| Document | Document Title |
|---|---|
| US08548704B2 |
Lock-up clutch control device for automatic transmission and control method thereof
This invention is a lock-up clutch control device for an automatic transmission, comprising lock-up clutch control means for controlling a slip amount of the lock-up clutch to a target slip amount. When a variation rate in a required load of an engine reaches or exceeds a predetermined threshold, the target slip amount is increased at a predetermined increase rate, whereupon the target slip amount, having been increased by target slip amount increasing means, is reduced at a predetermined reduction rate. At this time, the predetermined reduction rate is set to decrease as an operating condition when the variation rate of the required load reaches or exceeds the predetermined threshold approaches an operating condition in which an increase rate of a rotation speed on the automatic transmission side of a torque converter relative to an increase in the required load is low. |
| US08548699B2 |
Control system and method for adaptive control of transmission fluid operating pressures
A control system for a transmission includes a pressure control module and a pressure adapt module. The pressure control module operates a hydraulic control system of the transmission at a target pressure during steady-state operation of the transmission. The target pressure is based on first and second learned pressures for different predetermined first and second torque ranges. The pressure adapt module selectively adjusts at least one of the first learned pressure and the second learned pressure based on a first pressure at which a slip condition of the transmission occurs. The first and second learned pressures define a learned pressure gain and offset. When adjusting the first and second learned pressures, the pressure adapt module limits increases and decreases in the learned pressure gain offset based on a predetermined pressure gain and offset. A method is also provided. |
| US08548696B2 |
Shift-by-wire selector control system for a motor vehicle transmission
A method for operating a multi-stable shift-by wire selector control system of a motor vehicle transmission. The multi-stable shift-by wire selector control system includes a multi-stable selector which is operable by the driver of the vehicle to select a respective one of the operating modes of the transmission, an arrangement of illuminated labels indicating the selector mode and an indexing mechanism for maintaining the immobilization of the selector in its different positions. |
| US08548694B2 |
Control systems and methods for electric motors of utility vehicles
Electronic control systems and related control methods for controlling electric auxiliary motors for performing work, such as electric deck motors for mower blades. The apparatus is shown in use with a vehicle that includes a mowing deck. Features of the control systems allow for safe and efficient use of the vehicle. |
| US08548689B2 |
Implement induced machine pitch detection
A system for detecting pitch of a machine caused by operation of a machine implement is provided. The system may include an inclination sensor for sensing inclination of the machine and producing inclination data representing inclination of the machine over time. An acceleration sensor for sensing acceleration of the machine and producing acceleration data representing acceleration of the machine over time can be provided. A controller in communication with the inclination and acceleration sensors respectively receives the inclination and acceleration data. The controller can be configured to process the inclination data so as to detect a sudden inclination change and to process the acceleration data so as to detect a sudden acceleration change. The controller can be further configured to determine a machine pitch condition upon concurrently detecting a sudden inclination change and a sudden acceleration change. |
| US08548682B2 |
Lateral motion control apparatus for a vehicle
A lateral motion control apparatus includes a target value obtaining unit, a control amount calculation unit, a steering intent determination unit that determines whether a driver of the vehicle is steering with intent, and a control object control unit that controls the control object so as to control the control object based on the control amount when the driver is not steering with intent, and to stop the control of the control object when the driver is steering with intent. The steering intent determination unit includes a steering operation amount obtaining unit and a threshold value setting unit that sets a threshold value for the steering operation amount based on the target value, and determines whether or not the driver is steering with intent by comparing the magnitude of the steering operation amount with the threshold value. |
| US08548679B2 |
Overturn prevention control device for two-wheel vehicle
An overturn prevention control device for a two-wheel vehicle having a vehicle body, a front wheel, an actuator that steers the front wheel, a rear wheel, and a rear-wheel driving portion, includes an angular velocity sensor and a control unit arranged to output a steering angle command signal for controlling the actuator. The angular velocity sensor includes a detection axis, is mounted on the vehicle body such that the detection axis is downwardly inclined at a predetermined angle relative to a forward direction of the vehicle body, and detects an angular velocity about the detection axis. The angular velocity detected by the angular velocity sensor includes an angular velocity in a lateral direction of inclination and an angular velocity in an azimuthal direction. The zero-set error and offset noise are incorporated into the azimuth angle command. Thus, the two-wheel vehicle can be prevented from overturning. |
| US08548675B2 |
Diagnosing system for diagnosing control device of vehicle-mounted equipment
A diagnosing system for diagnosing a control device of a vehicle-mounted equipment is provided, which has a chip of integrated circuit that stores a control program data for controlling the vehicle-mounted equipment, a control program data storage zone arranged in the chip and storing the control program data for controlling the vehicle-mounted equipment, a diagnosing data storage zone arranged in the chip and storing a diagnosing data that is provided by modifying the control program data and a data abnormality diagnosing section that detects an abnormality of the control program data by comparing the control program data with the diagnosing data. |
| US08548673B2 |
Method and system for assessing vehicle tolls as a function of fuel consumption
A system for assessing a toll on a vehicle traveling past a toll station in which a tag mounted on the vehicle transmits an output signal having data representative of the fuel consumption of the vehicle and the identity of an account associated with the tag. A receiver at the toll station receives the output signal from the tag and provides the received data to a processor. The processor then calculates a toll which varies as a function of the data and thus of the fuel consumption of the vehicle and then assesses that toll to the account. |
| US08548672B2 |
Automotive picture and data acquisition center and method
An apparatus and method for the automatic or semi-automatic acquisition of multiple photographs and VIN-coded information about an automobile. In one embodiment, four height-adjustable, digital cameras are positioned on four corner posts defining a work center. A vehicle is pulled into the center until a stop indicator light is triggered, at which time an attendant scans the bar coded VIN number and reviews the proposed photographs of the vehicle at a work center computer. Once the photographs and data are acceptable, the attendant triggers a download of the information to local and industry databases. Alternate embodiments include Alternate embodiments include work centers with different post configurations, manual entry systems, and completely automated centers. |
| US08548669B2 |
System and method for monitoring operation of vehicles
Systems, methods, devices, and computer programming products useful for the gathering and use of data relating to structural loading and other operational use of transit and other vehicles, and their systems. Systems according to the invention can, for example, comprise one or more data acquisition devices such as strain gauges, accelerometers, or other sensors; data processors; memories; and communications systems. Such systems, methods, and programming are useful in a wide variety of ways, including, for example, monitoring the structural status and use of vehicles and their systems, including fatigue other operational analyses; gathering and applying data useful in the maintenance of such vehicles and the routes they travel; monitoring the use/abuse of such vehicles by operators and other individuals; reporting traffic events or anomalies; and routing transit and other vehicles around such events or anomalies. Rainflow, level-crossing and other peak-counting or event-counting algorithms are applied to advantage, such that required data storage is greatly reduced, and life-long monitoring is feasible. |
| US08548668B2 |
Control system having tool tracking
A control system is disclosed for use with a machine having a work tool and operating at a work site. The control system may have a sensor associated with the work tool and configured to generate a signal indicative of a position of the work tool, an offboard worksite controller, and an onboard controller in communication with the sensor and the offboard worksite controller. The onboard controller may be configured to receive from an operator an input indicative of a current task being performed by the machine, and track movement of a portion of the work tool corresponding with the operator input. The onboard controller may also be configured to communicate the tracked movement to the offboard worksite controller. |
| US08548656B1 |
Underwater vehicles with improved efficiency over a range of velocities
An autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) uses a model of propulsive efficiency to achieve high values of propulsive efficiency over a range of forward velocities, giving a lowered energy drain on the battery. Externally monitored information, such as that on flow velocity, is conveyed to an apparatus residing in the vehicle's control unit, which in turn signals the locomotive unit to adopt kinematics, such as fin frequency and amplitude, associated with optimal propulsion efficiency. In an embodiment, the model of propulsive efficiency is generated from a multilayer perception neural network model using data from aquatic species, such as undulatory fin propulsion in the knifefish (Xenomystus nigri), and a sensitivity analysis is used to lower the number of required inputs. Power savings could protract vehicle operational life and/or provide more power to other functions, such as communications. |
| US08548651B2 |
Device for piloting a vehicle and method for the motorised assistance and control of such a piloting device
The invention relates to a piloting device comprising a piloting component (10) which is connected to at least one steering component (13), at least one force sensor (17) which measures the forces imparted into the kinematic chain (12) by said piloting component (10), a logic circuit (23) which is adapted to develop a speed reference signal according to a predetermined function of said force signals, and a circuit for controlling at least one parallel actuator (14) as regards speed.It extends to a method for the motorised assistance and control of a device of this kind and to an aircraft comprising a device of this kind. |
| US08548650B1 |
Hierarchical closed-loop control system for aircraft, missiles and munitions
The present invention relates to a missile or munition with a hierarchical, modular, closed-loop flow control system, more particularly to aircraft or munition with flow control system for enhanced aerodynamic control, maneuverability and stabilization. The present invention further relates to a method of operating the flow control system.Various embodiments of the flow control system involve elements including flow sensors, active flow control devices or activatable flow effectors, and logic devices with closed loop control architecture. The sensors are used to estimate or determine flow conditions on the surfaces of a missile or munition. The active flow control device or activatable flow effectors create on-demand flow disturbances, preferably micro-disturbances, at different points along the various aerodynamic surfaces of the missile or aircraft to achieve a desired stabilization or maneuverability effect. The logic devices are embedded with a hierarchical control structure allowing for rapid, real-time control at the flow surface. |
| US08548647B2 |
Vehicle control apparatus and vehicle control system
A vehicle control apparatus includes: a communication device installed in a vehicle to receive, from outside the vehicle, information relating to another vehicle; and a control device installed in the vehicle to perform travel control on the vehicle using information relating to the vehicle and the information relating to the other vehicle, wherein the control device modifies a control type of the travel control in accordance with either a condition relating to the travel control currently underway or a condition of the vehicle currently being subjected to the travel control. |
| US08548646B1 |
Distributed hardware architecture for unmanned vehicles
A distributed hardware system for unmanned vehicles is provided, comprising a plurality of electronic hardware modules in communication via a vehicle control network. Each module is enabled to: communicate with one another, issue requests for information from a central control module, and transmit data over the network in a common format to perform respective tasks; and at least one of: independently sense one or more of: a respective status of the distributed hardware system and at least one respective environmental parameter; and independently control the respective function of a vehicle. A portion of the modules can enabled to: be removed and inserted from the distributed hardware system as plug and play modules; and determine when at least one of the modules is removed/inserted from the distributed hardware system and transition to a corresponding state. The system also includes a power management system which includes capacity monitoring and hot-swap capabilities. |
| US08548644B2 |
Communication method and device for a motor vehicle
A communication method is implemented in an on-board network between a master station (M) and a plurality of slave stations (S1, S2, S3, S4), of the type of those compatible with the standard Local Interconnect Network (LIN) protocol in which data frames are sent by the slave stations on a serial bus in response to the sending by the master station of identifiers representative of the required content of the frames. All or part of each of the specific data frames attached to the same predetermined identifier is formed sequentially by each of the slave stations. This enables an optimisation of the load on a LIN network, thus enabling use of this economical standard for all “passenger compartment functions”, and in particular for the management of AFS type advanced lighting systems. |
| US08548637B2 |
System and method for associating a load demand with a variable power generation
Systems and methods for associating a load demand with a variable power generation are described. For example, a method of providing power from a renewable resource includes receiving a signal including an output capability value for a renewable variable power generation module. An input power demand value is calculated for a load demand module based on the output capability value of the received signal. A customer load is controlled on a power transmission and distribution grid based on the calculated input power demand value. |
| US08548635B2 |
Energy management of household appliances
A system and method of managing energy use in a home, and more particularly to energy management of household consumer appliances, are provided. Existing appliances can be modified with add-on features or modules, and likewise new energy saving features and functions can be incorporated into new appliances. Communication among a home energy manager, an appliance, and a utility meter measures energy usage and/or a local generator controls operation of various appliances such as a refrigerator, washer, dryer, oven/range, microwave oven, dishwasher, HVAC system hot water heater, and the like. |
| US08548633B2 |
Battery pack control circuit for handheld battery operated device
A heat sink for a handheld device is formed as a one piece chassis for supporting heat-producing circuits inside the device while having heat radiating surfaces outside the device. In another embodiment a battery pack control circuit under microprocessor control allows battery packs having different battery chemistries and characteristics to be interchanged in the same device without switches or adapters. Control of operating modes of the device despite changes in the battery pack including battery chemistry, state of charge, available voltage, or desired operating mode are automatic. The microprocessor measures the battery pack characteristics, using look up tables in a suitable program to adjust the circuit operating modes. The microprocessor also responds to sequential switch contact closures in setting operating modes. |
| US08548632B1 |
Irrigation controller with integral evapotranspiration unit
An irrigation controller includes a first processor and a memory for storing programming executable by the first processor. The irrigation controller further includes circuitry that enables a communication link that allows direct communication between the first processor and a sensor unit containing a second processor and a plurality of environmental sensors each capable of generating an actual component of ET data. At least one manually actuable control is operably connected to the first processor for inputting further ET-related information selected from the group consisting of plant type, soil condition, growth stage and sprinkler precipitation rate. The irrigation controller further includes programming that enables the first processor to calculate optimum watering schedules based upon the actual ET data and the ET-related information including increases and decreases in the frequency and/or length of ON times for at least one station. |
| US08548631B1 |
Method and system for cooperative powering of unitary air conditioners
A method and system provide for the cooperative powering of unitary air conditioners. The method and system includes coordinating powering of unitary air conditioners in a multiunit building or other low level of aggregation in a power grid. Multiple unitary air conditioners can use a power line communication (PLC) communication module for communicating with other air conditioners that are within the same multiunit building. According to one aspect of the method and system, by using power line communications, multiple unitary air conditioners within a single building can form self-contained local area networks. The LAN can also support a token ring network. According to this token ring network, a predetermined number of tokens can be assigned within the token ring network. |
| US08548630B2 |
Alarm and diagnostics system and method for a distributed-architecture heating, ventilation and air conditioning network
The disclosure includes an HVAC data processing and communication network and a method of manufacturing the same. In one embodiment, the HVAC data processing and communication network includes a first system device and a second system device. The first system device is configured to send and receive messages over a data bus. The second system device is configured to send configuration data associated with a configuration of the second system device to the first system device. The first system device is further configured to receive and persistently store the configuration data. |
| US08548629B2 |
X-ray device and medical workplace
The invention relates to an X-ray device (2) for a medical workplace (1, 21). The X-ray device (2) comprises a robot (R) with a plurality of axes (9), a control device (10) for controlling the axes (9) for movement of the robot (R), and a fastening device (8), and a support device (11) disposed at the fastening device (8), said support device comprising an X-ray radiation source (12) and an X-ray radiation receiver (14). A 3D model (15, 15a) of the robot (R) and the support device (11) provided is stored in the control device (10), said 3D model modeling the spatial extension of the robot (R) and the support device (11) during movement of the robot (R). The 3D model (15,15a) also models the spatial extension of at least one other device (3, 4, R2) of the medical workplace (1, 21) and/or of a living organism (5) located within the medical workplace (1, 21). The control device (10) recognizes a potential collision of the X-ray device (2) with the other device (3, 4, R2) and/or the living organism (5) based on the 3D model (15,15a) and prompts the robot (R) to take action to avoid the potential collision. |
| US08548625B2 |
Optical vend sensing system for product delivery detection
An optical vend sensing system for use in vending machines employs a row of light emitters on one side of a region through which a vend product passes during delivery and a row of light detectors on the opposite side. Each detector is substantially aligned with a corresponding one of the emitters, and is capable of receiving light from any of more than one of the emitters when that emitter is activated. The emitters are individually activated in sequential, round-robin fashion and multiple detectors are monitored for each emitter when activated. Interruption of detectible beams between an activated emitter and one of the multiple emitters monitored for the activated emitter. Power applied to an activated emitter is calibrated in steps to a minimum level sufficient to ensure detection by all monitored detectors of light emitted by an activated emitter, plus a safety margin. |
| US08548622B2 |
Uniform compression garment and method of manufacturing garment
A method of manufacturing a compression garment comprises obtaining a plurality of model measurements at various locations on a model body. Thereafter, a plurality of garment dimensions are calculated for various locations on the garment. Each calculation of a garment dimension is based at least in part on one of the plurality of model measurements and at least in part on a target elongation for the garment. In at least one embodiment, calculations for various garment dimensions are performed by inserting the plurality of model measurements into a pattern equation that includes a model measurement variable and a target elongation variable. After calculating garment dimensions, a plurality of fabric segments are prepared for the garment based on the calculated dimensions. Each of the plurality of fabric sections comprise elastane and are characterized by a modulus of elasticity. |
| US08548620B2 |
Design-to-order performance equipment
Customization systems and methods are described in relation to performance devices and apparatus using a closed-loop feedback process for exploration, design and improvement of devices including performance devices. Crowdsourced knowledge bases, iterative improvements and centralized statistical, semantical and other technical analyses are employed to modify a baseline design. A baseline model defining modifications to a base device necessary to obtain a master device including modifications calculated to improve performance of the master device over the base device. Manufacturing instructions including CNC code can be produced and used to causes the production machine to manufacture the customized device. A design-to-order system is described as having of a simplified user interface, a queuing system, CAD/CAM capability and a repository of stored baseline models. |
| US08548619B2 |
System and method for after-market support using as-built data
A maintenance system for an assembly comprises a storage medium containing an as-built computer-aided design model of the assembly, a displaying means for displaying the as-built computer-aided design model, a metrology device for measuring a location of at least one characteristic of the assembly and creating as-built data regarding the location, and a replacing means for replacing a part of the assembly with a replacement part. The replacing means determines the location for the replacement part on the assembly by analyzing the as-built computer-aided design model and the data created by the metrology device. |
| US08548613B2 |
System and method for an interactive device for use with a media device
There are provided systems and methods for an interactive device for interaction with a user of a media device, wherein the interactive device and the media device are operable to communicate with a server having a memory storing a plurality of states including a present state of the media device playing a media. The interactive device comprises a peripheral hardware for interaction with the user of the media device and a processor configured to establish a communication with the server, obtain the present state of the media device from the server, select an action in response to the present state of the media, and execute the action using the peripheral hardware for interaction with the user of the media device. The interactive device can operate independently of the server or with several interactive devices connected to the server. |
| US08548603B2 |
Fiber optic assisted medical lead
A medical device for placing a medical lead in the human body using minimally invasive techniques is described. One lead includes a lead body connected to a lead head having an aperture for providing fiber optic access to the interior of a helical electrode. The fiber optic shaft may be disposed within or along-side a drive shaft releasably coupled to the head to rotate the head. The drive shaft and lead body may be delivered using a delivery catheter. The delivery catheter can be advanced though a small incision to the target tissue site, and the site remotely visualized through the fiber optic scope extending through the lead head aperture. Some catheters include a distal mapping electrode readable from the catheter proximal portion or handle. The lead head can be rotated, rotating the helical electrode into the tissue, and the catheter, drive shaft, and fiber optic probe removed. In one use, epicardial pacing leads are placed on the posterior surface of the heart, aided by visualization and mapping to obtain optimal electrode placement and patient outcome. |
| US08548602B2 |
Devices with cannula and electrode lead for brain stimulation and methods of use and manufacture
A device for brain stimulation includes a cannula configured and arranged for insertion into a brain of a patient; at least one cannula electrode disposed on the cannula; and an electrode lead for insertion into the cannula, the electrode lead comprising at least one stimulating electrode. |
| US08548597B2 |
External coil assembly for implantable medical prostheses
Methods and devices for inductively coupled implants on the human or animal body are disclosed. An external coil assembly to be used with the implant has a transmitting coil and one or more receiving coils. The number of the receiving coils, their distance from the transmitting coil and their shape is chosen to reduce the influence of a noise signal received by the external coil assembly. |
| US08548591B2 |
Implantable medical device
An implantable medical device includes a housing having a coating selectively provided on only a portion of the housing and a plurality of electronic components provided within an interior space defined by the housing. A first of the electronic components is a charging or telemetry coil and a second of the electronic components is a circuit board. The coating is provided on the housing in a first region near a component of the circuit board and is not provided on the housing in a second region near the charging or telemetry coil. The coating has a magnetic permeability suitable to and is provided in an amount effective to reduce MRI image distortion caused by the component of the circuit board. |
| US08548590B2 |
External charger for a medical implantable device using field inducing coils to improve coupling
By incorporating magnetic field-inducing position determination coils (PDCs) in an external charger, it is possible to determine the position of an implantable device by actively inducing magnetic fields using the PDCs and sensing the reflected magnetic field from the implant. In one embodiment, the PDCs are driven by an AC power source with a frequency equal to the charging coil. In another embodiment, the PDCs are driven by an AC power source at a frequency different from that of the charging coil. By comparing the relative reflected magnetic field strengths at each of the PDCs, the position of the implant relative to the external charger can be determined. Audio and/or visual feedback can then be communicated to the patient to allow the patient to improve the alignment of the charger. |
| US08548585B2 |
Concurrent therapy detection in implantable medical devices
Various method embodiments detect a concurrent therapy, where the concurrent therapy includes a plurality of therapy pulses. Detecting the concurrent therapy includes detecting at least one electrical pulse, extracting at least one characteristic from the at least one electrical pulse, comparing the at least one characteristic of the detected pulse to at least one characteristic of therapy pulses, and detecting that the concurrent therapy is being applied if the at least one characteristic of the detected pulse favorably compares to the at least one characteristic of the therapy pulses. |
| US08548581B2 |
Adaptive system and method for altering the motion of a person
A method is generally described which includes producing a sound from a sound device capable of producing sound. The sound device is in communication with a sound data source. The sound data source is associated with at least one set of sounds. The method also includes detecting motions, by a feedback sensor device, the motions associated with the user. Further, the method includes providing information from an information source including information associated with at least one characteristic of the at least one set of sounds and providing the information to a control program configured to receive data representative of the detected motions and to receive the information. Further still, the method includes generating, by the control program, control data based on the data representative of the detected motions and the information. The control program is configured to receive data representative of the detected motions and to receive the information. The control program has a control algorithm configured to generate control data based on the data representative of the detected motions and the information. Further still, the method includes running the control program by a controller configured to output control signals based on the control data and adjusting parameters of at least one of the controller, the feedback sensor, the sound source, the information, or the control algorithm, by an adaptive system. Yet further still, the method includes delivering current from the current source to the vestibular system of the user in response to the control signals, by a vestibular stimulation device. |
| US08548580B2 |
Monitoring system
Apparatus for performing impedance measurements on a subject. The apparatus includes a first processing system for determining an impedance measurement procedure and determining instructions corresponding to the measurement procedure. A second processing system is provided for receiving the instructions, using the instructions to generate control signals, with the control signals being used to apply one or more signals to the subject. The second processing system then receives first data indicative of the one or more signals applied to the subject, second data indicative of one or more signals measured across the subject and performs at least preliminary processing of the first and second data to thereby allow impedance values to be determined. |
| US08548576B2 |
System and method for correlation of patient health information and implant device data
A system and method for correlating health related data for display. The system includes a medical device recording data and a display producing device which correlates the data and simultaneously displays different types of data or displays two sets of the same type of data along with the circumstances at which the two sets of data were recorded. Such displays aid a physician in prescribing and ascertaining the efficacy of cardiac therapies. |
| US08548575B2 |
System for verifying the integrity of cardiac complex templates
A method and system for verifying the integrity of normal sinus rhythm (NSR) templates and updating the NSR template after selected time intervals. At selected time intervals after establishing a NSR template, cardiac complexes are sensed and values for one or more cardiac parameters are measured. The values of the cardiac parameters are compared to predetermined value ranges for NSR cardiac complexes. When the values of the cardiac parameters fall within the predetermined value ranges, values for the differences between the values of the cardiac parameters for the cardiac complexes and the values for the cardiac parameters of the NSR cardiac complexes are calculated. When the values of the differences are greater than one or more threshold values, the NSR template is updated as a function of the sensed cardiac complexes. |
| US08548566B2 |
Rendering method and apparatus
A rendering method uses volumetric data (202) indicative of the interior of an object to render a surface (102). Locations in the volumetric data (202) having a first parameter are identified. Regions on the rendered surface (102) which are located in proximity to the identified locations are highlighted, for example by using different visuals. |
| US08548564B2 |
Tracheal tube locating system and method
According to various embodiments, a sensor may be placed on a patient chest adjacent to a desired position of a distal end of a tracheal tube. The sensor may be configured to emit an electromagnetic field into the patient and detect perturbations to that field caused by the presence of the tracheal tube. As the tube is inserted within the trachea, the sensor may detect the tube when the distal end passes within range of the sensor, indicating that a proper insertion depth has been reached. In certain embodiments, multiple sensors may be placed along the chest adjacent to the trachea to determine a distance between the tube and an anatomical structure. The distance information may provide an indication as to whether the tracheal tube is properly placed within the trachea. |
| US08548561B2 |
Motion compensated image-guided focused ultrasound therapy system
An image-guide therapy system comprises a thermal treatment device (e.g., an ultrasound transducer) configured for transmitting a therapeutic energy beam, and The system further comprises an imaging device (e.g., a magnetic resonant imaging (MRI) device) configured for acquiring images of the target tissue mass and the thermal treatment device. The system further comprises a controller configured for controlling thermal dose properties of the thermal treatment device to focus the energy beam on a target tissue mass located in an internal body region of a patient, and a processor configured for tracking respective positions of the thermal treatment device and the target tissue mass in a common coordinate system based on the acquired images. The system may optionally comprise a display configured for displaying the acquired images. |
| US08548558B2 |
Electrode capable of attachment to a garment, system, and methods of manufacturing
An electrode for selective attachment to at least one of a garment and a subject, is provided and includes a conductive member defining a first side and a second side; a conductive composition disposed on the first side of the conductive member, wherein the conductive composition has a first adhesive strength; a contact layer disposed on the second side of the conductive member, wherein the contact layer includes a pressure sensitive adhesive portion and a conductive hydrogel portion, wherein the pressure sensitive adhesive portion has a second adhesive strength that is greater than the adhesive strength of the conductive composition; whereby the electrode is adherable to the garment and to the subject such that the conductive composition is adhered to the subject and the pressure sensitive adhesive portion is adhered to the garment, wherein removal of the garment from the subject results in removal of the electrode from the subject. |
| US08548555B2 |
Active dry sensor module for measurement of bioelectricity
An active dry sensor module for measurement of bioelectricity is disclosed. The active dry sensor module of the present invention excludes the use of a conductive gel, thereby not supplying unpleasantness and discomfort to a reagent and preventing the interference of the signal due to a noise component. Further, the active dry sensor module of the present invention amplifies the biomedical signal to a desired level, thereby precisely and easily measuring the biomedical signal. |
| US08548553B2 |
System and methods for processing analyte sensor data
Systems and methods for processing sensor analyte data, including initiating calibration, updating calibration, evaluating clinical acceptability of reference and sensor analyte data, and evaluating the quality of sensor calibration. During initial calibration, the analyte sensor data is evaluated over a period of time to determine stability of the sensor. The sensor may be calibrated using a calibration set of one or more matched sensor and reference analyte data pairs. The calibration may be updated after evaluating the calibration set for best calibration based on inclusion criteria with newly received reference analyte data. Fail-safe mechanisms are provided based on clinical acceptability of reference and analyte data and quality of sensor calibration. Algorithms provide for optimized prospective and retrospective analysis of estimated blood analyte data from an analyte sensor. |
| US08548549B2 |
Methods for noninvasively measuring analyte levels in a subject
A method for noninvasively measuring analyte levels includes using a non-imaging OCT-based system to scan a two-dimensional area of biological tissue and gather data continuously during the scanning. Structures within the tissue where measured-analyte-induced changes to the OCT data dominate over changes induced by other analytes are identified by focusing on highly localized regions of the data curve produced from the OCT scan which correspond to discontinuities in the OCT data curve. The data from these localized regions then can be related to measured analyte levels. |
| US08548546B2 |
Pulse oximetry and pulse oximeter
A pulse oximetry includes: irradiating living tissue with a plurality of light beams of different wavelengths; receiving the light beams transmitted through or reflected from the living tissue and converting the received light beams to electric signals which correspond to the different wavelengths; time-segmenting time series data of the electric signals; calculating, with respect to each of the segmented time series data of the electric signals, a slope value of a regression line between each two of the electric signals; calculating SaO2 based on the slope value of each of the segmented time series data of the electric signals; constructing a histogram of SaO2 for each predetermined number of time segments; and obtaining a mode value from the histogram as SpO2 to be output of the pulse oximetry. |
| US08548543B2 |
Symmetrically packaged optical sensors for implantable medical devices
Implantable medical devices and methods include an optical sensor that includes at least two optical sensor portions. The light emitting devices of the optical sensor are distributed among the at least two optical sensor portions. |
| US08548541B2 |
Housing for encasing an object having a proximity sensor
This disclosure relates generally to an apparatus and/or system for covering at least part of a mobile computing device having a touch screen display and a proximity sensor, the proximity sensor having an infrared transmitter and an infrared receiver. The apparatus includes an encasement that covers at least part of the mobile computing device and enables operation of the touch screen display, an optically transmissive member coupled with the encasement and positioned to overlay the proximity sensor; and a gasket having at least one transecting element to control an angle of light transmission through the optically transmissive member and to or from the proximity sensor, and to inhibit light from the infrared transmitter from being received by the infrared receiver prior to transmission through the optically transmissive member. |
| US08548540B2 |
Executing transactions using mobile-device covers
The present disclosure is directed to a system and method for updating mobile devices with additional elements. In some implementations, a cover for a mobile device includes side surfaces, a rear surface, a physical interface, and a circuit. The side surfaces and the rear surface are configured to be adjacent at least a portion one or more side surfaces of the mobile phone. The side surfaces and the rear surface form an opening that receives at least a portion of the mobile device. A first portion of at least one of the surfaces includes a connector for connecting to a port of the mobile phone. The physical interface includes in at least one of the surfaces that receives a memory device external to the mobile device. The circuit connects the physical interface to the connector. |
| US08548535B2 |
Mobile communication terminal
In one embodiment, a mobile communication terminal is equipped with a first control unit for execution a communication, a second control unit for executing an application program, and a timer unit for generating an interrupt signal when a count value equals a timer value set by the first control unit. The second control unit transmits first information including sleep time to the first control unit and changes to a sleep state. The first control unit sets a timer value in the timer unit in response to the first information and transmits to the second control unit second information for waking the second control unit when the interrupt signal is generated by the timer unit. |
| US08548533B2 |
Wireless headset having improved RF immunity to RF electromagnetic interference produced from a mobile wireless communications device
A wireless headset has improved immunity to RF electromagnetic interference produced from wireless communications devices. A headset body is adapted to be worn by a user and includes a microphone and earpiece. An antenna receives wireless communication signals and passes them to RF and audio circuitry mounted within the headset body. The RF and audio circuitry include a Bluetooth module operatively connected to the antenna for transmitting and receiving wireless communication signals, an audio CODEC connected to the Bluetooth module, and audio connection lines connected between the CODEC and the earpiece and between the CODEC and the microphone. A filter is connected into each of the audio connection lines at the earpiece and microphone and operative for reducing the RF coupling from a mobile wireless communications device. |
| US08548531B2 |
Method and system of creating customized ringtones
A custom ringtone provisioning device is configured to determine user selectable audio options available for generating a digital audio recording based on ringtone capabilities of a mobile communication device of a user, display the available user selectable audio options for the user to select, generate the digital audio recording using the user selectable audio options selected by the user, and transmit the generated digital audio recording to a server for the server to convert the generated digital audio recording into a customized ringtone for use by the mobile communication device in alerting the user of incoming communications. |
| US08548530B2 |
Mobile terminal and operation control method thereof
A mobile terminal and an operation control method thereof in which a delay time of the screen lock execution is controlled according to the type of application, are discussed. The mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include an input unit configured to receive a user input; an execution controller configured to execute screen lock if the user input is not received for a first delay time; and a change controller configured to extend the first delay time to a second delay time based on the user's gaze information. |
| US08548528B2 |
Mobile terminal and control method thereof
A mobile terminal including a touch pad; a first display unit including a transparent display; a second display unit including a non-transparent display disposed below the transparent display; and a controller configured to selectively control the first and second display units to operate in a dual-operation mode by controlling at least a portion of the first display unit to be transparent and not display information and controlling the second display unit to display information that can be viewed through the at least the portion of the first display unit that is transparent. |
| US08548527B2 |
Mobile communication terminal
The present invention provides a mobile communication terminal that can execute, by designation by an application program, novel image conversions that cannot be executed in the conventional mobile communication terminal.The mobile communication terminal 20 includes application program execution managing means 211, displaying means 12, image display controlling means 213 and image conversion processing means 214. The image conversion processing means selectively executes, based on conversion-contents designating information received from the application program execution managing means, at least one drawing-type image conversion process of an enlargement process, a contraction process, and a pseudo semi-transparent process for partial hiding by use of a transmissive mask pattern, for the image data subject to image conversion process stored in the image data storage means 211b. The application program execution managing means 211 sends conversion-contents designating information designated by an application program in execution to the image conversion processing means, generates the drawing data from image data after a conversion process returned from the image conversion processing means, and stores the same in the drawing data storage unit 211a. |
| US08548524B2 |
Radio communication base station device and radio communication method
It is possible to provide a radio communication terminal device, a radio communication base station device, and a radio communication method capable of rapidly completing a handover even during DRX/DTX. In the devices and the method, a terminal (100) transmits a quality measurement result to a base station (150) at an Active interval. Here, the terminal (100) sets the DRX/DTX interval to a short interval since performance of a handover is predicted. The base station (150) which has received the quality measurement result transmitted from the terminal (100) recognizes that the terminal has set the DRX/DTX interval to a short interval and transmits a handover instruction to the terminal (100) at the Active interval, considering the shortened DRX/DTX interval. |
| US08548522B2 |
Single chip multimode baseband processing circuitry with a shared radio interface
A multimode communication integrated circuit comprising baseband processing circuitry with a shared radio interface. Various aspects of the present invention may comprise a processor module adapted to perform various processing (e.g., baseband processing) in support of multimode communications. A first radio module may be communicatively coupled to the processor module through a common communication interface. A second radio module may also be communicatively coupled to the processor module through the common communication interface. The common communication interface may, for example, be adapted to communicate information over a communication bus that is shared between the processor module and a plurality of radio modules (e.g., the first and second radio modules). |
| US08548520B2 |
Multiple network access system and method
Methods and devices for operating a wireless communication device that can communicate with at least two different wireless networks using a single radio frequency modem are described. The communication device attaches to a first wireless network through the radio frequency (RF) modem, and then detaches from the first wireless network at a predetermined time before a start time of a selected event on a second wireless network. The device attaches to the second wireless network using the same RF modem before the start time of the selected event and collects at least a portion of event data associated with the selected event. After collecting at least a portion of event data, the device detaches from the second wireless network and re-attaches to the first wireless network. |
| US08548517B2 |
Event handling in a radio circuit
A radio circuit comprises an interface unit for communicating data and commands over a communication link between a digital baseband circuit and the radio circuit. Furthermore, the radio circuit comprises an event-scheduling unit, a local time-reference unit, a synchronization unit, and an execution-control unit. The event-scheduling unit is arranged to receive event-request commands specifying an event to be executed in the radio circuit and a time instant at which the specified event is to be executed, from the digital baseband circuit. Furthermore, the event-scheduling unit is arranged to, in response to receiving an event request-command, schedule the specified event to be executed on the specified time instant. The execution-control unit is arranged to issue execution of each scheduled event at the scheduled time instant based on time information from the local time reference unit. The local time-reference unit is synchronized with a time-reference unit in the digital baseband circuit in response to a synchronization command, from the synchronization unit. |
| US08548516B1 |
Smart antenna for interference rejection
A smart antenna system is provided for communicating wireless signals between a mobile device and a plurality of different fixed base stations using different channels and different beams, said smart antenna system comprising a control subsystem, a radio transceiver and an antenna subsystem coupled to each other and adapted to perform scanning of different combinations of base stations, channels and beams using one or more test links established with one or more of said different fixed base stations, said one or more test links using at least some of the different channels and the different beams, select a first combination of base station, channel and beam based on the scanning, and establish a first operating link for transmitting a wireless signal to the selected base station using the selected channel and beam. |
| US08548514B2 |
Method for resource element group downsizing of R-PDCCH and mobile telecommunication system for the same
The present invention relates to a method for reducing a resource element group (REG) size, which is used at a control channel element (CCE) for a relay physical downlink control channel (R-PDCCH), for the purpose of easy interleaving by a physical resource block (PRB) unit for the R-PDCCH, and a mobile telecommunication system for the same. The mobile telecommunication system of the present invention includes reducing the CCE size to 8 REGs or less of the R-PDCCH to be included in a single PRB. |
| US08548513B2 |
Apparatus and method for transmitting and receiving control information in wireless communication system
Disclosed are apparatuses and methods for transmitting and receiving control information, such as downlink assignment and uplink grant, to each CC through a DCI format of a PDCCH in a wireless communication system using a plurality of CCs. Exemplary embodiments include configuration and transmission of a CC indicator for the DCI format, in order to identify a CC to which the control information transferred by each DCI format corresponds from among the CCs. |
| US08548512B2 |
Method for reporting channel quality information via uplink, and base station and user device adapted for the method
A base station for a mobile communication system includes a speed detecting unit configured to detect the moving speed of a user device based on a signal received from the user device and indicating the moving speed; and a determining unit configured to select, based on the moving speed detected by the speed detecting unit, a wideband channel quality indicator indicating reception quality of an entire system frequency band allocated to the mobile communication system, or a combination of the wideband channel quality indicator and one or more channel quality indicators of subbands in the system frequency band as channel quality information that needs to be reported from the user device to the base station. |
| US08548503B2 |
Methods and system for providing location-based communication services
Systems and methods are provided for providing location-based communication services, such as location-based chat sessions and location based-data feeds. Access to a chat session or data feed may be provided to a user of a mobile device when the current location of the mobile device is determined to be within a predetermined geographic region. In one implementation, the chat session or data feed relates to content provided by members of a group or social network. In other implementations, the content related to chat session or data feed is provided by members of the general public. |
| US08548502B2 |
Spatial mapping of wireless access point service area
Spatial mapping of wireless access point service area. A means is presented by which a WACN's (Wireless Access Control Node's) service area is spatially mapped providing information corresponding to coverage region(s) within the WACN's service area. This spatial mapping may be generated and stored within either communication device at either end of a communication link (e.g., in a WACN or in a communication device operable to connect to the WACN). From the WACN's perspective, the spatial map can include its one or more coverage regions within its service area. From a communication device's perspective (e.g., a communication device that is capable to connect to a WACN), the spatial map can include multiple service areas provided by multiple WACNs and the various coverage regions therein. The partitioning of a WACN's service area into coverage areas can be performed along various lines (e.g., signal strength, history of connectivity, operational parameters employed, etc.). |
| US08548499B2 |
Determining the last location of lost and stolen portable electronic devices when wireless communications access to the lost or stolen devices is lost or intermittent
The last known location of a lost or stolen device can be determined based on the device's last communication with a wireless data network. A portable device can be set up to communicate its location to a server after it obtains a wireless connection to a wireless data network and registers a most recent location with the server. A device can be set up to communicate its location based on at least one of communication with wireless data network hardware or portable device GPS location determined after the device obtains a wireless connection to a wireless data network. Location is stored until a subsequent location is registered in the server. The server can be programmed to send at least one of “lost” message, ringtone, lock code and wipe command to a lost or stolen portable device. The server can be programmed to provide map location information for the last known location of the lost portable device. |
| US08548497B2 |
Indoor localization using commercial frequency-modulated signals
A commercial frequency-modulated (FM) radio signal indoor localization system and method for finding a location of a mobile embedded device (such as a smartphone) within a building. Indoor localization is performed by receiving commercial FM radio signals on the device, analyzing the signals using signal quality metrics, and generating signal quality vectors for each signal and signal quality metric used for the signal. The signal quality metric can be any physical signal quality indicator. The signal quality vectors are added to obtain a current location fingerprint. The current location fingerprint is compared to fingerprints stored in a fingerprint database. The location associated with the stored fingerprint that is the closest match to the current fingerprint location is designated as the current location in the building of the mobile embedded device. Locally generated radio signals can be used in conjunction with the commercial FM radio signals to improve localization accuracy. |
| US08548496B2 |
Wireless communication apparatus and method
A wireless communication apparatus includes a body, a first antenna, a second antenna, a sensor, a wireless transceiver, and a switch. Both of the first antenna and the second antenna are disposed in or on the body. The sensor is electrically connected to the first antenna and the second antenna for sensing whether an object is close to at least one of the first antenna and the second antenna to provide a sensing result. The wireless transceiver has a main antenna connection port. The switch is coupled to the wireless transceiver, the first antenna, and the second antenna for selecting one from the first antenna and the second antenna to be electrically connected to the main antenna connection port of the wireless transceiver according to the sensing result. |
| US08548489B2 |
Access gateway device and tracking area identifier notification method
An access gateway device is disclosed that is used in a mobile communication system and that is capable of storing an identifier of a tracking area in which a mobile station in communication is located. The access gateway device includes a table unit storing a table having a corresponding relationships between a tracking area and a base station managing a cell included in the tracking area; a tracking area identifier comparison unit referring to the table at a predetermined timing, detecting the identifier of the tracking area in which the mobile station is located, and comparing the detected identifier of the tracking area with the stored identifier; and a tracking area identifier notification unit notifying the mobile station of the detected identifier of the tracking area when the detected identifier of the tracking area is different from the stored identifier based on a result of the comparison. |
| US08548486B2 |
Radio communication system, base station apparatus, terminal apparatus, relay station apparatus and radio communication method for radio communication system
A radio communication system including: a base station; a terminal; and a relay station, wherein the base station and the terminal perform radio communication via the relay station, the base station includes: a change unit which changes at least any of a radio resource allocation method for the relay station and the terminal, the radio resource allocation method and a scheduling method, or the radio resource allocation method, the scheduling method and a relay method in the relay station; and a transmission unit which transmits a change notice for notifying the relay station of the change by the change unit, the relay station includes a reception unit which receives the change notice, and the base station, the relay station, and the terminal perform radio communication using at least the radio resources allocating or allocated by the radio resource allocation method after the change. |
| US08548481B2 |
Systems and methods for coordinating the coverage and capacity of a wireless base station
A communications base station is installed at a selected new location and the base station, prior to going “online” monitors the wireless traffic from other base stations within interference range of the new base station's coverage area. The new base station also monitors the wireless traffic between mobile devices within its coverage area and these other base stations. Based upon these monitored conditions, as well as other known conditions, the new base station then determines the transmitting parameter configuration it should imply in order to achieve a desired optimization between capacity and coverage area. After the new base station is online, a central control can monitor the entire network to determine if any additional changes are necessary and if so the new transceiver, or any other transceiver, can be instructed to monitor itself with respect to interference and to take corrective action to improve overall network coverage and capacity. |
| US08548474B2 |
Method for automatic neighbor cell relation reporting in a mobile communication system
The invention concerns a method and an apparatus implementing the method. In the method is received a neighbor cell relation list and a request to report new cells not included in the neighbor cell relation list to the mobile node to a mobile node. The mobile node detects at least one new cell not included in the neighbor cell relation list and stores information regarding the at least one new cell not included in the neighbor cell relation list in a memory. The mobile node determines whether a threshold number of new cells not included in the neighbor cell relation list have been stored in the memory of the mobile node. In response to reaching the threshold number, the mobile node preparing for transmitting the information regarding the at least one new cell not included in the neighbor cell relation list to a radio network node. |
| US08548471B2 |
User apparatus, base station apparatus and method used in mobile communication system
A user apparatus in a mobile communication system includes: a unit configured to receive a downlink control signal using a frequency of a residing cell; and a unit configured to perform cell search using a frequency different from the frequency of the residing cell during an interval between reception timings of the downlink control signal in response to an occurrence of a predetermined event for different frequency measurement in the user apparatus or a base station apparatus. When the reception timing interval of the downlink control signal is not longer than the threshold reported from the base station apparatus, and when the predetermined event for different frequency measurement occurs in the user apparatus or the base station apparatus, different frequency measurement is performed in a cycle, different from the reception timing interval, reported from the base station apparatus. |
| US08548460B2 |
Codec deployment using in-band signals
After a call is established between two stations using a codec that has been negotiated during call setup, in-band signaling may be used between the two stations to change the codec that is to be used. The in-band signals are indicative that the station that is transmitting the in-band signals can operate with a second codec and are used to probe whether the receiving station can also operate with that second codec. If the receiving station detects and reacts to the in-band signals, then both stations change to communicate with the second codec. The second codec has compatible packet sizes of the deployed (originally negotiated) codec without any need of infrastructure upgrade and/or quality compromise to legacy phone users (i.e., stations that cannot operate with the second codec). |
| US08548458B2 |
Method, device, and system for measuring and reporting automatic neighbour relation
The present invention relates to the communications field and discloses a method, a device, and a system for measuring and reporting an automatic neighbor relation (ANR), which are capable of completing an ANR function during a radio link failure (RLF), therefore saving measurement time and improving network performance. The solution is: when an RLF occurs, receiving a radio resource control (RRC) link reestablishment failure message, where the RRC link reestablishment failure message carries control information instructing a user equipment (UE) to perform an ANR measurement; performing the ANR measurement according to the control information in the RRC link reestablishment failure message to obtain an ANR measurement result; and after receiving an RRC link establishment response message, reporting the ANR measurement result by using an RRC link establishment complete message. |
| US08548453B2 |
Remote control system and method for portable terminals
Provided are a remote control system and method for controlling portable terminals. The remote control system includes a control terminal which is a portable terminal that performs a remote control operation, a target terminal which is a portable terminal that is subject to the remote control operation performed by the control terminal, and a remote control management server which determines whether the control terminal and the target terminal are heterogeneous, and if the two terminals are heterogeneous, converts messages respectively transmitted from the control terminal and the target terminal to a format conforming to corresponding receiving terminals. |
| US08548447B1 |
Methods and systems for blocking unwanted telecommunications
Methods and systems are described for processing call blocking instructions and for managing mobile messaging. A method of processing call blocking instructions is described. A call processing system receives a call from a caller intended for a first user. A notification regarding the call is transmitted to a mobile device associated with the first user. A message from the user is received via the mobile device, wherein the message is a text or multimedia type message. At least partly in response to the message, the caller is placed on a blacklist indicating that future calls from the caller to the user are to be blocked. |
| US08548444B2 |
Linking a name to a phone number in a text message based on a contact list in a mobile device
A method to initiate a phone call to a contact. The method includes analyzing a text message to identify a first attribute of the contact, and selecting one or more entries from a contact list stored in the mobile device by matching the first attribute of the contact to a portion of each of the one or more entries. The method also includes identifying a second attribute of the contact from the one or more entries based on a first pre-determined criterion, and modifying the text message to generate a displayed text message comprising a modified attribute that is modified from the first attribute based on the second attribute. The method also includes receiving a user selection as a first input indicating a user selected the modified attribute in response to viewing the displayed text message, and initiating the phone call to the contact based on the phone number. |
| US08548442B2 |
Syndication of multiple service instances
Service provisioning tasks can be performed to provision or deprovision services for users, reconcile overlapping services, and apply effective service properties. A service can be provisioned by receiving a request to provision the service for a user, reconciling new service properties with current service properties, from one or more service instances, to determine effective service properties, and applying the effective service properties as properties to use for the service for the user. A service can also be provisioned by receiving a request to provision the service for a user, storing a new service instance, and reconciling the new service instance with one or more previously stored service instances for the same service to determine effective service properties. A service provisioning system can perform provisioning operations for one or more internal and external service providers. |
| US08548441B1 |
Method and system for using a hands-free-audio profile to limit use of a wireless communication device
The described systems and methods allow for safer operation of a wireless communication device (WCD). The methods may be carried out at the WCD or at a wireless-communications network that interfaces to the WCD. A hands-free-audio (HFA) profile associated with the WCD may be set to enabled or disabled. A speed-condition of the WCD is determined and compared to a speed-threshold. If the speed-condition is greater than the speed-threshold and the HFA profile is enabled, then the WCD is operable to engage in wireless communications (e.g., voice calls or text messaging) via an HFA device associated with the WCD. If the speed-condition is greater than the speed-threshold and the HFA profile is set to disabled, then the WCD may prevent and/or postpone wireless communications from occurring. After the speed-condition is determined to be less than the speed-threshold, previously received communications (e.g., text messages) may be presented via the WCD. |
| US08548440B2 |
Event information display apparatus and method for mobile communication terminal
Disclosed is an event information display apparatus and method for a mobile terminal, which collects information of sent/received/missed call events, sent/received message events, schedule events, alarm events, wake-up call events, memo events, D-day events, etc. that are recorded in a mobile terminal, and then displays the collected event information as indicators on a timeline, thereby enabling easy checking and management of various types of events. |
| US08548435B2 |
Providing access to information of multiple types via coordination of distinct information services
Techniques are described for providing users of client devices with coordinated access to information and/or functionality of multiple types, such as by using multiple types of connections to multiple information services of distinct types that exchange context information related to activities of the users and/or clients. The client devices can be, for example, wireless devices with multiple distinct modes (e.g., voice and data modes) for different types of connections with different types of servers (e.g., voice servers and data servers). In some situations, coordination between different servers allows multiple distinct interaction sessions of different types with different servers to remain synchronized or otherwise coordinated over time as the user performs interactions via the different sessions. This abstract is provided to comply with rules requiring an abstract, and is not intended to be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. |
| US08548434B2 |
Messaging device
An apparatus may include a housing that is configured to support a picture, a sensor that is configured to receive an input and that is associated with the picture, a communication module that is configured to communicate with a remote device and to retrieve audio messages from the remote device, a speaker that is configured to play the audio messages, an electronics control module that is configured to control playing of the audio messages that are designated as being associated with the picture in response to selection of the sensor, and a power module. |
| US08548432B2 |
Authenticating voice calls from mobile devices
Aspects relate to authorizing mobile devices for PBX-based voice services. A mobile device calls a PBX over a voice channel, and phone number identifier information is obtained and matched to identifier information for devices that known (authorizeable) to use the PBX. If there is one incoming call that matches to a given device, and an authentication token provided over a data channel matches an authentication token associated with that device, then the device is authorized for voice services. Where there are multiple matching calls, those devices are instructed to provide authentication tokens over their voice channels. The devices can detect absence of a data channel and provide authentication tokens over the voice channels; the devices also can wait to receive a call connected response and in the absence of such provide their authentication tokens over the voice channel. Tokens can be requested and downloaded for storage at the devices. |
| US08548431B2 |
Notifications
Notification techniques are described. In an implementation, an unlock screen is displayed by a mobile communications device that indicates that one or more keys of the mobile communications device are locked. If an input is detected at the mobile communications device to remove the lock, an animation is displayed that gives an appearance that the unlock screen is a page that is being turned and removing the lock of the one or more keys. |
| US08548429B2 |
Cellular device security apparatus and method
A cellular communication device has one or more access modes which allow reading and writing of data, for example to change its settings, for example passwords and even the entire operating system and also permitting access to personal information such as the user's telephone book. To prevent cloning and like illegal access activity, the device is configured by restricting access to such data access modes using a device unique security setting. The setting may be a password, preferably a one-time password, or it may be a unique or dynamic or one time configuration of the codes for the read and write instructions of the data mode. There is also disclosed a server, which manages the security settings such that data mode operates during an active connection between the device and the server, and a secure communication protocol for communicating between the server and the cellular device. |
| US08548419B1 |
Utilization of SMS and/or cellular broadcast to receive multimedia alerts
An indication of the location of multimedia information for an emergency alert is distributed via text based protocols such as a Cell Broadcast Service (CBS) and/or a Short Message Service (SMS). Multimedia information can include maps, graphics, video clips, audio clips, still pictures, and the like. A text based alert message along with an indication of the location of the associated multimedia is distributed to users. The indication can comprise a link to a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), or the like, from which the multimedia can be retrieved. The indication can comprise a pointer to a link. For example, the alert message can comprise an address in storage of a user device, and the address can contain the link to the URL. Further, the multimedia can be retrieved automatically or manually. |
| US08548418B1 |
Methods and devices for distributing ringtone
Methods and systems for distributing ringtones are provided. A callee device, such as a cellular telephone, may receive an association request, via a communication network, that contains a reference to a ringtone and an identifier of a caller device. In response to receiving the association request, the callee device may form an association between the ringtone and the caller device. Then, upon receiving an indication that the caller device has initiated a call to the callee device, the callee device may play out the ringtone. |
| US08548414B2 |
Circuit and method for reducing radio-frequency power consumption of mobile phone
The invention discloses a circuit and a method for reducing radio frequency power consumption of mobile phone, wherein a baseband processing chip (21) adjusts a base bias voltage and/or a collector bias voltage of a radio frequency power amplifier (23) according to radio frequency power output of the radio frequency power amplifier (23). Since the invention reduces the radio frequency output power of the radio frequency power amplifier (23) by moderately reducing the base bias voltage and/or the collector bias voltage at the same time when it is ensured that the mobile phone communicates with a base station normally and the linear index and the Adjacent Channel Power Ratio (ACPR) of the radio frequency power amplifier (23) meet the requirements of the specification, thus the efficiency of the radio frequency power amplifier can be improved, the battery energy is saved and the heating problem of the mobile phone is relieved. |
| US08548413B2 |
Noise suppression apparatus
A noise suppression apparatus comprising: a complex signal generation unit configured to convert an intermediate frequency signal into a complex signal having a real part and an imaginary part, the intermediate frequency signal being obtained by frequency-converting a reception signal; a noise detection unit configured to detect whether or not variation in level of the complex signal is greater than a predetermined threshold value, to detect generation of noise; and a noise suppressing unit configured to suppress level of the complex signal if the variation in level is greater than the predetermined threshold value. |
| US08548409B2 |
MIMO radio interfaces
A receiver front end includes a plurality of in-phase and quadrature phase receive processing blocks operable at first and second frequency bands and further includes a plurality of filtering and amplification blocks disposed within a corresponding ingoing signal path, a plurality of received signal strength indicator (RSSI) blocks coupled to receive an ingoing analog signal from a corresponding plurality of nodes disposed throughout the ingoing signal path, each of the plurality of RSSI blocks producing a signal strength indication, and wherein a baseband processor is operable to receive a selected signal strength indication and to produce at least one gain setting to at least one amplification block within the in-phase or quadrature phase receive processing blocks. In operation, the baseband processor receives a signal strength indication from each RSSI block to determine a total amount of gain and appropriate gain distribution within the receive signal path. |
| US08548406B2 |
Method of transmitting reference signal in multiple antenna system
A method of transmitting an uplink reference signal in a multiple antenna system is provided. A user equipment transmits a first sounding reference signal for uplink channel measurement on a first antenna by using at least one power amplifier among a plurality of power amplifiers, and transmits a second sounding reference signal for uplink channel measurement on a second antenna by using the at least one power amplifier, wherein the first sounding reference signal and the second sounding reference signal are transmitted using different time regions when using one power amplifier, and the first sounding reference signal and the second sounding reference signal are transmitted using different time regions or different frequency regions when using the plurality of power amplifiers. |
| US08548404B2 |
Linearization of power amplifiers through digital in-band predistortion followed by analog predistortion
A system for implementing linearization of a radio frequency (RF) power amplifier (PA) in a base station, as well as various component circuitry for implementing said system. By means of a smart partitioning of the signal processing for predistortion between the analog domain and the digital domain, a more linear relationship between the digital input data and the output RF signal is achieved. Linearization of the PA's output signal is obtained using a mixed-signal apparatus. The digital baseband signal enters the RF signal source. The RF signal source comprises an in-band predistortion circuit, a micro-controller and digital modulator. The output of the digital modulator is an RF signal that enters the PA module. The PA module is composed of the PA and the RF power amplifier linearizer (RFPAL). The RFPAL comprises an RF predistortion circuit, and RF signal analyzer and a microcontroller. |
| US08548398B2 |
Envelope power supply calibration of a multi-mode radio frequency power amplifier
The present disclosure relates to envelope power supply calibration of a multi-mode RF power amplifier (PA) to ensure adequate headroom when operating using one of multiple communications modes. The communications modes may include multiple modulation modes, a half-duplex mode, a full-duplex mode, or any combination thereof. As such, each communications mode may have specific peak-to-average power and linearity requirements for the multi-mode RF PA. As a result, each communications mode may have corresponding envelope power supply headroom requirements. The calibration may include determining a saturation operating constraint based on calibration data obtained during saturated operation of the multi-mode RF PA. During operation of the multi-mode RF PA, the envelope power supply may be restricted to provide a minimum allowable magnitude based on an RF signal level of the multi-mode RF PA, the communications mode, and the saturation operating constraint to provide adequate headroom. |
| US08548393B2 |
Electronic apparatus and storage medium storing load distribution program
An electronic apparatus includes: a clock generation section which generates and outputs a clock of a frequency according to a state; and an MPU and a DSP which, being supplied with the clock generated by the clock generation section, execute processes at a processing speed synchronized with the clock. The electronic apparatus further includes: a load prediction section which predicts a DSP load based on a DSP application to be executed now out of DSP applications installed by being coded for processing by the DSP as well as on a frequency of a clock currently being outputted from the clock generation section; and a load allocation section which allocates part of processes of the DSP application to be executed now to the MPU, based on the load predicted by the load prediction section and thereby makes the MPU execute the part of processes. |
| US08548391B2 |
Use of photovoltaic array string wiring as antenna and transmission line for wired and wireless data communications
An apparatus includes terminals configured to be coupled to a string wiring of a photovoltaic string. The apparatus also includes a power controller configured to control a power provided over the string wiring by a photovoltaic panel in the photovoltaic string. The apparatus further includes a wireless radio configured to at least one of transmit and receive wireless signals using the string wiring as an antenna. The wireless signals contain data associated with the photovoltaic panel and/or the power controller. For example, the wireless radio could be configured to receive a first signal containing a command for the power controller from the string wiring and to provide the command to the power controller. The wireless radio could also be configured to receive an acknowledgement associated with the command from the power controller and to transmit a second signal containing the acknowledgement over the string wiring for wireless transmission. |
| US08548390B2 |
Method and system for transmitter output power compensation
Aspects of compensating for transmitter output power may comprise sampling an on-chip transmitter circuit temperature at various time instants and determining a feedback temperature compensation value. At least one digital-to-analog converter may be adjusted by utilizing the feedback temperature compensation value, which may correspond to the sampled temperature. The digital-to-analog converter may be an I-component digital-to-analog converter and/or a Q-component digital-to-analog converter. At least a portion of the on-chip transmitter circuit may be characterized to determine power output dependence of the on-chip transmitter circuit on temperature variation of the on-chip transmitter circuit. Based on this characterization, a feedback temperature compensation value that may correspond to the sampled temperature may be used to adjust the digital-to-analog converter. The feedback temperature compensation value may be, for example, from a lookup table or an algorithm. |
| US08548388B2 |
Method of reducing specific absoption rate for an electronic device, and the electronic device
An electronic device includes a radio frequency module having a communication port, and an antenna module having a number of antennas electrically coupled to the communication port. A method of reducing specific absorption rate (SAR) for the electronic device includes: a) measuring the SAR for the electronic device to obtain a measurement result; b) increasing the number of antennas of the antenna module when the measurement result is not lower than a standard value; and c) repeating steps a) and b) until the measurement result is equal to or smaller than the standard value. |
| US08548383B2 |
Power spectrum density control for wireless communications
Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate adjusting power spectrum density (PSD) for wireless devices according to multiple possible step sizes. A step size for an adjustment can be selected based at least in part on a received overload indicator from one or more access points, a PSD required to achieve a target signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio (SINR) for a wireless device, and a PSD previously assigned to the wireless device. Once the step size is selected, it can be applied to the previous PSD to generate a new PSD for the wireless device, and the wireless device can accordingly adjust PSD to mitigate inter-cell interference with the one or more access points. |
| US08548382B2 |
System and method for navigating between user interface elements
A method is provided that comprises detecting an incoming or outgoing call; and sending data to a paired device for displaying a plurality of elements associated with the call in a user interface on the paired device prior to connecting the call, the plurality of elements having been obtained from a plurality of sources accessible to the mobile device. Another method is provided, which comprises receiving data from the mobile device for displaying a plurality of elements associated with the call in a user interface on a paired device prior to connecting the call, the plurality of elements having been obtained from a plurality of sources accessible to the mobile device; and displaying the plurality of elements in a user interface on the paired device using the data received from the mobile device. |
| US08548381B2 |
Wireless audio device and wireless media player to communicate and playback audio, and method of operation
A wireless media player and a related system and methodology are disclosed. One aspect of the wireless media player system pertains to a virtual connector system, apparatus, and method for the automatic establishment of wireless connectivity with other electronic devices. In one embodiment, the media player device employs the use of integrated Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to exchange communication settings, media capability, and other parameters with an external device that also has integrated RFID technology. The automatic exchange of settings and other information via a proximity-based RFID data exchange allows a media player to quickly establish a secure communication link with another device via a commonly supported wireless protocol such as Ultra Wideband (UWB) or Bluetooth. Another aspect of the media player system pertains to a method of using the captured media capability of the connecting device to customize certain menu options and software parameters in the media player. |
| US08548374B2 |
System and method for pushing information from a server to a mobile device
A system is provided for providing content to a plurality of mobile electronic devices, where at least some of the mobile electronic devices have wireless communications capabilities. A first network comprises a wireless network system for communicating with at least some of the mobile electronic devices through wireless sessions; a wired to wireless gateway module connected to the wireless network system for interfacing between a wireless portion of the first network and a wired portion of the first network; a session control module interfacing with the wired to wireless gateway module for managing the wireless sessions and wired sessions; and a relay server module interfacing with the session control module and the wired to wireless gateway module, the relay server module for providing relayed content to the mobile electronic devices. A second network comprises an external server for providing content to the mobile electronic devices. |
| US08548373B2 |
Methods and apparatus for identifying a digital audio signal
Methods and apparatus for identifying a digital audio signal are described. An example apparatus for identifying a digital audio signal includes an input to receive the digital audio signal, which includes data from a broadcast or a stored digital program signal. The example apparatus also includes a detector to receive the digital audio signal from the input and determine whether the received digital audio signal is uncompressed as received at the input; a decoder to receive the digital audio signal from the detector when the digital audio signal is compressed as received at the input and identify any first program-identifying code in an auxiliary field of the compressed digital audio signal; and a code reader to receive the digital audio signal from the detector when the digital audio signal is uncompressed as received at the input and receive the digital audio signal from a decompressor when the digital audio signal is compressed as received at the input. Additionally, the code reader is to identify any second program-identifying code in a decompressed or uncompressed portion of the digital audio signal when the first program-identifying code is not identified in the auxiliary field or when the digital audio signal is uncompressed as received at the input. |
| US08548367B2 |
Fixing device and image forming apparatus
A fixing device includes a fixing member that is rotatably provided and heats an image formed on a recording material to fix the image to the recording material, a contact member that moves the recording material by being rotationally driven while coming into contact with the fixing member, and is provided to be separated from the fixing member, and a rotating member that is mounted on the contact member, is disposed to come into contact with the fixing member while the contact member is separated from the fixing member, rotates while interlocking with the contact member, transmits a rotational driving force from the contact member to the fixing member, and rotates with respect to the contact member when the fixing member is rotated by an external force and a rotational driving force is transmitted to the rotating member from the fixing member. |
| US08548364B2 |
Developing device and image-forming apparatus
A developing device includes: an magnetic field generating unit that generates an magnetic field; and a cylindrical developer holder, to which a voltage is applied, that surrounds the magnetic field generating unit and rotates, the cylindrical developer holder: having an outer circumferential surface having a plurality of grooves that extend in a direction of a rotational axis, the outer circumferential surface being capable of holding developer including a magnetic substance by using the magnetic field generated by the magnetic field generation unit, an electrical resistance of an inner wall surface of each of the grooves being higher than an electrical resistance of the magnetic substance included in the developer; and supplying the developer to an image holder that holds an electrostatic latent image. |
| US08548360B2 |
Toner cartridge converting device
A toner cartridge converting device is provided with a driving module to change gaps between a photoreceptor drum and respective toner cartridges using a positioning groove formed in a radial direction of the photoreceptor drum. Each fixing rod of the toner cartridges can slide into the positioning groove and slide out of the positioning groove with following the displacement of the groove, so that the converting operation to the toner cartridges can be finished. Due to the configuration space required by the driving module is smaller, and the quantity of elements is less than the conventional driving unit and easy in repair and maintenance, so that the structure of the driving module is simplified and the repair cost is reduced. |
| US08548357B2 |
Drive transmission system, driving device, and image forming apparatus incorporating drive transmission system
A drive transmission system includes a shaft member storing grease in a shaft outer circumferential small diameter section. A drive transmission gear is provided including a gear inner circumferential sliding section and a gear inner circumferential large diameter section. A gear moving device is provided to move the drive transmission gear reciprocally along the shaft member in a shaft direction. A restriction device is provided to restrict a movement range of the drive transmission gear along the shaft member in the shaft direction to enable the gear inner circumferential large diameter section to face the shaft outer circumferential small diameter section substantially continuously. |
| US08548356B2 |
Electrophotographic printer with stateful toner bottles
An electrophotographic (EP) printer has two toner bottles. Each has a supply volume and a waste volume separated so that toner can pass from the waste volume to the supply volume, and has a status recorder with waste and supply states. An imaging member receives toner from the supply volume of a second toner bottle in a supply receptacle, and an imaging member applies the toner to a receiver to form a print image. A cleaning device removes toner from an imaging members and transporting the removed toner to the waste volume of a first toner bottle in a waste receptacle. A toggle changes the state of the status recorder of the first toner bottle in the waste receptacle to the supply state, so that the waste toner in the waste volume of the first toner bottle is made available to be used as supply toner in the supply receptacle. |
| US08548355B2 |
Support member for rotary member
A method is for manufacturing a support member for supporting a rotary member having a shaft. The support member is detachably assembled in an image-forming device. The support member has a pair of side plates opposed to each other through the rotary member. Each of the side plate receives the shaft of the rotary member. The method includes forming the pair of side plates through a punching process using the same die. |
| US08548354B2 |
Process cartridge including developing roller and electrophotographic photosensitive member that can be contacted to and spaced from each other
A downsized electrophotographic image forming apparatus with which a drawer member mounting a photosensitive drum and a developing unit is mounted into a main assembly of the apparatus, and the developing roller and the photosensitive drum can be contacted and spaced relative to each other is provided. It includes a process cartridge, a main assembly of the apparatus, and a drawer member 13 movable between an inside position which is inside the main assembly of the apparatus and which the drawer member 13 supports the process cartridge and an outside position which is outside the main assembly of the apparatus. The drawer member 13 further includes a contacting and spacing member 42 capable of taking a contacting position for contacting the developing roller to the photosensitive drum and a spacing position for spacing the developing roller from the photosensitive drum. |
| US08548351B2 |
Image-forming device
An image-forming device includes a plurality of developing units, an endless belt, and a cleaning unit. The cleaning unit includes a cleaning member and a conveying unit. The cleaning member contacts the endless belt to clean toner remaining on the endless belt. The conveying unit includes a first conveying unit, a second conveying unit, and a first relaying member. The first relaying member relays the remaining toner conveyed by the first conveying unit to the second conveying unit, and has a relay-axis. The cleaning member pivots about the relay axis to move between a contacting position for contacting the endless belt and a separating position for separating from the endless belt. |
| US08548350B2 |
Cleaning device and image forming apparatus
There is provided a pre-cleaning brush roller being a pre-cleaning member which is disposed on an upstream of a normally-charged-toner cleaning brush roller and an oppositely-charged-toner cleaning brush roller in a surface moving direction of an intermediate transfer belt, is applied with a voltage having a polarity opposite to a normal charge polarity of toner, and electrostatically removes the toner having the normal charge polarity. |
| US08548348B2 |
High-voltage output apparatus and image forming apparatus
The high-voltage output apparatus includes a voltage application part that applies a DC voltage to the charge member; a current detection part that detects a value of a current flowing in the image bearing member when the DC voltage is applied to the charge member; and a control part that calculates a plurality of discharge start voltages for the image bearing member, based on a plurality of current values detected by the current detection part as a result of the voltage application part applying a plurality of different DC voltages to the charge member, and controls the DC voltage applied to the charge member, using the plurality of calculated discharge start voltages. Consequently, a high-quality image can be formed by maintaining a potential on a photosensitive drum to be constant irrespective of the states of the circumstances and/or the drum layer thickness. |
| US08548347B2 |
Color image forming apparatus
A color image forming apparatus including a test pattern formation portion that forms test patterns of a plurality of colors in an image formation area in which images of the plurality of colors are formed on an image carrier and in an image non-formation area outside the image formation area on the image carrier, a detection portion that detects a shift of each of the test patterns of the plurality of colors formed in the image formation area and a shift of each of the test patterns of the plurality of colors formed in the image non-formation area, a computing portion that obtains, for each color, an offset value indicating an offset between the shift of the test pattern in the image non-formation area and the shift of the test pattern in the image formation area, and a storage portion that stores the offset value for each color. |
| US08548341B2 |
Image forming apparatus provided with mechanism for cleaning image carrier
A control unit temporarily stops an image carrier when transfer of an image formed using a developer to a recording medium ends. Thereafter, the control unit controls a drive source to intermittently drive the image carrier N times. A measuring unit measures an amount of rotation of the image carrier when the image carrier is intermittently driven. A determination unit determines an amount of rotation for stop instruction issuance that will be applied to a next drive. The amount of rotation for stop instruction issuance is based on an amount of inertial rotation measured from when a stop instruction is issued until when the image carrier stops rotating, and a target amount of rotation for each time the image carrier is driven. |
| US08548337B2 |
Coherent optical channel substitution
In an optical data transmission system, one channel is removed from a group of wavelength division multiplexed optical channels and another channel carrying different information at the same wavelength is inserted in its place. The process occurs by adding an optical signal whose electric field is the difference between the electric field of the new and old channels. The difference calculation takes into account the phase of the incoming WDM channel and phase of the laser source of the difference signal. The method has applications in optical transmission networks as add-drop nodes and optical regenerators, for generation of high bandwidth optical signals, and for secret optical communications. |
| US08548329B2 |
Apparatus and method for relaying in gigabit passive optical network
A relaying method of an optical signal of a hybrid relaying apparatus in a gigabit passive optical element includes: selecting and receiving any one of a first serial electrical signal corresponding to a downlink wavelength division multiplexing-passive optical line terminal (WDM-PON OLT) optical signal and a second serial electrical signal corresponding to a downlink gigabit passive optical network optical line terminal (GPON OLT) optical signal; modulating the downlink serial electrical signal to a downlink GPON transmission convergence (GTC) frame; extracting control information for uplink transmission from the downlink GTC frame; converting the downlink GTC frame into the downlink serial electrical signal; and converting the converted serial electrical signal into an optical signal and transmitting the converted optical signal in a GPON OLT optical transceiver. |
| US08548323B2 |
Daisy chainable ONU
Embodiments of a scalable optical network unit (ONU) architecture for multi-dwelling units (MDUs) that has a low initial cost (or first port cost) and a low maintenance cost are provided herein. The ONU architecture is scalable in that a growing number of end users can share a single drop fiber that couples the ONU to a passive optical network. The ONU architecture utilizes a multiplexer module to allow the ONU to be daisy chained with one or more additional ONUs. |
| US08548321B2 |
Optical transmission apparatus
In an optical transmission apparatus, a unit includes a first connection section, a second connection section, a branching section, a first detection section, and a second detection section. The first connection section connects to a first component. The second connection section connects to a second component. The branching section is disposed at a preceding stage of the second connection section and outputs signal light to the first component through the first connection section. The first detection section determines whether the first component receives the signal light output from the branching section. The second detection section is disposed at a subsequent stage of the second connection section and detects the signal light. |
| US08548320B2 |
Method for monitoring wavelength-division multiplexed signal
A method for monitoring wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) signal for detecting signal drift of objective signals, including generation of one or more objective signals and a guard signal. The guard signal has a wavelength that is within a range defined by a guard channel. The first and second objective signals and the guard signal are wavelength-division multiplexed to generate a wavelength-division multiplexed signal. The first objective signal, the second objective signal, and the guard signal are assigned to a first multiplexed objective channel, a second multiplexed objective channel, and a multiplexed guard channel, respectively. The wavelength-division multiplexed signal is received by a monitor and then the error rate of the multiplexed guard channel is determined. |
| US08548318B2 |
Vibrating device and image equipment having the same
A dust-screening member is shaped like a plate as a whole, and has at least one side that is symmetric with respect to a virtual axis on a surface of the member. A vibrating member is adjacent to one side of the dust-screening member, arranged on the surface along the one side, and configured to produce, at the surface, vibration having a vibrational amplitude perpendicular to the surface. A drive unit is configured to drive the vibrating member to produce the vibration on the surface, such that peak ridges of the vibration form a closed loop and an area including a center of the closed loop is surrounded by a node area having almost no vibrational amplitude. When a thickness of the dust-screening member is assumed to be tg and a thickness of the vibrating member is assumed to be tp, tg/tp has a dimension of 0.8. |
| US08548316B2 |
Apparatus and method for controlling light intensity of camera
Provided is an apparatus and method of controlling light intensity of a camera. The method of controlling light intensity of a camera includes generating a code value for correcting a positional error of the camera to store the positional error in a memory, and then, reflecting the code value for correcting the positional error to generate a code value upon auto-focusing. Next, after measuring a distance to a subject through displacement of a camera lens according to the auto-focusing, light intensity of a flash is adjusted according to the distance to the subject. |
| US08548312B2 |
High efficiency high accuracy heater driver
A rapid thermal process chamber having a lamp driver circuit that includes two transistors and two diodes is described. The rapid thermal process chamber includes a plurality of halogen lamps, the lamp driver, a temperature sensor that measures wafer temperature, a temperature controller connected to the temperature sensor and to the lamp driver, the temperature controller providing control signals to the lamp driver that are functions of the wafer temperature and a desired temperature. The lamp driver includes two transistors that are controlled by the control signals so that the power factor of the power supplied to the plurality of halogen lamps is in the range of 0.9 to 1. |
| US08548311B2 |
Apparatus and method for improved control of heating and cooling of substrates
Methods and apparatus for processing substrates and controlling the heating and cooling of substrates are described. A radiation source providing radiation in a first range of wavelengths heats the substrate within a predetermined temperature range, the substrate being absorptive of radiation in a second range of wavelengths within the first range of wavelengths and within the predetermined temperature range. A filter prevents at least a portion of radiation within the second wavelength range from reaching the substrate. |
| US08548309B2 |
Playback apparatus
According to one embodiment, a capturing apparatus includes a capturing unit configured to capture a moving image video, a storage unit configured to store the moving image video captured by the capturing unit, an operation unit configured to include a plurality of keys used to instruct playback of the moving image video stored in the storage unit, a skip playback unit configured to play back the moving image video while skipping the moving image video at predetermined time intervals every time a predetermined operation is made on the operation unit, and a playback control unit configured to switch the time intervals skipped by the skip playback unit based on the total playback time period of the moving image video. |
| US08548307B2 |
Apparatus and method for recording AV streams onto a recording medium
The present invention facilitates reading in advance information on addresses where data of each reproduction path to be reproduced is stored. Clip AV stream 1 to Clip AV stream 3 of angles forming a multiangle are managed by PlayList#1 to PlayList#3 for the different angles. Each of PlayList#1 to PlayList#3 is divided by angle change points. Each of the divided reproducing sections corresponds to a PlayItem. Correspondences between source packet numbers and presentation time stamps of the angle change points are recorded in an EP_map. The present invention is applicable to DVD recording and reproducing apparatus, for example. |
| US08548305B2 |
Method and apparatus for recording a digital information signal
Method and apparatus of contiguously recording a sequence of ordered AfV information signals, and corresponding management information signals, on a disc-like recording medium of the write-once type. The method comprises allocating a reserved area within a linear addressing space of the disc, contiguously recording the A/V information signals in a video recording area located succeeding the reserved area, recording corresponding management data in a temporary overview space succeeding the video recording area, generating a mapping table (39) for mapping the recorded management data to address locations in the reserved area and recording the mapping table (39) in the temporary overview space. The mapping table (39) used when recording information according to VCPS comprises a structure (39a), preventing the overwriting of the management data by recorders not familiar with VCPS. The structure is preferably formed by a mapping-table header field (39a) containing dummy data. |
| US08548304B2 |
Apparatus and method for displaying available video play times based on remaining battery capacity
A apparatus and method for displaying available video play times are provided. Information about a remaining battery capacity of a video playing apparatus and information about a resolution of a video file is received from a first signal input unit, and information contained in a codec-resolution mapping table is received from a second signal input unit. Available video play times associated with video decoding modes are acquired based on the information received from the first signal input unit and the information received from the second signal input unit. |
| US08548297B2 |
Method and system for utilizing storage in network video recorders
The subject matter discloses a method, comprising obtaining a current retention time of storage associated with a digital recorder; obtaining current bitrates of channels used to transmit video captured by edge devices communicating with the digital recorder. The method then determines change in compression rates to be allocated to at least a portion of the channels according to the current retention time and the current bitrates and transmits the change in compression rates to be allocated to the channels to edge devices communicating with the digital recorder. The method can be implemented in a system in which several digital recorders use the same storage. |
| US08548296B2 |
Electronic apparatus, content reproducing method, and content decoding method
[Object] To promptly decode and reproduce content of any encoding formats.[Solving Means] If a TV (1) judges that it cannot decode content to be viewed by a user, the TV (1) asks another apparatus such as a game apparatus (3) or PC (4) whether it can decode the content via a high-speed data line (150) capable of performing bidirectional IP communication in expanded HDMI and transmits the content and decoding request command thereof to an apparatus which has answered that it can perform decoding, via the high-speed data line (150). The game apparatus (3) or the PC (4) which has received the decoding request decodes the content and transmits the decoded content as a baseline signal to the TV (1) via TMDS channels in expanded HDMI so that the content is reproduced. |
| US08548294B2 |
Optical fiber cable and optical fiber ribbon
Amono-coated optical fiber that has a bending loss characteristic in which an optical loss increase at a bending radius 13 mm is 0.2 dB/10 turn or less, an optical fiber ribbon that includes two-dimensionally disposed resin portions for bonding the adjacent 2-fiber mono-coated optical fibers in plural places, the resin portions being disposed apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber ribbon and an optical fiber cable that includes a cable core portion that stores twisting of plural units where the mono-coated optical fibers constituting the optical fiber ribbon are collected. |
| US08548293B2 |
Fiber optic cable
A fiber optic cable includes an optical fiber, a strength layer surrounding the optical fiber, and an outer jacket surrounding the strength layer. The strength layer includes a matrix material in which is integrated a plurality of reinforcing fibers. A fiber optic cable includes an optical fiber, a strength layer, a first electrical conductor affixed to an outer surface of the strength layer, a second electrical conductor affixed to the outer surface of the strength layer, and an outer jacket. The strength layer includes a polymeric material in which is embedded a plurality of reinforcing fibers. A method of manufacturing a fiber optic cable includes mixing a base material in an extruder. A strength layer is formed about an optical fiber. The strength layer includes a polymeric film with embedded reinforcing fibers disposed in the film. The base material is extruded through an extrusion die to form an outer jacket. |
| US08548292B2 |
Hybrid integrated optical elements
The present invention provides an assembly (1) of integrated optical components and methods of producing thereof wherein the assembly (1) of optically linked optical components comprises a motherboard (2) having one or more primary lateral reference features (28) and a sub-assembly (20) comprising an optical component (22) mounted on a daughterboard (24), said sub-assembly (20) having one or more secondary lateral reference features (30). The primary lateral reference features may be optical alignment features. The daughterboard (24) may be mounted on the motherboard (2) such that the optical component (22) may extend into a motherboard recess (18). The lateral alignment of the component (22) with the motherboard (2) is provided by aligning the primary (28) and secondary lateral reference features (30). The daughterboard (24) may further comprise tertiary lateral reference features (42) which in combination with the secondary lateral reference features 30 form a self correcting alignment system. |
| US08548291B2 |
Optical amplifier for multi-core optical fiber
One aspect provides an optical device. The optical device includes a first and a second array of optical couplers, a plurality of waveguides and a plurality of pump couplers located over a surface of a substrate. The optical couplers of the first array are able to end-couple in a one-to-one manner to the optical cores of a first multi-core fiber having an end facing and adjacent to the first array and the surface. The optical couplers of the second array are able to end-couple in a one-to-one manner to optical cores having ends facing and adjacent to the second array. The plurality of optical waveguides connects in a one-to-one manner the optical couplers of the first array to the optical couplers of the second array. Each optical waveguide has a pump coupler connected thereto between the ends of the waveguide. |
| US08548287B2 |
Direct interlayer optical coupler
In an MCM, an optical signal is conveyed by an optical waveguide disposed on a surface of a first substrate to an optical coupler having a vertical facet. This optical coupler has an optical mode that is different than the optical mode of the optical waveguide. For example, the spatial extent of the optical mode associated with the optical coupler may be larger, thereby reducing optical losses and sensitivity to alignment errors. Then, the optical signal is directly coupled from the vertical facet to a facing vertical facet of an identical optical coupler on another substrate, and the optical signal is conveyed in another optical waveguide disposed on the other substrate. |
| US08548286B2 |
Imaging laser diodes with a lightwave circuit
A method for imaging light from a plurality of laser diodes (504) onto a multi-channel light valve (6) includes applying light from the plurality of laser diodes to a fiber waveguide (508) wherein each of the plurality of laser diodes is coupled to the fiber waveguide; guiding the light from the fiber waveguide through a planar lightwave circuit (PLC) (408) wherein light from the plurality of laser diodes is combined in the PLC; splitting the combined light in the PLC; and directing the split light from the PLC onto the multi-channel light valve. |
| US08548285B2 |
Manufacturing method of optical sensor module and optical sensor module obtained thereby
A method of manufacturing an optical sensor module which eliminates the need for the operation of alignment between a core in an optical waveguide section and an optical element in a substrate section, and an optical sensor module obtained thereby. An optical waveguide section W1 including groove portions (fitting portions) 4a for the positioning of a substrate section, and a substrate section E1 including fitting plate portions (to-be-fitted portions) 5a for fitting engagement with the groove portions 4a are individually produced. The fitting plate portions 5a in the substrate section E1 are brought into fitting engagement with the groove portions 4a in the optical waveguide section W1 whereby the substrate section E1 and the optical waveguide section W1 are integrated together. |
| US08548283B2 |
Optical system having a photonic crystal structure and method of fabrication
An optical structure includes an optical waveguide and at least one photonic crystal structure. The optical structure also includes a structural portion mechanically coupled to the optical waveguide and the at least one photonic crystal structure such that a region substantially bounded by the structural portion, the optical waveguide, and the at least one photonic crystal structure has a specified volume. |
| US08548281B2 |
Electro-optic modulating device
Provided is an electro-optic modulating device. The electro-optic modulating device includes an optical waveguide with a vertical structure and sidewalls of the vertical structure are used to configure a junction. |
| US08548279B1 |
Image matching using orientational consistency
A method, system and computer program product for matching images is provided. The images to be matched are represented by feature points and feature vectors and orientations associated with the feature points. First, putative correspondences are determined by using feature vectors. A subset of putative correspondences is selected and the topological equivalence of the subset is determined. The topologically equivalent subset of putative correspondences is used to establish a motion estimation model. An orientation consistency test is performed on the putative correspondences and the corresponding motion estimation transformation that is determined, to avoid an infeasible transformation. A coverage test is performed on the matches that satisfy orientation consistency test. The candidate matches that do not cover a significant portion of one of the images are rejected. The final match images are provided in the order of decreasing matching, in case of multiple images satisfying all the test requirements. |
| US08548272B2 |
Image signal processing apparatus, image signal processing method, camera apparatus, image display apparatus, and image signal output apparatus
An image processing apparatus and method for obtaining an image signal to be processed. A classification information obtaining section obtains classification information indicating the image signal as one of a plurality of image signal types. The plurality of image signal types include a first type comprising a plurality of frames extracted from a large still image, the frames being extracted by moving an extracting area in units of an integer pixel per frame over the large still image, extracting the frames corresponding to the extraction area, and outputting an image signal corresponding to the frames. An image signal processing section then performs processing on the image signal based on the classification information. |
| US08548271B2 |
System and method for gas leakage detection
Imaging system and method for detecting the presence of a substance that has a detectable signature in a known spectral band. The system comprises a thermal imaging sensor and optics, and two interchangeable band-pass uncooled filters located between the optics and the detector. A first filter transmits electromagnetic radiation in a first spectral band that includes the known spectral band and blocks electromagnetic radiation for other spectral bands. A second filter transmits only electromagnetic radiation in a second spectral band in which the substance has no detectable signature. The system also includes a processor for processing the images to obtain a reconstructed fused image involving using one or more transforms aimed at obtaining similarity between one or more images acquired with the first filter and one or more images acquired with the second filter before reconstructing the fused image. |
| US08548267B1 |
Processing a digital image of content using content aware despeckling
Systems and methods for removing artifacts from a page of digital image are presented. More particularly, a digital image is obtained, the digital image having at least one page of content to be processed. A content bounding box is determined for the content of the page. Additionally, a set of segments is generating, the set corresponding to particular areas of the content within the content bounding box, each area associated with a type of content. For each segment of the set of segments, the following are performed. Despeckling criteria are selected for identifying artifacts according to the type associated with the segment. Artifacts are identified in the segment according to the despeckling criteria. The identified artifacts are then removed from the page. Thereafter, the updated digital image is stored in a content store. |
| US08548263B2 |
Delayed image decoding
In one or more embodiments, a framework is provided in which image decoding can be delayed based on heuristics, and later initiated based on a use type associated with the image or the likelihood that the image is going to be used. For example, a use history and priority system can enable images that are currently being rendered and/or are likely to get rendered to be decoded before images that have a history of being downloaded but never used. Accordingly, by decoupling image download from image decoding, CPU resources and memory can be more efficiently utilized. |
| US08548255B2 |
Method and apparatus for visual search stability
Various methods for visual search stability are provided. One example method includes determining a plurality of image matching distances for a captured object depicted in a video frame, where each image matching distance being indicative of a quality of a match between the captured object and a respective object match result. The example method further includes including, in a candidate pool, an indication of the object match results having image matching distances in a candidate region, discarding the object match results having image matching distances in a non-candidate region, and analyzing the object match results with image matching distances in a potential candidate region to include, in the candidate pool, indications of select object match results with image matching distances in the potential candidate region. Similar and related example methods and example apparatuses are also provided. |
| US08548246B2 |
Method and system for preprocessing an image for optical character recognition
A method and system for preprocessing an image, wherein the image includes a plurality of columns, or regions, of text is disclosed. A plurality of components associated with the text is determined. On determining the plurality of components, a line height and a column spacing is determined for the components. The components are then associated with a column based on the line height and the column spacing. A set of characteristic parameters are calculated for each column and the plurality of components of each column are merged based on the characteristic parameters to form sub-words and words. A first plurality of words and/or subwords is merged and processed as a first region and a second plurality of words and/or subwords is merged and processed as a second region wherein at least a portion of the second region vertically overlaps at least a portion of the first region. |
| US08548242B1 |
Method for omnidirectional processing of 2D images including recognizable characters
The invention is a method for omnidirectional recognition of recognizable characters in a captured two-dimensional image. An optical reader configured in accordance with the invention searches for pixel groupings in a starburst pattern, and subjects located pixel groupings to a preliminary edge crawling process which records the pixel position of the grouping's edge and records the count of edge pixels. If two similar-sized pixel groupings are located that are of sizes sufficient to potentially represent recognizable characters, then the reader launches “alignment rails” at pixel positions substantially parallel to a centerline connecting the center points of the two similarly sized groupings. A reader according to the invention searches for additional recognizable characters within the rail area, and subjects each located pixel grouping within the rail area to a shape-characterizing edge crawling process for developing data that characterizes the shape of a pixel grouping's edge. After adjusting the orientation representation of the shape-characterizing data the reader compares the developed shape-characterizing data to previously stored shape-characterizing data to determine the character represented by the grouping on the basis of the best fit data. |
| US08548237B2 |
Ordinal and spatial local feature vector based image representation
A local image patch identified in an image is divided into respective sub-patches of respective image forming elements. For each of the respective image forming elements in the local image patch, a respective ordinal rank of the image forming element is determined, and respective contributions of the image forming element to a particular one of the respective sub-patches containing the image forming element and to one or more other ones of the respective sub-patches neighboring the particular sub-patch are ascertained. Each ordinal rank corresponds to a respective dimension of an ordinal rank feature space. For each of the respective sub-patches of the local image patch, a respective histogram of ascertained contributions of the image forming elements in the ordinal rank feature space is built. A respective feature vector representing the local image patch is generated from the respective histograms built for the sub-patches of the local image. |
| US08548232B2 |
Image processing apparatus, method and program
An image processing apparatus includes a circumstance vector generation unit configured to acquire information indicating circumstances, to digitize the information, and to generate a circumstance vector, a conversion parameter calculation unit configured to weighted-add several conversion parameters specified by the circumstance vector among a plurality of previously prepared conversion parameters for image conversion, and a converted image generation unit configured to perform image conversion using the conversion parameters obtained by the weighted-adding with respect to an original image to be processed so as to generate a converted image. |
| US08548229B2 |
Method for detecting objects
A method for detecting objects, wherein two images of a surrounding (1) are taken and a disparity image is determined by means of stereo image processing, wherein a depth map of the surrounding (1) is determined from the determined disparities, wherein a free space delimiting line (2) is identified, delimiting an unobstructed region of the surrounding (1), wherein outside and along the free space delimiting line (1) the depth card is segmented by segments (3) of a suitable width formed by pixels of the same or similar distance to an image plane, wherein a height of each segment (3) is estimated as part of an object (4.1 to 4.6) located outside of the unobstructed region in a way, such that each segment (3) is characterized by the two-dimensional position of the base (for example the distance and angle to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle) and the height thereof. |
| US08548228B2 |
Multi-view image coding method, multi-view image decoding method, multi-view image coding device, multi-view image decoding device, multi-view image coding program, and multi-view image decoding program
The disclosed multi-view image coding/decoding device first obtains depth information for an object photographed in an area subject to processing. Next, a group of pixels in an already-coded (decoded) area which is adjacent to the area subject to processing and in which the same object as in the area subject to processing has been photographed is determined using the depth information and set as a sample pixel group. Then, a view synthesis image is generated for the pixels included in the sample pixel group and the area subject to processing. Next, correction parameters to correct illumination and color mismatches in the sample pixel group are estimated from the view synthesis image and the decoded image. A predicted image is then generated by correcting the view synthesis image relative to the area subject to processing using the estimated correction parameters. |
| US08548223B2 |
Inspection system and method
Optical image data of a mask is acquired. Reference image data associated with the optical images is created from design pattern data. Regional image data that includes pixel values denoted by multi-valued resolution based on importance level information of the patterns is created from region data including at least one portion of the patterns defined in the design pattern data. Defect determination is conducted on a pixel-by-pixel basis by comparing the optical image data with the reference image data, by means of either a plurality of threshold values determined by each pixel value within the regional image data or a plurality of defect determination methods. Image data of a section whose Mask Error Enhancement Factor (MEEF) is equal to or greater than a predetermined value is created from the region data including at least one portion of the patterns defined in the design pattern data. |
| US08548222B2 |
Seed sorter
Systems and methods are provided for evaluating and sorting seeds based on characteristics of the seeds. One method generally includes collecting image data from different parts of the seeds, and then analyzing the collected image data to determine if the seeds exhibit at least one or more characteristics. The seeds can then be sorted to desired seed repositories based on whether or not the seeds exhibit the at least one or more characteristics. |
| US08548220B2 |
Apparatus for media recognition and method for media kind distinction with the same
Disclosed is a medium recognition apparatus for determining the type of a medium by using color information obtained by scanning the inserted medium, as well as a method for determining the type of a medium by using the apparatus. Color information and size information obtained by scanning only a partial region of a medium image, the hue of the medium image scanned by the image sensor, or RGB channel color information scanned by the color sensor is compared with pre-stored reference information to determine the type of the medium. This guarantees that the type of the medium is determined quickly and accurately based on simple comparing results. |
| US08548217B2 |
Method and magnetic resonance system to correct distortions in image data
In a method for correction of distortions in image data in a diffusion imaging, the image data are acquired with an imaging MRT measurement for a predetermined diffusion weighting and map a predetermined image segment. A diffusion model for the image segment is determined. Output image data are determined for the image segment such that the output image data are essentially free of distortions caused by diffusion weighting. Reference image data are estimated for the predetermined diffusion weighting for the image segment based on the output image data and the diffusion model. The acquired image data are compared with the reference image data and the acquired image data are corrected based on the comparison. |
| US08548216B2 |
Method for noise reduction of CT images and image processing system
A method is disclosed for noise reduction of CT image data and an image processing system is disclosed. An object under examination is scanned and at least two CT image datasets are created, each being undertaken on the basis of a different x-ray generation process. Subsequently, the image datasets are split up into at least two split-up image datasets, with a lowest local frequency band and at least one high local frequency band. In at least one embodiment, this is followed by the determination of the noise in at least one of the image datasets for each x-ray spectrum and calculation of at least one new image dataset using an unchanged split-up image dataset in each case with the lowest frequency band and an image dataset created from a noise-minimized weighted combination of split-up image datasets, which originate from the scans with different x-ray energy spectrums. |
| US08548214B2 |
Providing information regarding medical conditions
Systems, methods, and computer program products are provided for using real-time video analysis and AR or the like to assist the user of mobile devices with commerce activities. Through the use of real-time vision object recognition medical conditions can be recognized in the real-time video stream and can be matched to medical condition related information regarding the medical condition and can also be matched to one or more targeted offers for products related to the medical condition. The medical condition related information may be presenting to the user of the mobile device in conjunction with display of the associated medical condition in a live video stream. Further, in some embodiments, a product can be recognized as products related to a previously recognized medical condition and indicators associated with the recognized products can be presented with the real-time video stream. |
| US08548208B2 |
Multifactor multimedia biometric authentication
A device may receive a request to authenticate a user, automatically establish a multimedia session with the user in response to receiving the request, and capture a group of biometric identifiers for the user from the multimedia session. The device may further perform a group of biometric authentication operations using the analyzed or captured biometric identifiers to obtain a group of authentication scores, determine whether the user is properly authenticated based on the group of authentication scores, and transmit a message representing the determination of whether the user is properly authenticated. |
| US08548206B2 |
Methods and systems for capturing biometric data
A method of capturing biometric data is provided that includes activating a security application in a device. The security application is activated by an operator of the device and is configured to cause the device to display an outline image. Moreover, the method includes displaying the outline image in a stationary position on a display of the device, positioning desired biometric data proximate the device such that the desired biometric data appears as a biometric image on the device display, and monitoring the outline and biometric images shown on the device display. Furthermore, the method includes positioning the device and the desired biometric data to better align the outline and biometric images when the outline and biometric images do not align and capturing the desired biometric data from an individual after approximately aligning the outline image with the biometric image. |
| US08548204B2 |
Image processing device, method for processing image, and program for processing image
An image processing device is comprising: an input unit which inputs image data of a chart; and a streak detection processing unit which specifies an inspection region in the inputted image data, calculates a line average which is an average of all pixels on a line, for each line in a sub-scanning direction in the inspection region, calculates a width average value which is an average of the line averages of the lines corresponding to a series of main scanning pixels, the number of which is a specified width and whose center is a target pixel, for each target pixel, calculates a difference between the width average value, and the average of the line averages of the target pixel and a predetermined number of main scanning pixels, and determines that the target pixel is included in a streak when the difference exceeds the threshold value set in advance. |
| US08548202B2 |
Moving object detecting device, moving object detecting method, and computer program
An apparatus for detecting movement of an object captured by an imaging device, the apparatus includes a moving object detection unit, that is (1) operable to detect movement of an object based on a first moving object detecting process, and (2) operable to detect movement of the object based on a second moving object detecting process. The apparatus also includes an output unit operable to generate an output based on the detection by the moving object detection unit based on at least one of the first and second moving object detecting processes. |
| US08548201B2 |
Apparatus and method for recognizing identifier of vehicle
The present invention detects a candidate ROI group associated with character strings/figure strings on the basis of a result acquired through prior learning of various types of license plates, verifies the interested region candidate group detected by using at least one condition of five predetermined conditions, and determines an MBR region in the selected ROI region from the verified interested region candidate group by considering a ratio between the height and width of the ROI region to recognize the license plate for the automobile. According to the present invention, it is possible to automatically detect the location of the license plate regardless of various types of license plate specifications defined for each of countries. |
| US08548200B2 |
Lane-marker recognition system with improved recognition-performance
In a lane-marker recognition system installed in a vehicle, an image pickup unit picks up an image of a target region including a road ahead of the vehicle, and a light-intensity detecting unit detects a change in a light intensity of the target region in the picked-up image. A lane-marker recognizing unit compares the change in the light intensity of the target region in the picked-up image with a predetermined threshold value, and recognizes a region of at least one lane marker in the target region based on a result of the comparison, the at least one lane marker being formed on the road. A re-determining unit re-determines the threshold value based on a light intensity of the recognized region of the at least one lane marker. |
| US08548199B2 |
Image processing device, object selection method and program
There is provided an image processing device including: a data storage unit that stores object identification data for identifying an object operable by a user and feature data indicating a feature of appearance of each object; an environment map storage unit that stores an environment map representing a position of one or more objects existing in a real space and generated based on an input image obtained by imaging the real space using an imaging device and the feature data stored in the data storage unit; and a selecting unit that selects at least one object recognized as being operable based on the object identification data, out of the objects included in the environment map stored in the environment map storage unit, as a candidate object being a possible operation target by a user. |
| US08548190B2 |
Composite speaker
A composite speaker is provided capable of obtaining larger sound output than that of a conventional flat panel speaker and flat speaker when input with an audio signal of the same strength. The composite speaker includes: one magnet or a plurality of magnets disposed at predetermined intervals to each other; a yoke for forming a magnetic circuit with a magnetic gap to the magnets; a voice coil disposed in a gap between the magnets and the yoke so as to interlink with the magnetic circuit; a diaphragm with the voice coil fixed to one face thereof; a frame that supports the diaphragm at peripheral edge portions of the diaphragm and houses the magnets and the yoke; a speaker base plate fixed to the frame at the side of the frame supporting the diaphragm or at the side of the frame opposite to the side supporting the diaphragm; and a phase rotation member configured by an elastic member provided between the speaker base plate and the yoke; wherein sound is generated from both the diaphragm and the speaker base plate. |
| US08548188B2 |
Diaphragm, method making the same and loudspeaker using the same
A diaphragm includes a carbon nanotube film structure and an amorphous carbon structure composited with the carbon nanotube structure to form a stratiform composite structure. The carbon nanotube film structure defines a plurality of micropores therein. The amorphous carbon structure comprises a plurality of amorphous carbon particles received in the micropores. |
| US08548187B2 |
Multi-channel sound producing structure for headphones
A sound producing structure for headphones comprises an enclosure composed of a box and a perforated cover for sealing the box, the box defining a compartment for accommodating a low-frequency ceramic speaker therein, the low-frequency ceramic speaker being suspended between two opposing interior surfaces of the box respectively via a spring means, two ceramic speakers respectively mounted to a top interior surface and a bottom interior surface of the box respectively via a mounting means, the two ceramic speakers being slantingly mounted and facing toward the perforated cover. The low-frequency ceramic speaker and the two ceramic speakers can work together to deliver sounds of different frequency bands to produce a multi-channel sound effect. In addition, the sound producing structure can be employed to design a thinner headphone for increasing portability. |
| US08548183B2 |
Hearing device with individually aligned electronic component and production method
The equipment size of a hearing device is intended to be reduced. Therefore, a hearing device, in particular an ITE hearing aid, is proposed with a shell having a user-specific shape, a faceplate for closing-off the shell and an electronic component which is attached to the faceplate using a support. The support is individually formed taking into account the shape of the shell, and/or a position of the support on the faceplate is individually determined taking into account the shape of the shell. As a result of the individual support, it is possible to cut down on installation space and therefore the shell can be shortened. In particular, the support can be formed integrally with the faceplate in order to simplify the production method. |
| US08548182B2 |
Auxiliary member for hearing aid
This auxiliary member for a hearing aid comprises a main body case (1) having an insertion hole (3) of a hearing aid (2) on a top face, a hearing aid accommodating space (1A) provided to the portion corresponding to the insertion hole (3) inside this main body case (1), a holding member (15) that holds the hearing aid (2) accommodated in this hearing aid accommodating space (1A), a manipulation component (11) for manipulating this holding member (15), and an opening component (16) for opening a battery case (5) of the hearing aid (2) accommodated in the hearing aid accommodating space (1A). |
| US08548173B2 |
Sound volume correcting device, sound volume correcting method, sound volume correcting program, and electronic apparatus
A sound volume correcting device includes: a variable gain unit controlling a gain of an input audio signal on the basis of a gain control signal; a voice average level detector detecting an average level of a human voice signal in the input audio signal; and a gain control signal generator generating the gain control signal for controlling the gain of the input audio signal using the average level of the human voice signal detected by the voice average level detector as a reference level and supplying the generated gain control signal to the variable gain unit. |
| US08548169B2 |
Communication apparatus, key server, and data
A communication apparatus that encrypts a plurality of pieces that constitute a part of data and transmits the encrypted pieces stores an encrypted piece that is one of the pieces encrypted by another communication apparatus, and first decryption key information used for decrypting the encrypted piece, while keeping the encrypted piece and the first decryption key information in correspondence with each other. Further, the communication apparatus generates temporary information that can be different at each time of generation, further performs an encrypting process on the encrypted piece based on the temporary information, and outputs a new encrypted piece. The communication apparatus transmits the new encrypted piece, the first decryption key information that is stored in correspondence with the encrypted piece, and second decryption key information used for decrypting the encrypting process. |
| US08548166B2 |
Method for partially encrypting program data
A cable television system provides conditional access to services. The cable television system includes a headend from which service “instances,” or programs, are broadcast and a plurality of set top units for receiving the instances and selectively decrypting the instances for display to system subscribers. The service instances are partially-encrypted using public and/or private keys provided by service providers or central authorization agents. Keys used by the set tops for selective decryption may also be public or private in nature, and such keys may be reassigned at different times to provide a cable television system in which piracy concerns are minimized. |
| US08548165B2 |
Method of compressing a cryptographic value
A computer implemented method of compressing a digitally represented cryptographic value. The method comprising the steps of: (a) selecting a secret value; (b) performing a cryptographic operation on the secret value to generate the cryptographic value; (c) determining whether the cryptographic value satisfies the pre-determined criteria; and (d) repeating the sequence of steps starting at step (a) until the cryptographic value satisfies the pre-determined criteria. |
| US08548164B2 |
Method and device for the encryption and decryption of data
Digital data blocks are encrypted, each data block that is to be encrypted being associated with a time reference. A value of an initialization vector Vi and an encryption key K are defined. Then, a counter C is obtained for each data block to be encoded, by combining the time reference and the value of the initialization vector. A series of binary encryption elements is obtained via an encryption function taking the encryption key K and counter C as input parameters. The data block is then encrypted by combining it with the series of binary encryption elements. |
| US08548163B2 |
Simultaneous scalar multiplication method
In computing point multiples in elliptic curve schemes (e.g. kP and sQ) separately using, for example, Montgomery's method for the purpose of combining kP+sQ, several operations are repeated in computing kP and sQ individually, that could be executed at the same time. A simultaneous scalar multiplication method is provided that reduces the overall number of doubling and addition operations thereby providing an efficient method for multiple scalar multiplication. The elements in the pairs for P and Q method are combined into a single pair, and the bits in k and s are evaluated at each step as bit pairs. When the bits in k and s are equal, only one doubling operation and one addition operation are needed to compute the current pair, and when the bits in k and s are not equal, only one doubling operation is needed and two addition operations. |
| US08548161B2 |
Crytographically transforming data text
In the field of cryptography there is a need to reduce the time taken to cryptographically transform data text while maintaining the low memory requirements associated with conventional square-and-multiply modular exponentiation.A method of cryptographically transforming data text c comprises the step of generating an integer representation m of the data text c according to m=cd where d is a predetermined exponent. The step of generating the integer representation m includes generating a sequence of intermediate numbers, each intermediate number being based on two or fewer earlier numbers in the sequence. Generating a sequence of intermediate numbers includes retrieving a pre-stored instruction to determine which two or fewer earlier numbers in the sequence a given intermediate number is based on and the functional manipulation of the or each earlier number required to generate the given intermediate number. |
| US08548159B2 |
Waterproof structure and electronic equipment
With a waterproof structure for the space between a first case and a diaphragm doubling as a display panel provided facing the first case, a first resilient member is integrally formed at a surface of the diaphragm facing the first case, and the first resilient member is press-fitted into a groove formed in a surface of the first case facing the diaphragm side. |
| US08548156B2 |
Method and system for blocking lower priority communications for improved automatic call distribution
A method for automatic call distribution includes receiving an incoming call for distribution through an automatic call distributor and identifying an agent to handle the incoming call. The method includes transitioning the agent to a transition state to reserve the agent for handling the incoming call. The transition state prevents the agent from participating in a lower priority call. |
| US08548154B2 |
Method and system of ringtone uploading service
The present invention discloses a ringtone uploading service method and system used in color ring back tone (CRBT) service. The present invention is that when a ringtone system successfully uploads a ringtone to at least one but not all ringtone servers, it records ringtone uploading information, sends a message about the successful uploading of the ringtone to an uploading terminal, and re-uploads the ringtone to the ringtone servers to which the ringtone has not been successfully uploaded. The ringtone uploading solution proposed in the present invention will greatly improve the success rate of ringtone uploading. |
| US08548150B2 |
Location relevant directory assistance
A method for location relevant directory assistance through a PSTN is provided. The method can include connecting a calling party with a called party through a switch in a PSTN, receiving a directory assistance request from the calling party over the PSTN, and querying a database disposed within the PSTN to retrieve caller identification for the calling party. The method can further include retrieving from over a data communications network separate from the PSTN a call address in response to the querying of the database for the calling party from the database disposed within the PSTN. Location relevant directory information can be identified from a database that is external to the PSTN based upon the retrieved call address. Subsequently, the directory assistance request can be responded to using the identified location relevant directory information. |
| US08548149B2 |
System and method employed by answering service to dynamically shield against unwanted telephonic contact attempts
An answering service answers calls on behalf of called parties when callers place incoming calls to the called parties and the called parties are unable or unwilling to answer the incoming calls directly. A dynamic shield is employed to detect and respond to unwanted (“junk”) calls from nuisance callers. The dynamic shield includes: a detection module that detects patterns from calls received at the answering service and, for each of one or more nuisance callers, identifies the nuisance caller from the detected patterns; a database module within which the detection module creates and stores a caller record corresponding to the identified nuisance caller; and a shield module operating with reference to the caller record in the database module to screen out further junk calls from the identified nuisance caller. |
| US08548148B1 |
Customer callback reward system and method
A system and method for handling calls at one or more call centers. In an exemplary method of the invention, it may be determined whether a call should be transferred from the VSS to an agent of a call center based on, for example, agent availability or queue wait times. When it is determined to transfer the call to the agent, it may be determined whether a callback call should be offered to the caller. When it is determined to offer the callback call, the method may include providing one or more time blocks to which the caller can initiate the callback call to receive higher priority routing. Upon calling back into the system within one of the time blocks, the call may receive preferential routing treatment. |
| US08548147B2 |
Calculating a fully qualified number
A teleconference server may calculate a fully qualified number (FQN), which specifies a string of numbers that, if dialed by an calling party, will establish a call with a called party. The fully qualified number may include, for example, an external access code, an international access code, a country code, a national destination code, and/or a subscriber number. In order to determine a calling party and a called party, the teleconference server may access data regarding a scheduled call. The teleconference server may determine a fully qualified number based on the relationship between the called party and the calling party. The teleconference server may send the fully qualified number to the calling party, which may then initiate a scheduled call with the called party by dialing the received fully qualified number. |
| US08548146B2 |
Method and system to manage connections on a conference bridge
A method is for managing connections on a conference bridge. The method includes determining a first noise level associated with a connection between a conference port and a conference server while there is no substantial contribution to the first noise level by a participant's device, determining a second noise level associated with a connection between the participant's device and the conference port while there is no substantial contribution to the second noise level by the participant's device, and determining whether the participant's device should be allowed to be connected to the conference bridge or whether at least one corrective action should be performed based on at least one of the first and second noise levels. Corresponding computer-readable mediums and systems are disclosed. |
| US08548141B2 |
Techniques for transfer error recovery
Techniques for transfer error recovery are described. A system may comprise a context generator module operative to record context information for a first call session between a first call terminal and a call system resource, and store the context information with a context identifier in a context table. The system may include a transfer error context module to couple to the context generator module, the transfer error context module operative to generate transfer error context information having the context identifier. The system may include a call transfer module to couple to the transfer error context module, the call transfer module operative to send the transfer error context information to the first call terminal for use in case of a transfer failure event. Other embodiments are described and claimed. |
| US08548139B2 |
System and method for verifying a video call number entry in a directory
A system and method allowing users of video call endpoints to register their video call addresses in a local, regional and/or global directory, where the directory is configured to validate whether the video call address is a valid accessible address and that the user registering the video call number actually has physical access to the a video call device using the video call address. |
| US08548135B1 |
Systems and methods for visual presentation and selection of IVR menu
Embodiments of the invention provide a communication device. The communication device comprises a database comprising one or more visual IVR menus associated with a plurality of calling devices. Further, the communication device comprises means for receiving a call from a phone number of a calling device, and means for displaying a visual IVR menu associated with the phone number of the calling device. |
| US08548126B2 |
Polarized telephone system for 3-state and 4-state systems
A firefighter's telephone communication system is provided that includes a polarized telephone station that may be connected to either 3-state (detection of normal, open, or call-in) or 4-state (detection of normal, open, short, or call-in) telephone control panel, without the need to alter the telephone station. |
| US08548122B2 |
Method and apparatus for generating multiple studies
Information indicative of multiple regions of the anatomy of a patient (602, 604, 606), such as one or more of the head, neck, chest, abdomen, or pelvis, is obtained in a single scan. A plurality of studies (32) are generated. Each study definition includes a region of the patient's anatomy (602, 604) and a study protocol. Each study (32) includes (48) images generated using information from the scan and the value of the imaging parameter. |
| US08548121B2 |
X-ray analyzer
Provided is an X-ray analyzer that is capable of reducing measurement time necessary for mapping analysis by measuring only regions on a sample targeted by a measurer with minimal action. A superimposition process of a mapping image and image data of the sample is performed, and a position corresponding to an irradiation point is determined. Based on the result, the image is displayed, and measurement execution regions are designated on the displayed image and hence a sample moving mechanism moves at high speed in regions excluding the designated regions. |
| US08548120B2 |
Dental imaging using segmentation and an arch
A method and a system for generating an image by obtaining x-ray image data, segmenting the x-ray image data into a first portion above a vertical threshold and a second portion below the vertical threshold. Further, the method and the system include generating an arch for the second plurality of slices, and generating an image based on the arch. |
| US08548118B2 |
Apparatus and method for spectral projection imaging with fast KV switching
A CT system includes a gantry, an x-ray source configured to project x-rays toward an object, an x-ray detector positioned to receive x-rays from the x-ray source that pass through the object, a generator configured to energize the x-ray source to a first voltage and to a second voltage that is distinct from the first voltage, and a controller configured to cause the gantry to position the source and generator at a circumferential position during an imaging session, pass the object through the opening during the imaging session, cause the generator to energize the x-ray source to the first voltage and to the second voltage, acquire imaging data while the generator energizes the x-ray source to the first voltage and to the second voltage while the rotatable gantry is at the circumferential position, and generate an image using the imaging data. |
| US08548116B2 |
Method for scanning a heart with a dual-source CT device and embodiment of a dual-source CT device
A method is disclosed for CT scanning a heart with a dual-source CT device including detectors of different widths in a system axis direction and for reconstruction of tomographic image data. In at least one embodiment, at least two circular scans are performed at different z positions and the spacing in the z direction is chosen such that at least two first scan zones are produced which are scanned by way of a circular scan with two detectors and at least one second scan zone is produced which is scanned twice by one detector in two successive circular scans, wherein a dual-source reconstruction is performed in the first scan zones and a two-segment reconstruction is performed in the at least one second scan zone and finally a common tomographic image data set is produced. Further, at least one embodiment is directed to a dual-source CT device in which the detectors have different widths in the system axis direction. |
| US08548115B2 |
Shift register unit and gate drive device for liquid crystal display
A shift register unit and a gate drive device for a liquid crystal display are disclosed. Both gate and drain of the tenth thin film transistor are connected to the source of the fifth thin film transistor, a source thereof is connected to a low voltage signal input terminal, threshold voltages of the eighth thin film transistor and the ninth thin film transistor are equal to or less than threshold voltage of the tenth thin film transistor. The shift register unit and the gate drive device for liquid crystal display provided in the present invention, could enable the thin film transistor used to suppress the noise in the shift register unit to maintain turning on, therefore it guarantees the reliability of the shift register unit. |
| US08548111B2 |
Sampler circuit
A sampler circuit comprises a plurality of series-connected sampler cells and a detector circuit. Each successive stage comprises twice the number of sampler cells, in parallel, as the previous stage, and is clocked at half the sampling frequency of the previous stage. Each sampler cell comprises two parallel branches of series-connected clocked inverters. A clocked inverter is operative to invert an applied signal during one phase of an applied sampling clock, and to render a high impedance output during the other sampling clock phase. Successive clocked inverters are clocked with opposite (i.e., positive/negative) versions of the sampling clock. The detector circuit examines the outputs of the last stage of sampler cells, and may for example comprise an OR function to detect a state transition in an applied input signal. The sampler circuit exhibits immunity to metastability and low power consumption. |
| US08548108B2 |
Adaptive phase equalizer
In particular embodiments, a method includes generating by a data detector a recovered data signal from a phase-equalized signal based on the transmitted data in the phase-equalized signal; comparing by a phase-distortion detector the phase-equalized signal and the recovered data signal with each other; based on the comparison, determining by the phase-distortion detector a phase-distortion level; generating by the phase-distortion detector a phase-distortion-level signal based on the phase-distortion level; generating by an integrator a phase-equalize-level signal based on the phase-distortion-level signal; and adjusting by a phase equalizer a transmitted-data signal based on the phase-equalize-level signal, the adjustment of the transmitted-data signal providing the phase-equalized signal or a phase pre-distorted signal configured to be distorted into the phase-equalized signal by transmission across a communication channel, the transmitted-data signal comprising the transmitted data. |
| US08548104B2 |
Receiver with configurable clock frequencies
A method includes, in a receiver that operates using multiple clock signals having respective clock frequencies, accepting a request to receive a target channel frequency. In response to the request, a set of preferred clock frequencies is calculated, which when applied by the receiver will cause the receiver to tune to the target channel frequency while satisfying a predefined criterion relating to interference caused by the clock signals. The target channel frequency is received by setting the clock signals to the preferred clock frequencies. |
| US08548103B2 |
Method and apparatus of adaptive transmission signal detection based on signal-to-noise ratio and Chi-squared distribution
Disclosed are a method and apparatus of adaptive transmission signal detection based on a signal-to-noise ratio and a Chi-squared distribution for decoding a reception signal in the form of multi-streams into a transmission signal, the method comprising: receiving a reception signal vector; estimating a channel matrix of a channel that the reception signal vector experienced; performing QR decomposition based on the estimated channel matrix; calculating dimensions of divisional spaces adaptively on the basis of a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) or a signal-to-interference noise ratio (SINR); detecting a maximum likelihood point having a maximum likelihood value among lattice points within each divisional space obtained on the basis of results from performing the QR decomposition and calculating dimension of the divisional spaces; and recovering a transmission signal vector based on the detected maximum likelihood points. |
| US08548100B2 |
Method and system for performing complex sampling of signals by using two or more sampling channels and for calculating time delays between these channels
A method and system for performing complex sampling of signals by using two or more sampling channels and for calculating time delays between these channels. According to certain embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter, the system and method are operable to enable a complex sampling of a signal in a frequency-domain by means of a predefined-order sampling, including utilizing a sampling channel for converting an analog signal to a corresponding substantially non-delayed digital signal; and transforming the digital signal to a plurality of corresponding frequency-domain substantially non-delayed discrete components; providing one or more additional sampling channels enabling to perform a predefined-order sampling, the predefined-order depending on a number of the one or more additional sampling channels, each additional sampling channel configured to perform a number of stage, giving rise to the multiplied frequency-domain delayed discrete components; and combining the multiplied frequency-domain delayed discrete components with the corresponding frequency-domain substantially non-delayed discrete components, giving rise to an output frequency-domain complex signal. |
| US08548098B2 |
Clock-free activation circuit
A circuit for recovering data from an incoming data stream according to one embodiment includes a capacitor and a substantially constant current source for charging the capacitor. A subcircuit generates a signal causing the capacitor to discharge upon detecting a first type of transition in the incoming data stream, the capacitor re-charging upon being at least partially discharged. A comparator compares a voltage on a node coupled to the capacitor to a reference voltage, the comparator outputting a first signal if the voltage on the node is higher than the reference voltage and outputting a second signal if the voltage on the node is lower than the reference voltage, the first signal being associated with a first logic value, the second signal being associated with a second logic value. |
| US08548095B2 |
Method of generating codebook and transmitting data in a multi-input multi-output system
A method for designing an optimized codebook in a multi-input multi-output communication method using various codebooks is disclosed. In particular, an optimized codebook with respect to eight transmission antennas is devised, and a method for effectively transmitting data by using the optimized codebook is disclosed. |
| US08548093B2 |
Power amplification based on frequency control signal
Methods and systems for vector combining power amplification are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a plurality of signals is individually amplified, then summed to form a desired time-varying complex envelope signal. Phase and/or frequency characteristics of one or more of the signals are controlled to provide the desired phase, frequency, and/or amplitude characteristics of the desired time-varying complex envelope signal. In another embodiment, a time-varying complex envelope signal is decomposed into a plurality of constant envelope constituent signals. The constituent signals are amplified equally or substantially equally, and then summed to construct an amplified version of the original time-varying envelope signal. Embodiments also perform frequency up-conversion. |
| US08548090B2 |
Transmitting apparatus and method in mobile communications system
A transmitting apparatus in a mobile communications system is disclosed. The apparatus includes: a data modulating unit which maps a predetermined number of data sets to one or more reference signal points of a symbol constellation; an inverse Fourier transforming unit which inverse Fourier transforms a data-modulated signal, generating a time-domain signal; a peak suppressing unit which suppresses the time-domain signal such that a peak power decreases when the time-domain signal meets a predetermined condition; a Fourier transforming unit which Fourier transforms the peak-suppressed signal and generates a frequency-domain signal; and a modifying unit which modifies the frequency-domain signal, and provides the modified signal to the inverse Fourier transforming unit, wherein the modifying unit is arranged to move, when a peak-suppressed signal point in the symbol constellation does not belong to a predetermined surrounding area, the peak-suppressed signal point to a point within the surrounding area. |
| US08548089B2 |
System and method for packet communication
A system and method for packet communication is disclosed. Echo in a received symbol stream may be reduced to produce an echo-reduced symbol stream. The echo-reduced symbol stream may be buffered and aligned according to a deskew signal to produce a deskewed symbol stream. The deskewed symbol stream may be decoded to produce a decoded packet. |
| US08548088B2 |
Method for transmitting/receiving data in a multiple-input multiple-output system using multi-carrier
A method for transmitting/receiving data in a Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) communication system is disclosed. The data transmission method includes determining a precoding matrix to be a part of a phase-shift-based precoding matrix, determining a first diagonal matrix for phase shift to be a part of the phase-shift-based precoding matrix, determining a unitary matrix to be a part of the phase-shift-based precoding matrix, precoding a transmission symbol for each resource using the phase-shift-based precoding matrix to produce precoded data, and transmitting the precoded data, wherein the phase-shift-based precoding matrix is determined by the product of the precoding matrix, a Hermitian matrix of the unitary matrix, the first diagonal matrix, and the unitary matrix. |
| US08548087B2 |
Long training sequence for MIMO WLAN systems
A method for configuring a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) wireless communication begins by generating a plurality of preambles for a plurality of transmit antennas. Each of the plurality of preambles includes a carrier detection sequence at a legacy transmit rate, a first channel sounding at the legacy transmit rate, a signal field at the legacy transmit rate, and Z−1 channel soundings at a MIMO transmit rate, where L corresponds to a number of channel soundings. The method continues by simultaneously transmitting the plurality of preambles via the plurality of transmit antennas. |
| US08548086B2 |
Multiple receivers in an OFDM/OFDMA communication system
A signal receiver is configured to receive multiple time-domain input signals. A plurality of the input signals among the multiple time-domain input signals is selected and transformed into frequency-domain signals. The frequency-domain signals is shifted in phase by a negative value of a respective reference phase, and the phase-shifted signals is combined into one signal. The combined signal is then multiplied with a stored signal to generate a signal product and transformed into a time-domain signal. |
| US08548081B2 |
Methods and apparatus for diversity combining of repeated signals in OFDMA systems
In accordance with a method for diversity combining in an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) system, repetition diversity equalization and combining may be performed with respect to received OFDMA signals. In addition, receiver antenna diversity equalization and combining may be performed with respect to the received OFDMA signals. The repetition diversity equalization and combining and the receiver antenna diversity equalization and combining may be performed in accordance with a maximum ratio combining (MRC) scheme. |
| US08548080B2 |
Digital broadcasting transmission/reception devices capable of improving a receiving performance and signal processing method thereof
Disclosed is a digital broadcasting transmission/reception system having an improved reception performance and in a signal-processing method thereof. A digital broadcasting transmitter comprises a TS stream generator for inputting robust and normal packets having stuff bytes in predetermined positions and generating dual TS stream by inserting the robust packets between the normal packets; a randomizer for randomizing the dual TS stream; a stuff byte exchanger for replacing the stuff bytes of a randomized data streams from the randomizer to a predetermined known data; and an encoder for encoding a data streams to which the known data is inserted. Accordingly, the present invention detects the known data from a signal received from a reception side and uses the detected known data for synchronization and equalization, so that the digital broadcasting reception performance can be improved at poor multipath channels. |
| US08548079B2 |
Transmitter, transmission method, receiver, and reception method
Multi-level modulation is performed with a signal point constellation in which any three adjacent signal points on a phase plane form an equilateral triangle and at least a distance between a signal point closest to the origin of the phase plane and the origin is increased within a range that the transmission mean power remains unchanged. |
| US08548077B2 |
Multiple input discrete digital receiver
A receiver includes a sample and hold module, a discrete time filter module, and a conversion module. The sample and hold module is operable to sample and hold a first inbound wireless signal and a second inbound wireless signal to produce a frequency domain sample pulse train. The discrete time filter module is operable to filter the frequency domain sample pulse train to produce a first filtered sample pulse corresponding to the first inbound wireless signal and to produce a second filtered sample pulse corresponding to the second inbound wireless signal. The conversion module is operable to convert the first filtered sample pulse into a first inbound baseband signal and to convert the second filtered sample pulse into a second inbound baseband signal. |
| US08548076B2 |
Retransmission apparatus and method
A retransmission method maps at least some bits of codeword to symbols according to a first modulation method at the time of first transmission. The retransmission method maps at least some bits of the codeword to symbols according to a second modulation method that is different from the first modulation method at the time of second transmission after the first transmission. In this case, the second modulation method may have a lower modulation order than that of the first modulation method, or a sum of average reliability per bit of symbol according to the second modulation may be larger than a sum of average reliability per bit of symbol according to the first modulation method. |
| US08548072B1 |
Timing pilot generation for highly-spectrally-efficient communications
Methods and systems are provided for timing synchronization for reception of highly-spectrally efficient communications. An example method may include, mapping, in a transmitter, a plurality of transmit bits to a plurality of symbols at a symbol rate that is based on an oscillator signal. The plurality of symbols may be processed via a filter. The processing may result in an inter-symbol correlated (ISC) signal. The oscillator signal may be frequency divided to generate one or more pilot signals having a frequency that is a sub-harmonic of a frequency of the oscillator signal. The pilot signal may be injected into the ISC signal. The injecting may result in an ISC signal with timing carrier. The ISC signal with timing carrier may be transmitted. Gain of the one or more pilot signals may be adjusted based on a spectral mask value associated with the transmitting. |
| US08548070B2 |
Driver circuit, receiver circuit, and method of controlling a communications system including the circuits
In a communications system for differential signals, a driver circuit is connected to a receiver circuit by a pair of differential signal lines. When data is not being transmitted, the differential signal lines are maintained at a predetermined electric potential, and when data is to be transferred, a differential signal is output at predetermined electric potentials. The receiver circuit switches between a power-down state and a normal state when detecting states of the electric potentials of the differential signal lines. |
| US08548065B2 |
Parametric interpolation filter for motion-compensated prediction
In a motion compensated prediction process, a parametric interpolation filter (PIF) device is provided that takes into account the time-variant statistics of video sources, the filter being represented by a model determined by five parameters instead of by individual coefficients. The parameters are calculated and coded on a frame-by-frame basis to minimize the energy of the prediction error for each frame. The model design is based on the fact that high frequency energy of an HD video source is mainly distributed along the vertical and horizontal directions of a frame. A PIF device with the method according to the invention overcomes this obstacle because it represents each filter using only five parameters, all of which are encoded using sufficiently high precision without substantially increasing overhead. |
| US08548061B2 |
Image decoding apparatus and image decoding method
An image decoding apparatus, which receives a compressed image stream as an input signal and decodes the input signal, includes decoders for decoding the input signal by decoding predetermined data units. A task controller divides a decoding process for the input signal into process steps and allocates a data unit to be processed by each decoder and for each process step. Each process step has a dependency on an order of processing. The task controller detects a processing status of the decoder, and allocates a data unit and a process step to be processed to the decoder, depending on the detected processing status, a dependency between the process steps, and a dependency between frames included in the image stream. |
| US08548058B2 |
Image coding apparatus and method for re-recording decoded video data
Provided is an image coding apparatus including a decoding unit 102 decoding first coded data to generate a decoded picture and decoding information containing motion vectors and including a coding unit 104 coding, in a second coding scheme, the decoded picture generated by the decoding unit 102, to generate second coded data including a coded picture and coding information containing motion vectors. The image coding apparatus also includes a basic motion information generating unit 105 generating basic motion information from either the decoding information or the coding information, wherein the coding unit 104 determines a search range for estimating motion vectors of the decoded picture, according to the basic motion information generated by the basic motion information generating unit 105, estimates motion vectors of the decoded picture in the determined search range, and generates the second coded data including the coded picture and coding information containing the estimated motion vectors. |
| US08548057B2 |
Video coding redundancy reduction
Embodiments for reducing redundancy in video coding are disclosed. In accordance with at least one embodiment, video content is represented as a tree structure in which the nodes of the tree structure are associated with attributes of the video content. An encoder analyzes the nodes to determine whether there is redundancy associated with a last node of a divided node. In another embodiment, bidirectional prediction video coding techniques are applied to the video content. The encoder analyzes two lists of reference frames to determine whether a third mode of bidirectional prediction is redundant to a second mode of bidirectional prediction. The efficiency of video coding is improved by refraining from sending data symbols to the decoder in the event that the video coding techniques contain redundancy. |
| US08548056B2 |
Extended inter-layer coding for spatial scability
This disclosure describes techniques for coding information in a scalable video coding (SVC) scheme that supports spatial scalability. In one example, a method of coding information in a SVC scheme comprises coding first video blocks defined in a base layer of the SVC scheme, and coding second video blocks defined in an enhancement layer of the SVC scheme, wherein the second video blocks provide spatial scalability enhancement relative to the first video blocks. The coding of the second video blocks includes performing inter-layer prediction for the enhancement layer relative to the base layer for a first subset of the second video blocks that fully overlap the first video blocks, and performing inter-layer prediction for the enhancement layer relative to the base layer for a second subset of the second video blocks that partially overlap the first video blocks. |
| US08548049B2 |
Pattern detection module, video encoding system and method for use therewith
A system for encoding a video stream into a processed video signal that includes at least one image, includes a pattern detection module for detecting a pattern of interest in the at least one image and identifying a region that contains the pattern of interest when the pattern of interest is detected. An encoder section, generates the processed video signal and wherein, when the pattern of interest is detected, a higher quantization is assigned to the region than to portions of the at least one image outside the region. |
| US08548047B2 |
Quantization control for variable bit depth
The quantization parameter QP is well-known in digital video compression as an indication of picture quality. Digital symbols representing a moving image are quantized with a quantizing step that is a function QSN of the quantization parameter QP, which function QSN has been normalized to the most significant bit of the bit depth of the digital symbols. As a result, the effect of a given QP is essentially independent of bit depth a particular QP value has a standard effect on image quality, regardless of bit depth. The invention is useful, for example, in encoding and decoding at different bit depths, to generate compatible, bitstreams having different bit depths, and to allow different bit depths for different components of a video signal by compressing each with the same fidelity (i.e., the same QP). |
| US08548046B2 |
Transcoder
A category setting part sets a type of a decoded image based on characteristics of the decoded image which are fineness of the decoded image and an intensity of movement of the decoded image. A code amount setting part sets a target code amount of an output image based on the type of the decoded image. A quantization step value setting part sets a quantization step value of the output image based on the target code amount of the output image. A transcoder can set the target code amount of the output image depending on fineness of the decoded image. The transcoder can distribute the target code amount of the output image to a reference image and a predicted image depending on the intensity of movement of the decoded image. |
| US08548043B2 |
Signal transmitting device and signal transmitting method
Disclosed herein is a signal transmitting device including a multiplexing section configured to generate a B/R ch by alternately multiplexing image signals read from B pixels and R pixels among image signals read and input in units of a predetermined number of samples in each of the first line and the second line from said image pickup element in an active region corresponding to a C ch in HD-SDI together with start code of one of SAV and EAV, and generate a G ch by multiplexing, in order, image signals read from G pixels in an active region corresponding to a Y ch in HD-SDI together with said start code; and an 8B/10B encoder configured to output serial digital data converted by 8B/10B-encoding the active regions on the B/R ch and the G ch having data structures corresponding to said HD-SDI and an auxiliary data region including SAV, EAV, LN, and CRCC. |
| US08548042B2 |
Video bitrate control method, video bitrate control apparatus, video bitrate control program, and computer-readable recording medium having the program recorded thereon
A video bitrate control method and apparatus that control a generated bitrate of a picture to be encoded, based on an initial value of an allocation bitrate that is previously given to each picture are provided, wherein a difference between an allocation bitrate and an actually generated bitrate of a picture that has been encoded is obtained as an error bitrate, one of a maximum value and a minimum value of the allocation bitrate is selected for a plurality of subsequent pictures, as an allowable correction range, based on the sign of the error bitrate, the maximum value and the minimum value of the allocation bitrate being calculated based on the initial value of the allocation bitrate and a previously given constant, a difference between the allowable correction range and the allocation bitrate is obtained for the plurality of pictures, as an allowable variation bitrate, the ratio of the sum of allowable variation bitrates and the error bitrate is obtained as an update rate, a variation bitrate for the allocation bitrate is calculated for the plurality of pictures based on the allowable variation bitrate and the update rate, and the allocation bitrate of each of the plurality of pictures is updated based on the variation bitrate. |
| US08548039B2 |
Video scalable encoding method and decoding method, apparatuses therefor, programs therefor, and recording media where programs are recorded
In a video scalable encoding method, based on encoding information of an immediately-lower image region in an immediately-lower layer, which is present at spatially the same position as an encoding target image region, a data structure of the weight coefficient, that includes a proportional coefficient and an offset coefficient, is determined. When the immediately-lower image region performed interframe prediction in the immediately-lower layer, the method identifies an immediately-lower layer reference image region that the immediately-lower image region used as a prediction reference for motion prediction, and calculates the weight coefficient by applying a weight coefficient that the immediately-lower image region used in weighted motion prediction to a DC component of an image region in the upper layer, which is present at spatially the same position as the immediately-lower layer reference image region, and assuming a result of the application as a DC component of the immediately-lower image region. |
| US08548036B2 |
Noise detection method, noise detection apparatus, simulation method, simulation apparatus, and communication system
For voltage values (observed noise sequence) in an electronic power line (communication medium) which are obtained at a predetermined interval, initial values of noise characteristics based on a statistic of the observed noise sequence itself are decided by a moment method (S301 to S307), the noise characteristics (state transition probabilities and state noise power) for maximization of the likelihood of the observed noise sequence are obtained from the initial values by MAP (Maximum A Posteriori) estimation using a Baum-Welch algorithm (S309 to S312), a state sequence is estimated from the obtained noise characteristics, and an impulsive noise at each time point is detected. |
| US08548032B2 |
Method of detecting a radar signal, radar detection module, and wireless transceiver including the same
A method and apparatus for detecting a radar signal is provided. The method includes collecting a plurality of pulses based on a reference time or a reference pulse collection count, classifying the plurality of pulses into groups based on similarity of pulse widths, classifying the groups into a short-pulse type and a long-pulse type and calculate the number of groups in each type, and determining whether a radar signal exists based on a number of groups in each type. |
| US08548028B2 |
Method and apparatus for equalizing CDMA signals
A minimum mean square error (MMSE) equalizer corresponding to a plurality of receive antennas is generated using (i) channel information for a first plurality of users including a desired user, (ii) a ratio of white noise power to noise power due to code division multiple access (CDMA) signals corresponding to the first plurality of users, (iii) channel information for a second plurality of users served by another base station, and (iv) a ratio of noise power due to CDMA signals corresponding to the second plurality of users to noise power due to CDMA signals corresponding to the first plurality of users. CDMA signals received by a plurality of antennas are filtered using the MMSE equalizer. The CDMA signals are despread using a spread code corresponding to the desired user. |
| US08548024B2 |
Semiconductor laser module
A semiconductor laser module includes a semiconductor laser unit and a light selecting unit. The semiconductor laser unit includes a semiconductor laser substrate and a plurality of distributed reflector semiconductor laser devices formed on the semiconductor laser substrate in an array. Each of the distributed reflector semiconductor laser devices is configured to emit a laser light of a different wavelength from an output facet. The light selecting unit includes a light selecting device substrate and a light selecting device formed on the light selecting device substrate. The light selecting device is configured to selectively output a laser light emitted from a distributed reflector semiconductor laser device. The semiconductor laser unit and the light selecting unit are attached to each other in such a manner that the light selecting device is optically coupled to the distributed reflector semiconductor laser devices. |
| US08548023B2 |
Semiconductor laser element
A semiconductor laser element includes a laminate composed of a first conductivity type semiconductor layer, an active layer, and a second conductivity type semiconductor layer; and a second embedded layer that is in contact with the second conductivity type semiconductor layer, has a stripe-like groove parallel to the cavity direction, and is composed of an insulator, the groove is embedded with a first embedded layer composed of a dielectric on the cavity end face side, and with a conductive layer on the inside. |
| US08548021B2 |
III-nitride semiconductor laser, and method for fabricating III-nitride semiconductor laser
Provided is a III-nitride semiconductor laser allowing for provision of a low threshold with use of a semipolar plane. A primary surface 13a of a semiconductor substrate 13 is inclined at an angle of inclination AOFF in the range of not less than 50 degrees and not more than 70 degrees toward the a-axis direction of GaN with respect to a reference plane perpendicular to a reference axis Cx along the c-axis direction of GaN. A first cladding layer 15, an active layer 17, and a second cladding layer 19 are provided on the primary surface 13a of the semiconductor substrate 13. The well layers 23a of the active layer 17 comprise InGaN. A polarization degree P in the LED mode of emission from the active layer of the semiconductor laser that reaches lasing is not less than −1 and not more than 0.1. The polarization degree P of the III-nitride semiconductor laser is defined by P=(I1−I2)/(I1+I2), using an electric field component I1 in the X1 direction and an electric field component I2 in the X2 direction of light in the LED mode. |
| US08548019B2 |
GaN laser element
In a GaN-based laser device having a GaN-based semiconductor stacked-layered structure including a light emitting layer, the semiconductor stacked-layered structure includes a ridge stripe structure causing a stripe-shaped waveguide, and has side surfaces opposite to each other to sandwich the stripe-shaped waveguide in its width direction therebetween. At least part of at least one of the side surfaces is processed to prevent the stripe-shaped waveguide from functioning as a Fabry-Perot resonator in the width direction. |
| US08548014B2 |
Environmentally stable passively modelocked fiber laser pulse source
The present invention is directed to providing an environmentally stable, ultra-short pulse source. Exemplary embodiments relate to passively modelocked ultra-short fiber lasers which are insensitive to temperature variations and which possess only negligible sensitivity to pressure variations. Further, exemplary embodiments can be implemented in a cost-effective manner which render them commercially practical in unlimited applications. Arbitrary fiber lengths (e.g., on the order of 1 millimeter to 1 kilometer, or greater) can be used to provide an ultra-short pulse with a cost-effective architecture which is commercially practical. |
| US08548011B2 |
Dynamic host clock compensation
In accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, a method for improving synchronization of communications between a first port and a second port is provided, the method performed at the first port and comprising: inserting skip symbols into a transmission stream for transmissions from the first port to the second port, wherein the skip symbols are inserted at a first average frequency level; detecting a lack of synchronization between the first port and the second port; and inserting skip symbols into the transmission stream at a second average frequency level greater than the first average frequency level in response to the detecting. |
| US08548008B2 |
Single carrier transmission system, communication device, and single carrier transmission method using for them
A memory 21 of a pilot processing circuit 2 holds in advance a pilot sequence converted into a frequency region signal obtained by subjecting a pilot signal symbol transmitted in one block to Ntx_p-point DFT. The pilot sequence held in the memory 21 is subjected to a series of processes including a roll-off filtering by a roll-off filter circuit 22, subcarrier mapping process by subcarrier mapping circuit 23, an Ndft_p-point IDFT operation by an IDFT circuit 24, and a cyclic prefix adding process by a cyclic prefix adding circuit 25. |
| US08548004B2 |
Packet communication apparatus and method for packet communication
A packet communication apparatus that carries out packet communication with a second packet communication apparatus via a logical connection through header processing of compressing or decompressing a packet header, the apparatus managing a first state machine of a first header processing state concerning a first packet flow of the connection and a second state machine of a second header processing state concerning a second packet flow of the connection; and controlling a state transition of a third state machine that is one of the first state machine and the second state machine on the basis of a state transition of a fourth state machine that is the other of the first state machine and the second state machine. |
| US08548003B2 |
System and method for achieving accelerated throughput
Systems and methods for transporting data between two endpoints over an encoded channel are disclosed. Data transmission units (data units) from the source network are received at an encoding component logically located between the endpoints. These first data units are subdivided into second data units and are transmitted to the destination network over the transport network. Also transmitted are encoded or extra second data units that allow the original first data units to be recreated even if some of the second data units are lost. These encoded second data units may be merely copies of the second data units transmitted, parity second data units, or second data units which have been encoded using erasure correcting coding. At the receiving endpoint, the second data units are received and are used to recreate the original first data units. |
| US08548001B2 |
Method and an apparatus for controlling messages between host and controller
A method for controlling at least one message including at least one command and response corresponding to the at least one command is disclosed. The method comprise generating a concatenated command by combing multiple commands from a sender, the multiple commands having same priority, transmitting the concatenated command from the sender to a receiver, generating a concatenated response message corresponding to the concatenated command by combining multiple responses from the receiver and transmitting the concatenated response message from the receiver to the sender. |
| US08548000B2 |
Dual transmission stream generating device and method
A dual transmission stream generating device includes a turbo pre-processor that receives a turbo stream, encodes the turbo stream to obtain an encoded turbo stream, and expands the encoded turbo stream to obtain an expanded turbo stream; and a turbo packet stuffer that receives a normal stream and the expanded turbo stream, segments the expanded turbo stream into fragments having a specified size, and generates a dual transmission stream by stuffing the fragments of the encoded turbo stream into a specified area of the normal stream. |
| US08547999B2 |
Encapsulating large ethernet frames
A method comprising receiving a data frame, encapsulating the received data frame into a reflected frame message (RFM) encapsulated frame, and if the received data frame causes the RFM encapsulated frame to exceed a maximum service data unit size, either the data frame is truncated or the data frame is split into two smaller frames and those two smaller frames are encapsulated by two separate RFM frames, wherein if a truncation flag is set to true, the data frame is truncated and the truncated data frame is encapsulated in one RFM. |
| US08547998B2 |
Tunneling IPv6 packet through IPv4 network using a tunnel entry based on IPv6 prefix and tunneling IPv4 packet using a tunnel entry based on IPv4 prefix
The present invention relates to tunneling an IPv6 packet through an IPIv4 network. In using a tunneling method upon transmitting an IPv6 packet in an IP network, when destination nodes desired to be communicated are located within the same IPv6 prefix network, IPv6 prefix information is added for the management of a tunnel entry. Hence, tunneling information on terminals located within the same IPv6 prefix network can be managed as one tunnel entry. Accordingly, the time consumed when retrieving a tunnel entry can be reduced. |
| US08547997B2 |
Capture node for use in an audiovisual signal routing and distribution system
An audiovisual signal is converted from a native format to a digital, packetized interchange format and transported between a capture node and a display node through a switch. The display node converts the audiovisual signal from the interchange format to a displayable format and causes display of the audiovisual signal. The use of a switch for video routing and distribution allows one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-one, and many-to-many distribution. The use of a device-independent interchange format allows concurrent distribution of multiple heterogeneous audiovisual signals. |
| US08547996B2 |
Self learning performance optimized data transfer via one or several communication channels between systems
A system and method for optimizing data transfers in requests from a calling system to a called system via one or more channels are disclosed. Performance data related to a set of performance metrics for one or more communication scenarios of the calling system are stored in a database. The performance data is analyzed based on the performance metrics. An optimal channel is determined from the one or more channels on which a data transfer should occur based on the analyzing the performance data. A communication type is determined for the optimal channel. |
| US08547995B2 |
High definition video/audio data over IP networks
Both the transmitter unit VTB and the receiver unit VRB feature a modular structure consisting of a base module or baseboard common to both units and one or more exchangeable adapter cards attached to or inserted into the baseboards to perform selected functions. The basebord is unitary; its components are activated depending upon the baseboard being in a VTB or a VRB. Each card is unique and earmarked and serves a specific purpose, e.g. for video coding and decoding, SMPTE processing, clocking/re-clocking, audio embedding/extraction. Upon inserting a card into a baseboard, the earmark is identified and the baseboard configured as transmitter or receiver baseboard. Functions in the baseboard can be implemented in Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) and the network management, configuration, and/or control of the transmitting and/or receiving processes be performed by a softcore processors. |
| US08547990B2 |
Adaptive network to dynamically account for hidden nodes
One embodiment of the present invention relates to a network element that is configured to be associated with a network having a number of nodes. A proxy node is configured to distinguish between a some signals received from a master node and other signals received from at least one hidden node, where the at least one hidden node is unable to bi-directionally directly communicate with the master at a given time. The proxy node is further configured to relay at least one signal between the master node and the hidden node to facilitate addition of the hidden node to the network via the master node. Other methods and devices are also disclosed. |
| US08547988B2 |
Communications method employing orthonormal time-frequency shifting and spectral shaping
A wireless combination time, frequency and spectral shaping communications method that transmits data in convolution unit matrices (data frames) of N×N (N2), where generally either all N2 data symbols or elements are received over N spreading time intervals (each composed of N time slices), or none are. To transmit, each data element is assigned a unique waveform which is derived from a basic waveform of duration N time slices over one spreading time interval, where each basic waveform has a data element specific combination of a time and frequency cyclic shift. At the receiver, the received signal is correlated with the set of all N2 waveforms previously assigned to each data element by a transmitter for that specific time spreading interval, producing a unique correlation score for each one of the N2 data elements. The scores are summed over each data element, and this summation reproduces the data frame. |
| US08547985B2 |
Network interface controller capable of sharing buffers and buffer sharing method
The disclosure is a network interface controller (NIC) capable of sharing buffers, which is coupled to a host and a network to make the network connection. The NIC includes a transmitting buffer, a transmitting controller, a receiving buffer, and a receiving controller. The transmitting controller controls the transmitting buffer to transmit the transmission data provided by the host to the network. The receiving controller controls the receiving buffer to transmit the reception data received from the network to the host, and determines a storage capacity of the receiving buffer. When the storage capacity is smaller than a set value, the receiving controller transmits a request signal to the transmitting controller, the transmitting controller generates a response signal according to the request signal and a status signal corresponding to the transmitting buffer, and the receiving controller controls whether reception data is stored in the transmitting buffer according to the response signal. |
| US08547984B2 |
Weighted differential scheduler
A method for managing packets, including: identifying a first plurality of packets from a first packet source having a first weight; identifying a second plurality of packets from a second packet source having a second weight; obtaining a first weight ratio based on the first weight and the second weight; obtaining an error threshold and a first error value corresponding to the second packet source, where the error threshold exceeds the first error value; forwarding a first packet from the first packet source in response to the error threshold exceeding the first error value; incrementing the first error value by the first weight ratio; forwarding a first packet from the second packet source, after incrementing the first error value and in response to the first error value exceeding the error threshold; and decrementing the first error value. |
| US08547980B2 |
Apparatus and method for moving a receive window in a radio access network
A method of moving a receiving window in a wireless mobile communication system, wherein the AM RLC of the transmitting side sends information of the last discarded SDU regardless of continuity of the discarded SDUs. The AM RLC of the receiving side checks whether all SDUs from the start point of the receiving window up to the last discarded SDU are successfully received, delivers the SDUs that are successfully received to an upper layer, and discard only those SDUs that are not successfully received. |
| US08547977B2 |
Method and apparatus for providing notification message in a broadcasting system
Provided is a broadcasting system based on a network using an Internet protocol (IP). In the broadcasting system, a broadcast transmitter previously transmits first access information including a first network address for transmitting a general notification message and second access information associated with management of the broadcasting system, to a broadcast receiver. If a general notification event occurs, the general notification message is generated and the generated general notification message is transmitted to the broadcast receiver via one of a broadcast network and an interaction network using the first network address. The broadcast receiver receives a general notification message based on the first network address in data received from the broadcast transmitter. |
| US08547975B2 |
Parallel processing for multiple instance real-time monitoring
Systems and methods are disclosed for analyzing network traffic data to generate complex statistics associated with the network traffic in real-time through parallel processing and data pipelining. In one implementation, a system includes a processor and a memory. The memory stores instructions that cause the processor to generate a plurality of program instances, wherein a first program instance observes the network traffic and uses a plurality of execution threads to distribute portions of the network traffic to additional program instances tasked with generating statistics associated with the network traffic. In other embodiments, a plurality of additional execution threads to the first program instance are tasked with generating the statistics. In either case, the generated statistics are placed into a data pipeline organized into time intervals of generated statistics, wherein the computation of higher-order statistics are computed as the lower-order time intervals are processed. |
| US08547973B2 |
Communication device, communication system, and computer readable medium
A communication device includes a request receiving module and a response output module. The request receiving module receives a communication start request which is output from a given communication device and passes through a relay device. The response output module outputs a response to the communication start request to the given communication device through the relay device. The relay device outputs the response to the given communication device in preference to a notification indicating a connection rejection in arbitration processing, executed by the relay device, between information to be output from the relay device in case where the request receiving module receives the communication start request while communicating with a communication device other than the given communication device. |
| US08547972B2 |
Bypass mechanism for virtual computing infrastructures
In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, a system includes one or more computer systems including a memory, one or more processors, and a bypass switch with an open position and a closed position. The one or more computer systems further include computer-executable program code. The computer-executable program code includes one or more virtual machines modules including computer-executable instructions configured, when executed, to cause the one or more processors to implement one or more virtual machines that host one or more guest operating systems and one or more applications. The computer-executable program code further includes a virtual bypass switch module including computer-executable instructions configured, when executed, to cause the one or more processors to, responsive to the availability of the one or more applications, forward packets received on the first physical network interface to at least one of the one or more virtual machines. |
| US08547968B2 |
Methods, apparatus and computer program products for associating local telephone numbers with emergency phone calls in a packet switched telephone systems
A packet switched telephone system includes a packet switched routing apparatus. The packet switched routing apparatus selectively associates a local telephone number with a phone call based on a called telephone number, and routes the phone call based on the called telephone number. The local telephone number may be substituted for a calling telephone number when the called telephone number corresponds to a predefined number, such as an emergency number. When the called telephone number corresponds to an emergency number, the phone call may be routed with the substituted local telephone number to a Public Safety Access Point (PSAP) that services the local area of the subscriber. |
| US08547963B2 |
VoIP integrating system and method thereof
An internet phone integrating system includes a PC, a VoIP phone, a softphone, an HID signal-transmitting unit, and a media transmitting unit. The VoIP phone provides an HID inputting signal. The softphone provides an HID outputting signal and a media controlling signal and decodes an audio coding streaming to a media data flow. The HID signal-transmitting unit receives the HID outputting signal from the softphone and sends the HID outputting signal to the VoIP phone, and receives the HID inputting signal from the VoIP phone and sends the HID inputting signal to the softphone. The media transmitting unit receives the media controlling signal and media data flow from the softphone and sends the media controlling signal and media data flow to the VoIP phone, and receives the media data flow from the VoIP phone and sends the media data flow to the softphone. |
| US08547962B2 |
Methods and apparatus for forwarding IP calls through a proxy interface
A session controller configured to be coupled to a communications network is disclosed. The session controller is configured to receive an indication of a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) registration request at a first time from an endpoint having a third-party registration, and to receive a signaling message from the endpoint at a second time later than the first time. The session controller is further configured to forward an indication of the VoIP registration request and a signaling message to an application server, such that at least a portion of the topology of the communications network beyond the session controller is hidden to the endpoint. |
| US08547960B2 |
Sub-frame synchronized signaling
A communication system is provided. In one embodiment, a communication system includes communicant nodes. Each node includes a local clock, a transmitter/receiver circuit and a control circuit. The local clock is adapted to clock operations of the communication node. The transmitter/receiver circuit is adapted to selectively transmit and receive communication signals. The synchronization circuit is adapted to synchronize the local clock with a received communication signal from another communication node to establish communications between the communication nodes. The control circuit is adapted to control the transmitter/receiver circuit and the synchronization circuit. The control circuit is also adapted to process communication signals and to direct communications between the communication nodes without re-synchronizing the local clock until the clock drift between communication nodes makes communications unreliable. |
| US08547958B2 |
System and method of enhancing WiFi real-time communications
Systems and methods of enhanced real-time communications between WiFi devices. In one embodiment of the present invention a method for enhanced payload protection in a WiFi system includes transmitting multiple copies of data packets in successive frame body transmissions. In another embodiment, a method for enhanced communications over a WiFi link includes examining a unit ID packet to determine a destination of a data payload when errors are detected in IP and/or MAC headers. If a destination is determined, the packet is corrected and forwarded to the device based on the unit ID determination. In another embodiment, a method for enhanced real-time communications in a WiFi network includes establishing a communications frame that includes an active timeslot, preferably based on U-APSD, for a WiFi device to use for transmission of successive audio data packets transmitted between the WiFi handset and AP. |
| US08547955B2 |
Feedback scheme for MU-MIMO
Embodiments of a system and method for managing feedback in a MU-MIMO system. An access point can announce one or more of mobile stations that are to receive downlink information in a first frame. The access point can also send a sounding package to the one or more mobile stations and receive feedback from the one or more mobile stations according to the feedback schedule. The feedback may be based on the reception of the sounding package. |
| US08547953B2 |
Compact specification of data allocations
The subject matter disclosed herein provides a mechanism for numbering OFDMA symbols in data regions of OFDMA frames. The method may include assigning, based on a pattern vector, one or more numbers to one or more symbols of a time diversity interval. Moreover, the one or more numbered symbols may be assigned to one or more segments. The pattern vector is then provided to a client station to enable the client station to access, based on the numbered one or more symbols, at least one of the segments. Related systems, apparatus, methods, and/or articles are also described. |
| US08547952B2 |
Method for selecting an enhanced transport format combination based on determined power consumption
The present invention related to a method and an arrangement for selecting an enhanced transport format combination used for maximizing power utilization efficiency and power limitation avoidance in a communication network system comprising a communication network entity communicating with a plurality of user equipments on uplink and downlink channels over a radio interface. A power consumption for an acknowledgement/negative acknowledgement transmission and a channel quality indicator transmission is determined on an uplink channel during an enhanced dedicated channel transmission. Thereby, a transport format combination is selected based on said determined power consumption. |
| US08547949B2 |
Method for payload part transmission on contention channels
A method for generating an uplink transmission burst includes using one or more symbols to define the uplink transmission burst, and forming a preamble portion and a payload portion for the uplink transmission burst. The preamble portion is formed using at least a portion of one or more of the symbols, such that the preamble portion includes a signature that is defined in a predetermined signature set. The payload portion is formed using at least a portion of one or more of the symbols. Typically, at least a portion of the preamble portion and at least a portion of the payload portion are formed using the same symbol. |
| US08547945B2 |
Method for processing bearer in serving gateway
The present invention provides bearer processing methods, in one bearer processing method, the serving gateway receives a bearer processing message from a mobility management unit, wherein the bearer processing message carries a message source mark for identifying a sending entity of the bearer processing message; the serving gateway acquires the message source mark in the bearer processing message, and judges the sending entity of the bearer processing message according to the message source mark, and performs the bearer processing according to the result of the judgment. In accordance with the present invention, it is possible for the serving gateway to distinguish the sending entity of a message, so as to perform the subsequent related bearer processing. |
| US08547944B2 |
Communication apparatus, communication method, program and storage medium
A communication apparatus (101) includes: receiving means for receiving a communication parameter, which is necessary for communication, from another communication apparatus; storage means (103, 212) for storing the communication parameter; first detecting means for detecting a connection instruction for connection to a network; and connecting means which, if the connection instruction (S401) has been detected by the first detecting means, is for executing processing for connecting to the network using a communication parameter already stored in the storage means (212), or processing for connecting to the network after a communication parameter is received from another communication apparatus by the receiving means, in accordance with the type of communication parameter already stored in the storage means (212). |
| US08547942B2 |
Transmitter station with detectable function for radio condition
In a wireless LAN system, the transaction efficiency may be enhanced. The transmitter station holds the number of transaction successes, the number of transaction failures, the data rate when the transaction is carried out, and the number wait to perform the transaction. The transmitter station determines that the radio wave condition is in the state {WS} from the data rate at which the transaction succeeded; the area covered by the transmitter station is influenced by the hidden terminal by the average rate of the failure transaction, and the area is influenced by the collision terminal from the relation between the number of the wait for the transaction and the data rate. The transmitter station selects an optimum mode for respective conditions. |
| US08547941B2 |
Apparatus and method for improving WLAN spectrum efficiency and reducing interference by flow control
An apparatus and method for improving WLAN spectrum efficiency and reducing interference by flow control comprising determining if at least one data packet is entering a receive buffer; determining if the utilization of the receive buffer is greater than an overflow threshold; determining if a wireless device is in power save mode, wherein the wireless device comprises the receive buffer, a WLAN transceiver and a send buffer for storing packets from an interface module to the WLAN transceiver; determining if the send buffer is empty; setting a power management bit to “1” in either a top-most packet in the send buffer or a NULL packet; and using the WLAN transceiver for transmitting either the top-most packet or the NULL packet to an access point. |
| US08547940B2 |
OFDM signal transmission method, transmission apparatus, and reception apparatus
A transmission method of a digital broadcast, which is compatible with a DVB-T terrestrial digital broadcast system in Europe, saves a battery in a mobile terminal. Superframes in DVB-T are divided into units each including plural symbols so that an integer number of TS packets can be carried in each slot. At least one slot is used to transmit one service. Energy dispersion, Reed-Solomon coding, byte interleaving, convolutional coding, and time interleaving are applied to each service. When services for mobile terminal reception and services for fixed terminals are transmitted as the provided services, null packets may be transmitted before and after the slot carrying the mobile receiver service so that the fixed reception service and the mobile reception services are not mixed. |
| US08547939B1 |
Base station frequency band prioritization
A method of operating a wireless system comprises transmitting wireless signals from a first base station over a first and a second frequency band, transmitting wireless signals from a second base station over the first frequency band, processing loading of the first frequency band of the first base station to determine a user priority between the first and the second frequency band of the first base station, transmitting an indication of the user priority to a plurality of wireless devices, wherein the plurality of wireless devices select between the first and the second frequency band based on the user priority, determining a distance between the first base station and a wireless device utilizing the second frequency band, determining a velocity of the wireless device, and transmitting a message for delivery to the wireless device if the distance exceeds a first threshold or the velocity exceeds a second threshold. |
| US08547936B2 |
Mobile communication terminal supporting multi-modal communications and methods for providing seamless service upon handover to the mobile communication terminal
A method of providing a handover service to a mobile communication terminal supporting multi-modal communications, and a mobile communication terminal for performing the method are provided. More particularly, a method of eliminating an interruption of a data transmission service occurring during a handover between different communication networks, and a terminal for performing the method are provided. A method of providing a handover service of a mobile communication terminal supporting multi-modal communications can include: transmitting and receiving data to/from a corresponding node via a first access network and a second access network while simultaneously maintaining an association with the first access network and the second access network, determining a point in time of completing a handover registration, and releasing an association with the first access network after the point in time of completing the handover registration. |
| US08547935B2 |
Method and apparatus for SR-VCC revocation procedure
The basic concept of the invention is to expand the capabilities of the MSC Server enhanced for SR-VCC and of the SCC AS to support a “session transfer revocation” procedure. To allow for such procedure it is envisaged that a MSC-Server enhanced for SR-VCC being involved in a Handover procedure for a call from a source RAN, e.g. E-UTRAN/UTRAN HSPA, to a target RAN, e.g. GERAN/UTRAN CS, sends an indication that a session transfer for said call should be performed towards the target RAN. Once the MSC-Server receives from a mobility management entity, such as MME or SGSN, of the source RAN an indication that a relocation request having initiated the session transfer indication is canceled, the MSC-Server may send an indication that the session transfer should be cancelled towards the SCC AS in the IMS which has performed the session transfer. |
| US08547933B2 |
Method and apparatus for performing handover in multi-mode terminal
A method for performing handover in a dual-mode terminal is disclosed. The method for performing handover in a dual-mode terminal includes receiving an Internet Protocol (IP) packet from a personal computer (PC), and transmitting the received IP packet to a serving network; upon receiving a handover message from the serving network, stopping reception of the IP packet from the PC; forwarding residual packets from a first processor corresponding to the serving network to a second processor corresponding to a target network; upon handover completion and completion of the forwarding of the residual packets, restarting reception of the IP packet from the PC; and transmitting the residual packets to the target network. |
| US08547928B2 |
Multi-subframe scheduling method, multi-subframe scheduling system, terminal, and base station
A multi-subframe scheduling method includes receiving Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) information which is sent by a base station and includes time domain resource indication information. The time domain resource indication information is used to indicate information of multiple subframes scheduled by the PDCCH information. Data is transmitted and received, according to the PDCCH information, on the multiple subframes scheduled by the PDCCH information. |
| US08547925B2 |
Transmission method, system, transmitter, receiver and method for realizing information transmission
A transmission method includes: confirming a reference time; according to the bit property of the data to be transmitted and the reference time, inserting the time slice signal into a special time position of a data frame; transmitting the data frame in which the time slice signal has been inserted and the time slice signal. And a method for realizing information transmission includes: according to the information unit to be transmitted, the transmitter sets the time parameters of the signal transmission during a special time period; the receiver receives the information unit according to the property of the received signal in a determined time period. This invention also provides a transmission system, a transmitter and a receiver. This invention can transmit signaling and messages among multiple systems, in order to solve the signaling interaction problem in the processes of coexisting negotiation and quick switching of the multi-mode terminal in a multi-system or a mixed type network. |
| US08547923B2 |
Method for multiplexing data and control information
A method for multiplexing a data information stream, including a systematic symbol and a non-systematic symbol, and a control information stream of at least three types in a wireless mobile communication system is disclosed. The method includes mapping the data information stream to a resource area so that the systematic symbol is not mapped to a specific resource area to which the control information stream is mapped, and mapping the control information stream to the specific resource area. |
| US08547922B2 |
Signal resource determination method
The present disclosure discloses a signal resource determination method, and the method includes that: carrying a dedicated demodulation data reference signal in a Resource Element (RE) on an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol, wherein the OFDM symbol is in a non-control channel area of a Resource Block (RB) and carries a non-common reference signal. |
| US08547917B2 |
Network driven L3 control signalling prioritization
A node of a radio access network includes a transceiver and a radio resource control unit. The transceiver is configured to facilitate communication with plural wireless terminals over a radio interface including transmissions on an uplink from the wireless terminals to the node and transmissions on a downlink from the node to the wireless terminals.The radio resource control unit configured to perform radio resource control functionality including layer three (L3) signaling between the node and the wireless terminals. The radio resource control unit includes an uplink scheduler configured to predict transmission of an uplink L3 message from the wireless terminals to the node and, for a particular wireless terminal, to generate, for transmission on the downlink, a grant message which in accordance with the prediction prioritizes a predicted L3 message of the particular wireless terminal relative to messages of others of the plural wireless terminals. |
| US08547912B1 |
Mobility between two different wireless access networks
A method of assigning a single packet address to a wireless communication device in a communication system comprising a first wireless network and a second wireless network comprises, in the wireless communication device, transferring a first network service request to a router in the first wireless network, wherein the first network service request includes a first network user identifier; in the router, transferring an authorization request to an authorization system, wherein the authorization request includes the first network user identifier; in the authorization system, determining whether the wireless communication device associated with the first network user identifier comprises dual-mode functionality, and determining whether a session for the second wireless network exists based on the first network user identifier; and in the router, transferring a first network service response to the wireless communication device, wherein the first network service response includes a packet address for the second wireless network. |
| US08547909B1 |
Method and system for dynamic assignment of overhead channel group
Dynamic assignment of channel elements for operating as failover Overhead Channel Group channel elements. Preferred methods include configuring channel elements on a primary channel card to serve as an overhead channel group for each carrier in each sector, and, in the event of a primary channel card failure, dynamically configuring failover channel elements on an additional channel card to serve as an overhead channel group. These failover channel elements are preferably not reserved, and are merely channel elements that are not otherwise presently assigned to process traffic. Preferred methods also provide criteria for selecting which CEs to re-assign to the OCG. |
| US08547907B2 |
Techniques for determining communication state using accelerometer data
Techniques for communicating with a user on a network include receiving acceleration data that indicates acceleration of a mobile network node associated with a user of a network. A communication state for the user is determined based at least in part on the acceleration data. The communication state indicates a type of network communication suitable for communicating with the user. Network communications with the user are based on the communication state. Among other uses, such techniques allow a network communicating with a human through a mobile node carried by the human to infer from stopped or unusual motions when the human's ability to receive or act on communications is impaired or otherwise affected. |
| US08547905B2 |
Wireless base station and communication method
A wireless base station includes an antenna for communicating with a terminal in a coverage area; a transmitting unit that transmits to an adjacent wireless base station via the antenna, configuration information used by the wireless base station to control communication with the terminal; a receiving unit that receives configuration information of the adjacent wireless base station via the antenna; and a configuration information controlling unit that sets configuration information of the wireless base station, based on the configuration information of the adjacent wireless base station received by the receiving unit. |
| US08547903B2 |
Ranging structure, multiplexing method and signaling method for legacy support mode
A method of performing communication in a wireless communication system is disclosed. In performing ranging, which is performed by a terminal in a wireless communication system supporting a normal scheme and a legacy scheme, the present invention includes selecting a specific ranging structure from a first ranging structure supporting the normal scheme and a second ranging structure supporting the legacy scheme, and transmitting a ranging signal using the specific ranging structure, wherein the first ranging structure and the second ranging structure are set to differ in at least one of a time resource, a frequency resource and a code resource. |
| US08547893B2 |
Hybrid telecommunication system, method, and device
A hybrid telecommunications system, method, and device are provided. The system may include a plurality of unidentified users, a broadcaster, a source of information content, and a packet or switched network. The users may each be equipped with a transreceiving device for receiving broadcast communications and generating communications of their own. According to the method, a broadcaster may receive a first communication, the first communication being directed to the broadcaster over a packet or switched network, from a user or a source of information content. The broadcaster, in turn, broadcasts the first communication to one or more unidentified users. One or more unidentified users who received the first broadcast communication may generate a second communication which is transmitted to the broadcaster. Upon receipt of the second communication by the broadcaster, the broadcaster may broadcast it to one or more unidentified users. |
| US08547883B2 |
Method and system for transmitting resource allocation information in communication system
A system and method for transmitting resource allocation information by a base station in a communication system is provided. The method includes generating first MAP messages for user terminals, each of which includes an identifier of a corresponding user terminal and corresponds to resource allocation information on a first band, in an order of user terminals, generating a second MAP message, which corresponds to resource allocation information for a user terminal allocated resources of only a second band, and generating third MAP messages, which correspond to resource allocation information on the second band, for user terminals allocated resources of both the first band and the second band, among the user terminals, in the order of user terminals allocated resources of both the first band and the second band, transmitting the first MAP message through the first band, and transmitting the second and third MAP messages through the second band. |
| US08547871B2 |
Method and device for generating and reporting overload indicator report
A method and a device for generating and reporting an Overload Indicator (OI) report. A controller jointly carries out conversion of a number system on a binary number used by an OI value in each Physical Resource Block (PRB) group indicated by a set grouping tag value. The controller converts a value generated by the conversion of the number system into a new binary number, and joints the new binary number in each PRB to generate the OI report. The controller carries out the above operations according to all the set grouping tag values, and compares the number of bits occupied by the OI report corresponding to each grouping tag value to select a PRB grouping mode corresponding to the OI report occupying the least number of bits as the OI format of the controller. |
| US08547870B2 |
Hybrid positioning mechanism for wireless communication devices
A wireless communication device can determine its position in accordance with a hybrid positioning mechanism to minimize bandwidth and power consumption at the wireless communication device. The wireless communication device can detect one or more request messages and one or more corresponding response messages exchanged between a master access point and one or more target access points, and can accordingly determine TDOA information associated with the one or more target access points. The wireless communication device can receive, from the master access point, RTT measurement information determined by the master access point based, at least in part, on the one or more request messages and the one or more corresponding response messages exchanged between the master access point and the one or more target access points. The wireless communication device can calculate its position information based, at least in part, on the TDOA information and the RTT measurement information. |
| US08547867B2 |
Method and apparatus for interference identification on configuration of LTE and BT
A method, system and device are provided for avoiding in-device coexistence interference between different radio technologies deployed in adjacent bands on the same device by estimating and identifying Bluetooth component interference activation when configuring LTE and non-LTE components to provide an in-device coexistence operation mode. |
| US08547865B2 |
Rate selection for eigensteering in a MIMO communication system
Techniques for selecting rates for data transmission on eigenmodes of a MIMO channel are described. An access point transmits an unsteered MIMO pilot via the downlink. A user terminal estimates the downlink channel quality based on the downlink unsteered MIMO pilot and transmits an unsteered MIMO pilot and feedback information via the uplink. The feedback information is indicative of the downlink channel quality. The access point estimates the uplink channel quality and obtains a channel response matrix based on the uplink unsteered MIMO pilot, decomposes the channel response matrix to obtain eigenvectors and channel gains for the eigenmodes of the downlink, and selects rates for the eigenmodes based on the estimated uplink channel quality, the channel gains for the eigenmodes, and the feedback information. The access point processes data based on the selected rates and transmits steered data and a steered MIMO pilot on the eigenmodes with the eigenvectors. |
| US08547863B2 |
MF-TDMA satellite link power control
A method for determining attenuation settings across carriers in a return link bandwidth of a user terminal comprises determining a first attenuation setting for a user terminal at a first transmission frequency, where the first attenuation setting is based on a first signal quality metric value of a first message sent from the user terminal at the first transmission frequency. The method also comprises determining a second attenuation setting for the user terminal at a second transmission frequency, where the second attenuation setting is based on a second signal quality metric value of a second message sent from the user terminal at the second transmission frequency. The method also comprises determining the attenuation settings across the carriers in the return link bandwidth of the user terminal based on the first attenuation setting and the second attenuation setting. |
| US08547860B2 |
Uplink carrier allocation
This innovation relates to systems and methods for multiple carrier allocation in wireless communication networks, and more particularly to allocation and/or de-allocation of one or multiple carriers on the uplink to a high-speed uplink packet access user. A radio network controller can allocate uplink carriers to users based on a plurality of criteria, including but not limited to network loading, channel conditions, and so forth. The allocation messages can be transmitted to the user via layer three messages or layer one signaling. |
| US08547858B2 |
Communication-quality measuring apparatus, communications terminal device, communication-quality measuring method, and computer program
A communication-quality measuring method disclosed in the present invention acquires packets to be transferred in a packet switching network and accumulates the acquired packets in an internal buffer. An acquisition amount indicating an amount of packets acquired per given unit time, a loss amount indicating an amount of packets lost during transfer in the packet switching network, and an acquisition leak amount indicating an amount of packets that cannot be accumulated in the internal buffer out of the acquired packets are measured. Based on the measured acquisition amount, loss amount, and acquisition leak amount, a packet loss rate transferred in the packet switching network and an error for the loss rate are calculated and the calculated loss rate and the loss rate error are output. |
| US08547854B2 |
Variable step-size least mean square method for estimation in adaptive networks
The variable step-size least mean square method for estimation in adaptive networks uses a variable step-size to provide estimation for each node in the adaptive network, where the step-size at each node is determined by the error calculated for each node, as opposed to conventional least mean square algorithms used in adaptive filters and the like, where the choice of step-size reflects a tradeoff between misadjustment and the speed of adaptation. |
| US08547850B2 |
Transport control server, network system and aggregated path setting method
A transport control server, a network system, and an aggregated path setting method for avoiding congestion on the bypass destination route when an aggregated path consisting of a group of paths was bypassed (diverted) to a bypass destination route. Edge nodes measure the traffic information flowing along each path and notify the transport control server. The transport control server calculates the available capacity of bypass destination routes for each aggregated path based on this traffic information. After receiving a path add request, the transport control server assigns additional paths to the aggregated path so that the aggregated path traffic band that was assigned additional paths, does not exceed the available capacity on the bypass path. The transport control server sends an aggregated path set message to the edge nodes. The edge node complies with the aggregated path set message received from the transport control server and sets the aggregated path. |
| US08547849B2 |
ATM telecommunications systems and method for routing narrow band traffic
A telecommunications system comprises an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network having uncommitted bandwidth, and a plurality of adaptive grooming routers (AGR) coupled to the network. The AGRs comprise a group adapted to function as a virtual transit exchange whose fabric and control are distributed over the group. The visual comprising the AGRs incorporates independent connection control and call routing functions and has means for determining the current system status whereby to set up narrow band connections across the ATM network based on that status determination. |
| US08547848B2 |
Traffic control within a network architecture providing many-to-one transmission with denial-of-service protection
A method of controlling traffic flow through a service node located within a packet network, which traffic flow originates at a plurality of sending nodes and is destined for a receiving node. The service node is one of a multiplicity of service nodes configured in a tree or other acyclic structure, e.g. of an overlay network. The method comprises receiving a challenge from said receiving node or a downstream service node, generating and caching a further challenge, and combining that further challenge with the received challenges to generate a modified challenge. The modified challenge is then sent to a sending node or to an upstream service node. Subsequently, a request is received, destined for said receiving node and originating at a sending node. A solution accompanying said request is validated using the cached further challenge, and the request forwarded towards said receiving node only if the solution is valid. Otherwise, the request is dropped. |
| US08547846B1 |
Method and apparatus providing precedence drop quality of service (PDQoS) with class-based latency differentiation
A packet is classified into a class. A priority value is assigned to the packet wherein packets in a flow are assigned priorities according to some probability distribution within some band. A determination is made, at a network device for a highest latency class, whether a sum of queued packet sizes of previously received packets having an equal or smaller latency class than the packet and larger or equal priority than the packet is larger than a threshold value. When the sum is larger, the packet is dropped, otherwise a determination is made whether a latency class of the packet is less than the latency class of the network device. When the latency class is not less, the packet is stored in a queue for the latency class. When the latency class is less, then the process is repeated until the packet is dropped or stored in a queue. |
| US08547843B2 |
System, method, and computer program product for controlling output port utilization
A system, method and computer program product are provided. In use, a plurality of flows associated with packets destined for an output port is identified. A utilization associated with the output port is further measured. Thus, rates of a plurality of the flows destined for the output port may be individually controlled at an input port thereof, based on the utilization to ensure that the utilization remains less than 99.9% and avoid buffering more than 400 packets with a correspondingly low delay. |
| US08547842B2 |
Transmit power control for base stations using multiple carrier power amplifiers
In a method and a device for controlling the output power in a Base Transceiver Station adapted to transmit signals over an air interface using a power amplifier for multiple earners, the power of signals to be transmitted in an upcoming transmission time slot are added and compared to at least one threshold value. If the threshold is exceeded the output power is reduced. By implementing a power reduction scheme as set out above the risk for peak power effects is minimized at the same time as the dimensioning may be aggressive. This is made possible because no power will be backed off unless really needed. |
| US08547837B2 |
Dynamically assigning packet flows
In general, in one aspect, the disclosure describes a method includes accessing data of an egress packet belonging to a flow, storing data associating the flow with at least one queue based on a source of the data of the egress packet. The method also includes accessing an ingress packet belonging to the flow, performing a lookup of the at least one queue associated with the flow, and enqueueing data of the ingress packet to the at least one queue associated with the flow. |
| US08547831B2 |
Methods and systems for automatically rerouting logical circuit data
An example involves selecting a logical failover circuit comprising an alternate communication path for communicating data upon a failure of a dedicated logical circuit connecting a host device to a remote device. When a first logical circuit identifier of the dedicated logical circuit does not match a second logical circuit identifier of the logical failover circuit: the second logical circuit identifier of the logical failover circuit is renamed to identify the logical failover circuit using the first logical circuit identifier when the logical failover circuit is a dedicated logical failover circuit used to communicate only when the dedicated logical circuit fails, and the dedicated logical circuit is renamed to identify the dedicated logical circuit using the second logical circuit identifier when the logical failover circuit is used to communicate regardless of the failure of the dedicated logical circuit. The data is rerouted to the logical failover circuit without manual intervention. |
| US08547830B2 |
Methods and systems to reroute data in a data network
A disclosed example method involves determining a first quality of service parameter associated with a failed logical circuit, and a second quality of service parameter associated with a logical failover circuit. When the first quality of service parameter is equal to or less than the second quality of service parameter, data from the failed logical circuit is rerouted to the logical failover circuit without requiring authorization from a customer to communicate the data at the second quality of service parameter. When the second quality of service parameter is a lower level of quality than the first quality of service parameter, the customer is prompted for authorization to communicate the data via the logical failover circuit at the second quality of service parameter. When authorization is received, the data is rerouted to the logical failover circuit. When authorization is denied, the data is not rerouted to the logical failover circuit. |
| US08547827B2 |
Dynamic traffic rearrangement and restoration for MPLS networks with differentiated services capabilities
At least one substitute path is provided in place of a plurality of existing paths of a network to reallocate traffic carried by the plurality of existing paths. The total bandwidth needed to carry the traffic of the plurality of existing paths is determined. A proposed route is generated from the available links in the network. A portion of the bandwidth of a proposed route may be allocated to the needed bandwidth when the bandwidth of a proposed route is greater than or equal to the needed bandwidth. When the bandwidth of the proposed route is less than the needed bandwidth, at least one further route is generated, and the needed bandwidth is divided among the proposed route and the at least one further route such that a minimum number of further routes are generated. |
| US08547826B2 |
Monitoring apparatus and monitoring method
A monitoring apparatus for monitoring packet communication by a plurality of information processing apparatuses. The monitoring apparatus includes a receiving unit for receiving packets transmitted from the plurality of information processing apparatuses, a storage unit for storing a first identification value of a first packet and a first transmission source address of the first packet, and a processing unit for comparing a second identification value of a second packet with the first identification value of the first packet when a second transmission source address of the second packet matches the first transmission source address of the first packet to detect duplication of IP addresses when a difference between the first identification value and the second identification value exceeds a predetermined value. |
| US08547818B2 |
Information storage medium, reproducing method, and recording method
An information storage medium configured to store: a version corresponding to a specification; an extended part version; a first revision number of maximum recording speed; a record revision number of minimum recording speed; first information relating to a first recording power corresponding to the first revision number; and second information relating to a second recording power corresponding to the record revision number, wherein a byte position of the version corresponding to the specification, a byte position of the extended part version, a byte position of the first revision number, and a byte position of the record revision number are smaller than byte positions of the first and second information. |
| US08547814B2 |
Semiconductor laser device, optical pickup apparatus, and method of manufacturing semiconductor laser device
In a diffractive element, its grating pattern is so configured that a diffraction angle of a diffracted light beam of a light source that is subject to the first-order diffraction in a diffraction area is matched with an angle of a light beam passing through the diffractive area emitted from a light source and a light source position is matched with a light originating point of the light source that emits a light beam to be transmitted, and the center of light intensity distribution is matched with that of the light source passing through the diffractive element by inclining an optical axis of the light source. A position of the diffractive element is adjusted based on an electric current value generated when a reflected return path light beam of the light source is diffracted by the diffractive element and enters the light source. |
| US08547812B2 |
Optical disc device and method for setting playback power of optical disc device
A focus search is performed on a mounted optical-disc recording medium once the optical-disc recording medium has been mounted in an optical disc device. The type of the mounted optical-disc recording medium is determined on the basis of results of the focus search. When a determination has been made that the mounted optical-disc recording medium is a multilayer optical-disc recording medium having three or more recording layers, a playback power is for an optical-disc recording medium being of a specification identical to the multilayer optical-disc recording medium and having one or two recording layers. A playback operation at the set playback power is used to read optical disc information from the mounted optical-disc recording medium, the optical disc information indicating the type of the mounted optical-disc recording medium. |
| US08547811B2 |
Laser power control method and laser power control apparatus
With a large capacity of an optical disk and high-speed recording, a frequency of a recording signal is increased and a pulse width is narrowed. In the case that a laser is driven by a signal having the short pulse width, unfortunately the high-speed recording is hardly performed to an optical disk when a rise time and a fall time of the optical pulse are lengthened. During user data recording, a bottom driving current is set to a second bottom driving current value that is a current value of a threshold or less, so that the rise time and the fall time of the optical pulse can be shortened to perform the high-speed recording of the optical disk. |
| US08547810B2 |
Recording and reproducing device, recording and reproducing method, and vehicle-mounted recording and reproducing device
A reading unit reads sound signals recorded in a recording medium. A buffer unit temporarily stores the sound signals which is read by the reading unit. A recording unit records the sound signal which is temporarily stored in the buffer unit. A reproducing unit reproduces the sound signals which is recorded in the recording unit. A controller controls reading speed of the reading unit. The sound signals include a first set of signals and a second set of signals. The reading unit reads the first set of signals at a first reading speed and reads the second set of signals at a second reading speed which is faster than the first reading speed after reading the first set of signals. |
| US08547808B2 |
Optical pickup actuator and optical disc driver using the same
The present invention relates to an optical pickup actuator which includes a plurality of objective lenses for converging a light on an optical recording medium, a lens holder for holding the objective lenses, a suspension wire for holding the lens holder and projections provided at the lens holder, wherein the projections are provided at the periphery of the objective lens and at least one of the projections is provided on the upstream side of the insertion direction of the optical recording medium. A slope for guiding the optical recording medium upward at the time of inserting the optical recording medium is provided on the side surface of each of the projections. Thus, even when the optical recording medium is inserted so as to slide on the upper surface of a pickup cover, the end portion of the outer periphery of the optical recording medium contacts with the slope provided at the projection and slides to thereby push down the optical pickup actuator in the elevational direction. Thus, since there does not arise a force in the bending direction of the suspension wire, the deformation of the suspension wires can be prevented. |
| US08547803B2 |
Striking mechanism for a watch with an active damper counter-spring
The watch striking mechanism (1) includes a gong, which is fixed via one end thereof to a gong-carrier integral with a plate, a hammer rotatably mounted on the plate to strike the gong at determined times, a damper counter-spring (5) for keeping the hammer away from the gong in an idle mode, and a drive spring (3) for the hammer. The drive spring includes an end (3b) fixed to the plate and an end (3a) that is free to move. The spring can be wound so that the free end (3a) of the spring drives the hammer (2) against the gong (21) in a strike mode to produce an acoustic sound. The striking mechanism includes means (10) for actuating the damper counter-spring (5) in a strike mode with a time lag after the hammer (2) strikes the gong, so that after the hammer strikes the gong, the counter-spring pushes said hammer towards an idle position. The actuating means includes a stop member mounted on the damper counter-spring to be actuated via the drive spring when in action just after the hammer strikes the gong. |
| US08547802B2 |
Timepiece
A timepiece includes a movement, a ring member, and an hour plate. Upward engagement convex portions of the ring member have contact parts placed near an outer peripheral surface of the ring member. The hour plate has a plurality of interposition portions and a plurality of convex portion accommodation grooves opened to the peripheral surface thereof. The interposition portions divide the convex portion accommodation grooves, come into close contact with the contact parts in the state of being elastically deformed, and interpose the engagement convex portions therebetween along a direction perpendicular to a radial direction of the ring member. The convex portion accommodation grooves are housed in the respective engagement convex portions, and the hour plate is attached to the ring member. |
| US08547798B2 |
Micropositioning apparatus
The present invention allows the simple measurement of position and orientation with low cost setup and simple calibration using a small set of transmitting nodes and a simple handheld wand. This can be used in place of measuring tools such as non contact reflection based ultrasonic measurement tools or traditional tools such as tape measures and rulers where multiple high precision measurements are needed with minimal set up time. The present invention also provides true three dimensional output and orientation calculation. |
| US08547797B2 |
Seismic data recording
A seismic survey is conducted by positioning an array of remote acquisition units (RAUs). Each of the RAUs records seismic data derived from one or more geophones in digital form in local memory. The data is collected by a harvester unit traversed across the survey territory as by an aircraft using point-multipoint communications, and subsequently transferred from the harvester unit to a central control unit. |
| US08547792B2 |
Processing seismic data
A method of processing seismic data including convolving at least first and second seismic data traces or respective portions of at least first and second seismic data traces to forma composite trace. The travel time of an event may then be determined in the composite trace. This provides an improved method compared to the prior art technique of picking the travel time of an event individually in each one of a number of seismic data traces and averaging the individual picked travel times. |
| US08547791B2 |
Device and method for generating a beam of acoustic energy from a borehole, and applications thereof
In some aspects of the invention, a method of generating a beam of acoustic energy in a borehole is disclosed. The method includes generating a first broad-band acoustic pulse at a first broad-band frequency range having a first central frequency and a first bandwidth spread; generating a second broad-band acoustic pulse at a second broad-band frequency range different than the first frequency range having a second central frequency and a second bandwidth spread, wherein the first acoustic pulse and second acoustic pulse are generated by at least one transducer arranged on a tool located within the borehole; and transmitting the first and the second broad-band acoustic pulses into an acoustically non-linear medium, wherein the composition of the non-linear medium produces a collimated pulse by a non-linear mixing of the first and second acoustic pulses, wherein the collimated pulse has a frequency equal to the difference in frequencies between the first central frequency and the second central frequency and a bandwidth spread equal to the sum of the first bandwidth spread and the second bandwidth spread. |
| US08547790B2 |
Device and method for generating a beam of acoustic energy from a borehole, and applications thereof
In some aspects of the invention, a method of generating a beam of acoustic energy in a borehole is disclosed. The method includes generating a first acoustic wave at a first frequency; generating a second acoustic wave at a second frequency different than the first frequency, wherein the first acoustic wave and second acoustic wave are generated by at least one transducer carried by a tool located within the borehole; transmitting the first and the second acoustic waves into an acoustically non-linear medium, wherein the composition of the non-linear medium produces a collimated beam by a non-linear mixing of the first and second acoustic waves, wherein the collimated beam has a frequency based upon a difference between the first frequency and the second frequency; and transmitting the collimated beam through a diverging acoustic lens to compensate for a refractive effect caused by the curvature of the borehole. |
| US08547785B2 |
Method and apparatus for positioning a center of a seismic source
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for positioning a center of a seismic source. The method includes determining a desired center-of-source of the seismic source and selecting one of a first and a second plurality of guns to form the seismic source based upon the desired center-of-source, a center-of-source of the first plurality being different than a center-of-source of the second plurality. |
| US08547784B2 |
Sinusoidal marine seismic data acquisition
A method of acquiring marine seismic data using an acoustic source to generate an acoustic signal, a portion of which is reflected at one or more subsurface formation interfaces as a seismic signal is described. The method includes sailing a surface vessel along a sail line which lies over a survey area while towing a seismic streamer, the sail line having a sinusoidal configuration defined by an amplitude and a wavelength. The streamer includes a plurality of hydrophones for receiving the reflected portion of the acoustic signal. The method is characterised in that the streamer follows the sinusoidal configuration of the sail line while seismic data is acquired, the streamer having a length at least equal to the distance travelled by the surface vessel as it sails along one full wavelength of the configuration as measured along the sinusoidal sail line. |
| US08547782B2 |
Active steering for marine seismic sources
A seismic survey system having a source array (11) coupled to a deflector device (15) that controls the position of the source array. A positioning system unit (16) is mounted on the source array to provide a signal to a controller, informing the controller of the current position of the source array so that the controller can control the position of the deflector device (15) and the coupled source array. A seismic source (14) on the source array may be triggered when the source array is at a desired location as measured by the positioning system unit. The deflector device (15) comprises one or more wings (18) in a generally vertical or, alternatively, in a generally horizontal arrangement disposed adjacent to a central body (19). The streamlined central body has connection points that allow the deflector device (15) to be connected to a tow cable (13) from the tow vessel (12) and to the source array (11). |
| US08547780B2 |
Acoustic markers
An acoustic reflector is described comprising a shell around a core, in which portions of the shell are capable of transmitting acoustic waves incident on the shell into the core to be focused and reflected from an area of the shell located opposite to the area of incidence of the acoustic waves to provide a reflected acoustic signal output from the reflector. Incident acoustic radiation will be differentially reflected depending on the portion of the reflector on which the incident acoustic radiation impinges. |
| US08547778B2 |
Apparatus and method for converting static memory address to memory address pulse
A tri-state NAND circuit includes a first input connected to receive a first input signal and a second input connected to receive a second input signal. The tri-state NAND circuit is connected to operate in accordance with a first clock signal and a second clock signal. A logic state of the second clock signal is opposite a logic state of the first clock signal. The tri-state NAND circuit is connected to transmit an output signal to a first node. A tri-state latch circuit is connected to hold a signal present at the first node in accordance with the first clock signal and the second clock signal. A pulse generating NAND circuit includes a first input connected to the first node and a second input connected to receive the first clock signal. The pulse generating NAND circuit is connected to transmit an output signal to a second node. |
| US08547776B2 |
Multi-port memory based on DRAM core
A semiconductor memory device includes a plurality of N external ports, each of which receives commands, and an internal circuit which performs at least N access operations during a minimum interval of the commands that are input into one of the external ports. |
| US08547773B2 |
Integrated circuit device and electronic instrument
An integrated circuit device includes at least one data driver block for driving data lines, a plurality of control transistors TC1 and TC2, each of the control transistors being provided corresponding to each output line of the data driver block and controlled by using a common control signal, and a pad arrangement region in which data driver pads P1 and P2 for electrically connecting the data lines and the output lines QL1 and QL2 of the data driver block are disposed. The control transistors TC1 and TC2 are disposed in the pad arrangement region. |
| US08547771B2 |
Semiconductor integrated circuit
To reduce power consumption of a semiconductor integrated circuit and to reduce delay of the operation in the semiconductor integrated circuit, a plurality of sequential circuits included in a storage circuit each include a transistor whose channel formation region is formed with an oxide semiconductor, and a capacitor whose one electrode is electrically connected to a node that is brought into a floating state when the transistor is turned off. By using an oxide semiconductor for the channel formation region of the transistor, the transistor with an extremely low off-state current (leakage current) can be realized. Thus, by turning off the transistor in a period during which power supply voltage is not supplied to the storage circuit, the potential in that period of the node to which one electrode of the capacitor is electrically connected can be kept constant or almost constant. Consequently, the above objects can be achieved. |
| US08547766B2 |
Area-efficient data line layouts to suppress the degradation of electrical characteristics
A data line layout includes column selection lines arranged in a first direction at a layer on a memory cell array region, and data lines arranged in the first direction at the layer, the data lines being connected between I/O sense amplifiers and I/O pads. |
| US08547765B2 |
Semiconductor device having sense amplifiers
A semiconductor device includes a plurality of memory cells connected to a word line, sense amplifiers arranged correspondingly to the memory cells, and a sense-amplifier control circuit that activates the sense amplifiers in response to selection of the word line and temporarily reduces driving performance of the sense amplifiers in response to a request for writing of data to any one of the memory cells. With this configuration, inverted data can be quickly overwritten to the sense amplifier. Furthermore, because a collective control is executed on the sense amplifiers to be activated, instead of individually controlling the sense amplifiers to be activated, the circuit scale of the sense-amplifier control circuit can be reduced. |
| US08547764B2 |
Semiconductor memory device and method for performing data compression test of the same
A semiconductor memory device includes a plurality of data transmission lines, a plurality of parallel-to-serial conversion sections configured to receive, serially align, and output data from at least two of the plurality of data transmission lines, a plurality of data compression circuits configured to receive, compress, and output outputs of at least two of the plurality of parallel-to-serial conversion sections, and a plurality of data output circuits configured to output respective compression results of the plurality of data compression circuits to an outside of a chip. |
| US08547761B2 |
Memory module and memory system comprising memory module
A memory module comprises a plurality of semiconductor memory devices each having a termination circuit for a command/address bus. The semiconductor memory devices are formed in a substrate of the memory module, and they operate in response to a command/address signal, a data signal, and a termination resistance control signal. |
| US08547746B2 |
Voltage generation and adjustment in a memory device
Voltage generation devices and methods are useful in determining a data state of a selected memory cell in a memory device. Voltages applied to an access line coupled to a selected memory cell can be determined at least partially in response to a sensed operating characteristic of the memory device, such as operating temperature, and to a particular data state to be determined in the selected memory cell. |
| US08547738B2 |
Techniques for providing a semiconductor memory device
Techniques for providing a semiconductor memory device are disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a semiconductor memory device including a plurality of memory cells arranged in an array of rows and columns. Each memory cell including a first region, a a second region, and a body region capacitively coupled to at least one word line and disposed between the first region and the second region. Each memory cell also including a third region, wherein the third region may be doped differently than the first region, the second region, and the body region. |
| US08547737B2 |
Magnetoresistive element and magnetic memory
A magnetoresistive element according to an embodiment includes: a first ferromagnetic layer having an axis of easy magnetization in a direction perpendicular to a film plane; a second ferromagnetic layer having an axis of easy magnetization in a direction perpendicular to a film plane; a nonmagnetic layer placed between the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer; a first interfacial magnetic layer placed between the first ferromagnetic layer and the nonmagnetic layer; and a second interfacial magnetic layer placed between the second ferromagnetic layer and the nonmagnetic layer. The first interfacial magnetic layer includes a first interfacial magnetic film, a second interfacial magnetic film placed between the first interfacial magnetic film and the nonmagnetic layer and having a different composition from that of the first interfacial magnetic film, and a first nonmagnetic film placed between the first interfacial magnetic film and the second interfacial magnetic film. |
| US08547730B1 |
Method and system for providing a spin tunneling magnetic element having a crystalline barrier layer
The method and system for providing a spin tunneling element are disclosed. The method and system include depositing a pinned layer, a barrier layer, and a free layer. The barrier layer has a first crystal structure and a texture. The free layer includes a first ferromagnetic layer and a second ferromagnetic layer. The first ferromagnetic is adjacent to the second ferromagnetic layer and between the second ferromagnetic layer and the barrier layer. The first ferromagnetic layer has the first crystal structure and the texture, while the second ferromagnetic layer has a second crystal structure different from the first crystal structure. |
| US08547729B2 |
DRAM and memory array
A dynamic random access memory (DRAM) includes a substrate, a plurality of bit lines, a plurality of word lines, a plurality of recess channels, a plurality of conductive plugs and a plurality of trench capacitors. In the DRAM, the bit lines are disposed on the substrate in a first direction, and the word lines are disposed on the bit lines in a second direction. Each recess channel is in the substrate between two bit lines below the word line, and each conductive plug connects each recess channel and the word lines. Each trench capacitor is disposed in the substrate between two bit lines where the recess channels are not formed. Because the word lines can be electrically connected with the recess channels directly without using an additional chip area, the WL access time can be accelerated without an increase of the chip size. |
| US08547726B2 |
Semiconductor memory device and controlling method thereof
According to one embodiment, a semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell array in which memory cells each including at least a rectification element and a variable resistance element, which are connected in series, a peripheral circuit, a sense amplifier configured to sense the memory cells via the peripheral circuit, and a control circuit configured to control operations of the memory cell array and the sense amplifier. The control circuit is configured to boost a potential of a selected bit line, which is one of a first even bit line and a first odd bit line of a first side, by charge sharing of a second even bit line and a second odd bit line which are nonselected bit lines and physically neighbor the first even bit line or the first odd bit line of the first side, which is connected to a selected one of the memory cells. |
| US08547725B2 |
Method of programming a nonvolatile memory cell by reverse biasing a diode steering element to set a storage element
A method of programming a nonvolatile memory cell. The nonvolatile memory cell includes a diode steering element in series with a carbon storage element The method includes providing a first voltage to the nonvolatile memory cell. The first voltage reverse biases the diode steering element. The carbon storage element sets to a lower resistivity state. |
| US08547719B2 |
Stacked memory device and method thereof
A stacked memory device includes a plurality of memory layers, where at least one of the plurality of memory layers is stacked on another of the plurality of memory layers and each of the memory layers includes an array of memory cells, a first active circuit unit configured to classify and process address information for at least one of the memory cells as vertical address information and horizontal address information, and at least one second active circuit unit configured to generate a memory selection signal for at least one of the memory cells based on signals processed by the first active circuit unit. |
| US08547717B2 |
Multilevel unidirectional rectifier with N-2 switches per phase leg
An N-level rectifier, wherein N is a number of voltage levels of the rectifier, includes an input; a plurality of switching devices connected in parallel, wherein the plurality of switching devices are connected to the input, wherein a number of the plurality of switching devices is equal to N−2; and a plurality of capacitors connected in series, wherein the plurality of capacitors are connected to the plurality of switching devices, wherein a number of the plurality of capacitors is equal to N−1, and wherein the plurality of capacitors are connected to an output of the N-level rectifier; wherein N is greater than three. |
| US08547715B2 |
Apparatus and method for DC/AC systems to ride through grid transients
A converter system comprises a DC to AC converter, a maximum power point tracking device, and an array-side control. The DC link converts DC from a photovoltaic array to AC for a grid. The maximum power point tracking device is coupled to the array. The array-side control, which is coupled to the DC to AC converter and the device, prevents overvoltage in the DC bus of the DC to AC converter using array voltage and current data from the device and DC bus voltage data from the DC to AC converter during a grid transient by adjusting a maximum power point of the array to increase array voltage. |
| US08547713B2 |
Power conversion system
A power conversion system includes a first power converter converting AC to DC, a second power converter converting DC to AC, a current detector detecting output current of the second power converter, a pulsation detector detecting a pulsating component associated with the AC to DC conversion of the first power converter from a pulsating component contained in at least any one of effective power, power, and apparent power of the second power converter, a voltage corrector outputting a correction amount correcting at least one of phase, frequency, and amplitude of a voltage output from the second power converter based on the pulsating component from the pulsation detector, and a voltage controller outputting a voltage instruction to be output from the second power converter based on the correction amount from the voltage corrector, wherein the second power converter converts DC to AC based on the voltage instruction from the voltage controller. |
| US08547709B2 |
Electronic system with a composite substrate
A composite substrate made of a circuit board mounted on a lead frame is used for an electronic system package. High heat generated electronic components are adapted to mount on the lead frame and relatively low heat generated electronic components are adapted to mount on the circuit board. Metal lines are used for electrical coupling between the circuitry of the IC chip and the circuit board. An electronic system with the composite substrate gains both advantages—good circuitry arrangement capability from the circuit board and good heat distribution from the lead frame. |
| US08547707B2 |
Split electrical contacts in an electronic assembly
An electronic device is disclosed for coupling to a target platform, which includes a multitude of pad contacts. The electronic device includes a substrate, a multitude of pad contacts on the substrate, and a multitude of contact regions in one of the of pad contacts on the substrate. Each of the multitude of pad contacts on the substrate electrically couples to a corresponding one of the multitude of pad contacts on the target platform when the substrate and the target platform are assembled. The multitude of contact regions corresponds to one of the multitude of pad contacts on the target platform when the substrate and the target platform are assembled. |
| US08547705B2 |
Semiconductor device having power supply-side and ground-side metal reinforcing members insulated from each other
Provided is a semiconductor device which includes a wiring substrate; a semiconductor chip fixedly attached to a first surface of the wiring substrate; a power supply pad that is provided on a second surface opposite to the first surface of the wiring substrate, and supplies electric power to the wiring substrate; a ground pad that is provided on the second surface of the wiring substrate and grounds the wiring substrate; a power supply-side reinforcing member that is connected to the power supply pad and made of metal; a ground-side reinforcing member that is connected to the ground pad and made of metal; and an insulating part that insulates the power supply-side reinforcing member and the ground-side reinforcing member from each other. |
| US08547704B2 |
Button structure and electronic device using the same
A button structure and an electronic device using the same are provided. The button structure is disposed on a casing and comprises an elastic element and a button. The elastic element comprises a first support portion, a second support portion and a carrying portion. The carrying portion is connected between the first support portion and the second support portion. The first support portion and the second support portion lean on the casing. The button is disposed on the carrying portion. |
| US08547702B2 |
Multi-piece board and method for manufacturing the same
A multi-piece board includes a frame and multiple wiring boards connected to the frame. The frame and each of the wiring boards are positioned with a clearance. The frame and/or each of the wiring boards has an end portion having a first notch portion on a surface side adjacent to the clearance. The end portion of the frame and/or each of the wiring boards has a second notch portion formed on the opposite surface side with respect to the surface side of the first notched portion adjacent to the clearance. The clearance between the frame and each of the wiring boards is filled with an adhesive agent. |
| US08547701B2 |
Electronics module and method for manufacturing the same
This publication discloses an electronics module and a method for manufacturing it. The electronic module includes at least one first embedded component (6), the contact terminals (7) of which face essentially towards the first surface of the insulating-material layer (1) and which is connected electrically by its contact terminals (7) to the conductor structures contained in the electronic module. According to the invention, a second embedded component (6′), the contact terminals (7′) of which face essentially towards the second surface of the insulating-material layer and which is connected electrically by its contact terminals (7′) to the conductor structures contained in the electronic module, is attached by means of glue or two-sided tape to the first component (6), and the contact terminals (7, 7′) are connected to the conductor structures with the aid of a conductive material, which is arranged in the insulating-material layer in holes (17) at the locations of the contact terminals (7, 7′). By means of the invention, it is possible to achieve a simple module construction comprising two component layers, which permits the manufacture of smaller electronic devices than previously. |
| US08547699B1 |
Enclosure for outside plant equipment with interconnect for mating printed circuit boards, printed circuit board device and method of repairing outside plant equipment
An enclosure for outside plant equipment includes a base unit and first Printed Circuit Board (PCB) carried by the base unit and having a circuit side and opposing component side on which electronic components are mounted. A heat sink is connected to the first PCB at the circuit side and configured to dissipate heat from any electronic components mounted on the first PCB at the component side. A cover is attached to the base unit and has an inside surface covering the enclosure. A second PCB has a circuit side and opposing component side on which electronic components are mounted. The second PCB is supported by the inside surface of the cover. A heat sink is connected to the second circuit board at the circuit side and configured to dissipate heat from any electronic components mounted on the second PCB. A PCB finger connector interconnects the first and second PCB's at the component side. |
| US08547694B2 |
Rack-mount server system
A rack-mount server system includes a cabinet, a number of server units mounted in the cabinet, and a number of fan modules. Each fan module cools one or a group of server units. Each fan module includes a mounting bracket fixed to the cabinet, a number of fans attached to the mounting bracket, an air flap, and a control box to control the power supply to the fans. The mounting bracket defines an air passage dedicated to each fan, through which air from the fan is guided to the one or a group of server units. Each mounting bracket defines a cutout, through which the air passages of two neighboring fans communicate with each other. The air flap may be slid closed or slid open to redirect or gather a cooling airflow as required, depending on the distribution of server units within the cabinet. |
| US08547693B2 |
Mounting apparatus for fan
A mounting apparatus includes a first bracket and a second bracket. Two guides are located on the first bracket. A locking block is located on the first bracket between the two guides. The second bracket receives a first fan. Two sliding portions are located on the second bracket and engaged with the two guides. A latch is resiliently deformable and located on the second bracket between the two sliding portions. A plurality of receiving holes is defined in the latch. The second bracket is slidable between the two guides relative to the first bracket. The locking block is can engage in the plurality of receiving holes to secure the first bracket to the second bracket in a plurality of positions. |
| US08547687B2 |
Power semiconductor device adaptive cooling assembly
The invention relates to a power semiconductor device (100) cooling assembly for cooling a power semiconductor device (100), wherein the assembly comprises an actively cooled heat sink (102) and a controller (208; 300), wherein the controller (208; 300) is adapted for adjusting the cooling efficiency of the heat sink (102) depending on the temperature of the high current carrying semiconductor junction comprised in the power semiconductor device (100). |
| US08547686B2 |
Watthour meter socket with secured access high voltage section
An electrical watthour meter socket includes a first sub-enclosure receiving high voltage components and a second sub-enclosure receiving lower voltage components. The first and second sub-enclosures are electrically isolated from each other access control components to allow independent access to lower voltage components in the second sub-enclosure without the use of personal protective equipment required for exposure to components carrying high voltage. |
| US08547685B2 |
Terminal box for solar cell module
A terminal box is provided with a plurality of terminal plates (10) electrically connected to a solar cell module, bypass diodes (20) each electrically connected to two corresponding ones of the respective terminal plates (10), and a housing (31) having the respective terminal plates (10) and bypass diodes (20) arranged inside. The respective terminal plates (10) and bypass diodes (20) are mold-covered by a resin portion (30), whereby the housing (31) is integrally formed. The resin portion (30) of the housing (31) includes a thinner portion (15) deposited and having an outer shape in conformity with that of the bypass diodes (20). |
| US08547684B2 |
Panelboard having a parallel feeder bars distribution
A load center includes a pair of generally parallel busbars for distributing a single phase of electricity to circuit breakers through a multitude of stabs that form respective bridges between the pair of busbars to provide respective bidirectional paths for dissipating heat from each of the stabs to both of the busbars and to provide a connection point for a pair of circuit breakers installed into the load center. |
| US08547679B2 |
Apparatus and methods for coupling a filament to an electrode for electronic weaponry and deployment units
An electronic weapon has an installed deployment unit from which an electrode, tethered by a filament, is launched. According to various aspects of the present invention, the deployment unit includes a housing, two filaments stored in the housing prior to launching, and two electrodes, each coupled to the end of one of the filaments. A propellant in the housing launches the electrodes responsive to the launch device. In operation, an end portion of each filament experiences a tensile stress during launching. The tensile stress follows a nonlinear path along a surface of an undulation of an interior of the respective electrode. |
| US08547678B2 |
Surge arrester having a short-circuit device
A surge arrester includes a short-circuit device. The short-circuit device includes at least one first base element. The first base element is rigidly connected in an electrically conducting and mechanical manner to a first electrode of the surge arrester. The short-circuit device also includes at least one spring arm arranged on the base element. The free end of the spring arm has a distance to the base element, and the spring arm extends over at least two adjoining electrodes of the surge arrester. |
| US08547676B2 |
Overcurrent protection device and overcurrent protection system
Provided are an overcurrent protection device and an overcurrent protection system which can provide time differences among the timings for executing the retry operations among a plurality of overcurrent protection devices connected to a common power supply. When a battery voltage (VBA) becomes a value equal to or lower than a threshold voltage after an FET (Q1) of an IC circuit (51-1) is turned on, all FETs (Q1) of the respective IC circuits are turned off, and a time until the battery voltage (VBA) reduces to a value lower than a threshold voltage after the turning-on of the FET (Q1) is clocked. When the time is smaller than 400 μsec, the count value N is incremented. Further, turning-on of the FETs (Q1) is repeated after the lapse of the standby time (Tp) set randomly. When the count value N reaches 7, the FET (Q1) of the IC circuit 51-1 is held in the turned-off state. Accordingly, only the load-driving circuit at which the dead short occurs can be stopped and the driving of the other load-driving circuits can be continued. |
| US08547674B2 |
Hardware overvoltage disconnecting circuit
A hardware overvoltage disconnecting circuit wherein a DC power supply module is disconnected from a power network when the AC power network is in the state of overvoltage. The circuit includes a disconnecting relay and a voltage detection circuit. The disconnecting relay is connected in series between an AC power network and a power factor correction circuit of a power supply module. A first sampling terminal of the voltage detection circuit samples the voltage of the AC power network between the AC power network and the disconnecting relay, and an output of the voltage detection circuit is connected to a control terminal of the disconnecting relay. When the AC power network is in the state of overvoltage, the disconnecting relay is disconnected and the power supply module is disconnected from the AC power network. When the voltage of the AC power network is normal, the disconnecting relay is connected. |
| US08547672B2 |
System and method for conditioning a power supply transmission for supply to a load circuit
A system and method for conditioning an alternating current (“AC”) power transmission for supply to a load circuit. In one aspect, the invention is a system comprising: a power conditioning circuit comprising a voltage surge protector for eliminating voltage spikes in the AC power transmission, an inrush current suppressor for limiting the current of the AC power transmission, a filter for reducing electromagnetic interference and radio frequency interference of the AC power transmission, and a voltage sensing circuit for monitoring a voltage level of the AC power transmission; means for electrically coupling the power conditioning circuit to a source of AC power; outlet means for electrically coupling the power conditioning circuit to a load circuit; wherein the voltage sensing circuit monitors the AC power transmission in a rectified un-smoothed state after the AC power transmission has passed through the filter; and wherein upon the voltage sensing circuit detecting that the voltage level of the AC power transmission exceeds a predetermined upper limit, the AC power transmission is prohibited from reaching the outlet means. |
| US08547670B2 |
Integrated circuit
According to one embodiment, an integrated circuit includes a power supply terminal, an output terminal, a high side output transistor including a first electrode connected to the power supply terminal, a second electrode connected to the output terminal, and a control electrode, a transistor which is connected between the control electrode and the second electrode of the high side output transistor and which short-circuits the control electrode and the second electrode in an on state, a trigger circuit connected between the power supply terminal and the control electrode of the transistor, and an Electro Static Discharge (ESD) protection circuit connected between the power supply terminal and the output terminal. When a voltage larger than a maximum rating voltage is applied to the power supply terminal, the trigger circuit operates, the transistor turns on, the high side output transistor turns off, and the ESD protection circuit operates. |
| US08547668B2 |
Management techniques for electric power generation equipment
A method for controlling power generation equipment, including bringing a generator online into a shared power bus environment, is described. The method includes determining whether the shared power bus is currently active, and whether a voltage determination fault is present with respect to a specific generator. Where the shared power bus is inactive and no fault is present, the generator is brought online in response to a load request. Where the shared power bus is active, the generator is synchronized with the shared power bus before the generator is brought online. |
| US08547666B2 |
Current perpendicular to plane magnetoresistive head having suppressed spin torque noise
Embodiments of the present invention aim suppress the generation of spin torque noise in a current perpendicular to plane magnetoresistive head. According to one embodiment, when sensing current is applied to a current perpendicular to plane magnetoresistive head from a free layer toward a first pinned layer, a configuration wherein the relative angle between the magnetization of a second pinned layer and the magnetization of the free layer is in the range of 70 to 80 degrees is used. Further, when sensing current is applied to a current perpendicular to plane magnetoresistive head from a first pinned layer toward a free layer, a configuration wherein the relative angle between the magnetization of a second pinned layer and the magnetization of the free layer is in the range of 100 to 110 degrees is used. |
| US08547664B1 |
Disk drive actuator pivot bearing having an adsorptive element within
An actuator pivot bearing is disposed at least partially within a pivot bearing bore of a disk drive actuator. The actuator pivot bearing includes a fixed inner bearing shaft having a lower portion that is attached to the disk drive base. It may also have a rotatable outer bearing sleeve that is attached to the actuator body. The actuator pivot bearing also includes an adsorptive element (e.g. comprising activated carbon, silica gel, zeolites) disposed between the fixed inner bearing shaft and an inner surface of the pivot bearing bore. In certain embodiments, the adsorptive element may optionally be disposed within an actuator pivot bearing internal cartridge space. A restricted clearance between the rotating and fixed bearing components may partially block a diffusion path from the pivot bearing lubricant to the read head. The adsorptive element may be disposed adjacent that restricted clearance. |
| US08547663B2 |
Suspension board with circuit having an electrically conductive layer interposed between a support terminal and metal plating layer
A suspension board with circuit includes a metal supporting board; an insulating layer formed on the metal supporting board having an opening penetrating in the thickness direction formed therein; and a conductive pattern formed on the insulating layer including an external-side terminal electrically connected to an external board. The external-side terminal is filled in the opening of the insulating layer. In the metal supporting board, a support terminal electrically insulated from the surrounding metal supporting board and electrically connected to the external-side terminal is provided. The suspension board with circuit includes a metal plating layer formed below the support terminal and an electrically-conductive layer interposed between the support terminal and the metal plating layer having a thickness of 10 nm or more to 200 nm or less. |
| US08547661B2 |
MAMR head with self-aligned write element and microwave field generator
The invention discloses a MAMR head that has the STO stack placed at the trailing side of the write element, with both STO and write element completely self-aligned in the cross track direction. A method for defining both the MP and the STO stack geometries in a single step is also described. |
| US08547658B1 |
Data storage device enclosure enabling use of a common shock mount across different products
A data storage device assembly comprises a data storage device, a shock mount configured to couple to the data storage device, and an enclosure comprising first and second portions. The first enclosure portion may comprise a first pocket defining a first nesting surface, and a first plurality of ribs configured to contact a first portion of the shock mount over an aggregate first surface area that is less than a surface area of the first nesting surface. The second enclosure portion may be configured to mate with the first enclosure portion to enclose the data storage device therebetween. The second enclosure portion may comprise a second pocket defining a second nesting surface and a second plurality of ribs configured to contact a second portion of the shock mount over an aggregate second surface area that is less than a surface area of the second nesting surface. |
| US08547656B2 |
Spin-torque oscillator (STO) for microwave-assisted magnetic recording (MAMR) and methods of use thereof
In one embodiment, a magnetic data storage system includes a main pole power supply adapted for supplying an excitation current to a main pole coil, a microwave-assisted magnetic recording (MAMR) device including a spin-torque oscillator (STO) element, the STO element having a field generation layer (FGL) and a polarization layer, a timing-control circuit adapted for determining a duration of a main pole magnetic moment inversion process and signaling a start of the main pole magnetic moment inversion process, and a current-regulating circuit comprising an STO power supply adapted for supplying current to the STO element, wherein the STO power supply prevents degradation of a single rotating magnetic domain structure in the FGL into a closure magnetic domain structure in the FGL. Other systems and methods for preventing degradation of the single rotating magnetic domain structure in the FGL into a closure magnetic domain structure are described for more embodiments. |
| US08547655B2 |
Magnetic recording method using microwave assisted head
A magnetic recording method for a recording layer of a magnetic recording medium uses a thin film magnetic head with a sub-coil or a microwave radiator. In the method, a microwave spread spectrum (SS) signal is applied to the sub-coil or the microwave radiator, the microwave SS signal including a ferromagnetic resonant (FMR) frequency of the recording layer as a carrier wave within a band so as to generate an in-plane high-frequency magnetic field so that a magnetization reversal magnetic field Hsw of the recording layer is lowered. The magnetic recording is performed while the magnetization reversal magnetic field Hsw of the recording layer is lowered. |
| US08547651B2 |
Image-forming lens, and camera device and portable information terminal device with the image-forming lens
An image forming lens consists of from an object side to an image side in the following order: a first group with a positive refractive power; an aperture stop; and a second group with a positive refractive power, wherein the second group includes, from the object side to the image side in the following order, a biconvex lens, a biconcave lens, a negative meniscus lens a convex surface of which faces the image side, a biconvex lens, and a positive meniscus lens a convex surface of which faces the image side. |
| US08547650B2 |
Imaging lens assembly
The present invention provides an imaging lens assembly, comprising in order from an object side toward an image side, a first lens element with positive refractive power having a convex object-side surface, a second lens element with negative refractive power having a concave object-side surface and a convex image-side surface, a third lens element with positive refractive power having a concave object-side surface and a convex image-side surface, a fourth lens element with negative refractive power, a fifth lens element with positive refractive power, and an aperture stop positioned between an imaged object and the first lens element. The above lens arrangement shortens the total track length effectively, enabling a high performance imaging lens assembly with a wide field of view. |
| US08547648B2 |
Micro-lens module
A micro-lens module including a first lens, a second lens, and an aperture stop is provided. The first lens is disposed between an object side and an image side, wherein a first surface of the first lens facing the object side is an aspheric surface, and the curvature radius of the aspheric surface is R1. The second lens is disposed between the first lens and the image side, wherein a second surface of the second lens facing the image side is an aspheric surface, and the curvature radius of the aspheric surface is R2. The aperture stop is disposed between the first lens and the second lens, wherein the distance from the first surface to the aperture stop is d1, and the distance from the second surface to the aperture stop is d2. The micro-lens module satisfies 6>d2/d1>2.5 and −2.5 |
| US08547646B2 |
Compact zoom lens
A zoom lens includes, in a sequence from an object side to an image side, a first lens group having a negative refractive power and comprising two lenses; a second lens group having a positive refractive power; a stop disposed on the image side of the second lens group; and a third lens group having a positive refractive power, wherein: during zooming from a wide angle position to a telephoto position, an interval between the first lens group and the second lens group decreases, and an interval between the second lens group and the third lens group increases. |
| US08547645B2 |
Lens system
A lens system including: a first lens group having a positive refractive power; a second lens group having a positive refractive power; and a third lens group having a positive or negative refractive power, wherein the first lens group comprises four or less lenses, and the first through third lens groups are movable, independently, during focusing and have magnifications in a range from −1 to 0. |
| US08547639B2 |
Optical element including a plurality of structures and hard coat layer formed thereon and method for making the same, master and method for making the same, and display apparatus
An optical element includes a substrate including protruding structures on the surface and a hard coat layer formed on the substrate. An irregular shape is formed by the structures. An irregular shape resembling the irregular shape of the substrate is formed on a surface of the hard coat layer and is smoother than the that of the substrate. The size of bottoms of the structures changes at random within the range of the minimum distance Rm to the maximum distance RM (Rm: minimum value of the shortest distance from the center of gravity of the bottom of the structure to the rim of the bottom, RM: maximum value of the longest distance from the center of gravity of the bottom of the structure to the rim of the bottom). Neighboring structures have bottoms in contact or substantially in contact with one another. Rm and RM satisfy Rm/RM≦0.9. |
| US08547633B2 |
Operating microscope and method for pivoting a co-observer microscope
An operating microscope has a main objective (1) that extends along an objective plane and is penetrated by a binocular main observer beam path and a binocular co-observer beam path. The binocular main observer beam path has two main observation pupils (3a, 3b) in the objective plane with centers on a first straight line (7). The binocular co-observer beam path has two co-observation pupils (5a, 5b) in the objective plane with centers on a second straight line (9). The first and second straight lines (7, 9) intersect. The co-observer beam path can be displaced with respect to the main observer beam path so that the angle between the second and first straight line (9, 7) changes. The center point (6) between the co-observation pupils (5a, 5b) in the objective plane displaces when there is a change in the angle between the second and first imagined straight lines (9, 7). |
| US08547632B2 |
Method and system for homogenizing diode laser pump arrays
An optical amplifier system includes a diode pump array including a plurality of semiconductor diode laser bars disposed in an array configuration and characterized by a periodic distance between adjacent semiconductor diode laser bars. The periodic distance is measured in a first direction perpendicular to each of the plurality of semiconductor diode laser bars. The diode pump array provides a pump output propagating along an optical path and characterized by a first intensity profile measured as a function of the first direction and having a variation greater than 10%. The optical amplifier system also includes a diffractive optic disposed along the optical path. The diffractive optic includes a photo-thermo-refractive glass member. The optical amplifier system further includes an amplifier slab having an input face and position along the optical path and separated from the diffractive optic by a predetermined distance. A second intensity profile measured at the input face of the amplifier slab as a function of the first direction has a variation less than 10%. |
| US08547625B2 |
Photochromic optical articles prepared with reversible thermochromic materials
Provided is a photochromic optical article including: (a) an optical substrate; (b) a thermally reversible photochromic material; and (c) reversible thermochromic material capable of at least partially filtering UV/visible light at or below room temperature and becoming less capable of filtering UV/visible light at temperatures greater than room temperature. The reversible thermochromic material (c) is operable for filtering light in the range of from 300 to 450 nanometers. |
| US08547620B2 |
Light modulation device
A light modulation device includes: an input terminal into which a modulation signal is input; a light modulation element including an anode connected to the input terminal and a cathode that is grounded; a matching resistor connected in parallel with the light modulation element; a matching capacitor connected to the light modulation element and connected in series to the matching resistor; and a protective resistor connected in parallel with the light modulation element, the matching resistor, and the matching capacitor. |
| US08547619B2 |
Tiltable MEMS mirror
A MEMS mirror is disclosed having thickness correlated with the intensity profile of an impinging optical beam, so as to reduce moment of inertia of the MEMS mirror while preserving optical quality of the reflected beam. It is the mirror edges that contribute the most to the moment of inertia, while it is generally the mirror center that contributes the most to a reduction of the quality of an optical beam reflected from the mirror. Accordingly, by providing a mirror having laterally varying thickness matched to the local variation of the intensity of the optical beam, the quality of the latter may be preserved while the moment of inertia of the mirror may be significantly reduced. The thickness of MEMS mirrors may be varied continuously or stepwise; in one direction or in two mutually orthogonal directions. |
| US08547614B2 |
3-colorant dot-off-dot (DOD) periodic halftone geometry
Provided is a 3-colorant DOD (dot-off-dot) periodic halftone geometry used to render an image. The DOD 3-colorant halftone geometry includes a base colorant halftone screen with hexagonally tiled halftone dots arranged in a hexagonal pattern, the hexagonally tiled halftone dots having a first fundamental frequency vector Vh1, a second fundamental frequency vector Vh2, and a third fundamental frequency vector Vh3, where Vh3 is substantially equivalent to Vh1+Vh2. |
| US08547599B2 |
Color image forming apparatus and color image correcting method
According to the present invention, there is provided a color image forming apparatus which includes image forming units forming images, each for each color component, and superimposes the images of the color components on one another to form a color image. The image forming apparatus includes a scan line changing unit shifting the position of each pixel in a sub scanning direction for each color component of halftone image data to be processed so as to cancel a shift amount of a scan line on an image carrier in each of the image forming units in the sub scanning direction; an interpolation inhibited area determining unit determining an interpolation inhibited area in the image data; and an interpolation unit applying an interpolation process for smoothing a pixel-level shift caused by shifting of image data by the scan line changing unit to the image data excluding the interpolation inhibited area. |
| US08547597B2 |
Image forming apparatus, control method of image forming apparatus, and computer program product for forming an image comprised of overlapping color and transparent images
Dot patterns formed by two different half-tone processes of the plurality of tone processes for each color of CMYK and formed with/without the presence and absence of transparent toner overlap are created and test patches obtained by collecting the dot patterns are printed. The printed test patches are read to generate image data, and tone correction arithmetic is performed on the basis of the image data. Concentration in the case of the presence of transparent toner in a different half-tone process is predicted based on the dot patterns with the transparent toner overlap in the test patches and concentration in the case of the absence of transparent toner in a different half-tone process is predicted based on the dot patterns without the transparent toner overlap in the test patches. The tone correction arithmetic is performed based on the predicted values. |
| US08547595B2 |
Image forming apparatus for performing a process of superimposing pixel data based on pixel direction
A trapping determination process section calculates edge intensities in a main scanning direction and a sub scanning direction of each pixel by using differential filters for each color plane. The trapping determination process section determines, for at least two color planes, whether there is a pixel where the absolute values of the edge intensities are equal to or greater than a threshold and the edge intensities take positive and negative values, respectively. When such a pixel exists, the trapping determination process section calculates color differences between this pixel and the average values of the pixel values in an increment direction region and a decrement direction region, and determines a direction in which the color difference is smaller to be a similar color direction. The trapping determination process section determines, on the basis of the similar color direction, whether or not to perform a trapping process, and performs the trapping process. |
| US08547590B2 |
Determining a resolution of a device based on a calculated principal spatial frequency response (SFR) selected from a calculated SFR
An apparatus and method of calculating a resolution. The method of calculating a resolution includes selecting a region having an edge from a test chart, calculating a spatial frequency response (SFR) of an image forming device that has printed the test chart from the selected region, setting a frequency that corresponds to a principal SFR among the calculated SFRs of the image forming device as a principal frequency of the SFR of the image forming device, and judging the set principal frequency as the resolution of the image forming device. |
| US08547579B2 |
Image recording system and controlling method thereof
An image recording system includes a print data processing unit for performing a control for recording a predetermined recording failure check pattern after print data is recorded on a recording medium for each job, and a recording failure checking unit for determining whether or not there is a recording failure in a check image based on a recording failure check pattern obtained by capturing the check image with a check image obtaining unit. |
| US08547576B2 |
Method and apparatus for a print spooler to control document and workflow transfer
A method and apparatus for a print spooler to control document and workflow transfer are described. In one embodiment, the method comprises receiving a request to print an electronic document from a print driver. The method may also comprise retrieving a workflow configuration utilizing a workflow print spooler, where the workflow print spooler provides pre-configured workflow configuration data for a corresponding workflow. In one embodiment, the method further comprises deploying the electronic document into the workflow based on the workflow configuration data. |
| US08547575B2 |
Printer discovery within a web page
Systems and methods presented herein provide for printer discovery with a webpage such that a client device may print the webpage via a remote printing service. The client device retrieves a webpage with an internet browser. The webpage includes a printer detection module that detects printing devices of one data network and transfers their printing characteristics to a print server in another data network. The printer detection module is accessible through the webpage. The printer detection module allows for the selection of one or more of the printing devices. The client device transfers the webpage (or the URL of the webpage) to the print server to render the webpage for printing on the selected printing device. The print server renders the webpage according to the printing characteristics of the selected printing device and then transfers the rendered webpage to the selected printing device via the client device for printing. |
| US08547573B2 |
Image forming apparatus having a master-slave configuration and control method therefor, and control program for implementing the method
An image forming apparatus which is capable of efficiently registering apparatuses in a slave apparatus list. The image forming apparatus has a partner apparatus list as the slave apparatus list which stores information on the image forming apparatuses as candidate slave apparatuses so as to select a slave apparatus for use in executing cascade copy. When the image forming apparatus is selected as a master apparatus, a CPU thereof selects a slave apparatus from the image forming apparatuses registered in the partner apparatus list. When the image forming apparatus is selected as a slave apparatus, the CPU determine whether or not the information indicative of the copy mode has been received from a master apparatus. If the information indicative of cascade copy has been received, information on the master apparatus is stored in the partner apparatus list. |
| US08547566B2 |
Image processing apparatus in pull printing system, and method of controlling image processing apparatus
In a pull printing system, it is possible to perform an alternate print with appropriate security and in consideration of loads on a server while securing convenience of the user requesting a third party for the alternate print. An image processing apparatus in the pull printing system comprises a user authentication unit configured to confirm authority of an alternate process to a first user during login, a bibliographic information managing unit configured to acquire bibliographic information of print data stored in a storage server by a second user from a bibliographic information server for displaying the print data corresponding to the second user and a log information managing unit configured to acquire a log of an operation of the alternate process executed by the first user to the print data corresponding to the second user. |
| US08547565B2 |
Method and apparatus for image processing with status notification
An image processing apparatus is capable of transmitting its status information to a remote apparatus. A job receiving section receives an image outputting job from an external apparatus. An image outputting section outputs an image based on the image outputting job. A notification destination information memory stores notification destination information including a first notification destination for a first output device and a second notification destination for a second output device. A communication section sends status information about the image outputting section to the first and second notification destinations. When the image outputting section is outputting the image, if the status information is outputted from the image outputting section, the communication section sends the status information to the first output device. If job receiving section receives another image outputting job when the status information exists, the communication section sends the status information to the second output device. |
| US08547562B2 |
Image forming device and image forming method
An image forming device includes an operation unit, a job executing unit, a receiving unit, a first determining unit, and a second determining unit. The print job received at the receiving unit contains information about an amount of print resource to be consumed. The first determining unit determines whether the receiving unit receives a print job while the user is setting another print job by the operation unit. The second determining unit determines whether the print resource remains as much as both the received print job and the another print job can be executed when the first determining unit determines that the receiving unit receives the print job while the user is setting the another print job by the operation unit. The job executing unit sets an order of priority for executing the print job based on the determination result of the second determining unit. |
| US08547558B2 |
Aligning device for measuring means in a wind power rotor
A wind power rotor with measuring device (3) for measuring rotor deflection. A measuring cavity (20), which has a transmitter/receiver (31/32) at one end and a reflector device (33) at the other end, extends in a longitudinal direction of the rotor. The transmitter/receiver (31/32) is accommodated in a housing (50), which is fastened to an intermediate plate (10) with three-point mounting (12, 13, 14). |
| US08547557B2 |
Apparatus for determining a height map of a surface through both interferometric and non-interferometric measurements
The invention relates to an apparatus and a method for determining a height map of a surface of an object. The apparatus can include positioning means for the object, a light source, an optical detector for converting the received light into electrical signals, first optics for directing light from the light source to the surface and for directing the light from the surface to the optical detector, a beam splitter located between the first optics and the surface, a reference mirror, second optics located between the beam splitter an the mirror for directing the light from the beam splitter to the mirror and from the mirror to the beam splitter, scanning means, processing means that converts the signal from the optical detector into a height map. The beam splitter can be a polarizing beam splitter. A controllable polarization controller can be located between the light source and the first optics. |
| US08547554B2 |
Method and system for detecting moisture in natural gas
A system includes a moisture analyzer configured to detect moisture in natural gas. The moisture analyzer includes an absorption cell that encloses and conducts the natural gas. The moisture analyzer also includes a pressure control device that may reduce a pressure of the natural gas inside the absorption cell. The moisture analyzer includes a light emitting device that may transmit light through the natural gas inside the absorption cell, as well as a photodetector that may detect an intensity of the light transmitted through the natural gas and exiting the absorption cell. |
| US08547553B2 |
Fiber optic hydrogen purity sensor and system
A hydrogen purity sensing system includes a light source which provides an optical signal through a fiber optic cable. A hydrogen purity sensor is provided in the system which comprises a multilayered nanostructural film of high refractive index and low refractive index materials for receiving the optical signal. The system further includes a photodetector for receiving a reflected optical signal from the hydrogen purity sensor and a processing circuitry coupled to the photodetector for analyzing the reflected optical signal. |
| US08547550B2 |
Biological and chemical collection and detection
A fluorescence-cued Raman identification system comprises a collection subsystem to collect samples, a reagent treatment subsystem to treat collected samples and a fluorescence imaging subsystem that automatically takes at least one image of the collected sample. The subsystems further include a Raman spectroscopy subsystem that measures the spectrum of viable organisms located from at least one collected image, a visible imaging microscope subsystem that provides a visual image of the particle analyzed by the Raman spectroscopy subsystem and a processor configured to perform image processing to locate viable organisms within the sample, which are targeted by the Raman spectroscopy subsystem. The processor further analyzes the spectrum recorded by the Raman spectroscopy subsystem to make a preliminary identification of the targeted organisms, which can be verified by an operator using the visible imaging microscope subsystem. |
| US08547547B2 |
Optical surface defect inspection apparatus and optical surface defect inspection method
The present invention is to provide an optical surface defect inspection apparatus or an optical surface defect inspection method that can improve a signal-to-noise ratio according to a multi-segmented cell method without performing autofocus operations, and can implement highly sensitive inspection. The present invention is an optical surface defect inspection apparatus or an optical surface defect inspection method in which an inspection beam is applied onto a test subject, an image of a scattered light from the surface of the test subject is formed on a photo-detector, and a defect on the surface of the test subject is inspected based on an output from the photo-detector. The photo-detector has an optical fiber bundle. One end thereof forms a circular light receiving surface to receive the scattered light. The other end thereof is connected to a plurality of light receiving devices. The optical fiber bundle is divided into a plurality of fan-shaped cells in the light receiving surface, and connected to the light emitting devices in units of the cells for performing the inspection based on the outputs of the plurality of cells. |
| US08547546B2 |
Surface-defect inspection device
A data processing and controlling portion calculates the amounts of coordinate deviations between the artificial defects on the standard sample and the detected defects, checks the sensitivity (instrumental sensitivity (luminance, brightness, or the like)), and proceeds to execution of hardware corrections. If the coordinate deviation is less than a certain value, software corrections are carried out. In the case of the software corrections, coordinate corrections are made for the whole standard sample. The amounts of coordinate deviations are computed and checked. If the amounts of coordinate deviations are outside a tolerance, coordinate corrections are made for each region obtained by dividing the standard sample. |
| US08547545B2 |
Method and apparatus for inspecting a surface of a substrate
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for inspecting a surface of a substrate. The apparatus includes: a rotatable stage on which a substrate to be inspected is placed; an inspection optical system having an illumination light source for emitting light to a substrate placed on the stage and a detector for detecting light from the substrate which is irradiated with the light from the illumination light source; an A/D converter for amplifying and A/D converting signals output from the detector in the inspection optical system; and a defect detector for detecting defects in a surface of the substrate by processing signals output from the detector and converted by the A/D converter and classifying the defected defects. The defect detector extracts micro defects in the surface of the substrate by processing the signals output from the detector, and detects linear defects existing discretely in a linear region. |
| US08547544B2 |
Multichannel photometric measurement apparatus
A multichannel photometric measurement apparatus according to one embodiment includes: a single signal generator for generating an initial signal, the initial signal containing a harmonic component for collectively generating a plurality of modulation signals; a light emitting device including a plurality of light sources that are respectively drivable by each of the plurality of modulation signals having different frequencies; a light detector for detecting a plurality of kinds of light emitted from the light emitting device; and discriminating means for discriminating a detected signal output from the light detector per frequency domain of each of the different frequencies for each of the modulation signals. |
| US08547530B2 |
System and method to detect foreign objects on a surface
A detection system and method are disclosed for detecting a foreign object on a surface, such as an airport runway or a racetrack. The detection system includes a plurality of detectors mounted on the vehicle and capable of receiving light reflected from the object on the surface, and producing data that indicates the presence of said object as said vehicle moves along the surface; and a computer electrically coupled to each of the plurality of detectors, said computer being capable of processing said data and generating an alarm to alert an operator of said vehicle to a presence of said object. In low light conditions, the system may further include a plurality of light sources mounted on a vehicle and capable of illuminating at least one monitored area of the surface with light. |
| US08547529B2 |
Method and apparatus for countermeasuring an infrared seeking missile utilizing a multispectral emissive film
An electronic countermeasures product includes flexible packaging of diodes that operate in the infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum to replace flares, lamps and directed lasers with an inexpensive easily deployed countermeasure systems. |
| US08547525B2 |
EUV radiation generation apparatus
An EUV radiation generation apparatus includes an optical gain medium configured to produce laser radiation for interaction with a target material to produce an EUV radiation-emitting plasma, and a structure defining an aperture through which the laser radiation may pass. The structure includes a radiation guide having an outer surface constructed and arranged to guide the laser radiation away from the optical gain medium. |
| US08547524B2 |
Active mask variable data integral imaging system and method
A system for forming an integral image includes an optics system spaced between an active digital mask and the first side of an integral lens array, where the integral lens array has a light sensitive material layer spaced relative to the second side of the integral lens array. The active digital mask may provide the image directly to the integral lens array, or the image may be focused on a projection screen placed relative to the integral lens array. The active digital mask can vary the provided image to create a three dimensional image and to account for distortions caused by the optics system or curvature in the integral lens array and/or the light sensitive material. Edible materials may be used for the integral lens array and light sensitive material. |
| US08547521B1 |
Systems and methods that control liquid temperature in immersion lithography to maintain temperature gradient to reduce turbulence
The subject invention provides systems and methods that monitor and/or control turbulence of an immersion medium. The systems and methods relate to computer controlled techniques that reduce effects of immersion medium flow due to a liquid temperature gradient. According to an aspect of the subject invention, a number of temperature measurements of the immersion medium are obtained, and the temperature measurements are utilized to generate a gradient map of the immersion medium. By way of illustration, the temperature measurements can be made via wireless temperature sensors. The gradient map can be utilized to understand the stability of the immersion medium. According to an aspect of the subject invention, instability identified with the gradient map can be mitigated. |
| US08547518B2 |
Stage base, stage apparatus, exposure apparatus, and device manufacturing method
A stage base includes a plate which supports a stage. The plate has a first structure and a second structure, and the first and second structures are coupled. The stage base further includes a component which is arranged on the plate and has a cooling unit, a coolant channel arranged to extend through the plate into the component, and a seal member arranged between the first structure and the second structure so as to surround the coolant channel, an interior and an exterior of the seal member being fastened with a fastener. |
| US08547516B2 |
Display device and method of fabricating the same
A driver circuit for use with a passive matrix or active matrix electro-optical display device such as a liquid crystal display is fabricated to occupy a reduced area. A circuit (stick crystal) having a length substantially equal to the length of one side of the matrix of the display device is used as the driver circuit. The circuit is bonded to one substrate of the display device, and then the terminals of the circuit are connected with the terminals of the display device. Subsequently, the substrate of the driver circuit is removed. The driver circuit can be formed on a large-area substrate such as a glass substrate, while the display device can be formed on a lightweight material having a high shock resistance such as a plastic substrate. |
| US08547512B2 |
Multi-domain vertical alignment liquid crystal display panel including projections with adjustable height
A multi-domain vertical alignment liquid crystal display panel includes a first substrate, a second substrate, a liquid crystal layer, and at least one projection. The second substrate is opposite to the first substrate. The liquid crystal layer is interposed between the first and second substrates. The projection is formed in the first substrate. In displaying a dark state, a lower surface of the projection is on the same plane as a lower surface of the first substrate; and in displaying a bright state, the projection bulges outward to have the lower surface of the projection projecting outward beyond the lower surface of the first substrate. When the multi-domain vertical alignment liquid crystal display panel displays a dark state, the projection does not undergo deformation so that the projection does not affect the directions of the liquid crystal molecules contained in the liquid crystal layer thereby eliminating occurrence of light leakage. |
| US08547510B2 |
Liquid crystal display panel and liquid crystal display device using the same
A liquid crystal display panel for displaying an image by controlling an orientation direction of a liquid crystal mixture with respect to each pixel, includes a first common electrode which is formed on a first substrate; a second common electrode which is formed on a second substrate and includes a predetermined opening; and a pixel electrode which is formed on the second substrate, wherein the first substrate faces the second substrate so that the liquid crystal mixture with positive dielectric anisotropy is sandwiched between the first common electrode and the second common electrode, and wherein the orientation direction of the liquid crystal mixture changes mainly in a face parallel to the substrate according to an electric field generated from electric potential of the first common electrode, the second common electrode, and the pixel electrode. |
| US08547509B2 |
Transflective type liquid crystal display device and method of fabricating the same
A transflective type LCD device and a method of fabricating the same are discussed. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the transflective type LCD device includes a plurality of gate lines and a plurality of data lines formed on a first substrate to define at least one pixel region having a reflection area and a transmission area, a thin film transistor formed on a crossing point of the plurality of gate lines and the plurality of data lines, a first insulating layer formed on the first substrate including the thin film transistor, a pixel electrode formed on the first insulating layer and electrically connected with the thin film transistor, a second insulating layer formed corresponding to the reflection area on the pixel electrode and having a predetermined dielectric constant, and a reflection plate formed on the second insulating layer. |
| US08547506B2 |
Color filter substrate with black matrix on undercut groove and fabricating method thereof
A color filter substrate including a substrate, a black matrix layer and a color filter substrate layer is provided. The substrate has a plurality of grooves. The black matrix layer is disposed on the substrate between each two adjacent grooves, wherein the black matrix layer extends to the region above the groove from the edge of the groove and an undercut profile forms between the bottom of black matrix and the substrate. The color filter layer including a plurality of filter films separated is filled in the plurality of grooves and the plurality of filter films is separated from each other by the black matrix layer. In addition, a method of fabricating a color filter substrate is also provided. The above-mentioned color filter substrate and the fabricating method thereof can improve the quality and color uniformity of the color filter substrate. |
| US08547505B2 |
Liquid crystal display
A liquid crystal display (LCD) includes: a first panel having a display unit with a plurality of pixels and a non-display unit with a driving circuit to drive the pixels; a second panel facing the first panel; a liquid crystal layer between the first panel and the second panel; a transparent conductive layer at a surface of the second panel opposite to the surface of the second panel facing the first panel; and a first polarizing plate on the transparent conductive layer, the first polarizing plate including a main body unit covering a region corresponding to the display unit and an extension covering a region corresponding to a portion of the non-display unit. |
| US08547504B2 |
Display device having plasmonic color filters and photovoltaic capabilities
A plasmonic optical spectrum filtering device is provided that filters electromagnetic waves by optical resonance, for example, by selective conversion between the free-space waves and spatially confined modes in plasmonic nano-resonators. Frequency-selective transmission and reflection spectra are engineered and can be used as spectrum filters for display and imaging applications. A thin film stack color filter is further disclosed, which can be designed to either function as a transmission color filter with efficiency twice that of conventional colorant based color filter; or as a reflective color filter for display devices (e.g., used in an energy harvesting reflective display). In other variations, a novel reflective colored display is viewable under direct sunlight, and can simultaneously harvest both incident light and generate electrical power. Methods of making such plasmonic optical spectrum filtering devices are also provided. |
| US08547498B2 |
Backlight unit and liquid crystal display having the same
A liquid crystal display is provided. The liquid crystal display includes a liquid crystal panel, a light guide plate disposed below the liquid crystal panel, and a light source unit which emits light to at least one side surface of the light guide plate. The light source unit includes light source elements which are disposed adjacent to the at least one side surface of the light guide plate, and which emit light that is incident on the at least one side surface of the light guide plate. A printed circuit board is disposed adjacent to a lower surface of the light guide plate and supports the light source elements. |
| US08547494B2 |
Display device
A display device includes a substrate, a display region having a pixel switch, and a transparent common electrode, a peripheral region having a gate signal line connected to the pixel switch, and a common connection line connected to the transparent common electrode, an insulating layer, a conductive layer, a first semiconductor film disposed between the insulating layer and the conductive layer, and a second semiconductor film disposed between the insulating layer and the conductor layer and separated from the first semiconductor film. The conductor layer is connected to the gate signal line, and the gate signal line is arranged in the display region and the peripheral region. The common connection line is arranged in the peripheral region and is connected to the transparent common electrode in the peripheral region, and the transparent common electrode is arranged in the display region. |
| US08547491B2 |
Liquid crystal display
The present invention provides a liquid crystal display with a plurality of pixel units. Each pixel unit includes two sub-pixels, and each sub-pixel includes a thin film transistor, a liquid crystal capacitor and a storage capacitor. One of the storage capacitors is a tunable capacitor. The tunable capacitor includes a first conductive layer, an insulating layer, a semiconductor layer with a area Asem, and a second metal layer. The second conductive layer has a first region with a area Acon overlapping with the semiconductor layer. The area Acon is less than the area Asem. |
| US08547490B2 |
Three-dimensional imaging device
A three-dimensional imaging device is provided which includes a display device and a viewing device. The display device includes a first substrate, a second substrate, a black absorbing layer and a cholesteric liquid crystal layer including a first levo-cholesteric liquid crystal layer and a first dextro-cholesteric liquid crystal layer. The viewing device includes a second levo-cholesteric liquid crystal layer and a second dextro-cholesteric liquid crystal layer. The first levo-cholesteric liquid crystal layer is made of a same material as the second levo-cholesteric liquid crystal layer, and the first dextro-cholesteric liquid crystal layer is made of a same material as the second dextro-cholesteric liquid crystal layer. |
| US08547489B2 |
3D display panel and method for manufacturing the same
The present invention provides a 3D display panel and a method for manufacturing the same. The method comprises the following steps: forming a liquid crystal layer between a first substrate and a second substrate; arranging a first polarizer at an outer side of the first substrate; arranging a second polarizer at an outer side of the second substrate; forming an alignment layer on a transparent substrate; forming a half wave layer on the alignment layer; arranging the half wave layer, the alignment layer and the transparent substrate at an outer side of the first polarizer in sequence; and forming a quarter wave layer at an outer side of the transparent substrate. The present invention can enhance the yield and display quality of the 3D display. |
| US08547487B2 |
Display panel and display device using the same
The invention provides a display panel for displaying stereo images. The display panel includes a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix formed by rows and columns, and a plurality of black strip patterns. A plurality of rows of pixels form a display group. Two adjacent display groups are used to display a first image and a second image, respectively. The black strip patterns are disposed to cover the regions between the two adjacent display groups. |
| US08547479B2 |
Display apparatus and control method thereof
A display apparatus includes a conversion unit for converting first video data having a first frame rate to second video data having a second frame rate which is “n” times as high as the first frame rate (“n” being an integer of two or larger), and a display unit for displaying the second video data. When the first video data is video data of two successive frame images having different brightnesses, the conversion unit performs a first frame rate converting process for converting the first video data to the second video data by outputting a frame image group made of two successive frame images in the first video data “n” times in a row at the second frame rate. Consequently, the frame rate converting process can be performed without causing a deterioration of a visual effect such as an HDR effect, and a viewing environment comfortable for the user can be realized. |
| US08547470B2 |
Optical element, optical element wafer, optical element wafer module, optical element module, method for manufacturing optical element module, electronic element wafer module, method for manufacturing electronic element module, electronic element module and electronic information device
An optical element according to the present invention includes: an optical surface at a center portion thereof; and a spacer section having a predetermined thickness on an outer circumference side of the optical surface, wherein a bottom portion for positioning an adhesive is provided on a further outer circumference side of the spacer section with a tapered portion interposed therebetween. |
| US08547469B2 |
Electronic camera
An electronic camera of the present invention includes: an imaging unit capturing a subject to generate an original image; a derivative image generating unit reducing resolution or color of the original image to generate a derivative image for transfer; a recording unit recording the original image and the derivative image thereon such that the original image and the derivative image get associated with each other; and a transfer unit transferring the derivative image recorded on the recording unit to an external transfer destination. In this configuration, the recording unit finds the derivative image (original image) by referring to the association with the original image (or derivative image), thereby collectively managing the original image and the derivative image. This makes it possible to prevent a user from being confused at image management due to the original image and the derivative image being the same image. |
| US08547467B2 |
Image processing apparatus and image processing method
An image processing apparatus includes an operation receiving unit; and a control unit configured to perform a normal mode display process of displaying icon images of kinds corresponding to an operation status of the apparatus in a display unit and an icon description display process of displaying an icon selection image for selecting an icon image that is being displayed in the display unit upon reception of an operation input to activate an icon description mode by the operation receiving unit during the normal mode display process in the display unit and displaying a description image for an icon image selected upon reception of an operation input by the operation receiving unit while the icon selection image is being displayed in the display unit. |
| US08547466B2 |
Unlocking method of a touch screen and electronic device with camera function thereof
An unlocking method of a touch screen and an electric device with camera function thereof are disclosed. A camera module is used for capturing a plurality of images. A touch screen shows an application function icon, a shooting mode icon, an activate area and a slide path connecting the icons and the activate area while the touch screen is locked. A processing module is electrically connected with the camera module and the touch screen. While detecting that the application function icon or the shooting mode icon is dragged to the activate area through the slide path, the processing module transmits an unlocking signal to the touch screen. The touch screen unlocks according to the unlocking signal and shows a screen of application function operation or a screen of camera function. Therefore, users would feel more convenient than before while using an electric device with camera function. |
| US08547465B2 |
Imaging device module
An imaging device module includes an imaging device including a light incident plane on which light is incident, and a reverse face disposed on an opposite side of the light incident plane; and a thermal conductive sheet provided on the reverse face for dissipating heat generated from the imaging device.The thermal conductive sheet contains a plate-like boron nitride particle, and the thermal conductive sheet has a thermal conductivity in a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction of 4 W/m·K or more. |
| US08547462B2 |
Anti-eclipse circuitry with tracking of floating diffusion reset level
An anti-eclipse circuit for an imager is formed from pixel circuitry over the same semiconductor substrate as the imaging pixels. More specifically, two adjacent pixel circuits are modified to form an amplifier. One input of the amplifier is adapted to receive a reset signal from one of the pixel circuits while another input is adapted to be set at a predetermined offset voltage from the output of the amplifier. The amplifier is preferably a unity gain amplifier, so that the output of the amplifier set to a voltage level equal to the predetermined offset from the voltage level of the reset signal. Accordingly, the anti-eclipse circuit outputs a reference voltage at predetermined level from the reset voltage of a pixel and does not need to be calibrated for fabrication related variances in reset voltages. |
| US08547460B2 |
Solid-state imaging element, driving method therefor, and camera system with a pixel drive control unit concurrently accessing a window region and the adjacent outer row
A solid-state imaging element includes a pixel array unit having pixels arranged in a matrix, each pixel including a photoelectric conversion element, and a pixel drive control unit capable of controlling driving of the pixel array unit so as to perform a read or reset access operation of the pixel array unit in accordance with specified address information. The pixel drive control unit is capable of setting a desired region in the pixel array unit as a window region to be accessed. The pixel drive control unit includes a function for performing, concurrently with access to the window region and output processing, read or reset access on at least one adjacent outer row that is adjacent to the window region. |
| US08547457B2 |
Camera flash mitigation
Techniques are generally described for an image capture system that may include an image sensor, a flash for providing illumination, a data storage, and a processor operatively associated with the data storage. The processor may be adapted to execute computer implemented instructions to pre-store one or more image capture device characteristics in the data storage, acquire data in a pre-capture phase, model shadow effects based on either or both of the pre-stored data and the acquired data, modify one or more image capture device settings based on the modeled shadow effects, and record image data with the image sensor. Illumination may be provided substantially coincident with recording of the image data. |
| US08547456B1 |
System and method for monitoring inactive pixels in a scene imaging system
A method for monitoring inactive pixels in a scene imaging system may include determining a location of at least one inactive pixel in a focal plane array. The method may include sensing an environment image based upon a surrounding environment of an aircraft. The method may include generating an image associated with the environment image. The method may include evaluating a location for one or more inactive pixels in the generated image in comparison to a location for the at least one inactive pixel in the focal plane array. The method may include determining whether a fault exists in image generation or image display based upon the evaluation. |
| US08547454B2 |
Digital image photographing apparatuses and methods of controlling the same to provide location information
Digital image photographing apparatuses and methods of controlling the same to provide location information are disclosed. A disclosed example method includes generating a preview image by photographing an object; detecting the current location of the digital image photographing apparatus; detecting a photographing direction in which the digital image photographing apparatus photographed the object; generating distance information regarding the object; and displaying the distance information regarding the object according to the photographing direction around the current location of the digital image photographing apparatus. Digital image photographing apparatuses disclosed herein are capable of providing location information and/or additional information regardless of its their optical limits. |
| US08547453B2 |
Image processing apparatus and camera system
An image processing apparatus includes a plurality of video processors, a video memory for recording video data, and a plurality of ports. Each of the ports is connected between the video processor and the video memory, for accessing the video memory in response to supplied information. A plurality of memory map table units, each includes at least one table for being set with management information for managing a memory area of the video memory in which video data is recorded, for selectively supplying the management information set to the table to corresponding ports. A processing unit has a function of setting the management information to the table of the memory map table unit. |
| US08547452B2 |
Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and image processing program
An image processing apparatus including: a pixel array section in which unit pixels, each having a photoelectric conversion element, are two-dimensionally arranged in a matrix; and a signal processing section determining a signal level by any one of a water gate mode determining the signal level in accordance with a first amount of electric charge based on an electric charge accumulated in the unit pixels, the electric charge more than or equal to a prescribed accumulated electric charge, in a first exposure period or a second amount of electric charge based on all the electric charges accumulated in the unit pixels in a second exposure period including the first exposure period and a multiple exposure mode determining the signal level in accordance with a plurality of amounts of electric charge based on all the electric charges accumulated in the unit pixels in a plurality of exposure periods. |
| US08547449B2 |
Image processing apparatus with function for specifying image quality, and method and storage medium
An image processing apparatus to be employed at an imaging device. An image acquisition section acquires data of an image. An input operation receiving section receives an operation for selection of an image region of the image data acquired by the image acquisition section. An image quality processing choosing section chooses image quality processing to be applied to the image data acquired by the image acquisition section in accordance with the image region received by the input operation receiving section. An image quality processing information presentation section presents information relating to the image quality processing chosen by the image quality processing decision section. |
| US08547447B2 |
Image sensor compensation
Compensation is performed for an image capture device which includes an image sensor which has a tunable spectral response and which is tunable in accordance with a capture mask. The compensation is for spatial non-uniformity in color sensitivity of the image sensor. A default capture mask is applied to the image sensor, and a sample image is captured using the image sensor tuned by the default capture mask. Color of the sample image is analyzed to identify spatial non-uniformity in color sensitivity of the image sensor. A compensation capture mask is constructed. The compensation capture mask is constructed using calculations based on the identified spatial non-uniformity so as to compensate for spatial non-uniformity in color sensitivity of the image sensor. The compensation capture mask is stored in a memory of the image capture device for application of the compensation capture mask to the image sensor. |
| US08547444B2 |
Non-linear transformations for enhancement of images
Imaging apparatus (26) is provided for use with an image sensor (24). The apparatus includes a non-linear mapping circuit (42), which is configured to receive a raw stream of input pixel values generated by the image sensor and to perform a non-linear mapping of the input pixel values. to generate a mapped stream of mapped pixel values, and a linear convolution filter (44), which is arranged to filter the mapped stream of mapped pixel values to generate a filtered stream of filtered pixel values. Other embodiments are also described. |
| US08547443B2 |
Methods, apparatuses, systems, and computer program products for high dynamic range imaging
High dynamic range imaging includes creating a high dynamic range image file for a subject image captured from a first angle. The high dynamic range image file is created by an image capturing device and is stored on the image capturing device. High dynamic range imaging also includes receiving, at the image capturing device over a communications network, a second high dynamic range image file for the subject image captured from a second angle. The second high dynamic range image file is subject to an authorization requirement. High dynamic range imaging further includes creating, by the image capturing device, a composite high dynamic range image file by combining elements of both of the high dynamic range image files, and generating, by the first image capturing device, a three-dimensional high dynamic range image from the composite high dynamic range image file. |
| US08547438B2 |
Apparatus, method and program for recognizing an object in an image
An object detecting apparatus includes an evaluation information storage unit that stores evaluation information used for computing an evaluation value for each of a plurality of objects, where the evaluation value is used for evaluating which one of the objects is contained in an image, a determination information storage unit that stores determination information used for determining whether the object is contained in an image in association with each of the objects, a computing unit that computes the evaluation value for each of the objects by extracting features from a plurality of areas of the image using the evaluation information and comparing two of the extracted features, and a determination unit that determines whether the object is contained in the image using the determination information associated with the object relating to the evaluation value that satisfies a predetermined condition among the evaluation values computed for the objects. |
| US08547435B2 |
Mobile security audio-video recorder with local storage and continuous recording loop
An internet connected mobile security system for recording at least one audio and video on a removable semiconductor storage media in a continuous record loop for evidentiary documentation purposes inside an automotive vehicle or as a wearable video recording device is described. |
| US08547428B1 |
Pipe mapping system
A pipe inspection system employing a camera head assembly incorporating multiple local condition sensors, an integral dipole Sonde, a three-axis compass, and a three-axis accelerometer. The camera head assembly terminates a multi-channel push-cable that relays local condition sensor and video information to a processor and display subsystem. A cable storage structure includes data connection and wireless capability with tool storage and one or more battery mounts for powering remote operation. During operation, the inspection system may produce a two- or three-dimensional (3D) map of the pipe or conduit from local condition sensor data and video image data acquired from structured light techniques or LED illumination. |
| US08547427B2 |
Illumination device and observation system
An illumination device and an observation system capable of outputting light having a continuous spectrum and high color rendering properties are provided. Employed is an illumination device including a first light source that emits first-wavelength-band light having a first wavelength band of violet color; a second light source that emits second-wavelength-band light having a second wavelength band that is broader than the first wavelength band and having a continuous spectrum; a light combining section that is composed of a dicroic mirror and that combines the first-wavelength-band light and the second-wavelength-band light; and a combination-ratio adjusting section that adjusts the combination ratio of the first-wavelength-band light and the second-wavelength-band light to be combined by the light combining section. |
| US08547426B2 |
Low settle time micro-scanning system
Systems, apparatus, and methods for providing a micro-scanning system with low settle times for fingerprint image capture are provided. In one embodiment, a flexure apparatus includes a stiffening device and parallelogram structures. The flexure apparatus is configured to move an image sensor to different positions to capture images that can be used to form a composite image according to micro-scanning techniques. The stiffening device allows the resonant frequency of the flexure apparatus to be established at a higher level than the operation frequency of the flexure apparatus, minimizing the settle time required for the flexure apparatus. |
| US08547424B2 |
Endoscope system and lens unit
An endoscope system has a light source apparatus and an endoscope including an illumination optical system and an objective optical system. At least the objective optical system of the endoscope is provided with an adjustable diaphragm, and in a light path in one of the light source apparatus, the illumination optical system, and the objective optical system, an insertable/retractable filter for observation for special light is provided. The adjustable diaphragm performs a closing operation or an opening operation only when the filter for observation for special light is inserted into the light path. |
| US08547423B2 |
Imaging system and device
An imaging system and method of application, including lens designs tailored to be used with particular transformation algorithms, electronic hardware and algorithms for image transformations is described. Exemplary application of the system including automotive, photographic and medical endoscopic are also described. The system enables improved image view and allows customization of views by the end user even after installation of the image system hardware. |
| US08547417B2 |
Stereoscopic imaging apparatus and stereoscopic imaging method
A stereoscopic imaging method using: first and second imaging devices including first and second imaging optical systems with first and second focus lenses and imaging a subject to generate first and second images; and a lens driving device configured to move the first and second focus lenses along the first and second optical axes of the first and second imaging optical systems, respectively, the method includes: moving the focus lenses to detect first and second focus positions in an imaging space of the first and second focus lenses, respectively; calculating a stereoscopic view possible range where a parallax amount of the first and second imaging device is within an acceptable range; determining whether the focus positions are between an intersection of the optical axes and a near point of the stereoscopic view possible range; and causing the lens driving device to focus the first and second focus lens on the determined focus position. |
| US08547413B2 |
Display apparatus and control method thereof
Embodiments relate to a display apparatus that can perform video communication and a method of controlling the display apparatus. The display apparatus according to an embodiment includes: a camera for acquiring video data and outputting the video data at a predetermined resolution; a network monitoring unit for detecting an available bandwidth of a network for transmitting video communication data; a resolution adjusting unit for adjusting the output resolution of the camera in accordance with the detected available bandwidth; and a communication unit for transmitting video data outputted from the camera to an external device. |
| US08547409B2 |
Light emission control device, light emission control method, and image forming apparatus
A light emission control device images an electrostatic latent image on a photosensitive element by a plurality of light emitting elements corresponding to a line in a second direction perpendicular to a first direction which is a rotational direction the photosensitive element. The light emission control device includes: a detecting unit that detects a rotational position of the photosensitive element, in the first direction, corresponding to a line in the second direction; an acquiring unit that acquires a distance between the light emitting elements and the rotational position of the photosensitive element in the first direction detected by the detecting unit; and a control unit that controls light emission by the light emitting elements according to the distance acquired by the acquiring unit and corrects a fluctuation in a density of a visible image converted from the electrostatic latent image. |
| US08547398B2 |
Image display apparatus and image display method
An image display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a moving unit configured to move a display position of an image displayed on a display screen; a setting unit configured to set a compressed image display area in the image; and a compression unit configured to, when a nondisplay area that is not displayed on the display screen is created in the image by the moving unit, compress the nondisplay area so that the nondisplay area fits within the compressed image display area and is displayed on the display screen. |
| US08547395B1 |
Writing coverage information to a framebuffer in a computer graphics system
A computer-implemented graphics system has a mode of operation in which primitive coverage information is generated by a rasterizer for real sample locations and virtual sample locations for use in anti-aliasing. An individual pixel includes a single real sample location and at least one virtual sample location. If the coverage information cannot be changed by a pixel shader, then the rasterizer can write the coverage information to a framebuffer. If, however, the coverage information can be changed by the shader, then the rasterizer sends the coverage information to the shader. |
| US08547389B2 |
Capturing image structure detail from a first image and color from a second image
Embodiments are described for a method to generate an image that includes image structure detail captured from a first image and color from a second image. The first image of a defined subject can be obtained from a computer memory. The first image may be a downsampled fine image with image detail. The second image captured of the defined subject in the first image can be obtained from a computer memory. The second image may be a coarse image. A target pixel in the second image can be selected. A target color distribution for a pixel window of the target pixel can then be computed. A source color distribution for a pixel window of a corresponding pixel in the first image can be computed using a computer processor. Further, a statistic of the target pixel can be determined with respect to the target color distribution. The source color in the source color distribution can be computed with the statistic. The target pixel color can then be replaced by the source color. |
| US08547388B2 |
Image processing device and related method thereof
An image processing apparatus and related method determine an ambient luminance value. Ambient luminance value is analyzed under three conditions: static, dynamic and backed-lighted. Image(s) are received in an image stream and different parts of pixel luminance values corresponding to the image(s) selected by different ways are averaged to generate several luminance averaging values, to therefore determine the ambient luminance value from several luminance averaging values. |
| US08547387B2 |
Systems, methods and apparatus to unambiguously outline a region of interest
Systems, methods and apparatus are provided through which in some implementations a graphical object is generated around a mathematical boundary of a region of interest in an image. The graphical object has varying opacity in which a higher opacity in areas of the graphical object in close proximity to the boundary acts as a visual cue to indicate close proximity to the boundary, and lesser opacity in areas of the graphical object of more distant proximity to the boundary acts as a visual cue to indicate distant proximity to the boundary. |
| US08547386B2 |
Image processing device and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium
A painterly conversion unit of an image processing device, for example, converts a main-object image piece and a background image piece into respective painterly images with a fine touch and a rough touch, respectively, when, for example, the ratio of a region representing the main-object image piece relative to a whole image represented by image data is less than a predetermined threshold. Moreover, the painterly conversion unit converts the whole image into a painterly image with a touch of predetermined roughness when the ratio of the region representing the main-object image piece relative to the whole image represented by the image data is equal to or larger than the predetermined threshold. |
| US08547385B2 |
Systems and methods for performing shared memory accesses
Various systems and methods are described for accessing a shared memory in a graphics processing unit (GPU). One embodiment comprises determining whether data to be read from a shared memory aligns to a boundary of the shared memory, wherein the data comprises a plurality of data blocks, and wherein the shared memory comprises a plurality of banks and a plurality of offsets. A swizzle pattern in which the data blocks are to be arranged for processing is determined. Based on whether the data aligns with a boundary of the shared memory and based on the determined swizzle pattern, an order for performing one or more wrapping functions is determined. The shared memory is accessed by performing the one or more wrapping functions and reading the data blocks to construct the data according to the swizzle pattern. |
| US08547382B2 |
Video graphics system and method of pixel data compression
A video graphics system, graphics processor, and method of reducing memory bandwidth consumption include logic that groups binary data of a block of pixels into bit-planes. Each bit-plane corresponds to a different bit position in the binary data of the block and includes a bit value from each pixel in the block at that corresponding bit position. An encoding, associated with the block of pixels, represents which ones of the bit-planes are constant-value bit-planes having binary data comprised of a same bit value from every pixel in the block and which of the bit-planes are mixed-value bit-planes. Logic accesses memory storing the block of pixels to process the binary data of each mixed-value bit-plane and accesses memory storing the encoding to process the binary data of each constant-value bit-plane when a processing operation is performed on the block of pixels. |
| US08547378B2 |
Time-based degradation of images using a GPU
A method, system, and computer-readable storage medium are disclosed for time-based degradation of images. In one embodiment, the rendering of a first frame of a digital video using a GPU may be initiated. In one embodiment, it may be determined that a time elapsed in rendering the first frame exceeds a threshold. In one embodiment, a downsampling factor may be determined in response to determining that the time elapsed exceeds the threshold. In one embodiment, a second frame of the digital video comprising a second set of one or more images may be rendered based on the downsampling factor using the GPU. Rendering the second frame based on the downsampling factor may comprise sending each of the second set of images to the GPU at a reduced resolution comprising a respective original resolution for each image divided by the downsampling factor. |
| US08547377B2 |
Projection image generation apparatus, method, and program
A method for generating a projection image from three-dimensional image data, including the steps of determining first three-dimensional image data to be projected from the three-dimensional image data, generating a first projection image by projecting the first three-dimensional image data in a first projection direction by maximum intensity projection or minimum intensity projection, specifying a first coordinate position in the first projection image, determining second three-dimensional image data to be projected from the three-dimensional image data, generating a second projection image by projecting the second three-dimensional image data in a second projection direction different from the first projection direction, and displaying a second coordinate position, in the second projection image, obtained by projecting a first voxel in the three-dimensional image data, which corresponds to the pixel at the first coordinate position in the first projection image, onto the second projection image from the second projection direction. |
| US08547376B2 |
Three-dimensional immersive system for representing an automation control environment
A computer-implemented system for representing a production environment comprises a modeling module that creates a three-dimensional model of at least a portion of a production environment. The system also includes a view module that renders a graphical depiction of at least a portion of the three-dimensional model from a reference point that is based at least in part upon a location. Methods of using the system are also provided. |
| US08547373B2 |
Back light unit for liquid crystal display device and method for fabricating the same
The present invention relates to a back light unit for a liquid crystal display device, which can improve safety and reliability of the back light unit; and a method for fabricating the same.The back light unit for a liquid crystal display device includes lamps for supplying a light to a liquid crystal display panel, a printed circuit board of a non-conductive plastic having sockets mounted thereto for supplying a high voltage to the lamps, a cover bottom fastened to the printed circuit board, having the lamps received therein, and a hook shaped projection formed as one unit with the printed circuit board for placing in a hole in the cover bottom for fastening the printed circuit board to the cover bottom. |
| US08547367B2 |
Method for restoring a timing controller and driving device for performing the method
A method of restoring a timing controller includes generating an error condition signal from a timing controller by checking abnormality of an image signal and a control signal provided from an image board, feeding back the error condition signal to the image board, and restoring the timing controller based on the error condition signal. |
| US08547364B2 |
Input system for controlling electronic device
An electronic device comprises a display for displaying data stored on said electronic device; input means; sensing means for sensing the three-dimensional position of the input means relative to said device; and control means for controlling the data displayed on said display in dependence on the three-dimensional position of the input means relative to said device. The input means includes a source of electromagnetic radiation for directing an infrared conical beam onto the display. The sensing means can sense the elliptical eccentricity of the electromagnetic radiation incident on the display to determine the angle at which it strikes the display, and can sense the area of the electromagnetic radiation incident on the display to determine the distance of the input means from the display. |
| US08547363B2 |
Digital signature collection and authentication
A digital signature collection and authentication system includes an ink pen having an ultrasonic transmitter that transmits ultrasonic energy to a plurality of ultrasonic receivers. A computer triangulates the location of the pen versus time to generate the signature shape, and to generate velocity and acceleration data. The pen also includes a pressure sensitive tip to record pressure applied to the pen tip. The pen also includes a higher frequency burst transmitter useful to generate a time reference, and to transmit the pressure information. The computer packetizes the shape, velocity, acceleration, and pressure data with a time stamp and an IP address or phone number, encrypts the packet and sends it to a host computer for authentication. |
| US08547361B2 |
Input method and system using optical pointer for electronic device
An input method for an electronic device and a related input system are provided. When an optical pointer irradiates light rays with a specific pattern, photo sensors disposed in a display unit of the device detect the irradiated light rays. The device determines and generates pattern information corresponding to a pattern of the light rays, a pattern direction, and a pattern movement. The device executes or controls a function according to the pattern information and a function table, which maps the pattern information to the function. |
| US08547356B2 |
Transaction automation and archival system using electronic contract disclosure units
A transaction automation and archival system is provided for controlling, real-time logging, and archiving complex commercial transactions such as the purchase and financing of an automobile. An electronic contract disclosure unit or ECDU includes a digitizing video display for imaging to the various documents involved in the transaction and a digitizer for allowing participants to sign, indicate choices, and otherwise interact directly on documents and images presented on the display. A computer controls the progress of the transaction, controlling, for example, the order of presentation of documents to a vehicle purchaser, receiving signatures on the displayed documents, offering choices of various packages to the purchaser, and insuring that the transaction is carried out properly. The transaction is logged for future review which may include a video record. One or more fingerprint readers allow participants to select between options while simultaneously verifying the identity of the individual making the selection. |
| US08547349B2 |
Mobile terminal and data display method for the same
A mobile terminal and a method of displaying data for the same are disclosed. The data display method includes displaying one or more tags, checking whether a motion of the mobile terminal is detected, identifying the terminal motion if terminal motion is detected, and displaying rearranged tags when the identified terminal motion is related to tag rearrangement. |
| US08547348B2 |
Method and apparatus for providing finger touch layers in a user agent
A method and apparatus for selecting an item on a display screen with a touch interface by touching the display screen with a finger or stylus-type device. The touch point on the screen is detected, and a touch radius is established with respect to the touch point. When selectable items are detected to be displayed at least partially within the touch radius of the touch point, they are partially activated by altering the manner in which they are displayed. Upon detection of another touch point selecting a partially activated item, that item is fully activated and the other partially activated items are deactivated. |
| US08547346B2 |
Information outputting device
An information output device includes a touch panel chassis having a touch panel with a medium on which a coordinate value based on a predetermined rule and a dot pattern signifying a code value are printed. The medium is placed on the touch panel with a surface on which the dot pattern is printed facing the touch panel. The device includes a coordinate recognition unit for recognizing a position on the medium of the touch panel. The device also includes an imaging unit for imaging via an imaging portion disposed on a predetermined location in the touch panel chassis. The device further includes a control unit for computing the coordinate value, the code value, and an orientation signified by the dot pattern and for inputting coordinate information from the coordinate recognition unit of the touch panel. An output unit outputs multimedia information according to an instruction from the control unit. |
| US08547345B2 |
Touch sensitive LCD panel
Described herein is a liquid crystal display apparatus that includes a liquid crystal display panel. The liquid crystal display panel includes a receiver component that receives a sensed parameter of a column line in the liquid crystal display apparatus, wherein electrical voltage is transmitted along the column line and directed at a particular sub-pixel. An output component outputs an indication that a member is in physical contact with the display panel based at least in part upon the received sensed parameter of the column line. |
| US08547338B2 |
Display device and driving method thereof
A display panel includes a plurality of pixels; a plurality of detection units formed in row and column directions that generate an element output signal when the display panel is touched; a detection signal processor that generates detection data based on the element output signal; and a touch determination unit that classifies the detection data in a row or column direction, that converts a row or column coordinate of a touch position or sustains a previous coordinate by comparing a reference value of each direction with the detection data, and that determines whether the touch has occurred according to the conversion number of the row or column coordinate. When the screen is continuously touched along a row or column direction, the touch or lack thereof and its position can be accurately determined by using the previous touch position information as current touch position information. |
| US08547334B2 |
Customizable computer input device
A customer user input device such as a computer mouse is disclosed. A core module can house the sensor, micro-controller and RF modules (if any). It may or may not also house the microswitches and scroll wheel. The core module can accept inserts having differing or variable button configurations so that the user can customize the location of the buttons in accordance with the user's intentions. |
| US08547332B2 |
Pointing device user interface method, medium, and system robust against external noise
A pointing method, medium, and system detecting a synchronization signal from a plurality of light sources sequentially blinking at predetermined periods, detecting position information of the light sources by driving a video camera in synchronization with the synchronization signal, removing noise from among observed light sources by using the position information, and calculating a pointed to position by using the position information of the non-noise light sources. Provided is also a pointing reception method, medium, and system using a plurality of light sources blinking sequentially at predetermined periods, receiving the position information corresponding to light sources presenting the signals received by a pointing device and the position information pointed by the pointing device, and changing output data with respect to the pointed position information. |
| US08547330B2 |
System and method for display management based on user attention inputs
A system and method are provided for managing data being displayed on at least one monitor screen based on monitoring user's attention in relation to the monitor screen. In one embodiment, upon detecting that the user's attention is leaving at least a portion of a screen, the system may alert the user of such an event. Alternatively, the system could alert the user upon detecting a triggering condition while the user's attention is away from the at least a portion of the screen. The step of alerting the user may include modifying at least a portion of a display on a monitor not being viewed by the user. Additionally, the system may initiate preparation of a report including any data not being viewed by a user during the time period when the user is not viewing a portion of the monitor. |
| US08547322B2 |
Electronic device with liquid crystal display
An electronic device, such as personal computer, incorporating a liquid crystal panel which uses LEDs as an illuminating light source for a liquid crystal panel to reduce power consumption and size of the electronic device. When 3-color LED lamps 13R, 13G, 13B of the LED light source 12 are lit, red, green and blue rays emitted from respective LED lamps enter the scatterplate 11 where they are scattered and mixed to produce white light LW which goes out from the entire surface of the scatterplate 11 to illuminate the entire rear surface of the transmission type liquid crystal panel 10. The white light LW that has entered the liquid crystal panel 10 is modulated according to the alignment of the liquid crystal material and passes through the color filters of the counter substrate. The user can view the transmitted light LT from the liquid crystal panel 10 as a color image. |
| US08547319B2 |
Display apparatus including a gate driver that has a plurality of stages and method for driving the display apparatus
A display apparatus includes a panel part, a data driver, and a gate driver. The panel part includes a plurality of gate lines, a plurality of data lines, and a plurality of pixels each of which is connected to one gate line of the gate lines and one data line of the data lines. The data driver receives image data and outputs a data signal to the data lines. The gate driver part is disposed on the panel part and applies gate signals to the gate lines. Periods of clock signals controlling the level of the gate signals are different from that of the gate signals. Thus, power consumption of the display apparatus is substantially effectively reduced. |
| US08547317B2 |
PLL, display using the same, and method for timing controller to generate clock using the same
Provided are a phase-locked loop (PLL) receiving an input clock and generating a clock, a display using the PLL, and a method for a timing controller to generate a clock using the PLL. The display includes a timing controller configured to generate a first clock using a PLL, insert the first clock into data, and transmit the data into which the first clock is inserted, transmission lines configured to transfer the data into which the first clock is inserted, and data-driver integrated circuits (ICs) configured to receive the data into which the first clock is inserted, separate the first clock from the data, and drive data lines of a liquid crystal panel on the basis of the first clock and the data. The PLL includes a phase detector configured to generate a DC error corresponding to a phase difference between an input clock and the first clock, a plurality of voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs), a VCO selector configured to select a VCO having a frequency operating range, which is a range from the highest oscillation frequency of the VCO to the lowest oscillation frequency, including a frequency of the first clock from among the plurality of VCOs with reference to the DC error, and an inductor/capacitor (LC) resonant circuit connected with the selected VCO, including a plurality of fixed capacitors, and configured to perform coarse frequency tuning of the selected VCO. |
| US08547314B2 |
Liquid crystal display with white correction of a backlight and driving method thereof
A liquid crystal display includes a liquid crystal panel, a gray scale correction circuit, a control circuit, and a data driver. The gray scale correction circuit provides a corrected red, green, blue (RGB) data set corresponding to a white image element. The control circuit receives an original RGB data set, and selectively outputs one of the original RGB data set and a corrected RGB data set according to a gray scale value of the of the original data set. The data driver provides a gray scale voltage to the liquid crystal panel according to the output RGB data set of the control circuit. |
| US08547311B2 |
Dual-image flat display device
A dual-image flat display device includes a first and a second substrates parallel with each other, a liquid crystal layer having liquid crystal molecules, and at least a pixel disposed on the second substrate. The pixel includes pluralities of sub-pixels arranged side by side along a first direction. Each sub-pixel has a first azimuthal angle domain and a second azimuthal angle domain, wherein the first and second azimuthal angle domains are arranged side by side along a second direction in the sub-pixel, and the second direction is not parallel with the first direction. The azimuthal angles of liquid crystal molecules in the first and second azimuthal angle domains have an included angle less than 180°. |
| US08547308B2 |
Display device, driving method thereof, and electronic apparatus
A display device comprises a pixel array unit including a plurality of pixels, and power supply lines and a power supply scanner for supplying a power supply voltage switching between first and second potentials to each of the power supply lines, wherein each of the pixels includes a light emitting element, a sampling transistor, a driver transistor, and a holding capacitor. The sampling transistor samples a signal potential to be held in the holding capacitor, the driver transistor receives a supply of a current from the power supply scanner through the power supply line at a first potential and flows a drive current to the light emitting element in accordance with the held signal potential, and the power supply scanner changes the power supply line from the first potential to the second potential before the sampling transistors samples the signal potential. |
| US08547302B2 |
Organic light emitting display apparatus and method of driving the same
An organic light emitting display apparatus minimizes brightness reduction and power consumption increase, and can remove motion blurring. The organic light emitting display apparatus includes a plurality of pixels, each including an organic light emitting device and a pixel circuit, a data driving unit to apply a data signal to data lines connected to the pixels, a scan driving unit to apply a selection signal to selection scan lines connected to the pixels, an emission signal generating unit to generate a first emission signal, an emission duty controlling unit to calculate basic information to reduce motion blurring and to generate an emission duty control signal based on the basic information, a logic gate to output a second emission signal by receiving the first emission signal and the emission duty control signal, and an emission driving unit to apply the second emission signal to emission scan lines connected to the pixels. |
| US08547301B2 |
Light emitting display apparatus and driving method thereof
A light emitting display apparatus, capable of protecting light emitting elements by preventing overcurrent from flowing into the elements, and a method of driving the light emitting display apparatus are disclosed. In one embodiment, the light emitting display apparatus comprises a pixel portion comprising a plurality of pixels for emitting light in response to a data signal and a scan signal, a data driver for generating and transmitting the data signal to the pixel portion; a scan driver for generating and transmitting the scan signal to the pixel portion, a timing controller for controlling the data driver and the scan driver, and a controller for detecting a current flowing through each of the pixels and blocking light emission of the pixel portion in case that the detected current is greater than a predetermined value. |
| US08547298B2 |
Continuation of exterior view on interior pillars and surfaces
A method to display a graphic illustrating an operational environment of a vehicle includes monitoring informational inputs describing the operational environment of the vehicle, processing the informational inputs to determine critical information, monitoring location of the eyes of an operator of the vehicle, determining a registered graphic describing the critical information hidden from a view of the operator by a non-transparent component of the vehicle based upon the location of the eyes of the operator, and displaying the registered graphic describing the critical information hidden from the view of the operator upon the non-transparent component of the vehicle, the non-transparent component including a material reactive to display graphics in response to an excitation projector. |
| US08547296B2 |
Display controlling apparatus and image processing apparatus
A display controlling apparatus that is capable of communicating with an image processing apparatus that sends image data to the display controlling apparatus in response to a notification from the display controlling apparatus, includes the following elements: a sending unit configured to send the notification to the image processing apparatus; a first receiving unit configured to receive the image data sent from the image processing apparatus in response to the notification; and a first computing unit configured to compute a first time required to display the image data received by the first receiving unit. The sending unit sends a new notification to the image processing apparatus at a timing based on the first time computed by the first computing unit. |
| US08547288B2 |
Antenna for chip card production
The present invention relates to an antenna arrangement (10) for the production of chip cards, in particular chip cards used in the UHF frequency range, having a substrate and a plurality of antenna conductor structures (11) formed on the substrate using a coating method, the antenna conductor structures having a terminal arrangement (24) for connecting the antenna conductor structures to a chip, wherein the substrate is formed as a substrate sheet (12), and the antenna conductor structures are disposed on the substrate sheet in a matrix arrangement (13) having a plurality of columns and rows. |
| US08547284B2 |
Apparatus and method for detecting radiated power
A radiated power detection apparatus including a reception antenna and a probe in a Fresnel zone determines a measurement parameter of a wireless communication device and coincides central points of an antenna that is included in the wireless communication device, the reception antenna, and the probe. Next, the radiated power detection apparatus measures the magnitude of an electric field corresponding to at least one measurement point while transferring the reception antenna and the probe according to a measurement parameter, calculates the magnitude of a maximum electric field in a far-field using the magnitude of an electric field, and thus detects radiated power of the wireless communication device based on the magnitude of a maximum electric field. |
| US08547283B2 |
Multiband antenna and method for an antenna to be capable of multiband operation
A multiband antenna having a ground plane and a radiating portion is provided. The radiating portion includes a first metal portion, a second metal portion, an inductively-coupled portion, and a third metal portion. The first metal portion has a first coupling metal portion and a signal feeding line electrically connected thereto. The second metal portion has a second coupling metal portion and a shorting metal portion electrically connected thereto with a shorting point connected to the ground plane. The first and second coupling metal portions are coupled and a capacitively-coupled portion is formed therebetween. The inductively-coupled portion is connected between the third and second metal portions. The first and second metal portions enable the antenna to generate a first operating band. The first, second and third metal portions enable the antenna to generate a second operating band, the frequencies of which are lower than those of the first operating band. |
| US08547281B2 |
Metamaterial antenna using a magneto-dielectric material
The invention relates to the size reduction of an antenna using a magneto-dielectric material for a CRLH-TL (Composite Right/Left Handed Transmission Line) antenna. In particular, the invention provides a small and low profile metamaterial antenna attained by performing SRR (Split Ring Resonator) magnetization on a dielectric material and applying the magneto-dielectric material to the CRLH-TL antenna that is composed of patches and vias. Even further, the invention provides a metamaterial antenna using a magneto-dielectric material, the antenna comprising: a substrate which is made up of a magneto-dielectric material and which has an SRR structure inserted thereto; patches with a CRLH-TL structure formed at a predetermined distance above the substrate; and a ground plane formed at a predetermined distance below the substrate. |
| US08547276B2 |
Positioning system and method
A positioning method whereby inertial positioning data is calculated based upon measurements of an Inertial Navigation System. Virtual satellite ranging data is then generated based upon the inertial positioning data. The virtual satellite ranging data is then combined with received satellite ranging data from one or more satellites forming part of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). A GNSS positioning solution is then calculated based upon the combined received satellite ranging data and the virtual satellite ranging data. |
| US08547275B2 |
Active electronically scanned array antenna for hemispherical scan coverage
An antenna architecture for hemispherically-scanning active electronically scanned arrays (AESA). The antenna architecture utilizes variable diameter disks of antenna elements configured in a conical implementation. The antenna elements are oriented such that the element boresight is normal to the surface of the conical structure. Beamforming takes place on each disk first, and them separately in combining the signals from each disk, thereby reducing complexity. The antenna optionally utilizes disks of antenna elements of the same diameter to form a cylindrical antenna, which when combined with a conical configuration create enhanced sectors while maintaining a hemispherical coverage capability. Further, use of two conical configurations can produce a fully spherical coverage capability. |
| US08547273B2 |
Pulse radar apparatus and control method thereof
The invention provides a pulse radar apparatus, and a control method thereof, that permits to readily downsize and to lower its cost and allows information on an object to be detected in high precision by removing an influence of noise when a gain of a variable gain amplifier is discontinuously changed corresponding to detected distance, with a simple configuration. A variable gain amplifier 135 configured to adjust a gain corresponding to a distance gate is used to be able to detect weak reflected wave from a distant object and to amplify a reflected wave from a short distance with a low gain. An offset noise from the variable gain amplifier 135 is prepared together with interference noise and self-mixing noise in advance as a replica signal of unwanted wave and the replica signal is removed from a baseband signal in detecting the object T. |
| US08547264B2 |
Methods for controlling light sources using analog-to-analog mappings
The invention provides a system of generation of multi-channel analog output signals, from a single analog input signal, and the controlled activation of peripheral devices responsive to the multi-channel analog output signals. A single-channel to multi-channel analog-to-analog converter is provided to convert the single analog input signal to multiple output channels. Uni-directional coupling is used for coupling and mixing the multi-channel outputs and transferring the mixed outputs to a data bus. Signals on the data bus are used to drive the multiple peripheral devices. |
| US08547257B2 |
Digital error correction in an analog-to-digital converter
An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) function in which digital error correction is provided. Parallel ADC stages are synchronously clocked to convert an analog input signal into digital words; at least one of the digital outputs is encoded according to an error correction code. Decision logic circuitry decodes a code word comprised of the concatenation of the digital outputs from the parallel stages, to derive a digital output from which the digital output word corresponding to the analog input signal can be derived. The decision logic circuitry can provide an error signal used to correct the state of one or more bits of the digital output from one of the ADC stages, for the case of a systematic code; alternatively, the decision logic circuitry can directly decode the code word to provide the digital output. The architecture may be applied to stages in a pipelined ADC. |
| US08547256B2 |
Analog unit
An ADC code given in response to input of an analog input value to an A/D converter circuit is measured at a site where an A/D converter unit is used to measure a user-measured value. A user-set value calculating part calculates a user offset value and a user gain value on the basis of one user-measured value, a factory offset value, and a factory gain value, and stores the calculated user offset value and the user gain value in a nonvolatile memory. |
| US08547251B2 |
On-board vehicle warning system and vehicle driver warning method
An on-board vehicle warning system includes a location detecting section, a regulation retrieving section, an incoming message receiving section and a potential violation alerting section. The location detecting section detects respective geographic locations of a vehicle and a forthcoming intersection. The regulation retrieving section retrieves, based on the intersection location, a jurisdiction including local intersection regulation information pertaining to a vehicle position with respect to an intersection boundary at the time of a particular phase transition of a traffic light. The incoming message receiving section receives intersection status information of the intersection containing a geographic location of the boundary and phase information including a current phase and a time to the phase transition of a traffic light of the intersection. The potential violation alerting section estimates a future position of the vehicle with respect to the boundary at the occurrence of the phase transition to determine a potential violation. |
| US08547250B1 |
Traffic safety system
The traffic safety system includes a comprehensive control server with a mass storage unit, a main data collector with a main data collection mass storage unit, and a sub data collector with a sub-data storage unit. Also included are vehicle embedded sensors and embedded sensors disposed in various infrastructure components such as roadways, traffic lights street lamps, and the like. All sensors are in network communication with the control server, main and sub data collectors. The control server, main and sub data collectors are all in operable communication with each other via the same network communications infrastructure. This networked system monitors and controls vehicle activity on roads equipped with the embedded sensors. The system generates alerts, which are sent to drivers warning them of laws, which are applicable to the controlled roadways. Without human intervention, the control system autonomously enforces road activity that is compliant with the applicable roadway laws. |
| US08547248B2 |
Implantable zero-wire communications system
The present invention provides implantable systems that communicate wirelessly with each other using a unique format that enables devices configurations and applications heretofore not possible. Embodiments of the present invention provide communication apparatuses and methods for exchanging information with implantable medical devices. In some embodiments, two implantable devices communicate with each other using quasi-electrostatic signal transmission in a long wavelength/low frequency electromagnetic band, with the patient's body acting as a conductive medium. |
| US08547244B2 |
Enhanced visual feedback for touch-sensitive input device
A touch-sensitive input device provides improved visual feedback at (or near) the point and time of contact. As the user touches a touch-sensitive screen or pad, a portion of the screen or pad changes in visual appearance to indicate that the input has been received. In one embodiment, the change in visual appearance is localized to an area proximate to the point of contact. In one embodiment, the change in visual appearance is accomplished by illuminating an area proximate to and centered around the point of contact. In another embodiment, the change in visual appearance is accomplished by illuminating one or more illuminable elements, such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on the touch-sensitive pad. |
| US08547242B2 |
Power supply detecting circuit indicating a predetermined voltage range
A detecting circuit includes an indicating light, a switch component, and a control component. The indicating light indicates whether a voltage rail output by a power supply is within a predetermined voltage range. The switch component has a first terminal connected to the voltage rail, a second terminal connected to the indicating light, and a control terminal. The control component is connected to the control terminal of the switch component. The control component switches on the switch component to power on the indicating light when the voltage rail is within the predetermined voltage range, or switches off the switch component to power off the indicating light when the voltage rail is out of the predetermined voltage range. |
| US08547240B2 |
Transmitter with battery status indicator
A battery powered transmitter is provided with a battery status circuit that determines an output voltage level associated with the battery. The battery status circuit is provided with multiple voltage reference thresholds. One or more visual voltage status indicators are electrically coupled with the battery status circuit. The battery status circuit actuates a visual voltage status indicator when the battery status circuit determines the voltage output level of the battery to be within a first output range. One or more additional visual voltage status indicators may be actuated when the battery status circuit determines the voltage output level of the battery to be within other output ranges. |
| US08547239B2 |
Methods for detecting failure states in a medicine delivery device
A fluid medicament delivery device includes a patient attachment unit, containing the fluid medicament, and an indicator unit adapted to be detachably coupled to the patient attachment unit. A method for monitoring the fluid medicament includes independently setting a flow rate of a fluid medicament with the patient attachment unit. A pressure and/or a flow rate of the fluid medicament is sensed with a sensor located in a separate indicator unit in a sensing mode. A status of the fluid medicament delivery device is determined based at least in part on the pressure and/or the flow rate. |
| US08547237B2 |
Creature-machine hybrid detector system for the autonomous and multimodal detection of illicit and hazardous materials
The present invention relates to a creature-machine hybrid detector system capable of autonomously detecting illicit and hazardous materials. This hybrid detector comprises of an explosives detecting creature trained in the art of detecting illicit and hazardous materials that is additionally outfitted with a battery operated lightweight and portable electronics-based detector machine ensemble capable of real-time characterizations of vapor, liquid and gaseous phase materials towards which the creature displays a positive alert response, two-way wireless video, data, voice, location and image connectivity, a creature-heartbeat detector, and the capacity for interaction to remote personnel within the field of operations through a hand-held display or to a central control unit. Such a detector will combine the autonomous search-and-detect capability of a detector creature trained in the art of detection of illicit and hazardous materials with the multi-perspective material identification and characterization capability of electronics-based detector machines and instruments and will have superb advantages over currently available biological or electronic detection systems. |
| US08547236B2 |
System for automatic fall detection for elderly people
Apparatus for detection of human falls comprises: an acceleration detector, for detecting vibration events, typically placed on a floor, a microphone, located in association with the acceleration detector for detection of corresponding sound events, and a classification unit to classify concurrent events from the microphone and the acceleration detector, thereby to determine whether a human fall is indicated. If the event appears to be a human fall, then an alarm is raised. |
| US08547233B2 |
Integrated circuit and method of operating the same
An integrated circuit includes a thermal-effect unit and a processing unit. The thermal-effect unit generates an electrical energy and forms a temporary channel when experiencing a thermal cycle. The processing unit has a thermal-cycle number, and updates the thermal-cycle number through the temporary channel in response to the electrical energy. |