, adjacent sets being separated by a non-magnetic plate. |
| US08139813B2 |
Speaker device
A flat speaker device capable of emitting loud reproduced sound with a relatively simple configuration is provided. The speaker device includes a diaphragm, a frame supporting the diaphragm vibratably in the vibration direction, a magnetic circuit disposed in the frame, and a driving member for driving the diaphragm. The driving member includes a voice coil movably disposed in a magnetic gap of the magnetic circuit, a driving part formed movably in a direction different from the vibration direction of the diaphragm, and an angle conversion and transmission part, one end of which is angle-variably joined to the driving part and another end of which is angle-variably joined to the diaphragm. The angle conversion and transmission part has rigidity and is obliquely disposed with respect to each of the vibration direction of the diaphragm and the moving direction of the driving part. |
| US08139812B2 |
Loudspeaker suspension
Disclosed is a loudspeaker suspension structure having asymmetrical grooves. In an aspect, an apparatus includes a loudspeaker suspension structure having grooves, each extending from an inner circumferential border, to an outer circumferential border, at least one groove having a groove depth that varies asymmetrically from the inner circumferential border to the outer circumferential border. |
| US08139811B2 |
Speaker
A speaker 1 includes: a frame 4; a magnetic circuit 2; and a vibrating unit 3. The magnetic circuit 2 is attached to the frame 4. The vibrating unit 3 is received in the frame 4, and includes a drive cone 14 and a diaphragm 15 vibrated by the magnetic circuit 2. A space surrounded by the drive cone 14, the diaphragm 15 and the frame 4 is sealed. An edge unit 17 is attached to an outer edge of the drive cone 14. The edge unit 17 is in an arc sectional shape, and integrally includes two roll parts 47 arranged coaxially to each other. |
| US08139809B2 |
Cable management for personal media player accessories
An arrangement for managing cables of accessories such as earphone sets, chargers, and synchronization arrangements used with portable electronic devices is provided by a flexible and elastically deformable loop that extends from a base that optionally includes a hook or other loop retention feature. The base may be alternatively configured to be integrally formed with a component of an accessory, or be configured as a discrete clip that may be detachably coupled to the component, or to the cable portion of the accessory. The elastically deformable loop is configured to be removably fastenable by a user to articles such as buttons on clothing to help keep cables out of the way when the accessory is in use. In addition, the elastically deformable loop may be used to keep an accessory cable neatly stowed during storage by being stretched around a bundled cable and then secured on the hook. |
| US08139808B2 |
Ear hooked earphone
An ear hooked earphone is provided for selectively being worn on a left or right ear of a user. The earphone includes a body and an ear hook. The body includes a first coupled portion formed on a surface thereof. The ear hook includes a hook section and a fastened section. The hook section is used for hooking around the ear of the user. The fastened section is connected with the hook section, and a separation is formed between ends of the hook section and the fastened section. The fastened section has a second coupled portion, and one of two sides of the second coupled portion is selectively coupled with the first coupled section. Thereby, the position of the separation relative to the body is able to be changed, that is, the ear hooked earphone is able to hang on the left or right ear of the user freely. |
| US08139806B2 |
Earphone for placement in an ear
An earphone which fits into an ear is disclosed. The earphone includes an electroacoustic transducer for converting an audio signal into sound and a housing for holding the electroacoustic transducer. The housing includes a sound output unit for introducing the sound produced by the electroacoustic transducer into the ear canal of an ear when the housing is placed in the ear. The electroacoustic transducer is oriented so that it the sound in a direction which is transverse to the ear canal of the ear. |
| US08139800B2 |
Hearing apparatus with a magnetically attached battery holding device
A hearing apparatus is to be provided, with which the battery can be exchanged in an almost wear-free fashion. Provision is thus made to magnetically attach a battery compartment or a battery holding device in the housing of the hearing apparatus or hearing device. The battery holding device is inserted into an opening in the housing. A detachable magnetic connection realized by magnetic elements thus exists between the housing and the battery holding device, the principle force component of which runs in the insertion direction. It is thus possible to dispense with plug or snap connections for instance. |
| US08139796B2 |
Wireless microphone device
To provide a wireless microphone device that enables a circuit board, which is to be provided with an oscillation circuit, to be decreased in size without deteriorating radiation characteristics.The wireless microphone device is configured to include: a circuit board 5 that is sectioned into circuit areas 11a and 11b and makes the respective circuit areas function as antenna elements of a dipole antenna; an oscillation circuit 21 that is arranged in the circuit area 11b and generates a high frequency signal on the basis of a voice signal from a microphone 2a; a feeding path for feeding the high frequency signal to an electrically conductive layer 11 in the circuit area 11b through a feeding point positioned on the circuit area 11a side distant from the oscillation circuit 21; and a high frequency shield covering at least a part of the feeding path. The high frequency shield is formed by covering the feeding path with a metal case 12 having an opening at a bottom face and conducting the metal case 12 to the electrically conducting layer 11 in the circuit area 11b. |
| US08139795B2 |
Loudspeaker system for aircraft cabin
A loudspeaker system for an aircraft cabin for passengers has a support structure, which includes multiple flexible flat elements, forming the internal walls of the cabin, and fastening devices for fastening flat elements to the support structure, so that the flat elements may oscillate. At least one acoustic driver is connected to one or more flat elements, to induce a bending movement in the one or more flat elements. The particular flat element may oscillate as an acoustic diaphragm. The acoustic driver has a film-shaped piezoelectric exciter, which is bonded flatly to the flat element. The flat element bonded to an exciter has a first cover layer, a second cover layer, and a core layer between them. The core layer is subdivided in a plane parallel to the first and second cover layers by a horizontal incision in at least one predefined area. |
| US08139792B2 |
Amplifier circuits, methods of starting and stopping amplifier circuits
An amplifier circuit (100) has an input stage (OP1) and an output stage (Q1, Q2) operating with different supply voltages and different quiescent voltages. The output stage has a feedback input connected to receive a feedback signal from the output of the output stage. A biasing circuit (602) applies a bias signal (Ioff) to said input stage at an operating level appropriate to establish a quiescent output voltage different from a ground reference level of the input stage. To start up the amplifier with minimal transients at the output, the following steps are performed in sequence: (a) with the output stage disabled, pre-charging the amplifier output over a period of time to a level (Vmid) corresponding to the ground reference level of the input stage; (b) with the biasing circuit effectively disabled and a zero input signal at said signal input, enabling the input and output stages; (c) activating said biasing circuit progressively so as to ramp said bias signal (Ioff) to said operating level over a further period of time, thereby driving the output progressively to said quiescent output voltage. A separate improvement is in the biasing circuit, which uses the actual output stage supply voltage (PVdd) as a reference to define the operating level of said bias signal (Ioff). |
| US08139788B2 |
Apparatus and method for separating audio signals
An audio signal separation apparatus for separating observation signals in the time domain of a mixture of a plurality of signals including audio signals into individual signals by means of independent component analysis to produce isolated signals adapted to produce isolated signals in the time-frequency domain from the observation signals in the time-frequency domain and a separation matrix substituted by initial values, compute the modified value of the separation matrix by using a score function using the isolated signals in the time-frequency domain and a multidimensional probability density function and the separation matrix, modify the separation matrix until the separation matrix substantially converges by using the modified value and produce isolated signals in the time-frequency domain by using the substantially converging separation matrix. |
| US08139787B2 |
Method and device for binaural signal enhancement
Various embodiments for components and associated methods that can be used in a binaural speech enhancement system are described. The components can be used, for example, as a pre-processor for a hearing instrument and provide binaural output signals based on binaural sets of spatially distinct input signals that include one or more input signals. The binaural signal processing can be performed by at least one of a binaural spatial noise reduction unit and a perceptual binaural speech enhancement unit. The binaural spatial noise reduction unit performs noise reduction while preferably preserving the binaural cues of the sound sources. The perceptual binaural speech enhancement unit is based on auditory scene analysis and uses acoustic cues to segregate speech components from noise components in the input signals and to enhance the speech components in the binaural output signals. |
| US08139784B2 |
Compound loudspeaker
A compound loudspeaker comprises an acoustically radiating first diaphragm and an acoustically radiating second diaphragm. The first and second diaphragms are substantially coaxial and at least part of the second diaphragm is situated radially outwards of the first diaphragm. There is a gap situated between the first and second diaphragms, and a seal is provided in the gap, thereby preventing or hindering the passage of air through the gap. By providing the seal, the invention solves the problem of audible turbulent airflow through the gap. |
| US08139783B2 |
Speaker assembly arrangement for a vehicle and method of mounting a speaker
A speaker assembly arrangement for a vehicle is provided that includes a speaker unit including a speaker cabinet defining a first volume and a body part of a vehicle including a hollow member defining a second volume. The speaker cabinet is acoustically coupled to the hollow member by a press-fit coupling having a press-fit direction and mounted on the body part by at least one fastener having a fastening direction substantially perpendicular to the press-fit direction. The body part comprises a first guide arranged and configured to slidably engage with a second guide arranged on the speaker cabinet so that force on the speaker cabinet in the fastening direction is at least in part redirected to the press-fit direction by the slidable engagement of the first guide and the second guide. |
| US08139780B2 |
Using ray tracing for real time audio synthesis
According to embodiments of the invention, a sound engine may determine a final sound at a listener location by emulating sound waves within a three-dimensional scene. The sound engine may emulate sound waves by issuing rays from a location of a sound event and tracing the rays through the three-dimensional scene. The rays may intersect objects within the three-dimensional scene which have sound modification factors. The sound modification factors and other factors (e.g., distance traveled by the ray, angle of intersection with the object, etc.) may be applied to the sound event to determine a final sound which is heard by the listener. |
| US08139777B2 |
System for comfort noise injection
A noise injection system adds comfort noise to an audio signal. The system includes a background noise estimator that determines a spectral content of a background noise associated with the audio signal. A comfort noise generator generates a comfort noise signal having a random phase. A gain circuit adjusts the comfort noise signal based on the spectral content of the background noise. A combining circuit combines a gain-adjusted comfort noise signal and the audio signal to generate an output signal. |
| US08139775B2 |
Concept for combining multiple parametrically coded audio sources
According to the present invention, multiple parametrically encoded audio signals can be efficiently combined using an audio signal generator, which generates an audio output signal by combining the down-mix channels and the associated parameters of the audio signals directly within the parameter domain, i.e. without reconstructing or decoding the individual input audio signals prior to the generation of the audio output signal. This is achieved by direct mixing of the associated down-mix channels of the individual input signals. It is one key feature of the present invention that the combination of the down-mix channels is achieved by simple, computationally inexpensive arithmetic operations. |
| US08139771B1 |
System and method for switching a mode of a receiver using block estimation
A system and method for switching a mode of a receiver between a monophonic and stereophonic mode is disclosed. The method can include generating a residual signal indicative of a noise level associated with a pilot energy signal, calculating a residual block energy level of the residual signal over an observation interval, generating a monitor signal based on a number of times the pilot energy signal is less than a pilot energy threshold during the observation interval and switching the mode of the receiver based on the residual block energy level and the monitor signal. |
| US08139766B2 |
Pseudo public key encryption
According to the present invention, a secret key cryptosystem and tamper-proof hardware are used to realize a pseudo-public key cryptosystem at a low cost. A trap-door one-way function is substantially realized with the use of tamper-proof hardware. Each user performs communication using equipment provided with hardware having the same capabilities described below. Such hardware retains association between an ID and a key. In response to a request from a user, the hardware issues and stores an ID, and it can perform decryption and generation of a MAC (message authentication code) with a key associated with the ID. A user publishes his ID. When performing encryption, a message sender encrypts a message using the published ID. A third person can perform decryption with the ID only by analyzing the mechanism in the hardware. However, the hardware has a capability of destroying itself when such an act is attempted. |
| US08139765B2 |
Elliptical polynomial-based message authentication code
The elliptic-polynomial based Message Authentication Code (MAC) provides MAC generation methods based on the elliptic polynomial discrete logarithm problem. It is well known that an elliptic polynomial discrete logarithm problem is a computationally “difficult” or “hard” problem. The methods use both an elliptic polynomial and its twist, even if the polynomial and its twist are not isomorphic. Since both the polynomial and its twist are used, multiple x- and y-coordinates can be used to embed bit strings into a point that satisfies the elliptic polynomial, and the embedding process is non-iterative, so that the time required to embed the bit string is independent of the bit string content. |
| US08139764B2 |
Closed galois field cryptographic system
A cryptographic system (CS) comprised of generators (502), (504), (510), an encryption device (ED), and a decryption device (DD). The generator (502) generates a data sequence (DS) including payload data. The generator (504) generates an encryption sequence (ES) including random numbers. The ED (506) is configured to perform a CGFC arithmetic process. As such, the ED is comprised of a mapping device (MD) and an encryptor. The MD is configured to map the DS and ES from Galois field GF[pk] to Galois extension field GF[pk+1]. The encryptor is configured to generate an encrypted data sequence (EDS) by combining the DS and ES utilizing a Galois field multiplication operation in Galois extension field GF[pk+1]. The generator (510) is configured to generate a decryption sequence (DS). The DD (508) is configured to generate a decrypted data sequence by performing an inverse of the CGFC arithmetic process utilizing the EDS and DS. |
| US08139761B2 |
Network interface device, apparatus, and methods
A line module includes a plurality of pivoting insulation displacement connector holders, an insulation connector (IDC) positionable in at least one holder when the holder is in a connected position, and a gel-less jack in electrical communication with at least one IDC. |
| US08139759B2 |
Line state detecting apparatus and transmitting apparatus and receiving apparatus of balanced transmission system
A line state detecting apparatus provided in a balanced transmission system includes, in transmission lines comprising a pair of conductors W1, W2 connected to a transmitting portion 13, current transformers T11, T12 primary sides of which are inserted to respectives thereof in series therewith and secondary sides of which are connected in series to cancel currents or voltages of the two transformer by each other, and a detecting portion 11 for detecting currents or voltages on secondary sides of the current transformers T11, T12. By an output of the detecting portion 11, a difference of currents or voltages of the conductors W1, W2 of the transmission lines is provided and an unbalance component between the conductors W1, W2 is detected. |
| US08139757B2 |
Electronic device capable of recording conference information, computer system, conference information processing method, and program product therefor
An electronic device that is connected to an external interface of a computer and has a memory unit that stores a program to be executed by the computer and data. The program includes a first operating unit that causes the computer to perform an operation of acquiring conference information containing at least one of image data and audio data as to a conference and storing the conference information in a predetermined memory area. |
| US08139756B2 |
Method, apparatus, and computer product for computing skill value
A skill-value computing apparatus classifies inquiries into groups of easy and difficult inquiries, and computes a total skill value of an agent by taking into account the difficulty level of each inquiry. |
| US08139754B2 |
Correlating call log files using voice prints
A system is presented for logging and recording a call to a call network. The system comprises a voice print logic for generating a voice print of a caller who is making a call to a call network. A telecom routing switch generates a correlated telecom router switch log file by appending the voice print of the caller to a telecom router switch log file for the call. A telecom software system generates a correlated telecom software system log file by appending the voice print of the caller to a telecom software system log file for the call. A contact center agent generates a correlated contact center agent log file by appending the voice print of the caller to a contact center agent log file for the call. The voice print is utilized to retrieve and to consolidate the correlated telecom router switch log file, the correlated telecom software system log file, and the correlated contact center agent log file into a single correlated file for the call. |
| US08139749B2 |
Hierarchical data collection network supporting packetized voice communications among wireless terminals and telephones
A packet-based, hierarchical communication system, arranged in a spanning tree configuration, is described in which wired and wireless communication networks exhibiting substantially different characteristics are employed in an overall scheme to link portable or mobile computing devices. The network accommodates real time voice transmission both through dedicated, scheduled bandwidth and through a packet-based routing within the confines and constraints of a data network. Conversion and call processing circuitry is also disclosed which enables access devices and personal computers to adapt voice information between analog voice stream and digital voice packet formats as proves necessary. Routing pathways include wireless spanning tree networks, wide area networks, telephone switching networks, internet, etc., in a manner virtually transparent to the user. A voice session and associate call setup simulates that of conventional telephone switching network, providing well-understood functionality common to any mobile, remote or stationary terminal, phone, computer, etc. |
| US08139748B2 |
Communication assistance system and method
A communication assistance system provides access to information corresponding to a plurality of subscribers. The system includes a means for receiving incoming communications from a plurality of requesters desiring to access the information corresponding to subscribers and a database directory listing storing information corresponding to each one of the subscribers. The information includes a pre-announcement field containing information indicating whether a requester is pre-announced before a connection to a subscriber is made. |
| US08139746B2 |
Caller treatment in a SIP network
In a SIP network, SIP servers are provisioned with information used to authenticate subscribers and entities that will be placing calls. This information can be used during call establishment to allow or deny calls, as well as to determine the appropriate party to bill if the call involves a charge, such as a long distance charge. In addition to allowing calls between authenticated and trusted entities, there is a need for the SIP server to allow certain kinds of calls that involve non-trusted users or entities. If non-trusted entities where not recognized, trusted users and entities within the SIP network would not be able to receive calls from users or entities not know to the SIP server that is providing them services. |
| US08139744B2 |
Server based conference call volume management
A method for automatically adjusting the volume of individual conference call participants during a conference call. The present invention comprises a Configuration Program (CP) and a Volume Adjustment Program (VAP). The CP allows a user to configure the automatic volume adjustment options. The VAP continuously monitors the conference call and adds new participants to a display screen as the new participants are added to the conference call. Based upon the settings that the user selected in the CP, the VAP adjusts the volume of the conference call participant when the new participant is added, adjusts the volume of each conference call participant upon the occurrence of the time interval, or continuously adjusts the volume of each conference call participant. The VAP also allows the user to manually adjust the volume of all of the participants or an individual participant using a plurality of navigation buttons. |
| US08139741B1 |
Call control presence
Included are embodiments for detecting presence in a call control protocol environment. At least one embodiment of a method includes subscribing to events associated with a communication system and receiving a notification for an event, the event being associated with a communication between a first communications device and a second communications device. |
| US08139738B1 |
Telephone to computational device association
The present invention allows for dynamic association of a computational device, such as a personal computer or personal digital assistant, with a telephone terminal. A computer-telephone adaptor or like function implemented in a telephony switch or other telephony device will receive authentication indicia. The authentication indicia may be provided by the computational device that is to be associated with the telephone terminal, or through other means. The authentication indicia may be provided by a user or generated by the computational device or by other means. To confirm the association, the user must enter confirmatory authentication indicia corresponding to the original authentication indicia through the telephone terminal. |
| US08139737B2 |
Call-initiated social information acquisition and exchange
To simplify the acquisition and exchange of social information, a social information acquisition application could be triggered when the calling party initiates a call to a called party. The application adds a request to the called dialing sequence for a list of all available social information repositories associated to the called party. If multiple repositories exist, one of those repositories this selected either by the calling party or by applying selection rules. Information retrieved from the selected repository could be presented to the calling party and/or used to update social information repositories maintained on behalf of the calling party. |
| US08139735B2 |
IMS gateway systems and methods
IMS gateway systems and methods are disclosed for providing online charging for IMS sessions. An IMS gateway system described herein operates based on a state machine to provide charging triggers and IMS session control. For one charging trigger, the IMS gateway system transmits an initial credit control request message to an online charging system (OCS) responsive to receiving a session initiation message from a first subscriber of a session. For another charging trigger, the IMS gateway system transmits an update credit control request message to the OCS responsive to receiving a session acceptance message from a second subscriber of the session. For another charging trigger, the IMS gateway system transmits a termination credit control request message to the OCS responsive to receiving a session termination message. The IMS gateway system may trigger on other session control messages or charging messages from the OCS to provide online charging. |
| US08139730B2 |
Integrating an IVR application within a standards based application server
A method for providing Interactive Voice Response functionality within a multi-tiered telephony environment can identify an enterprise archive file that contains an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) application. The enterprise archive file can contain multiple interpreters for different markup languages. The enterprise archive file can also include a servlet that maps the interpreters to telephony sessions. The enterprise archive file can be deployed within a J2EE compliant application server having a SIP interface. The deployed IVR application can be utilized to provide IVR functions for SIP based telephony sessions. |
| US08139729B2 |
Systems and methods for handling calls associated with an interactive voice response application
A method for processing a call is provided. The method includes receiving an inbound call leg via a network device. The inbound call leg is processed using an interactive voice response (IVR) device, and an outbound call leg is generated based on processing the inbound call leg. The outbound call leg is made available to the network device. The inbound call leg and the outbound call leg are handed off from the IVR device to the network device. |
| US08139727B2 |
Personalized interactive voice response system
An interactive voice response process that permits an intelligent interactive voice system to communicate with a caller includes receiving a call and connecting the caller with the system. The process also includes identifying the caller, determining if the caller is a first time caller or a repeat caller, and interactively communicating with the caller in accordance with an interactive script. For each first time caller, the process establishes a personal profile of the caller from information gathered from the caller. The process then develops a predictive personalized interactive communication dialog for future calls from the caller based on information gathered from the caller during the interactive communication and stored in the caller's personal profile. |
| US08139726B1 |
Voicemail system and method for providing voicemail to text message conversion
A method and system for allowing a calling party to send a voicemail message as a text message. A calling party leaves a voicemail message and that message is converted from voice to a text message. If the calling party wishes to confirm the conversion, the text message is then converted to a voicemail message. The converted voicemail message is presented to the calling party so that the calling party can review and edit the message. The calling party can review and edit any portion of the converted voicemail message. The edits of the voicemail message are applied and the voicemail message is converted to a new text message. If the calling party wishes to further review and edit the text message, it is converted to a new voicemail; otherwise the text message is sent to the called party. |
| US08139723B2 |
Voice authentication system and method using a removable voice ID card
A voice authentication system using a removable voice ID card comprises: at server side, a voiceprint database for storing the voiceprints of all authorized users; a voiceprint updating means for updating the voiceprints in said voiceprint database; and a voiceprint digest generator for generating a voiceprint digest according to a request from a client; at client side, a voice ID card for storing the voiceprint of an authorized user; a validation means for validating the voiceprint in the voice ID card on the basis of the voiceprint digest from the server; an audio device for performing voice interaction with a user; and a voice authentication means for determining whether the voiceprint from said voice ID card is of the same speaker as the voice from said audio device. The present invention can significantly avoid the abuse of a voice ID card when it is lost or stolen by using the voiceprint digest stored at server side to verify the voiceprint in the voice ID card. |
| US08139722B2 |
System and method for expedited resolution of inquiries for an automated agent
An automated agent system and method includes an action classifier which scores a representation of a portion of a user inquiry based on a knowledge bank. A comparing device compares a running score of the representation to a threshold to determine if enough information has been collected to respond early to the inquiry. An action mechanism provides an early response to the user prior to the user completing the inquiry if the threshold has been exceeded. |
| US08139721B2 |
Telephonic repeat method
A method, system and computer program product for assigning one or more conditions to a telephonic communication system to enable recording, replaying, and pausing of a telephone conversation. Recording of a telephone conversation may be manually or dynamically initiated during the telephone conversation. Dynamic replay of a telephone conversation is automatically initiated when a conversation experiences insufficient call quality, an interruption to the telephone service is detected, the user is distracted, a displacement of the user's phone is detected, or the user toggles between listening modes. A pause mode is automatically entered into during the telephone conversation when a section of the telephone conversation is replayed. An automated pause alert may be played during repeat of the telephone conversation to inform one or more parties that the user is temporarily unavailable. Real-time access to the telephone conversation is resumed when the replaying of the recorded telephone conversation has ended. |
| US08139709B2 |
Staggered circular scans for CT imaging
Certain embodiments provide staggered circular scans for CT imaging. In certain embodiments, a CT imaging system comprises a plurality of source-detector assemblies that are axially offset from one another and rotate about a rotation axis to provide staggered circular CT scanning. |
| US08139708B2 |
Shift register
An exemplary shift register includes a control circuit and an output circuit. The control circuit is electrically coupled to receive a start pulse signal, a first clock pulse signal and a power supply voltage and for generating an enable signal according to the start pulse signal and the first clock pulse signal. A logic low level of the first clock pulse signal is lower than a level of the power supply voltage. The output circuit is subjected to the control of the enable signal and for generating a gate driving signal according to a second clock pulse signal. The second clock pulse signal and the first clock pulse signal are phase-inverted with respect to each other, and a logic low level of the second clock pulse signal is higher than the level of the power supply voltage. |
| US08139704B2 |
Phase compensated renormalizable dynamic phase locked loop
A variable bandwidth phase locked loop (PLL) includes renormalizable circuitry configured to allow a gain of the PLL to be changed without causing a disturbance, and a phase compensation circuit configured to adjust a final output phase of the PLL based on parameter changes supplied to the PLL. |
| US08139702B1 |
Clock and data recovery locking technique for large frequency offsets
Techniques and apparatus for a clock and data recovery circuit to lock to data having frequency offsets relative to a local clock reference are disclosed. One embodiment includes a multi-step frequency tracking system in which each step is used to track a sub-range of frequency deviation from local clock reference. The frequency tracking sub-range of each step is selected so that the clock and data recovery system is relatively assured of achieving lock when the frequency of the incoming data lies within or is relatively near the frequency tracking sub-range of the selected step. Embodiments may use control signals to select the sub-ranges, and hence guide the frequency tracking portion of the clock and data recovery circuit to operate in a frequency tracking range that is optimized for achieving and maintaining lock. |
| US08139688B1 |
Differential receiver with frequency offset compensation
A differential receiver which provides for estimation and tracking of frequency offset, together with compensation for the frequency offset. Estimation and tracking of the frequency offset is undertaken in the phase domain, which reduces computational complexity and allows frequency offset estimation and tracking to be accomplished by sharing already-existing components in the receiver. Compensation for the frequency offset can be performed either in the time domain, before differential detection, or in the phase domain, after demodulation, or can be made programmably selectable, for flexibility. |
| US08139682B2 |
Channel estimation of orthogonal frequency division multiplexed systems
Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, are provided for channel estimation. In one aspect, there is provided a receiver including a demodulator for decoding a signal including at least one of a transmission parameter signaling (TPS) carrier and a data carrier. The receiver further includes a channel estimator, coupled to the demodulator, for determining a channel estimate for the TPS carrier. Moreover, the receiver includes an interpolator, coupled to the channel estimator, for determining, based on the determined channel estimate for the TPS carrier, another channel estimate for the data carrier. Related systems, methods, and articles of manufacture are also disclosed. |
| US08139681B2 |
Frequency error correction by using remodulation
A communications signal is received through a propagation channel, down-converted in frequency and then converted into a digital signal. The samples of the digital signal are processed to estimate the information conveyed by the communications signal. The estimated information is then used with knowledge about the propagation channel to model the samples of the digital signal. The modeled samples are compared with actual samples of the digital signal to deduce phase errors in the digital signal. The phase errors are then used to deduce a frequency error in the digital signal that can be used to correct the samples of the digital signal and to correct the down-conversion process. |
| US08139677B2 |
Method for selecting constellation rotation angles for quasi-orthogonal space-time and space-frequency block coding
In one embodiment, the present invention generates a single rotation angle that may be used to maximize diversity of a quasi-orthogonal space-time block code that encodes groups of four data symbols. Two rotation angles corresponding the first two data symbols in a group are set to zero, and two rotation angles corresponding to the second two data symbols in a group are set to a single initial value. A codeword distance matrix is determined for each possible combination of codewords and erroneously decoded codewords that may be generated using the initial rotation angle, and the minimum of the determinants of these matrices is selected. This process is repeated to generate a plurality of minimum determinants, and, for each iteration, a different single rotation angle corresponding to the second two data symbols is used. Then, a single rotation angle is selected that corresponds to the maximum of the minimum determinants. |
| US08139674B2 |
Spaceflight high data rate radiation hard Ka-band modulator
A Ka-band transmitter. The transmitter is in a self-contained module that contains a radio frequency (RF) channel. A phase lock oscillator drives an RF signal path in the RF channel at a fundamental frequency. In-phase data (I-data) and Quadrature data (Q-data) difference signals are converted to single ended signals and filtered in a pair of low pass filters and passed as inputs to a Quadriphase Shift Keying (QPSK) vector modulator in the RF signal path, e.g., an in-line even-harmonic modulator. The output of the QPSK vector modulator, is a Ka-band signal that is passed to a driver which may drive a load, e.g., an antenna. |
| US08139670B1 |
Modular MIMO transceiver architecture
A scalable N×N single-chip dual-band MIMO RF transceiver module compatible with the IEEE 802.11n standard for WLAN applications is provided. A modular design approach allows a transceiver of substantially any dimension to be created on a single chip that may be easily integrated with other system components. An N×N MIMO transceiver module includes N substantially identical transceiver blocks and a common local oscillator. Each transceiver block includes transmitters and receivers for transmitting and receiving signals in two distinct frequency bands. The transceiver blocks further include one or more local oscillator signal repeaters for receiving one or more local oscillator signals and forwarding the one or more local oscillator signals to subsequent transceiver blocks. |
| US08139669B2 |
Space domain filter detecting method in a multi-antenna wireless communication system
A space domain filter detecting method in a multi-antennas wireless communication system, which processes time and space domain interference differently. The space domain filter detecting method comprises the following steps: firstly, the received signals are matched-combined in time domain and space domain; secondly, using the combined signals as an observation value, the space domain filtering is performed; thirdly, an estimated value is subtracted from the filtered signals, and the result is taken as a detection output, which is sent to a determiner in a non-error control coding system to get a hard determination output or is sent to a determiner in an error control coding system to get a soft determination output that is finally sent to a coder. The method promotes the transmission rate and the anti-interference ability and advances the spectrum efficiency. |
| US08139666B2 |
Channel estimation technique for multi-carrier system
The present invention relates to a channel estimation technique for multi-carrier system which uses pilot signal to first obtain pilot subcarrier channel responses, then estimate the mean delay and the root-mean-square delay spread of the channel, and then uses interpolation to obtain the channel responses of arbitrary subcarriers. The present invention is able to perform channel estimation and to accurately estimate various channel delay parameters (such as the initial delay, the mean delay, and the root-mean-square delay spread) with very low quantity of pilot signal and with low computational complexity. In addition, the present invention has broad applicability, as it does not require the channel power-delay profile to be of certain specific types and it can operate in systems where pilot subcarriers have an irregular configuration. |
| US08139663B2 |
Method for improving synchronization and information transmission in a communication system
The present invention relates to a method for improving synchronization and information transmission in a communication system, including: generating a signal with a time symmetric property based on a uniquely identifiable sequence c(l) from a set of sequences, sending the signal over a communication channel, receiving the signal, calculating and storing a correlation, finding the delay that result in a maximum correlation magnitude, detecting the unique sequence c(l) from the set of sequences. The method is distinguished by: generating the signal with a centrally symmetric part, s(k), the centrally symmetric part s(k) being symmetric in the shape of the absolute value thereof, storing the reverse differential correlation D(p) from a block of N received signal samples r(k), k=0, 1, . . . , N−1. The present invention also relates to a transmitter unit and a receiver unit of a communication system, and a radio communication system. |
| US08139656B2 |
Method and system for linear processing of an input using Gaussian belief propagation
Methods and systems for processing an input. An input vector y is received that represents a noisy observation of Ax, where A is a data matrix and x is a data vector of unknown variables. Data vector x is recovered from the received input vector y via an iterative method. The recovering comprises determining an inference of a vector of marginal means over a graph G, where the graph G is of a joint Gaussian probability density function p(x) associated with noise in the received input vector y. |
| US08139652B2 |
Method and apparatus for decoding transmission signals in a wireless communication system
Disclosed is a method and an apparatus for decoding transmission signal. The method includes the steps of: receiving transmission signal including repeated symbols; deinterleaving the received signal; mutually combining the repeated symbols in the deinterleaved signal; and decoding the combined symbols. According to the method, reception performance is improved as compared to a conventional decoding method, and system performance is improved by reducing the loss of frame information included in an FCH. |
| US08139650B2 |
Fast noise reduction in digital images and video
Presented are embodiments for nonlocal mean filtering that provide a robust and efficient method for reducing noise in digital images and video frames. These embodiments build on a separable property of neighborhood filtering to offer a fast, parallel and vectorized implementation in contemporary shared memory computer architectures while minimizing theoretical computational complexity. In practice, this approach is fast and scales linearly with image size. |
| US08139648B2 |
Image processing apparatus and image processing method
A basic pattern generating unit 81 generates a film grain basic pattern 86 in which the histogram of random noise is substantially the same as the film grain basic pattern information 53. The film grain basic pattern 86 is of (64×64) pixels and an area of (16×16) pixels is cut out and supplied to a multiplier 84. Strength information 88 is generated based on film grain strength information 54 produced on the encoding side and an average value 87 of a pixel value in the area of (16×16) pixels of decoded image information 42. The strength of basic pattern 86 is adjusted by this strength information 88. Film grain image 89 whose strength is adjusted is added to the area of (16×16) pixels of the decoded image information 42 by an adder 85 by the unit of pixel. |
| US08139643B2 |
Motion estimation apparatus and method for moving picture coding
Provided is a motion estimation apparatus for moving picture coding. The apparatus includes a 1-pel buffer for storing 1-pel unit pixels using luminance signals of a reference frame which correspond to macroblocks of a current frame, a 1-pel estimator for calculating 1-pel unit motion vectors and minimum costs in correspondence to the macroblocks of the current frame and the pixels stored in the 1-pel buffer, a ½-pel interpolator for performing ½-pel unit interpolation using the pixels stored in the 1-pel buffer, a ½-pel buffer for storing the ½-pel unit interpolated pixels, a ½-pel estimator for calculating ½-pel unit motion vectors and minimum costs in correspondence to the pixels stored in the ½-pel buffer, the values calculated by the 1-pel estimator, and the macroblocks of the current frame, a ¼-pel interpolator for performing ¼-pel unit interpolation using the pixels stored in the ½-pel and 1-pel buffers, a ¼-pel buffer for storing the ¼-pel unit interpolated pixels, and a ¼-pel estimator for calculating ¼-pel unit motion vectors and minimum costs in correspondence to the pixels stored in the ¼-pel buffer, the values calculated by the ½-pel estimator, and the macroblocks of the current frame. |
| US08139641B2 |
Interpolation of video compression frames
Coding techniques for a video image compression system involve improving an image quality of a sequence of two or more bi-directionally predicted intermediate frames, where each of the frames includes multiple pixels. One method involves determining a brightness value of at least one pixel of each bi-directionally predicted intermediate frame in the sequence as an equal average of brightness values of pixels in non-bidirectionally predicted frames bracketing the sequence of bi-directionally predicted intermediate frames. The brightness values of the pixels in at least one of the non-bidirectionally predicted frames is converted from a non-linear representation. |
| US08139640B2 |
Interpolation of video compression frames
Coding techniques for a video image compression system involve improving an image quality of a sequence of two or more bi-directionally predicted intermediate frames, where each of the frames includes multiple pixels. One method involves determining a brightness value of at least one pixel of each bi-directionally predicted intermediate frame in the sequence as an equal average of brightness values of pixels in non-bidirectionally predicted frames bracketing the sequence of bi-directionally predicted intermediate frames. The brightness values of the pixels in at least one of the non-bidirectionally predicted frames is converted from a non-linear representation. |
| US08139639B2 |
Interpolation of video compression frames
Coding techniques for a video image compression system involve improving an image quality of a sequence of two or more bi-directionally predicted intermediate frames, where each of the frames includes multiple pixels. One method involves determining a brightness value of at least one pixel of each bi-directionally predicted intermediate frame in the sequence as an equal average of brightness values of pixels in non-bidirectionally predicted frames bracketing the sequence of bi-directionally predicted intermediate frames. The brightness values of the pixels in at least one of the non-bidirectionally predicted frames is converted from a non-linear representation. |
| US08139637B2 |
Moving picture coding apparatus and moving picture decoding apparatus
A video encoder (70) for coding moving pictures comprising a buffer (16c) with a plurality of memory areas capable of storing frames composed of top fields and bottom fields, a motion estimation unit (19) operable to code, field by field, inputted pictures performing moving estimation and moving compensation by referring, field by field, to the picture data stored in a memory area, a motion compensation unit (16d), a subtractor (11), a transformation unit (13) and a quantization unit (14), a memory management unit (71) operable to manage, frame by frame, a plurality of memory areas, an inverse quantization unit (16a) and inverse discrete cosine transform unit (16b) operable to decode picture data in coded fields and store the picture data in the decoded field in any of the plurality of memory areas under the management by the memory management unit (71). |
| US08139633B2 |
Multi-codec camera system and image acquisition program
A multi-codec camera system includes a multi-codec camera that acquires video in the form of multiple compression-rate image data and a determination module that selects image data from the multiple compression-rate image data acquired by the multi-codec camera according to a predetermined reference, wherein when a predetermined object is detected from the video acquired by the multi-codec camera, the determination module selects image data at a compression rate according to the size of the detected object. |
| US08139632B2 |
Video decoder with adaptive outputs
In one aspect, there is provided a video decoder including a first write port to write uncompressed video data to a first buffer in a first format adapted based on an input required by the video decoder and to suppress writing to the first buffer. The video decoder also includes a second write port to write uncompressed video data to a second buffer in a second format adapted to provide the uncompressed video data for subsequent processing external to the video decoder. |
| US08139631B2 |
Method for transmitting data
In a method for transmitting data using a predetermined data protocol between a first electronic control unit and a second electronic control unit in a motor vehicle, in which a data protocol is transmitted in the form of a pulse-pause sequence via a single electrical line, a first data protocol may be output by the first control unit on the line and synchronously a second data protocol may be output by the second control unit on the line, after which at least one of the control units acquires the resulting signal of the data protocols on the line and checks it for predefined criteria. |
| US08139624B1 |
System and method for providing multiple ad hoc communication networks on a hardware channel
A node for communicating with multiple ad hoc communication networks includes a first antenna configured to communicate in a first frequency band associated with a first ad hoc communication network and a second antenna configured to communicate in a second frequency band associated with a second ad hoc communication network. A transceiver is coupled to the first antenna and the second antenna. The transceiver is configured to transmit and receive messages. A control circuit is coupled to the transceiver and is configured to implement an access protocol having a time slot section. The access protocol is configured to switch communications in the time slot section between the first frequency band and the second frequency band. |
| US08139623B2 |
Method of controlling operation of at least one transmitter and/or one receiver, communication system and use of such a method or such a system
Method of and communication system for controlling operation of at least one transmitter and/or one receiver in a communication system, e.g. a system for transmission of control signals, request signals, interrogation signals etc. wherein a signal comprising a message frame transmitted from a transmitter to a receiver comprises a message part indicative of the time of transmission for a later signal. |
| US08139622B2 |
System and method for generating and detecting the identifier sequence of the bandwidth-limited transmitter
A system and method for generating and detecting identifier sequence of a bandwidth-limited transmitter are disclosed, comprising an identifier sequence generating portion and a detection portion. The identifier sequence generating portion comprises: generating a frequency-domain random sequence; generating a frequency-domain orthogonal sequence; performing frequency-domain truncation; performing frequency-time transformation; and performing cycle extension. The identifier sequence receiving portion comprises: truncating the time-domain for the received signal; performing time-frequency domain transformation to obtain a frequency-domain signal; generating frequency-domain random sequence; generating a frequency-domain orthogonal sequence; correlating the frequency-domain orthogonal sequence with the frequency-domain signal de-scrambled by the frequency-domain random sequence; and detecting an output from a frequency-domain correlator by a threshold detecting device and determining the transmitter identifier sequence. The random sequence bandwidth generated by the system and the method of the present invention can be configured flexibly according to transmission bandwidth requirement, and the sequence may be arbitrarily allocated at the power of each frequency point inside the bandwidth. The present invention may be widely applied to multimedia broadcasting, terrestrial radio broadcasting, cable broadcasting and the like. |
| US08139621B2 |
Pulse generator for ultra-wide-band modulating systems and modulating systems using it
A pulse generator circuit is provided. The pulse generator circuit has an input adapted to receive an input electrical quantity and an output at which an output electrical quantity is made available. A transfer characteristic establishes a relationship between said input and said output electrical quantities. The pulse generator circuit is adapted to provide said output electrical quantity in the form of pulses having a predetermined shape, suitable to be used for UWB transmission. The transfer characteristic has substantially a same shape as that of said pulses. Moreover, a UWB modulating system exploiting the novel pulse generator is proposed. |
| US08139620B2 |
Nitride semiconductor laser device
The nitride semiconductor laser device includes a substrate, a nitride semiconductor layer having a first nitride semiconductor layer, an active layer, and a second nitride semiconductor layer stacked in this order on the substrate, and a ridge provided on a surface of the nitride semiconductor layer. The surface of the nitride semiconductor layer includes a generally flat part and first and second grooves which extend along the ridge in a resonator direction, the first groove being formed continuous to a first side surface of the ridge, the second groove being formed continuous to a second side surface of the ridge which is opposite to the first side surface. |
| US08139617B2 |
Mode-locker comprising a graphene, and pulse laser device comprising the same
The present invention relates to a mode-locker including a graphene and a laser pulse device. The mode-locker mode-locks a laser that propagates through a laser oscillation loop. The mode-locker includes: i) a core; ii) cladding that surrounds the core, wherein a groove is formed on a side of the cladding; and iii) a graphene layer that is located in the groove and is formed to be extended along a direction to be parallel to a transferring direction of the laser such that a laser pulse is formed by the interaction of the graphene and the field of the propagating laser mode. |
| US08139616B2 |
Pulsed light generator and pulsed fiber laser
A pulsed light generator of the invention includes: an excitation light source; a fiber grating into which excitation light from the excitation light source enters; a rare-earth doped optical fiber optically coupled with the fiber grating, in which a rare-earth element is doped into a core, serving as an optical transmitting section; an optical switch including a deflection element for causing a Q-switching operation; a first optical fiber that causes light from the rare-earth doped optical fiber to enter into the optical switch; and a second optical fiber for waveguiding pulsed light output from the optical switch. One surface side of the optical switch, into which light enters, is subjected to anti-reflection treatment with a reflectance with respect to a wavelength of the pulsed light output from the optical switch being 0.1% or less. A low-reflection section having a reflectance with respect to the wavelength of the pulsed light output from the optical switch of from 1% to 60% inclusive, is arranged on an other surface side of the optical switch, from which light is emitted. |
| US08139613B2 |
Method and device for channel inspection in a communication system
To perform channel inspection, a wireless communication device conducts a full inspection on a first channel carrying a first signal that includes: determining a location of a first synchronization message; and determining whether the first signal is of interest. Upon determining that the first signal is not of interest, the first channel is marked, wherein the marking includes remembering the location of the first synchronization message. The device leaves the first channel and determines an expected location of a second synchronization message on the first channel based on the location of the first synchronization message. Upon returning to the first channel which carries a second signal, the communication device conduct a partial inspection that includes: detecting whether the second synchronization message is present at the expected location, wherein the presence of the second synchronization message indicates that the second signal is not of interest. |
| US08139608B2 |
Method and apparatus optimizing a radio link
Optimizing a radio link is done by acquiring at least OSI layer one and two performance measurements, determining an optimum setting collection for at least OSI layer three to a top layer, then configuring at least the OSI layer three to the top layer based upon the optimum setting collection. The top layer is at least OSI layer four. The invention includes optimized radio links, methods of making optimized radio links, revenue generating making optimized radio links by providing means for optimizing the radio link. |
| US08139603B2 |
Architecture for multiple MIH users
Currently, the I.E.E.E. 802.21 specification allows multiple MIH (Media-Independent Handover) Users in a single MIH Function. However, the specification is not clear about how multiple MIH Users are supported by a single MIHF (MIH Function) under a constraint in which if there is only one MIH User is allowed to change the state of a particular link during a particular period of time. This document proposes a detailed architecture which allows for the co-existence of multiple MIH Users by introducing a link ownership scheme in the MIHF (MIH Function). The proposed link ownership scheme also supports the scenario in which the state of a link of a mobile node is changed by a network node by modifying the MIH_Register primitives in the I.E.E.E. 802.21 specification to signal the set of allocated links to a remote MIH User on the network node. The modification of MIH_Register primitive also has the added benefit of allowing the network node to subscribe to events on a specific set of links present in the mobile node as opposed to not knowing any of the links at all. |
| US08139602B2 |
System, method and device for high bit rate data communication over twisted pair cables
The invention provides for a system, method, and device for using the existing copper loop plant of twisted pair wiring for data communication by using a plurality of pairs in a cable bundle of twisted pair for the downstream data direction simultaneously, as if the plurality of twisted pair in the cable bundle were a broadcast medium. Between an individual subscriber's access pair and the cable bundle, an aggregation device is used to combine all received signals from the plurality of twisted pairs in the cable bundle and to make the entire downstream bandwidth of the plurality of pairs available to the subscriber. |
| US08139588B2 |
Method and apparatus to establish routes based on the trust scores of routers within an IP routing domain
A router includes a management module and a routing module. The routing module can be used to route data around a network. The management module can be used to manage the operation of the routing module, including generating an integrity report for the router, which can be used to generate a trust report for the router. The trust report can include an integrity/trust score for the router. The management module can control the routing module via a secure control interface. |
| US08139586B2 |
Enhanced packet classification
A method for classifying a data packet containing a header is provided. The method may comprise parsing the header of a data packet into header elements. Rules in secondary lookup tables generated from a primary lookup table may be accessed. The respective header elements of the data packet may be compared to the respective fields of each of the secondary lookup tables, and rule results for each of the secondary lookup tables in a combinable format may be generated. In another embodiment, a method for generating secondary lookup tables from a primary lookup table is provided. The method may comprise accessing a primary lookup table defining packet classification rules and generating multiple secondary lookup tables from the primary lookup table. For each secondary lookup table, a selection of classification rules and a selection of fields of the multiple fields based on a rule set identifying predefined entries may be extracted. |
| US08139585B1 |
Method and system for controlling sessions from a subscriber terminal
A method and system for providing users with the ability to control the configuration of data session initiated to connect terminals connected to the public-switched telecommunications network (“PSTN”) to services available on data networks. A legacy terminal may initiate a Voice-Over IP connection to a remote terminal by dialing the destination identifier of the remote terminal and a session code. The session code corresponds with one of several session profiles or sets of data session parameters defining characteristics of the data session. A media gateway controller detects the session code and retrieves the corresponding session profile to initiate the data session using the selected session profile. |
| US08139580B2 |
System and method for providing multicast and broadcast services
A method for providing a multicast and broadcast service (MBS) by transmitting a plurality of data frames in a wireless network. The method includes: generating a first MBS data information element (MBS-DATA-IE) in a first one of the data frames, the first MBS-DATA-IE including information relating to a logical channel of the MBS, and indicating a location of an MBS map (MBS-MAP) in a second one of the data frames; determining ones of the data frames between the first and second ones of the data frames in which to add a plurality of extra MBS-DATA-IEs; and generating the extra MBS-DATA-IEs, the extra MBS-DATA-IEs being generated in the determined ones of the data frames and including information relating to the logical channel. |
| US08139578B2 |
System and method for traversing a NAT device for peer-to-peer hybrid communications
An improved system and method are disclosed for peer-to-peer communications. In one example, the method enables an endpoint to traverse a NAT device using a stateless reflector. |
| US08139571B2 |
Mobile IPv6 authentication and authorization baseline
The invention consists of an authentication protocol for the Home Agent to authenticate and authorize the Mobile Node's Binding Update message. Two new mobility options compatible with RADIUS AAA are used to exchange a shared secret between the Home Agent and the Mobile Node so the Mobile Node can be authenticated.A Mobile Node-AAA authenticator option is added to the Binding Update message. The Home Agent generates the Mobile Node-AAA authenticator as a shared secret that it communicates as authentication data to the RADIUS AAA server on the home network. The RADIUS AAA server authenticates the communication and generates an Access-Accept message with a Mobile Node-Home Agent authenticator option. After receipt at the Home Agent, a Binding Update message with the Mobile Node-Home Agent authenticator option is transmitted from the Home Agent to the Mobile Node to use as an authenticator. |
| US08139569B2 |
System and method for communication over an adaptive service bus
An adaptive service bus comprising adaptable logical components for transporting communications. A configuration of each logical component of the adaptive service bus is determined by receipt of a control message that establishes the behavior of that component. Thereafter, communications that are received by the adaptive service bus are processed in accordance with “rules” established by the configurations. The configuration of the adaptive service bus may be changed in real time to accommodate changes in communication types and/or changes in the processing rule for a particular communication type. |
| US08139567B2 |
Transceiving apparatus and data processing system for communication base stations
A base station apparatus adaptive for antenna arrays including at least one radio frequency (RF) header module, at least one data processing apparatus, and transceiving apparatus for transceiving data between the at least one radio frequency (RF) header module and the at least one data processing apparatus. The transceiving apparatus includes an uplink module to group data received by the RF header module according to grouping configuration information, and to transfer the grouped data to the data processing apparatus; and a downlink module to degroup the data from the data processing apparatus according to the grouping configuration information, and to transfer the degrouped data to the RF header module. Also provided are methods of receiving and sending data, and a computer readable article of manufacture tangibly embodying computer readable instructions for executing a computer implemented method of sending and receiving data for a base station. |
| US08139565B2 |
Telecommunications system and method for connecting a CSTA client to several PBXS
The presently disclosed Demultiplexer Application associated with a server or other processor (S) (collectively “Demultiplexer”) enables a computer telephony Client Application (CA), for example a Computer-Supported Telecommunications Application (CSTA) Client Application, to connect to several Communication Devices (PBX1, . . . , PBXn) simultaneously, even though the Client is designed to only connect to a single Communication Device. The Demultiplexer provides an interface between the single access Client Application and the multiple Communication Devices simultaneously connected to the Demultiplexer via computer telephony, for example, using CSTA. When the Client Application attempts a an association with a target Communication Device, the Demultiplexer establishes two parallel processes: (1) a dialogue process between the Client Application and the Demultiplexer, and (2) a dialogue process between the target Communication Devices and the Demultiplexer. |
| US08139564B1 |
Configuring guest users for a VoIP device of a primary user
A VoIP device stores a first set of VoIP parameters downloaded from a VoIP network to support call signaling associated with a primary user. The primary user enables a guest set-up mode by storing a guest access code to be associated with the guest user. The guest user enters a code on the VoIP device which the VoIP device compares to the stored guest access code and activates a guest profile if a match is detected. A second set of VoIP parameters is downloaded from the VoIP network and stored as part of the guest profile on the VoIP device to support call signaling associated with the guest user. SIP signaling is initiated between the VoIP device and the VoIP network including the directory number of the guest user, whereby the directory number of the guest user is mapped by the VoIP network to the VoIP device of the primary user. When the primary user initiates a call from the VoIP device, then the call is initiated using the first set of VoIP parameters. When the guest user initiates a call from the VoIP device, then the call is initiated using the second set of VoIP parameters. |
| US08139558B2 |
Method and system for establishing a system time within a mobile ad hoc network
A mobile ad hoc network, a mobile ad hoc network node and a method for establishing a system time within a mobile ad hoc network are provided. The network nodes may include a global positioning system (GPS) receiver for receiving GPS signals and for providing a GPS time derived from the GPS signals. The GPS time may be employed by the network node as the system time. Even though the network nodes of a mobile ad hoc network independently determine the GPS time and, in turn, the system time, the system time will be common for each of the network nodes. Mobile ad hoc network nodes may therefore join and leave the mobile ad hoc network with each network node being able to determine the system time prior to its joinder based upon the GPS time provided by the respective GPS receiver. |
| US08139554B1 |
Providing bounded latency communication in wireless mesh networks
Communicating using a mesh network is disclosed. A frame length used for communicating a packet between a first node and a second node of a wireless mesh network is selected. A route from the first node to the second node is determined including one or more intermediate nodes that receive and transmit the packet. Node to node communications within the frame along the route is selected such that a communication latency time is below a predetermined limit time for a predetermined percentage of communications between the first node and the second node. |
| US08139551B2 |
Quality of service (QoS) assurance system using data transmission control
The present invention provides improved quality of service through data transmission rate control in a network. Data rate control may be in the downlink or uplink direction and may be statically or dynamically configured. Rate control may be implemented at varying points in the network including but not limited to at the wireless host, at the access point, at a separate device such as a server or at a separate location within the network. In one example of the present invention, a rate enforcement function is provided for identifying data packets to be enforced or identifying mapping between each packet and corresponding access point. Also, a rate decision function is also provided for determining the data rate to be enforced for each of the access points or each of the wireless hosts. |
| US08139550B2 |
Apparatus and method for transmitting ACK/NACK messages in a wireless communication system
A base station for use in wireless network that communicates with subscriber stations according to a multicarrier protocol. The base station receives an uplink subframe comprising a plurality of blocks. Each of the blocks comprises up to N subcarriers transmitted by the subscriber stations. The base station receives a first acknowledgment signal transmitted by a first subscriber station in the uplink subframe. The first acknowledgment signal is carried on at least one selected subcarrier in a first block of the uplink subframe and on at least one selected subcarrier in a second block of the uplink subframe. |
| US08139548B2 |
Method and apparatus for removing interference from uplink signal in Time Division Duplex (TDD) system
A method and apparatus for removing interference from a UpLink (UL) signal in a Time Division Duplex (TDD) system are provided. The method includes determining whether a section for receiving an UpLink (UL) signal from the MS overlaps with sections for sending a DownLink (DL) signal of neighbor BSs in service, the neighbor BSs sending the DL signal to another MS, when the UL signal section overlaps with the DL sections of the neighbor BSs, detecting DL transmit signal information from the neighbor BSs transmitting in the overlapping sections, and removing interference from the UL signal using the detected transmit signal information. Accordingly, the accuracy of detecting the signal from the MS can be raised without having to adopt the complex resource allocation scheme to avoid the interference of the neighbor BSs. |
| US08139545B2 |
Method and apparatus for forwarding messages among multiple radio networks
Techniques to forward unsolicited messages from an (IS-2000) CDMA radio network via an HDR radio network to an access terminal. A session is first established between the access terminal and the HDR radio network. During session establishment or thereafter, the access terminal indicates to the HDR radio network an interest in receiving unsolicited messages from the CDMA radio network. The access terminal typically also registers with the CDMA radio network. Thereafter, unsolicited messages can be sent from a mobile station controller (MSC) to the HDR and CDMA radio networks, or sent from the MSC to the CDMA radio network, which then forwards the messages to the HDR radio network. The HDR radio network encapsulates the unsolicited messages and sends the encapsulated messages to the access terminal. The forwarding of unsolicited messages allows the CDMA radio network to communicate with an access terminal. |
| US08139544B1 |
Pilot tone processing systems and methods
Embodiments of pilot tone processing systems and methods are disclosed. In one embodiment, among others, a pilot tone processing system comprises pilot tone logic configured to receive first pilot tone data corresponding to a first transmit antenna and second pilot tone data corresponding to a second transmit antenna and separate the first pilot tone data from the second pilot tone data. |
| US08139543B2 |
Coverage-hole detection and self healing
A system, apparatus and techniques for detecting and self-healing coverage hole conditions in a wireless network are disclosed. The apparatus includes a monitor module that is configured in a data forwarding plane of a network switch and a regulatory module configured in a control plane of the switch. The monitor module is configured to detect a coverage hole condition affecting a mobile device associated with an access port and the regulatory module is configured to adjust transmission power to the access port based on the condition. |
| US08139540B2 |
Arrangement and method for dual mode operation in a communication system terminal
An arrangement and method for discontinuous software FDD monitoring during TDD call allows removal of a conventional external notch filter in a dual mode WCDMA and PCS/DCS handset. The WCDMA RX frame is allowed to have a few slots corrupted by the PCS/DCS transmitter noise during DCS transmission, and a scheme is used to recover the required information by not considering the corrupted slots. Due to the fact that during WCDMA FDD RX monitoring, the processing required is performed in stages, and since the information that is measured during a WCDMA frame is repeated in every frame, the scheme of the invention is based on the idea that if a given slot is corrupted in a WCDMA frame, in the next WCDMA frame the slot will be no more corrupted due to the difference in timing between the PCS/DCS transmitter protocol and the WCDMA timing protocol. |
| US08139534B2 |
Mobile communication method, mobile communication system and radio base station
A mobile communication method according to the present invention includes: controlling, at the radio base station NodeB, the transmission power in the DPCCH by use of an inner loop transmission power control based on a target SIR; transmitting, at the mobile station UE, the uplink packet, at the transmission power in the E-DPDCH, the transmission power being determined based on the SG and the transmission power in the DPCCH; and determining, at the radio base station NodeB, the target SIR, by use of an outer loop transmission power control based on a HARQ transmission number and a reception result of an uplink packet transmission of the HARQ transmission number, the HARQ transmission number indicating what number transmission in the HARQ retransmission control is the uplink packet transmission. |
| US08139533B2 |
Division of the scheduling algorithm into background and foreground algorithms
Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate dividing scheduling algorithms into background and foreground aspects capable of simultaneously servicing a multiplicity of disparate flows in wideband communications networks. The systems provided herein arbitrarily select prospective time horizons, generate optimal bandwidth allocation targets based on a plurality of flows observed by the system, and utilizes the optimal bandwidth targets to assign flows to users over the entirety of the prospective time horizon. |
| US08139521B2 |
Wireless nodes with active authentication and associated methods
A wireless communications network includes access points and wireless nodes. Each access point and each wireless node has a respective authentication token and address associated therewith. The access points and wireless nodes communicate using packets, where each packet includes an authentication token, an origination address and a destination address. During the communications, the access points read and store the respective authentication tokens and origination addresses in the packets wirelessly transmitted from the wireless nodes for defining an allowed wireless node list. Likewise, each wireless node reads and stores the respective authentication tokens and origination addresses wirelessly transmitted from the access points for defining an allowed access point list. The wireless nodes and access points do not associate with an attacker if both an authentication token and an address associated with the attacker are not on the respective allowed access point and wireless node lists. |
| US08139518B2 |
System for measuring a rise-over-thermal characteristic in a communication network
A system for measuring a rise-over-thermal (RoT) characteristic in a communication network includes controlling a transmitting station to maintain its transmit power at a substantially constant level for a first time interval, and measuring a first received power level. The transmitting station is then controlled to adjust its transmit power by a selectable amount for a second time interval, and a second received power level is measured. The first and second received power levels are then processed to determine the RoT characteristic. |
| US08139510B2 |
Optimizations and enhancements to the IEEE RSTP 802.1w implementation
A method for supporting dynamic configuration changes comprises receiving a message from a current root bridge, comparing a bridge media access control (MAC) address of a receiving port to a bridge MAC address of the received message, if the bridge MAC addresses are the same, then comparing a current priority value with a previous priority value of the current root bridge, determining if the receiving port is a qualified root port, and if the port is a qualified root port, then returning a superior designated message to execute an RSTP calculation. |
| US08139505B2 |
Mobile communication method, mobile communication system and access entity
The present invention relates to communication field, and discloses a mobile communication method. As can be seen from various embodiments, in the process of the access entity performing a location update for the UE or performing a UE access procedure, when the UE needs to be paged, the UE is paged in the paging area administered by the access entity and it is prohibited to page the UE in the paging area administered by the access entity in the other network. |
| US08139504B2 |
System, device, and method for unifying differently-routed networks using virtual topology representations
Systems, devices, and methods for routing data through a first and a second ad-hoc network are described. Routing information structured according to a first routing protocol associated with a plurality of nodes in the first network is received at a border node that is part of at least the first and second ad-hoc networks. Routing information structured according to a second routing protocol associated with a plurality of nodes in the second ad-hoc network is also received. The received routing information is translated from the first routing protocol to the second routing protocol, or vice versa, and disseminated to nodes in the first or second ad-hoc networks. Data packets from nodes in the first ad-hoc network are forwarded to nodes in the second ad-hoc network, or vice versa, based in part on the translated routing information. |
| US08139503B2 |
System and method for automatic detection of UTRAN topology
System and method for automatically detecting nodes, components and interfaces in a network. A preferred embodiment comprises detecting nodes in a network, wherein the nodes are coupled to a network controller, comprises identifying ports for the network controller, capturing messages received by the network controller at the ports, parsing the messages to identify a node address parameter, wherein the node address parameter uniquely identifies the node to the network controller, and if the node address parameter has not been previously identified, adding a new entry to a node database. |
| US08139500B2 |
Information processing device and method thereof, and computer program product
An information processing device is configured to be connected via a network to a plurality of external devices and output data through one of the external devices. The information processing device includes a characteristic information acquiring unit, a device searching unit, and a port generating unit. The characteristic information acquiring unit acquires characteristic information related to data to be output. The device searching unit searches for an external device through which the data is to be output based on the characteristic information. The port generating unit generates an output port to the external device. The data is transmitted to the external device through the output port. |
| US08139499B2 |
Method and arrangement for determining transmission delay differences
The invention relates to determining mutual differences of transmission delays experienced by protocol data units transmitted in a communications network. This invention is based on a surprising discovery that the time difference between the receiving moments of protocol data units the temporal receiving order of which deviates from their temporal transmitting order represents the smallest possible difference between the transmission delays experienced by these protocol data units. In a method according to the invention it is determined, based on an order indicator associated with a protocol data unit received at an earlier point of time and an order indicator associated with a protocol data unit received at a later point of time, whether the mutual order of the protocol data units changed during transmission. If the mutual order has changed, the time difference between the receiving moments of the protocol data units is calculated, which time difference represents the smallest possible difference between the transmission delays experienced by these protocol data units. |
| US08139496B2 |
System and method for policing spectrum usage
Transferring spectrum use rights may include ascertaining information regarding available spectrum for use in wireless communications. A request for spectrum use from a spectrum user system may be matched with available spectrum. A spectrum certificate may be issued to the spectrum user system, where the spectrum certificate contains at least one spectrum-related variable under which the spectrum user system is to engage in wireless communications. |
| US08139492B1 |
Local forwarding bias in a multi-chassis router
Techniques are described for reducing the amount of data traffic carried on inter-chassis links within a multi-chassis router. A multi-chassis router is described in which the packet forwarding engines (PFEs) of each chassis receive and modify forwarding structures, generated in accordance with various load-balancing protocols, to exhibit a chassis-local link preference. Each of the PFEs may implement a selection bias for forwarding paths that egress from the multi-chassis router at the member chassis that includes the ingress PFE. |
| US08139490B2 |
Deadlock prevention in direct networks of arbitrary topology
Aspects of the invention pertain to routing packets in a computer system while avoiding deadlock. A turn rule is set according to unique identifiers associated with switches in the system. Numeric values of switches in possible turns are compared to determine whether a turn is permissible. The rule applies to all nodes in the system. The rule may be violated when using virtual channels. Here, a violation is permissible when using monotonically increasing virtual channel numbers or monotonically decreasing virtual channel numbers. Alternatively, the violations of the turn rule may be allowed if they force a packet to change to a later virtual channel in some fixed ordering of virtual channels. Deadlock can thus be avoided in many different types of architectures, including mesh, torus, butterfly and flattened butterfly configurations. |
| US08139487B2 |
Strategies for selecting a format for data transmission based on measured bandwidth
A strategy is described for transmitting data from a first entity to a second entity. The data is transmitted using a format that is selected to accommodate available bandwidth in a communication coupling that connects the first entity and the second entity. The first entity or the second entity can comprise a terminal service (TS) client device and a terminal service (TS) server device, respectively, or vice versa. The strategy can compute the bandwidth by recording timing information associated with the transmission of a short message followed by a longer message from the first entity to the second entity. The short message is used to remove the effects of latency in the computation of bandwidth. |
| US08139485B2 |
Logical transport resource traffic management
A method for managing data packets passing through an Ethernet node having multiple ingress ports and multiple egress ports, the ingress ports receiving the data packets from at least one service, and the egress ports configured with at least one Logical Transport Resource (LTR) configured as a predefined path between one of the egress ports and a destination in the Ethernet network. The method comprises mapping one or more of the services to each of the at least one LTR, shaping each of the at least one LTR to a configured rate, and transmitting data packets to the Ethernet network via the egress ports. |
| US08139482B1 |
Method to implement an L4-L7 switch using split connections and an offloading NIC
A method of operating intelligent network interface circuitry includes the network interface circuitry coupling a core processor to a network to facilitate communication over the network between the core processor and at least a first peer and a second peer. A first connection connects to the first peer and a second connection connects to the second peer. The network interface circuitry receives data packets from the first peer via the network on the first connection, according to a first particular protocol. The network interface circuitry processes the received data, including associating, with the second connection, data that is at least a portion of the data packets received on the first connection, such that the data received by the intelligent network interface circuitry on the first connection is switched to be outgoing from the intelligent network interface circuitry on the second connection, according to a second particular protocol. |
| US08139481B2 |
Method and equipment for shaping transmission speed of data traffic flow
A method and apparatus for monitoring and limiting the transmission speed of a data traffic flow in a situation where the traffic flow also includes delay-critical traffic. With the sending of each protocol data unit it is determined whether the sending of the next protocol data unit should be delayed in order to meet a condition set on the transmission speed. It is also determined whether the transfer speed of delay-critical traffic meets a preset condition. If the transfer speed meets the condition, delay-critical protocol data units will not be delayed but if the condition is not met, delay-critical protocol data units will be delayed just like non-delay-critical protocol data units. Thus the transfer speed of non-delay-critical traffic adapts to variations in the transfer speed of delay-critical traffic and, furthermore, the transmission speed of the traffic flow can be monitored and limited. |
| US08139480B2 |
Communication method based on transmission control protocol and mobile communication terminal to perform the method
A telecommunication method based on transmission control protocol (TCP) includes setting an initial value of a congestion window according to a communication situation of a communication network to more efficiently use uncongested bandwidth of the communication network. An IP network access unit in a telecommunication network determines a congestion window value based on a predetermined reference, and transmits the determined congestion window value to the mobile telecommunication terminal. The mobile communication terminal receives the congestion window value, and performs a TCP access for data telecommunication using the initial congestion window value in a slow start algorithm of TCP in a mobile telecommunication environment. The bandwidth of telecommunication network may be more efficiently used by setting an initial value of the congestion window according to the telecommunication situation or available bandwidth. |
| US08139473B2 |
Radio communication mobile station apparatus and radio communication method
Provided is a mobile station capable of effectively reporting control information in RACH. In the mobile station, a signature selection unit (111) selects one of different code sequences as a signature according to inputted control information and a modulation unit (112) modulates a signature (code sequence). In a table provided in the signature selection unit (111), for control information ‘000’, CAZAC sequence #1 as a basic code sequence and a derived code sequence of shifts 0 to 7 derived from the CAZAC sequence #1 are set while being correlated to each other. The derived code sequence of shifts 0 to 7 of the CAZAC sequence #1 respectively correspond to signatures #1 to #8. Moreover, for control information ‘001’, CAZAC sequence #2 as a basic code sequence and a derived code sequence of shifts 0 to 7 derived from CAZAC sequence #2 are set while being correlated to each other. The derived code sequence of shifts 0 to 7 of the CAZAC sequence #2 respectively correspond to the signatures #9 to #16. |
| US08139472B1 |
Bit swap architecture in digital subscriber line communication systems
A system includes a linked-list generator module that generates a linked list of tones based on tones and bit loads of the respective tones in a digital subscriber line (DSL) communication system, a trellis encoder module that encodes data bits associated with respective ones of the tones, and a bit application module that communicates the data bits to the trellis encoder module based on the linked list. |
| US08139464B2 |
Planar optical waveguide for heat assisted magnetic recording
An optical waveguide includes a core guiding layer, a cladding layer adjacent to the core guiding layer, a reflective layer, and a multiple layer stack on the reflective layer. The multiple layer stack includes a periodic arrangement of dielectric bilayers that each include a first dielectric layer and a second dielectric layer. An index of refraction n1 of the first dielectric layer is greater than an index of refraction n2 the second dielectric layer. |
| US08139463B2 |
Objective lens, optical pickup, and optical disc apparatus
Provided is an objective lens for selectively focusing each of light beams having three wavelengths λ1, λ2, and λ3 on a signal recording surface of a corresponding optical disc, the wavelengths λ1, λ2, and λ3 satisfying at least a relationship λ1<λ2<λ3, the objective lens including a diffraction section disposed on an entry-side surface thereof, the diffraction section including a first region disposed in an innermost radius portion, a second region disposed outside the first region, and a third region disposed outside the second region, the first to third regions being formed so that an aperture of the light beams are appropriately limited, the first region including a staircase-like diffractive structure having a certain number of levels configured so that diffracted light of a predetermined order has the highest diffraction efficiency and optical-path-difference phase amounts for the levels of the diffractive structure has a certain relationship. |
| US08139461B2 |
Record medium, optical disk unit using it, and recording method
A plate body 2, multiple hologram layers 3 are provided in the thickness direction of the plate body 2, and at least one of the multiple hologram layers 3 is formed of spirally continuous hologram bands 4. Erasure areas 4A and 4B and non-erasure areas 4C and 4D of the hologram band 4 are provided in the length direction of the hologram band 4. Non-erasure areas 4E and 4F of the hologram band 4 are formed on both sides in the direction orthogonal to the length direction of the hologram band 4 in the erasure areas 4A and 4B. |
| US08139451B2 |
Information recording apparatus and information recording method
An information recording apparatus for recording additional content on a medium on which a title including one or more files is already recorded, includes means for designating a title to be added on the medium; means for transmitting disc package information, the disc package information and unique IDs; means for receiving and additionally recording on the medium the title to be added generated in the content server, file names of files so as not to be the same as the file names of the files constituting the titles already recorded on the medium; means for receiving and additionally recording a new title for display of a menu screen on the medium, which is generated in the content server, so that the title to be added can be selected, on the basis of the disc package information; and means for receiving and additionally recording new disc package information on the medium. |
| US08139448B1 |
Slider with integrated thermally-assisted recording (TAR) head and vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) with angled external cavity
A thermally-assisted recording (TAR) slider has an integrated TAR head and an integrated external-cavity VCSEL. The TAR head is integrated with the slider at the trailing end and includes an optical waveguide having a grating coupler oriented in a plane generally parallel to the slider trailing end, and a near-field transducer (NFT) at the slider air-bearing surface (ABS) and coupled to the waveguide. The external cavity is an angled structure and has an input surface for receipt of laser radiation output from the VCSEL, an output surface near the slider trailing end, a partially reflecting third mirror near the output surface, and at least one reflective surface between the input surface and the third mirror for turning the laser radiation and reflecting it between the VCSEL and the third mirror. The laser radiation is output from the external cavity's output surface, through the trailing end of the slider and to the grating coupler. |
| US08139446B2 |
Audio system
An audio system includes a key input section and a microcomputer, and enables playback volume level control that will meet the demand of a user. The key input section inputs a selection instruction for selecting one of a plurality of sound sources in response to a manipulation. The microcomputer 6, in cooperation with a level adjusting ratio setting library, a level adjusting pattern generator and a volume adjuster, selects the sound source designated by the selection instruction, calculates the level difference ΔP between the playback volume level of the sound data of the current piece of music and that of the next piece of music of the selected sound source, and adjusts the playback volume level of the next sound data in accordance with an adjusting ratio corresponding to the level difference. |
| US08139445B2 |
Stepping motor control circuit and analog electronic watch
A stepping motor control circuit includes a rotation detecting means which detects an induced signal generated by rotation of a rotor of a stepping motor, and detects a rotation state of the stepping motor according to whether the induced signal exceeds a predetermined reference threshold voltage in a predetermined detection section, and a control means which controls driving of the stepping motor by using any one of a plurality of main driving pulses having energies different from each other or a correction driving pulse with energy higher than energy of each main driving pulse according to a detection result of the rotation detecting means. The detection section is divided into a first section immediately after driving by the main driving pulse, a second section after the first section and a third section after the second section. During the driving of the stepping motor by the main driving pulse, when the rotation detecting means has detected an induced signal exceeding a first reference threshold voltage in the first section and the second section, if an induced signal exceeding a second reference threshold voltage lower than the first reference threshold voltage is not detected in the third section, the control means drives the stepping motor by using the correction driving pulse. |
| US08139444B2 |
Routine clock with variable indicators
A routine clock for visually and audibly identifying time periods and events is disclosed. The routine clock may have indicators placed on the routine clock that may be variable in size corresponding to variable time periods. Within the time periods, unique events may be identified and when the time for a specific event has been reached, an audio announcement or visual indication or both may occur. |
| US08139443B2 |
Underwater sound projector system and method of producing same
An underwater sound projector system comprises multiple sound projectors, each sound projector being capable of producing acoustic pressures. The sound projectors are held in close proximity such that the sound projectors interact with one another via the acoustic pressures produced. In embodiments, the number and/or spacing of the sound projectors are adjusted based on target performance parameters. |
| US08139439B2 |
Methods and systems for seismic sensor calibration
Methods and systems for calibrating seismic sensors configured or designed for use in seismic signal detection. According to certain embodiments of the present disclosure, a current is injected into a moving coil of a seismic sensor and a voltage is measured across the moving coil. The moving coil is locked by the injected current such that environmental noise is reduced while measuring the moving coil voltage. |
| US08139438B2 |
Semiconductor storage device and memory system
A semiconductor storage device includes an external terminal to which a first signal is supplied, a core circuit, and an access operation control circuit that generates a signal indicating an access operation mode to the core circuit for subsequent cycles based on a pulse width of the first signal. |
| US08139436B2 |
Integrated circuits, systems, and methods for reducing leakage currents in a retention mode
An integrated circuit includes at least one memory array for storing data. A first switch is coupled with the memory array. A first power line is coupled with the first switch. The first power line is operable to supply a first power voltage. A second switch is coupled with the memory array. A second power line is coupled with the second switch. The second power line is operable to supply a second power voltage for retaining the data during a retention mode. A third power line is coupled with the memory array. The third power line is capable of providing a third power voltage. |
| US08139430B2 |
Power-on initialization and test for a cascade interconnect memory system
A memory buffer, memory system and method for power-on initialization and test for a cascade interconnect memory system. The memory buffer includes a bus interface to links in a high-speed channel for communicating with a memory controller via a direct connection or via a cascade interconnection through an other memory buffer. The interface is operable in a SBC mode and a high-speed mode. The memory buffer also includes a field service interface (FSI) slave for receiving FSI signals from a FSI master. In addition, the memory buffer includes logic for executing a power-on and initialization training sequence initiated by the memory controller. |
| US08139429B2 |
Output enable signal generating circuit and method of semiconductor memory apparatus
An output enable signal generating circuit for a semiconductor memory apparatus includes an output control unit configured to receive CAS latency information and to generate an output control signal having enable timing according to a DLL on/off mode, and an output enable signal output unit configured to receive the output control signal and to output an output enable signal in response to a read command and a DLL clock signal. |
| US08139428B2 |
Method for reading and writing a block interleaver and the reading circuit thereof
A method for writing a memory of a block interleaver determines in a bit-wise manner whether to write data into the memory. A method for reading a memory of a block interleaver combines two adjacent columns of the memory into a temporary column and reads data from the temporary column. |
| US08139426B2 |
Dual power scheme in memory circuit
A semiconductor memory device includes address signal level shifters configured to transform a low level address signal into a higher level address signal. A decoder is configured to receive the higher level address signal and, in response, provide word line signals. Write drivers receive low level data input signals and configure bitlines in response to the received input. Memory cells are responsive to the word line signals and to the configured bit lines for storing data therein. |
| US08139425B2 |
Voltage regulation method and memory applying thereof
A voltage regulating method applied to a memory to regulate a word line voltage corresponding to a set of memory cells of the memory includes the following steps. Firstly, a first value, which is for indicating an amount of data having a specific data value in a set of written data, is counted, wherein the set of written data is written into the set of memory cells. Next, a second value, which is for indicating an amount of data having the specific data value in a set of read data, is counted, wherein the set of read data is obtained by reading the set of written data. Then, a regulating voltage is determined according to a difference between the first and second values. After that, the word line voltage is regulated to be a sum of the word line voltage and the regulating voltage. |
| US08139422B2 |
Buffer circuit of semiconductor memory apparatus
A buffer circuit of a semiconductor memory apparatus includes a compensation voltage generation unit configured to generate a compensation voltage in response to a level of a reference voltage; and a buffering unit configured to generate an output signal by buffering an input signal depending on the reference voltage and control a transition section of the output signal depending on a level of the compensation voltage. |
| US08139420B2 |
Nonvolatile semiconductor memory device
A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device capable of reading and verifying a negative threshold cell by biasing a source line and a well line to a positive voltage. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory device includes a precharge circuit which precharges a bit line to the same voltage as that of the source line in reading and verifying the negative threshold cell. |
| US08139418B2 |
Techniques for controlling a direct injection semiconductor memory device
Techniques for controlling a direct injection semiconductor memory device are disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a method for controlling a direct injection semiconductor memory device. The method may comprise applying a first voltage potential to a first region via a bit line and applying a second voltage potential to a second region of the memory device via a source line. The method may also comprise applying a control voltage potential to a body region of the memory device via a word line that is spaced apart and capacitively coupled to the body region, wherein the body region is electrically floating and disposed between the first region and the second region. The method may further comprise applying a third voltage potential to a third region of the memory device via a carrier injection line in order to bias at least one of the first region, the second region, the third region, and the body region to perform one or more operations. |
| US08139414B2 |
Source side asymmetrical precharge programming scheme
A method for programming NAND flash cells to minimize program stress while allowing for random page programming operations. The method includes asymmetrically precharging a NAND string from a positively biased source line while the bitline is decoupled from the NAND string, followed by the application of a programming voltage to the selected memory cell, and then followed by the application of bitline data. After asymmetrical precharging and application of the programming voltage, all the selected memory cells will be set to a program inhibit state as they will be decoupled from the other memory cells in their respective NAND strings, and their channels will be locally boosted to a voltage effective for inhibiting programming. A VSS biased bitline will discharge the locally boosted channel to VSS, thereby allowing programming of the selected memory cell to occur. A VDD biased bitline will have no effect on the precharged NAND string, thereby maintaining a program inhibited state of that selected memory cell. |
| US08139412B2 |
Systematic error correction for multi-level flash memory
In accordance with exemplary embodiments, a multi-level flash memory employs error correction of systematic errors when reading multi-level flash memory. Error correction includes i) detection of each systematic error, ii) feedback of the systematic error to circuitry within the memory, and iii) subsequent adjustment within that circuitry to cause a correction of systematic error in the output signal of the multi-level flash memory. |
| US08139411B1 |
pFET nonvolatile memory
A non-volatile memory integrated circuit includes multiple memory cells, each memory cell including a first MOS transistor, a first control capacitor, and a first floating gate coupled to the first MOS transistor and the first control capacitor. A first read/write control signal is provided having at least a first state and a second state and coupled the first MOS transistor. When the control signal is in the first state, the memory cell is configured for readout, and when the control signal is in the second state, the memory cell is configured for writing. Both single-ended and differential memory cells are described. Arrays of such nonvolatile memory cells are also described. |
| US08139409B2 |
Access signal adjustment circuits and methods for memory cells in a cross-point array
Embodiments of the invention relate generally to semiconductors and memory technology, and more particularly, to systems, integrated circuits, and methods to generate access signals to facilitate memory operations in scaled arrays of memory elements, such as memory implemented in third dimensional memory technology formed BEOL directly on top of a FEOL substrate that includes data access circuitry. In at least some embodiments, a non-volatile memory device can include a cross-point array having resistive memory elements disposed among word lines and subsets of bit lines, and an access signal generator. The access signal generator can be configured to modify a magnitude of a signal to generate a modified magnitude for the signal to access a resistive memory element associated with a word line and a subset of bit lines. The modified magnitude can be a function of the position of the resistive memory element in the cross-point array. |
| US08139407B2 |
Nonvolatile semiconductor memory device including NAND-type flash memory and the like
A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device is provided with a memory cell array, a judgment potential correction circuit, and a readout circuit. In the memory cell array, a plurality of memory cells are arranged in a matrix form, and the array includes a first memory cell as a readout object and a second memory cell disposed adjacent to the first memory cell. The judgment potential correction circuit corrects a judgment potential based on a threshold value of the second memory cell. The readout circuit reads the first memory cell as the readout object by use of the corrected judgment potential. |
| US08139406B2 |
Non-volatile memory system and programming method of the same
A programming method for a non-volatile memory system includes storing multi-page program data and buffering the multi-page program data from a page buffer to a memory block and programming the multi-page program data through a predetermined number of program operations. The programming the multi-page program data includes programming memory cells of the memory block using a first threshold voltage lower than a desired threshold voltage based on the multi-page program data sequentially buffered by the page buffer in units of pages and programming the memory cells using the desired threshold voltage by increasing a threshold voltage of the memory cells by a predetermined level at each successive program operation. |
| US08139403B2 |
Spin memory and spin transistor
Certain embodiments provide a spin memory including a memory cell including a ferromagnetic stacked film that has a stacked structure in which a first ferromagnetic layer, a first nonmagnetic layer, a second ferromagnetic layer, a second nonmagnetic layer, and a third ferromagnetic layer are stacked in this order or reverse order, the third ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer being antiferromagnetically exchange-coupled via the second nonmagnetic layer. The ferromagnetic stacked film includes a current path in which a first and second write currents flow from the first ferromagnetic layer to the third ferromagnetic layer to write a first and second magnetization states into the first ferromagnetic layer respectively, and the second write current is higher than the first write current. |
| US08139401B2 |
Integrated circuit with a memory matrix with a delay monitoring column
An integrated circuit has a matrix of rows and columns of cells (10, 18, 19), each cell (10, 18, 19) comprising a first inverter (100) and a second inverter (102). First columns have a bit-line (12a,b), the first inverter (100) and the second inverter (102) in each cell of the first columns being cross-coupled to each other and coupled to bit-line (12a,b) of the associated first column. A further column is provided in the matrix with bit line fragments (16) that are mutually disconnected. Delays are monitored by coupling at least the first inverters (100) of cells in respective pairs of rows in series via the bit-line fragments and measuring a delay during signal propagation through the series connection, for example by incorporating the series of inverters in a ring oscillator. |
| US08139399B2 |
Multiple cycle memory write completion
A memory system that reduces the memory cycle time of a memory cell by performing an incomplete write operation. The voltage on a storage node of the memory cell does not reach a full supply voltage during the incomplete write operation. The incomplete write operation is subsequently completed by one or more additional accesses, wherein the voltage on the storage node is pulled to a full supply voltage. The incomplete write operation may be completed by: subsequently writing the same data to the memory cell during an idle cycle; subsequently writing data to other memory cells in the same row as the memory cell; subsequently reading data from the row that includes the memory cell; or refreshing the row that includes the memory cell during an idle cycle. One or more idle cycles may be forced to cause the incomplete write operation to be completed in a timely manner. |
| US08139394B2 |
Semiconductor storage device
A semiconductor storage device includes: a cell array including a plurality of first wirings, a plurality of second wirings intersecting the first wirings, and memory cells positioned at intersecting portions between the first wirings and the second wirings, each of the memory cells having a series circuit of a non-ohmic element and a variable resistance element; a control circuit configured to apply a control voltage, which is necessary for the variable resistance element to transit from a low resistance state to a high resistance state, to the memory cells through the first wirings and the second wirings; and a bias voltage application circuit configured to apply a bias voltage, which suppresses a potential variation caused by the transition of the variable resistance element from the low resistance state to the high resistance state, to one end of the variable resistance element. |
| US08139388B2 |
Nonvolatile semiconductor storage device
This invention has the purpose of providing a nonvolatile semiconductor storage device which is capable of entering multivalued storage in a FeFET unit without requiring preparation of a plurality of voltage sources.The nonvolatile semiconductor storage device is provided with multivalued ferroelectric memory cells which impart varied quantities of polarization to a ferroelectric material by applying pulse voltages having one and the same height and varied widths and consequently produce varied states of storage in conformity with the varied quantities of polarization. |
| US08139384B2 |
Method and apparatus for input charge control of a power supply
An example controller includes a constant current control circuit and an integrator included in the constant current control circuit. The constant current control circuit is to be coupled to receive an input current sense signal, an input voltage sense signal, and an output voltage sense signal. The control circuit is adapted to regulate an output current of a power supply by generating a control signal to control switching of a switch. The integrator is coupled to integrate the input current sense signal during a switching period of the control signal to generate an integrated signal representative of a charge taken from an input voltage source of the power supply. The constant current control circuit is adapted to control the switching of the switch such that the integrated signal is proportional to a ratio of the output voltage sense signal to the input voltage sense signal. |
| US08139380B2 |
Flyback system power source apparatus for controlling a synchronously rectifying element
A flyback system power source apparatus, which applies a voltage intermittently to a primary winding of a transformer to perform voltage outputting onto a secondary winding side of the transformer, comprises: the transformer; a synchronously rectifying element for rectifying a current in a secondary winding of the transformer; and a synchronous rectification control circuit for detecting a voltage vibration caused in a terminal voltage of the secondary winding to perform operation control of the synchronously rectifying element on the basis of the detection. |
| US08139379B2 |
Reverse energy recovery circuit
A reverse energy recovery circuit is located on a power conversion circuit equipped with a transformer which has a primary winding side connected to a power switch driven by a control unit. The primary winding side has a first end and a second end bridged by the reverse energy recovery circuit which comprises a first capacitor, a second capacitor, an ancillary winding and a diode. The first and second capacitors are coupled in series. The second capacitor has one end connected to the first end of the primary winding side. The ancillary winding has a first end connected to the first end of the primary winding side. The diode has a cathode connected to a second end of the ancillary winding and an anode bridged the first and second capacitors so that the diode and ancillary winding form a one way path between the first and second capacitors. |
| US08139378B2 |
LED dimmer device adapted for use in dimmer
A LED dimmer device for use in dimmer is provided. The LED dimmer device includes rectifier, voltage boost device, pre-voltage detection circuit and after-voltage detection circuit adapted for detect voltage, master chip adapted for driving circuit and elements to work, elementary transformer and secondary transformer adapter for changing voltage, secondary rectifier adapted for rectifying and secondary filter capacitance circuit adapter for filtering, and secondary switch tube. The rectifier is adapted for transforming alternating current into direct current. The voltage boost device includes a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor used to make dimmer entering into a normal edge state. The master chip includes integrated comparing element used to compare voltage. The secondary switch tube is used to driving elementary transformer and secondary transformer, secondary rectifier, secondary filter capacitance circuit so as to drive LED power supply to illuminate. |
| US08139377B2 |
IC device and method of manufacturing the same
An IC device includes a base plate, a plurality of terminal pins, a functional component such as an IC chip, and a resin package for protection of the functional component. The base plate is generally flat and formed with a plurality of through-holes into which the terminal pins are inserted. The functional component, disposed away from the base plate, is mounted on a printed circuit board to be electrically connected to at least one of the terminal pins. While enclosing the functional component, the resin package is held in contact with the upper surface of the base plate. |
| US08139376B2 |
Housing for electronic ballast
An electronic housing assembly is formed with an environmental seal (20), EMI control (56) and a good thermal coupling (44, 46) made between enclosed hot electric components (48, 50) and an exterior heat sink (52, 54). |
| US08139371B2 |
Power electronics devices with integrated control circuitry
A power switch apparatus includes a substrate; a semiconductor die mounted on the substrate and including power electronics circuitry for a high power, alternating current motor application; gate drive circuitry mounted on the substrate and electrically coupled to the power electronics circuitry on the semiconductor die; and control circuitry mounted on the substrate and electrically coupled to the gate drive circuitry. |
| US08139368B2 |
Component-containing module
A component-containing module includes a core substrate which includes a lower surface including recessed portions and a raised portion, and an upper surface facing the lower surface and which includes a plurality of in-plane conductors, an integrated circuit element arranged at a location which is above the upper surface and which corresponds to the raised portion, a first passive element and a second passive element disposed in the recessed portions of the lower surface, a composite resin layer which underlies the lower surface and which has a flat or substantially flat surface, and an external terminal electrode which is disposed on the flat or substantially flat surface of the composite resin layer and which is electrically connected to the in-plane conductors of the core substrate. The component-containing module enables electronic components, such as integrated circuit elements and passive elements, to be densely arranged and to be reduced in profile and size. |
| US08139367B2 |
Torsion spring mechanism supportive of a flexible printed circuit
Disclosed is a torsion spring mechanism that supports and guides a flexible printed circuit for use in an electronic device with a sliding motion. The spring mechanism includes a first segment and a second segment that are joined by a torsion spring. The torsion spring has a predetermined spring constant and is capable of exerting a force. When the force of the torsion spring is unreleased the sliding housing is closed and when the force of the torsion spring is released the sliding housing is opened. An electrically conducting flexible printed circuit is at least partially supported by both the first and second segments while freely traversing the torsion spring length with an unsupported portion enough to provide adequate movement of the flexible printed circuit about the torsion spring length. In this way, a spring compartment within the device being approximately 5 millimeters in depth may support and protect the unidirectional torsion spring mechanism and flexible printed circuit. |
| US08139361B2 |
Apparatus and method for attaching selected components to a printed circuit board
Various embodiments of the present invention provide an anchor, circuit board assembly, and method for operably engaging an electronic component with a circuit board having a first side and a second side. Anchor embodiments include an anchor portion configured for receiving at least a portion of the electronic component and a pair of anchor legs flexibly extending from the ends of the anchor portion and configured for insertion into apertures defined in the circuit board. The anchor further includes a compression element slidably disposed about the anchor legs and movable between an unlocked position and a locked position. The compression element is configured for urging the anchor legs towards one another when moved from the unlocked position to the locked position such that the anchor is secured in the apertures when the compression element is in the locked position. |
| US08139360B2 |
Multi-specification fixing module and motherboard with multi-specification fixing module
A multi-specification fixing module used at a motherboard and a cooler. The multi-specification fixing module includes a plurality of the fixing sheet and a specification adjusting base plate. Each of the fixing sheets has a fixing hole. The specification adjusting base plate includes a plurality of adjusting portions at a periphery of the specification adjusting base plate. Each of the adjusting portions has an adjusting guiding rail group and an adjusting portion hole. The positions of the fixing sheets are adjusted according to the size of the cooler body to install the fixing sheets in the adjusting guiding rail groups, and the installing fixing accessories are connectedly fixed at the motherboard holes via the fixing holes and the adjusting portion holes to fix and install the cooler body above the socket. |
| US08139359B2 |
Cooling system for a variable vacuum capacitor
In a cooling system for a variable vacuum capacitor, a liquid is arranged inside a cooling reservoir, a first part of the reservoir is designed to absorb heat energy from first bellows of the variable vacuum capacitor, the first bellows being responsible for transporting electrical energy to a second electrode of the variable vacuum capacitor, a second part of the reservoir is designed to dissipate heat energy towards a cooling circuit, and heat pipes are arranged between the first part of the reservoir and the second part of the reservoir. |
| US08139357B2 |
Laptop elevation device
A laptop elevation device (1) that attaches to a bottom surface (13) of a laptop (12). Each laptop elevation device has a fold-up leg (2) pivotally or hingedly attached to a base (3). An arm (5) is pivotally attached to the base. When the laptop elevation device is in an open position, the arm may be folded downward to engage one of a plurality of holes (9) located on the leg, thereby locking the laptop elevation device at a desired height. The base may be built into a laptop or attached to the underside of an existing laptop using an attachment means (14). The leg may also have a layer of rubber (11) to prevent the leg from slipping while in use. A clip (11) located on the base locks the leg and arm in place while the laptop elevation device is in folded position. An additional feature of the laptop elevation device is one or more non-slip strips (20) that attach to the underside of a laptop to allow the front portion of the laptop to hang over the edge of a flat surface (22) while the laptop is in an elevated position. An alternative embodiment of the laptop elevation device provides a handle (17) for carrying the laptop computer. |
| US08139354B2 |
Independently operable ionic air moving devices for zonal control of air flow through a chassis
Airflow in a computer chassis may be enhanced or reduced to affect cooling of heat generating devices using an ionic air moving device. A plurality of ionic air moving devices enhance or reduce airflow through a plurality of fluidically parallel airflow zones of the computer chassis in an airflow direction established by a nonionic air moving device. Each ionic air moving device comprises an ion emitter electrode disposed a spaced distance from a collector electrode, wherein a controller independently controls an electrical potential between the emitter and collector electrodes of each ionic air moving device for affecting the rate of airflow through one or more of the plurality of airflow zones. |
| US08139352B2 |
Medium drive unit and electronic equipment
A medium drive unit includes a frame having an operating section, on a rear surface of which facing the main body side of the frame is provided a projection projecting toward the button, and which, upon receiving a depression operation from an outer surface side facing the outside, is biased toward the main body side and pushes the button with the leading end of the projection, a frame main body which surrounds the operating section so as to be separated from the operating section by an opening which extends surrounding the operating section, and passes through the front and rear surfaces of the frame, and an elastic support piece which extends through the opening along an edge of the operating section adjacent to the opening, of which one end is connected to the frame main body and the other end to the operating section. |
| US08139348B2 |
Cover for a display
A computer system comprises a base portion, a display housing and a cover. The display housing hingeably couples to the base. The display housing containing a display and the display has a first surface to present images to a user and a second surface opposite the first surface. The display housing completely covers the second surface of the display. The cover attaches to the display housing. |
| US08139346B2 |
Electronic apparatus and input device thereof
The invention discloses an electronic apparatus comprising a casing with an input device. The input device comprises a circuit board, a first input module, a fixing module and a second input module. The first input module is disposed on the circuit board and comprises a first fixing portion. The fixing module comprises a first opening, a first accommodating space and a plurality of second fixing portions. The fixing module is disposed on the circuit board. The first input module is disposed in the first accommodating space and protrudes from the first opening. Those second fixing portions are against the first fixing portion to fix the first input module. The second input module is disposed on the fixing module and comprises a second opening. The first input module is exposed from the second opening. Furthermore, the fixing module comprises a second accommodating space for accommodating electronic components on the circuit board. |
| US08139345B2 |
Motor operator for switchgear for mains power distribution systems
A power operator for switchgear (1) for mains power distribution systems, where the switchgear comprises a closed cabinet (5) with an operating shaft protruding there from. The operating shaft is rotable at least between two positions and has a coupling part (2, 3). The operator comprises a housing (10), which is mountable on the external surface (4) of the switchgear housing, and a rotatable connection shaft (14) connected to an electric drive mechanism (11). It has a first coupling part to fit with the coupling part of the operating shaft in a longitudinal axial sliding and non-rotational interlocking manner. The coupling part of the connection shaft (14) is a separate interchangeable part (24, 24a) of the connection shaft attached thereto by non-rotational interlocking means. Further, it has an activation knob (16) extending from the housing (10) to operate the switch manually. With an interchangeable coupling part (24, 24a) the motor operator could easily be adapted to various switchgear simply by choosing a coupling part (24, 24a) fitting the coupling (2, 2a, 3) on the switchgear. |
| US08139342B2 |
Laminated electronic component and method for manufacturing the same
A laminated electronic component is configured to include substrate plating films disposed on outer surfaces of an electronic component main body through direct plating such that external terminal electrodes are connected to exposed portions of internal conductors (internal electrodes), and the average particle diameter of metal particles defining the substrate plating film is at least about 1.0 μm. The external terminal electrode includes at least one layer of an upper plating film disposed on the substrate plating film. The metal particles defining the substrate plating film are Cu particles. |
| US08139340B2 |
Conductive seal ring electrostatic chuck
The present invention provides an improved electrostatic chuck for a substrate processing system. The electrostatic chuck comprising a main body having a top surface configured to support the substrate, a power supply to apply a voltage to the main body and a sealing ring disposed between the main body and the substrate wherein the sealing ring has a conductive layer. |
| US08139339B2 |
Modulation of neuromuscular functions with ultrashort electrical pulses
A system for producing maximal, but reversible bioeffects, for neuromuscular disruption. Methods for facilitation of neuromuscular functions in diseases and conditions of decreased excitability are provided. |
| US08139338B2 |
Load control apparatus
A load control apparatus adapted to indirectly detect an overcurrent, i.e. a current magnitude exceeding a predetermined limit value, occurring in an electric conductor element (4) belonging to a load current circuit (20), on the basis of an increase in temperature. The load control apparatus (30) comprises a control current circuit including a temperature-sensitive switch member (S) capable of changing its operational state in response to an increase in the temperature to a predetermined value, and a control unit (32) adapted to detect a change in the operational state of the temperature-sensitive switch member (S), and to detect an overcurrent occurring in the electric conductor element (4) based thereon, the temperature-sensitive switch member (S) being adapted to be connected heat-conductively to a target element, in which at least part of the load current of the electric conductor element (4) passes in an operating situation, and the temperature-sensitive switch member (S) being further adapted to be electrically insulated from the electric conductor element (4) of the load current circuit. |
| US08139337B2 |
Systems and methods for reducing electrically-caused fires in wiring devices
Systems and methods that provide improved detection of series fault conditions are described. The systems provide an increased range of response possibilities upon detection of such conditions. Solid-state temperature sensors are utilized and may be connected to a printed circuit board integrated with supply wire terminals, thus providing electronic circuitry controlling the response to over-temperature events while simultaneously keeping the temperature sensors in close proximity with the location of potential over-heating events. Electronic sensors in accordance with implementations of the present invention detect overheating conditions at temperatures more quickly because of the close proximity of the sensors to locations of potential overheating, thereby improving the safety of electrical wiring devices and fixtures. Additionally, the threshold temperature for response can more easily be selected or controlled to be at a variety of temperatures to improve safety. |
| US08139336B2 |
Field configurable rating plug using communication and control signal
A circuit breaker apparatus is provided and includes a trip mechanism which is coupled to an electrical circuit and which is configured to interrupt an operation of the electrical circuit when the trip mechanism is actuated, an electronic trip unit in signal communication with and configured to actuate the trip mechanism when pre-selected conditions are satisfied, and a rating plug coupled to the electronic trip unit and configured to operate in a first mode in response to a receipt of a transmitted control signal at the rating plug, and to otherwise operate in a second mode, the first and second modes being respectively associated with first and second ones of the pre-selected conditions to be correspondingly transmitted to the electronic trip unit by which the electronic trip unit determines whether to actuate the trip mechanism. |
| US08139333B2 |
Short circuit protection circuit
A short circuit protection circuit which readily recovers a relay drive circuit to an output operation state after a short circuit is cancelled while preventing the relay drive circuit from being damaged by a short circuit. The relay drive circuit outputs a drive current to a load in accordance with a first control signal. A short circuit detection circuit detects the occurrence of a short circuit at an output side of the relay drive circuit and suspends output operation of the relay drive circuit when a short circuit occurs. Further, the short circuit detection circuit intermittently transmits a recovery signal to the relay drive circuit in a certain time interval after a predetermined time elapses from when the short circuit occurs to recover the output operation of the relay drive circuit. The time interval is gradually increased whenever the recovery signal is transmitted. |
| US08139331B2 |
Electrostatic discharge protection circuit
A ESD protection circuit includes: a first clamp connected between a first power line and a ground line; a second clamp connected between the ground line and a second power line; a first output buffer connected between the first power line and the ground line, and providing a first operating voltage; a second output buffer connected between the ground line and the second power line, and providing a second operating voltage; a first switch unit configured to transfer the first operating voltage to an I/O pad; a second switch unit configured to transfer the second operating voltage to the I/O pad; a first transfer unit comprising one or more diodes connected in series between the first power line and the I/O pad; and a second transfer unit comprising one or more diodes connected in series between the I/O pad and the second power line. |
| US08139330B2 |
Semiconductor integrated circuit
A semiconductor integrated circuit includes a first and second power supply domain circuits having a first and second power supply terminals, respectively. An internal signal propagation line propagates a signal from a circuit of the first power supply domain circuit to that of the second power supply domain circuit. A voltage detector detects a surge voltage input to the first and second power supply terminals and outputs, from a control signal node, a control signal which is determined in accordance with a capacitive coupling by a first capacitor between the first power supply terminal and the control signal node, a second capacitor between the second power supply terminal and the control signal node, and a load capacitance at an output side of the control signal node. A voltage limiting circuit limits a voltage of a signal on the internal signal propagation line in accordance with the control signal. |
| US08139329B2 |
Over-voltage protection circuit
An over-voltage protection circuit for use in low power integrated circuits is provided. The over-voltage protection circuit distributes certain connection and conditioning circuitry to a component network external to the integrated circuit. As a result, the integrated circuit need not be created with specialized high voltage components, significantly reducing its cost and complexity, and allowing it to be used in a wider range of end-user applications. |
| US08139328B2 |
Fault circuit interrupting device with symmetrical inputs
There is disclosed a circuit interrupting device with symmetrical inputs comprising a first input configured for connection to a power source or a load circuit and a second input configured for connection to a power source. There are a plurality of electrical conductors extending from the first and second inputs and a third input configured for connection to a load provided by a user. There is also a first set of transformers comprising at least one differential transformer and at least one neutral transformer connected to detect leakage current in a load circuit coupled to the first set of terminals. There is also a second set of transformers comprising at least one additional differential transformer and at least one additional neutral transformer connected to detect leakage current in a load circuit coupled to the second set of terminals. |
| US08139325B2 |
Tunnel magnetoresistive thin film
A tunnel magnetoresistive thin film has a high MR ratio and improves heat resistance while maintaining a thin film of a Ru layer used as a non-magnetic layer so that the Ru layer expresses a preferable exchange coupling magnetic field even through annealing is performed at a high temperature. In the tunnel magnetoresistive thin film, at least one of a first pinned magnetic layer and a second pinned magnetic layer that are layered having the non-magnetic layer for exchange coupling therebetween has a layered structure of two or more layers made of magnetic materials different from each other. |
| US08139320B2 |
Write head having independent side shield and trailing shield throat height
A magnetic write head for perpendicular magnetic recording. The magnetic write head includes a write pole having a pole tip region and a flared region. The write pole also has a trailing, wrap-around magnetic shield that is separated from the sides of the write pole by a non-magnetic side gap layer. The write head is formed such that the side gap spacing is larger in the flared region than in the pole tip region. This varying gap spacing can be formed by depositing a non-magnetic material using a collimated sputter deposition aligned substantially perpendicular to the air bearing surface. This collimated sputtering deposits the non-magnetic material more readily on the sides of the write pole in the flared region than in the pole tip region. |
| US08139319B2 |
Perpendicular magnetic recording system with magnetic precession for fast switching of perpendicular write pole magnetization
A perpendicular magnetic recording system has a write head with a main perpendicular write pole connected to a yoke with first and second electrical coils. The first coil is wrapped around the yoke on one side of the main pole, and the second coil is wrapped around the yoke on the other side of the main pole. The first end of each coil is connected to a respective terminal. The second ends of the two coils are connected together and connected to a common terminal. A lead-time circuit is connected between the common terminal and the first end of one of the coils. Immediately after the direction of write current is switched by the write driver, the lead-time circuit causes the current in one of the coils to lead the current in the other coil. The current displacement between the two coils creates a precession of the magnetic flux reversal, thereby reducing the switching time of the write head. |
| US08139318B2 |
Planar bidirectional tape head with planar read and write elements
A planar bidirectional tape head with planar read and write elements for reading and writing data on a magnetic recording tape includes a substrate, a tape bearing surface for engaging the magnetic tape, one or more write element arrays formed on the substrate, and one or more read element arrays formed on the substrate. The one or more write element arrays and the one or more read element arrays comprise plural thin film layers oriented in generally parallel relationship with the tape bearing surface. |
| US08139316B2 |
Disk drive device having airtight structure with improved airtightness
A disk drive device is configured such that a wall of a base plate is provided with a through hole that guides a lead from a drive unit outside. The through hole is covered by a sealing sheet having an insertion hole. The lead is guided from inside the housing via the insertion hole of the sealing sheet. The sealing sheet carries a curable resin. The curable resin, temporarily softened during a curing process, flows into a space between the base plate and the through hole and a space between the insertion hole and the lead. The curable resin is cured in this state, ensuring the airtightness of the housing. |
| US08139314B2 |
Pass-through mechanism for linear tape library
A pass-through mechanism that couples a first linear tape library string to a second linear tape library string is maintained. A first robotic assembly associated with the first linear tape library string places a tape from the first linear tape library string into the pass-through mechanism. The pass-through mechanism moves the tape to a position where the tape can be removed by a second robotic assembly associated with the second linear tape library string. The second robotic assembly removes the tape from the pass-through mechanism and places the tape into the second linear tape library string. |
| US08139303B2 |
Method for production of magnetic recording medium, magnetic recording medium and magnetic recording and reproduction device
A method for the production of a magnetic recording medium includes the steps of forming a magnetic layer on a nonmagnetic substrate, injecting atoms into portions of the magnetic layer to cause the portions to be demagnetized or allowed to acquire amorphousness, thereby forming a magnetically separated magnetic recording pattern, the step of injecting atoms including the steps of applying to a surface of the formed magnetic layer an SOG film as a resist, partly removing or thinning the resist, and irradiating the surface with atoms, thereby partly injecting atoms into the magnetic layer through the portions of the magnetic layer from which the resist is removed or in which the resist is thinned. |
| US08139302B2 |
Detecting a periodic sequence of servo signals
A system and method are disclosed for detecting a periodic sequence. A value detector module detects a plurality of values of a periodic sequence. In one embodiment, a transformation module transforms the plurality of values into transformed values. A confinement module confines the values to a limited set of confined values. A correlation module correlates the confined values with a plurality of instances of the periodic sequence. In addition, a selection module selects an instance of the periodic sequence with the highest correlation to the confined values as an observed periodic sequence. |
| US08139294B2 |
Techniques for steering an optical beam
Reflectors having concave reflecting surfaces (e.g., parabolic reflectors) and electronically controlled beam steering elements are used for rapid, low-diversion, wide-angle and precision steering of optical beams, including laser beams. |
| US08139293B2 |
Projection lens with high resolution and reduced overall length
An zoom projection lens includes, in this order from the screen-side to the SLM-side thereof, a negative lens group and a positive lens group, and satisfies: −2<Φ1/Φ2<−0.5, −2 |
| US08139290B2 |
Two-way mirror screen system for advertisement
A two way mirror system usable for an advertisement device includes a half-mirror having a light transmission function and a reflection function. A logo plate in a shape of an engraving or pattern in relief or intaglio is provided on a front face thereof and a two way screen through which a rear projected image can be viewed from both a front and rear face is provided on a rear face thereof. A single advertising device thus provides a logo advertising using a logo plate and reflected outside light during the day and an image advertisement viewable outside during night time, with inside viewing with double the usual brightness of a reflecting screen. |
| US08139289B2 |
Precision optical mount
An optical apparatus has a primary optical element having a primary spherical optical surface with a primary center of curvature, wherein the primary spherical optical surface has a peripheral portion that extends outside a usable aperture of the optical apparatus, and a secondary optical element. A mount suspends the secondary optical element spaced apart from the primary optical element, wherein the mount comprises a number of leg sections, each leg section extending between the primary and secondary optical elements. Each leg section terminates in a spherical mating surface that rests against the peripheral portion of the primary optical element. The spherical mating surface has a mating surface center of curvature that is substantially concentric with the primary center of curvature. |
| US08139284B2 |
Digital micromirror device having wavelength-dependent modulation structure and method of manufacturing the same
A digital micromirror device (DMD), a method of manufacturing the DMD and an optical processor incorporating a DMD. In one embodiment, the DMD includes: (1) a first group of micromirrors having a first modulation structure based on a first wavelength of light and a second group of micromirrors having a second modulation structure based on a second wavelength of light, the second wavelength differing from the first wavelength. |
| US08139283B2 |
Surface plasmon polariton modulation
An apparatus includes a substrate having a metallic surface, a structure, and a dielectric object facing the metallic top surface. The structure is configured to optically produce surface plasmon polaritons that propagate on the metallic surface. The dielectric object is controllable to adjust values of the dielectric constant at an array of different positions along and near to the metallic surface. |
| US08139282B2 |
Display system
A display system is based on a linear array phase modulator and a phase edge discriminator optical system. |
| US08139280B2 |
MEMS hierarchically-dimensioned deformable mirror
A MEMS hierarchically-dimensioned deformable mirror comprising a substrate, a plurality of spacers disposed on the substrate, a plurality of piezoelectric cantilever microactuators disposed on the plurality of spacers, and a continuous deformable membrane disposed on the plurality of the cantilever assemblies, has significantly improved overall device performances owing to the use of the cantilever microactuators based on relaxor ferroelectric single crystal materials or other piezoelectric materials. |
| US08139279B2 |
Movable body apparatus, optical deflector, and optical instrument using the optical deflector
A movable body apparatus includes a vibratory system, a driving portion for driving the vibratory system, a detecting portion for detecting a resonance frequency of the vibratory system, a drive controlling portion, and a storing portion. The vibratory system has a resonance frequency, and includes at least a movable body capable of being reciprocally, rotatably oscillated. The drive controlling portion regulates a driving frequency of a drive signal applied to the driving portion, based on the resonance frequency of the vibratory system. The storing portion stores the frequency detected by the detecting portion at a first predetermined time. The drive controlling portion regulates the driving frequency with reference to the stored frequency, at a second predetermined time after the storing portion stores the frequency, and executes a drive control of the vibratory system. |
| US08139277B2 |
Multiple-source multiple-beam polarized laser scanning system
Two integrated multi-beam sources are positioned and disposed such that each emits light toward an optical splitter. The emitted light is polarized such that the splitter brings the optical paths of the two integrated multi-beam sources generally parallel to one another such that the optical system aperture throughput for the two integrated multi-beam sources is roughly the same as for a single integrated multi-beam source. The splitter may be such that a portion of the optical energy from each source is directed into an imaging path and a portion of the optical energy is directed toward one or more non-polarizing splitters and optical sensors for, inter alia, controlling the output of the sources. In various embodiments, the number of splitters, and hence the extent of optical loss, may be reduced by use of a combined polarized and non-polarized splitter, dual polarized splitters, and time-sequenced beam generation and monitoring. |
| US08139272B2 |
Image reading apparatus, control program thereof, and method for determining output range of image data read by the apparatus
An image reading apparatus includes: a reading device for reading an image of a document; a moving mechanism; an operable portion capable of being inputted a specific command; a read-controlling portion for conducting a reading operation so as to obtain sections of the image data of the document in a reading order; a display device configured for displaying a display image of the document; a display-controlling portion for controlling the display device so as to display the display image based on the sections of the image data; a command detecting portion for detecting the specific command; an output-range determining portion for determining an output range which is determined based on the sections of the image data corresponding to the display image displayed when the specific command is detected; and an image-data outputting portion for outputting the output image data based on the output range. |
| US08139271B2 |
Printing apparatus for printing in accordance with a stored or a set print condition and control method therefor
A printing apparatus and a method of controlling the printing apparatus are provided, which enable the setting of a first mode in which image data received via a wireless interface that wirelessly receives image data from an external apparatus is converted into print image data and is printed under the default print conditions, and of a second mode in which image data received through a wireless interface is displayed on a display apparatus connected to the printing apparatus and is printed according to the print conditions that are set by using a menu screen displayed on the display apparatus and an operational panel of the printing apparatus. In addition, in the case where no display apparatus is connected to the printing apparatus, the printing apparatus prints in the first mode based on the default print conditions. |
| US08139270B2 |
Variable data periodic line patterns for composing a font system
A method and system is provided for generating a variable data differential line pattern font comprising forming a periodic line pattern suitable for tessellation disposition within a printed document and selectively distorting a portion of the periodic line pattern in a predetermined manner wherein the distorting comprises generating a distinguishable font corresponding to the distorting. A plurality of different distinguishable fonts are formed by a corresponding plurality of distorted line patterns, respectively. |
| US08139269B2 |
Image processing apparatus, image processing method, image processing program, and storage medium
An image processing apparatus to perform an edge intensifying processing of an image includes an obtaining unit, a calculating unit, a setting unit, and a processing unit. The obtaining unit obtains image data composed of pixels aligned in a main scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction. The calculating unit obtains an edge direction of an image and a variation amount indicating a magnitude of change in a luminance value. The setting unit sets an intensity of the edge intensifying processing. The processing unit performs the edge intensifying processing. In a case where the image data resolution in the sub-scanning direction is higher than in the main scanning direction, the setting unit sets the intensity of the edge intensifying processing to an amount that is higher when the edge direction is the sub-scanning direction than when the edge direction is the main scanning direction. |
| US08139266B2 |
Color printing control device, color printing control method, and computer readable recording medium stored with color printing control program
The color printing control device outputs color material reduction processed data generated by applying a color material reduction process to each pixel of bitmaps converted to color material colors to be used in printing, when it is judged that the color material reduction printing mode is specified. The color material reduction process includes chroma conversion that reduces chroma and under-color removal/black generation that replaces at least a portion of achromatic components generated by overlaying of a plurality of color materials. |
| US08139264B2 |
System and method of overwriting image data with random patterns
A method and apparatus for overwriting image data in an image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus includes an image control unit having a central processing unit and an image control unit for receiving image data. The image control unit stores image data on a non-volatile storage apparatus. A memory includes an overwrite application program for generating a string of random numbers and overwriting the image data with patterns from the string of random numbers. |
| US08139263B2 |
Systems and methods for printing artwork containing overlapped inks
Systems and methods provide a mechanism to print documents having artwork with overlapping inks. One aspect of the systems and methods includes sending the document to a printer having a printer control system. The printer control system detects overlapping areas, and flattens the artwork into separate atomic regions. The system determines whether the colors in the atomic regions are available on the printer as process colors or spot colors. Unavailable spot colors are converted to process colors, and blended into a single process color. Available spot colors are retained. |
| US08139262B2 |
Image output apparatus and image output method for printing out the photographed image which is captured by a digital camera
A terminal 102 creates setting data 400 and inputs setting data 400 into an image output apparatus 101. The image output apparatus 101 sets the initial settings, operation settings, equipment settings, etc. based on the setting data, holds the setting data, and performs various processes based on the set settings and the held setting data. In addition, the image output apparatus 101 performs a media identification process, a media reader switching process, and the like using a media detection means 117, a media reader switching means 118, and the like, and allows only the use of the insertion opening of a predetermined media reader. |
| US08139256B2 |
Method and system for merging scan files into a color workflow
A method and system for scanning documents in a network environment and merging the resulting scan files with other documents into a printing workflow provides a user interface in which the user merges a scan file and a document file on a page basis by selecting thumbnail images of the desired pages and dragging and dropping the thumbnails so that a new merged document results. An alternative embodiment allows the user to apply predefined merge templates to the selected pages. The predefined merge templates may include printing and formatting instructions such as color settings and a page layout. |
| US08139254B2 |
System for generating form for delivery of greeting cards
A system is provided for generating a form for delivery of a printed communication. The system associates coordinate information of a form with an interactive element of the form, assigns an identity to the interactive element, associates delivery information on delivery of a printed communication with the interactive element, and generates print data to include the coordinate information and the identity as coded data and the interactive element and delivery information as visual data. A printer is responsive to the print data to print the form by printing the coded and visual data such that a sensing device senses the printed coded data through interaction with the printed interactive element to generate indicating data indicative of the delivery information. |
| US08139253B2 |
Interactive printer/scanner
A printer comprises: a feed mechanism and a printhead assembly. The printhead assembly comprises: a printhead for printing a position-coding pattern onto a surface and a scanhead for scanning a pre-printed graphic image. The printer further comprises an ink supply and a processor configured for generating association data. The association data indicates an association between a scanned graphic image, an impression identity and a plurality of positions. |
| US08139251B2 |
Method and apparatus for connecting image forming apparatus with multiple host devices
A method and an apparatus for connecting an image forming apparatus with multiple host devices. The method includes: displaying a user interface in which the image forming apparatus and the host devices are arranged; setting an area in the user interface in which the host devices are to be connected to the image forming apparatus; and connecting host devices positioned in the set area to the image forming apparatus. |
| US08139249B2 |
Event driven plugin architecture for importing scanned image data into a production workflow
Systems and methods are described that facilitate importing scanned image data into a production workflow, in accordance with various features described herein. A plurality of loosely-coupled, dynamically loaded plugins can be defined in a configuration file for a given production scanning job. The plugins can be invoked in response to a trigger with which each plugin is associated, and triggers can be associated with different phases of the production workflow, such as image data acquisition (importation), data filtering (pre-scanning), image analysis (scanning), and metadata processing (post-scanning). In this manner, the overarching scanning architecture need not have direct knowledge of which plugins are triggered, or even present, and custom plugins as well as standard plugins can be provided for each production scanning job. |
| US08139246B2 |
Printer dynamically tracking print jobs and method of tracking print jobs
A printer and method of managing print jobs in the printer. Print job locations are identified in the printer. Each print job being printed is always in at least one of the print job locations and the locations are monitored for entering and exiting jobs. The printer includes a job location mask for each print job. Each bit location in the job location mask corresponds to one of the print job locations and a set bit indicates the presence of a print job in a corresponding print job location. As a print job enters a location, the location issues a call and the job location mask is updated to reflect the presence of the print job in that location. |
| US08139241B2 |
Printing apparatus and its control method, job processing method, and printing system
When authentication data input before execution of print processing based on a secure print job is authenticated, a copy is printed based on the secure print job (S1909). When print processing for the designated number of copies is to be executed after the print processing, the control prompts the user to input authentication data (S1914) before the print processing. When the authentication data is authenticated, print processing is executed based on the secure print job for the designated number of copies (S1916). |
| US08139239B2 |
Printing system, method for controlling a printing system, image forming apparatus, controller of print system, and storage medium
Confidentiality of a job that requires authentication processing prior to printing is maintained as much as possible. A method for controlling a printing system is provided that is capable of receiving a plurality of types of print jobs including a first type print job that requires authentication processing prior to printing and a second type print job that does not require authentication processing prior to printing, comprising the steps of allowing the printing system to execute a specific operation for allowing the printing system to start printing of a target job in case where resources required to complete printing of the target job are present in the printing system and causing the printing system to execute the specific operation in case where the target job is the first type job. |
| US08139235B2 |
Data processing method, image processing apparatus and recording medium
A data processing method including reading first image processing apparatus structural information by the control unit from a portable storage medium, obtaining second image processing apparatus structural information by the control unit, determining whether to allow data in the storage device to be used or not in the first image processing apparatus by the control unit based on the read first image processing apparatus structural information and the obtained second image processing apparatus structural information and reading the identification information specific to the first image processing apparatus by the control unit from the portable storage medium and storing the read identification information specific to the first image processing apparatus in the storage device by the control unit when the control unit determines to allow the data in the storage device to be used in the first image processing apparatus. |
| US08139234B2 |
Method and apparatus for measuring optical extinction in a thin film during its deposition
A method of measuring the extinction of light in a coating including the steps of: directing a light beam to a substrate to be coated at an angle of incidence for which the beam undergoes nominal total internal reflection; depositing a coating on the substrate such that the light beam will be waveguided in the coating thus reducing internal reflection for a period of deposition time; measuring a reduction of the internal reflection during deposition; and calculating an extinction value of the light beam in the deposited layer corresponding to the measured drop in internal reflection. |
| US08139227B2 |
Method using asymmetric optical resonances
A method utilizes an optical resonator that includes a reflective element and a spatial mode filter positioned relative to the reflective element such that light emitted from the spatial mode filter is reflected by the reflective element. The optical resonator has an optical resonance with a resonance lineshape that is asymmetric as a function of wavelength. |
| US08139226B2 |
Soft clock delay for OCT system and method therefor
An optical coherence analysis system comprises a swept source laser for generating optical signals that are tuned over a scan band; an interferometer for transmitting the optical signals over a sample arm and reference arm and combining the optical signals; a k-clock for generating a sampling clock indicating non-linearities in the frequency tuning of the optical signals over the scan band, the k-clock being not delay matched to propagation delays for the optical signals in the interferometer; a sampling system for sampling the optical signals from the interferometer in response to the k-clock to generate interference signals; and a processing system for determining non-linearities in the sampling clock and for transforming the interference signals into an image of a sample in response to the non-linearities. The system compensates for the lack of an electronic delay of k-clock using a nonuniform discrete Fourier transform. |
| US08139224B2 |
Particle concentration detecting device
A particulate concentration detector including a detection mechanism having a light emission unit and light reception unit. The particulate concentration detector detects the concentration of particulates suspended in a liquid from the light amount detected by the detection mechanism. The detection mechanism includes a first light guide, a second light guide, a liquid chamber, and a third light guide. The first light guide is arranged at a location facing toward a light emission surface of the light emission unit. The second light guide is arranged at a location facing toward a light reception surface of the light reception unit. The liquid chamber is formed between the first light guide and second light guide and allows the liquid to flow therein. The third light guide is arranged in an oscillatable manner in the liquid chamber so as to face toward the first light guide and the second light guide. |
| US08139222B2 |
Pressure controlled spectroscopic heating value sensor
A method and system for measuring a physical property of a fluid in which light having wavelengths in the near-infrared is directed into a test cell containing the fluid and portions of the light not absorbed by the fluid and passing out of the cell are spatially dispersed by wavelength, forming a light spectrum that is projected onto a detector. The light spectrum is digitized and inputted into a data processing unit in which it is compared to the actual spectrum of the light source stored in the system to determine the absorbance spectrum of the fluid. The system is spectrally calibrated by identifying known spectral features of the fluid absorbance spectrum. To correct for deviations in the original light source spectrum, a calibration method in which the pressure of the fluid in the test cell is alternated between a first positive pressure and a second positive pressure is employed. Upon determination of the absorbance spectrum of the fluid, the physical property of interest of the fluid is determined by comparing the absorbance spectrum to a plurality of spectra located within an on-board database. |
| US08139216B2 |
Optical package alignment systems and protocols
Methods of positioning an optical unit in an optical package are provided. According to one method, a partially assembled optical package is provided. The wavelength conversion device within the package comprises a conversion layer having a waveguide portion formed therein. The optical unit is coarse-positioned in the optical package to direct light from the laser diode to the wavelength conversion device in the form of a beam spot on an input face of the wavelength conversion device. The intensity of the frequency-converted optical signal output from the wavelength conversion device is monitored as the position of the optical unit is modified to 1D scan the beam spot along a portion of a crossing axis Y1 that crosses a planar projection of the conversion layer of the wavelength conversion device. Subsequently, the crossing axis Y1 is offset and the intensity monitoring step is repeated as the beam spot is 1D scanned along an offset crossing axis Y2. |
| US08139215B2 |
Method for measuring polarization characteristics and measurement apparatus
In a measurement method for measuring polarization characteristics in which an image of a mask pattern is projected onto an image plane, a first and second slit having a width less than or equal to the wavelength of a light source are displaced on the image plane and light passing through the first and second slit is detected to obtain a first and second light intensity distribution with respect to the direction of displacement of the first and second slit. The positions at which the first light intensity distribution takes a maximum and a minimum value are determined. An index value is calculated using the respective light intensities in the second light intensity distribution at positions corresponding to the determined maximum and minimum positions. Polarization characteristics corresponding to the calculated index value are obtained by using information expressing the relationship between the index value and the polarization characteristics. |
| US08139214B2 |
Spectroscopy module, and method for manufacturing the same
In a spectroscopy module 1, a light passing hole 5b through which a light L1 advancing to a spectroscopic portion 4 passes is formed in a light detecting element 5. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the relative positional relationship between the light passing hole 5b and a light detecting portion 5a of the light detecting element 5 from deviating. Moreover, the light to be measured L1 advancing to the spectroscopic portion 4 via the light passing hole 5b and the diffracted lights L2 advancing to the light detecting portion 5a from the spectroscopic portion 4 pass through a void formed between the light detecting element 5 and the substrate 2 by an opening portion 10a of a wiring substrate 10. Therefore, according to the spectroscopy module 1, it is possible to improve the reliability. |
| US08139213B2 |
Two-dimensional spectral imaging system
Systems, including methods, apparatus, and algorithms, for spectrally imaging a two-dimensional array of samples. |
| US08139212B2 |
Measurement of volume holographic gratings
The present invention relates to methods of measuring the optical characteristics of volume holographic gratings with high resolution and with a large spectral coverage using a spectrally broad band source in conjunction with instruments that measure the spectrum such as spectrometers, imaging spectrometers, and spectrum analyzers. |
| US08139210B2 |
Real-time monitoring apparatus for biochemical reaction
The present invention relates to an apparatus for real-time monitoring chemical reaction between various biomaterials. More particularly, the present invention directed to a real-time monitoring apparatus for biochemical reaction, which comprises parabolic mirror and/or an optical waveguide tube for effective irradiation of light over the whole plate with uniform intensity. |
| US08139209B2 |
System and method for measuring a laser-induced damage threshold in an optical fiber
A system for measuring a laser-induced damage threshold in an optical fiber may include a lens to direct a first laser beam through a core of the optical fiber. The system may also include an optical arrangement to direct a second laser beam through an exterior surface of the optical fiber and into the core of the optical fiber at a preselected location of the optical fiber to provide a predetermined power density at the preselected location, wherein the optical arrangement causes the second laser beam to be directed into the optical fiber substantially completely around a perimeter of the optical fiber to provide the predetermined power density. |
| US08139208B2 |
Ultrasonic detection system and method for the detection of transparent window security features in bank notes
A system and method for automatically detecting the presence of a perforation, tear, or a transparent window security feature in a bank note. The system includes an optical detection device, and an ultrasonic detection device, and a conveyance device for transporting the bank note along a defined path proximate the detection devices. Each detection device comprises a plurality of optical transmitters and corresponding optical receivers that bracket the note path. A computing device is also provided to determine from the output of the optical detection device the presence of an optical abnormality in the bank note; to determine from the output of the ultrasonic detection device the presence of an ultrasonic abnormality in the bank note; and to determine the presence of a perforation, tear, or transparent window feature based upon the results of the optical abnormality determination or the ultrasonic abnormality determination. |
| US08139206B2 |
Method and arrangement to determine a wind-speed
A method and an arrangement are provided to determine the speed of the wind, which acts on a wind-blade of a wind-turbine. An optical-signal with a known frequency is sent from an optical-transmit-unit to a joint measurement volume. The optical-signal is scattered and reflected by atmospheric particles of the joint measurement volume. The optical signal is shifted in its frequency due to the Doppler-principle, too. The frequency-shifted optical signal is received by a receive-unit. The frequency-shifted optical signal is compared with the sent optical-signal to determine the wind-speed based on the shifted frequency, which is caused by the atmospheric particles. |
| US08139204B2 |
Distance-measuring optoelectronic sensor
A distance-measuring optoelectronic sensor for the monitoring of a working zone is provided which is located within a detection zone of the sensor and at a first distance from the sensor, wherein the sensor has a lighting unit having a light source to illuminate the working zone at least partly as well as an object detection unit by means of which unauthorized objects in the working zone can be detected. In this respect, an illumination control is designed, in a switching-on phase, first to activate the lighting unit with a lower power so that a provisional working zone at a second distance from the sensor less than the first distance is illuminated with at most a preset maximum power; to check by means of the object detection unit whether an unauthorized object intrusion is taking place into the provisional working zone; and if no unauthorized object intrusion is recognized, to activate the lighting unit at a higher power so that the working zone is illuminated with at most the preset maximum power. |
| US08139203B2 |
Method of scanning a scene and corresponding scanning device
The present invention provides devices and methods for multi-dimensional scanning of a scene. In particular, this invention provides scanning devices and methods employing controllable light beam scanning devices capable of sending a light beam onto a scene, and of receiving corresponding light returned from the scene, and controllers capable of operating the scanning device at selected beam orientations, and of gaining distance information from the scanning device at the beam orientations. The controller can dynamically define beam orientations using the distance information gained from preceding beam orientations. |
| US08139197B2 |
Interactive zoetrope for animation of solid figurines and holographic projections
A zoetrope configured for user interaction. The zoetrope includes an object support that pivotally supports a holographic disc or other projection element containing a plurality of images. A positioning mechanism rotates the holographic disc at a predetermined speed or positions the projection element in numerous positions. The disc or projection element is illuminated by an illumination source in such a manner as to selectively make the images contained therein be projected in a sequence that provides a projected object that may be animated in an interactive manner based on user input such as voice input. The zoetrope may read out holographic images in response to a user's voice input to project a 3D object that appears to be speaking the words or song input by the user such as by illuminating the disc once per revolution in a particular angular orientation associated with a desired one of the holographic images. |
| US08139193B2 |
Fringe field switching mode liquid crystal display and manufacturing method thereof
Provided is a fringe field switching mode liquid crystal display. The fringe field switching mode liquid crystal display includes a transparent common electrode having a predetermined shape and formed within the pixel area to adjust light transmittance by applying a voltage to the liquid crystal layer, and a transparent pixel electrode having a plurality of slits and formed above the transparent common electrode with an insulating layer interposed between the transparent common electrode and the transparent pixel electrode. A rubbing direction for aligning the liquid crystal layer is within 5° with respect to a direction of the gate line to remove a light shielding region above the data line, one end of the transparent common electrode is arranged between the data line and the transparent pixel electrode, and a distance between the transparent common electrode and the transparent pixel electrode is regulated with respect to the data line. |
| US08139192B2 |
Liquid crystal display device
A liquid crystal display device is provided with high fabrication efficiency, which produces small display unevenness and which is capable of high quality display with excellent viewing angle characteristics and high transmittance.A liquid crystal display device of the present invention includes: a first substrate which includes pixel electrodes and an alignment film; a second substrate which includes a common electrode; and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate. Each of the pixel electrodes includes a plurality of subpixel electrodes electrically separated from one another on an insulating layer. The subpixel electrodes have a recess recessed toward the insulating layer. The subpixel electrodes and a drain line are connected at the recess. Part of the common electrode lying above a whole area of the pixel electrodes is substantially flat. |
| US08139181B2 |
Polarization plate, liquid crystal display device and protective film
Provided are a polarization plate which has a high mechanical strength, which does not impair a visibility even under a high temperature and high humidity, which is excellent in flexibility and abrasion resistance, and which reduces a visible disturbance such as color unevenness due to a size change, as well as a liquid crystal display device using the polarization plate. A film composed of a plurality of layers composed mainly of thermoplastic resins is used as a first protection film used for a visible side of the polarization plate, and at least one surface layer of this first protection film is composed mainly of an acrylic resin. Furthermore, a second protection film having a specific property is disposed at a side of a liquid crystal cell. |
| US08139180B2 |
Illuminating device, and liquid crystal display device and portable terminal device including the illuminating device
On the side surface of an optical guide plate (104), an engaging protrusion (105) is formed for fixing the optical guide plate (104) on to a frame (101) by fitting the optical guide plate in a recessed portion formed on the frame. The light emitted from an LED (107) enters the optical guide plate (104) from a light-incident end surface and travels in the optical guide plate (104) while spreading in a fan-shape. The engaging protrusion (105) is formed outside the outgoing-angle range of the beam (109) spreading in the fan-shape, thereby preventing occurrence of bright line caused by reflection of light at the corner portion of the base of the engaging protrusion (105). |
| US08139178B2 |
Anti-static housing and related display device assembly
A display device assembly includes an anti-static housing and a displaying module contained therein. The anti-static housing has a first housing body, a second housing body and a plurality of anti-static dielectric layers. The first housing body and the second housing body respectively have a first rail-and-groove engaging structure and a second rail-and-groove engaging structure, and can be moved relative to each other such that the first rail-and-groove engaging structure engages the second rail-and-groove engaging structure. Due to dispositions of the first and second rail-and-groove engaging structures and the anti-static dielectric layers when the first and second housing bodies are coupled together, the anti-static housing has comparatively superior anti-static characteristics, and a manner of engagement between the first and second rail-and-groove engaging structures facilitates assembly of the anti-static housing and thus reduces assembly costs. |
| US08139177B2 |
Liquid crystal display device
In a liquid crystal display device having a liquid crystal display panel which includes a first substrate and a second substrate, a back plate is arranged on a first-substrate-side of the liquid crystal display panel, a first polarizer is arranged between the back plate and the first substrate, the first polarizer is adhered to the back plate, a face plate is arranged on a second-substrate-side of the liquid crystal display panel, a second polarizer is arranged between the face plate and the second substrate, and the second polarizer is adhered to the face plate. |
| US08139176B2 |
Display substrate, a method of manufacturing the display substrate and a display apparatus having the display substrate
A display substrate includes a gate line, a data line, a thin film transistor, a pixel electrode, and a light blocking layer. The data line is insulated from the gate line and crosses the gate line. The thin film transistor is connected to the gate line and the data line. The thin film transistor is formed in a pixel. The pixel electrode is formed in the pixel and connected to the thin film transistor. The light blocking layer is formed from a same layer as the data line, wherein the light blocking layer is adjacent to a side of the data line. |
| US08139175B2 |
Thin film transistor, thin film transistor substrate, and methods for manufacturing the same
A thin film transistor includes a channel layer of a specific shape, a thermal gradient inducer body, a gate insulating film, a gate electrode and an interlayer insulating film, a source electrode and a drain electrode. The channel layer is formed on a substrate. The channel layer has a nucleation region and a crystal end. The thermal gradient inducer body partially circumscribes the channel layer. The gate insulating film is formed on the substrate, and the channel layer is at least partially covered with the gate insulating film. The gate electrode is formed on the gate insulating film. The interlayer insulating film is formed on the gate insulating film, and the gate electrode is at least partially covered with the interlayer insulating film. The source electrode and the drain electrode are formed on the interlayer insulating film, passed through the gate insulating film and the interlayer insulating film, and electrically connected to the channel layer. |
| US08139174B2 |
Display device for displaying images involving display pixels and non-display pixels
Display devices for displaying images are provided. A representative display device incorporates a display panel that includes a display pixel and a non-display pixel. The display pixel includes at least one switching thin-film transistor and the non-display pixel includes dummy thin-film transistors. A number of the dummy thin-film transistors exceeds a number of the switching thin-film transistors. |
| US08139173B2 |
Liquid crystal display
A liquid crystal display, having an improved application of electric field to the molecules of liquid crystal, includes a substrate and a pixel array bonded to the surface of this substrate, and the pixel array includes at least a thin-film transistor and a pixel electrode connected with this thin-film transistor, and the pixel electrode is formed in a layer higher than the thin-film transistor in relation to the substrate. |
| US08139168B2 |
Display device using LCD panel and a method of executing timing control options thereof
A display device including a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel includes a driving circuit unit to drive the LCD panel, a main controller to generate a data signal that includes predetermined option information, and a timing controller,to detect the option information upon receiving the data signal from the main controller and to adjust an operation state of the LCD panel by transmitting a predetermined operation signal corresponding to the option information to the driving circuit unit. The main controller transmits a color data signal, a V-sync signal, an H-sync signal, a clock signal, and a data enable signal, as the data signal. The option information can be recorded on the data enable signal to change the option information. |
| US08139167B2 |
Projection display apparatus which enables a selected image inverting process to be performed to facilitate registration adjustment
The present invention provides a projection display apparatus realizing improved operability at the time of registration adjustment irrespective of a use situation of the apparatus. In the case where misregistration occurs between primary color lights, video signals for three colors are corrected (registration adjustment is performed) so as to reduce the misregistration in accordance with an input adjustment value. An image inverting process is performed on an input video signal so that the image is inverted in a display screen. By a configuration by the user, the image is properly inverted in the display screen. When the image inverting process is performed, an adjustment value, with a sign different from that in the misregistration direction in a coordinate system where the image is not inverted, is input by an operation on the display screen. |
| US08139165B2 |
Television receiver
It is an object of the present invention to provide a television receiver for discriminating a CM broadcast from a received television broadcast and controlling a volume of the CM broadcast without complicating a configuration of a discriminating process of the CM broadcast. The present invention includes a silence detection means, a scene change detection means, a video audio changing point detection means, a first characteristic amount extraction means, a second characteristic amount extraction means, a comparison determining means and a volume control means. The comparison determining means compares the first characteristic amount which is an audio characteristic amount of a television signal before the time when the video audio changing point is detected, and the second characteristic amount which is an audio characteristic amount of a television signal after the time when the video audio changing point is detected, to determine whether a predetermined condition is satisfied or not. The volume control means controls an output level when outputting audio of the television signal on the basis of a result of the comparison determining means. |
| US08139160B2 |
Television tuner with double quadrature mixing architecture
A television tuner employs a double quadrature mixing architecture to frequency-translate VHF/UHF TV signals to various standard IF frequencies. In the television tuner, a quadrature mixer converts the input television signal into a first in-phase signal and a first quadrature-phase signal according to a first reference signal, and a double quadrature mixer converts the first in-phase signal and first quadrature-phase signal into a second in-phase signal and a second quadrature-phase signal according to a second reference signal, and a polyphase filter filters the second in-phase signal and second quadrature-phase signal to produce an output signal. |
| US08139157B2 |
Video display apparatus that adjusts video display parameters based on video picture type
A video display apparatus generates luminance information for individual frames of a video signal from histograms of the luminance component of the video signal, and classifies the content of the video signal on the basis of this information. Color saturation information is also generated from color saturation histograms, and scene changes are detected. Video correction parameters and display control parameters are derived from the content classification and color saturation information. The video signal is corrected according to the video correction parameters, and displayed according to the display control parameters. Display characteristics suitable for the video content are thereby obtained. The parameters are changed when a scene change is detected, so that the viewer is not disturbed by the change in video display characteristics. |
| US08139155B2 |
Self-adaptive image processing device and method
A dynamic motion degree of a video composite signal is estimated. A chrominance signal after Y/C separation and chrominance demodulation is narrow-band low pass filtered (NBLPF) and wide-band low pass filtered (WBLPF), so as to generate a narrow-band filtered signal and a wide-band filtered signal. The narrow-band filtered signal and the wide-band filtered signal are weighted based on the estimated dynamic motion degree, so as to determine how much high frequency component of the chrominance signal is reserved. In the static image processing, more high frequency component is reserved, so as to reduce the color transition issue and keep the image color being sharp. In the dynamic image processing, more high frequency component is filtered, so as to reduce the cross color issue. |
| US08139152B2 |
Image processing apparatus, image processing method and program
An apparatus for processing an image includes a motion vector detector, a motion-blurring-mitigated image generator, and a spatial resolution creation unit. The motion vector detector is configured to detect a motion vector by using an image that is made up of multiple pixels and acquired by an image sensor having time integration effects. The motion-blurring-mitigated image generator is configured to generate a motion-blurring-mitigated image in which motion blurring of a moving object is mitigated by using the motion vector detected by the motion vector detector on the assumption that a pixel value of pixel of the moving object in the image is a value obtained by integrating, in a time direction, a pixel value of each pixel in which no motion blurring that corresponds to the moving object occur as it is moved. The spatial resolution creation unit is configured to generate an image that has a higher spatial resolution than that of the image made up of the multiple pixels by using the motion vector detected by the motion vector detector and the motion-blurring-mitigated image from the motion-blurring-mitigated image generator. |
| US08139149B2 |
Still image acquisition device, still image acquisition method, and image fluctuation correction device
A still image acquisition device includes: a fluctuation detection unit (5) for detecting a horizontal or a vertical fluctuation generated in an imaging device; light refraction means (10A, 10B) for refracting light into an arbitrary direction; hand shake control means (6A) for controlling the refraction direction of the light by the light refraction means; control amount detection means (8A, 8B) for detecting control amounts of the light refraction means (10A, 10B); angle calculation means (6B) for calculating the hand shake angle of the horizontal direction or the vertical direction from the detected control amounts; acquisition reference time decision means (6C) for deciding a reference time for acquiring a still image according to the time when the absolute value of the calculated hand shake angle of the horizontal direction or the vertical direction is zero or a minimum value; and a still image processing unit (25) for acquiring the hand shake-corrected image corresponding to a moment immediately after the decided acquisition reference time as a still image. |
| US08139148B2 |
Cap structure
A cap 1 attached to housings 2 and 3 can be opened and closed. The cap 1 includes a tongue portion 1a protruding from a cap body 1d; and claw portions engaging with the housing (second outer housing) 3. An elongated hole 1b is formed on the tongue portion 1a. The housing 3 includes: a notched hole 3b for accepting the tongue portion 1a; a stopper 3c that is unremovably inserted into the elongated hole 1b so as to permit relative movement; and engaged portions engaged with the claw portions of the cap 1 to fix the cap 1. When the cap 1 is closed, the stopper 3c is fixed on the elongated hole 1b on the side of the cap body 1d by protrusions 1c provided in the elongated hole 1b. |
| US08139147B2 |
Image sensor
An image sensor includes an imaging element for imaging an object, a movable member mounted with the imaging element and movably provided, a flexible printed circuit board having a portion on a side of a first end connected to the imaging element, and including a visually recognizable positioning member provided at least on a side of an upper surface and an extension/contraction region formed by folding the flexible printed circuit board with reference to the positioning member, and a circuit board connected with a portion on a side of a second end of the flexible printed circuit board and fixedly set. |
| US08139143B2 |
Solid-state imaging apparatus and camera system
A solid-state imaging apparatus has a plurality of read out circuits (128) reading out pixel output signals from pixels in a pixel region, a common signal output line (123) connected to the plurality of read out circuits via switch units, a first load unit (124) connected to the signal output line and a positive power source, a second load unit (125) connected to the signal output line and a ground power source, a maximum value output unit outputting a maximum value of a plurality of pixel signals input to the read out circuits, a minimum value output unit outputting a minimum value of a plurality of pixel signals input to the read out circuits, and a switching unit switching output of the maximum value output unit and output of the minimum value output unit during a pixel signal accumulation period. |
| US08139140B2 |
Imaging device
A digital camera has an optical system, an image capturing unit, an aperture adjuster, a focal point adjuster, and a body microcomputer. The aperture adjuster has an aperture included in the optical system and is capable of adjusting the state of the aperture. The focal point adjuster has a focus lens included in the optical system and is capable adjusting the focal state of the optical system by using the focus lens by contrast detection method. The body microcomputer controls the operation of the aperture adjuster so that the aperture value of the optical system will be at or below a set aperture value before the focal state is adjusted by the focal point adjuster. |
| US08139137B2 |
Focusing method, suitable for an image capturing apparatus using in an environment of low brightness and image capturing apparatus using the same
A focusing method, suitable for an image capturing apparatus using in an environment of low brightness, is provided herein. The focusing method includes that an image sensing unit in the image capturing apparatus is wholly or partially divided into a plurality of regions, and digital image data sensed by the image sensing unit is divided into a plurality of sets corresponding to the regions of the image sensing unit. The regional image data corresponding to each of the regions are summed up during the focusing step, so as to obtain a sum of data for each region. Each sum of data is used to calculate a corresponding contrast value, and the contrast value is used to perform calculations for the focusing step, so as to obtain a focus. |
| US08139128B2 |
Image capture device and image processing method for the same
The image capture device includes defect information storage unit in which defective pixel data is stored in advance; signal conversion unit adapted to covert pixel values of an image signal output from image capture unit to pixel values from which defective values are excluded; a defective pixel establishing unit, an image signal storage unit for storing defective values in terms of frame units chronologically and in order of address; and second comparison unit. The first comparison unit acquires defective pixel data in frame units in several increments from the defect information storage unit and compares the data with the image signal; once all of the defective pixel data has been acquired and compared, comparison of the image signal data and the defective pixel data will stop, and a comparison process will be carried out by the second comparison unit. |
| US08139120B2 |
Image processing device, camera device and image processing method
Provided are an image processing apparatus and method in which, when there is a change in a subject, a picture in which a changing part thereof is enlarged makes it possible to easily confirm whether or not the subject is changing and contents of the changing part. The image processing apparatus (100) for performing an image processing on images obtained by continuously photographing a subject and by imaging light therefrom on image-pickup means (230) through a photographic lens (221) includes: moving part detecting means (110b) for detecting a moving part of the image obtained by the photographing, the moving part having occurred due to a change in the subject; moving area image cutting-out means (110d) for cutting out, as a moving area image, an area including the image obtained by the photographing corresponding to the moving part in which a move has been detected by the moving part detecting means (110b); and corrected/enlarged image generating means (110e) for generating a corrected/enlarged image by subjecting the moving area image to a correction processing for a distortion due to the photographic lens and to an enlargement processing. |
| US08139119B2 |
Video still camera
A digital still camera has a cylindrical image pick up portion with a lens, a strobe unit, and a display. The image pick up unit is cylindrical and is rotatably held at each end, so that the lens and strobe unit move in concert. The image pick up unit can be rotated to face the rear of the camera, where the display is located, so that the user can do self-images. |
| US08139115B2 |
Method and apparatus for managing parking lots
A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer usable program code for tracking vehicles in a parking facility using optics. The process receives a series of two-dimensional images of a vehicle in a parking facility from a camera. The process generates an object representing the vehicle based on the series of two-dimensional images. The object includes a set of parameters defining an outer edge frame for the vehicle. The process determines a location of the vehicle in the parking garage based on the outer edge frame and positional pixel data for the parking facility. |
| US08139114B2 |
Surroundings monitoring apparatus and surroundings monitoring method for reducing distortion caused by camera position displacement
A surrounding monitoring apparatus reduces distortion caused by camera position displacement. A position displacement information obtainment unit obtains position displacement information and outputs it as camera position displacement information, a moving object state detection unit detects vehicle information and outputs it as a moving object state, a coordinate transformation parameter selection unit selects a coordinate transformation parameter according to the camera position displacement information, an image synthesis parameter selection unit selects a reference image synthesis parameter and a graphics parameter according to the moving object state, a coordinate transformation unit performs coordinate transformation on image coordinates of a captured image which are included in the reference image synthesis parameter using the coordinate transformation parameter and outputs the image coordinates as a transformed image synthesis parameter, and an image synthesis unit generates and outputs a synthetic image according to the transformed image synthesis parameter. |
| US08139111B2 |
Height measurement in a perspective image
A method, apparatus, and computer program product are present for identifying a location in a scene. An image of the scene is displayed on a display device. A cursor on the image is moved in relation to a number of corresponding directions in a model of the scene in response to a manipulation of a number of controls associated with the cursor. A base location in the scene is identified corresponding to a particular point in response to a user input selecting the particular point in the image. A selected point in the image is selected for the scene and a displacement of the selected point is identified from the base location in response to another user input occurring after an identification of the base location. An offset location in the scene is identified corresponding to the selected point in the image using the base location and the displacement. |
| US08139107B2 |
Defect inspection method, defect inspection system, and computer readable storage medium
In the present invention, an image of a substrate is picked up by an image pickup unit with the substrate being held by a transfer member. A drive unit for the transfer member is controlled by a driving signal from a first controller. A driving signal outputted to the first controller is outputted also to a second controller so that the second controller controls the image pickup unit based on the driving signal, thereby synchronizing drive of the transfer member with the image pickup by the image pickup unit. According to the present invention, the throughput in performing a defect inspection for the substrate is improved and a precise image is captured and subjected to accurate inspection. |
| US08139102B2 |
Digital camera
A digital camera regards a part of a preceding photograph image as a guide image, and combines the guide image with a through image in shooting a succeeding photograph image. At this time, a transmittance of the guide image is set according to a luminance evaluation value at a time when the preceding photograph image is shot. |
| US08139099B2 |
Generating representative still images from a video recording
Computer-readable media having corresponding apparatus and methods embodies instructions executable by a computer to perform a method comprising: receiving a recording, wherein the recording includes a video file, and a plurality of event records each representing a respective event in the recording, wherein each event record includes a timestamp representing a time of the event in the recording, and an image corresponding to the event; selecting a section of the recording; and providing a representative image for the selected section of the recording, including determining, based on the timestamps, whether any of the events are associated with the selected section, selecting the image corresponding to one of the one or more events when one or more events are associated with the selected section, and generating the representative image based on the video file when no events are associated with the selected section. |
| US08139098B2 |
Video communication method for receiving person at entrance
A method for receiving a person at an entrance comprises the steps of detecting the presence of a person at the entrance with a proximity sensor located proximate the entrance, transmitting video of the person at the entrance recorded using a camera located proximate the entrance to a computerized controller running a software application, and providing a graphic user interface to a remote peripheral device by which a user of the remote peripheral device may view the video of the person at the entrance. |
| US08139093B2 |
Thermal printer
A thermal printer enables both duplex printing and simplex printing. A double-sided thermal printer 1 has a first arm 31 and a second arm 32 that opens and closes in conjunction with the first arm 31. A first platen roller 21 is mounted on the first arm 31, a second thermal print head 12 is mounted on the second arm 32, and a first thermal print head 11 and second platen roller 22 are disposed on the printer frame 30 side. When the operating cover 3 closes, the second thermal print head 12 on the second arm 32 is pressed against the second platen roller 22, the first platen roller 21 on the first arm 31 is pressed to the first thermal print head 11, and the double-sided thermal paper 6 can be set with no slack. For simplex printing, the paper transportation load can be reduced by pressing only the first platen roller 21 on the first arm to the first thermal print head 11. |
| US08139089B2 |
Navigating digital images using detail-in-context lenses
In an implementation, an appearance of lens is displayed on a display device for a selected region of an image to magnify the selected region of the image in comparison with a portion of the image outside of the appearance of the lens. A zoomed-in view of the image is displayed on the display device by increasing magnification of the portion of the image outside the appearance of the lens successively as an animation until the magnification of the portion of the image outside of the appearance of the lens corresponds with the magnification of the selected region of the image within the appearance of the lens, at which point the appearance of the lens is no longer displayed. |
| US08139085B2 |
Display data extraction methods, devices and computer systems utilizing the same
A device of capturing display data is implemented in an electronic device. A first request for capture of display data associated with the display of the electronic device is received. The display is a composite image generated by a program from one or more raw data objects in the electronic device. When the first request is received, a backup of the display data, comprising the one or more raw data objects, is stored by the electronic device in form of a data structure in response to the first request. |
| US08139082B2 |
Image processing apparatus and its control method, and program
When first vector image data is input, whether or not the first vector image data includes a raster image data expression part is determined. The raster image data expression part is converted into second vector image data based on the determination result. Final fourth vector image data is generated based on the converted second vector image data and third vector image data other than the raster image data expression part in the first vector image data. |
| US08139081B1 |
Method for conversion between YUV 4:4:4 and YUV 4:2:0
Systems and methods for converting between a first color space format and a second color space format are described herein. The system receives a video cell in a first color space format comprising a plurality of pixels. Each pixel in the cell has a luminance value and a chrominance value. The luminance values of each pixel are compared to determine the brightest pixel in the received cell. The cell is downsampled to generate a second cell in a second color space format. The second cell in the second color space format comprises a downsampled chrominance value that is computed based at least in part on the chrominance value of the brightest pixel. The method advantageously reduces tinting of a high intensity pixel by the chrominance component of a neighboring low-intensity pixel. |
| US08139077B2 |
Enhanced alpha blending
A system including storage comprising a first graphical pixel and a second graphical pixel. Each of the first and second graphical pixels is associated with binary codes having red, green and blue sub-codes. The system also comprises processing logic coupled to the storage and adapted to alpha-blend the first and second graphical pixels to produce a blended pixel. The processing logic performs this alpha-blend using the binary codes having red, green and blue sub-codes in concatenated form and without operating on the sub-codes individually. The processing logic displays the blended pixel. |
| US08139071B1 |
Buffering unit to support graphics processing operations
An apparatus and method for buffering graphics data are described. In one embodiment, a graphics processing apparatus includes a storage unit and a reorder control unit that is connected to the storage unit. The reorder control unit is configured to coordinate storage of vertex attributes in the storage unit so as to convert the vertex attributes from an initial order to a modified order. The reorder control unit is configured to identify a subset of the vertex attributes to be stored within a common range of addresses in the storage unit, and the reorder control unit is configured to access the storage unit such that the subset of the vertex attributes is written into the storage unit substantially in parallel. |
| US08139068B2 |
Three-dimensional animation of soft tissue of characters using controls associated with a surface mesh
A face, as well as any other soft tissue of a character, can be animated much in the same way that a skeleton is animated by creating a soft tissue solver attached to the surface mesh. In particular, deformation objects are associated with regions of the surface mesh. The deformation objects deform the mesh according to deformation operators in response to a change in a control object. This soft tissue solver can be generated automatically given a set of salient points specified on an input mesh and a format file for the class of objects of which the input mesh is an example. The format file specifies what the salient points are, and the relative placement of the deformation objects and control objects as functions of the salient points. Specific deformation operators can be defined and associated, through the format file, with the deformation objects and control objects. The format file for a class of objects, such as for human and humanoid heads, and related operators can be determined based on experimentation and observation of the object being modeled. Through such a soft tissue solver, the behavior of the deformation of the surface mesh is quantified and controlled by direct manipulation of the points on the mesh. Thus, the surface of the object can be animated in a manner similar to how animation of a skeleton is defined using inverse kinematics. Because the surface of the object is directly related to its appearance or aesthetics, this animation capability is referred to herein as “quantitative aesthetics.” |
| US08139067B2 |
Shape completion, animation and marker-less motion capture of people, animals or characters
Motion capture animation, shape completion and markerless motion capture methods are provided. A pose deformation space model encoding variability in pose is learnt from a three-dimensional (3D) dataset. Body shape deformation space model encoding variability in pose and shape is learnt from another 3D dataset. The learnt pose model is combined with the learnt body shape model. For motion capture animation, given parameter set, the combined model generates a 3D shape surface of a body in a pose and shape. For shape completion, given partial surface of a body defined as 3D points, the combined model generates a 3D surface model in the combined spaces that fits the 3D points. For markerless motion capture, given 3D information of a body, the combined model traces the movement of the body using the combined spaces that fits the 3D information or reconstructing the body's shape or deformations that fits the 3D information. |
| US08139064B2 |
Method and apparatus for aligning an infrastructure to a template
An exemplary method of determining a target configuration of an infrastructure aligned with a template includes a step of representing the current configuration of the infrastructure as a graph having a plurality of vertices representing elements of the infrastructure and at least one edge representing at least one dependency between the elements, wherein a given element within a set of possible elements for the infrastructure has a set of possible equivalent elements for the given element. The exemplary method also includes a step of finding at least one cut vertex in the graph representing the current configuration of the infrastructure, wherein removal of the cut vertex will split the graph into two sub-graphs as close in size as possible. |
| US08139060B2 |
Ray tracing image processing system
According to embodiments of the invention, a normally recursive ray tracing algorithm may be partitioned to form an iterative ray tracing algorithm. The resulting portions of the iterative ray tracing algorithm may be executed by a plurality of processing elements. Furthermore, according to embodiments of the invention, a network of inboxes may be used to transfer information which defines original rays and secondary rays (information unlikely to be reused for subsequently issued rays and subsequently rendered frames) between processing elements, and a shared memory cache may store information relating to a three dimensional scene (information likely to be reused for subsequently issued rays and subsequently rendered frames). Using a plurality of processing elements to perform ray tracing and storing information in the shared memory cache which is likely to be reused for subsequent rays and subsequent frames, the performance of a ray tracing image processing system may be improved. |
| US08139058B2 |
Hierarchical tile-based rasterization algorithm
A hierarchical tile-based rasterization method is disclosed. The inventive rasterization algorithm rasterizes pixels in hierarchical rectangles or blocks. The method includes: walking a plurality of tiles of pixels and determining if each tile is valid; breaking each valid tile into a plurality of subtiles and determining if each subtile is valid; breaking each valid subtile into a plurality of quads and determining if each quad is valid; and rendering pixels for each valid quad. These hierarchical levels of block validations are performed in parallel. The inventive rasterization algorithm is further implemented in hardware for better performance. |
| US08139056B2 |
Plural power generating units for use in a liquid crystal display and control thereof
A power generating module is provided in an LCD where the power generating module includes a first driving voltage generator, a second driving voltage generator and an output deviation controller. The first driving voltage generator generates and outputs a first set of LCD driving voltages including a first liquid crystal driving voltage and a first gate-on-voltage. The second driving voltage generator generates and outputs a similar second set of LCD driving voltages. The output deviation controller controls the first and second driving voltage generators using one or more feedback signals each corresponding to a potential difference between counterpart output voltages of the first driving voltage and the second driving voltage to reduce output deviations between those counterpart output voltages. |
| US08139053B2 |
Arrangement for canceling offset of driver amplifier circuitry
In an offset canceling arrangement, an offset of an operational amplifier may be canceled even in case capacitive or resistive element is connected outside of the operational amplifier per se, and a signal may be output even during the offset canceling operation. IC chips include respective sets of plural output circuits. Each of the IC chips is provided with an offset canceling function, for which the respective sets of output circuits are grouped into plural groups. A reference signal for offset canceling is generated from a reference output circuit. One of the groups, each constituting one IC chip, is selected, and the reference signal for offset canceling generated by the group is used as a reference signal for offset canceling for the remaining group(s). |
| US08139050B2 |
Addressing schemes for electronic displays
An electronic display comprises an electro-optic material (preferably an electrophoretic medium) having a plurality of pixels, and separate first, second and third sets of addressing means for addressing these pixels. Each of the pixels is associated with one addressing means in each of the three sets, such that addressing of any specific pixel requires application of signals within predetermined ranges to each of the three addressing means associated with the specific pixel being addressed. The display may be in the form of a multi-page electronic book. |
| US08139046B2 |
Touch screen using infrared camera hardly affected by external disturbance light
A touch screen using infrared cameras hardly affected by external disturbance light includes an infrared radiation base having a plurality of infrared emitting elements and the infrared cameras, thereby preventing malfunction resulting from the external disturbance light. The touch screen includes a body having a screen part to which an image is output, an infrared radiation base having a plurality of infrared emitting elements and disposed around the screen part in transverse and longitudinal directions, and infrared cameras receiving the infrared light emitted from the infrared emitting elements of the infrared radiation base and detecting the position of an object touched on the screen part according to whether or not the infrared light emitted from each infrared emitting element is received. |
| US08139045B2 |
Display device having multi-touch recognizing function and driving method thereof
A display device having a multi-touch recognition function includes an integration module having a plurality of cameras integrated at an edge of a display panel; a look-up-table of a plurality of compensation angles in an range of about 0 to about 90 degrees corresponding to each of the plurality of cameras; and processor that detects a touch area using at least first and second images captured by the plurality of cameras, respectively, and compensates the detected touch area with one of the plurality of compensation angles. |
| US08139044B2 |
Storage medium storing pointing device input adjustment program, input adjustment apparatus and input adjustment method
A computer as an input adjustment apparatus includes a memory. This memory stores an input adjustment program. The computer is connected with a touch pad. When a user touches the touch pad with his/her finger, the computer is provided with touch coordinate data on a touched portion and a value according to an area of the touched portion. Based on the coordinate data and the value according to the touch area, the computer calculates a scale factor of a range in which the user can actually perform an operation in such a manner as to conform to a whole operating range of the touch pad. Then, the computer multiplies by the scale factor a difference of coordinates indicated by the coordinate data (current touch coordinates) from a reference position, and input the resulting value as input data into an electronic device. |
| US08139043B2 |
Bounding box gesture recognition on a touch detecting interactive display
The invention provides a method and apparatus for identifying gestures performed by a user to control an interactive display. The gestures are identified based on a bounding box enclosing the points at which a user contacts a touch sensor corresponding with the display surface. The invention thus permits the use of inexpensive and highly reliable grid-based touch sensors that provide a bounding box to describe contact information. In identifying the gestures, the position, motion, shape, and deformation of the bounding box may all be considered. In particular, the center, width, height, aspect ratio, length of the diagonal, and orientation of the diagonal of the bounding box may be determined. A stretch factor, defined as the maximum of the ratio of the height of the bounding box to the width of the bounding box and the ratio of the width of the bounding box to the height of the bounding box, may also be computed. Finally, gestures may be identified based on the changes in time of these characteristics and quantities. |
| US08139035B2 |
Touch sensitive keypad with tactile feedback
A keypad includes discrete keys formed by touch sensors or virtual keys on a touch sensitive area. The discrete or virtual keys are mechanically linked to a biased switch. The key that has been touched during a keystroke is identified through a signal from the touch sensors whilst a keystroke is recorded upon a signal from the biased switch. The combination of the touch sensors with a biased switch provides tactile feedback. The use of touch sensors or a touch sensitive area allows the keypad to be constructed with a substantially flush surface without parting lines. |
| US08139033B2 |
Input device
An input device includes a ball having a magnetic body therein. The magnetic body includes projections radially extending from the core toward the outer periphery of the ball. The device also includes a ring magnet and magnet detection elements surrounded by a lower area of the ball so as to be opposite thereto. The structure allows the input device to be protected from dust and dirt during long-term use so as to maintain a good tactile feel in a simple structure. Because, the input device has no components such as rollers that are in contact with the ball. |
| US08139028B2 |
Proximity sensor and method for indicating extended interface results
A proximity sensor device and method is provided that facilitates improved system usability. Specifically, the proximity sensor device and method provide a user with the ability to easily cause different results in an electronic system using a proximity sensor device as a user interface. For example, it can be used to facilitate user interface navigation, such as dragging and scrolling. As another example, it can be used to facilitate value adjustments, such as changing a device parameter. In general, the proximity sensor device is adapted to distinguish between different object combination motions, determine relative temporal relationships between those motions, and generate user interface results responsive to the motions. This allows a user to selectively generate different results using the motion of two different object combinations. |
| US08139027B2 |
Storage medium storing input processing program and input processing apparatus
A game system includes a game apparatus and a controller. For example, whether an operation of waving the controller has been performed is determined based on at least one of a pointed position on a display screen by the controller and acceleration. A wind object is generated and moved in virtual game space according to the waving operation. When it is determined that the wind object has collided with a windmill object disposed in the virtual game space, the windmill object is influenced by the wind and its rotation speed is changed. |
| US08139023B2 |
Brightness adjustable electrical apparatus
A brightness adjustable electrical apparatus is disclosed. The electrical apparatus comprises a lighting module, a control unit and at least one light emitting diode (LED). The control unit is electrically connected to the lighting module for lighting control. The LED is electrically connected to the control unit, wherein the LED has an indicating mode to indicate the working state of the electrical apparatus and a detecting mode to detect the surrounding light intensity. |
| US08139019B2 |
Brightness adjusting device and liquid crystal display having the same
A brightness adjusting device includes a multiplication circuit, which multiplies a vertical signal by a predetermined multiplication ratio to output a multiplication signal, a differential circuit that distinguishes between different multiplication signals, a serrated wave generator that charges/discharges a condenser according to a signal output from the differential circuit and generates a serrated wave having constant amplitude independently of a frequency of the multiplication signal, a brightness adjusting voltage generator that generates a reference voltage to determine a pulse duty, and a comparator that outputs a pulse signal by comparing a voltage of the serrated wave with the brightness adjusting voltage. The brightness adjusting voltage generator includes a circuit that outputs a variable voltage, and the multiplication circuit includes a circuit having a variable multiplication ratio. |
| US08139018B2 |
Liquid crystal display device and method for driving the same
A method for driving a liquid crystal display device is provided. The liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal panel and a plurality of lamps. The method includes: sequentially driving the plurality of lamps to supply light to the liquid crystal panel, at least one of the lamps having a different on-time interval from another one of the lamps. |
| US08139012B2 |
Liquid-crystal-device driving method, liquid crystal device, and electronic apparatus
A method of driving a liquid crystal device having an optically compensated bend mode and including an image display area including a plurality of pixels two-dimensionally arranged in a row direction in which a plurality of scanning lines extend and in a column direction in which a plurality of data lines extend. The method includes performing an initial transition of a liquid crystal alignment from a splay alignment to a bend alignment. The initial transition includes inversion driving for driving the plurality of pixels by using, among a plurality of inversion driving modes, one inversion driving mode for inverting relative polarities of voltages applied to the plurality of pixels, and different inversion driving for switching the inversion driving mode in the inversion driving to a different inversion driving mode before driving the plurality of pixels. |
| US08139008B2 |
Bi-stable display systems and driving methods thereof
Bi-stable display systems and driving methods thereof are presented. The bi-stable display system includes a bi-stable display panel having at least one substrate, at least one electrode disposed on the substrate, and a bi-stable display medium between the at least one electrode, wherein the at least one electrode extends to pluralities of electrode pads on the at least one side of peripheral regions. A data input device for inputting display data to the bi-stable display panel includes a plurality of input terminals corresponding to the electrode pads of the bi-stable display panel. A trigger device detects relative movement between the bi-stable display panel and the data input device and generates a trigging signal to shift data address in a data shifter, thereby renewing image data in the bi-stable display panel. |
| US08139006B2 |
Power source, display including the same, and associated method
A power source for applying a voltage to a pixel circuit, the power source including a sensing unit and a controlling unit. The sensing unit senses a current flowing through a power line coupled to the pixel circuit, the controlling unit increases a voltage applied to the power line by a first amount when the sensed current is lower than a reference, and the controlling unit decreases the voltage applied to the power line by a second amount when the sensed current is higher than the reference, the second amount being different from the first amount. |
| US08139004B2 |
Display device and electronic apparatus
A display device includes a drive section and a pixel array section including power lines, scanning lines, signal lines, and pixels in a matrix. Each pixel includes a sampling transistor, a drive transistor, a light-emitting element, and a storage capacitor. The drive section includes a write scanner supplying a control signal to one scanning line at a time, and a signal selector supplying a drive signal to each signal line. The sampling transistor applies the drive signal to the drive transistor. The drive transistor supplies a drive current based on the drive signal to the light-emitting element. The write scanner includes output buffers, each outputting a control signal including two pulses to a corresponding scanning line. Each output buffer includes first and second output sections, the first section outputting one pulse and the second section extracting a pulse from a pulse power supply and outputting the extracted pulse. |
| US08139002B2 |
Organic light emitting diode display and driving method thereof
An organic light emitting diode display for removing a voltage which is charged into a gate electrode of a driving transistor before a current frame is changed to a next frame is disclosed. In the organic light emitting diode display, a display panel has a plurality of pixels that include an organic light emitting diode. A timing controller controls a driving timing of the inputted video data and controls a supply timing of a refresh voltage. A data driver converts a digital data which is outputted from the timing controller for a current frame into an analog data voltage to supply it to the pixels, and then supplies the refresh voltage to pixels which are selected among the pixels in accordance with a control of the timing controller. And a gate driver primarily supplies a scanning pulse for a first horizontal period of a current frame to select the pixels to be supplied with a data, and then secondarily supplies a scanning pulse for a second horizontal period of a current frame to select pixels to be supplied with the refresh voltage among the pixels in accordance with a control of the timing controller. |
| US08139000B2 |
Light emitting device and electronic device
A TFT for controlling the amount of current flowing into a power supply line when an EL element does not emit light (electric discharge TFT) is provided in each pixel. When an EL driving TFT is turned ON to make an EL element emit light, the electric discharge TFT is turned OFF. On the other hand, the electric discharge TFT is turned ON when the EL driving TFT is turned OFF and no EL element emit light. Therefore variation of the difference in electric potential over the length of a power supply line depending on an image to be displayed is contained. Thus reduced is the difference in amount of current flowing into EL elements in adjacent pixels while the EL elements emit light, thereby avoiding crosstalk. |
| US08138997B2 |
Pixel, organic light emitting display using the same, and associated methods
An organic light emitting display includes a scan driver configured to sequentially supply a scan signal to scan lines and sequentially supply a light emitting control signal to light emitting control lines, a data driver configured to supply a data signal to data lines, and pixels arranged coupled to the scan lines, the data lines and the light emitting control lines. Each of the pixels includes an organic light emitting diode, a second transistor, a storage capacitor coupled between an i−1th light emitting control line and a gate electrode of the second transistor, a first transistor coupled between an ith scan line, a data line and a first electrode of the second transistor, and a third transistor coupled between the gate electrode and a second electrode of the second transistor. |
| US08138992B2 |
Method and apparatus for evoking perceptions of affordances in virtual environments
Methods and apparatus are provided for evoking perceptions of affordances in a user/virtual environment interface. The method involves recognizing the absence or inadequacy of certain sensory stimuli in the user/virtual environment interface, and then creating sensory stimuli in the virtual environment to substitute for the recognized absent or inadequate sensory stimuli. The substitute sensory stimuli are typically communicated to the user (e.g., visually and/or audibly) as properties and behavior of objects in the virtual environment. Appropriately designed substitute sensory stimuli can evoke perceptions of affordances for the recognized absent or inadequate sensory stimuli in the user/virtual environment interface. |
| US08138991B2 |
Real-time image scanning and processing
An apparatus for displaying at least one image with respect to a line-of-sight (LOS), with an image source, a display processor and a displaying unit. The display processor is coupled with the image source and the displaying unit. The image source provides at least one spatially unregistered image, and the display processor spatially registers the spatially unregistered image with the LOS, thereby generating a respective at least one spatially registered image. The displaying unit displays at least one spatially registered pixel on a displaying surface. The display processor includes a storage unit, an image processor and a pixel locator, the pixel locator being coupled with the image processor, wherein the storage unit stores the spatially unregistered image. The image processor selects at least one projection pixel to be displayed and the pixel locator determines, in each spatially unregistered image, the location of the spatially registered pixel corresponding to the selected projection pixel. |
| US08138984B2 |
Planar antenna
The present invention discloses a planar antenna including a substrate, a ground plane and a feed line. The ground plane is disposed on one side of the substrate. The ground plane includes a hollow portion. The feed line disposed on another side of the substrate and corresponding to the hollow portion for feeding a signal. The present invention also discloses a planar antenna including a substrate, a ground plane and a feed line. The ground plane is disposed on one side of the substrate. The ground plane includes a first hollow portion and a second hollow portion. The feed line is disposed on another side of the substrate and having a first branch feed portion and a second branch feed portion for feeding a signal, and the first branch feed portion and the second branch feed portion are aligned with the first hollow portion and the second hollow portion respectively. |
| US08138983B2 |
Vehicle antenna unit
A vehicle includes a vehicle frame, a dielectric panel mounted to the vehicle frame, an antenna unit mounted on the dielectric panel, an electrically conductive bracket connected with the antenna unit, and a resilient ground plate connected with the bracket and the vehicle frame. The dielectric panel can be interposed between the antenna unit and the bracket. The resilient ground plate can facilitate grounding the antenna unit to the vehicle frame. A vehicle antenna unit and an antenna mount for the vehicle antenna unit are also disclosed. |
| US08138978B1 |
Integrated external antenna
An antenna system for an electronic device enables the device to communicate via numerous wireless communication protocols, such as wireless broadband communication protocols. The antenna is able to extend from the body of the electronic device in order to meet efficiency and specific absorption rate requirements, while retracting into the footprint of the device when not in use. The antenna is easily disassembled and reassembled from the device without the use of tools, and may automatically disassemble from the device in order to avoid sustaining damage or exposing a user to excessive electromagnetic radiation. |
| US08138976B2 |
Method for position estimation using generalized error distributions
A method for improving the results of radio location systems that incorporate weighted least squares optimization generalizes the weighted least squares method by using maximum a posteriori (MAP) probability metrics to incorporate characteristics of the specific positioning problem (e.g., UTDOA). Weighted least squares methods are typically used by TDOA and related location systems including TDOA/AOA and TDOA/GPS hybrid systems. The incorporated characteristics include empirical information about TDOA errors and the probability distribution of the mobile position relative to other network elements. A technique is provided for modeling the TDOA error distribution and the a priori mobile position. A method for computing a MAP decision metric is provided using the new probability distribution models. Testing with field data shows that this method yields significant improvement over existing weighted least squares methods. |
| US08138974B2 |
Location estimation system, method and program
A location estimation method using label propagation. The achieved location estimation method is robust to variations in radio signal strengths and is highly accurate by using the q-norm (0 |
| US08138970B2 |
GNSS-based tracking of fixed or slow-moving structures
A multi-antenna GNSS system and method provide earth-referenced GNSS heading and position solutions. The system and method compensate for partial blocking of the antennas by using a known attitude or orientation of the structure, which can be determined by an orientation device or with GNSS measurements. Multiple receiver units can optionally be provided and can share a common clock signal for processing multiple GNSS signals in unison. The system can optionally be installed on fixed or slow-moving structures, such as dams and marine vessels, and on mobile structures such as terrestrial vehicles and aircraft. |
| US08138969B2 |
Monobit based low cost high performance radar warning receiver
A radar warning receiver is implemented in low cost integrated circuit form utilizing only one analog component, namely a limiting amplifier. By taking the output of the limiting amplifier and utilizing monobit sampling of the output it has been found that one can provide an integrated circuit single chip radar warning receiver using delay correlation to extract frequency, amplitude and modulation type from signals at or below the noise level. |
| US08138968B1 |
Unattended ground sensor system and methods
A High Performance Unattended Ground Sensor (HiPer-UGS) system and methods comprising low-power fully functional and independent radar-nodes that communicate directly with a remote radar information gathering or relay point using a long distance communications transceiver co-located in the radar-node. |
| US08138967B2 |
Multilateration system and method
A multilateration system and method includes a plurality of receiver stations for receiving signals from an aircraft, and a controller that derives the position of the aircraft by applying a multilateration process to outputs from the receiver stations. For this purpose, the controller determines the altitude of the aircraft and selects a multilateration process that is to be used for position determination, based on the determined altitude. |
| US08138965B1 |
Kinematic algorithm for rocket motor apperception
A method, Kinematic Algorithm for Rocket Motor Apperception (KARMA), for processing radar returns for identifying the type of a missile target includes generating tracks representing the missile, and applying the tracks to a set of plural template-based filters, each representing one missile hypothesis, to generate plural sets of missile states, one set for each hypothesis. The missile states are processed to generate kinematic parameter likelihood values (LLHs). The LLH values for each filter hypothesis are normalized and weighted. A weighted maximum likelihood value (WMLH) is calculated for each hypothesis. The correct hypothesis is deemed to be the one having the maximum WMLH, thus identifying the missile type. |
| US08138964B2 |
Tracking air and ground vehicles
In one aspect, an air and ground vehicle tracking system includes a base station configured to transmit locations of air vehicles to a radio and a GPS receiver disposed in a ground vehicle and configured to derive a location of the ground vehicle. The radio is configured to receive locations of air vehicles, receive locations of other ground vehicles and broadcast a location of the ground vehicle to the base station. The system also includes a display configured to render locations of the air and ground vehicles. |
| US08138963B1 |
Method for detecting targets using space-time adaptive processing and shared knowledge of the environment
A method detects a target in a radar signal using space-time adaptive processing. A test statistic is T = max α max λ ∫ R f 1 ( x 0 , x 1 , … , x K ❘ α , λ , R ) p ( R ) ⅆ R max λ ∫ R f 0 ( x 0 , x 1 , … , x K ❘ λ , R ) p ( R ) ⅆ R , where x0 is a test signal, xk are K training signals, α is an unknown amplitude of a target signal within the test signal, λ is a scaling factor, R is a covariance matrix of the training signals, and a function max returns a maximum values. The test statistic is compared to a threshold to determine whether the target is present, or not. |
| US08138958B2 |
Vernier ring time-to-digital converters with comparator matrix
A time to digital converter (TDC) is able to be utilized for measuring a time interval between two signals with a very fine time resolution, which is defined as the difference in propagation delay per stage between two rings or chains of delay stages. The Vernier ring TDC, Vernier TDC with comparator matrix or Vernier ring TDCs with comparator matrix comprise two rings or chains of delay stages with slightly different propagation delays per stage and a plurality of comparators for comparing two signals propagation along two rings or chains and determining when the lag signal passes the lead signal. The lead and lag signal are initiated by two events and are each fed into a separate one the first stages of one of the specified rings or chains. The comparators are able to be organized in a comparator matrix in order to occupy less space and permit reuse. As a result, the input time interval (the time between the two initiating events) is able to be measured through the product of the time resolution and the number of stages through which the two signals propagated. |
| US08138957B2 |
Direct digital frequency synthesizer using hybrid digital to analog converter and synthesizing method thereof
A direct digital frequency synthesizer and a synthesizing method thereof. The direct digital frequency synthesizer uses a hybrid digital to analog converter, which matches output data of a phase accumulator to a sine wave amplitude using a hybrid DAC, including a non-linear DAC and a linear DAC. The non-linear DAC outputs a direct base point current using some bits of output data of a phase accumulator, causing the linear DAC to output a gradient current based on gradient information generated using other bits of the output data of the phase accumulator. These currents are summed for the analog output. |
| US08138946B2 |
System and method for notification of presence of emergency vehicles
Systems and methods for notification of presence of emergency vehicles are described. The system includes an acoustic receiver to be mounted on a car, and a detection circuit connected with the car radio receiver. As soon as the detection circuit detects presence of an emergency vehicle near the car, it lowers the volume of the car radio receiver, thus allowing the car's driver to be alerted of the presence of the emergency vehicle. |
| US08138944B2 |
Home area networking (HAN) with handheld for diagnostics
Disclosed are handheld or portable apparatus subject matters and associated methodologies for providing local communications to metrology devices within an Advanced Metering System (AMS). The metrology devices may be associated with AC supplied device that are configured with mailboxes for associated battery powered devices or with other home or customer premises area network devices. Battery powered metrology devices may include such as water, gas, and oil meters collocated with electricity meters. Communications between the handheld or portable device may be by way of direct wired or radio frequency connections for providing communications and diagnostic services for home area network coupled components in an Advanced Metering System. |
| US08138939B2 |
Drug dispenser/container display
A display for use on medical dispensing equipment, and the resulting medical device and its method of display. In particular, provided are a number of specific embodiments of such a display on a medical device, including a film display for use on pill bottles and pill dispensers that utilize colored images as a dosage reminder for the user, a conformable bistable reflective display for use on drug delivery devices, and a conformable bistable reflective display for use on blood glucose meters. |
| US08138934B2 |
System and method for false alert filtering of event messages within a network
When a metering coupled to a network loses its primary power source and has a secondary power source, such as a super-capacitor, it recognizes and reports a power outage. In this case, the head end server may verify the power outage report by querying through the downstream nodes coupled to the network about the power outage. When a node loses its primary power source and has no secondary power source, it will fail to make a regularly scheduled report at the appropriate time. Consequently, the head end server verify the power outage by polling downstream nodes coupled to the HAN about the power outage to deduce whether a power outage. |
| US08138933B2 |
Systems, methods, and apparatus for automatically disabling appliances in response to a smoke detector
Systems, methods, and apparatus for automatically disabling an appliance. When a smoke detector/alarm is activated, a signal or message is sent to at least one safety device operatively coupled to at least one appliance. The appliance is disabled in response to receiving the signal or message. The systems, methods, and apparatus are based on the implicit assumption that, if a smoke detector/alarm is activated, the source of the smoke is likely due to a nearby appliance that is in use. |
| US08138930B1 |
Advertising based on environmental conditions
Information about an environmental condition of a remote device is received, the environmental condition being determined based on a signal output from a sensor of the remote device or a sensor coupled to the remote device. An advertisement is identified based on the environmental condition, and the advertisement is provided to the remote device. |
| US08138928B2 |
Multiple event notification appliance
An apparatus, system and method including an event notification appliance including first and second light sources configured to indicate an event, including a fire and/or alert. |
| US08138927B2 |
Flare characterization and control system
A video analytics system for characterization of a flare. A video of a flare may be taken for obtaining information so as to appropriately control the flare in an interest of reducing emissions not necessarily favorable to the environment. The system may incorporate a control scenario involving one or more parameters of a flare which are to be controlled in view of a flare characterization from an algorithmic analysis of the video. |
| US08138925B2 |
RFID systems and methods for automatically detecting and/or directing the physical configuration of a complex system
A radio-frequency identification (RFID)-based configuration detection system for automatically detecting, directing, and/or configuring the physical configuration of a complex system constituted by a set of one or more types of mateable components. The RFID configuration detection system utilizes a set of mateable RFID tags arranged so that each mateable component includes at least one mateable RFID tag. Each RFID tag includes information about its associated component and is arranged so that when the components are mated, their associated RFID tags also are mated. The system uses at least one RFID reader to read RFID tag signals from the RFID tags. The RFID tag signals provide information about mating status of the component, as well as information about components themselves. An information processing system operably connected to the RFID reader receives and process information concerning the number and type of mated connections and thus the configuration. Changes to the configuration, such as mated connections being unmated, can be tracked to provide real-time configuration information. |
| US08138919B2 |
Systems and methods for location based communication
The present invention provides a system and method for obtaining location-based data on a mobile device that comprises receiving location data from a RFID tag using the mobile device, transmitting identification data of the mobile device and the location data to a remote system, receiving customized data from the remote system, wherein the customized data are based on the location data from the RFID tag and the device ID, and presenting the customized data on the mobile device. |
| US08138918B2 |
Intrusion detection and tracking system
An intrusion detection and tracking system includes a plurality of nodes, a DP and a gateway. The nodes are disposed about an area and form a wireless network to be monitored, the nodes are configured to receive data and transmit data frames with a signal strength indicator and/or a link quality indicator in the frames. The DP is communicatively connected to the network and configured to analyze variations in the signal strength indicator and/or link quality indicator to detect and track disturbances to an electromagnetic field in the area. The gateway is configured to form a data link between the network and the DP. |
| US08138916B1 |
Counterfeit detection system and method of utilizing same
A counterfeit detection system and method of utilizing same, comprising a Point of Service system having at least one Point of Service station and a respective Currency-Scanning Device, and at least one communication module; a hub/switch; a surveillance system; a local server; and a database. The counterfeit detection system and method of utilizing same also comprises counterfeit detection means, and software updating means. |
| US08138907B2 |
Travel assistant device
A travel assistant device to help individuals use transit systems. The device is particularly suited to help individuals with special needs (i.e. physical or mental disabilities) successfully navigate the transit system through cues that are delivered through the device. In certain embodiments the device utilizes a global positioning system (GPS)-enabled cell phone. The GPS features of the cell phone enable the location of a transit rider to be identified. The wireless communication features of the device allow positional data to be transmitted from the device to a geographic information system and to one or more interested parties to track the location of the transit rider. The device can be integrated with vehicle location systems of a transit system to coordinate the transit of the transit rider. In additional aspects the system facilitates the delivery of signal, cues or other communication to the transit rider to enable the rider to safely and effectively use the transit system without the immediate presence of a guide or supervisor. |
| US08138905B2 |
Circuit arrangement for a tire pressure warning device and tire pressure detecting method implemented using the tire pressure warning device
A tire pressure warning device having a detection circuit is mounted to an inflation valve on every tire of a car to implement tire pressure detection. First, a microprocessing controller in the detection circuit sends a tire location ID assigned to every tire to a signal receiving circuit provided in a dashboard of the car. Then, the microprocessing controller detects a tire pressure value of the corresponding tire and uses the detected tire pressure value as a standard pressure point for the tire. Thereafter, the microprocessing controller keeps detecting the tire pressure value of the tire. When a detected new tire pressure value is higher or lower than the standard pressure point by a preset percentage, a wireless RF is transmitted to the signal receiving circuit for the latter to identify the tire with high or low tire pressure and emit an alarm while displaying the tire pressure value. |
| US08138902B2 |
System architecture for motor vehicles with enable interfaces for the start-up thereof
A system architecture for a motor vehicle has a control unit for identifying an authorized user and a gateway control unit for enabling at least one further data bus, and control units arranged on the at least one further data bus, following the identification of an authorized user. An external diagnostic interface contains a further identification unit and it is enabled and the data in the at least one further data bus system are thus accessible only after an authorized diagnostic tester has been identified. |
| US08138901B2 |
Instrument cluster mask with tell-tales
An instrument cluster includes a cluster mask having a tell-tale formed therein, wherein the tell-tale includes an indicia window representing an alert to a user of the instrument cluster; and a light source for emitting light through the indicia window of the tell-tale. |
| US08138897B2 |
Method of generating vehicle noise
A method of generating vehicle noise includes recognizing a geographic location requiring a minimum operating noise level of the vehicle, and notifying the telematics unit operatively associated with the vehicle that a then-current location of the vehicle coincides with the recognized geographic location. When the telematics unit is notified, the method further includes triggering a noise generator to generate an amount of noise external to the vehicle, where the generated noise is sufficient to reach the minimum operating noise level. |
| US08138893B2 |
Semiconductor integrated circuit device
In an IC tag, when a semiconductor integrated circuit device is activated, an operation control unit sets existence/nonexistence of a communication distance limitation for reducing a communication distance to a state management unit. If the communication distance limitation is not set, a switch unit is turned ON and a demodulated command is inputted from a command demodulation circuit to a command decode unit. If the communication distance limitation is set, a power intensity monitor unit judges whether the power of a rectification circuit is greater than or equal to a predetermined arbitrary field intensity. If the power is less than the predetermined arbitrary field intensity, the switch unit is turned OFF and various commands demodulated by the command demodulation circuit are not inputted to the command decode unit. As a result, the semiconductor integrated circuit device does not operate. |
| US08138892B2 |
Variable frequency tag
An antenna assembly is operative for receiving interrogating radiation at a variable frequency tag and generating a corresponding received signal, and for receiving a signature signal and radiating corresponding response radiation. A logic unit is operative for receiving the received signal and outputting the signature signal in response, the signature signal including a signature code for use in identifying the tag. A voltage controlled oscillator is operative for controlling a rate at which the signature code is output; and a power supply is operative for providing an electrical potential difference for energizing the tag. The voltage controlled oscillator is operable to output the signature code at a rate which is governed by the magnitude of the received signal. |
| US08138890B2 |
Hybrid ultrasonic and radio frequency identification system and method
A radio frequency identification system and method includes a tag reader and radio frequency identification tag. The tag reader includes an ultrasonic transducer capable of transmitting tones at selected ultrasonic frequencies and a radio transmitter capable of transmitting signals at selected radio frequencies. The tag reader includes a radio receiver capable of receiving signals at selected radio frequencies. The tag reader determines if a received radio frequency signal is modulated at a selected ultrasonic frequency. The radio frequency identification tag includes an array of combination resonator/reflectors. Each combination resonator/reflector of the array includes an ultrasonic resonator coupled to a radio reflector. Each resonator/reflector of the array is tuned to a unique pair of selected ultrasonic frequencies and selected radio frequencies. |
| US08138889B2 |
Method, transponder, and system for secure data exchange
A method for data exchange is provided, whereby a first code is generated by a transponder, which is transmitted to a base station, a first transmission information is generated by the base station by encoding a base station code with a first identification and the first random number code, the first transmission information is transmitted to the transponder and the base station code is extracted by the transponder, a second code is generated by the transponder, which is transmitted to the base station upon an associated request from the base station, whereby before a transmission to the base station the second code is encoded with the extracted base station code, a second encoded transmission information comprising a second identification is generated by the base station with use of the second code and transmitted to the transponder, and at least one memory region of the transponder is released for read and/or write access after the second identification was verified as valid. The invention relates further to a transponder and to a system for secure data exchange. |
| US08138883B2 |
System and method of training a transmit/receive system
A radio frequency transmitter is configured to send radio frequency messages to activate a remote system. Each message includes an encrypted counter value and a transmitter identifier. The transmitter is configured to send at least two of the messages having sequential encrypted counter values in response to a single user input. |
| US08138881B2 |
Coated wire and film resistor
A coated wire is solderable with soft solder while maintaining separate phases of the core and the coating. A 100 μm to 400 μm thick nickel wire may be coated galvanically with silver. For a film resistor with coated wires as connection wires, including a platinum measurement resistor on an electrically insulating substrate and connection wires connected to the measurement resistor, the connection wires have a coated nickel core. The coating may be made of silver or glass or ceramic or a mixture of these materials, or on its outside may be made of glass or ceramic or a mixture of these materials. For producing film resistors a thin metal or glass component is deposited on a connection wire connected to a track conductor arranged on an electrically insulating substrate, and a thick glass paste is deposited and fired on this metal or glass component. For mass production of film, several film resistors encased together in glass may be partitioned by fracturing. |
| US08138880B2 |
Persistent current switch
An improved persistent current switch design and method of operation are disclosed. By way of example, a persistent current switch circuit comprises a heating element and a switch element located proximate to the heating element, the switch element being substantially formed from a material (by way of example only, titanium) which exhibits a superconducting temperature value below a superconducting temperature value exhibited by a material (by way of example only, aluminum) used to provide a connection to the switch element. The switch element is responsive to the heating element such that the heating element is used to control whether or not the switch element is in a superconducting state. The switch element may also have a folded geometry. Such persistent current switches exhibit low power and low inductance. |
| US08138879B2 |
Thermal overload relay
A thermal overload relay includes main bimetals which bend upon detection of an overload current; a release lever displaced via movement of a shifter moved in response to the bending of the main bimetals; and a contact reversing mechanism for changing-over contacts responsive to a rotation of the release lever. The main bimetals, the release lever and the contact reversing mechanism are all disposed in a case. The contact reversing mechanism includes a pivotable movable plate; a reversing spring reversing the movable plate by coupling with a rotated release lever; and an interlock plate rotating around a support shaft together with the movable plate. Each contact has a normally opened contact piece and a normally closed contact piece and is disposed respectively in the vicinity of a front surface and in the vicinity of a back surface of the interlock plate. |
| US08138871B2 |
Pole tube
A pole tube of a solenoid actuator including a non-magnetic intermediate piece having a first intermediate end face and a second intermediate end face, a pole piece having a pole end face configured to join the first intermediate end face at a first joining region, and a tube piece having a tube end face configured to join the second intermediate end face at a second joining region. At least two of the intermediate piece, the pole piece and the tube piece are configured to be connectable to each other using electric fusion. At least two of the intermediate piece, the pole piece and the tube piece have a different conductivity. A respective part of the pole and tube pieces disposed in corresponding first and second joining regions are configured to each have an electrical resistance substantially equal to an electrical resistance of a part of the intermediate piece. |
| US08138862B2 |
Double break installation switchgear
An installation switching device having at least one pole current path comprises two stationary contact pieces; a moving contact bridge including two moving contact pieces forming a double-break pole with the two stationary contact pieces; a contact pressure spring exerting a pressure on the moving contact bridge in a closing direction of the moving contact bridge; a pusher configured to act on the moving contact bridge counter to the pressure of the contact pressure spring in an opening direction, the pusher including a slide and a striking pin disposed moveably relative to the moving contact bridge and to one another in a movement direction of the moving contact bridge; a switch latch having a latching point; an operating lever configured to act on the pusher; and an electromagnetic release having an impact armature. |
| US08138860B2 |
Magnetically-activated membrane potentiometer
Magnetically-activated contactless potentiometers with a resistive trace and a conductive trace contained within a channel formed of non-conductive material are described. A gap between the resistive trace and the conductive trace is provided, and the conductive trace is either magnetic/ferromagnetic or is provided with a magnetic/ferromagnetic material. In use, a magnetic force is applied to the potentiometer opposite the resistive trace from the conductive trace, thus attracting the conductive trace to physically and electrically connect with the resistive trace at the location of the magnetic force. This magnetically-induced contact between the conductive trace and the resistive trace produces a resistive feedback from the point of contact and allows for changing the resistance of the potentiometer by laterally moving the magnetic force along the length of the potentiometer. The force on the conductive trace may be modified by changing the characteristics of the external magnetic force and/or the conductive trace. |
| US08138858B1 |
Architectures using multiple dual-mode surface acoustic wave devices
The present invention relates to dual-mode SAW devices (DMSDs), which may allow for clean layouts of SAW device elements and provide low impedance with reduced insertion loss, and may increase broadband rejection by improving parasitic characteristics. In one embodiment of the present invention, a parallel set of DMSDs is cascaded with another parallel set of DMSDs. Internal connections between the four DMSDs may be electrically floating, which may further improve parasitic characteristics. With electrically floating internal connections, the parallel set of DMSDs may share a common grating structure, thereby reducing the size and complexity of a DMSD, which may further improve parasitic characteristics. The DMSDs may be used in radio frequency (RF) applications, such as SAW filters. |
| US08138849B2 |
Transmission lines applied to contact free slip rings
A non-contacting rotary interface has a first core with a first pair of balanced transmission lines coupled to the first core and a second core moveable in relation to the first core with a second pair of balanced transmission lines coupled to the second core and configured to receive signals from the first pair of balanced transmission lines. The first pair of balanced transmission lines has a first transmit wire coupled to a first transceiver at a first end of the first transmit wire, a second transceiver coupled to the first transmit wire at a second end of the first transmit wire, a second transmit wire coupled to a third transceiver at a first end of the second transmit wire, and a fourth transceiver coupled to the second transmit wire at a second end of the second transmit wire. The balanced transmission lines may be electrical traces on a circuit board. |
| US08138844B1 |
System and method for crystal oscillator frequency tuning
An oscillator may include a crystal resonator, an inverter coupled in parallel with the crystal resonator, a first switched capacitor coupled to a first terminal of the crystal resonator, a second switched capacitor coupled to a second terminal of the crystal resonator, a control module configured to output a periodic dithering signal, the periodic dithering signal having a first pulse width based on a desired frequency of oscillation for the oscillator, and a delay module configured to communicate a first periodic enable signal to enable the first switched capacitor and a second periodic enable signal to enable the second switched capacitor. At least one of the first periodic enable signal and the second periodic enable signal may have a second pulse width greater than the first pulse width. The second periodic enable signal may be phase delayed relative to the first periodic enable signal by a non-zero delay. |
| US08138842B2 |
PLL frequency synthesizer
A frequency synthesizer includes a voltage-controlled oscillator, a frequency range tuning circuit which detects a frequency control code that sets a voltage-controlled frequency range of the voltage-controlled oscillator corresponding to the frequency division ratio which is variably-set, and a frequency control code memory which stores the frequency control code detected by the frequency range tuning circuit corresponding to the frequency division ratio. In an initialization interval, the frequency range tuning circuit detects the frequency control code corresponding to the frequency division ratio which is variably-set, and the frequency control code memory stores the frequency control code which is detected. In a normal operation interval, in response to the frequency selection signal, the frequency control code, which is stored in the frequency control code memory and corresponds to the frequency division ratio which is variably-set, is output to the voltage-controlled oscillator. |
| US08138841B2 |
Apparatus and method for controlling the output phase of a VCO
A method and apparatus controlling the output phase of a VCO (Voltage Controlled Oscillator). The apparatus has a phase locked loop 20 having a first input 21 for receiving a reference signal and a second input 22 for receiving a feedback signal and the output for controlling of a VCO. A phase shifter 50 is provided on the feedback path between the VCO and the second input of the phase locked loop. The phase shifter is arranged for shifting the phase for feedback signal by controlled amount. The phase shifter may be a variable phase shifter for controlling and varying the amount by which the phase feedback signal is shifted. |
| US08138839B2 |
Wideband CMOS gain stage
A CMOS gain stage includes biasing circuitry configured to insure saturation of a subsequent stage without a source follower circuit. The CMOS gain stage is optionally powered by a supply voltage that is greater than a permitted supply voltage for a processes technology that is used to fabricate the CMOS gain stage. In order to protect CMOS devices within the CMOS gain stage, optional drain-to-bulk junction punch-through protection circuitry is disclosed. A variety of optional features can be implemented alone and/or in various combinations of one another. Optional features include process-voltage-temperature (“PVT”) variation protection circuitry, which renders a gain relatively independent of process, voltage, and/or temperature variations. Optional features further include bandwidth enhancement circuitry. |
| US08138833B1 |
Common-mode feedback amplifier
A circuit is provided for use with a reference voltage. The circuit includes a voltage source, a common-mode feedback amplifier and a feedback impedance portion. The common-mode feedback amplifier may be connected to the voltage source and may be arranged to receive the reference voltage. The common-mode feedback amplifier may include an input stage, an output stage, a positive input, a negative input and an output. The output may be connected to the feedback impedance portion. The feedback impedance portion may additionally be connected to one of the positive input and the negative input. A feedback factor, based on the feedback impedance portion, is less than one. |
| US08138829B2 |
Segmented power amplifier with varying segment activation
Various apparatuses and methods for varying segment activation in a segmented power amplifier are disclosed herein. For example, some embodiments provide a power amplifier including an input, an output, a plurality of amplifier segments and a controller. The amplifier segments are connected in parallel between the input and the output and are adapted to be activated and inactivated. The power level at the output may be controlled by changing a number of the amplifier segments that are activated concurrently. The controller is connected to the amplifier segments and is adapted to vary which of the amplifier segments are activated to arrive at a selected number of activated amplifier segments. |
| US08138828B2 |
Active mute scheme for an amplifier
Conventional muting circuitry for amplifiers (which usually uses clamps) generally has about 20-30 dB of attenuation. Here, an integrated circuit or IC is provided that includes an amplifier, switch networks, and a controller. The controller provides control signals to the switch network to provide mute functionality by actively muting the amplifier. In particular, feedback is provided through at least one of the switch networks to drive the output of the amplifier to null or ground so as to provide 70-80 dB (or more) of attenuation. |
| US08138825B2 |
Multi-chip stack structure and signal transmission method thereof
A multi-chip stack structure and a signal transmission method are disclosed in specification and drawing, where the multi-chip stack structure includes first and second chips. The first chip includes a first inductance coil with a first series capacitor, and the second chip includes a second inductance coil with a second series capacitor. The first and second inductance coils are magnetically coupled to each other. The magnetically coupled inductance coils and the capacitors constitute a coupling filter. |
| US08138824B2 |
Recursive demodulation apparatus and method
A recursive demodulation apparatus is provided. Therecursive demodulation apparatus, including: a segment generation unit dividing data symbols with a residual frequency or phase error into a predetermined number of data symbols, and generating a plurality of segments, each of the plurality of segments including the predetermined number of data symbols; and a phase error correction unit sequentially correcting a phase error of each of the data symbols, included in the each of the plurality of segments, for each segment. |
| US08138822B1 |
Circuits and methods for calibrating switching current sources
In one embodiment the present invention includes circuits and methods for calibrating switching current sources. A difference between a source current and a sink current is detected during a calibration phase. The difference is used to generate a digital signal to adjust a programmable current source to reduce the difference between currents. In one embodiment, a binary search is used to generate the digital signal during an initial calibration phase, and a linear approximation is used to generate the digital signal during an operational calibration phase. |
| US08138819B2 |
Driving transistor control circuit
A control circuit controls a driving transistor connected in series with an electrical load between a power supply voltage and a ground. The control circuit includes a pull-up resistor connected at one end to a power supply voltage side of the driving transistor, a current detection resistor for detecting an electric current flowing from the driving transistor to the ground, a current mirror circuit including a starting transistor connected between the pull-up transistor and the current detection resistor. The current mirror circuit supplies a mirror current of the electric current. The control circuit further includes a current source circuit for supplying a driving current to a control terminal of the driving transistor in accordance with the mirror current to turn ON the driving transistor in response to an external control signal. |
| US08138804B2 |
Correlated double sampling circuit
A correlated double sampling (CDS) circuit for sampling first and second pixel signals, which are respectively transmitted via first and second data lines, in a pixel array. The CDS circuit includes first and second sampling circuits, an amplifier circuit and a control circuit. The control circuit controls the first sampling circuit to sample a reset level and a data level of the first pixel signal in a first sampling period, and controls the second sampling circuit to sample a reset level and a data level of the second pixel signal in a second sampling period. The control circuit controls the amplifier circuit to output the reset level and the data level of the first pixel signal in a first output period, and output the reset level and the data level of the second pixel signal in a second output period. |
| US08138801B1 |
Frequency crossing detection using opposing pattern detectors
A system and method are provided for matching a signal (compClk) to a particular frequency band in a multiband communications device. The method accepts a compClk signal, a frequency source is selected from sources collectively covering a range of frequency bands, and a reference clock is supplied from the selected source. If the frequency of the compClk is greater than the reference clock frequency, a high frequency window sampler supplies a first frequency pattern detector output signal (fpdOut—1). Simultaneously, a low frequency window sampler compares the compClk signal with the reference clock. If the frequency of the compClk is less than the reference clock frequency, the low frequency window sampler supplies a second frequency pattern detector output signal (fpdOut—2). The selected frequency source is compared to fpdOut—1 and fpdOut—2 signals, and a determination is made as to whether the selected frequency source coarsely matches the compClk frequency. |
| US08138800B2 |
Phase detecting circuit and PLL circuit
A phase detecting circuit includes a latch circuit that switches, based on an OR signal and an AND signal of two clock signals to be subjected to phase comparison, one of outputs used for generation of two pulse signals on an advance phase side and a delay phase side to a preparation operation state for performing the phase comparison and a circuit operation state after the phase comparison, and holds the output in the states. |
| US08138798B2 |
Symmetric phase detector
In one embodiment, a circuit includes a first circuit input for receiving a first input signal having a first phase; a second circuit input for receiving a second input signal having a second phase; a circuit output for outputting a circuit output signal; a first mixer cell comprising a first mixer cell input, a second mixer cell input, and a first mixer cell output; and a second mixer cell comprising a third mixer cell input, a fourth mixer cell input, and a second mixer cell output. The first circuit input is connected to the first and second mixer cell inputs, the second circuit input is connected to the second and fourth mixer cell inputs, and the first and second mixer cell outputs are combined to provide the circuit output. The current of the circuit output signal is proportional to a phase offset between the first and second phases. |
| US08138794B2 |
Output slew rate control
This document discusses, among other things, output slew rate control. Methods and structures are described to provide slew rate control of an output driver circuit such as a DRAM output driver on a die. A selectable combination of series coupled transistors are configured as a parallel array of complementary inverter pairs to provide a divided voltage to a calibrator. The calibrator is configured to respond to a differential voltage to adjust the divided voltage such that the differential voltage is forced to zero. The calibrator outputs a plurality of discrete signals from an up/down counter to switch on and off the individual transistors of the parallel array to increase and decrease a collective current. In some embodiments, transistor channel currents are modulated to step-adjust a voltage based on a ratio associated with a static resistance. In various embodiments, the divided voltage is an analog voltage based on a resistance associated with trim circuitry. |
| US08138792B2 |
Gate drive circuit, display substrate having the same, and method thereof
A gate drive circuit includes a shift register, a clock wiring and a start wiring. The shift register includes a plurality of stages arranged in a first direction on a base substrate to output a plurality of gate signals. The clock wiring is extended along the first direction. The clock wiring is electrically connected to a plurality of clock connecting wirings extended in a second direction crossing the first direction to deliver a clock signal to the stages. The start wiring includes the first wiring extended along the first direction and a second wiring connected to the first wiring and extended in the first direction to cross with the clock connecting wirings so as to deliver a vertical start signal to a first stage. Therefore, a structure of a signal wiring delivering a vertical start signal is changed, thereby protecting the gate drive circuit from static electricity. |
| US08138790B1 |
Latency measurements for wireless communications
In one embodiment, a programmable logic device (PLD) includes a programmable fabric and hard logic coupled to the programmable fabric. The hard logic includes a timing measurement circuit adapted to measure latency of a data path between first and second points in the programmable logic device, such as the latency of a data path through a link interface configured within the programmable fabric. |
| US08138786B2 |
Apparatus and methods for adjusting performance of integrated circuits
A programmable logic device (PLD) includes a delay circuit and a body-bias generator. The delay circuit has a delay configured to represent a delay of user circuit implement in the PLD. The body-bias generator is configured to adjust the body bias of a transistor within the user circuit. The body-bias generator adjusts the body bias of the transistor in response to a level derived from the signal propagation delay of the delay circuit. |
| US08138785B2 |
Reduced power output buffer
A clock driving circuit and a method of driving a plurality of output lines for a PC architecture are disclosed. The clock driving circuit includes a clock generating circuit coupled to an output buffer for the PC having a plurality of output lines connected to a plurality of output loads having output load impedances. The output lines are driven differentially at an output voltage lower than a supply voltage. The circuit includes a voltage node having a voltage node impedance. The voltage node is maintained at substantially the output voltage. The circuit includes a current sinking transistor that sinks current from the voltage node. The current sinking transistor is operated in a linear region characterized by an ohmic resistance determined by the size of the current sinking transistor. The impedance of the voltage node is matched to one of the load impedances by sizing the current sinking transistor. |
| US08138783B2 |
Testable integrated circuit and IC test method
A circuit portion (100) of an IC comprises a plurality of conductive tracks (130) for coupling respective circuit portion elements (150), e.g. standard logic cells, to a power supply rail (110), with the conductive tracks (130) being coupled to the power supply rail (110) via at least one enable switch (132). The circuit portion (100) further comprising an element (160) for determining a voltage gradient over the circuit portion (100) in a test mode of the integrated circuit (600), which is conductively coupled to the conductive tracks (130). The element (160) has a first end portion (164) for coupling the element (160) to the power supply terminal and a second end portion (166) for coupling the element (160) to the output (620) in the test mode. This facilitates IDDQ testing of the circuit portion (100) by means of measuring a voltage gradient over the element (160). |
| US08138782B2 |
Photovoltaic cell solar simulator
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a solar simulator module of a solar cell production line. In one embodiment the solar simulator receives a solar cell module in a horizontal position and reorients the module into a vertical position. A light source is oriented to emit a flash of light in a substantially horizontal orientation toward the vertically oriented solar cell module. In one embodiment, an automated labeling device affixes a label including the electrical characteristics measured onto a back surface of the solar cell module. In one embodiment, a plurality of solar cell modules are received and tested simultaneously. |
| US08138781B2 |
Test circuit adapted in a display panel of an electronic device
A test circuit adapted in a display panel of an electronic device is provided. The test circuit is to test the pixel array function of the display panel, wherein the test circuit comprises: a plurality of test signal lines, a plurality of test signal transmitters, a plurality of gate lines and at least one static electricity protection device. The test signal lines receive a plurality of corresponding test signals respectively. The test signal transmitters comprises a plurality test signal transmitter groups comprising at least one transmitter, wherein each transmitter group corresponds to a test signal line and connects the test signal line and the to pixel array. Each gate line connects to the gate of the at least one transmitter. The static electricity protection device is placed between two of the gate lines. |
| US08138780B2 |
LCD panel apparatus and testing method using the same
An LCD panel apparatus comprises a pixel array, a first common electrode terminal, a second common electrode terminal, a plurality of first current directional devices and a plurality of second current directional devices. The pixel array comprises a plurality of common lines. Each first current directional device is connected in series between a first side of each common line and the first common electrode terminal. Each second current directional device is connected in series between a second side of each common line and the first common electrode terminal. The second common electrode terminal is connected between the first side of each common line and each first current directional device. The current flows through each common line in a single direction so as to detect any defects in the common line. The testing method for the LCD panel apparatus includes the steps of: providing a first current directional device and connecting the first current directional device in series between a first side of each common line and a first common electrode terminal; providing a second current directional device and connecting the second current directional device in series between a second side of each common line and the first common electrode terminal; providing a second electrode terminal and electrically connecting the second electrode terminal between each first current directional device and the first side of each common line; and supplying different voltages to the first common electrode terminal and the second common electrode terminal, thereby the current flows through each common line in a same direction during testing. |
| US08138774B2 |
Method of determining the diameter of a hole in a workpiece
A method of determining the diameter of a hole extending from a surface of an electrically conducting workpiece into or through the workpiece 1 is provided. The hole is defied at the workpiece's surface by an edge of diameter to be determined. For determining the diameter, the workpiece is electrically charged so that discharge occurs at the edges. The discharge current is measured and the diameter of the hole is determined from the measured discharge current. |
| US08138770B2 |
Methods and systems for the rapid detection of concealed objects
The present invention provides for an improved scanning process having microwave arrays comprised of microwave transmitters in radiographic alignment with microwave receivers. The microwave array emits controllably directed microwave radiation toward an object under inspection. The object under inspection absorbs radiation in a manner dependent upon its metal content. The microwave radiation absorption can be used to generate a measurement of metal content. The measurement, in turn, can be used to calculate at least a portion of the volume and shape of the object under inspection. The measurement can be compared to a plurality of predefined threats. The microwave screening system is used in combination with other screening technologies, such as NQR-based screening, X-ray transmission based screening, X-ray scattered based screening, or Computed Tomography based screening. |
| US08138768B2 |
Sensing circuit for devices with protective coating
An integrated circuit has an inhomogeneous protective layer or coating over a circuit to be protected, and a sensing circuit (80) arranged to sense a first impedance of a part of the protective coating compared to a reference impedance (CO) located on the integrated circuit. The sensing circuit is able to measure a change in the first impedance, e.g. caused by tampering. The sensing circuit has an amplifier (OTA) having a feedback loop, such that the impedance being sensed is in the feedback loop. The sensing circuit can be incorporated in an oscillator circuit (OTA, Comp) so that the frequency depends on the impedance. Where the impedance is a capacitance, sensing electrodes adjacent to the protective layer or coating, form the capacitance. The electrodes can be arranged as selectable interdigitated comb structures, so that the protective layer or coating extends in between the teeth of the comb structures. |
| US08138766B2 |
Flashover analysis tool
A method to minimize human intervention during decision making processes while controlling an electrical power system by identifying an initiating element that cause a tripping of the transmission overhead lines and identifying potential future protection system failures that can initiate a cascading of tripping or total national blackout. A method of producing flashover analysis signal as a protection system analysis including processing a neutral current, three phase current profile, three phase voltage profile, and a plurality of digital signal of a transmission line using an artificial neural network to calculate pickup time, reset time, DEF confirmation time or total fault clearance time. A method of producing flashover analysis signal including as a flashover signature analysis to identify the cause of the flashover as a current transformer explosion, tree encroachment, crane, lightning strike or polluted insulator. |
| US08138765B2 |
Device and method for actuator monitoring of a safety-related load circuit connected with two channels
The invention relates to monitoring actuators arranged in the load circuit of an output circuit for switching the load circuit. Actuators are arranged in series in the load circuit, each of the actuators is connected to a control and evaluation device by a separate channel for individual control, wherein an auxiliary contact is assigned to each actuator. The contacts are connected via a readback circuit to the device such that when all the actuators assigned to a readback circuit are deactivated, a standby signal is detected as a readback signal by the device, wherein the device is parameterized such that, for their activation, the control of actuators in the load circuit comprises the steps that only one actuator belonging to a readback circuit is always activated and the readback signal detected by the readback circuit assigned to this actuator is evaluated and the actuators in the load circuit remains deactivated. |
| US08138758B2 |
Method of controlling a magnetoresistive device using an electric field pulse
A method of operating a magnetoresistive device is described. The device comprises a ferromagnetic region configured to exhibit magnetic anisotropy and to allow magnetisation thereof to be switched between at least first and second orientations and a gate capacitively coupled to the ferromagnetic region. The method comprises applying an electric field pulse to the ferromagnetic region so as to cause orientation of magnetic anisotropy to change for switching magnetisation between the first and second orientations. |
| US08138754B2 |
Method and apparatus for testing characteristics of thin-film magnetic head
The characteristics of thin-film magnetic heads are evaluated by measuring, in a step and repeat method and apparatus, the magnetic field generated by the respective heads in a bar including multiple heads. |
| US08138752B2 |
Rotation detection apparatus
A rotation detection apparatus for detecting a rotation state of a gear is disclosed. The rotation detection apparatus includes a magnetic sensor, a magnetic filed generation unit, and a self-diagnosis unit. The sensor includes: a bias magnet for generating a bias magnetic field extending toward the gear; and a magnetic-electric conversion element for sensing the bias magnetic field acting thereon. When the gear is in a stationary state, the magnetic filed generation unit generates a diagnosis use magnetic field extending toward the magnetic-electric conversion element. The self-diagnosis unit determines whether the magnetic sensor has a failure based on an output from the magnetic-electric conversion element that is subjected to the bias magnetic field and the self-diagnosis use magnetic field. |
| US08138749B1 |
Optical imaging and patterning based on a magnetically controlled ferrofluid
Methods, systems, and apparatus for optical imaging and patterning based on a magnetically controlled ferrofluid are described. One such system includes a substrate and an active region including multiple magnetic field generators. The active region is positioned adjacent to the substrate. The system includes a ferrofluid positioned on the substrate adjacent the active region within a range of a magnetic field of the multiple magnetic field generators. The ferrofluid is distributed across multiple ferrofluid regions. Each magnetic field generator is aligned with a corresponding ferrofluid region. |
| US08138747B2 |
Evaluation method for evaluating battery safety in the event of internal short circuit and evaluation apparatus used therefor
The present invention relates to an internal short circuit evaluation method for a battery including an electrode group including a positive electrode plate, a negative electrode plate and a separator disposed between the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate, and an outer jacket covering the electrode group, the method including the steps of: (I) processing the electrode group to a predetermined position of the electrode group, from the outside of the electrode group toward the inside thereof; and (II) causing a short circuit between a portion of the electrode plate and a portion of the negative electrode plate of the electrode group that are located inside from the predetermined position, and measuring battery information that is changed by the short circuit, and an evaluation apparatus used for the above-described method. |
| US08138745B2 |
Power transformer distribution network and method of operating same
The present invention is single- and multi-phase power distribution systems comprising a plurality of transformers. Each transformer is connected to another of the transformers, in series (single phase) and in series and parallel (multi-phase). Each transformer has a switch connection movable between an on and an off position according to pre-determined rules. |
| US08138743B2 |
Band-gap reference voltage source circuit with switchable bias voltage
A band-gap reference voltage source circuit is constituted of a diode-pair circuit connected to a reference voltage output terminal, a first differential amplifier including a first transistor and a first operational amplifier, and a second differential amplifier including a second transistor and a second operational amplifier. The second differential amplifier operates based on a bias voltage, which is lower than a predetermined voltage, so as to forcedly pull up the level of the reference voltage output terminal via the second transistor before the first differential amplifier starts to pull up the level of the reference voltage output terminal up to the predetermined voltage via the first transistor. |
| US08138742B2 |
Semiconductor circuits capable of mitigating unwanted effects caused by input signal variations
Semiconductor circuit capable of mitigating unwanted effects caused by variations in a received input signal are provided, in which a main circuit receives an input signal and comprises a first current source coupled between a first node and a first power voltage to generate a first current according to a first bias voltage. A replica circuit is coupled to the main circuit to duplicate a variation in a voltage at the first node caused by a variation in the input signal and dynamically adjusts the first bias voltage according to the duplicated variation such that the first current is maintained at a constant. |
| US08138738B2 |
Method for regulating supply voltage
According to the method for regulating the supply voltage of an electronic circuit a regulating element with variable resistivity and the outer supply voltage being applied to an input terminal of said regulating element is controlled by an amplified difference between a reference voltage and a part of a regulated supply voltage whereat at first an instant, on which the regulating circuit and the electronic circuit start operating, is detected, and then such value of the reference voltage is set on said instant that the regulated supply voltage will equal a maximum allowable supply voltage of the electronic circuit and the supplied electronic circuit puts itself in a state of a maximum current consumption. Then an operating voltage drop across said regulating element is measured at regular time intervals and the reference voltage is then each time reduced by one degree until said operating voltage drop is below or equals a chosen most appropriate value of said operating voltage drop. The supplied electronic circuit puts itself in a state of a normal current consumption when said operating voltage drop has exceeded the chosen most appropriate value of said voltage drop. According to a variant embodiment the operating voltage drop is then uninterruptedly measured and, if its value decreases below a chosen minimum value of said operating voltage drop due to a disturbance in the outer supply voltage, a flag is set in a memory in the case of a disturbance potentially dangerous to the electronic circuit. |