| Document | Document Title |
|---|---|
| US08565242B2 |
Transport protocol performance using network bit rate information
A method for communicating in a telecommunications system is provided. The method comprises conveying a downlink bit rate and an uplink bit rate associated with an access point name to a user agent. |
| US08565240B2 |
Flow based congestion control
A method for selectively controlling the flow of data through a network device is discussed. The network device has a plurality of ports, with each port of the plurality of ports having a plurality of priority queues. Congestion at one priority queue of the plurality of priority queues is detected and a virtual channel message is sent to other network devices connected to the network device causing data destined for the one priority queue to be halted. After the congestion at the one priority queue has abated, a virtual channel resume message is sent to the other network devices. |
| US08565234B1 |
Multicast queueing in a switch
A method of configuring a plurality of aggregation queues for aggregating multicast network traffic includes configuring a first one of the plurality of aggregation queues to store at least data units associated with a first multicast group (MCG) and data units associated with a second MCG, and configuring a second one of the plurality of aggregation queues to store only those data units that are associated with a third MCG. |
| US08565233B2 |
Mobility management within a wireless communications network
Aspects of mobility management within a wireless communications network including a plurality of sectors are disclosed. In an example, the wireless communications network includes a first cluster of sectors with at least one target sector and at least one supporting sector. The multicast communication session is carried within both the target and supporting sectors. In another example, a second cluster can be included within the network for supporting the same multicast communication session that includes its own target and supporting sectors. In this example, the first cluster transmits multicast media on a first interlace-multiplex (IM) pair of a downlink broadcast channel (BCH) and the second cluster transmits multicast media on a second IM pair of the downlink BCH. If sectors of the first and second clusters overlap, the network controls a manner in which the first and second clusters carry the multicast media. |
| US08565230B2 |
Shared virtual tunnels supporting Mac learning in communication networks
Embodiments herein include systems and methods for providing a mechanism for tunneled data transport within a dual homed access network. A tunnel manager, at a first network connectivity device in a transport network, identifies the transport network configured to interconnect at least two access networks for transporting data traffic between one or more end stations connected to the access networks. The first network connectivity device is coupled to a first access network. The tunnel manager identifies a second network connectivity device. The second network connectivity device is coupled to the first access network to provide the first access network dual homed access to the transport network via the first and second network connectivity devices. The tunnel manager creates a virtual tunnel that connects the first and second network connectivity devices to a third network connectivity device across the transport network. The virtual tunnel defines a same virtual tunnel having multiple paths such that the third network connectivity device learns a single virtual tunnel for device address learning. |
| US08565226B1 |
Data transmission system used between multiple servers, data interface device, and data transmission method
A data transmission system used between multiple servers, a data interface device, and a data transmission method, which belong to the field of network communications, are disclosed. The data transmission system includes: a data interface device configured to receive a data stream from a server, and generate a forwarding request according to the data stream, where the forwarding request includes a destination address of the data stream; a controller device configured to generate a forwarding configuration signal according to the forwarding request; and an all-optical switching matrix configured to set an optical switching path between two data interface devices according to the forwarding configuration signal, so as to forward the data stream to a server specified by the destination address, where the two data interface devices are data interface devices connected to the source server of the data stream and the server specified by the destination address. |
| US08565223B2 |
1X message processing
An apparatus for notifying of a circuit switched event over a packetized data network. The apparatus includes a packetized data modem and an internetworking interface. The packetized data modem is configured to transmit and receive packetized data over a packetized data radio link. The packetized data modem has a tunneling link access control processor that is configured to encapsulate/decapsulate data for a subset of sub-layers corresponding to a link access control layer of a circuit switched network model. The internetwork interface is operatively coupled to the packetized data modem via the packetized data network, and is configured to notify the packetized data modem of the circuit switched event. The internetworking interface has a link access control/tunneling link access control processor that is configured to encapsulate/decapsulate the data when performing notification of the circuit switched event. |
| US08565221B2 |
Domain specific PLMN selection
A mobile communication device includes a domain selection feature that allows a user to select a domain preference such as a circuit switched (CS) voice domain preference, a packet switched (PS) data domain preference, or a (CS+PS) domain preference. The mobile device receives Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) ID and domain availability information from one or more PLMNs. A PLMN priority list is generated on the basis of the received PLMN information and the user domain preference selection. PLMNs having the user selected service available are assigned a higher priority than those that don't currently have the service, whereby an original PLMN list may be updated. Thereby, the mobile device is more likely to obtain the desired service without resorting to a time consuming manual selection process. |
| US08565219B2 |
Voicemail screening and call retrieval
Handling an incoming call from a caller to a user includes prompting a caller to record a message to the user and sending a special command to a user communication device indicting that the incoming call is available for screening and retrieving. In response to the user indicating a desire to screen the incoming call, the user listens to the message while the caller is leaving the message. In response to the user indicating a desire to retrieve the incoming call, the call is transferred to the user communication device. In response to the user indicating a desire to screen the call, an incoming media stream from the incoming call may be forked so that the message is being recorded while the user is listening to the message at the user communication device. |
| US08565215B2 |
Method and base station for detecting interfering base station
A method and a base station can be used for detecting an interfering base station. A second base station sends no second downlink synchronization code in a downlink pilot time slot DwPTS of a specified frame, so that the second base station receives a first downlink synchronization code in a downlink pilot time slot DwPTS of a first base station, and performs correlation calculation on a detecting code segment of uplink data of the second base station by using the first downlink synchronization code, and by judging whether a correlation value of one of detecting code segments in the uplink data is greater than a correlation value threshold, determines whether the second base station is an interfering base station of the first base station. |
| US08565214B2 |
Method for scheduling data transmission in hybrid communication networks for transportation safety systems
A hybrid communication network for a transportation safety system includes a fixed wired nodes and mobile wireless nodes. Because the wired nodes operate independently packets transmitted by the wired nodes to the wireless nodes need to be synchronized. A downlink travel time for downlink packets traveling from a controller to the wireless nodes is determined. Then, the controller schedules downlink data intervals (DDI) based on the downlink travel time; and transmits downlink packets to the wireless nodes during the DDI, such that a latency requirement of the transportation safety system is satisfied. |
| US08565207B2 |
Direct link setup procedure in tunneled direct link setup wireless network and station supporting the procedure
Provided are a Tunneled Direct Link Setup (TDLS) establishment procedure for a TDLS initiator and a station supporting the establishment procedure. In the establishment procedure, a requesting Non-AP QSTA transmits a TDLS setup request frame via an access point (AP) to an intended peer Non-AP QSTA. And, the requesting Non-AP QSTA receives a TDLS setup response frame via the AP from the intended peer station in response to the TDLS setup request frame. And, the requesting Non-AP QSTA transmits a TDLS setup confirm frame via the AP to the intended peer station in response to the TDLS setup response frame. |
| US08565205B2 |
Specific absorption rate backoff in power headroom report
Uplink transmission power adjustment is provided by a mobile device receiving an uplink transmission grant from a serving base station. The mobile device determines a maximum power reduction for uplink transmissions and a SAR-related power reduction. The mobile device compares these values and adjusts transmission power according to the SAR-related power reduction in response to the SAR-related power reduction exceeding the maximum power reduction. A power headroom report is generated when the determined SAR-related power reduction exceeds a previous SAR-related power reduction. This power headroom report is transmitted from the mobile device to the serving base station under various conditions. |
| US08565204B2 |
Management of WLAN and WWAN communication services to a multi-mode wireless communication device
A mesh network communication system includes a plurality of access points connected to a wireless local area network (WLAN) controller where at least one access point is a detection access point (DAP) that receives reverse link (RL) wireless wide area network (WWAN) signals transmitted from a multi-mode wireless communication device. Based on an intercepted RL WWAN signal, the DAP forwards reverse link (RL) information to the WLAN controller, which then generates and sends, to the WWAN communication system, a device to access point association list (device-AP association list) comprising one or more device identifiers associated with one or more target access point identifier. The device identifier uniquely identifies a multi-mode wireless communication device within a maximum proximity of a target access point identified by the target access point identifier. The WWAN system applies the device-AP association list to efficiently manage handoffs to access points in the mesh network. |
| US08565202B2 |
Wireless communication device
A first wireless communication device may communicate specific data with a second wireless communication device by utilizing a wireless connection according to wireless communication setting information for communicating the specific data. The first wireless communication device may send second wireless setting information to the second wireless communication device by utilizing a first wireless connection according to first wireless setting information in a case where an instruction is input. The first wireless communication device may (A) newly set the second wireless setting information as the wireless setting information for communicating the specific data in a case where a predetermined signal is received, and (B) maintain the first wireless setting information as the wireless setting information for communicating the specific data in a case where the predetermined signal is not received. |
| US08565201B2 |
Method and apparatus for hybrid virtual MIMO transmission in wireless ad-hoc network
A hybrid virtual multiple-input multiple-output (V-MIMO) transmission method of a management node in a wireless ad-hoc network in which a transmission path from a source node to a destination node is divided into one or more sections is provided. The hybrid V-MIMO transmission method includes obtaining one or more pieces of node information of one or more nodes by transmitting an information request message to the nodes in response to a transmission request message for data transmission from the source node to the destination node; setting a shortest path (SP) from the source node to the destination node based on the obtained node information; determining transmission schemes individually for nodes present on the SP; issuing a transmission preparation request by transmitting the determined transmission schemes to the respective corresponding nodes; and transmitting a transmission start message to the source node in response to transmission ready responses from the respective nodes. |
| US08565199B2 |
Direct link setup method in tunneled direct link setup wireless network and station supporting the method
Provided are a Tunneled Direct Link Setup (TDLS) establishment method for a TDLS initiator and a station supporting the establishment method. In the establishment method, a requesting Non-AP QSTA transmits a TDLS setup request frame via an access point(AP) to an intended peer Non-AP QSTA. And, the requesting Non-AP QSTA receives a TDLS setup response frame via the AP from the intended peer station in response to the TDLS setup request frame. And, the requesting Non-AP QSTA transmits a TDLS setup confirm frame via the AP to the intended peer station in response to the TDLS setup response frame. |
| US08565194B2 |
Puncturing signaling channel for a wireless communication system
A signaling channel that punctures traffic channels is used to send signaling, e.g., acknowledgments (ACKs). To send signaling, resources for the signaling channel are determined, e.g., based on a frequency hopping pattern. Signaling is spread with a spreading code (e.g., a Walsh code) to generate spread signaling, which is mapped to the resources for the signaling channel. Each resource may be partitioned into multiple clusters. A signaling message may be mapped to different clusters to achieve diversity. Traffic data may also be mapped to other resources for a traffic channel assigned for use. Traffic data mapped to the other resources for the signaling channel is punctured. The mapped signaling and traffic data are further processed (e.g., for OFDM or SC-FDMA) and transmitted. |
| US08565190B2 |
NAT traversal for mobile network devices
Traversal of a Network Address Translator (NAT) can be facilitated for a mobile device configured to communicate with one or more other devices over a network via one or more wireless access points. A direction of travel can be estimated for the mobile device. One or more wireless access points the mobile device is likely to encounter can be predicted using the estimated direction of travel. Information regarding behavior of one or more NATs associated with the predicted wireless access point(s) can be predicted. Such information can be stored in such a way that the information is retrievable by one or more other devices or using the information to traverse one or more of the NATs. Alternatively, information can be retrieved regarding behavior of one or more NATs associated with the predicted wireless access points. This information can be used to traverse one or more of the NATs. |
| US08565188B2 |
Minimizing call drops during a serving cell change
A method for minimizing call drops during a serving cell change is disclosed. A first measurement report message is received from a user equipment (UE) requesting to change an active set of the UE. A second measurement report message is received from the UE indicating a change of a best cell and requesting a change of a serving cell to a target cell. The second measurement report message is processed before the first measurement report message is completely processed. |
| US08565187B2 |
Fast reselection to other radio access technology after circuit switched fallback
A wireless apparatus having one or more first radios, one or more second radios, interface control, and a processor. The one or more first radios are coupled to one or more first communication links. The one or more second radios are coupled to one or more second communication links. The interface control is coupled to the radios, and selects and executes communications over a specific one of the one or more second communication links following termination of a fallback session over one of the one or more first communication links, where RAT information is employed by the interface control to select the specific one of the one or more second communication links. The processor receives, processes, and provides to the interface control the RAT information, where the RAT information is received prior to termination of the fallback session or as part of termination of the fallback session. |
| US08565186B2 |
Methods of mitigation of trombone routing in an IMS/MMD network
The present invention advantageously provides several systems and methods for solving the trombone routing issues within an IMS/MMD network. These approaches avoid trombone routing, speed up handoff, and increase the efficiency of signaling and overall performance of an IMS/MMD network. These solutions can broadly be divided into the following categories. Piggy-backing SIP registration over MIP (Split at FA); Selective Reverse Tunneling and Tunneling between FA and P-CSCF; the SIP-based mobility protocol; use of CoA during SIP registration and call up in MIPv6; Piggy-backing SIP registration when HA and S-CSCF Co-exist; Using Dynamic Home Agents in MIPv4 FA-CoA; and the Interceptor-Caching Approach. |
| US08565181B2 |
Methods and apparatus for multi-carrier communications with efficient control signaling
A first uplink signal is transmitted by a mobile station to a base station on a first set of subcarriers in a first OFDM symbol. The first set of subcarriers is modulated with a first signal sequence known to both the mobile station and the base station. A second uplink signal is transmitted by the mobile station to the base station on a second set of subcarriers in a second OFDM symbol. The second set of subcarriers is modulated with the first signal sequence or a transform of the first signal sequence. The second set of subcarriers is modulated with a second signal sequence containing attribute information on a third set of subcarriers of a downlink signal received by the mobile station over a downlink channel. The correspondence between the subcarriers in the third and second set is known to the mobile station and the base station. |
| US08565177B2 |
Dynamic load control for downlink signaling channels
A number of channel coding elements per transmission time interval required to transmit control information to a communication terminal is evaluated based on communication connection condition information with respect to the communication terminal, wherein the control information is defined by information on the scheduling of communication resources allocation to the communication terminal. A modified capacity is determined, wherein a capacity is defined by a total of available channel coding elements per transmission time interval on a channel dedicated for transmitting the control information. In addition, a quantity of communication terminals is selected for being provided with control information on the channel dedicated for transmitting the control information by accepting a further communication terminal to the quantity if the total sum of channel coding elements per transmission time interval required to transmit control information to each communication terminal of the quantity including the further communication terminal does not exceed the modified capacity, and by otherwise rejecting the further communication terminal. |
| US08565175B2 |
Out-of-group interference reduction in wireless communication systems
In a MIMO wireless communication system, a plurality of base stations (BSs) are provided each of which can transmit signals to, and receive signals transmitted from, one or more user equipments (UEs). The BSs are also organized into a plurality of groups. In a given group of BSs serving one or more UEs, those serving BSs coordinate with each other to simultaneously transmit signals to the one or more served UEs, and one or more of the served UEs feed back information to one or more of those serving BSs. The fed back information incorporates inter-group noise information related to interference between different BS groups. The method involves processing signals for simultaneous transmission by BSs of a group to one or more UEs served by that group and using the information fed back to the BSs of that group to improve system performance. |
| US08565164B2 |
Wireless mesh architecture
A wireless mesh network architecture includes a plurality of wireless nodes, with each wireless node in the network is connected to every other wireless node in the network. Each pair of wireless nodes is coupled by a link dedicated to exchange of data by the pair of nodes. The link is characterized by an agreement between two end points of the link to rendezvous for the purposes of exchanging data at a predetermined time over a predetermined channel. Methods of negotiating rendezvous characteristics, such as rendezvous channel, time, frequency, duration and transmission power ensure that the selected link is tuned to minimize interference and power usage in the WN. A handshake mechanism enables high performance data delivery with minimal packet loss. The link based architecture uses Link State Advertisements, traffic tags and spanning trees to fine tune packet flow through divergent devices in the network. |
| US08565163B2 |
Method for controlling switch of mobile user equipment (UE)
The present invention discloses a method for controlling switch of multi-mode mobile user equipment (UE). Through designing a dedicated Switch Control Module (SCM) in the existing terminal management module within the multi-mode UE supporting IMS services, utilizing the automatic detection function of the Access Service Network (ASN) at the terminal side, and modifying part of the control signaling of the Connectivity Service Network (CSN) at the terminal side to make the UE participate the switch control procedure actively, the invention implements the seamless switch between different networks, strengthening the real-time performance during the network switch, thus enabling the mobile multimedia service to continue to satisfy the requirements for the real-time performance even when switched in use and enabling the user to obtain quicker data transmission rate, better quality of service and service with a cheaper price. |
| US08565160B2 |
Methods and devices for facilitating access terminal registrations
Access terminals and network nodes are adapted to conduct access terminal registrations. In one example, an access terminal with a respective class designation may receive a message including a plurality of periodic registration schedules, where at least one registration schedule is associated with an access terminal class. The access terminal may determine a periodic registration schedule associated with its respective class designation, and may perform periodic access terminal registrations according to the determined periodic registration schedule. In one example, a network node can obtain a plurality of periodic registration schedules, with at least one registration schedule associated with an access terminal class. The network node can transmit a message including the plurality of periodic registration schedules, and can conduct access terminal registrations according to the plurality of periodic registrations schedules. Other aspects, embodiments, and features are also claimed and described. |
| US08565157B2 |
Method of transmitting and receiving carrier configuration information
A method for allowing a mobile station to reliably receive a paging message in a multi-carrier system is disclosed. A method for controlling a mobile station to receive carrier configuration information (CCI) in a wireless access system supporting multiple carriers includes a) receiving a first CCI including information about configuration of the multiple carriers from a first base station, b) receiving a second CCI including information about configuration of the multiple carriers from a second BS, and c) determining whether to perform location update and carrier switching using the first CCI and the second CCI. |
| US08565154B2 |
Cell reselection enhancement
Methods and apparatuses are provided that facilitate measuring frequencies for cell reselection. A base station providing a cell can be interfered by one or more closed subscriber group (CSG) cells over at least a portion of frequency utilized by the base station to serve one or more devices. The base station can determine and provide one or more parameters related to performing a measurement of a system bandwidth to one or more devices that are within range of the one or more CSG cells that includes at least a portion of the bandwidth utilized by the one or more CSG cells. The one or more devices can accordingly perform measurements of the system bandwidth of the base station for determining one or more communication metrics related to performing reselection and/or measuring other frequencies for reselection. The measurement can relate to a wideband measurement, a plurality of narrowband measurements, etc. |
| US08565152B2 |
Dual mode mobile terminal in MIMO wireless communication system and controlling method thereof
A dual mode terminal and controlling method thereof are disclosed. The present invention includes a first antenna and a second antenna. In particular, a signal received via the second antenna includes a signal generated from multiplexing an LTE downlink signal, a CDMA DCN (data core network) downlink signal and a CDMA PCS (personal communication services) downlink signal. And, the present invention is characterized in including a triplexer for demultiplexing of the downlink signals. Accordingly, a dual mode terminal of the present invention is able to receive an LTE signal without a data rate fall in the course of measuring a quality of a CDMA signal. |
| US08565148B2 |
System and method for mobile communications
Systems and methods for mobile communications are disclosed herein. An example method for a mobile station includes receiving first data from a carrier on a first frequency using a first receiver of the mobile station in a first timeslot, tuning a second frequency of the carrier using the second receiver while the first receiver is receiving the first data during the first timeslot, and receiving second data from the carrier on the second frequency using the second receiver during a second timeslot that immediately follows the first timeslot, wherein the mobile station receives data on all timeslots without each of two time division multiple access frames. |
| US08565145B2 |
Fast access asynchronous repeater wakeup protocol
A method for transmitting a communication generated by an originating device to a target device using a repeating device is provided. In the method the communication is transmitted from the originating device and received at the repeating device. A repeater request sequence is transmitted from the originating device and retransmitted from the first repeating device to the target device before the repeater request sequence is received at the first repeating device. |
| US08565144B2 |
Scheduling apparatus and method of relay-based network
Disclosed are a scheduling method and apparatus for a relay-based network. The scheduling apparatus may assign a plurality of sub channels to links, with respect to each of a first sub frame and a second sub frame included in s downlink sub frame. The scheduling apparatus may perform scheduling in cases where nodes operated as transmitters and as receivers in the first sub frame and the second sub frame may diversely exist. |
| US08565140B2 |
Methods and apparatus for managing multicast traffic through a switch
A method for managing multicast traffic through a switch operating in the layer 2 of the OSI model, and routers and switches involved in the method. In one implementation a router sends to a switch a message containing identification of specific equipment which has requested specific multicast traffic, and also containing a specification of the specific traffic, and when the switch receives data carrying multicast traffic, based on the destination and origin addresses of the data, and based on the identification of the specific equipment and of the specification of the specific multicast traffic that it has received in the message, the switch deduces if the data carry the specific traffic that has been requested by the specific equipment, and decides through which of its ports it transmits the data. |
| US08565139B2 |
Methods and apparatus for WAN/WLAN unicast and multicast communication
IP unicast communication is provided between mobile devices in a wide area network and a wireless local area network coupled by a gateway component. Data communication is established between a mobile device and the wireless local area network, thereby receiving a first unicast IP address associated with the mobile device. A multicast group is joined within the wireless local area network and registering with that multicast group using a predetermined multicast IP address as a destination IP address and the first unicast IP address as a source address. The device disconnects from data communication within the wireless local area network, thereby releasing the first unicast IP address. Data communication is established between the mobile device and the wide area network, thereby receiving a second unicast IP address associated with the mobile device. The device then automatically communicates with the gateway component, via the wide area network, to specify the second unicast IP address as the source address for the mobile device within the multicast group. |
| US08565138B1 |
Random shuffling mechanism for MIMO wireless system
A method of coordinating communications between a wireless MIMO base station and a plurality of wireless communication devices is disclosed. The method includes generating a series of index numbers for controlling sub-slot assignments for the plurality of wireless communication devices, providing data representing the series of numbers to the MIMO base station and each of the plurality of wireless communication devices, and controlling simultaneous communication between the plurality of wireless communication devices and the MIMO base station by reassigning access by the plurality of wireless communication devices to a plurality of sub-slots in a communication structure of unit size. |
| US08565134B2 |
Sleep mode selection employing a semi-markov decision process
The disclosed subject matter relates to energy efficiency in mobile devices associated with a wireless communications environment. Power Saving Classes (PSCs) aim to reduce the power consumption of mobile devices based on the different types of traffic. Optimizing sleep mode selection schemes so as to maximize the energy efficiency while providing a QoS guarantee can be accomplished with optimization of a theoretical framework based on the semi-Markov Decision Process along with a performance evaluation on the sleep mode operation. A novel Policy Optimization algorithm is capable of finding optimized policies for a selection of different PSCs. |
| US08565126B2 |
Method and a transceiver for reducing retransmissions in a telecommunications system
The present invention relates to a method and to a transceiver (100) of a telecommunications system capable in exchanging protocol data units (PDUs) with another transceiver(s). Each PDU being identified using a sequence number. The transceiver, according to the present invention, is arranged to receive from the other transceiver a status report indicating positively acknowledged PDUs and negatively acknowledged PDUs. The transceiver (100) is further configured to compare sequence numbers in the report with previously acquired sequence numbers from previous reports and to prevent retransmissions of one or several PDUs based on the comparison. |
| US08565123B2 |
System and method for running a multiple spanning tree protocol with a very large number of domains
A system and method runs a multiple spanning tree protocol (MSTP) in a computer network having a very large number of bridge domains. The computer network includes a plurality of intermediate network devices, each having a plurality of ports for forwarding network messages. Within each device, a plurality of bridge domains are defined, each bridge domain is identified by a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) Identifier (VID), and one or more device ports. For each port, a separate mapping of VIDs to Multiple Spanning Tree Instances (MSTIs), based on the bridge domains defined at the port, is established. Each mapping is converted to a port-based configuration digest, which is entered into Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) control messages sent from the respective port. Ports receiving STP control messages whose configuration digest values that match the configuration digests values computed for the ports are said to be in the same Multiple Spanning Tree region. Ports whose configuration digests differ from the configuration digests of received STP control messages are said to be in different regions. |
| US08565120B2 |
Locality mapping in a distributed processing system
Topology mapping in a distributed processing system that includes a plurality of compute nodes, including: initiating a message passing operation; including in a message generated by the message passing operation, topological information for the sending task; mapping the topological information for the sending task; determining whether the sending task and the receiving task reside on the same topological unit; if the sending task and the receiving task reside on the same topological unit, using an optimal local network pattern for subsequent message passing operations between the sending task and the receiving task; otherwise, using a data communications network between the topological unit of the sending task and the topological unit of the receiving task for subsequent message passing operations between the sending task and the receiving task. |
| US08565111B2 |
System and method for exchanging channel, physical layer and data layer information and capabilities
A system and method for exchanging channel, physical layer and data layer information and capabilities. Diagnostic capabilities can vary significantly between physical layer devices, thereby resulting in a disparity of the diagnostic capabilities on the two ends of a network link. An exchange of diagnostic capabilities between physical layer devices enables a comparison of differences in diagnostic capabilities. Such a comparison enables the identification of the appropriate source of diagnostic information. |
| US08565108B1 |
Network data transmission analysis
Network computing systems may implement data loss prevention (DLP) techniques to reduce or prevent unauthorized use or transmission of confidential information or to implement information controls mandated by statute, regulation, or industry standard. Implementations of network data transmission analysis systems and methods are disclosed that can use contextual information in a DLP policy to monitor data transmitted via the network. The contextual information may include information based on a network user's organizational structure or services or network infrastructure. Some implementations may detect bank card information in network data transmissions. Some of the systems and methods may be implemented on a virtual network overlaid on one or more intermediate physical networks that are used as a substrate network. |
| US08565105B2 |
Method and system for ethernet switching, conversion, and PHY optimization based on link length in audio/video systems
Aspects of a method and system for Ethernet Switching, Conversion, and PHY optimization based on link length in Audio/Video Systems are provided. In this regard, the length of a link over which a first communication device communicates with a second communication device may be determined and Ethernet PHY's residing in the communication devices may be configured based on the determination. One or both of the communication devices may comprise an Ethernet switch operable to switch packetized audio and/or video content. The packetized audio and/or video may be switched between the configured Ethernet PHY and one or more other Ethernet PHYs. Audio and/or video data may be received via the one or more corresponding Ethernet PHYs, the received audio and/or video data may be reformatted to be compatible with an audio and/or video interface, and the reformatted audio and/or video data may be transmitted via the audio and/or video interface. |
| US08565104B2 |
Field control system and field control method
In a field control system in which a plurality of field equipments that are operated in a previously set schedule and constitute a control loop perform a packet communication via a network, there is provided a configurator for collecting measured result packets to which a time stamp of each field equipment is affixed respectively, grasping at least any one of communication times between respective field equipments based on the time stamp, and adjusting operation schedules of respective field equipments in response to the communication times. |
| US08565097B2 |
Frame transfer apparatus and frame transfer method
It is intended to provide a frame transfer apparatus for transferring an LLDP frame to reduce a traffic load of the LLDP frame periodically sent for survival confirmation. The frame transfer apparatus within a network sends the LLDP frame by converting a TTL of the LLDP frame to be transferred to its maximum value of 65535. Also, the frame transfer apparatus makes the survival confirmation for a terminal, and sends as proxy the LLDP frame in which the TTL is set to 0, in place of the terminal, at a moment of expiration of the TTL, whereby the disconnection of the terminal from the network is appropriately notified to the other terminals. Thereby, the load of the LLDP frame periodically sent for survival confirmation within the network can be reduced. |
| US08565094B2 |
Load scheduling in wideband code division multiple access
A method for load scheduling in a WCDMA communication system utilizing GRake equalizing radio reception comprises estimating (210) of channel estimates for a plurality of users. Combining weights are established (220) for a GRake equalizing reception for the present received uplink digital radio signals. Function parameters of a predicted future load measure function is predicted (230) as a function of individual grants of the plurality of users based on at least the channel estimates and the combing weights, taking sensitivity for interference suppression provided by the GRake equalizing for each of the plurality of users into account. The predicting further comprises adaptation of the function parameters for changed load equilibrium levels caused by the individual grants of the plurality users. A set of grants for the users is selected (240) based on the future load measure function. Uplink load is scheduled (250) according to the selected set of grants. |
| US08565089B2 |
Performing a scatterv operation on a hierarchical tree network optimized for collective operations
Performing a scatterv operation on a hierarchical tree network optimized for collective operations including receiving, by the scatterv module installed on the node, from a nearest neighbor parent above the node a chunk of data having at least a portion of data for the node; maintaining, by the scatterv module installed on the node, the portion of the data for the node; determining, by the scatterv module installed on the node, whether any portions of the data are for a particular nearest neighbor child below the node or one or more other nodes below the particular nearest neighbor child; and sending, by the scatterv module installed on the node, those portions of data to the nearest neighbor child if any portions of the data are for a particular nearest neighbor child below the node or one or more other nodes below the particular nearest neighbor child. |
| US08565088B1 |
Selectively enabling packet concatenation based on a transaction boundary
A system, apparatus, and method are directed towards selectively combining data into a packet to modify a number of packets transmitted over a network based on a detection of a transaction boundary. If it is determined to concatenate the data, such concatenation may continue until an acknowledgement (ACK) is received, or a predetermined amount of data is concatenated in the packet, or a transaction boundary is detected. If at least one of these conditions is satisfied, concatenation may be inhibited, and the packet may be sent. Concatenation is then re-enabled. In one embodiment, Nagle's algorithm is used for concatenating data into a packet. In one embodiment, an ACK may be sent based on a write completion indicator included within a packet. Receipt of the ACK may disable concatenation. |
| US08565082B1 |
Method and system for selecting cyclic prefix length based on access point load
During a first time interval, an access point transmits orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signals using a first cyclic prefix length. The access point selects a second cyclic prefix length based, at least in part, on the load of the access point. The access point transmits OFDM signals using the second cyclic prefix length during a second time interval. The load of the access point may be determined based on the amount of downlink data being buffered in the access point for transmission to one or more user devices. |
| US08565079B2 |
Home appliance and home appliance system
A home appliance and home appliance system are provided which enable a portable terminal not to recognize an acoustic signal sound corresponding to product information output by the home appliance as noise. Thus, the acoustic signal corresponding to product information output by the home appliance may be transmitted to a service center through the portable terminal. The home appliance may include a controller that sets a dead time at a predetermined interval of time with respect to a signal corresponding to product information to avoid a noise detection section of a portable terminal, a converter that converts the signal into an acoustic signal of a predetermined band, and a sound output device that outputs the acoustic signal as sound. |
| US08565078B2 |
Switching system
An ATM switching system 1 is provided with an ATM switch 11, a reserved connection memory 12 for storing reserved connection information, a call history memory 13 for maintaining call histories of requests for connection from subscriber's terminal units 2−1 to 2−n, and a call-signal processing section 15. The call-signal processing section 15 generates a request for connection with respect to a trunk ATM switching network 3 by the use of the call histories in the call history memory 13 in the case where no call was issued from the subscriber's terminal units, and stores response results thereof in the reserved connection memory 16. Thereafter, when there was a call from the subscriber's terminal units 2−1 to 2−n and contents of the request for connection thereof are the same as the reserved connection information, which has been stored in the reserved connection memory 16, processing for connection is executed by the use of the reserved connection information. As a result, an ATM switching system by which response becomes possible in even the case where a large amount of calls are issued at the same time, besides reduction in cost can also be attained is provided. |
| US08565070B2 |
System and method for active geographic redundancy
Systems and methods are provided that allow voice and data traffic to be shifted from one chassis to other chassis without interrupting service. Geographic Redundancy (GR) is an inter-chassis redundancy, where the chassis may be a home agent, a packet data serving node, or any combination of wireless networking devices. Additionally, each chassis can have one or more partitions that handle subscriber session traffic and a corresponding redundant partition on a different chassis. The redundant chassis partition can take over all or a portion of the functionality of the active chassis partition if the active chassis or any critical peer servers/gateways communicating with the active chassis should fail. This provides users with uninterrupted service in the case of some failures. |
| US08565069B2 |
Method of shrinking a data loss window in a packet network device
A packet network device includes a control module, one or more line cards each one or which includes a plurality of ingress and egress ports, and each of the ingress and egress ports are connected to external network links. The line cards maintain forwarding tables and include functionality that employs information in the forwarding tables to determine how incoming packets of information should be forwarded. The control module includes functionality that operates to learn reachability information about other devices connected to the network that are and to use this reachability information to update forwarding tables maintained on the line cards. The control module also includes an enhance ARP functionality that operates in cooperation with standard ARP functionality and other network protocols included on the control module to diminish the amount of data lost in the event that a link connected to one of the egress ports fails. |
| US08565068B2 |
System and method for preventing deadlock in direct tunnel release
A system and method for preventing the occurrence of a signaling deadlock between a SGSN and a GGSN during an overlap of the functionality of the direct tunnel normal release and the direct tunnel error indication procedures is provided. An indication that the error is caused by a normal release of tunnel resources instructs the GGSN to invoke an error handling procedure to mitigate deadlock by delaying the operation of its error indication procedure. |
| US08565065B2 |
Methods and systems for utilizing a multicast/broadcast CID scheduling MAC management message
Methods and systems for utilizing a multicast/broadcast connection identifier (CID) scheduling message in an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) or orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) frame in an effort to bypass at least a portion of the Media Access Control (MAC) protocol data unit (PDU) parsing of the frame are provided. By bypassing at least a portion of the MAC PDU parsing of the OFDM/OFDMA frame (which may be in accordance with one or more standards of the IEEE 802.16 family of standards), a particular user terminal need not spend a lot of overhead in the CID filtering process, determining which MAC PDUs are intended to be processed by the MAC of that particular user terminal. Furthermore, for certain embodiments, a user terminal may power down related circuitry during the terminal's bypassing time period(s) of the OFDM/OFDMA frame in an effort to save power. |
| US08565062B2 |
Method and system of channel analysis and carrier selection in OFDM and multi-carrier systems
The invention presents a novel method to channel estimation in OFDM systems. The embodiment of this invention is a block of new logic and modifications performed to other components of the system, added to any existing OFDM receiver, which utilizes information available from other blocks as found in the receiver. This logic would improve the units' error rate because of the improved channel quality estimations it makes available. This improvement is made possible because both channel noise data and channel signal data are used in the estimation process. This data goes through a learning process over time and multiple data blocks for further improvements in the quality of the estimate. This improvement is possible without any direct communications with other remote units, but it could be used in a multi-node environment to improve the performance of the system as the whole. |
| US08565057B2 |
Multilayer optical recording medium
An optical recording medium is provided. The optical recording medium includes a multilayer including an N (N≦5) number of interfaces capable of reflecting incident light. |
| US08565055B2 |
Method of, and apparatus for, recording address information to disc medium
In step S1, the address generator generates address information composed of a sync signal which is recorded on an optical disc, address data and an error correction code for the address data, pre-encodes and supplies it to a modulator. At the same time, a carrier signal generator generates a carrier signal which is to carry the address information, and supplies it to the modulator. In step S2, the modulator makes MSK modulation of the carrier signal supplied from the carrier signal generator on the basis of the pre-encoded address information supplied from the address generator, and supplies a resultant MSK modulation signal to a wobbling unit. In step S3, the wobbling unit forms, on the optical disc, a spiral groove wobbled adaptively to the MSK modulation signal supplied from the modulator. In this optical disc, a given address can be accessed quickly and accurately. |
| US08565054B2 |
Optical recording medium, optical recording medium manufacturing method, reproduction signal processing method and evaluation method
An optical head 12 reproduces information recorded on an optical disc 11, a BCA detector 21 and a medium discriminating circuit 22 acquire waveform distortion information for specifying a waveform distortion of a reproduction signal reproduced by the optical head 12, and a variable waveform equalizer 16 changes a parameter used in a distortion reduction processing for reducing the waveform distortion of the reproduction signal based on the waveform distortion information. |
| US08565048B1 |
Unipolar current driver
Various embodiments of the present invention provide single-ended and differential current drivers for heat assisted magnetic recording and other applications. For example, a current driver is disclosed that includes an upper output terminal and lower output terminal, a number of current switches operable to selectively contribute electrical currents through the upper and lower output terminals, a control input for each of the current switches operable to control the electrical currents, and a voltage supply operable to establish a voltage across the upper and output terminals. |
| US08565036B2 |
Semiconductor memory device including pull-down transistors for non-selected word lines
A semiconductor memory device includes a plurality of word lines wired in a first direction, a plurality of bit lines wired in a direction crossing the first direction, a memory cell array including a plurality of DRAM cells provided corresponding to intersections between the word lines and the bit lines, a word line driver which drives the word lines, and a plurality of word line potential stabilization transistors connected to the respective word lines and disposed on an opposite side of the word line driver with the memory cell array sandwiched between the word line potential stabilization transistors and the word line driver, each word line potential stabilization transistor turning on when the word line adjacent to a relevant one of the word lines is selected, thereby connecting the relevant word line to a non-selected potential, and turning off when the relevant word line is selected. |
| US08565021B2 |
Memory system and method of accessing a semiconductor memory device
A memory system is provided with a processor, a main memory, and a flash memory. Performance of the memory system is improved through achievement of speed-up and high data reliability. The memory system includes a nonvolatile memory device and a controller configured to drive a control program to control the nonvolatile memory device. The control program executes a second access operation for the nonvolatile memory device even before a first access operation to the nonvolatile memory device is completed. |
| US08565018B2 |
Reducing effects of erase disturb in a memory device
A method for programming includes initially biasing a subset of a plurality of control gates of a string of memory cells with a negative voltage, wherein the subset is less than all of the plurality of control gates of the string. The control gate of a selected memory cell is subsequently biased with a programming voltage during a programming phase. |
| US08565017B2 |
Device for supplying a high erase program voltage to an integrated circuit
The disclosure relates to a device for supplying to at least one integrated circuit a high voltage for erasing and/or programming of a memory. The device includes at least one contact terminal linked to at least one contact terminal of the integrated circuit, a monitor for monitoring a data signal received by the integrated circuit and detecting in the data signal a write command of the memory, and a voltage supplier for applying the high voltage to a terminal of the integrated circuit when a write command of the memory has been detected by the monitor. |
| US08565016B2 |
System having improved surface planarity for bit material deposition
The present invention provides a method of fabricating a portion of a memory cell, the method comprising providing a first conductor in a trench which is provided in an insulating layer and flattening an upper surface of the insulating layer and the first conductor, forming a material layer over the flattened upper surface of the insulating layer and the first conductor and flattening an upper portion of the material layer while leaving intact a lower portion of the material layer over the insulating layer and the first conductor. |
| US08565014B2 |
Shared bit line SMT MRAM array with shunting transistors between bit lines
An array of rows and columns of SMT MRAM cells has each of the columns associated with one of its adjacent columns. Each of the SMT MRAM cells of the column is connected to a true data bit line and each of the SMT MRAM cells of the associated pair of columns is connected to a shared complement data bit line. A shunting switch device is connected between each of the true data bit lines and the shared complement data bit line for selectively connecting one of the true data bit lines to the shared complement data bit line to effectively reduce the resistance of the complement data bit line and to eliminate program disturb effects in adjacent non-selected columns of the SMT MRAM cells. |
| US08565013B2 |
Storage element and storage device
A storage element includes a storage layer that stores information on the basis of a magnetization state of a magnetic material; a fixed magnetization layer that has a magnetization serving as a reference of the information stored in the storage layer; an interlayer that is formed of a nonmagnetic material and interposed between the storage layer and the fixed magnetization layer; a cap layer that is provided to be adjacent to the storage layer and opposite to the interlayer; and a metal cap layer that is provided to be adjacent to the cap layer and opposite to the storage layer. |
| US08565012B1 |
Magnetic enhancement layer in memory cell
Magnetic memory cell comprising two conductors and a magnetic storage element between the two conductors, wherein a magnetic enhancement layer (MEL) is provided in the proximity of at least along a partial length of at least one of the two conductors. The MEL is for enhancing a magnetic field in the element when the two conductors are energized. Methods for operation and fabrication process for the memory cell are also disclosed. The memory cell is particularly for use in magnetic random access memory (MRAM) circuits, when using magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) stacks as the magnetic storage elements. |
| US08565011B2 |
Method of initializing magnetic memory element
An initialization method is provided for a magnetic memory element including: a data recording layer having perpendicular magnetic anisotropy which includes: a first magnetization fixed region, a second magnetization fixed region, and a magnetization free region coupled to the first magnetization fixed region and the second magnetization fixed region, the data recording layer being structure so that the coercive force of the first magnetization fixed region being different from that of the second magnetization fixed region. The initialization method includes steps of: directing the magnetizations of the first magnetization fixed region, the second magnetization fixed region and the magnetization free region in the same direction; and applying a magnetic field having both components perpendicular to and parallel to the magnetic anisotropy of the data recording layer to the data recording layer. |
| US08565009B2 |
Access to multi-port devices
Mechanisms for improving static noise margin and/or reducing misread current in multi-port devices are disclosed. In some embodiments related to dual port SRAM a suppress device (e.g., transistor) is provided at each word line port. When both ports are activated, both suppress devices are on and lower the voltage level of these ports, which in turn lower the voltage level at the node storing the data for the memory. As the voltage level at the data node is lowered, noise margin is improved and read disturb can be avoided. |
| US08565006B2 |
Conductive metal oxide structures in non volatile re writable memory devices
A memory cell including a memory element comprising an electrolytic insulator in contact with a conductive metal oxide (CMO) is disclosed. The CMO includes a crystalline structure and can comprise a pyrochlore oxide, a conductive binary oxide, a multiple B-site perovskite, and a Ruddlesden-Popper structure. The CMO includes mobile ions that can be transported to/from the electrolytic insulator in response to an electric field of appropriate magnitude and direction generated by a write voltage applied across the electrolytic insulator and CMO. The memory cell can include a non-ohmic device (NOD) that is electrically in series with the memory element. The memory cell can be positioned between a cross-point of conductive array lines in a two-terminal cross-point memory array in a single layer of memory or multiple vertically stacked layers of memory that are fabricated over a substrate that includes active circuitry for data operations on the array layer(s). |
| US08565003B2 |
Multilayer cross-point memory array having reduced disturb susceptibility
A multi-layer cross-point memory array comprises one or more word line (WL) layers, one or more bit line (BL) layers interleaved with the one or more WL layers, and a plurality of memory layers, each memory layer disposed between an adjacent WL layer and an adjacent BL layer, and each memory layer including memory elements configured between cross-points of WLs and BLs of the adjacent WL and BL layers. Memory elements in successive memory layers of the memory array are configured with opposing orientations, so that half-selected memory elements arising during times when data operations are being performed on selected memory elements in the memory array are subjected to stress voltages of a polarity of which they are least susceptible to being disturbed. The memory elements can be discrete re-writeable non-volatile two-terminal memory elements that are fabricated as part of a BEOL fabrication process used to fabricate the memory array. |
| US08565002B2 |
Nonvolatile logic circuit and a method for operating the same
A nonvolatile logic circuit includes logic configuration electrodes and input electrodes. The nonvolatile logic circuit is programmable to any one of the logics between the input signals selected from logical conjunction (AND), logical disjunction (OR), logical non-conjunction (NAND), logical non-disjunction (NOR), and logical exclusive disjunction (XOR) by changing applied voltages to the logic configuration electrodes. |
| US08565001B2 |
Method for operating a nonvolatile switching device
A method of flowing a current selectively with a nonvolatile switching device according to the present disclosure includes a step of configuring, in the nonvolatile switching device, any one of a first state in which a current does not flow between the electrode group, a second state in which a current flows selectively between the first electrode and the second electrode, and a third state in which a current flows selectively between the first electrode and the third electrode. When any one of the first state, the second state and the third state is configured, voltages V1, Va, Vb and Vc, which satisfy predetermined inequality set corresponding to the one of the first to third states, are applied to the control electrode, the first electrode, the second electrode, and the third electrode, respectively. |
| US08564999B1 |
Pad selection in memory devices configured for stacked arrangements
Disclosed are various embodiments related to stacked memory devices, such as DRAMs, SRAMs, EEPROMs, and CAMs. For example, stack position identifiers (SPIDs) are assigned or otherwise determined, and are used by each memory device to make a number of adjustments. In one embodiment, a self-refresh rate of a DRAM is adjusted based on the SPID of that device. In another embodiment, a latency of a DRAM or SRAM is adjusted based on the SPID. In another embodiment, internal regulation signals are shared with other devices via TSVs. In another embodiment, adjustments to internally regulated signals are made based on the SPID of a particular device. In another embodiment, serially connected signals can be controlled based on a chip SPID (e.g., an even or odd stack position), and whether the signal is an upstream or a downstream type of signal. |
| US08564998B2 |
Content addressable memory
Array area and power consumption are reduced in a content addressable memory. A comparator for performing a match determination and a size determination is provided commonly for plural entries each storing data to be retrieved. Each entry includes data storage cells for storing data and mask cells for storing mask bits. The number of mask cells is smaller than that of the data storage cells. Search data is transmitted to the comparator via a search data bus. One of the entries is selected according to a predetermined rule. The comparator decodes the mask bits, generates a mask instruction signal, and performs match comparison and size comparison between the search data and data to be retrieved which is stored in the selected entry. |
| US08564995B2 |
Method for controlling three-phase current converter
A method is for controlling a three-phase current converter. First, subtract a second reference current signal representing the predicted current of the three-phase terminals in the present switching cycle from a first reference current signal representing the predicted current of the three-phase terminals in the next switching cycle to obtain a predicted variation. Then, subtract a feedback current signal representing the feedback current of the three-phase terminals in the previous switching cycle from the second reference current signal delayed by one switching cycle to obtain a current error. Multiply the current error by an error coefficient then add the predicted variation to obtain a current variation. Finally, obtain duty ratios of a plurality of switches, according to the current variation and inductance of the first to the third inductor. The three-phase current converter converts electric power between a DC terminal and the three-phase terminals, according to the duty ratio. |
| US08564992B2 |
Power factor correction device and method with off time prediction for critical mode operation
Proposed are a power factor correction device and its control method capable of obtaining a stable output as the output of a power supply unit while simplifying and miniaturizing the configuration. In the power factor correction device and the control method thereof including a coil and a switching element, and a control unit for controlling ON/OFF of the switching element, provided are an input voltage detection unit for detecting an input voltage of the power factor correction device, an output voltage detection unit for detecting an output voltage, and a coil current detection unit for detecting a coil current that is generated in the coil pursuant to the ON/OFF operation of the switching element. The control unit predicts an OFF time of the switching element of each switching cycle for controlling the switching element in a critical mode based on a voltage value of the input voltage detected with the input voltage detection unit, a voltage value of the output voltage detected with the output voltage detection unit, and a current value of the coil current detected with the coil current detection unit, and controls the ON/OFF of the switching element based on the prediction result. |
| US08564991B2 |
Enhanced one cycle control for power factor correction
A method of controlling a power factor correction (PFC) converter that has a discontinuous input current includes sensing the input current, sensing an output voltage and controlling a duty cycle of at least one switch in the converter in response to the sensed input current and output voltage using a control equation for controlling the duty cycle of the switch such that an average input current to the converter is sinusoidal. Example circuits capable of performing the method are also disclosed. |
| US08564989B2 |
Cold swap load adaptive power supply
In some embodiments, a power supply may include a power factor correction (PFC) circuit to receive an input voltage signal and to provide an intermediate PFC output voltage signal, the PFC circuit including at least a first PFC stage and a second PFC stage, a converter circuit to convert the intermediate PFC output voltage signal to an output voltage signal, the converter circuit including at least a first converter stage and a second converter stage, and a control circuit to monitor at least one of the input voltage signal, the intermediate PFC output voltage signal, and the output voltage signal and to switch between respective pairs of the first PFC stage and first converter stage and the second PFC stage and the second converter stage based on the monitored signals. For example, the first PFC stage and first converter stage may provide relatively more efficient performance over a first output power range and the second PFC stage and second converter stage may provide relatively more efficient performance over a second output power range. Other embodiments are disclosed and claimed. |
| US08564984B2 |
Soft switching DC/DC converters and methods
A soft switching apparatus comprises an energy recovery channel formed by two diodes in series connection and a resonant tank formed by an inductor and a capacitor. The soft switching apparatus is coupled to the primary side of a bridge converter. An energy transfer process during L-C resonance helps to reduce the amplitude of the current flowing through the inductor in a freewheeling period. Furthermore, the soft switching apparatus can help to reduce the voltage stress across the secondary switching devices as well as the shoot-through currents flowing through the secondary switching devices, and thus enabling the reduction or elimination of dead time in a secondary synchronous rectifier control scheme. |
| US08564983B2 |
Power supply device and image forming apparatus
A power supply device includes a transformer including a primary coil, a secondary coil, and a tertiary coil; a switching element connected via the primary coil to a direct-current power supply; a first rectifying-and-smoothing circuit rectifying and smoothing a voltage generated in the secondary coil; a control circuit turning on and off the switching element; a second rectifying-and-smoothing circuit rectifying and smoothing a voltage generated in the third coil to generate a driving voltage for the control circuit; and a starting circuit including a first transistor, a first resistor, and a first capacitor connected in series between the direct-current power supply and a ground, a second transistor connected between the direct-current power supply and the second rectifying-and-smoothing circuit, and a turn-off unit turning off at least the second transistor out of the first transistor and the second transistor when the first capacitor is charged to a predetermined voltage. |
| US08564977B2 |
Standby operation of a resonant power converter
A method of operating a resonant power supply in standby mode is disclosed, in which the switching period of the power supply is longer than the resonance period. The power converter is operated in normal mode for a significant fraction of one resonance period. Efficient operation is maintained, despite the switching period being extended beyond the resonance period, by using resonance current to enable soft switching, where this is beneficial, and dumping the resonance current into the load where this is more beneficial. Control methodologies to regulate the output power are also disclosed. |
| US08564974B2 |
Switching power source apparatus
In a switching power source of a flyback converter system according to the present invention, large electric power can be applied, by reducing loss of a switching element, a coil, and an output smoothing circuit, input voltage is applied to a primary coil of a transformer, and switching drive of the input voltage is carried out by a switching element, so that direct-current electric power is outputted from a secondary coil of the transformer through a rectifier circuit. The power source apparatus includes a trigger-control circuit which detects direct-current output voltage to control an “on” period, detects that current of the secondary coil becomes zero based on a voltage signal from a control coil, and turns on the switching element, and a timer circuit which is operated according to the voltage signal of the control coil, and gives an ON signal to the trigger-control circuit according to a timing signal. |
| US08564971B2 |
Fixing apparatus for hard disk drive
A fixing apparatus for fixing a hard disk drive includes a bottom plate, and two pairs of fixing members mounted on the bottom plate to sandwich the hard disk drive. The hard disk drive includes two opposite sidewalls, and a bottom wall connected between bottoms of the sidewalls. Two pairs of fixing holes are defined in the bottom wall. Each of the fixing members includes a base to support the hard disk drive, a resilient arm extending up from the base to engage with a corresponding one of the sidewalls of the hard disk drive, and a hook formed on a top of the resilient arm to engage with a top of the hard disk drive. A post extends up from each base, to engage in a corresponding one of the fixing holes of the hard disk drive. |
| US08564962B2 |
Electronic device with detachable power module
An electronic device includes a casing with a side plate and encasing a power module. The power module includes a locking member, a sliding member, and an elastic member sandwiched between the base and the cover. The sliding member is movable relative to the locking member between a locked position in which the locking portion of the locking member is pushed by the elastic member to extend through the cover to be blocked by the side plate of the casing, and an unlocked position in which the locking member is pressed by the sliding member to withdraw from the side plate to allow removal of the power module from the casing. |
| US08564958B2 |
Electrical cabinet
The disclosure relates to an electrical cabinet for receiving and enclosing an electrical apparatus such that the electrical apparatus can be isolated from surroundings by the electrical cabinet. To address water condensing inside the electrical cabinet, a roof construction of the electrical cabinet includes at least a first capillary part located above the electrical apparatus, and the first capillary part includes capillary grooves for recovering liquid condensing on the first capillary part. |
| US08564956B2 |
Apparatus and methods for thermal management of light emitting diodes
An apparatus is disclosed that may include one or more printed circuit boards (PCBs) and an electronics package may be disposed about the first surface of one or more of the PCBs. The PCBs may include a metal layer and a core, and, in some aspects, may include multiple cores interposed between multiple metal layers, and in some embodiments a backplane may be disposed along the core(s). A plurality of PCB's may be set apart and connected by pins to dissipate heat from one PCB to another, and/or to convey electrical connectivity. Pins may be configured to pass through or into one or both the PCBs including the cores to conduct heat generated by the electronics package away for dispersion. In some embodiments, the pins may pass into the backplane. The apparatus may include LEDs, lights, computer devices, memories, telecommunications devices, or combinations of these. |
| US08564953B2 |
Semiconductor power module, inverter/converter including the same, and method of manufacturing a cooling jacket for semiconductor power module
In order to achieve reduction in loss, a semiconductor power module comprises DC terminals to be connected to a condenser module and the semiconductor power module is used in combination with a cooling jacket for cooling, and the DC terminals protrude toward the condenser module beyond the cooling jacket. |
| US08564952B2 |
Flow boiling heat sink structure with vapor venting and condensing
A heat sink, and cooled electronic structure and cooled electronic apparatus utilizing the heat sink, are provided. The heat sink is fabricated of a thermally conductive structure which includes one or more coolant-carrying channels and one or more vapor-condensing channels. A membrane is disposed between the coolant-carrying channel(s) and the vapor-condensing channel(s). The membrane includes at least one vapor-permeable region, at least a portion of which overlies a portion of the coolant-carrying channel(s) and facilitates removal of vapor from the coolant-carrying channel(s) to the vapor-condensing channel(s). The heat sink further includes one or more coolant inlets coupled to provide a first liquid coolant flow to the coolant-carrying channel(s), and a second liquid coolant flow to condense vapor within the vapor-condensing channel(s). |
| US08564951B1 |
Electronic apparatus and cooling module mounted in that electronic apparatus
An electronic apparatus includes a fan, a circuit board which is positioned downstream in an airflow to which the fan generates, at least one processer mounted on the circuit board, a radiator which is positioned downstream in the airflow which the fan generates, the radiator cooling a liquid coolant, a pipe unit which includes a heat receiving member in which the coolant flows and coolant piping, the heat receiving member being mounted on the processer, and the coolant piping circulating the liquid coolant between the radiator and the heat receiving member, and at least one memory board on which memory package is mounted, the memory board being mounted on the circuit board, and the memory board and the pipe unit being arranged along a direction perpendicular to a direction to which the fan blows the airflow. |
| US08564945B2 |
Slide type electronic apparatus
A slide type electronic apparatus which can prevent internal structure such as a slide mechanism from being visually recognized from a gap between two cases and suppress dirt, dust and the like invading from the gap is provided. A slide type electronic apparatus according to the present invention includes: two cases; slide means, which is arranged between the two cases, for connecting the two cases in a manner that the two cases can slide each other; and covering means, which is arranged in one of the cases, for hiding a gap formed between the two cases at least at a time of an opened state in which an overlap of the two cases becomes smallest. |
| US08564941B2 |
Electronic apparatus
An electronic apparatus includes a keyboard unit, a first circuit board, and a first electronic component. The keyboard unit includes a plate that includes a front surface and a bottom surface facing each other and a first coupling portion protruding from the bottom surface, and a plurality of keys provided on the front surface side of the plate. The first circuit board is provided to face the bottom surface via the first coupling portion and includes a second coupling portion to be coupled with the first coupling portion and a first front surface as a surface on a side that faces the bottom surface. The first electronic component is mounted on the first front surface of the first circuit board. |
| US08564936B2 |
Portable information processing terminal
To reduce the thickness and improve the operability. It includes a first housing and a second housing placed on top of each other, and connecting means to connect the first and second housings, the connecting means being interposed between the first and second housings, wherein the connecting means engages with the first housing so as to be slidable in at least one direction with respect to the first housing, and engages with the second housing so as to be rotatable with respect to the second housing. |
| US08564933B2 |
Electrode for lithium ion capacitor and lithium ion capacitor
Disclosed is an electrode for a lithium ion capacitor having excellent electrode strength, wherein the internal resistance can be decreased and the power density can be increased. The lithium ion capacitor comprises an electrode composition layer, comprising an electrode active material, conductive material and a binder, and a collector, wherein a conductive adhesive layer comprising carbon particles is provided between the electrode composition layer and the collector. |
| US08564931B2 |
Ceramic electronic component and method for manufacturing the same
A ceramic electronic component includes a ceramic element assembly and external electrodes. The external electrodes are disposed on the ceramic element assembly. The external electrodes include an underlying electrode layer and a first Cu plating film. The underlying electrode layer is disposed on the ceramic element assembly. The first Cu plating film is disposed on the underlying electrode layer. The underlying electrode layer includes a metal that is diffusible in Cu and a ceramic bonding material. The metal that is diffusible in Cu is diffused in at least a surface layer in the underlying electrode layer side of the first Cu plating film. |
| US08564925B2 |
Wafer chuck for EUV lithography
A wafer chuck (1b) having a substrate (2) and having, applied to the substrate (2), an electrically conductive coating (8) for fixing a wafer (6) by electrostatic attraction and preferably having a reflective coating (10) applied to the substrate (2). The coating (8; 10) has at least a first layer (3; 11) under compressive stress and at least a second layer (7; 12) under tensile stress for compensating for the compressive stress of the first layer (3; 11) in order to keep deformation of the wafer chuck (1b) by the coating (8, 10) as low as possible. |
| US08564924B1 |
Systems and methods of air treatment using bipolar ionization
A system and method of treating air. Bipolar ionization is delivered to an airflow within a conduit from a tubeless ion generator. The ionized airflow may be delivered to a conditioned airspace by an HVAC system. In alternate applications, the airflow delivers ionized combustion air to an engine. The invention also includes a mounting assembly for positioning one or more ion generators into an airflow. |
| US08564922B1 |
System and method for protecting telecommunications device from power faults
A telecommunications system includes a telecommunications device having “n” line card slots for receiving “n” line cards powered from a power supply. The device includes at least one installed line card. A smart breaker is connected to the telecommunications device and includes a current detector configured to detect current flow from the power supply through the smart breaker to any installed line cards. A controller has logic and is configured to select a trip value in response to the detected current flow and stored configuration information relating to any installed line cards within the telecommunications device. |
| US08564921B2 |
Fault current limiter with shield and adjacent cores
In a fault current limiter (FCL) of a saturated core type having at least one coil wound around a high permeability material, a method of suppressing the time derivative of the fault current at the zero current point includes the following step: utilizing an electromagnetic screen or shield around the AC coil to suppress the time derivative current levels during zero current conditions. |
| US08564920B1 |
Smart breaker and related system and method for protecting electrical devices from fault conditions
A smart breaker includes a current detector configured to detect current flow from a power source to a protected device. A controller has logic and is configured to select a trip value in response to the detected current flow and stored configuration information relating to the protected device. The protected device includes at least one installed component requiring power and the stored configuration information can be at least one of data regarding the number of installed components in the protected device requiring power, the amount of power used by each of the installed components, and the expected power requirements of the installed components. |
| US08564917B2 |
Integrated circuit having electrostatic discharge protection
Apparatus are provided for integrated circuits that include circuitry to provide protection from electrostatic discharge. An exemplary integrated circuit includes an input/output terminal, a first transistor coupled to the input/output terminal, a second transistor coupled to a control terminal of the first transistor and a reference voltage node, and detection circuitry coupled to a control terminal of the second transistor. The detection circuitry is configured to turn on the second transistor in response to a discharge event to protect the first transistor. |
| US08564910B2 |
Magnetic shield structure
An apparatus and associated method for a magnetic shield structure for data transduction from a recordable media in a data storage device. Various embodiments of the present invention are generally directed to a data transducer and a magnetic shield structure comprising a write shield magnetic material constructed of exchange decoupled material. |
| US08564906B2 |
Pole tip shield shaped to provide a differential shielding effect alongside the magnetic pole tip
The application discloses a magnetic pole assembly having a pole tip arranged in a magnetic flux path and side shields separated from the pole tip by non-magnetic gap regions. The side shields are shaped to provide a differential shielding effect alongside the pole tip. As described, the sides shields are shaped to provide a non-magnetic gap region having a width that increases in the downtrack direction along a length of the pole tip. The increasing non-magnetic gap region alongside the pole tip provides a smaller non-magnetic gap region separating the pole tip from the side shields at the leading edge than the non-magnetic gap region separating the pole tip from the side shields at the trailing edge of the pole tip. |
| US08564900B2 |
Hermetically-sealed disk drive device with flow amount adjuster and low-density gas sealed therein
In a disk drive device having a double cover structure with low-density gas enclosed therein, embodiments of the present invention help to securely perform leak inspection on an outer cover and to prevent defects caused in joining the outer cover. According to one embodiment, a hard disk drive (HDD) comprises a flow amount adjuster on a base-facing side of its inner cover. Helium gas in an enclosure goes out through a ventilation hole via diffusion channel of a flow amount adjuster. The emitted helium gas remains in the space between the inner cover and an outer cover. This achieves easier detection of the leakage of helium gas from the joining section of the outer cover and prevention of emission of too much helium gas from the enclosure. |
| US08564897B1 |
Systems and methods for enhanced sync mark detection
The present inventions are related to systems and methods for data processing, and more particularly to systems and methods for detecting patterns in a data stream. |
| US08564895B2 |
Lens barrel, an imaging device, a optical system retaining method and a manufacturing method
A lens barrel comprising: a first retention member that includes a first engaging portion, which engages with a guide shaft, and that retains a first optical system and a second optical system, which is different from the first optical system, to be integrally movable along the guide shaft; and a second retention member that includes a second engaging portion, which engages with the guide shaft, and that retains a third optical system, which is disposed between the first optical system and the second optical system, to be movable independently of the first and second optical systems. |
| US08564894B2 |
Lens barrel
A lens barrel having: an imaging optical system including, a moving lens group movable in a direction of an optical axis, a first aperture disposed on an object side of the moving lens group, and a second aperture disposed on an image plane side of the moving lens group; a first optical path regulating section formed on the image plane side of the first aperture; and a second optical path regulating section integrally formed with a holding frame for holding the moving lens group, wherein the first optical path regulating section and the second optical path regulating section are configured to block, of light fluxes that pass through the first aperture to enter the second aperture, those that do not pass through the second lens group as a moving lens. |
| US08564893B2 |
Lens barrel support apparatus
A support apparatus supporting a lens barrel includes an annular fitting member, constructed by cutting a metal die case blank, to form an inner peripheral groove therein, and annular sheets disposed on front and rear cut surfaces of the inner peripheral groove in a direction of an optical axis. A plurality of engaging members provided on an outer peripheral surface of the lens barrel are positioned between the annular sheets disposed in the inner peripheral groove. |
| US08564890B2 |
Lens system, interchangeable lens apparatus, and camera system
It has conventionally been difficult to reduce the size of a fast lens system having an F number of about 1.4 to 2.4. In a lens system of the present invention, a positive lens element is disposed closest to an object side. A diaphragm is disposed in a widest air space in the lens system. The lens system of the present invention satisfies the following conditions: 0.05 |
| US08564885B2 |
Tunable liquid gradient refractive index lens device
A lens device includes a substrate having a channel and a first fluid flow path and a second fluid flow path. The first and second fluid flow paths at least partially in communication with the channel. A light emitting device is positioned adjacent to the channel. At least one first fluid source is in communication with the first fluid path such that a first fluid is moveable along the first fluid path and at least one second fluid source in communication with the second fluid path such that a second fluid is moveable along the second fluid path. The fluid paths are configured so the first fluid and second fluid move through the channel to define an adjustable liquid gradient refractive index distribution in the channel. Adjustment of the liquid gradient refractive index distribution permits a change of liquid lens focal distance or an angular adjustment of light. |
| US08564876B2 |
Raman amplifier and raman amplifier adjustment method
A pumping unit supplies pumping light to a fiber connecting medium; a light monitoring unit detects light power of multiple-wavelength light; and a control unit controls the pumping light based on light power detected by the light monitoring unit and connecting medium information indicating optical characteristics in the connecting medium. The connecting medium information includes information indicating a fiber type of the fiber connecting medium, information indicating a length of the fiber connecting medium, an average fiber loss coefficient of the fiber connecting medium and an intra-station loss value. |
| US08564875B2 |
Terahertz wave generation device
A terahertz wave generating apparatus 2 includes an excitation light source 10, a transmission-type diffraction grating 32, a variable imaging optical system 61, and a nonlinear optical crystal 70. The transmission-type diffraction grating 32 inputs pulsed excitation light output from the excitation light source 10, and diffracts and outputs the pulsed excitation light. In the transmission-type diffraction grating 32, its orientation is variable with a straight central axis, that is parallel to the grooves and passing through an incident position of a principal ray of the pulsed excitation light. The variable imaging optical system 61 is configured to input the pulsed excitation light diffracted to be output by the transmission-type diffraction grating 32, to form an image of the pulsed excitation light by the transmission-type diffraction grating 32, and its imaging magnification is variable. The nonlinear optical crystal 70 is disposed at a position at which the pulsed excitation light is formed as the image by the variable imaging optical system 61, and inputs the pulsed excitation light via the variable imaging optical system 61, and generates a terahertz wave T. Thereby, a terahertz wave generating apparatus, in which it is easy to adjust a phase matching condition, can be realized. |
| US08564873B2 |
Display device having multi-coloured display elements
The invention relates to a display apparatus having at least one electronically controllable display element that comprises: at least one nonpolar and at least two electrically conductive or polar liquids; a fluidically sealed volume having a visible sub-volume and at least two holding volumes connected fluidically to the visible sub-volume; and at least one voltage source that is applied to a first electrode arrangement; the visible sub-volume being of planar embodiment so that when the first electrode arrangement is in the zero-voltage state, the electrically conductive or polar liquids are drawn into the respective holding volume; and the display element furthermore comprising mechanical and/or electrical means for selectably retaining in their holding volumes those electrically conductive or polar liquids which are not intended to be moved into the visible sub-volume by an impingement of voltage on the first electrode arrangement. |
| US08564870B2 |
Active-matrix electrochromic display device and method for producing the same
There is disclosed a method for manufacturing a display device arrangement, which includes a plurality of electrochromic pixel devices arranged in a matrix. First a plastic insulating layer is provided comprising passages for electrical conductors. Thereafter, in optional order, electrical conductors are provided in the passages, pixel layers are printed on one side of the insulating layer, and control layers are printed on the other side of the insulating layer. By this method the manufacturing of a printed electrochromic pixel device is improved. |
| US08564865B2 |
Enhanced environment visualization using holographic stereograms
Hologram production techniques can combine source data representing realistic information describing an environment with source data providing representational information describing a feature of the environment and/or some object interacting with the environment. The combined data is used to produce holograms, and particularly holographic stereograms including features that enhance the visualization of the environment depicted in hologram. A haptic interface can be used in conjunction with such holograms to further aid use of the hologram, and to provide an interface to secondary information provided by a computer and related to the images depicted in the hologram. |
| US08564863B2 |
Image processing device that reduces a non-target image to prevent the non-target image from being read
An image processor includes: an edge determination unit that determines an edge in an image; and a color estimation unit that estimates an original color of the image which is not affected by an another image read together as a non-target image, according to a result of the edge determination performed by the edge determination unit. |
| US08564862B2 |
Apparatus, method and program for reducing deterioration of processing performance when graduation correction processing and noise reduction processing are performed
An image signal processing apparatus includes the following elements. A control unit determines a gradation correction characteristic representing a conversion characteristic for correcting brightness of an input frame. A separation unit separates the determined gradation correction characteristic into a representative gradation correction value representing an amount of correction for a representative value of a main subject and a remaining gradation correction characteristic obtained by removing the representative gradation correction value from the gradation correction characteristic. A gain processing unit uniformly applies the separated representative gradation correction value to the frame as a gain. A noise reduction processing unit performs noise reduction processing on the frame to which the representative gradation correction value is applied. A gradation correction processing unit performs gradation correction processing on the frame for which the noise reduction processing has been performed using the separated remaining gradation correction characteristic. |
| US08564856B2 |
Automatic recognition of document scan error
A method/apparatus receives a user selection of a predetermined standard for scanning sheets of media through a user interface and optically detects marks on the sheets of media using a scanning device to produce electronic images of the sheets of media. The method/apparatus automatically determines if the electronic images comply with the predetermined standard using a processor to classify the electronic images as acceptable electronic images or non-acceptable electronic images. Then, first sheets of media corresponding to the acceptable electronic images are directed into a first sheet storage device and second sheets of media corresponding to the non-acceptable electronic images are directed into a second sheet storage device. |
| US08564848B2 |
Operation device and image reading apparatus
On a bottom surface of a light guide element of an operation device including a panel with a light-transmissive portion, a reflection portion is formed in a first region thereof, which is close to a light source, and a first diffusion surface is formed in a second region of the bottom surface of the light guide element, which is a region distant from the light source. A light-incident side of the light guide element is a non-diffusion surface. Sides other than the light-incident side are second diffusion surfaces. Light that has been emitted from the light source and incident to the light guide element via the light-incident side is totally reflected and is then guided to the first and the second diffusion surfaces and a part of diffusion-reflected light illuminates the light-transmissive portion of the panel. |
| US08564847B2 |
Operation device and image reading apparatus
A graphic that indicates a switch is formed on a panel at a location corresponding to a first light guide element. A character to be displayed via the panel is formed on a second light guide element. The first light guide element is supported on a substrate, in close contact with an electrode, via a sheet-like shaped attaching member, and the second light guide element is supported by a base material without being supported on the substrate. |
| US08564845B2 |
Image reading apparatus
An image reading apparatus including a reading unit that reads a document as an object to be read in a main scanning direction; a conveyance unit that conveys one of the reading unit and the object to be read as an object to be conveyed in a sub-scanning direction; a detecting unit that detects a position of the object to be conveyed; a control unit that controls conveyance of the object to be conveyed, based on the position of the object to be conveyed and a preset target position trajectory; a specifying unit that specifies, based on the target position trajectory, the position of the object to be conveyed at a time when a period of invalidation or interruption of reading operation by the reading unit is started. The reading operation is invalidated or interrupted when a predetermined interruption condition is satisfied. |
| US08564844B2 |
Outlier detection during scanning
The scanning and processing of a multi-page document is described wherein scan images are generated by optically scanning a sequence of pages of a multi-page document such as a book, processing the scan images to generate page images corresponding to original pages of the multi-page document, e.g., by deskewing and removing black border areas, and after generating a proposed page image, it is checked to determine if there is a chance that the image contains errors, by detecting if its image parameters, such as the text area coordinates (X1, X2, X3, X4, Y1, Y2) are according to target criteria which are based on a statistical analysis of the document. If the page image satisfies the target criteria, the page image is automatically accepted, and if it does not, the page image is displayed to an operator to accept or to adjust the page image. |
| US08564842B2 |
Image processing apparatus, image processing method and recording medium for applying different image processing to different scanned image regions
An image processing apparatus of the invention specifies, in a scanned image of an original, a first region including a specific form pattern (a two-dimensional bar-code pattern or the like) with the digital information embedded therein and a second region not including the specific form pattern to apply the image processing to the scanned image. More particularly, the image processing apparatus applies different processing to the first region and the second region, respectively. For example, a working degree to the first region is made smaller than a working degree to the second region to apply the specific image working processing to both the regions. |
| US08564840B2 |
Halftone tiling and halftoning for annular rasters
An aspect of the present disclosure provides a halftoning method for annular rasters comprising: using annular rasters with uniformly spaced raster lines and uniformly spaced pixels within the raster lines; angularly tiling wedge shaped halftone cells around at least a partial circumferential print medium wherein an integer number of wedge tiles fills a disc space; wherein the annular rasters are considered in arcs and wherein pixel thresholds in the wedge shaped halftone cells are considered in arcs so as to conform to the annular rasters upon tiling the wedge shaped halftone cells; and, setting the number of pixel thresholds in each arc raster of the cell to an integer value near a desired writing resolution to enable seamless tiling wherein the number of thresholds increase as a function of a wedge cell radius. |
| US08564839B2 |
Electrophotographic image forming apparatus that selects a screen from a plurality of screens based on distance between toner adhesion or non-adhesion regions
An image forming apparatus selects a screen from a plurality of screens corresponding respectively to a plurality of gradation values and each including a pattern in which a first region to which toner is to adhere and a second region to which toner is not to adhere are defined, and forms a toner image on media. The apparatus includes a storage device for storing a minimum formable distance between first regions or second regions adjacent to each other, and a controller calculating a distance between the first regions or second regions adjacent to each other in the screen and, when the distance of the region of a screen that corresponds to a gradation value of an input image and has a first pattern is smaller than the minimum formable distance, selecting a screen corresponding to the gradation value of the input image and having a second pattern. |
| US08564835B2 |
Color document printing system for selecting a combination of colors based on contrast and cost
The different illustrative embodiments provide a method and apparatus for managing a set of colors in a document. A plurality of respective costs are identified. Each respective cost is associated with printing the document using a respective combination of a plurality of combinations of the set of colors. An amount of contrast for a first respective combination is identified using a contrast matrix. A determination is made as to whether the amount of contrast for the first respective combination and an associated respective cost meet a set of criteria. Responsive to a determination that the set of criteria is met, the document is printed using the first respective combination. |
| US08564834B2 |
Printer calibration using a scanner and interpolated equivalent aim curve
Methods of performing print engine calibration create a color space conversion equation for a scanner of a class of printing devices, print test patches on a sheet, and scan the test patches using a scanner of the printing device to produce a scanned RGB value for each test patch. Such methods convert each scanned RGB value to an XYZ pseudo space using the color space conversion equation to produce XYZ values. These methods compare the XYZ values to second XYZ values of white paper to generate DeltaE curves for each of the test patches relative to white paper. The DeltaE curves are interpolated to form an equivalent aim curve. After the equivalent aim curve is determined, the methods periodically calibrate the same or an additional printing device that is within the class of printing devices using the color space conversion equation to produce second XYZ values. |
| US08564831B2 |
Color document printing system for selecting a combination of colors based on contrast and cost
The different illustrative embodiments provide a computer program product, and apparatus for managing a set of colors in a document. A plurality of respective costs are identified. Each respective cost is associated with printing the document using a respective combination of a plurality of combinations of the set of colors. An amount of contrast for a first respective combination is identified using a contrast matrix. A determination is made as to whether the amount of contrast for the first respective combination and an associated respective cost meet a set of criteria. Responsive to a determination that the set of criteria is met, the document is printed using the first respective combination. |
| US08564828B2 |
Automated methods and systems for assessing and summarizing gamut requirements
Methods and systems of assessing color gamut requirements for a print job and a printing device are disclosed. A print job including one or more input color spaces may be received. A computing device may produce a color transformation for each input color space using at least a color gamut error profile. The computing device may further produce result information based on the one or more color transformations. Result information may be provided to a user. |
| US08564827B2 |
Printing control device including virtual drive control unit, printing device including printing control device, and printing control method utilizing virtual drive control unit
A control device for a printer includes a master controller and a slave controller, and the constituent elements of the master controller and the slave controllers are configured symmetrically. The master controller includes a virtual mechanical controller. |
| US08564826B2 |
Information processing apparatus, control method, and storage medium utilized in an automatic layout system
To shift an image in order to prevent the image from overlapping with a finishing position, the amount of shift for preventing the overlap may be increased and a desired result of layout may not be obtained. In addition, if the image is not shifted in order to obtain the desired result of layout, the image may overlap with the finishing position and toner or the like may come off. When it is determined that a position where the finishing process is to be executed overlaps with a content data placement area, an avoidance area where printing is not performed is placed at a position in which the position where the finishing process is to be executed overlaps with the content data placement area without changing the position and size of the content data placement area. |
| US08564825B2 |
Image processing device, image processing method and computer-readable medium
In a case of deleting a two-dimensional code for personal information protection, job control information within line two-dimensional code is deleted together, leading to being incapable of obtaining tracking information or performing job control. A control unit deletes tracking information within the extracted additional information, that is, in a case where the tracking information includes first tracking information and second tracking information, deletes the second tracking information. The control unit changes the job control information within the extracted additional information to job prohibition. An encode unit encodes the additional information to generate a two-dimensional code. When the control unit detects that a memory receives the two-dimensional code including the updated additional information and a document image, in a memory the two-dimensional code and the document image are combined to generate a document image to which the two-dimensional code is added. |
| US08564823B2 |
Scanner device
A scanner device may create original data for one or more pages, and calculate a digest value utilizing the original data so as to create document data in an external storage device. If a remaining capacity in an internal storage device is not deficient, the scanner device may write a first type of target partial data in both of the internal storage device and the external storage device. If a second type of target partial data which is partial data of a target of a calculating process for calculating the digest value is stored in both of the internal storage device and the external storage device, the scanner device may perform a calculating process by utilizing the second type of target partial data being stored in the internal storage device. |
| US08564820B2 |
Information processing apparatus, image forming device, and system and method thereof
According to the present invention, an apparatus that communicates with a data management system sets a condition for acquiring data from the data management system, collects data of an image forming device, adds a key matching the set condition to the collected data, and transmits the data to which the key is added, to the data management system. |
| US08564818B2 |
Log information management system, control method therefor, and storage medium
An image forming apparatus transmits a log notification request to a server before log transmission. The server responds to the image forming apparatus by appropriately performing scheduling of a log transmission time to disperse a load. The image forming apparatus transmits a log at a time designated by the server. |
| US08564812B2 |
Apparatus and method for generating a communication management report with security function
A communication terminal apparatus comprises: a communication history information part storing a communication history related to at least one of destination information of a receiver and destination information of a sender; a user information part storing user information corresponding to a plurality of users; a security function setting part enabling whether or not the destination information is outputted in a communication management report; and an output part configured to output the communication management report containing a plurality of communication histories of the users based on an output instruction by a first user, wherein when the security function setting part is in a state that the destination information is not outputted, the communication management report does not contain the destination information that does not correspond to the communication history of the first user. |
| US08564809B2 |
Printing system for maintaining confidentiality of print jobs
A printing apparatus to process a print job is provided. The printing apparatus includes a printing unit to form an image according to print data, a displaying device to display information concerning an operation of the printing apparatus, a first storage unit to store first user information, which identifies a user of an information processing apparatus, in association with a user-specific thumbnail image, which is to be displayed in the displaying device to identify the print job provided by the user, a first judging unit to determine as to whether the print job includes first security information, which is specified by the user to prevent contents of the print data from being disclosed, and the first user information, and a first display control unit to display the user-specific thumbnail image when the first judging unit determines that the print job includes the first security information and the first user information. |
| US08564806B2 |
Printing apparatus and printing system that provides for a printing product that includes a base file and an attached file
The printing apparatus includes a receiving unit which receives a print instruction about code information generated based on a file to be printed. The printing apparatus includes a transferring unit which transfers the file to be printed to a predetermined storage device when a size of the code information exceeds a threshold. The printing apparatus includes a printing unit which prints path information indicating a storage location of the transferred file to be printed as a list. |
| US08564802B2 |
Image defect inspection apparatus, image defect inspection system, image defect inspection method and non-transitory computer readable recording medium
An image defect inspection apparatus includes a supply unit, an acquiring unit, an inspection unit and an adjustment unit. The supply unit supplies a test image corresponding to an inferred image defect regarding an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording material, to the image forming unit to form the test image on the recording material. The acquiring unit acquires a scanned image obtained by scanning the recording material on which the test image is formed. The inspection unit compares the scanned image acquired with the test image and inspects as to whether or not the inferred image defect is in the scanned image. The adjustment unit adjusts a value of a setting item which is defined as an adjust target regarding the inferred image defect, so as to enhance detectability of the inferred image defect in the inspection. |
| US08564799B2 |
Print quality validation of print jobs using bitmapped image
A method and apparatus capture bitmapped images of pages of a print job that have been raster image processed while being printed by a printing device and collect electronic image data from at least one predetermined area of the bitmapped images of the pages using a computerized device. In addition, the method and apparatus capture at least one scanned image from the predetermined area of sheets of media printed by the printing device according to the print job, using an optical imaging device operatively connected to the computerized device and compare the scanned image to the electronic image data to validate whether the print job printed correctly. |
| US08564795B2 |
Printer capable of preventing paper jam
Disclosed is a printer including a transverse tension sensor for detecting that a sheet being discharged has deviated in a paper width direction orthogonal to a discharging direction. The conveyance of the sheet is stopped based on a detection signal of the transverse tension sensor. |
| US08564792B2 |
Sub-diffraction limit image resolution in three dimensions
The present invention generally relates to sub-diffraction limit image resolution and other imaging techniques, including imaging in three dimensions. In one aspect, the invention is directed to determining and/or imaging light from two or more entities separated by a distance less than the diffraction limit of the incident light. In some cases, the position of the entities can be determined in all three spatial dimensions (i.e., in the x, y, and z directions), and in certain cases, the positions in all three dimensions can be determined to an accuracy of less than about 1000 nm. In some cases, the z positions may be determined using one of a variety of techniques that uses intensity information or focal information (e.g., a lack of focus) to determine the z position. Non-limiting examples of such techniques include astigmatism imaging, off-focus imaging, or multi-focal-plane imaging. |
| US08564791B2 |
Sensor apparatus for detecting an overhang on the load of a carrier device
A sensor apparatus for detecting an overhang on a load of a carrier device, having a sensor arrangement with at least one transmitter and a receiver and also an electronic unit for control purposes. According to the invention, the sensor arrangement senses two regions of the carrier device with a load during a movement of the carrier device such that evaluation of the geometrical position of the regions in relation to one another is made possible, wherein the first region relates to the carrier device and the second region relates to the load. Furthermore, the electronic unit is designed for generating a signal for each region and linking the signals such that it is possible to ascertain an overhang from this. |
| US08564790B2 |
Optical position detection apparatus and display apparatus having position detection function
An apparatus for optically detecting an object position includes: position detection light sources irradiating light onto the object; a light guide plate receiving the light and emitting it onto a detection area to form an intensity distribution in the detection area; a light detector having light receiving portions receiving the light reflected by the object; and a signal processing portion detecting the object position based on the intensity distribution, wherein light incident portions receiving the light and side portions except for the light incident portions are provided on outer periphery side portions of the light guide plate, a light emission surface emitting the light incident from the light incident portions toward the detection area is provided on a plane portion of the light guide plate, and at least a portion of the side portions is an anti-reflection surface. |
| US08564789B2 |
Three dimensional position observation method and apparatus
A three-dimensional position observation apparatus provided with a lens system having focusing and diaphragm mechanisms, for forming an image on an imaging plane by light from an observation object includes a beam steering member disposed in a light path extending from the observation object to the imaging plane, for changing a traveling direction of observation light into a plurality of different directions, and an image analyzing unit for analyzing a position of the observation object based on a positional relation between a plurality of images on the imaging plane formed by light passing through the beam steering member. |
| US08564784B2 |
Large area optical diagnosis apparatus and operating method thereof
A large area optical diagnosis apparatus and the operating method thereof are disclosed. The large area optical diagnosis apparatus includes a light source, a light path structure, and a sensing module. The light source is used to at least emit a coherent light. The light path structure includes a plurality of optical units used for dividing the coherent light into a plurality of first incident lights and a plurality of second incident lights. The plurality of first incident lights are emitted toward an object to be diagnosed and the plurality of second incident lights are emitted toward a reference end. The object to be diagnosed and the reference end reflect the plurality of first incident lights and the plurality of second incident lights to be a plurality of reflected lights. The sensing module senses the plurality of reflected lights to generate a sensing result related to the object to be diagnosed. |
| US08564781B2 |
SPR sensor
Provided is an SPR sensor which can achieve compaction and multichannel detection by simple configuration at a low cost. The SPR sensor comprises an optical path, and detection areas on the side surface thereof formed by laminating metal layers formed to cause surface plasmon resonance phenomenon. The SPR sensor is characterized in that two or more detection areas are formed for one optical path, a dielectric constant regulation layer is further laminated in at least one of the two or more detection areas, dielectric constant is regulated to have a different surface plasmon resonance in each detection area, and a dielectric constant regulation layer laminated in the at least one of the two or more detection areas functions as a layer exhibiting sensitivity to an object to be detected. |
| US08564780B2 |
Method and system for using reflectometry below deep ultra-violet (DUV) wavelengths for measuring properties of diffracting or scattering structures on substrate work pieces
A method and apparatus is disclosed for using below deep ultra-violet (DUV) wavelength reflectometry for measuring properties of diffracting and/or scattering structures on semiconductor work-pieces is disclosed. The system can use polarized light in any incidence configuration, but one technique disclosed herein advantageously uses un-polarized light in a normal incidence configuration. The system thus provides enhanced optical measurement capabilities using below deep ultra-violet (DUV) radiation, while maintaining a small optical module that is easily integrated into other process tools. A further refinement utilizes an r-θ stage to further reduce the footprint. |
| US08564779B2 |
Adsorptive gas analyzer
This invention makes it possible to measure a concentration of a gas component having the adsorption even thought the concentration is low, and to improve a response speed of the measurement of the concentration, and comprises a body that has an introduction port to introduce a sample gas into a measurement cell, a laser light irradiation part that irradiates the laser light on the measurement cell, a heating pipe that applies heat to the sample gas introduced into the introduction port, a flow rate limit part that makes the sample gas at a negative pressure and that introduces the negative-pressurized heated sample gas into the body, and a negative pressure pump that keeps inside of the measurement cell and a flow channel from a downstream side of the flow rate limit part to the measurement cell at the negative pressure. |
| US08564773B2 |
Spectroscopy module
In a spectroscopy module 1, a light passing hole 50 through which a light L1 advancing to a spectroscopic portion 4 passes is formed in a light detecting element 5. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the relative positional relationship between the light passing hole 50 and a light detecting portion 5a of the light detecting element 5 from deviating. Moreover, the light detecting element 5 is bonded to a front plane 2a of a substrate 2 with an optical resin adhesive 63. Thus, it is possible to reduce a stress generated onto the light detecting element 5 due to a thermal expansion difference between the light detecting element 5 and the substrate 2. Additionally, on the light detecting element 5, a first convex portion 101 is formed so as to be located at least between the light detecting portion 5a and the light passing hole 50 when viewed from a direction substantially perpendicular to the front plane 2a. Thus, when the light detecting element 5 is attached to the substrate 2 via the optical resin adhesive 63, the optical resin adhesive 63 is dammed at the first convex portion 101. Thus, the optical resin adhesive 63 is prevented from penetrating into the light passing hole 50. |
| US08564769B2 |
Hyperspectral imaging light source system
A hyperspectral imaging light source system includes a light box (1). The light box (1) is a sealed cuboid. In the chamber of the box body a line-scanning camera (2), a beam splitting system (3), an electric control translation platform carrier (5) and the object to be detected (4) on the electric control translation platform carrier, an electric control translation platform screw (6), a linear light source box (7) and a photosensitive diode (8) are respectively provided. A linear light source controller (9), a step motor (10) and a computer (11) are provided outside the box body. The photosensitive diode (8) senses linear light source intensity variation and inputs a feedback signal to the linear light source controller (9). A halogen lamp (13) is installed in the linear light source box (7), and is connected with the linear light source controller (9). |
| US08564768B2 |
High pressure and high temperature optical spectroscopy cell using spherical surfaced lenses in direct contact with a fluid pathway
Devices, methods and systems for making optical measurements of a fluid at elevated pressures and temperatures are disclosed. A cell is designed for the optical spectroscopic measurements of fluids or gas using light from ultra violet (UV) to far infrared wavelengths, among other wavelengths. A cell is described that is well suited for applications using very small fluid volumes, on the order of micro liters, such as microfluidic systems. Some described embodiments are suited for very high pressure and temperature environments (for example, 20 kpsi or greater at 175 degree C. or greater). Such conditions, for example, may be found in oilfield downhole environments. Some embodiments provide are inexpensive, and make use of replaceable lenses that are used as a pressure barrier and for collimation of the optical beam path for spectroscopic measurements. |
| US08564766B2 |
Sensor element for a sorting device and method for sorting products
The invention relates to a sorting device and a method for sorting products (1) that are moved in a flow of products (2) through an inspection zone (3), wherein a light beam (6) is moved over the flow of products such that substantially all products (1) are hit by the light beam (6) in said inspection zone (3), whereby the light of this light beam (6) is, on the one hand, directly reflected as of the point of impact of the light beam on the products, and is, on the other hand, reflected in a scattered manner as of a zone round the point of impact following the diffusion of the light beam's light in the products, whereby the directly reflected light as well as the light which is reflected in a scattered manner is at least partly directed to a sensor element (19) of a detector (15), whereby this sensor element (19) has at least two detection areas, wherein for each detection area a detection signal is generated corresponding to the intensity of the reflected light (14) that impinges upon this detection area. |
| US08564765B2 |
Optical measurement system
An optical measurement system includes a holder, a bracket, a plurality of optical sensors, a motor and a processing unit. The holder is provided for holding a test light source at the origin of a spherical coordinate system. The optical sensors are located on the bracket at different elevation angles with respect to the origin. Moreover, the optical sensors are spaced the same radial distance apart from the origin to aim at the test light source. The motor is configured to drive either the holder or the bracket to rotate such that the test light source at the origin is able to relatively rotate with respect to the optical sensors about a zenith axis of the spherical coordinate system. The processing unit is coupled to the optical sensors for processing of data captured from the optical sensors. |
| US08564763B2 |
Lithographic apparatus and method
A substrate table is disclosed in which heaters are provided to account for a heat load which may be applied to the substrate. The heaters are grouped in segments to improve control. A temperature sensor per segment may be provided. The temperature sensor may be embedded in the substrate table. |
| US08564762B2 |
Photolithography exposure apparatus having blinding plates and method of driving the same
An exposure apparatus includes a light source for providing bursts of photolithographic exposure light, a mask for applying a pattern to the photolithographic exposure light, a variable length blind for blocking parts of an exposure window from receiving the photolithographic exposure light and a blind driver for controllably driving the variable length blind. The blind includes a plurality of movable blocking plates. The blind driver includes a plurality of motors and a motor control unit which are structured to rapidly return one or more of the blocking plates through the exposure window in a time duration between the bursts of photolithographic exposure light so that a return stain is not formed on the substrate. In one embodiment, the substrate is a mother substrate having a plurality of LCD daughter substrates being formed thereon. |
| US08564759B2 |
Apparatus and method for immersion lithography
A lithography apparatus includes an imaging lens module, a substrate table positioned underlying the imaging lens module and configured to hold a substrate, and a cleaning module adapted to clean the lithography apparatus. The cleaning module comprises one inlet and one outlet for providing a cleaning fluid to and from a portion of the lithography apparatus to be cleaned, and an ultrasonic unit configured to provide ultrasonic energy to the cleaning fluid. |
| US08564758B2 |
Exposure apparatus and method of decreasing fluctuations in optical characteristics of projection system
The present invention provides an exposure apparatus including a map obtaining unit configured to obtain a pupil aberration map representing saturation values of fluctuations in each of optical characteristics generated in a plurality of regions, which are obtained by dividing a pupil plane of a projection optical system, upon irradiating the plurality of regions with a unit amount of light, a distribution obtaining unit configured to obtain a light intensity distribution formed on the pupil plane of the projection optical system upon illuminating a pattern of an arbitrary reticle in an arbitrary illumination mode, and a calculation unit configured to calculate a saturation value of a fluctuation in each of the optical characteristics generated in the projection optical system upon illuminating the pattern of the arbitrary reticle in the arbitrary illumination mode, based on the obtained pupil aberration map and the obtained light intensity distribution. |
| US08564756B2 |
Optical system and image pick-up device provided with the same
An optical system includes at least one lens and a liquid crystal optical element. The liquid crystal optical element is constructed so that a first liquid crystal lens and a second liquid crystal lens are oppositely arranged so that orientation directions cross at right angles with each other in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis, a voltage applied to the liquid crystal optical element is controlled and a shift of a focal position relative to incident light from a different object point is corrected, and when the liquid crystal optical element does not have a ray deflecting action, a far object point is brought into focus, while when the liquid crystal optical element has the ray deflecting action, a near object point is brought into focus. |
| US08564755B2 |
Liquid crystal lens, controlling method thereof and 3D display using the same
The present disclosure provides a liquid crystal lens, a controlling method thereof and a 3-Dimensional (3D) display using the same. The liquid crystal lens includes a pair of electrode structures which are arranged apart from each other; and a liquid crystal layer which is arranged between the pair of electrode structures and includes a plurality of liquid crystal molecules aligned in an initial aligning direction in which the liquid crystal layer has a non-lens effect. The pair of electrode structures are arranged to generate a first electric field which is used to change aligning directions of the liquid crystal molecules to make the liquid crystal layer have a lens effect. The pair of electrode structures are further arranged to generate a second electric field which is used to make the liquid crystal molecules revert to the initial aligning direction. |
| US08564748B2 |
Liquid crystal display and manufacturing method thereof
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention disclose a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a method of manufacturing the same. The LCD may have a display area and a peripheral area. An organic layer of the peripheral area may be patterned using a half-tone mask, and a protrusion member may be formed in the peripheral area. Accordingly, the thin film transistor array panel and the corresponding substrate may be prevented from being temporary adhered in the peripheral area such that the density of the liquid crystal molecules filled in the peripheral area may be uniformly maintained and the display quality of the liquid crystal display may be improved. |
| US08564747B2 |
Liquid crystal display device
A liquid crystal display device includes an array substrate formed with a number of switching elements and photosensors, a countersubstrate arranged opposite to the array substrate with a gap between the array substrate and the countersubstrate, a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the array substrate and the countersubstrate and formed from a liquid crystal material which is negative in dielectric anisotropy, and an alignment control structure set on at least one of the array substrate and countersubstrate to control the alignment state of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer, wherein each of the photosensors being placed opposite to the alignment control structure. |
| US08564746B2 |
Color filter substrate, method of manufacturing the same, and display panel using the color filter substrate
A color filter substrate, a method of manufacturing the same, and a display panel using the color filter substrate are disclosed. The color filter substrate includes a substrate in which pixel areas are defined, color filters formed on the pixel areas and including first holes therein, a common electrode surrounding upper surfaces and sides of the color filters and including second holes to correspond to the first holes, and first black matrices formed in the first holes. |
| US08564744B2 |
Flat panel display device
According to one embodiment, a flat panel display device includes a flat display panel having a pair of long sides and a pair of short sides, a face panel disposed in front of the flat display panel, a lenticular lens array disposed on an inner surface of the face panel, the inner surface facing the flat display panel, and an adhesive disposed along at least one of the pair of long sides of the flat display panel and attaching the flat display panel and the face panel to each other. |
| US08564738B2 |
Light emitting device and method of manufacture
A light emitting device includes a conductive support layer, a light emitting structure layer on the conductive support layer, a first transparent conductive layer and a second transparent conductive layer disposed between the conductive support layer and the light emitting structure layer, and an electrode on the light emitting structure layer. |
| US08564731B2 |
Display device
A display device is disclosed. The display device includes a display panel, a frame disposed in the rear of the display panel, a backlight unit disposed between the display panel and the frame, a driver attached to a back surface of the frame, and a back cover that is disposed in the rear of the driver and is connected to the back surface of the frame. At least one of the frame and the back cover includes a heat dissipation member. |
| US08564728B2 |
Gesture-based control of IPTV system
Methods and apparatus for controlling an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) system by gestures on a remote control involve determining a number of fingers touching a screen of the remote control; identifying at least one characteristic of movement by the fingers; based on the number determined and at least one characteristic identified, finding a corresponding predefined gesture in a set of predefined gestures; and based on the gesture found, generating a corresponding control command to be sent to the IPTV system. |
| US08564727B2 |
Remote control system, television receiver and pairing method
An RF remote control paired with a first device can be paired with a second device connected to the first device via HDMI-CEC by an easy user operation. A pairing method uses a system including a television receiver (1) as the first device, a moving-image playback device (3) as a second device connected to the first device, and a remote control (5) having been paired with the first device. The pairing method includes first to third steps: the first step of transmitting the identification code of the remote control (5) from the first device to the second device, the identification code being registered in the first device; the second step of transmitting a pairing code from the second device to the first device; and the third step of transmitting the pairing code from the first device to the remote control (5). |
| US08564724B2 |
Ghosting artifact reduction in temporal noise filtering
A method of noise filtering of a digital video sequence to reduce ghosting artifacts, the method including computing motion values for pixels in a frame of the digital video sequence based on a reference frame, computing blending factors for the pixels based on the motion values, generating filtered output pixel values by applying the blending factors to corresponding pixel values in the reference frame and the frame, wherein selected filtered output pixel values are converged toward corresponding pixel values in the frame to reduce ghosting artifacts, and outputting the filtered frame. |
| US08564722B2 |
Horizontal synchronization signal detection system and method
A horizontal synchronization signal detection system includes a coarse period estimator and a fine period time estimator. The coarse period estimator estimates a minimum value and corresponding position of each period of a CVBS signal to calculate a coarse period of a horizontal synchronization signal. The fine period time estimator divides the horizontal synchronization signal into a first part and a second part so as to generate a first sum and a second sum by adding signals of the first part and the second part, and detects a middle point of the horizontal synchronization signal when the first sum equals the second sum. The steps of fine-tuning the coarse period to generate a fine-tuned coarse period, extracting the horizontal synchronization signal according to the fine-tuned coarse period, and determining whether the first sum is equal to the second sum are repeatedly executed until the first sum equals the second sum. |
| US08564720B2 |
Data decoding device and method capable of avoiding data error from incorrect sampling points
Data decoding devices avoiding data error from incorrect sampling points caused by serious interference are disclosed. The data decoding devices receive an analog signal carrying a reference clock and at least one digital data. In the data decoding device, a slicer generates a sampling clock with a frequency N times that of the reference clock, to slice the analog signal according to the sampling clock, thereby obtaining a first bitstream. A data check unit, divides the first bitstream into at least second and third bitstreams, evaluating whether the second bitstream is erroneous according to an error checking code thereof, outputting the second bitstream if it is error-free, and evaluating whether the third bitstream is erroneous according to the error checking code if the second bitstream is erroneous. |
| US08564719B2 |
Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and information processing program
An information processing apparatus that has a frame buffer that stores an input video signal, that loads a video signal at an asynchronous timing with the video signal input from the frame buffer and then that I/P-converts the loaded video signal from an interlaced signal into a progressive signal includes: pulldown determination means that determines whether the input video signal is subjected to a process of skipping or repeating a source video signal through a pulldown process; and control means that, when it is determined that the input video signal is subjected to the process of skipping or repeating, controls a process of skipping or repeating the loaded video signal to obtain a pulldown pattern supported at an I/P conversion side at which the I/P-conversion is performed, when the loaded video signal is converted from an interlaced signal into a progressive signal. |
| US08564716B2 |
Camera module
Provided are a camera modules. The camera module includes a lens unit including a lens unit; a holder coupled to the lens unit; an image sensor for converting a light through the lens into an electric signal; and a ceramic board coupled to the holder, the ceramic board having a concave portion where the image sensor is inserted. Another camera module includes a lens unit including a lens barrel; a holder including an infrared ray (IR) cut off filter, the holder being coupled to the lens unit; an image sensor for converting a light through the lens into an electric signal; a ceramic board coupled to the holder, one surface of the ceramic board having a first concave portion; and an image signal processor (ISP) inserted into the first concave portion. Another camera module includes a lens unit including at least one lens; and a ceramic board coupled to the lens unit; the ceramic board including an image sensor and an IR cut off filter; wherein the image sensor is inserted into the ceramic board. |
| US08564713B2 |
Image pickup apparatus that makes movement of focus lens inconspicuous, and control method for the image pickup apparatus
An image pickup apparatus includes a detector configured to detect an in-focus direction based on a focus signal that results from an output signal of an image pickup device by reciprocating a focus lens in an optical axis direction, and a focus controller configured to provide focusing by moving the focus lens in the in-focus direction. The focus controller is configured to set an amplitude of the focus lens when moving a center of a reciprocation of the focus lens, to be less than that of the focus lens when the center of the reciprocation of the focus lens is not moved. |
| US08564712B2 |
Blur difference estimation using multi-kernel convolution
An apparatus and method for rapidly and accurately determining blur differences between captured images. Blur change is modeled as a point spread function from a first position to a second position, which is approximated in response to performing a series of convolutions using at least two different blur kernels having different variance. The kernel with a larger variance is used first to speed processing, after which a kernel having a smaller variance is utilized to attain desired accuracy. Any number of kernels can be utilized with decreasing variance to achieve any desired level of accuracy. The apparatus and method can be utilized within a wide range of image capture and/or processing devices, and can be utilized within camera focus mechanisms to increase focusing speed and accuracy. |
| US08564708B2 |
Image display device image display method, storage medium storing computer program, and image capture device
There are disclosed: an image display device including a storage unit in which a plurality of items of image information are stored; a display unit that performs sequential display, in a predetermined order, of a plurality images represented by the plurality of items of image information; a reception unit that receives a stop instruction for stopping the sequential display; and a controller that controls the display unit such that, when the stop instruction is received by the reception unit during performance of the sequential display, the display unit performs a list display of images within a predetermined range using as a reference an image that is being displayed at a time when the stop instruction is received. |
| US08564706B2 |
Solid-state imaging apparatus, driving method of the same and imaging system
A solid-state imaging apparatus has a plurality of pixels, wherein each of the pixels includes: a photoelectric conversion element for converting incident light to an electric charge; an accumulating element accumulating the electric charge converted by the photoelectric conversion element; a first transfer element for transferring the electric charge converted by the photoelectric conversion element to the accumulating element; a second transfer element for transferring the electric charge accumulated in the accumulating element to a floating diffusion region; and an amplifying element for amplifying the electric charge in the floating diffusion region, wherein the first transfer element transfers the electric charge converted by the photoelectric conversion element to the accumulating element a plurality of times and causes the accumulating element to cumulatively accumulate the electric charge transferred the plurality of times. |
| US08564705B2 |
Image sensor with a plurality of switchable rows of column amplifiers
An image sensor for electronic cameras has an image field having at least one image field block which includes a plurality of light sensitive pixels arranged in rows and columns for generating exposure dependent pixel signals, wherein the pixel signals of the pixels of the respective column of the respective image field block can be read out via one or more respective column lines extending parallel to one another. The image sensor has at least one first row of column amplifiers and at least one second row of column amplifiers for the respective image field block. The image sensor is adapted to read out the pixel signals of the pixels of the respective column of the respective image field block of an image or of two mutually following images partly via the at least one first row and partly via the at least one second row of column amplifiers (25). |
| US08564704B2 |
Solid-state imaging device having transimpedance amplifier
A solid-state imaging device 1 includes photodiodes PD1 to PDN, charge-voltage converting circuits 101 to 10N, pre-holding circuits 201 to 20N, a transimpedance amplifier 30, a peak holding circuit 50, and a post-holding circuit 60. The charge-voltage converting circuit 10n inputs charges generated at the photodiode PDn and outputs a voltage value corresponding to the input charge quantity. The pre-holding circuit 20n holds the output voltage value from the charge-voltage converting circuit 10n and outputs the output voltage value as a current. The transimpedance amplifier 30 inputs voltage values successively output form the pre-holding circuits 201 to 20N as currents and outputs voltage values converted based on a transimpedance from the currents flowing in accordance with change quantities to the input voltage values from a reference voltage value. The peak holding circuit 50 holds and outputs a peak hold voltage of the output voltage values from the transimpedance amplifier 30. |
| US08564703B2 |
Image sensor with overlapping pixel readout and method
An image sensor for electronic cameras includes a plurality of pixels arranged in rows and columns, wherein at least one common column is associated with a plurality of pixels of a column. Each pixel includes a light-sensitive detector element to produce an electric charge from incident light, a selection device to connect the detector element directly or indirectly to the associated column line and at least one switching device. The image sensor furthermore has a control device for controlling the selection device and the at least one switching device of the respective pixel. The control device is designed such that the selection device of a first pixel is activated within a time period in which the at least one switching device is activated in a second pixel with which the same column line is associated. |
| US08564700B2 |
Image processing device, image processing method, and imaging device using a patterned polarizer
An image processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a single-chip color image capture element that has a color mosaic filter 201 and a patterned polarizer 202 in which a number of polarizer units, having polarization transmission planes defining at least three different angles, are provided for multiple pixels of the same color (G) in the color mosaic filter 201. This apparatus includes not only a color and polarization obtaining section 101 including such a single-chip color image capture element but also a polarization information processing section 103 for approximating, as a sinusoidal function, a relation between the intensities of light rays that have been transmitted through the polarizer units for the G pixels and the angles of the polarization transmission planes of the polarizer units and a color mosaic interpolation section 102 for generating a color intensity image by performing a color intensity interpolation and getting a color intensity that cannot be obtained at a pixel of interest. |
| US08564694B2 |
Image pickup device and noise reduction method thereof
There is provided an image pickup device capable of reducing noises, e.g., smears outputted from a CCD without using a special light amount adjusting device regardless of pixel defects. The image-pickup device includes a CCD having an image-pickup area and a storage area; a control unit for vertical-transferring signals of a line number having no pixel signal from a vertical-transfer register of the storage area and vertical-transferring more lines than the line number of a vertical-transfer register of the image-pickup area by the line number to the vertical-transfer register of the storage area during a period; an image signal obtaining unit for obtaining first image signals outputted from predetermined pixels of the CCD; an obtaining unit for obtaining the second image signals of the line number having no pixel signal of the storage area; and a correction unit for subtracting the second image signal from the first image signals. |
| US08564693B2 |
Image processing device, image processing method, and image processing program
An object plane is set, and appropriate image processing is performed according to the setting of the object plane. An image processing apparatus has a controller (7). The controller (7) receives image data for a captured image and distance information on the distance to a designated point in the captured image, sets an object plane (100) containing the designated point, converts the distance information to the information on the distance from the object plane, and performs predetermined image processing according to the converted distance information. |
| US08564692B2 |
Electronic device, electronic camera, and data transfer program for changing transfer rate and communication protocol
An electronic device includes: a data transfer unit that transfers data between a first recording medium and a second recording medium; an indication unit that indicates a communication protocol and a data transfer rate to be used in data transfer to the transfer unit; a judgment unit that judges whether or not the data transfer is successful; a control unit that controls the indication unit to indicate a communication protocol and a data transfer rate to be used in data transfer, after the judgment whether or not the data transfer is successful, based on the communication protocol used in the data transfer, the data transfer rate used in the data transfer, and the judgment whether or not the data transfer is successful. |
| US08564691B2 |
Digital camera and image combination device
The digital camera includes: a storage unit that stores a plurality of images captured by an image sensor when a multiple exposure photographic mode is set; a gain impartation unit that imparts, to the plurality of captured images, gains based upon the number of shots of multiple exposure photography and determined so that their sum equals unity; and a combination unit that creates a multiple exposure photographic image by combining the plurality of images, after the gains have been imparted by the gain impartation unit. |
| US08564686B2 |
Imaging apparatus, imaging apparatus body, and shading correcting method
An imaging apparatus body on which a lens unit including an imaging optical system and an identification information storage unit that stores specific identification information can be removably mounted, comprising a shading correction unit that corrects, when the determination unit determines that the correction table corresponding to the identification information of the mounted lens unit is stored in the correction table storage unit, the shading in the set of viewpoint images according to the correction table, corresponding to the identification information of the mounted lens unit, stored in the correction table storage unit. |
| US08564684B2 |
Emotional illumination, and related arrangements
A smartphone senses a user's emotional reaction to certain output (e.g., an output from a smartphone's attempt to read a barcode printed in a newspaper). The phone then tailors its operation based on the sensed reaction (e.g., it may turn on a torch to better illuminate the newspaper, or vary image processing or decoding parameters). |
| US08564682B2 |
Method for creating content using a camera of a portable terminal and a portable terminal adapted therefor
A method for creating content and a portable terminal adapted therefor. An image is selected. The camera captures an image of at least one object from within an image currently being received by the camera. New content is created by combining the captured image of the at least one object with the selected image. |
| US08564681B2 |
Method, apparatus, and computer-readable storage medium for capturing an image in response to a sound
A method includes detecting a start and an end of a first sound that satisfies a present standard, obtaining image data in response to detection of the start and end of the first sound, storing the obtained image data, and determining the image data to be data that is to be stored, in accordance with a content of the first sound. |
| US08564678B2 |
Communication system including a portable device for capturing images and comparing the images to a database of characteristics
A torch casing 10 with a reflector 46 and a bulb 44 incorporates camera 48 50 52 taking pictures through front face 64 and employs flash tube 58 behind the camera chip 50 reflecting off reflector 46 and reflected onto reflector 46 by mirrored surface 60 on the back of camera chip 50. Captured images, still or video, are exported by radio frequency unit 22 to, for example, secure and supervised store 124. Ultraviolet unit 65 causes fluorescence which is photographed by camera 48 50 52. Display screen 70 shows camera 48 50 52 images or received images. The apparatus continuously sends its position determined by GPS navigation. Sounds can be recorded, sent and received. Iris patterns and fingerprints can be recognized from an updated store. |
| US08564675B2 |
Image-shake correction device, lens barrel, and optical apparatus
A yoke of an actuator for driving a shift moving frame in a pitch direction is shaped such that when the shift moving frame is moved in the pitch direction, a magnetic attractive force for reducing a moment acting on the shift moving frame due to a magnetic attractive force generated between the magnet and the yoke of an actuator for driving the shift moving frame in a yaw direction is generated between the yoke and the magnet of the actuator for driving in the pitch direction. |
| US08564674B2 |
Image pickup apparatus equipped with function of detecting image shaking
In an initial stage, using a global motion vector, a rough degree of image shaking is determined. After the image shaking is determined to have converged to some measure, using the difference values between frames, the finer degree of the image shaking is determined. And if it is determined to be free of image shaking, the recording photography is made to be done. Thereby, with certainty in the timing of no hand shaking and no image shaking, the photographing can be done. |
| US08564669B2 |
System and method of analyzing video streams for detecting black/snow or freeze
A method is disclosed of analyzing a video stream using a video analyzer. The video stream includes image frame data corresponding to an integer N number of image frames, respectively. The video analyzer includes a controller and a frame processor. The method includes setting a problem threshold value corresponding to a parameter of the image frame data, receiving first image frame data corresponding to a first image frame, analyzing the parameter of a portion of the received first image frame data and generating an analyzed value and determining whether there is a problem based on the analyzed value and the problem threshold value. The portion of the analyzed portion of the received first image frame data is less than the total received first image frame data. |
| US08564667B2 |
Surveillance system
A surveillance system including a tracking module, a controller and a detection module is provided. The tracking module processes at least one first image frame that is acquired via a first camera to track an object in the at least one first image frame, and generate location information of the object being tracked. The controller generates a control signal based on the location information and transmits the control signal to a second camera to control the movement of the second camera. The detection module processes at least one second image frame that is acquired via the second camera to detect a feature part of the object being tracked. |
| US08564666B2 |
Image pickup device, visibility support apparatus, night vision device, navigation support apparatus, and monitoring device
An image pickup device, a visibility support apparatus, a night vision device, a navigation support apparatus, and a monitoring device are provided in which noise and dark current are suppressed to thereby provide clear images regardless of whether it is day or night. The device includes a light-receiving layer 3 having a multi-quantum well structure and a diffusion concentration distribution control layer 4 disposed on the light-receiving layer so as to be opposite an InP substrate 1, wherein the light-receiving layer has a band gap wavelength of 1.65 to 3 μm, the diffusion concentration distribution control layer has a lower band gap energy than InP, a pn junction is formed for each light-receiving element by selective diffusion of an impurity element, and the impurity selectively diffused in the light-receiving layer has a concentration of 5×1016/cm3 or less. A diffusion concentration distribution control layer has an n-type impurity concentration of 2×1015/cm3 or less before the diffusion, the diffusion concentration distribution control layer having a portion adjacent to the light-receiving layer, the portion having a low impurity concentration. The concentration of the impurity element selectively diffused in the diffusion concentration distribution control layer is decreased to be 5×1016/cm3 or less toward the light-receiving layer. |
| US08564661B2 |
Video analytic rule detection system and method
A video surveillance system is set up, calibrated, tasked, and operated. The system extracts video primitives and extracts event occurrences from the video primitives using event discriminators. The extracted video primitives and event occurrences may be used to create and define additional video analytic rules. The system can undertake a response, such as an alarm, based on extracted event occurrences. |
| US08564651B2 |
Endoscope apparatus and illumination control method of endoscope apparatus
Provided are a plurality of semiconductor light emitting elements having different central light emission wavelengths, a multiplexer means for multiplexing lights, and a central wavelength converting means for controlling a light emission amount ratio of the plurality of semiconductor light emitting elements by the use of a wavelength conversion table in which a central wavelength of multiplexed laser light is obtained on the basis of information of a light emission amount and the central light emission wavelengths. Accordingly, the central wavelength of the multiplexed light is controlled to be a predetermined wavelength. |
| US08564646B2 |
Image display apparatus, image display observation system, and image display method
There is provided an image display apparatus including a signal control unit for receiving an input of an image signal, and converting to a signal for alternately displaying a right eye image and a left eye image, a display panel, input with the signal converted by the signal control unit, for alternately displaying the right eye image and the left eye image, a surface light source for radiating the display panel from a rear surface, and a surface light source control unit for causing the surface light source to emit light according to switching of the right eye image and the left eye image. |
| US08564641B1 |
Adjusting stereo images
A computer-implemented method for adjusting stereo images includes receiving a video sequence associated with a recorded setting of a stereoscopic camera, the video sequence comprising pairs of left and right images. The method includes processing the pairs of left and right images to reduce influence of a discrepancy between the recorded setting and an actual configuration of the stereoscopic camera. |
| US08564638B2 |
Apparatus and method for video conferencing
A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a server having a controller to determine video conferencing capability of a group of communication devices associated with a user where the group of communication devices comprises a set top box and where the determination of the video conferencing capability is performed in temporal proximity with establishing a voice call over an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network between a mobile communication device and at least one device of the group of communication devices; and establish a video conference for participating devices in response to a request from one device of the mobile communication device and the group of communication devices, where the video conference is established over an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) network, and where the participating devices comprise the mobile communication device and the set top box. Other embodiments are disclosed. |
| US08564633B2 |
Thermal printer
A thermal printer includes a thermal printhead, a head cover configured to partially cover the thermal printhead, a paper container configured to house a paper, and a damper disposed on a paper feeding path between the thermal printhead and the paper container and configured to press the paper fed on the paper feeding path. The damper is combined with the head cover. |
| US08564630B2 |
Displaying widget elements based on display device resolution
Displaying a web page on a display device is accomplished by receiving resolution information corresponding to a resolution of the display device, receiving a resolution threshold for displaying a widget element on the web page, and determining whether the resolution of the display device is less than the resolution threshold for displaying the widget element. If the resolution of the display device is not less than the resolution threshold for displaying the widget element, the widget element is displayed on the web page, wherein the web page is displayed on the display device. If the resolution of the display device is smaller than the resolution threshold for displaying the widget element, the widget element is not displayed on the web page. |
| US08564628B2 |
Display apparatus
An apparatus including at least one light source; a selective attenuation element, used for a plurality of adjacent pixels and configured to attenuate light from the at least one light source; and a group of adjacent mono-chrome light filters, used for the plurality of adjacent pixels, the group including a first mono-chrome light filter, for a first one of the plurality of adjacent pixels, configured to filter light transmitted via the selective attenuation element for the first one of the adjacent pixels; and a second mono-chrome light filter, for a second one of the plurality of adjacent pixels, configured to filter light transmitted via the selective attenuation element for the second one of the adjacent pixels. |
| US08564626B2 |
Line-sequential driving display
A line-sequential driving display that displays an image by exciting phosphor disposed on the rear surface of a face plate, transmitting light emitted from the excited phosphor through the face plate, and emitting the light from the front surface of the face plate. The display includes a light blocking layer disposed closer to the front surface of the face plate than the phosphor, the light blocking layer being configured to control the emission and non-emission of the light from the front surface on the basis of an electrical signal. Upon driving the line-sequential driving display, an area of the light blocking layer above a line-sequential driving selected line enters a light transmitting state and at least part of an area of the light blocking layer above a line-sequential driving unselected line enters a light blocking state. |
| US08564625B2 |
Display device and method of driving thereof
It is an object of the present invention to provide a display device and a method of driving the display device that can reduce pseudo contours while suppressing the number of sub-frames as much as possible. In the display device, where one frame is divided into a plurality of sub-frames to display a gray scale, the plurality of sub-frames have M (M is an integer number of greater than or equal to 2) regular sub-frames which is necessary for displaying predetermined gray scales and further an N (N is a natural number) additive sub-frame; and at least two sub-frame lighting patterns of a first sub-frame lighting pattern, where only the regular sub-frames are used, and a second sub-frame lighting pattern, where the additive sub-frames and the regular sub-frames are used, are provided at least for one gray scale of the predetermined gray scales. |
| US08564623B2 |
Integrated data visualization for multi-dimensional microscopy
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for implementing an integrated data visualization interface for multi-dimensional microscopy image and measurement data are disclosed. The integrated data visualization interface utilizes the known dimensional relational relationships between the images to automatically provide synchronized and coordinated visualization and manipulations across multiple related images and measurement data in multiple dataset viewer components (e.g., image grids, browsable image strips, tables, and graphs). Other features of the dataset viewer components are also disclosed. |
| US08564622B1 |
Image generation device for generating multiple image streams
An IG device configured to generate multiple image streams. The IG device may receive virtual environment (VE) model data identifying at least a portion of a VE. For each cycle of a plurality of cycles over a period of time, the VE model data may be intersected by a first view frustum to identify first scene data, and a graphics subsystem generates a first image based on the first scene data and outputs the first image for presentation. Substantially concurrently therewith, for each cycle, the VE model data may be intersected by a second view frustum to identify second scene data, and a second graphics subsystem of the device in parallel with the first graphics subsystem may generate a second image based on the second scene data and outputs the second image for presentation. |
| US08564621B2 |
Replicating changes between corresponding objects
Embodiments of the invention generally relate to replicating changes between corresponding real objects and virtual objects in a virtual world. Embodiments of the invention may include receiving a request to generate a virtual item in a virtual world based on a real-world object, generating the virtual item, synchronizing the virtual item and real-world object, and sharing the virtual item with a second avatar in the virtual world. |
| US08564620B2 |
Method for automatically adjusting the rendered fidelity of elements of a composition
Automatically adjusting rendered fidelity of an element in a composition may include detecting an element added to a composition and determining fidelity of an added element's rendering based on rendering of one or more other elements in the composition. Rendering of the added element may be automatically adjusted to the determined fidelity to match the rendering of said one or more other elements in the composition. |
| US08564617B2 |
Accelerated volume rendering
Performing accelerated volume rendering of a scene in a computer system by: loading volumetric data into a first part of a system memory, the volumetric data represented as a three-dimensional array of data values; determining intersection points of each of a set of sample rays cast through the scene and intersecting the three-dimensional array, wherein the intersection points are determined as a function of sample times from beginning to end; using the intersection points, computing a subset of the three-dimensional array for placement into local storage; loading the subset of three-dimensional array into the local storage; and repeating the determining, computing, and loading acts for all sample times from beginning to end for all sets of sample rays cast by the processor device. |
| US08564616B1 |
Cull before vertex attribute fetch and vertex lighting
One embodiment of the invention sets forth a mechanism for compiling a vertex shader program into two portions, a culling portion and a shading portion. The culling portion of the compiled vertex shader program specifies vertex attributes and instructions of the vertex shader program needed to determine whether early vertex culling operations should be performed on a batch of vertices associated with one or more primitives of a graphics scene. The shading portion of the compiled vertex shader program specifies the remaining vertex attributes and instructions of the vertex shader program for performing vertex lighting and performing other operations on the vertices in the batch of vertices. When the compiled vertex shader program is executed by graphics processing hardware, the shading portion of the compiled vertex shader is executed only when early vertex culling operations are not performed on the batch of vertices. |
| US08564615B2 |
Displaying generated changes to an image file
Editing an image file is disclosed. Editing includes generating a plurality of machine generated changes to the image file, individually displaying each of the plurality of machine generated changes, and selectively implementing at least one of the plurality of machine generated changes. |
| US08564605B2 |
Display interface buffer
A display interface buffer includes a general purpose memory to store data capable of being displayed on a panel, a plurality of display drivers to receive data from the general purpose memory, each of the display drivers to drive a different portion of the panel with the data, and processor or a direct memory access controller to access data in the general purpose memory and to provide the data to the display drivers for presentation on the panel. |
| US08564601B2 |
Parallel and vectored Gilbert-Johnson-Keerthi graphics processing
Parallel and vectored data structures may be used in a single instruction multiple data processor that applies the Gilbert-Johnson-Keerthi algorithm. As a result, the performance of multi-core processors doing graphics processing may be increased in some cases. |
| US08564600B2 |
Streaming physics collision detection in multithreaded rendering software pipeline
A circuit arrangement, program product and method stream level of detail components between hardware threads in a multithreaded circuit arrangement to perform physics collision detection. Typically, a master hardware thread, e.g., a component loader hardware thread, is used to retrieve level of detail data for an object from a memory and stream the data to one or more slave hardware threads, e.g., collision detection hardware threads, to perform the actual collision detection. Because the slave hardware threads receive the level of detail data from the master thread, typically the slave hardware threads are not required to load the data from the memory, thereby reducing memory bandwidth requirements and accelerating performance. |
| US08564596B2 |
Techniques for density mapping
Techniques in a data processor for drawing a density surface on a map in a manner that more accurately accounts for projection distortion in the map. According to one embodiment, data is maintained that represents a geotagged event. A map plane is divided into a plurality of cells and an origin cell corresponding to the geotagged event is identified. Density values are allocated to cells surrounding the origin cell based on geodetic distances between geographic coordinates corresponding to surrounding cells and the geographic coordinate of the geotagged event. A density surface based on the cell allocations is then displayed on a map. By allocating density values to cells based on geodetic distances, the resulting density surface displayed on the map more accurately accounts for projection distortions in the area of the map on which density surface is displayed. |
| US08564586B2 |
Display driving circuit and method thereof
A display driving circuit has a scan switch, an assistant unit, several storage switches, and several storage units. The scan switch couples to a data line. The assistant unit couples to the scan switch. The storage switches couple to the assistant unit. Each storage unit couples to the assistant unit by one of the storage switches. The assistant unit is shared by the storage units to compensate for several driving voltages or several driving currents of the storage units. |
| US08564583B2 |
Bias circuit for a complementary current mode logic drive circuit
A circuit includes a complementary current mode logic driver circuit and a dual feedback current mode logic bias circuit. The complementary current mode logic driver circuit provides a first output voltage and a second output voltage. The dual feedback current mode logic bias circuit includes a first feedback circuit and a second feedback circuit. The first feedback circuit provides a first bias voltage for the complementary current mode logic driver circuit in response to the first output voltage. The second feedback circuit provides a second bias voltage in response to the second output voltage. |
| US08564582B2 |
Display device, driving method therefor, and electronic apparatus
A display device includes a pixel array and a drive unit that drives the pixel array. The pixel array includes first and second scanning lines in rows, signal lines in columns, a matrix of pixels arranged at respective intersections of the scanning lines and the signal lines, power supply lines that supply power to each of the pixels, and ground lines. The drive unit includes a first scanner that sequentially supplies first control signals to the corresponding first scanning lines to perform line-sequential scanning on the pixels on a row-by-row basis, a second scanner that sequentially supplies second control signals to the corresponding second scanning lines in synchronization with the line-sequential scanning, and a signal selector that supplies video signals to the signal lines in synchronization with the line-sequential scanning. Each pixel includes a light-emitting element, a sampling transistor, a drive transistor, a switching transistor, and a pixel capacitor. |
| US08564580B2 |
Display device and electronic apparatus
Disclosed herein is a display device including a first light sensor unit configured to include a light-receiving element and detect intensity of ambient light to a display area; a second light sensor unit configured to include a light-receiving element and be provided with an infrared filter disposed on an optical path to the light-receiving element; and a signal processor configured to execute difference processing for a detection signal of the first light sensor unit and a detection signal of the second light sensor unit, wherein the infrared filter is formed by stacking at least two kinds of color filters. |
| US08564574B2 |
Input apparatus with multi-mode switching function
An input apparatus with a multi-mode switching function is disclosed. In one embodiment, the input apparatus includes a body, an arc surface touching module and a control module. The arc surface touching module is arranged on surface of the body, and is used to input two-dimensional position data. The control module switches the input mode of said input apparatus based on the two-dimensional position data, and generates a control signal based on switched input mode and the two-dimensional position data. In another embodiment, upon transforming the two-dimensional position data into the three-dimensional position data based on the geometric characteristics of the body, the control module of the input apparatus switches the input mode of the apparatus based on the three-dimensional position data and generates a control signal in accordance with the three-dimensional position data. |
| US08564572B2 |
Method for auto angle setting of infrared sensor module and display device having the same applied thereto
The present invention relates to a method for auto angle setting of an infrared sensor module having a light emitting unit and a sensor unit arranged at least two corners of a display panel, includes the steps of selecting a peak detection mode or a slope detection mode; in the peak detection mode, setting a pixel of in the sensor unit which senses a light quantity as a reference point corresponding to a corner other infrared sensor module is arranged at; in the slope detection mode, analyzing the light quantities of a start pixel block and an end pixel block in the sensor unit and setting a pixel which forms a greatest slope as a start point or an end point; and setting an effective angle of view in the sensor unit with reference to the reference point, the start point, and the end point. |
| US08564563B2 |
Video chapter access and license renewal
The present disclosure includes, among other things, systems, methods and program products for content chapter access and license renewal. |
| US08564558B2 |
Capacitive touch screen panel
A capacitive touch screen panel includes according to an embodiment a substrate, a plurality of first electrode serials arranged in a first direction on the substrate, a plurality of second electrode serials arranged in a second direction to intersect the first electrode serials, and a plurality of insulation patterns formed at intersections of the first electrode serials and the second electrode serials and electrically insulating the first electrode serials from the second electrode serials. Each of the plurality of first electrode serials includes a plurality of first electrode patterns which are separated from each other, and first connection patterns which are formed under the insulation patterns and electrically connect the neighboring first electrode patterns to each other. In addition, each of the plurality of insulation patterns has a protrusion part formed between the first electrode patterns and the second electrode patterns. |
| US08564556B2 |
Display device having capacitive touch screen
Disclosed herein is a display device having a capacitive touch screen, including: a display unit; and a capacitive touch screen that is coupled to the display unit by an adhesive layer and includes a base substrate, a plurality of first electrode patterns that are formed on an active region of the base substrate, ground patterns that are formed on the active region of the base substrate and are separated from the first electrode pattern, a transparent insulating layer that covers the first electrode patterns and the ground patterns and is formed on the base substrate, and a plurality of second electrode patterns that are formed on an active region of the transparent insulating layer. |
| US08564554B2 |
Method for controlling a touch surface control device and electric touch surface control device including means for implementing said method
The invention relates to a method for controlling a touch surface control device, including at least one step comprising the generation of sensory feedback corresponding to the detection of a pressure applied by a user on the touch surface, said sensory feedback comprising haptic feedback and acoustic feedback. The invention is characterized in that the generation of the acoustic feedback is initiated after the generation of the haptic feedback once a characteristic value of the haptic feedback has exceeded a pre-defined threshold. The invention also relates to an electric control device having a touch surface, characterized in that it includes means for implementing said method (1). |
| US08564553B2 |
Electronic stylus, capacitive touchpad module, and apparatus for touch input
An electronic stylus emits an excitation signal to apply to a trace of a capacitive touchpad module near a touch point when the electronic stylus touches the capacitive touchpad module, so as to change a waveform of a charging/discharging signal in the trace, and depending on the waveform variation, the capacitive touchpad module can identify the touch point. |
| US08564550B2 |
Display device with X and Y electrodes having both ends of a respective electrode supplied with a signal form a branched signal line
A display device having X electrodes and Y electrodes formed on an electrostatic capacitive type touch panel. Either one of the X electrodes and the Y electrodes is divided corresponding to a ratio between the number of X electrodes and the number of Y electrodes, and a floating electrode is formed in gaps formed along with the reduction of area of the electrode thus adjusting the area of the electrode. A first signal line and second signal lines are branched on a flexible printed circuit board so that both ends of a respective X electrode are supplied with a signal from the branched first signal line and both ends of a respective Y electrode are supplied with a signal from the branched second signal line. |
| US08564547B2 |
Touch screen remote control device for use with a toy
A remote control device having a touch screen for remotely directing a toy, such as a remote control vehicle or airplane, is provided. |
| US08564543B2 |
Media player with imaged based browsing
Methods and systems that improve the way media is played, sorted, modified, stored and cataloged on a portable media player are disclosed. One aspect relates to an image based browser that allows a user to navigate through and select images that are related to media items. |
| US08564541B2 |
Zhuyin input interface on a device
One of a pair of alternate key planes of a virtual keyboard is presented. Each key plane includes a partial set of phonetic symbols from a phonetic alphabet. A first key plane includes a set of initial phonetic symbols. A second key plane includes a set of final phonetic symbols and a set of tone marks. The virtual keyboard automatically switches between the first key plane and the second key plane upon receiving a predetermined set of user input triggers. A sequence of Zhuyin phonetic symbol input is received from a user interface, where the sequence of Zhuyin phonetic symbols represents phonetic spellings of a plurality of Chinese characters. User input to select one of a list of Chinese character combinations is received. The selected Chinese character combination is entered as text input in the user interface. |
| US08564539B2 |
Handheld electronic device with text disambiguation employing advanced text case feature
A handheld electronic device includes a reduced QWERTY keyboard and is enabled with disambiguation software. The device provides an improved text case feature. The device provides output in the form of a default output and a number of variants. The output is based largely upon the frequency, i.e., the likelihood that a user intended a particular output, but various features of the device provide additional variants that are not based solely on frequency and rather are provided by various logic structures resident on the device. The device enables editing during text entry and also provides a learning function that allows the disambiguation function to adapt to provide a customized experience for the user. The disambiguation function can be selectively disabled and an alternate keystroke interpretation system provided. Additionally, the device can facilitate the selection of variants by displaying a graphic of a special |
| US08564538B2 |
Touch screen overlays and methods for manufacturing the same
In one embodiment, a kit to enable non-visual use of a touch screen on an electronic device comprises an overlay comprising a surface, where the surface is substantially flat. A first portion of the surface comprises a smooth tactile characteristic, and a second portion of the surface comprises a first textured tactile characteristic, where the first portion is transparent and the second portion is translucent. The first textured tactile characteristic is proximate to an expected icon location at the surface of the overlay. The kit also comprises an instruction that comprises at least one of an indication of an installation of the overlay over the touch screen, or an identification of the electronic device. Other embodiments are described and claimed herein. |
| US08564537B2 |
Wheel module for input device
A wheel module for an input device includes a circuit board, a wheel swinging member, and a wheel. A plurality of switch elements are installed on the circuit board. These switch elements are arranged between the circuit board and the wheel swinging member. The wheel is disposed on the wheel swinging member. When the wheel is moved downwardly relative to the wheel swinging member by a specified distance, an operating mode of the wheel module is switched from a rotating mode to a swinging mode. When the wheel module is operated in the rotating mode, the wheel is rotatable relative to the wheel swinging member. When the wheel module is operated in the swinging mode and the wheel is tilted in a specified direction, the wheel swinging member is synchronously swung relative to the circuit board to trigger a corresponding switch element. |
| US08564536B2 |
Automatic configuration method for control keys and a control device for display means, in particular for an aircraft
A control device is provided for display means including several screens adapted for displaying several formats. The control device includes several command keys and means for automatic configuration of a command function for display of a format and visualization means associated with the command keys, adapted for respectively assigning to the command keys formats that can be displayed on a screen. The control device is usable in a cockpit of an aircraft. |
| US08564532B2 |
System and methods for using a movable object to control a computer
A system for controlling a computer is provided. The system includes a position sensing apparatus configured to be disposed in operative proximity to a sensed object and thereby obtain positional data pertaining to the sensed object, and engine software configured to receive the positional data and process the positional data to determine an assessed actual position of the sensed object relative to a neutral reference position and output control commands based on the assessed actual position of the sensed object, the control commands configured to control presentation of a rendered scene, the control commands being scaled relative to changes in the assessed actual position of the sensed object, the scaling of the changes in assessed actual position of the sensed object causing presentation of the rendered scene to be skewed; wherein the engine software is further configured to automatically correct the skewing of the rendered scene by modifying the control commands. |
| US08564531B2 |
Electronic apparatus and method of driving the same
An electronic apparatus includes an electronic circuit including a driving transistor, an additional capacitive element and a first switch for controlling a connection between a circuit point and a control terminal and a driving circuit which controls the first switch to an off state and changes the potential of the control terminal such that the driving transistor transitions to an on state in a first period, controls the first switch to the on state so as to set the potential of the control terminal to an initial compensation value, in a second period, and controls the first switch to the on state and changes the driving potential from the first potential to the second potential such that the driving transistor transitions to the on state, in a third period. |
| US08564530B2 |
Automatic configuration of update operations for a bistable, electro-optic display
An apparatus embodying principles of the invention includes first, second, and at least one pipeline units. The first unit generates synthesized pixel data from pixels of an image and pixels of a previous image. The second unit determines an update mode by comparing pixels of the image with corresponding pixels of the previous image to determine if at least one condition is true. The conditions may be configurable. In addition, the second unit selects an update mode from two or more update modes if the first condition is true. The pipeline unit determines a waveform for each pixel of the image and transmits the waveform as impulse data to a bistable, electro-optic display device. The apparatus may further include a pipeline selecting unit to select a pipeline from two or more pipelines according to the selected update mode. |
| US08564528B1 |
LCD image compensation for LED backlighting
A method, includes receiving original image data having a first resolution, dividing the original image data into zones based upon a second resolution, wherein the second resolution corresponds to a resolution of backlight elements, determining a backlight value for each zone, and adjusting the original image data in each block to compensate for the backlight value for each zone to produce compensated image data, wherein adjusting the original image data comprises using the backlight value and an original image data value as indexes into at least one look-up table to acquire compensated image data. An apparatus has a source of original image data, a display panel of individual elements, a backlight of individual lighting elements, at least one look-up table having compensated image data, and a processor to determine a backlight value for each individual lighting element, and adjust the original image data to compensate for the backlight value and produce compensated image data by using the backlight value and an original image data value as indexes into the look-up table. |
| US08564526B2 |
Source driver and display apparatus
A source driver includes a first output buffer, a second output buffer, a first output switch, a second output switch, a third output switch, a fourth output switch, a first resistor, a second resistor, a third resistor, a fourth resistor, a first charge-sharing switch. The first and the second output buffer respectively enhances a first and a second pixel signal and respectively outputs a first and a second enhanced pixel signal to a display panel. The first output switch and the first resistor connected in series and the second output switch and the second resistor connected in series are connected in parallel between the first output buffer and the display panel. The third output switch and the third resistor connected in series and the fourth output switch and the fourth resistor connected in series are connected in parallel between the second output buffer and the display panel. |
| US08564525B2 |
Driving device for liquid crystal display
A driving device of a liquid crystal display (LCD) utilized for preventing noises of a clock signal from causing error operation of a shift register is disclosed. The driving device includes a shift register, a reception terminal, a noise elimination circuit and a control signal generation circuit. The reception terminal is utilized for receiving a first clock signal. The noise elimination circuit is coupled to the reception terminal, and is utilized for eliminating noises of the first clock signal and delaying the first clock signal for a preset time to generate a second clock signal. The control signal generation circuit is coupled to the reception terminal, the noise elimination circuit and the shift register, and is utilized for generating a first control signal and a second control signal to control the shift register. |
| US08564523B2 |
Shift register and liquid crystal display having the same
In a shift register and an LCD having the same, the shift register includes plural stages having odd stages for receiving a first clock signal and a first control signal and even stages for receiving a second clock signal and a second control signal. Each of the plural stages includes a pull-up section for providing one of first and second clock signals to an output terminal, a pull-down section for providing a first power voltage to the output terminal, a pull-up driving section for turning on/off the pull-up section in response to an output signal of a front stage and turning off the pull-up section in response to the first and second control signals, a first pull-down driving section for outputting a third control signal, and a second pull-down driving section for turning off the pull-down section in response to the input signal and turning on the pull-down section in response to the third control signal. |
| US08564516B2 |
Horizontal stripe liquid crystal display device
A liquid crystal display device for improving picture quality includes a common electrode formed on a first substrate, gate lines and data lines formed on a second substrate bonded to the first substrate by a sealing member with liquid crystals disposed therebetween, thin film transistors connected to the gate lines and to the data lines, pixel electrodes formed in subpixel regions, each pixel electrode having a long side in a direction of the gate lines and having a short side in a direction of the data lines fanout lines for supplying driving signals from the driving chips to the data lines, first conductive spacers formed between the fanout lines connected to different driving chips, for supplying a common voltage to the common electrode, and second conductive spacers formed between the fanout lines connected to the same driving chip, for supplying the common voltage to the common electrode. |
| US08564513B2 |
Method and system for driving an active matrix display circuit
A method and system for driving an active matrix display is provided. The system includes a drive circuit for a pixel having a light emitting device. The drive circuit includes a drive transistor for driving the light emitting device. The system includes a mechanism for adjusting the gate voltage of the drive transistor. |
| US08564506B2 |
Correction circuit and display device
A correction circuit includes a memory that stores a mobility correction value or a threshold voltage correction value for correcting luminance non-uniformity for every pixel, a memory read-out unit that reads out the mobility correction value or the threshold voltage correction value from the memory, a correlation table that produces a threshold voltage correction value or a mobility correction value from the other one of the mobility correction value and the threshold voltage correction value on the basis of a correlation between mobility and a threshold voltage, a mobility correction unit correcting an input signal for every pixel by using the mobility correction value supplied from the memory read-out unit or the correlation table, and a threshold voltage correction unit correcting the input signal that is corrected at the mobility correction unit, by using the threshold voltage correction value supplied from the memory read-out unit or the correlation table. |
| US08564505B2 |
Image processing systems
This invention generally relates to image processing systems. More particularly it relates to systems and methods for displaying images using multi-line addressing (MLA) or total matrix addressing (TMA) techniques, and to techniques for post-processing of data for display generated by these techniques. Embodiments of the invention are particularly useful for driving OLED (organic light emitting diode) displays. We describe a method of driving an electroluminescent display to display an image using a plurality of temporal sub-frames, data for a said sub-frame comprising a first set of drive values (R;C) and second set of drive values (C;R) for driving respective first and second axes of said display, a said sub-frame having an associated sub-frame display time. The method comprises: determining a said sub-frame display time for a displayed sub-frame responsive to one or more of said drive values for the sub-frame; and driving said display to display said temporal sub-frames for respective said sub-frame display times. |
| US08564504B2 |
Pixel array and driving method thereof
A pixel array including scan lines, data lines and pixels is provided. Scan lines extend along a row direction and include first and second scan lines. The first and second scan lines are arranged alternately along a column direction. Data lines extend along the column direction in a zigzag manner and include a first data line, a second data line connected to the first data line, a third data line disposed between the first and second data lines, and a fourth data line connected to the third data line. The pixels connect with corresponding scan lines and data lines. Pixels connected with the same data line are not aligned in the column direction; pixels connected with the same data line are only arranged at the same side of the data line. Pixels of any two adjacent rows are separated by a first scan line and a second scan line. |
| US08564503B2 |
Protective screen
The present invention generally relates to a screen 1 of the type including a visor 2 whit variable transparency as a function of the extent of the electrical values measurable at its power supply clips 3. The visor 2 is power supplied by a respective electric source with the possible interposition of appropriate devices 4 for the control and management of the electrical values of the power supplied. The liquid crystal visor 2 is flexible to be adapted to the surfaces of installation and the electrical power source includes at least a photovoltaic cell 5. |
| US08564501B2 |
Image display system
An image display system that includes an image supply device, a projector, and a network for connecting the image supply device and the projector. When images are supplied to the projector via the network from the image supply device, the images are projected by the projector. When projecting and displaying a second image having a second image size based on a first image having a first image size in a projection screen of the projector, the image supply device generates supplied image data including first image data for representing the first image, position data for indicating the display position of the second image in the projection screen, and second image size data for indicating the second image size, and also supplies this to the projector via the network. By doing this, increases in network traffic for the image display system are suppressed. |
| US08564499B2 |
Apparatus and system for a double gimbal stabilization platform
An apparatus and system are disclosed for a double gimbal stabilization platform. The apparatus, in one embodiment, includes a base and a first pivot joint connected to the base. The apparatus also includes a bent gimbal structure connected to the first pivot joint. The first pivot joint may rotate the bent gimbal structure about a first axis of rotation. The apparatus includes a second pivot joint connected to the bent gimbal structure. The apparatus includes a platform connected to the second pivot joint. The second pivot joint may rotate the platform around a second axis of rotation and the second axis of rotation may be orthogonal to the first axis of rotation. Furthermore, a center of mass for a combination of the bent gimbal structure and the platform may be between the base and the first axis of rotation. |
| US08564495B2 |
Portable terminal
A portable terminal is discussed. An embodiment of the portable terminal includes a portable terminal comprising a terminal body and a hybrid antenna mounted in the terminal body and having a plurality of antennas of different shapes wherein the hybrid antenna includes a first antenna having one or more dielectric chips, a third radiation patch formed on a first surface of the dielectric chip configured to operate at a first band, a feed pad formed on a second surface of the dielectric chip and the feed pad configured to feed the third radiation patch, and one or more ground pads arranged on the second surface of the dielectric chip located at a predetermined distance from the feed pad and a second antenna connected to the feed pad, and configured to operate at a second band higher than the first band. |
| US08564493B2 |
Y-type hexagonal ferrite, fabrication method thereof, and antenna apparatus using the same
A method of making Y-type hexagonal ferrite and an antenna using the same are provided. Y-type hexagonal ferrite includes a base ferrite composed of iron oxide, barium carbonate and cobalt oxide, and silicate glass ranging from 0.5 to 5 weight percent added to 100 weight percent of base ferrite. An antenna apparatus includes a magnetic carrier and an antenna pattern formed thereon. The magnetic carrier is formed of such Y-type hexagonal ferrite, and the antenna pattern resonates in a specific frequency band when electric power is supplied. To fabricate the Y-type hexagonal ferrite, a calcination process is performed in which iron oxide, barium carbonate and cobalt oxide are combined into base ferrite at a given calcination temperature after being mixed. A sintering process is performed to sinter the base ferrite and the silicate glass at a given sintering temperature which is lower than the calcination temperature after adding the silicate glass to the base ferrite. |
| US08564492B2 |
Horn antenna including integrated electronics and associated method
An antenna device includes a housing having a plurality of printed circuit board (PCB) panels connected together with folded joints therebetween to define a polyhedral shape having a first open end. Each of the PCB panels includes a dielectric substrate and an electrically conductive layer thereon inside of the housing. Wireless communication circuitry is mounted on at least one of the plurality of PCB panels outside the housing, and an antenna feed is connected to the wireless communication circuitry adjacent a second end opposite the first open end of the housing. |
| US08564487B2 |
Mobile wireless communications device having dual antenna system for cellular and WiFi
A mobile wireless communications device includes a housing and circuit board carried by the housing. Radio Frequency (RF) circuitry is mounted on the circuit board. A first antenna is supported by the circuit board within the housing and operatively connected to the RF circuitry and configured for cellular phone communications. A second antenna is supported by the circuit board within the housing and operatively connected to the RF circuitry and configured for WiFi communications. The second antenna comprises an inverted-F or monopole antenna having an opening gap that is pointed away from the first antenna. |
| US08564484B2 |
Planar dual polarization antenna
A planar dual polarization antenna for receiving and transmitting radio signals includes a ground metal plate, a first dielectric board formed on the ground metal plate, and a first patch plate formed on the first dielectric board with a shape substantially conforming to a cross pattern. |
| US08564479B2 |
GNSS satellite frequency is in GNSS assistance data standards
Systems and methods are provided to allow for the use of existing satellite identification parameters generically, so as to allow for Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) identification. In addition, an optional or conditional parameter is linked to the satellite identification parameter for a frequency identification, where frequency identification is indicative of a Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) frequency value. Such a frequency identification parameter is optional as it is needed only for current GLONASS and/or near-future GLONASS (e.g., GLONASS-M) satellites. Hence, utilization of the frequency identification parameter maybe unnecessary and therefore, not included/not linked when considering next generation GLONASS satellites, e.g., GLONASS-K satellites. Additionally, signals supported by particular global positioning system (GPS) satellites can be indicated with the use of generic satellite identification. |
| US08564474B2 |
Method and program for setting threshold, and method, program and device for detecting target object
This disclosure provides a method of setting a threshold according to a level of an echo signal of an unused component. The echo signals are generated by transmitting and receiving a radio wave with an antenna while the antenna revolves. The method of setting the threshold includes calculating a difference value between a level of the echo signal at an observing position and a level of the echo signal at a position comparatively on the antenna side and close to the observing position, selecting a process for setting a threshold from either one of a first threshold setting process and a second threshold setting process according to the difference value, and updating the threshold for the observing position by using the selected threshold setting processing. |
| US08564472B2 |
Sheet member for improving communication, and antenna device and electronic information transmitting apparatus provided therewith
In one embodiment of the present invention, a conductive pattern portion formed in a pattern layer functions as an antenna, and, when electromagnetic waves at a predetermined frequency arrive, resonance occurs, and an electromagnetic wave of a specific frequency is introduced into a sheet member. As to the sheet member having the pattern layer, even in a small and thin sheet member, the phase of reflected waves from the reflection area can be adjusted, and thus an area having high electric field intensity due to interference between reflected waves from the reflection area and arriving electromagnetic waves can be set in the vicinity of the antenna element. When the sheet member is disposed between an antenna element and a communication jamming member, an electromagnetic field is generated around the conductive pattern portion, and an electromagnetic energy is supplied from the conductive pattern portion to the antenna element, and therefore receiving power of the antenna element can be increased. Accordingly, wireless communication can be suitably performed. |
| US08564462B2 |
Digital correction techniques for data converters
A method and apparatus is disclosed to compensate for impairments within a data converter such that its output is a more accurate representation of its input. The data converter includes a main data converter, a reference data converter, and a correction module. The main data converter may be characterized as having the impairments. As a result, the output of the main data converter is not the most accurate representation of its input. The reference data converter is designed such that the impairments are not present. The correction module estimates the impairments present within the main data converter using its output and the reference data converter to generate corrections coefficients. The correction module adjusts the output of the main data converter using the corrections coefficients to improve the performance of the data converter. |
| US08564461B2 |
Handheld electronic device and associated method enabling text input in a language employing non-roman characters
A handheld device includes a plurality of input members, a first set of which each have a Roman character assigned thereto, a least some of which have a first non-Roman, second non-Roman character, and third non-Roman characters assigned thereto. The device is switchable between first and second modes. In the first mode, each Roman character may be input in response to actuation of the input member to which it is assigned, and in the second mode, each first non-Roman character may be input in response to a first type of actuation of the input member to which it is assigned, each second non-Roman character may input in response to a second type of actuation of the input member to which it is assigned, and each third non-Roman character may be input in response to a third type of actuation of the input member to which it is assigned. |
| US08564454B2 |
Information providing system, information center, in-vehicle device and information providing method
An information providing system (1) for providing a passenger with information includes an in-vehicle device (30) installed in an electric vehicle (EVn), wherein the passenger is provided with the information via the in-vehicle device (30). The in-vehicle device (30) includes a notifier (38) for notifying the passenger of a congested state of a charge station candidate (CS1). The notifying is implemented by estimating (42) of the congested state of the charge station candidate (CS1) at a time point when an own electric vehicle (EV1) reaches the charge station candidate (CS1) which is a charge station (CS) reachable with a state-of-charge (SOC) of the own electric vehicle (EV1), and the estimating (42) is implemented based on: position information and the state-of-charge (SOC) of the own electric vehicle (EV1), and position information and a state-of-charge (SOC) of another electric vehicle (EV2-EVn) which is present around the charge station candidate (CS1). |
| US08564452B2 |
Radio-frequency identification (RFID) safety system
A system and method for alerting operators of mobile equipment to the presence of people in monitored areas around the periphery of the mobile equipment they are operating is provided. The system includes an RFID detection system which is installed on the mobile equipment and alerts the operator to the presence of people wearing Personal Protection Equipment containing RFID safety tags. The system also includes a tag programming system which allows RFID safety tags to be created. The system also includes a tag testing system which allows a person to test the functionality of the RFID safety tags contained in the personal safety equipment they are wearing. The system also includes RFID personal safety equipment such as 3D safety vests and RFID hardhats which contains RFID safety tags. The 3D safety vests also include enhanced 3D visual markings. |
| US08564448B2 |
Portable computer system
A portable computer system including a battery, a power switch and a computer unit is provided. The battery provides a supply signal to the power switch. The computer unit includes an embedded controller (EC), a driver and a user interface device. The EC determines whether the battery satisfies a low power condition according to the supply signal. If so, the EC provides a driving supply signal. The driver determines whether the supply signal satisfies a low voltage condition according to the driving supply signal. If so, the driver triggers an alert event. The user interface device triggers a user notification event according to the alert event. The power switch is further turned on/off in response to an operation event for respectively providing the supply signal to power the computer unit and put the computer unit in a power cut-off state. |
| US08564447B2 |
Battery life indication techniques for an electronic device
A portable electronic device, such as a fluid infusion device, obtains its operating power from a primary battery and a secondary battery. The primary battery may be a replaceable battery, and the secondary battery may be a rechargeable battery that can be charged with the primary battery under certain conditions. The device utilizes a power management scheme that transitions between the primary battery and/or the secondary battery to prolong the useful life of the primary battery. The device may also generate an intelligent battery life indicator that displays an accurate representation of the remaining life of the primary battery. |
| US08564446B2 |
System and method for reducing driving risk with foresight
A system for creating a coaching session comprises one or more processors and one or more memories. The one or more processors are in communication with the event detector and configured to: receive data of a driving event from an event detector associated with a vehicle; analyze the driving event data to identify risky driving behavior; and create a coaching session in order to reduce the identified risky driving behavior. The coaching session incorporates at least a portion of the data of the driving event. The one or more memories are coupled to the one or more processors and configured to provide the one or more processors instructions. |
| US08564443B2 |
Attention assistance device and method
An attention assistance device for providing attention assistance including various features that help maintain a user's focus on a given task. The attention assistance device may include an activity sensor that generates an activity output in response to detection of a user generated activity. The attention assistance device may also have a timer that increments a counter at regular time intervals, resets the counter in response to the activity output, and generates a timer output when the counter reaches a threshold. Further, the attention assistance device may include a stimulation unit that alerts a user in response to the timer output. |
| US08564442B2 |
Radio frequency identification (RFID) label and method for making the label
The invention consists in an RFID label consisting of at least: one functional layer comprising at least one electronic component, one antenna connected to the electronic component; one upper layer; one lower layer having an adhesive surface; wherein the upper and lower layers consist of one or more materials capable of resisting to ultraviolet radiation and/or of filtering the ultraviolet radiation. The invention also includes the method for manufacturing the RFID label and the machine applying the method for manufacturing the RFID label. |
| US08564440B2 |
RFID system, RFID cable system, and RFID cable laying method
When an RFID is attached to an object to assist testing operations, the following problems are encountered; (1) the RFID of write type tends to cause a failure and is troublesome due to the necessity of rewrite each time the situation is changed, (2) the incorporation of the reader function in a terminal block increases the cost, and (3) the known techniques are targeted for only the connecting operation and are not adapted for a sequence test that takes the most expense in time and effort. The operations are aided by using an RFID reader and a terminal having the function for accessing a database of circuit information, RFID information, and test procedure information. |
| US08564439B2 |
Microstrip antenna for RFID device
Microstrip patch antenna (46), feed structure (48), and matching circuit (50) designs for an RFID tag (10). A balanced feed design using balanced feeds coupled by a shorting stub (56) to create a virtual short between the two feeds so as to eliminate the need for physically connecting the substrate to the ground plane. A dual feed structure design using a four-terminal IC can be connected to two antennas (46a,46b) resonating at different frequencies so as to provide directional and polarization diversity. A combined near-field/far-field design using a microstrip antenna providing electromagnetic coupling for far-field operation, and a looping matching circuit providing inductive coupling for near-field operation. A dual-antenna design using first and second microstrip antennas providing directional diversity when affixed to a cylindrical or conical object, and a protective superstrate (66). An annular antenna (46c) design for application to the top of a metal cylinder around a stem. |
| US08564437B2 |
Security systems and methods
A system for providing security for an electronic device comprising an embeddable security device and a remote portable device. In operation, when the embeddable security device and the remote portable device are proximate to each other, the embeddable security component will not trigger an external alarm system. However, when the two devices are not proximate, the embeddable security device is configured to emit a signal that activates the external alarm system. |
| US08564436B2 |
Wallet
A wallet includes semi-rigid first and second portions each having outer and inner sides, the second portion being hingedly coupled to the first portion whereby the second portion is movable relative to the first portion to define open and closed configurations. The first portion inner side includes a pocket. A foldable changing pad is operatively coupled to at least one of the first portion and the second portion. A flexible container is positioned proximate one of the first portion and the second portion, the container having a bottom and at least one wall extending upwardly from the bottom that are movable between collapsed and expanded configurations defining a reservoir for holding a liquid therein, the at least one wall defining an outlet. A lid is removably coupled to the container outlet. A liquid delivery member is coupled to the lid for selectively transferring the liquid through the lid. |
| US08564426B2 |
Method and system for tuning the effect of vehicle characteristics on risk prediction
A system for evaluating risk in driving comprises a processor and a memory. The processor is configured to determine whether a spacial motion data does not fall within the vehicle profile and, in the event that the spacial motion data does not fall within the vehicle profile, to change class/type assignment associated with the vehicle and to modify a trigger threshold associated with an event detector that monitors the spacial motion data. The memory is coupled to the processor and is configured to provide the processor with instructions. |
| US08564425B2 |
Blind spot monitoring system
A blind spot monitoring and visual display for a motor vehicle includes a pair of side mounted rear view mirrors with one of the rear view mirrors mounted on each side of the motor vehicle. The system also includes a pair of electronic or ultrasonic sensors with one of the sensors disposed on an outer edge of each of the mirrors and each of said sensors constructed and arranged to monitor the blind spots on each side of the motor vehicle. The system also includes a pair of warning lights with one of the warning lights disposed on an inner edge of each of the mirrors to indicate that there is another vehicle in one of the blind spots. In addition, there is a third sensor for sensing the position of the steering wheel or front wheels of the motor vehicle and an audio alarm for warning a driver that there is another motor vehicle in the area that he is moving into to avoid an eminent accident. |
| US08564422B2 |
Vehicle safety device
A vehicle safety system that provides an improved line of sight for oncoming traffic as the vehicle is backed out of a parking space. A set of rear side looking cameras input video information to a display used by the vehicle driver. The cameras are positioned on the rear side portion of the vehicle and are directed generally to traffic coming from the rear left or right side of the vehicle. The camera is automatically activated when the transmission is placed in reverse. The camera video is input to a driver display that allows the driver to view oncoming traffic before the vehicle backs into the traffic lane. The system can also be used to monitor blind spots when a turn signal is activated prior to a lane change. |
| US08564420B2 |
Control module with connection devices for connection to connection terminals of a load feeder and load feeder
A control module with connection devices for connection to connection terminals of a load feeder is disclosed. The control module may include a device interface for at least one connection, the interface being independent of the bus system, with a shut-off element able to be connected to the at least one connection device and with the load feeder able to be shut off by way of the shut-off element independently of the bus system. The control module may be plugged into connection terminals of the load feeder. |
| US08564419B2 |
Wake-up control system and method for controlling receiver wake-up
A wake-up control system comprises a plurality of different signal analyzer units. The plurality of different signal analyzer units may process a value of a different parameter of an incoming signal received at an input of a receiver and provide a false wake-up indication for the parameter when the value of the parameter is outside an acceptance range for the value. The system further comprises an evaluation unit connected to the plurality of different signal analyzer units for receiving the false wake-up indications. The evaluation unit may provide a false wake-up parameter information identifying an identified parameter of the different parameters when a sum of the false wake-up indications is outside an occurrence range for the false wake-up indications for the identified parameter. |
| US08564418B2 |
Remote controller
A remote controller 2, which is removably mountable in a remote control holder 13 of an onboard display 1, includes a power supply (battery 201) having a light emitting element (LED 202) for illuminating buttons. A control unit (microprocessor 203) of the remote controller 2 detects a mounted or unmounted state of the remote controller 2, and switches the control method of the luminance for light emitting element for illuminating buttons in accordance with the mounted or unmounted state detected. |
| US08564416B2 |
Systems and methods for automated programming of RFID tags using machine readable indicia
Methods and systems for automatically programming an RFID tag using machine readable indicia. A dual mode device performs a bar code scan of a bar coded label. Information obtained from the bar code scan is stored. This information may be used to query a database indexed by the bar code information that contains detailed product information. The bar code information as well as the detailed information may be transmitted in an RF signal by the dual mode device to an RFID tag to be stored in a memory structure in the tag. The dual mode device may perform a read operation on the tag after the write operation to confirm that the data was successfully stored and provide an indication thereof. The indication may be a visual indication, a textual indication, an audible indication or combinations of these. |
| US08564415B2 |
User grouping apparatus and user grouping method
An RFID aggregate storage stores a radio-frequency ID aggregate structure. The RFID aggregate structure is an aggregated data structure of a plurality of RFIDs, in which each RFID is associated with a location and time read out from a RFID tag, and RFID related information, hierarchically constructed by classifying RFIDs based on the readout location and further by classifying them based on the readout time. A proximity evaluator evaluates the proximity between the first user's RF ID aggregate and the second user's RFID aggregate. A user classifier classifies the first user and the second user in one group when the proximity is smaller than a predetermined threshold value. |
| US08564414B2 |
Using tags to modify program behavior
A first electronic device (201) can gather information about itself or another electronic device (206, 208), which is preferably situated within a same room of a user premises. This information can come from an RF-ID tag (204, 207, 209) or other transmitter. The information can relate to a state or identity of the other device. The first electronic device can alter program behavior (309, 409, 509) in response to the state or identity. The program might be an entertainment type program or a software type program. The information can be used to select brand specific program code (604, 605, 606) for execution. |
| US08564407B2 |
Universal infrared receiving apparatus and associated method
A universal infrared receiving apparatus is provided. The universal infrared receiving apparatus includes a slicer, a non-volatile memory, a volatile memory and a comparison apparatus. The slicer slices a remote control command waveform into digital waveform data. The non-volatile memory pre-stores target waveform data. The volatile memory stores the digital waveform data and the target waveform data. The comparison apparatus, coupled to the volatile memory, compares the digital waveform data and the target waveform data to generate a comparison result. |
| US08564404B2 |
Franchise add-on system, user operation terminal and store front stock shelf and backyard stock shelf used therefor, and computer program used therefor
A store front stock shelf 300 installed together with a sales processing device 200 at a position of cash register detects a stock status of cigarette packs STP housed therein, and produces store front stock data SSD. A user operation terminal 100 installed together with the sales processing device 200 at the position of cash register acquires, from the store front stock shelf 300, store front stock data SSD of cigarette packs STP selected on the commodity selection screen TSG displayed in a switchable manner in response to enter operation by the ordinary user, and makes the touch panel display, in a switchable manner, a commodity selection screen TSG presenting “in stock” if the cigarette packs STP are in stock. In this way, a franchise add-on system capable of simplifying and smoothening purchase of even over-the-counter commodities not readily accessible by the ordinary users, such as cigarette packs STP, and capable of improving LTV and retention, can be provided. |
| US08564398B2 |
Signal strength detection for identifying interference with communications controller and controlled devices
Disclosed is an apparatus and method for identifying a source or sources of noise that interferes or potentially interfere with communications between a remote and a receiver. The noise source may be detected through the operation of a noise detector which is integrated as a component of a remote. The remote may be configured to operate in one of two modes. In a first mode, the remote may convey commands inputted by a user from the remote to the receiver. In a second mode the receiver may operate as a noise detector device. |
| US08564397B2 |
Structure and method for attaching tactile sensor to curved surface
The present invention relates to a structure for attaching tactile sensors to a curved surface, comprising a sensor fixing unit configured to have at least part of one surface curved and to have a plurality of sensor insertion grooves, crossing each other, formed in the one surface in a matrix form; tactile sensor units formed in a matrix form, inserted into the respective sensor insertion grooves, and configured to detect external force; sealing units configured to seal the respective sensor insertion grooves; and a support unit configured to come in contact with one face of the sealing units or the sensor fixing units and to support the sensor fixing units. Accordingly, the tactile sensors can be easily attached to a curved surface, and mass production is possible. |
| US08564391B2 |
Paint composition, in particular anti-corrosive paint for rare earth permanent magnets
A paint composition, in particular an anti-corrosive paint, for rare earth permanent magnets, has an epoxy resin mixture, a curing accelerator, an epoxy-functional adhesion promoter based on silane and a solvent. Due to the paint compositions, rare earth permanent magnets can be bonded simultaneously to a magnet system in a one method step and can be protected against corrosion. Due to the anti-corrosive paint, magnet systems which have excellent anti-corrosion properties, a satisfactory adhesive strength even at high temperatures and display good electric insulation properties, are provided. |
| US08564389B2 |
Electromagnetic circuit interrupter
In one aspect, the present invention provides an electromagnetic circuit interrupter for use in a high voltage direct current (DC) aircraft power distribution system. The electromagnetic circuit interrupter comprises a contact mechanism operable to separate first and second electrical contacts by a first predetermined distance d1 for a predetermined time τ so as to sustain an arc when the contact mechanism is opened. The contact mechanism is further operable to separate the first and second electrical contacts by a second predetermined distance d2 after the predetermined time τ so as to extinguish the arc. The first predetermined distance d1 is less than said second predetermined distance d2. By deliberately sustaining the arc for a relatively long period of time, this aspect of the present invention is particularly useful for extending the operational lifetime of the contacts and thereby of the electromagnetic circuit interrupter itself. |
| US08564387B1 |
Thermally tolerant anchor configuration for a circular cantilever
A micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) includes a substrate onto which a first conductive pad and a second conductive pad are formed. A conductive anchor coupled to the first conductive pad is a semi-circular frame that includes a first radial tab and a second radial tab. A conductive cantilever disc has a first end portion, a middle portion, and a second end portion. The first end portion of the conductive cantilever disc is coupled to the first radial tab and the second radial tab of the conductive anchor. The second end portion of the conductive cantilever disc is suspended over the second conductive pad with the middle portion being between the first end portion and the second end portion. A conductive actuator plate is formed onto the substrate at a location beneath the middle portion of the cantilever disc and between the first conductive pad and the second conductive pad. |
| US08564381B2 |
Method and apparatus for adaptive impedance matching
A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, an adaptive impedance matching network having an RF matching network coupled to at least one RF input port and at least one RF output port and comprising one or more controllable variable reactive elements. The RF matching network can be adapted to reduce a level of reflected power transferred from said at least one input port by varying signals applied to said controllable variable reactive elements. The one or more controllable variable reactive elements can be coupled to a circuit adapted to map one or more control signals that are output from a controller to a signal range that is compatible with said one or more controllable variable reactive elements. Additional embodiments are disclosed. |
| US08564377B2 |
MEMS oscillator
A piezoresistive MEMS oscillator uses an output circuit to control the voltage across the resonator body. This results in a DC bias of the resonator. A current path is provided between the output of the output circuit and the resonator body, such that changes in current through or voltage across the resonator body, resulting from changes in resistance of the resonator body, are coupled to the output. This arrangement uses the bias current flowing through the resonator to derive the output. In this way, the same DC current is used to provide the required DC resonator bias and to drive the output circuit to its DC operating point. |
| US08564376B2 |
Physical section of atomic oscillator
A physical section of an atomic oscillator includes: a gas cell in which gaseous metal atoms are sealed, and the gas cell includes a first window having optical transparency; a light source that emits excitation light toward the metal atoms through the first window; a first heating unit that disposes at the first window and that is located between the first window and the light source; and a Peltier element that is stacked on the first heating unit, that is located between the first heating unit and the light source, and that decreases a temperature of a side of the Peltier element facing the light source than a temperature of an opposite side of the Peltier element facing the gas cell. |
| US08564375B2 |
Methods and apparatus for self-trim calibration of an oscillator
In one general aspect, an apparatus can include a reference oscillator counter circuit configured to produce a reference oscillator count value based on a reference oscillator signal, and a target oscillator counter circuit configured to produce a target oscillator count value based on a target oscillator signal where the target oscillator signal has a frequency targeted for calibration against a frequency of the reference oscillator signal. The apparatus can include a difference circuit configured to calculate a difference between the reference oscillator counter value and the target oscillator counter value, and a summation circuit configured to define a trim code based on only a portion of bit values from the difference. |
| US08564369B2 |
Linear amplifier
There is provided a linear amplifier capable of suppressing a reduction in bandwidth and reducing a ripple voltage by using a source follower and a local feedback loop. The linear amplifier includes an amplifier amplifying an input signal according to a difference in signal level between the input signal and a feedback signal, and a buffer buffering a signal amplified in the amplifier by a source follow method, suppressing a reduction in bandwidth of the signal, outputting the signal, and providing the bufferred signal to the amplifier as the feedback signal. |
| US08564367B2 |
Power amplifier
The invention relates to improving the performance of load modulation power amplifiers through the use of coupled transmission line-based power combiners. Exemplary embodiments disclosed include a power amplifier comprising an input connected to first and second amplifier stages and an output stage configured to combine phase shifted amplified outputs from the first and second amplifier stages and to provide an amplified signal at an output of the power amplifier, wherein the output stage comprises coupled first and second transmission lines connected between the output of the first amplifier stage and an output load connection. |
| US08564366B2 |
High-frequency power amplifier device
Disclosed is a high-frequency power amplifier device capable of reducing a talk current. For example, the high-frequency power amplifier device has first and second power amplifier circuits, first and second transmission lines, and a region in which the first and second transmission lines are disposed close to each other. Either the first or second power amplifier circuit becomes activated in accordance with an output level. When the second power amplifier circuit is activated, currents flowing in the first and second transmission lines are transmitted in the same direction so that magnetic coupling occurs to strengthen each transmission line's magnetic force. When, on the other hand, the first power amplifier circuit is activated, currents flowing in the first and second transmission lines are transmitted in the opposite directions so that magnetic coupling occurs to weaken each transmission line's magnetic force. |
| US08564363B1 |
Pulse filter and bridge driver using the same
A pulse filter and a bridge driver using the same, the pulse filter including: a first NMOS transistor, having a drain coupled to a first PMOS transistor for providing a reset signal, a gate coupled to a second reset signal, and a source coupled to a second set signal; a second NMOS transistor, having a drain coupled to a second PMOS transistor for providing a set signal, a gate coupled to the second set signal, and a source coupled to the second reset signal; a third NMOS transistor, having a drain coupled to the second set signal, a gate coupled to the second reset signal, and a source coupled to a second power line; and a fourth NMOS transistor, having a drain coupled to the second reset signal, a gate coupled to the second set signal, and a source coupled to the second power line. |
| US08564362B2 |
Filter circuit, semiconductor integrated circuit, communication apparatus, semiconductor device, and system
A filter circuit includes two parallel digital filters, a DAC, and an LPF. The DAC includes two parallel decoders, a parallel-to-serial converter, a switch driver, and a switch. A PLL circuit supplies a reference clock to the DAC. A frequency divider provided in the DAC divides the frequency of the reference clock by two, and supplies the half frequency clock to a parallel processing section (the two decoders and the parallel-to-serial converter) of the DAC and the two digital filters. This makes it easy to secure a timing margin, permitting use in high-speed communication on the order of several GHz. |
| US08564356B2 |
Method and apparatus for clock calibration in a clocked digital device
Methods and apparatuses provide a clocked digital device having dynamically adjustable operating characteristics. The digital device comprises a digital clock management (“DCM”) circuit in which the amount of delay between receipt of an active edge of a clock signal at the input of the DCM circuit and appearance of an active edge of another clock signal at the output of the DCM circuit depends on a phase adjustment signal applied to the DCM circuit's phase adjust input. A phase adjustment circuit provides the phase adjustment signal to the DCM circuit's phase adjust input for controlling the amount of the delay between the clock signal at the input of the DCM circuit and the clock signal at the output of the DCM circuit. |
| US08564354B2 |
Circuits and methods for latch-tracking pulse generation
Circuits and methods for latch-tracking pulse generation across process, voltage and temperature (PVT) variations are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving a clock input at a pulse generation circuit and generating a pulse at the pulse generation circuit in response to the clock input. The method further includes distributing the pulse to a mimic latch, which writes a mimic storage node through a mimic storage circuit of the mimic latch in response to the pulse. The method further includes terminating generation of the pulse at the pulse generation circuit in response to a transition of the mimic storage node. The method may include receiving a clock enable input at a pulse control circuit coupled to the pulse generation circuit and either suppressing or allowing generation of a pulse in response to a value of the clock enable input. |
| US08564353B2 |
Temperature sensitive device for generating a temperature-dependent output signal that is substantially independent of device manufacturing process
A temperature sensitive device includes a first delay unit generating a first delayed signal, a second delay unit generating a second delayed signal, a difference generating unit generating an indication signal according to the first delayed signal and the second delayed signal, and a processing unit generating an output signal that is dependent on the temperature sensed by the temperature sensitive device and substantially independent of the manufacturing process of the temperature sensitive device. |
| US08564352B2 |
High-resolution phase interpolators
A phase interpolator circuit is provided that generates an output clock signal by interpolating between phases of first and second clock signals. Interpolation is performed by detecting an edge of the first clock signal and applying a first current to charge a capacitance of an output node to a voltage level which is less than or equal to a switching threshold of a voltage comparator, and detecting an edge of the second clock signal and applying a second current to charge the capacitance of the output node to a voltage level which exceeds the switching threshold of the voltage comparator. The magnitude of the first current is varied to adjust a timing at which the capacitance of the output node is charged to a voltage level that exceeds the switching threshold of the voltage comparator and to adjust a phase of the output clock signal output from the voltage comparator. |
| US08564351B2 |
Clock phase compensation for adjusted voltage circuits
Clock phases of clock signals in a dual clock tree are adjusted to compensate for variances in propagation delays of buffers in the clock tree. A first input clock and a second input clock are generated with the second input clock having a phase that is programmably shifted relative to the first input clock when the system is operating at a lowered operating voltage or different temperature, for example. The first and second input clocks are coupled to a dually clocked flip flop, each having a primary latch and a secondary latch. A composite clock signal is generated in response to the first input clock and the second input clock. For example, a first signal is latched in the primary latch in response to the composite clock signal and a second signal is latched in the secondary latch in response to the first input clock signal. |
| US08564348B1 |
Clock generator for generating output clock having non-harmonic relationship with input clock and related clock generating method thereof
A clock generator has an oscillator block and an output block. The oscillator block provides a second clock of multiple phases, and includes an oscillator and a delay locked loop (DLL). The oscillator is used to provide a first clock. The DLL is used to generate the second clock according to the first clock. The output block is used to receive the second clock and generate a third clock by selecting signals from the multiple phases, wherein the third clock has non-harmonic relationship the first clock. |
| US08564346B2 |
Non-overlapping clock generation
Techniques for generating precise non-overlap time and clock phase delay time across a desired frequency range are provided. A non-overlapping clock generation circuit comprises a delay lock loop (DLL) circuit that generates a control voltage to a clock generator circuit coupled thereto. The control voltage operates to maintain precise timing relationship of non-overlapping delayed clock signals generated by the clock generator circuit. In one aspect, the DLL circuit receives an input clock with a known duty cycle and derives an output control voltage to fix the unit delay to a certain portion of the input clock cycle. The clock generator circuit may also include voltage-controlled delay cells that generate sets of clock signals delayed from one another by a non-overlapping time (tnlp). |
| US08564344B2 |
Phase-locked loop control voltage determination
A method and circuit is provided for determining a control voltage of a voltage controlled oscillator with fast frequency lock of a phase-locked loop and which is advantageous to the situation when an ultra-low frequency reference is used. The method and circuit determines a current error between a reference clock signal and a feedback clock signal, and checks if the error is larger than the threshold value which checks if an error sign indicator is set, i.e. the error has switched sign since startup of feedback loop; if the error sign indicator is not set, the circuit determines a divisor, kn, using the current error, en, current control voltage, un, previous error en−1, and previous control voltage, un−1; however, if the error sign indicator is set the circuit determines a divisor, kn, using stored values for the latest control voltage and error when the error was negative and stored values for the latest control voltage and error when the error was positive; furthermore, the method and circuit determines a control voltage step using the determined error divided by the divisor, kn, and determines a new control voltage using the current control voltage, un, and the determined control voltage step. |
| US08564342B2 |
Reference clock compensation for fractional-N phase lock loops (PLLs)
In one embodiment, a method includes determining a phase difference between a reference clock and a feedback clock in even and odd cycles for a phase lock loop (PLL). The even and odd cycles are alternating clock periods. A delta value based on the phase difference is determined. The method then adjusts a division value used by a divider to generate the feedback clock during the even cycle based on the delta value where the delta value is of a first polarity. Also, the method adjusts the division value used by the divider to generate the feedback clock during the odd cycle based on the delta value where the delta value is of a second polarity. |
| US08564338B2 |
Switchable load for initializing an output voltage of a power supply
A conductive transistor switch has a collector that applies a reset pulse to an electronic circuit. A pull-up resistor is coupled between the collector of the transistor switch and a power supply voltage developed in a filter capacitor that energizes the electronic circuit. Proper reset operation requires the output supply voltage not to exceed, for example, 0.2 volts, during at least a portion of the reset operation. The user initiates the reset pulse that momentarily disables a power supply for ceasing the generation of the output supply voltage when the reset operation is performed. The value of the resistor is selected to be sufficiently low such that when the transistor switch is conductive, the discharge of the filter capacitor via the pull-up resistor is speeded up for completing the discharge of the filter capacitor in no more than, for example, 2 seconds to provide a maximum level of the output supply voltage that is no more than 5% of its normal operation voltage level. |
| US08564337B2 |
Clock tree insertion delay independent interface
Disclosed herein is a multi-clock interface, an integrated circuit and a module thereof having the multi-clock interface and a library having cells corresponding to the above noted circuitry. In one embodiment the multi-clock interface includes: (1) a multi-clock reset synchronizer configured to receive a first external clock signal and a second external clock signal that is a multiple of the first clock signal, the reset synchronizer configured to synchronize a reset of both the first and second external clock signals and based thereon generate a reset release signal and (2) a multi-phase clock generator configured to receive the reset release signal and the second clock signal, the multi-phase clock generator configured to generate multiple clock phases from the second clock signal based on the reset release signal. |
| US08564332B2 |
Automatic clock-activity based chip/IO ring design—a novel architecture to reduce standby consumption
A circuit including an input configured to receive a clock signal. Detection circuitry may be configured to detect if the clock signal is present on the input. An output is configured to provide a control signal having a first level if the clock signal is present on the input and a second level if the clock signal is absent from the input. |
| US08564330B1 |
Methods and systems for high frequency clock distribution
In accordance with some embodiments, a method for high frequency clock distribution in a VLSI system includes splitting an original master clock signal into one or more pairs of lower-frequency sub-clocks for a destination in the VLSI system, distributing each lower-frequency sub-clock of the one or more pairs of lower-frequency sub-clocks to a corresponding channel coupled to the destination, and reconstructing a reference master clock signal at the destination from the one or more pairs of lower-frequency sub-clocks, wherein the reconstructed reference master clock signal replicates the original master clock signal. |
| US08564326B2 |
Circuit and method to control slew rate of a current-mode logic output driver
A method is provided for selecting at least one of a plurality of slew rate control settings based at least upon a speed of data transmission and receiving input data where the input data is received at the data transmission speed. The method also includes switching the received input data in accordance with the selected at least one of a plurality of slew rate control settings and sending output data at the data transmission speed. Also provided is data driver device that includes at least one activation portion comprising one or more slew rate controls, a voltage-mode driver portion and at least a first current-mode driver portion. Also provided is a computer readable storage device encoded with data for adapting a manufacturing facility to create the data driver device. Also provided is a system including the data driver device, a data storage device and a processor device. |
| US08564323B2 |
Circuit arrangement and method for testing a reset circuit
A circuit arrangement (10) for testing a reset circuit (11) comprises the reset circuit (11) and a changeover switch (14). The reset circuit comprises a voltage input (12) for feeding an input voltage (VDD) and an output (13) for providing a reset signal (POR) as a function of the input voltage (VDD). The changeover switch (14) comprises a first input (15) for feeding a test voltage (VTM), a second input (16) for feeding a supply voltage (VBAT), a control input (17) for changing over between the first and the second input (15, 16) as a function of the test signal (TM), and an output (18) that is coupled to the voltage input (12) of the reset circuit (11). |
| US08564317B2 |
Test socket, and test apparatus with test socket to control a temperature of an object to be tested
A test socket is provided that includes a socket body to receive an object to be tested, a lid disposed on the socket body, one or more pushers coupled to a first surface of lid to apply force to a first surface of the object toward the socket body, and a temperature controlling member to provide a temperature to the object. A semiconductor package may be tested in a test apparatus that includes the test socket, the methods of testing including receiving a semiconductor package in a socket in a test chamber, applying a first temperature to the test chamber to test the semiconductor package at a first test temperature, and applying a second temperature to the semiconductor package to test the semiconductor package at a second test temperature by controlling the application of the second temperature with the socket. |
| US08564316B2 |
Gem tester
A gem tester for testing a gem under test and a kit including a horizontal recharging stand are disclosed. In one embodiment of the gem tester, an elongated body has a line-of-sight contour tapering from a bulbous end to a radially deviating frontal nose having a probe extending therefrom. Internal circuitry measures electrical and thermal conductivity of the gem under test in order to identify the type of gem under test and drive a color control signal in response thereto. A luminescent mounting extends about the contact to provide, in response to the control signal, a color indication of the identified gem type. |
| US08564313B1 |
Capacitive field sensor with sigma-delta modulator
A capacitive sensor includes a switching capacitor circuit, a comparator, and a charge dissipation circuit. The switching capacitor circuit reciprocally couples a sensing capacitor in series with a modulation capacitor during a first switching phase and discharges the sensing capacitor during a second switching phase. The comparator is coupled to compare a voltage potential on the modulation capacitor to a reference and to generate a modulation signal in response. The charge dissipation circuit is coupled to the modulation capacitor to selectively discharge the modulation capacitor in response to the modulation signal. |
| US08564312B2 |
Fuel sensor
An outer electrode projects from an opening, which is formed in an upper inner wall of a fuel passage, into the fuel passage. The fuel passage is adapted to conduct fuel generally in a horizontal direction. The outer electrode includes a fuel chamber in an inside of the outer electrode. An inner electrode is placed in the fuel chamber. A sensing circuit senses an alcohol concentration of the fuel based on an electrical property between the outer electrode and the inner electrode and a fuel temperature, which is sensed with a thermistor. The outer electrode includes a blocking portion and communication holes. The blocking portion limits intrusion of air bubbles, which flow along the upper inner wall of the fuel passage, into the communication holes. |
| US08564306B2 |
System and method for evaluating a wire conductor
A method of evaluating an electrically conductive wire segment having an insulated intermediate portion and non-insulated ends includes passing the insulated portion of the wire segment through an electrically conductive brush. According to the method, an electrical potential is established on the brush by a power source. The method also includes determining a value of electrical current that is conducted through the wire segment by the brush when the potential is established on the brush. The method additionally includes comparing the value of electrical current conducted through the wire segment with a predetermined current value to thereby evaluate the wire segment. A system for evaluating an electrically conductive wire segment is also disclosed. |
| US08564302B2 |
Test instruments for pulse TDR, step TDR and transmission analysis
The test instrument is used to perform both time domain reflectometry (TDR) and analysis of transmission signals on a line under test. Further, the test instrument provides for both pulse TDR and step TDR. A coupling transformer having an enhanced low frequency response provides for coupling of the test instrument to the line under test. Isolation circuits between the coupling transformer and the line under test to prevent damage to the test instrument due to voltages on the line under test allow the test instrument to be used in connection with an active line under test. Two isolation circuits are utilized to maintain longitudinal balance of the circuit.During step TDR, the positive and negative transmitter circuits provide step-shaped impulse signals. The enhanced low frequency response of the coupling transformer allows for transmission of step-shaped impulses, including the DC components of those signals, to the line under test and allows for transmission of reflected signals, including the DC components of those signals to the receivers.The test instrument provides selectable impedance matching and provides for selectable attenuation levels. |
| US08564299B2 |
Battery confirmation system and method for confirming state of charge in vehicle battery
A battery confirmation system and method for confirming a state of charge in a vehicle battery installed in a vehicle includes a vehicle having a controller, a battery powering the controller, and an onboard diagnostics connector operatively connected to the controller. A tester is connectable to the onboard diagnostics connector. The tester is configured to receive a vehicle operating voltage from the connector when an electrical load on the battery is within a predetermined load range and to determine a SOC value based on the vehicle operating voltage. |
| US08564295B2 |
Method for simultaneously determining a plurality of different locations of the buried objects and simultaneously indicating the different locations to a user
At least one antenna array including three mutually orthogonal antennas each sharing a common center point senses an electromagnetic signal emitted by a buried object such as a utility line, pipe or sonde. A circuit at least partially mounted in a housing is connected to the array and determines a location of the buried object by measuring signal strength and field angles in three dimensions without having to align the antenna array relative to the buried object while eliminating nulls and false peaks. A graphical user interface (GUI) has user-friendly icons, symbols, menus, numbers and graphical and auditory representation of signal strength. A plurality of different underground objects can be simultaneously detected and their different locations can be simultaneously indicated to a user via audible sounds and/or visual images on a display. |
| US08564291B2 |
Fastener-less edge launch connector for MR-compatible medical monitoring
A robust MR compatible ECG monitor (40) includes a connector (50) for connecting ECG electrode leads (44) to an internal circuit board (52). The connector (50) includes connector pins (54) that run parallel to the circuit board (52) and tangentially contact solder pads (56) of the circuit board (52) at the edge of the circuit board (52), eliminating sharp or right angle turns in conduction paths. The connector prevents movement of the connections due to mechanical stresses in all ranges of motion relative to four degrees of freedom, including translation, pitching, yawing, and rolling. |
| US08564290B2 |
Magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and method
A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus for acquiring k-space data from a deformable imaging region of a subject and generating image data of the imaging region at the time of being deformed to a predetermined state, based on the acquired k-space data, includes a gradient coil for applying a gradient magnetic field in a phase encoding direction, and an image data calculation device for calculating a numeric value for defining a relationship between the imaging region at the time of being deformed to the predetermined state and the imaging region at an nth phase encoding and calculating image data of the imaging region at the time of being deformed to the predetermined state, based on the calculated numeric value and the k-space data acquired from the imaging region. |
| US08564289B2 |
MR diffusion weighted method and system providing microstructural information of a biological target using SINe cardinal (SINC) function and q-space sampling
A method is adapted for providing microstructural information of a biological target from a plurality of diffusion weighted MR images corresponding to a specific area of the biological target. Each of the diffusion weighted MR images is obtained using a respective q-space sampling vector and is sampled at a plurality of sample points thereof to obtain a group of diffusion weighted MR image data. The diffusion weighted MR image data are processed to obtain a spin distribution function from which the microstructural information of the biological target can be obtained. |
| US08564288B2 |
Method for NMR spectroscopy or MRI measurements using dissolution dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) with scavenging of free radicals
A method for sample preparation for magnetic resonance measurements using Hyperpolarization by Dissolution Dynamic Nuclear Polarization, involves preparation of frozen beads of a first kind containing paramagnetic substances in addition to the solute under investigation; insertion of the frozen beads into a polarizing magnet; creation of enhanced polarization of nuclei in a magnetic field; heating of the sample to room temperature; transfer of the sample to an MR magnet; and carrying out an MR measurement. In addition, frozen beads of a second kind containing a reducing agent are prepared and inserted into the polarization magnet together with the frozen beads of the first kind. By this method, longitudinal and transverse relaxation times in NMR are extended and free radicals in hyperpolarized solutions are eliminated. |
| US08564284B2 |
Fault detection for laminated core
A method of evaluating the condition of a laminated core of an electric machine including positioning a magnetic flux injection excitation yoke extending between a pair of teeth of the laminated core, and the excitation yoke being wound with an excitation winding defining an electrical circuit for producing a magnetic flux excitation. Power is supplied to an excitation winding wound around the yoke to produce a magnetic flux in the yoke and to form a magnetic circuit through the yoke and the laminated core. A characteristic of the electrical circuit of the excitation winding is measured to identify a fault in the magnetic circuit corresponding to an eddy current between individual laminations in the laminated core. |
| US08564283B2 |
Rotation-angle-detecting apparatus, rotating machine and rotation-angle-detecting method
An apparatus for detecting a rotation angle using a magnet rotor comprising a magnet having 2N poles, wherein N is a natural number, and a sensor device for detecting the direction of a magnetic flux from the magnet rotor, at least one of two output voltages obtained in radial and rotational directions by the sensor device being multiplied by a correction coefficient, and the rotation angle being calculated from the two corrected output voltages to increase the detection accuracy of the rotation angle. |
| US08564279B2 |
Device and method for measuring current and power in a plug or receptacle
An aspect of the present disclosure relates to an electrical receptacle configured to receive a plug having two or more prongs and capable of being connected to an associated load. The electrical receptacle may include a housing and a housing cover mounted on the housing including apertures for receiving at least one of the prongs. In addition, the receptacle may include at least two electrical contacts for engaging the prongs positioned in the housing, a magnetic current sensor defining an opening, wherein the magnetic current sensor opening is operatively coupled to an opening defined by at least one of the apertures. Wherein when one of the prongs is inserted through one of the apertures, the prong extends through the magnetic current sensor and engages at least one of said electrical contacts. |
| US08564277B2 |
System for and method of virtual simultaneous sampling with a single ADC core
Voltage balancing in multi-cell battery packs is improved by estimating instantaneous voltages on the cells. In accordance with one embodiment, an apparatus for reading voltages from multiple voltage sources includes a first multiplexer coupled to multiple voltage sources and a controller. The controller is programmed to output from the first multiplexer a sequential pair of voltages read from each of the multiple voltage sources. The multiple sequential pairs of voltages all have a common midpoint in time. The multiple sequential pairs of voltages are all read within a small time window, such as 100 microseconds. In one embodiment, the multiple voltage sources are Li-ion or other high-voltage cells, though other types of cells can also be used. |
| US08564269B2 |
Systems and methods for scaling a signal in a power factor correction circuit
Systems and methods for scaling a current signal in a power factor correction circuit are disclosed. An exemplary method may include providing a power factor correction circuit for a power supply, the power factor correction circuit having a first current sensing resistor connected on a return path to a rectified AC line. The method may also include measuring current across the first current sensing resistor. The method may also include switching on at least a second current sensing resistor in parallel with the first current sensing resistor if the measured current increases above a threshold value. |
| US08564263B2 |
Voltage regulator
A voltage regulator includes a constant voltage power circuit and an overcurrent protection circuit. The constant voltage power circuit generates an output voltage, an output current and a divided voltage. The overcurrent protection circuit includes a current sensing unit, a first mirroring unit, a voltage to current converting unit, a second mirroring unit, and a pull up unit. The current sensing unit generates a sensing current according to the output current. The first mirroring unit generates a first mirroring current. The first mirroring current is proportional to the output current. The voltage to current converting unit is used for converting the divided voltage into a first current. The second mirroring unit generates a second mirroring current. The second mirroring current is proportional to the second current. The pull up unit controls the output voltage and the output current according to the first mirroring current and the second mirroring current. |
| US08564261B2 |
Power converting apparatus, grid interconnection apparatus and grid interconnection system
A power converting apparatus is provided with a step-up chopper circuit (2) that steps-up an input voltage (Vi) from a distributed power supply, an inverter circuit (3) that converts the output voltage (Vd) of the step-up chopper circuit (2) into alternating current, a first control circuit for controlling the output voltage (Vd), and a second control circuit for controlling the chopper input current (Ii). The first control circuit generates a target current value (Ir) so as to make the output voltage (Vd) become a target output voltage value (Vr). The second control circuit controls the step-up chopper circuit (2) so as to make the chopper input current (Ii) become the target current value (Ir). The first control circuit also has a low-pass filter (23a) that removes ripple components included in the output voltage (Vd). |
| US08564257B2 |
Power factor correction circuit with over-voltage detection and driving method thereof
The present invention relates to a power factor correction circuit and a driving method thereof.The power factor correction circuit includes a power switch controlling an inductor current flowing in an inductor, an auxiliary inductor coupled to the inductor with a predetermined turn ratio, and a power factor correction controller controlling output power by controlling a switching operation of the power switch.The power factor correction controller determines whether or not an output voltage of the output power is an over-voltage by using the sum of a source current and a sink current that control a zero current detection voltage to be included within a predetermined clamping range, the zero current detection voltage corresponding to an auxiliary voltage that is a both-end voltage of an auxiliary inductor. |
| US08564255B2 |
Vehicle-use electric rotating machine
A vehicle-use electric rotating machine includes a switching section having upper and lower arms each constituted of a switching element parallel-connected with a diode to rectify an AC voltage induced in each phase winding of the electric rotating machine, an on-timing setting section for setting an on timing of each of the switching elements, an off-timing setting section for setting an off timing of each of the switching elements such that, when a time period from when a phase voltage of the phase winding reaches a first threshold value to when the phase voltage reaches a second threshold value different from the first threshold value is referred to as a conduction period, a time period in electrical angle from when the switching element is turned off to when the conduction period ends is equal to a target electrical angle set depending on the rotational speed of the electric rotating machine. |
| US08564254B2 |
Power generation amount control apparatus
The power generation amount control apparatus includes a battery state determination section, a generator performance determination section, a power-generation-amount increase determination section, an idle state determination section, and a power generation restriction control section. The power generation restriction control section is configured to perform power generation restriction control to restrict a power generation amount of a vehicle generator driven by a vehicle engine when the idle state determination section determines that the vehicle engine is in the idle state, the power-generation-amount increase determination section determines that the power-generation-amount increase demand is not present, and the battery state determination section determines that the battery charged by the vehicle generator is not deteriorated. |
| US08564251B2 |
Switch embedded integrated circuit and method for battery protection
A switch embedded integrated circuit for battery protection includes a first pin to be connected with one terminal of a battery, a second pin to be connected with a load or charger, a third pin to be connected with another terminal of the battery, a MOSFET having a body diode thereof and connected between the first and second pins, a control logic circuit and a detection circuit. The detection circuit monitors the voltage between the first pin and the third pin to determine a detection signal for the control logic circuit to turn on or off the MOSFET and switch the direction of the body diode, thereby providing an over charging and an over discharging protection functions. |
| US08564244B2 |
Battery with battery cells and method for monitoring and controlling the battery cells of the battery
The invention relates to a battery with battery cells and a method for monitoring and controlling the battery cells of the battery. The battery has a plurality of battery cell stacks which are connected in series. A battery cell stack may have an individual battery cell or may be constructed from battery cells which are connected in parallel. Sensors monitor the charge state of individual battery cells, individual battery cell stacks, individual pairs of battery cells and/or individual pairs of battery cell stacks. A charge compensation device has a target value table of the permissible charge state of individual battery cells. The charge compensation device varies the charge compensation depending on the charge state and, when the target value for the charge state of individual battery cells is reached, the charge compensation of the battery cells is interrupted. |
| US08564240B2 |
Mitigation of harmonic currents and conservation of power in non-linear load systems
An AC power controller system applies three-phase AC operating power to an induction motor that drives a non-linear mechanical load. A primary low pass filter is connected in series between branch phase conductors and a power controller of the type that uses gate-controlled switching thyristors for controlling power to the motor. KVAR capacitors connected between the power controller and the induction motor phase windings form a secondary low pass filter across the controller output terminals. The primary and secondary low pass filters isolate the power controller and induction motor with respect to spurious noise and harmonics generated by local as well as remote sources, and also improve real power transfer efficiency from the power generating source to the induction motor by transforming the effective impedance of the power source and induction motor load. |
| US08564237B2 |
Seal leakage and seal oil contamination detection in generator
In an embodiment, a system includes: a casing for surrounding at least a portion of a rotor, and enclosing a volume of a cooling gas thereabout, the casing including a plurality of static seals; an end housing at each end of the casing, each end housing including a seal system through which the rotor extends, wherein a portion of cooling gas escapes from the casing to at least one seal area; and a source of cooling gas fluidly coupled to the casing by a cooling gas regulator. The system may further include: a scavenging system coupled to each end housing for removing a gas mixture therefrom including a portion of escaping cooling gas; a sensor for determining a purity of the cooling gas in the casing; and a static seal leak detector that generates an alarm indicative of a leak in at least one of the plurality of static seals. |
| US08564236B2 |
Power tool
A technique for providing a user with effective information in performing an operation is provided in a power tool having a speed change mechanism. A power tool has a speed change mechanism that switches a tool bit 113 from first drive mode in which the tool bit is driven at high speed and low torque to second drive mode in which the tool bit is driven at low speed and high torque, according to load on the tool bit 113. The power tool includes detecting and indicating device 161, 163, 167 that detect a predetermined status condition of the first drive mode and indicate switching from the first drive mode to the second drive mode before switching to the second drive mode. |
| US08564231B2 |
Method for sensorless operation of an ECM, and motor for carrying out
An electronically commutated motor (ECM) often employs a Hall sensor for reliable operation. Even when a Hall sensor is omitted from a motor having a plurality of stator winding phases (24, 26) and a permanent-magnet rotor (22), one can reliably detect direction of rotation of the rotor by the steps of: (a) differentiating a voltage profile obtained by sampling either (1) induced voltage in a presently currentless phase winding or (2) voltage drop at a transistor, through which current is flowing to a presently energized phase winding, and (b) using such a differentiated signal (du—24″/dt, du—26″/dt) to control current flow in an associated phase winding. In this manner, one obtains reliable commutation, even if the motor is spatially separated from its commutation electronics. |
| US08564228B2 |
Electric machine
An electric machine including: a first part, being a stator or rotor/runner, including a first segment with a first number of mutually spaced poles; a second part, being a rotor/runner or stator, including a second segment with a second number of mutually spaced poles arranged to transduce between electrical and mechanical energy by magnetic interaction with the poles of the first segment, the second segment having substantially the same length as the first segment; and permanent magnets in the poles of the first or second parts, the second number differing from the first number by one, with sufficiently deep gaps between the poles of each part to attenuate magnetic interactions between a body of each part and the poles of the other part, wherein each part is symmetrical in a direction transverse a direction of motion between the first part and the second part and transverse a depth of the parts. |
| US08564227B2 |
Method and device for activating a control element of a drive apparatus, said control element having a response delay
In order to activate a control element (4) of a drive apparatus (1) for driving an object that can be moved between two end positions, the control element having a response delay (Δtanspr) a parameter (Fakt) influenced by the drive apparatus (1) is monitored and compared with a specified threshold (FTh), upon the achievement of which a control signal is output to the control element (4); a pre-threshold (Fv) to be achieved before the achievement of the threshold (FTh) is defined, upon the achievement of which pre-threshold a pre-control signal is output to the control element (4) for the preparatory activation thereof, and afterwards further monitoring for the achievement of the actual threshold (FTh) is performed, wherein upon achievement of the actual threshold (FTh), the control element activation is retained, whereas if the actual threshold (FTh) is not achieved, the control element activation is rescinded. |
| US08564226B2 |
Method and system for ultrasound excitation of structures with various arbitrary geometry
The invention is a method and apparatus for ultrasound excitation of structures of any geometry. The invention comprises production of a connection between a generator, an ultrasound converter, and at least one mechanical system to be excited, passing through a frequency range for determining an operating point, wherein at each approached frequency the power consumption of the system to be excited determines a current, and/or a voltage emitted by the generator, which is measured using a sensor such that a measurement value of the sensor renders the power output to the system to be excited, and performing an ultrasound excitation at the determined operating point or its immediate surroundings. The device further comprises a memory for storing target values for the power supplied to the total system input, and of parameter values for voltage, current, and frequency, in which the desired target values or ranges are achieved. |
| US08564220B2 |
Lighting device, lighting system, and method of use
A portable lighting device having one or more inputs, at least a first and second output, one or more light sources, an input sensor, an output sensor, an adaptive buck converter, a boost mechanism, an internal power source, and a controller. The input sensor is coupled to the one or more inputs and the output sensor is coupled to the first output. The input and output sensors are coupled to the adaptive buck converter and the boost mechanism and also to the controller. The controller is configured to instruct the adaptive buck converter to condition power inputs at the one or more inputs. The controller is configured to instruct the boost mechanism to boost a stored output from the internal power source. |
| US08564217B2 |
Apparatus and method for reducing acoustical noise in synthetic jets
Apparatus and method are provided for reducing acoustical noise when cooling a device, such as a lamp system. The apparatus includes at least a set of a first synthetic jet and a second synthetic jet. The first and second synthetic jets are responsive to respective actuating signals having a phase difference (e.g., 180°) between one another chosen to reduce acoustic noise produced by the first and second synthetic jets when cooling the device. |
| US08564208B2 |
Lighting device with color temperature adjusting functionality
The present invention relates to a lighting device with color temperature adjusting functionality, comprising: a light-emitting device array module, a first driving unit, a second driving unit, a third driving unit, a fourth driving unit, a main controlling unit, and a power management unit, wherein the first driving unit, the second driving unit, the third driving unit, the fourth driving unit are used for respectively driving a first high color temperature light-emitting device array, a first low color temperature light-emitting device array, a second low color temperature light-emitting device array, and a second high color temperature light-emitting device array of the light-emitting device array module, so as to selectively drive a plurality of first high color temperature light-emitting devices, a plurality of first low color temperature light-emitting devices, a plurality of second low color temperature light-emitting devices, and a plurality of second high color temperature light-emitting devices to emit a color light with a specific color temperature. |
| US08564205B2 |
Configurable vehicle solid state lighting
A vehicle signal light assembly includes: at least one color mixing light source; a support element configured to support the at least one color mixing light source on a vehicle as a signal light; and a controller configured to selectively drive each color mixing light source to generate light of a selected visually perceived color based on a received control signal. In some such embodiments, each color mixing light source of the vehicle signal light assembly comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) of at least two constituent colors. In some such embodiments, the controller is configured to operate each color mixing light source of the vehicle signal light assembly using time domain multiplexing (TDM) to generate the light of the selected visually perceived color. In some such embodiments, the vehicle signal light assembly comprises a taillight assembly. In some of the embodiments, the vehicle light assembly comprises an ambient or auxiliary lighting, or a dashboard lighting assembly. |
| US08564204B2 |
Vehicle headlamp apparatus and control method thereof
A vehicle headlamp apparatus is provided. The vehicle headlamp apparatus includes a first lamp configured to selectively produce a first high beam light distribution pattern and an infrared light distribution pattern, a second lamp configured to selectively produce a second high beam light distribution pattern and a low beam light distribution pattern, a vehicle detector which detects a vehicle running ahead, and a condition-dependent selection controller which controls the first and second lamps. The condition-dependent selection controller controls the second lamp to produce the low beam light distribution pattern when the vehicle detector detects a vehicle and to produce the second high beam light distribution pattern when the vehicle detector detects no vehicle. The condition-dependent selection controller controls the first lamp to produce the infrared light distribution pattern, irrespective of whether the vehicle detector detects a vehicle. |
| US08564203B2 |
Discharge lamp unit
A discharge lamp unit has a supporting member supporting a discharge lamp, a circuit substrate supplying electric power to the discharge lamp, a housing case member, a separation wall, and a hollow part. The housing case member supports the circuit substrate in an inside space thereof and the supporting member. The supporting member is exposed to an outside of the housing case member. The separation wall separates the supporting member from the circuit substrate in the inside space of the housing case member. The hollow part is formed between the separation wall and the circuit substrate. When the supporting member is heated by heat energy of the discharge lamp, the separation wall shields the heat conduction from the supporting member to the circuit substrate. The presence of the hollow part between the separation wall and the circuit substrate prevents heat conduction from the discharge lamp side to the circuit substrate. |
| US08564199B2 |
Atmospheric plasma apparatus and manufacturing method thereof
An atmospheric plasma apparatus and a method for manufacturing the same are disclosed. The atmospheric plasma apparatus includes an anode, a cathode, and an insulation medium disposed between the anode and the cathode. An ionizable gas is filled between the anode and the cathode. The cathode includes a plurality of plasma generating and removing units, each of which includes a plasma generating region and a plasma removing region. The plasma generating regions and the plasma removing regions are distributed uniformly and equal to each other in area. Any two plasma removing regions among every three plasma removing regions which are adjacent to each other have a same center-to-center distance. In this way, erosion caused by the plasma to the cathode and the insulation medium may be reduced to prolong the service life of the atmospheric plasma apparatus, and uniformity of cleaning of a substrate surface may be improved. |
| US08564197B2 |
Flat panel display apparatus and method for manufacturing the same
In a flat panel display apparatus and a method of manufacturing the same, the flat panel display apparatus includes a substrate, a display unit disposed on the substrate, a sealing substrate disposed facing the display unit, a sealing member disposed between the substrate and the sealing substrate so as to surround the display unit, a wiring unit disposed between the substrate and the sealing substrate so as to partially overlap the sealing member, and at least three inlet portion groups to which voltage is applied via an external power source. The inlet portion groups are connected to the wiring unit. Each inlet portion group includes a plurality of sub-inlet portions. |
| US08564192B2 |
Process for fabricating OLED lighting panels
Systems and methods for the design and fabrication of OLEDs, including high-performance large-area OLEDs, are provided. Variously described fabrication processes may be used to deposit and pattern bus lines and/or insulators using vapor deposition such as vacuum thermal evaporation (VTE) through a shadow mask, and may avoid multiple photolithography steps. Bus lines and/or insulators may be formed with a smooth profile and a gradual sidewall transition. Such smooth profiles may, for example, reduce the probability of electrical shorting at the bus lines. Other vapor deposition systems and methods may include, among others, sputter deposition, e-beam evaporation and chemical vapor deposition (CVD). A final profile of the bus line and/or insulator may substantially correspond to the profile as deposited. A single OILED devices may also be formed with relatively large dimension. |
| US08564188B2 |
Luminescent material, luminescent material complex and method of manufacturing the same, fluorescent labeling reagent and method of manufacturing the same, and light emitting element
A light emitting element, includes: a luminescent material which is obtained from a plant-derived material as a raw material, and which contains therein a silicon oxide containing therein silicon having a content rate of 40 wt. % or more, and oxygen having a content rate of 40 wt. % or more as a principal component; a fluorescent substance adsorbed on a surface of the luminescent material; and an energy source for exciting the luminescent material and the fluorescent substance. |
| US08564185B2 |
Semiconductor light source having a primary radiation source and a luminescence conversion element
A semiconductor light source is provided, the semiconductor light source having a primary radiation source (1) which, when the semiconductor light source is operated, emits electromagnetic primary radiation (5) in a first wavelength range, and having a luminescence conversion module (2) into which primary radiation (5) emitted by the primary radiation source (1) is fed. The luminescence conversion module (2) contains a luminescence conversion element (6) which, by means of a luminescent material, absorbs primary radiation (5) from the first wavelength range and emits electromagnetic secondary radiation (15) in a second wavelength range. The luminescence conversion element (6) is arranged on a heat sink (3) at a distance from the primary radiation source (1). It has a reflector surface (7, 71, 72) which reflects back into the luminescence conversion element (6) primary radiation (5) which passes through the luminescence conversion element (6) and is not absorbed thereby and/or reflects secondary radiation (15) in the direction of a light coupling-out surface (601) of the luminescence conversion element (6). |
| US08564184B2 |
Spark plug and process for producing spark plug
A spark plug that is equipped with an insulator that has a stem portion on a front end side, a center electrode, and a main metal member that retains the insulator at an engaging projection portion, wherein an inner diameter DIN of the engaging projection portion, the maximum outer diameter dOUT of the stem portion, which faces an inner circumferential surface of the engaging projection portion, its inner diameter dIN, and dielectric constant ∈ of the insulator satisfy the condition of “(DIN−dOUT)/2≦0.40 (mm)”, “(dOUT−dIN)/2≦1.65 (mm)”, and “∈≧9.4”. |
| US08564182B2 |
Lamp having contact members at its surrounding edge, and a lamp holder
A lamp comprising electric contact members (9,10) at the outside of the lamp for making contact with corresponding electric contact elements (21,22) in a lamp holder surrounding the lamp. The light radiation of the lamp is emitted from the front side (2) of the lamp, which front side (2) is substantially located in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the lamp. The contact members (9,10) are located near the circumferential edge of said front side of the lamp. |
| US08564180B2 |
Piezoelectric composition, piezoelectric ceramic, transducer, and ultrasonic motor
A piezoelectric composition includes a compound represented by a general expression Bi4Ti3O12—SrBi4Ti4O15 as a main component; and Mn or a Mn compound as an additive. A Mn content is less than 1.0% by mass based on a main component amount. |
| US08564172B2 |
Elastic wave element and electronic apparatus using same
An acoustic wave element includes a piezoelectric body, first and second interdigital transducer (IDT) electrodes provided on an upper surface of the piezoelectric body, and a first dielectric layer provided on the upper surface of the piezoelectric body to cover the first and second IDT electrodes. The first dielectric layer has a first part directly above the first IDT electrode and a second part directly above the second IDT electrode. The height of an upper surface of the second part of the first dielectric layer is larger than the height of an upper surface of the first part of the first dielectric layer. This acoustic wave element has a preferable temperature characteristic and electromechanical coupling factor. |
| US08564165B2 |
Centerline generator support system and method of elevating a centerline generator from a support surface
A generator support system for a centerline mounted generator includes a generator support member configured and disposed to support a generator upon a support surface. The generator support member includes at least one lifting element having a lifting surface that faces the support surface. |
| US08564157B2 |
Battery pack active discharge integration
A discharge system includes a battery, an electrical power bus selectively connected to the battery, a module configured to receive electrical energy from the battery via the electrical power bus, and a discharge resistor selectively connected to the electrical power bus. A contactor is operatively disposed between the battery and the electrical power bus. The contactor is configured to selectively connect the electrical power bus to the battery or the discharge resistor. That is, the contactor is configured to connect the electrical power bus to the discharge resistor in a default mode to discharge electrical energy stored in the module, and the contactor is configured to connect the electrical power bus to the battery in at least one vehicle operating mode. |
| US08564154B2 |
Wind turbines with diffusers for the buildings or structures
One example of our system makes it easier to bring the wind turbines to the residential and densely populated areas. The systems can be cascaded together to supply a bigger population or area. Since most of the system is hidden, it looks better for appearance of the city/houses. It has less of noise problem near houses, and less bird and bat mortality rates, with less radar interferences, less maintenance worker hazard, and less shipping/installation cost. This technology addresses e.g. Energy and Power Management Systems for harvesting wind energy by wind-catcher tower and diffuser augmented wind turbines. For example, we discuss the placement of diffusers at the intake of the wind turbines, inside a wind-catcher tower, to significantly increase the efficiency of the wind energy capture, plus the modular design of the wind-catcher tower. Various designs for the system and components are presented here. |
| US08564153B2 |
Hollow single-side supported direct-drive wind turbine generator
A wind turbine structure, including: a hollow cylindrical main body having an upper part and a lower part, a generator part surrounded by the main body. The generator part including: a hollow cylindrical wind turbine rotor body having an exterior surface and, a stator body surrounding the wind turbine rotor body and having an inner surface and an exterior surface, a bearing surrounding the exterior surface of the wind turbine rotor body at an impeller head end and rotatably coupling between the exterior surface of the wind turbine rotor body and the inner surface of the stator body, and wherein the stator body is secured only at the impeller head end to the lower part of the main body, whereas the exterior surface of the stator body is separated by an air gap from the upper part of the main body. |
| US08564148B1 |
AC energy generator
An electricity generator powered by air flowing from an air conditioner exhaust having a grill housing attached, the grill housing made of wind turbines connected to movable magnets freely movable clockwise or counter-clockwise to function whether the air flows in a first direction or opposite the first direction, thereby arranged to generate electromotive electricity as the turbines move, the turbines being oriented transverse to the air flow and a plurality of screws attaching the grill containing the wind turbines in a fixed transverse orientation relative to the air flow direction of the air conditioner exhaust wherein the wind turbine has a cage-like propeller with at least one flattened blade having a 180 degree twist located about mid-point and connected to a shaft, the shaft being connected to a generator and driving the generator creating electricity by moving conductors in a magnetic field. The grill holds the wind turbine so the blades are turned by exhaust air from the air conditioner and electricity is generated by moving conductors through alternating north and south magnetic fields. |
| US08564144B1 |
Light-weight human generated electricity
A human powered electricity generator includes a suspension system including a compliant mechanism that permits a first portion of the suspension system to be displaced relative to a second portion of the suspension system as a result an application of force to the first or second portions of the suspension system. A generator converts the mechanical displacement of the first portion of the suspension system with respect to the second portion of the suspension system into electrical energy and stores the electrical energy in an energy storage device. Displacement means, such as a handle or a seat, is connected to either the first portion or the second portion of the suspension system to enable a user to manually displace the first portion of the suspension system with respect to the second portion of the suspension system so as to increase the efficiency of the energy generation. The stroke distance may be increased using a turnbuckle adjuster or an adjustment device that adjusts the length of the holder that holds the compliant mechanism in place. Extendible feet attached to one of the first and second portions of the suspension system also may be used to increase the mechanical displacement distance. The electricity generating device of the invention enables a user to produce electricity by hand pumping even when the user is not walking. |
| US08564143B2 |
Overlay mark for multiple pre-layers and currently layer
An overlay mark is described, including N (N≧2) groups of first x-directional linear patterns each defined from a different one of N pre-layers, N groups of second x-directional linear patterns of a current layer, N groups of first y-directional linear patterns each defined from a different one of the N pre-layers, and N groups of second y-directional linear patterns of the current layer. Each group of second x-directional linear patterns is disposed together with one group of first x-directional linear patterns, wherein the second linear patterns and the x-directional linear patterns are arranged alternately. Each group of second y-directional linear patterns is disposed together with one group of first y-directional linear patterns, wherein the second linear patterns and the first linear patterns are arranged alternately. |
| US08564138B2 |
Semiconductor integrated circuit having a three-dimensional (3D) stack package structure
A semiconductor integrated circuit includes a semiconductor chip, a plurality of first through-chip vias formed vertically through the semiconductor chip and configured to operate as an interface for a first power supply, and a first common conductive layer provided over the semiconductor chip and coupling the plurality of first through-chip vias to each other in a horizontal direction. |
| US08564130B2 |
Vertical organic transistor, method for manufacturing the vertical organic transistor, and light emitting element
This invention provides a vertical organic transistor that can realize large current modulation and a reduction in production cost, and a method for manufacturing the vertical organic transistor. The vertical organic transistor comprises an upper electrode, a lower electrode, an organic semiconductor provided between both the electrodes, and an intermediate electrode provided within the organic semiconductor, the intermediate electrode being a layered continuous body comprising a continuous insulating metal compound and particulate metals distributed within the insulating metal compound. |
| US08564128B2 |
Semiconductor device and manufacturing method of the same
A semiconductor device comprises a semiconductor substrate having a connection pad, an external connection electrode provided on the semiconductor substrate to be connected to the connection pad, and a sealing film provided to cover the external connection electrode, wherein an opening is provided in the sealing film to expose a center of the upper surface of the external connection electrode, and the sealing film is provided to cover an outer peripheral part of the upper surface of the external connection electrode. |
| US08564120B2 |
Heat dissipation in temperature critical device areas of semiconductor devices by heat pipes connecting to the substrate backside
By providing heat dissipation elements or heat pipes in temperature critical areas of a semiconductor device, enhanced performance, reliability and packing density may be achieved. The heat dissipation elements may be formed on the basis of standard manufacturing techniques and may be positioned in close proximity to individual transistor elements and/or may be used for shielding particular circuit portions. |
| US08564118B2 |
Power module substrate, power module, and method for manufacturing power module substrate
A power module substrate includes: a ceramics substrate having a surface; and a metal plate connected to the surface of the ceramics substrate, composed of aluminum, and including Cu at a joint interface between the ceramics substrate and the metal plate, wherein a Cu concentration at the joint interface is in the range of 0.05 to 5 wt %. |
| US08564115B2 |
Package structure having micro-electromechanical element
Proposed is a package structure having a micro-electromechanical (MEMS) element, including a chip having a plurality of electrical connecting pads and a MEMS element formed thereon; a lid disposed on the chip for covering the MEMS element; a stud bump disposed on each of the electrical connecting pads; an encapsulant formed on the chip with part of the stud bumps being exposed from the encapsulant; and a metal conductive layer formed on the encapsulant and connected to the stud bumps. The invention is characterized by completing the packaging process on the wafer directly to enable thinner and cheaper package structures to be fabricated within less time. This invention further provides a method for fabricating the package structure as described above. |
| US08564113B2 |
Electrostatic chucking of an insulator handle substrate
A back of a dielectric transparent handle substrate is coated with a blanket conductive film or a mesh of conductive wires. A semiconductor substrate is attached to the transparent handle substrate employing an adhesive layer. The semiconductor substrate is thinned in the bonded structure to form a stack of the transparent handle substrate and the semiconductor interposer. The thinned bonded structure may be loaded into a processing chamber and electrostatically chucked employing the blanket conductive film or the mesh of conductive wires. The semiconductor interposer may be bonded to a semiconductor chip or a packaging substrate employing C4 bonding or intermetallic alloy bonding. Illumination of ultraviolet radiation to the adhesive layer is enabled, for example, by removal of the blanket conductive film or through the mesh so that the transparent handle substrate may be detached. The semiconductor interposer may then be bonded to a packaging substrate or a semiconductor chip. |
| US08564107B2 |
Lead frame and method for manufacturing the same
A lead frame comprises: a base metal layer; a copper plating layer, including one of a copper layer and an alloy layer including a copper, configured to plate the based metal layer to make a surface roughness; and an upper plating layer, including at least one plating layer including at least one selected from the group of a nickel, a palladium, a gold, a silver, a nickel alloy, a palladium alloy, a gold alloy, and a silver alloy, configured to plate the copper plating layer. |
| US08564105B2 |
Pin diode
A PIN diode having improved avalanche resistance is provided. The PIN diode includes: a semiconductor substrate 11 that includes an N+ semiconductor layer 1, and an N− semiconductor layer 2; a P-type anode region 15 that is formed by selective impurity diffusion into an outer surface of the N− semiconductor layer 2; and an anode electrode 17 that is conducted to the anode region 15 through a contact region 17c in the anode region 15. The anode region 15 has a substantially rectangular outer edge of which four sides are adapted to be linear parts B2 and four vertices are adapted to be curved parts B1, and outside the contact region 17c, N-type non-diffusion corner regions 16 that extend along the curved parts B1 are respectively formed. |
| US08564100B2 |
Semiconductor device
A semiconductor device in which it is possible to suppress short-circuiting between pads for chip arising from dicing processing is provided. The semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, multiple first pads, and multiple second pads. The first pads are formed in an element formation region and the second pads are formed in a dicing line region surrounding the element formation region. The dicing line region includes a first region for which second pads are prone to electrically short-circuit to each other and a second region for which second pads are less prone to electrically short-circuit to each other. Some first pads arranged in positions opposite the first region are arranged farther away from one side of the outer edge of the element formation region than the remaining first pads arranged in positions opposite the second region are. |
| US08564099B2 |
Semiconductor structure and a method for manufacturing the same
A semiconductor structure and a method for manufacturing the same are provided. The semiconductor structure comprises a diode. The diode comprises a first doped region, a second doped region and a third doped region. The first doped region and the third doped region have a first conductivity type. The second doped region has a second conductivity type opposite to the first conductivity type. The second doped region and the third doped region are separated from each other by the first doped region. The third doped region has a first portion and a second portion adjacent to each other. The first portion and the second portion are respectively adjacent to and away from the second doped region. A dopant concentration of the first portion is bigger than a dopant concentration of the second portion. |
| US08564095B2 |
Capacitors including a rutile titanium dioxide material and semiconductor devices incorporating same
Methods of forming a capacitor including forming at least one aperture in a support material, forming a titanium nitride material within the at least one aperture, forming a ruthenium material within the at least one aperture over the titanium nitride material, and forming a first conductive material over the ruthenium material within the at least one aperture. The support material may then be removed and the titanium nitride material may be oxidized to form a titanium dioxide material. A second conductive material may then be formed over an outer surface of the titanium dioxide material. Capacitors, semiconductor devices and methods of forming a semiconductor device including the capacitors are also disclosed. |
| US08564090B2 |
Semiconductor device and method of manufacturing semiconductor device
A semiconductor device include an insulating interlayer formed over a substrate; an electrical fuse which is composed of a first wiring formed in the insulating interlayer, and has a cutting portion; and a second wiring and a third wiring, formed respectively on both sides of the cutting portion to extend along the cutting portion in the same layer as the first wiring. Air gaps formed to extend along the cutting portion are respectively provided between the cutting portion and the second wiring and between the cutting portion and the third wiring. |
| US08564084B2 |
Radiation detection and a method of manufacturing a radiation detector
The invention relates to a radiation detector (10), comprising an array of pixels (1), wherein each pixel (1) comprises a conversion layer of a semiconductor material (4) for converting incident radiation into electrical signals and wherein each pixel (1) is surrounded by a trench (3) that is at least partly filled with a barrier material that absorbs at least a part of photons generated by the incident radiation. The invention also relates to a method of manufacturing such a radiation detector (10). |
| US08564079B2 |
STT MRAM magnetic tunnel junction architecture and integration
A magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) device for a magnetic random access memory (MRAM) in a semiconductor back-end-of-line (BEOL) process flow includes a first metal interconnect for communicating with at least one control device and a first electrode for coupling to the first metal interconnect through a via formed in a dielectric passivation barrier using a first mask. The device also includes an MTJ stack for storing data coupled to the first electrode, a portion of the MTJ stack having lateral dimensions based upon a second mask. The portion defined by the second mask is over the contact via. A second electrode is coupled to the MTJ stack and also has a same lateral dimension as defined by the second mask. The first electrode and a portion of the MTJ stack are defined by a third mask. A second metal interconnect is coupled to the second electrode and at least one other control device. |
| US08564077B2 |
Package for electronic component, manufacturing method thereof and sensing apparatus
A package for electronic component comprises a rectangular package body having a flat cut surface to be abutted on a flat mounting surface of a mounting substrate, a first side surface intersecting with the flat cut surface, and a first notch part formed at a boundary between the flat cut surface and the first side surface, an electronic component installed in the package body, and a first pad electrically connected to the electronic component and formed on an inner wall surface of the first notch part. |
| US08564076B1 |
Internal electrical contact for enclosed MEMS devices
A MEMS device is disclosed. The MEMS device comprises a MEMS substrate. The MEMS substrate includes a first semiconductor layer connected to a second semiconductor layer with a dielectric layer in between. MEMS structures are formed from the second semiconductor layer and include a plurality of first conductive pads. The MEMS device further includes a base substrate which includes a plurality of second conductive pads thereon. The second conductive pads are connected to the first conductive pads. Finally, the MEMS device includes a conductive connector formed through the dielectric layer of the MEMS substrate to provide electrical coupling between the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer. The base substrate is electrically connected to the second semiconductor layer and the first semiconductor layer. |
| US08564074B2 |
Self-limiting oxygen seal for high-K dielectric and design structure
A semiconductor device is disclosed. The semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate including: a high-K dielectric region; a blocking region disposed against at least one surface of the high-K dielectric region and adapted to form an oxidized layer in response to exposure to oxygen; and an oxygen rich region disposed against the blocking region such that the blocking region is interposed between the oxygen rich region and the high-K dielectric region. |
| US08564073B1 |
Programmable connection and isolation of active regions in an integrated circuit using ambiguous features to confuse a reverse engineer
A technique for and structures for camouflaging an integrated circuit structure and strengthen its resistance to reverse engineering. A plurality of transistors are formed in a semiconductor substrate, at least some of the transistors being of the type having sidewall spacers with LDD regions formed under the sidewall spacers. Transistors are programmably interconnected with ambiguous interconnection features, the ambiguous interconnection features each comprising a channel formed in the semiconductor substrate with preferably the same dopant density as the LDD regions, with selected ones of the channels being formed of a conductivity type supporting electrical communication between interconnected active regions and with other selected ones of the channels being formed of a conductivity type inhibiting electrical communication but ambiguously appearing to a reverse engineer as supporting electrical communication. |
| US08564072B2 |
Semiconductor device having a blocking structure and method of manufacturing the same
A semiconductor device includes a blocking structure between a metal layer and at least one underlying layer. The blocking structure has a first layer configured for preventing diffusion of metal from the metal layer into the at least one underlying layer, and a second layer configured for enhancing electrical performance of the semiconductor device. |
| US08564071B2 |
Integrated circuit including cross-coupled transistors having gate electrodes formed within gate level feature layout channels with at least two different gate level feature extensions beyond contact
A semiconductor device includes a substrate having a plurality of diffusion regions defined therein to form first and second p-type diffusion regions, and first and second n-type diffusion regions, with each of these diffusion regions electrically connected to a common node. The first p-type active area and the second p-type active area are contiguously formed together. The first n-type active area and the second n-type active area are contiguously formed together. Gate electrodes are formed from conductive features that are each defined within any one gate level channel. Each gate level channel is uniquely associated with and defined along one of a number of parallel oriented gate electrode tracks. A first PMOS transistor gate electrode is electrically connected to a second NMOS transistor gate electrode, and a second PMOS transistor gate electrode is electrically connected to a first NMOS transistor gate electrode. |
| US08564068B2 |
Device and methods for small trench patterning
A semiconductor device and methods for small trench patterning are disclosed. The device includes a plurality of gate structures and sidewall spacers, and an etch buffer layer disposed over the sidewall spacers. The etch buffer layer includes an overhang component disposed on the upper portion of the sidewall spacers with an edge that extends laterally. The width between the edges of adjacent overhang components is narrower than the width between adjacent sidewall spacers. |
| US08564066B2 |
Interface-free metal gate stack
A method of fabricating a gate stack for a transistor includes forming a high dielectric constant layer on a semiconductor layer. A metal layer is formed on the high dielectric constant layer. A silicon containing layer is formed over the metal layer. An oxidized layer incidentally forms during the silicon containing layer formation and resides on the metal layer beneath the silicon containing layer. The silicon containing layer is removed. The oxidized layer residing on the metal layer is removed after removing the silicon containing layer. |
| US08564062B2 |
High voltage MOS array with gate contact on extended drain region
In an extended drain MOS device used in high voltage applications, switching characteristics are improved by providing for at least one base contact in the active region in the extended drain space. |
| US08564057B1 |
Power devices, structures, components, and methods using lateral drift, fixed net charge, and shield
Lateral power devices where immobile electrostatic charge is emplaced in dielectric material adjoining the drift region. A shield gate is interposed between the gate electrode and the drain, to reduce the Miller charge. In some embodiments the gate electrode is a trench gate, and in such cases the shield electrode too is preferably vertically extended. |
| US08564055B2 |
Shielded gate trench MOSFET device and fabrication
A semiconductor device includes a substrate, an active gate trench in the substrate, the active gate trench has a first top gate electrode and a first bottom source electrode, and a gate runner trench comprising a second top gate electrode and a second bottom source electrode. The second top gate electrode is narrower than the second bottom source electrode. |
| US08564053B2 |
Trench MOSFET with trenched floating gates in termination
A trench MOSFET comprising multiple trenched floating gates in termination area is disclosed. The trenched floating gates have trench depth equal to or deeper than body junction of body regions in active area. The trench MOSFET further comprise an EPR surrounding outside the multiple trenched floating gates in the termination area. |
| US08564050B2 |
3D semiconductor devices and methods of fabricating same
A three dimensional (3D) semiconductor device includes; a vertical channel extending from a lower end proximate a substrate to an upper end and connecting a plurality of memory cells, and a cell array comprising the plurality of cells, wherein the cell array is arranged in a gate stack of layers having a stair-stepped structure disposed on the substrate. The gate stack includes a lower layer including a lower select line coupled to a lower non-memory transistor proximate the lower end, upper layers including conductive lines respectively coupled to an upper non-memory transistor proximate the upper end and connected as a single conductive piece to form an upper select line, and intermediate layers respectively including a word line and coupled to a cell transistor, wherein the intermediate layers are disposed between the lower select line and the upper select line. |
| US08564038B2 |
Nonvolatile semiconductor memory device including resistive element
According to one embodiment, a second conductive layer is provided on a second insulating film and connected to a first conductive layer via an opening portion in the second insulating film. A first contact is connected to the second conductive layer. A third conductive layer is provided on the second insulating film and connected to the first conductive layer via an opening portion in the second insulating film. A second contact is connected to the third conductive layer. A fourth conductive layer is provided on the second insulating film and connected to the first conductive layer via an opening portion in the second insulating film. A third contact is connected to the fourth conductive layer. The floating gate layer and the first conductive layer are made of the same material, and the control gate layer, the second, third and fourth conductive layers are made of the same material. |
| US08564034B2 |
Solid-state imaging device
In a solid-state imaging device, a pixel has a first island-shaped semiconductor (P11) formed on a substrate (1) and a drive output circuit has second island-shaped semiconductors (4a to 4c) formed on the substrate at the same height as that of the first island-shaped semiconductor (P11). The first island-shaped semiconductor (P11) has a first gate insulating layer (6b) formed on an outer periphery thereof and a first gate conductor layer (105a) surrounding the first gate insulating layer (6b). The second island-shaped semiconductors (4a to 4c) have a second gate insulating layer (6a) formed on an outer periphery thereof and a second gate conductor layer (7a) surrounding the second gate insulating layer (6a). The first gate conductor layer (105a) and the second gate conductor layer (7a) have bottom portions located on the same plane. |
| US08564033B2 |
Solid-state imaging device and method for manufacturing the same
A solid-state imaging device includes: a light-receiving pixel part configured to be formed on a semiconductor substrate; a black-level reference pixel part configured to be formed on the semiconductor substrate; and a multilayer interconnect part configured to be provided over the semiconductor substrate. The multilayer interconnect part includes an insulating layer formed over the semiconductor substrate and metal interconnect layers formed as a plurality of layers in the insulating layer. The multilayer interconnect part has a first light-blocking film formed above an area between first metal interconnects of a first metal interconnect layer as one of the metal interconnect layers above the black-level reference pixel part, and a second light-blocking film that is connected to the first light-blocking film and is formed of a second metal interconnect layer over the first metal interconnect layer. |
| US08564023B2 |
Integrated circuit with MOSFET fuse element
At least one MOS parameter of a MOS fuse is characterized to provide at least one MOS parameter reference value. Then, the MOS fuse is programmed by applying a programming signal to the fuse terminals so that programming current flows through the fuse link. The fuse resistance is measured to provide a measured fuse resistance associated with a first logic value. A MOS parameter of the programmed MOS fuse is measured to provide a measured MOS parameter value. The measured MOS parameter value is compared to the reference MOS parameter value to determine a second logic value of the MOS fuse, and a bit value is output based on the comparison. |
| US08564022B2 |
Power device and method for manufacturing the same
Provided is a power device. The power device may include a two-dimensional electron gas (2-DEG) layer in a portion corresponding to a gate electrode pattern since a second nitride layer is further formed on a lower portion of the gate electrode pattern after a first nitride layer is formed and thus, may be capable of performing a normally-OFF operation. Accordingly, the power device may adjust generation of the 2-DEG layer based on a voltage of a gate, and may reduce power consumption. The power device may regrow only the portion corresponding to the gate electrode pattern or may etch a portion excluding the portion corresponding to the gate electrode pattern and thus, a recess process may be omissible, a reproducibility of the power device may be secured, and a manufacturing process may be simplified. |
| US08564018B2 |
Relaxed silicon germanium substrate with low defect density
A structure for an integrated circuit is disclosed. The structure includes a crystalline substrate and four crystalline layers. The first crystalline layer of first lattice constant is positioned on the crystalline substrate. The second crystalline layer has a second lattice constant different from the first lattice constant, and is positioned on said first crystalline layer. The third crystalline layer has a third lattice constant different than said second lattice constant, and is positioned on said second crystalline layer. The strained fourth crystalline layer includes, at least partially, a MOSFET device. |
| US08564015B2 |
Organic light-emitting diode with high color rendering
An organic light-emitting diode with high color rendering is provided, which includes: a substrate; a first electrode disposed over the substrate; a light-emitting region disposed over the first electrode, in which the light-emitting region includes a plurality of light-emitting layers and at least one spacer, the spacer being disposed between any two of the light-emitting layers and each of the light-emitting layers individually including a dye; and a second electrode disposed over the light-emitting region. Accordingly, the organic light-emitting diode according to the present invention can exhibit high color rendering and high illumination efficiency. |
| US08564009B2 |
Vertical light emitting device
According to an example embodiment, a vertical light emitting device (LED) includes a semiconductor layer including an active layer configured to emitting light, a first electrode on a first side of the semiconductor layer, and a second electrode on a second side of the semiconductor layer opposite to the first electrode. At least one of the first and second electrodes includes a metal electrode pattern and a transparent electrode pattern. The transparent electrode pattern is in a region between segment electrodes of the metal electrode pattern. The transparent electrode pattern is electrically connected to the metal electrode pattern. |
| US08563994B2 |
Light-emitting element, display device, and method for producing light-emitting element
A light-emitter including: a transparent first electrode; a charge injection transport layer; a light-emitting layer; and a transparent second electrode, layered in this order. The light-emitting layer is defined by a bank. The charge injection transport layer has a recessed structure including: an inner bottom surface in contact with a bottom surface of the light-emitting layer; and an inner side surface continuous with the inner bottom surface. The inner side surface includes: a lower edge continuous with the inner bottom surface; and an upper edge continuous with the lower edge. The upper edge is aligned with a bottom periphery of the bank, or has contact with a bottom surface of the bank. The charge injection transport layer has contact with a side surface of the light-emitting layer. |
| US08563993B2 |
Display device and fabrication method for display device
A capacitor unit in a display device includes: a capacitor element having a first capacitor electrode connected to a power line and provided in a GM electrode layer and a second capacitor electrode connected to a line and provided in an SD electrode layer; a backup capacitor element having a first backup capacitor electrode provided in the GM electrode layer and a second backup capacitor electrode connected to the power line and provided in the SD electrode layer; a disconnect-able portion at which a connection between the second capacitor electrode and the line can be disconnected; and a connectable portion at which the first backup capacitor electrode and the line can be connected, and the disconnect-able portion and the connectable portion are arranged at a position in which the disconnect-able portion and the connectable portion overlap in a stacking direction. |
| US08563990B2 |
Electronic device and method of manufacturing an electronic device
An electronic device comprising at least one die stack having at least a first die (D1) comprising a first array of light emitting units (OLED) for emitting light, a second layer (D2) comprising a second array of via holes (VH) and a third die (D3) comprising a third array of light detecting units (PD) for detecting light from the first array of light emitting units (OELD) is provided. The second layer (D2) is arranged between the first die (D1) and the third die (D3). The first, second and third array are aligned such that light emitted from the first array of light emitting units (OLED) passed through the second array of via holes (VH) and is detected by the third array of light detecting units (PD). The first array of light emitting units and/or the third array of light detecting units are manufactured based on standard semiconductor manufacturing processes. |
| US08563984B2 |
Semiconductor device
Device having reduced buffer leak on GaN substrate. In HEMT device, n-GaN (n-type GaN wafer) is used as substrate 11. Non-doped AlpGa1-pN layer with non-uniform composition p is formed on substrate 11 as buffer layer 12. On buffer layer 12, channel layer 13 of semi-insulating GaN and electron supply layer 14 of n-AlGaN are sequentially formed. In buffer layer 12, substrate connection region 121 where p=0 (GaN) is formed on lower end side, and active layer connection region 122 where value of p is also 0 (GaN) is formed on upper end side (channel layer 13 side). High Al composition region 123 where value of p is set to 1 (p=1) (AlN) is formed between substrate connection region 121 and active layer connection region 122. Resistivity of the high Al composition region 123 is highest in the buffer layer. |
| US08563982B2 |
Liquid crystal display device
In a liquid crystal display device that uses a top gate TFT, a contact hole is formed to connect to an image signal line. An inorganic passivation film and an organic passivation film are formed in this order so as to cover the TFT, on which a common electrode is formed. Then, an interlayer insulating film is formed on the common electrode. A through hole for gas release is formed in the interlayer insulating film. The diameter of the through hole is greater than the diameter of the contact hole, so as to be able to easily release gas from the organic passivation film, and to prevent the interlayer insulating film from peeling off. |
| US08563981B2 |
Semiconductor device
The semiconductor device of the present invention includes a semiconductor region made of a material to which conductive impurities are added, an insulating film formed on a surface of the semiconductor region, and an electroconductive gate electrode formed on the insulating film. The gate electrode is made of a material whose Fermi level is closer to a Fermi level of the semiconductor region than a Fermi level of Si in at least a portion contiguous to the insulating film. |
| US08563978B2 |
Display device and method for manufacturing the same
A display device includes a substrate, a first conductive film pattern including a gate electrode and a first capacitor electrode on the substrate, a gate insulating layer pattern on the first conductive film pattern, a polycrystalline silicon film pattern including an active layer and a second capacitor electrode on the gate insulating layer pattern, an interlayer insulating layer on the polycrystalline silicon film pattern, a plurality of first contact holes through the gate insulating layer pattern and the interlayer insulating layer to expose a portion of the first conductive film pattern, a plurality of second contact holes through the interlayer insulating layer to expose a portion of the polycrystalline silicon film pattern, and a second conductive film pattern including a source electrode, a drain electrode, and a pixel electrode on the interlayer insulating layer. |
| US08563977B2 |
Thin film transistor having a two-layer semiconductor with columnar structures, manufacturing method therefor, and display apparatus using the same
A transistor is constituted of a gate electrode 2, a gate insulation layer 3, a semiconductor layer 4 formed of an amorphous oxide, a source electrode 5, a drain electrode 6 and a protective layer 7. The protective layer 7 is provided on the semiconductor layer 4 in contact with the semiconductor layer 4, and the semiconductor layer 4 includes a first layer at least functioning as a channel layer and a second layer having higher resistance than the first layer. The first layer is provided on the gate electrode 2 side of the semiconductor layer 4 and the second layer is provided on the protective layer 7 side of the semiconductor layer 4. |
| US08563976B2 |
Semiconductor device and manufacturing method thereof
A semiconductor device includes an oxide semiconductor layer including a channel formation region which includes an oxide semiconductor having a wide band gap and a carrier concentration which is as low as possible, and a source electrode and a drain electrode which include an oxide conductor containing hydrogen and oxygen vacancy, and a barrier layer which prevents diffusion of hydrogen and oxygen between an oxide conductive layer and the oxide semiconductor layer. The oxide conductive layer and the oxide semiconductor layer are electrically connected to each other through the barrier layer. |
| US08563971B2 |
Light emitting device
A light emitting device includes: a first electrode, a conductor film, an organic layer having a light emitting layer made of an organic light emitting material provided therein, a semi-transmissive reflective film, a resistive layer, and a second electrode, all of which are laminated successively, wherein the conductor film transmits a part of light from the light emitting layer therethrough, the first electrode reflects the light having been transmitted through the conductor film, the second electrode transmits the light having been transmitted through the semi-transmissive reflective film therethrough, an average film thickness of the conductor film on the first electrode is from 1 nm to 6 nm, and an average film thickness of the semi-transmissive reflective film on the organic layer is from 1 nm to 6 nm. |
| US08563970B2 |
Organic light emitting diode display
Disclosed is an organic light emitting diode display, including a first substrate including an organic light emitting diode and a driving circuit part for driving the light emitting diode, a second substrate facing the first substrate and covering the light emitting diode and the driving circuit part, a connection unit connected to the driving circuit part and extending from the first substrate along a rear side thereof, an electronic device disposed between the connection unit and the first substrate and transmitting a signal to the driving circuit part via the connection unit, and an electromagnetic wave-shielding sheet disposed on one side of the first substrate to directly face the electronic device and including a first conductive material layer, a buffer layer formed on one side of the first conductive material layer to prevent the first substrate from breaking, and a first adhesive layer formed on the other side of the first conductive material layer. |
| US08563969B2 |
Benzanthracene compound and organic electroluminescence device using the same
A compound having the structure represented by the following formula (1) or (1)′ as at least a part: wherein FA is a fused aromatic ring, and Ar is an aromatic group. |
| US08563960B2 |
Phase change random access memory and method for manufacturing the same
A phase change random access memory includes a semiconductor substrate having a bottom electrode formed over the semiconductor substrate; and a phase change layer formed over the bottom electrode. The phase change layer a first phase change layer formed over the bottom electrode and including at least one of a first element, a second element, and a third element; and a second phase change layer formed over a surface of the first phase change layer and formed of the first element to prevent an area of the first phase change layer from increasing through diffusion. |
| US08563958B2 |
Inspection apparatus and inspection method
Reflected light caused by the state of the surface of a wafer, a foreign material, or a defect is superimposed on a haze frequency component caused by the type and thickness of a film or a surface irregularity. In order to detect a haze frequency component caused by a haze present on the surface of an object to be inspected, light propagating from the object to be inspected is detected and converted into an electric signal. The electric signal is sampled at a predetermined sampling time interval and converted into digital data. A frequency component caused by a foreign material, a defect or the like is separated from the digital data to ensure that a haze frequency component is selected. The haze frequency component is caused by a stain attached to the surface of the wafer, hazy tarnish, a surface irregularity or the like. |
| US08563957B2 |
Photoconductive switch package
A photoconductive switch is formed of a substrate that has a central portion of SiC or other photoconductive material and an outer portion of cvd-diamond or other suitable material surrounding the central portion. Conducting electrodes are formed on opposed sides of the substrate, with the electrodes extending beyond the central portion and the edges of the electrodes lying over the outer portion. Thus any high electric fields produced at the edges of the electrodes lie outside of and do not affect the central portion, which is the active switching element. Light is transmitted through the outer portion to the central portion to actuate the switch. |
| US08563956B1 |
Intracavity loss element for power amplifier
An attenuation optical system is in a beam path of a light beam traveling through a regenerative ring resonator. The attenuation optical system includes an actuator configured to receive an electromagnetic signal; and a plate mounted to the actuator to be moveable between a plurality of positions, with each position placing an attenuation region in the beam path such that the beam profile is covered by the attenuation region and each attenuation region representing an attenuation factor applied to the light beam as determined by a geometry of the attenuation region. At least one attenuation region includes a plurality of evenly-spaced elongated openings between solid energy-reflecting surfaces and at least one attenuation region includes an open area that is larger than the beam profile of the light beam. |
| US08563951B2 |
Exposure systems for integrated circuit fabrication
Exposure systems include a beam generator, which is configured to irradiate source beams in a direction of an object to be exposed by the source beams, along with first and second beam shapers. The first beam shaper, which is disposed proximate the beam generator, has a first aperture therein positioned to pass through the source beams received from the beam generator. The second beam shaper is disposed proximate the first beam shaper. The second beam shaper includes a plate having a second aperture therein, which is positioned to receive the source beams that are passed through the first aperture of the first beam shaper. The second beam shaper further includes a first actuator and a first shift screen mechanically coupled to the first actuator. |
| US08563950B2 |
Energy beam drawing apparatus and method of manufacturing device
An energy beam drawing apparatus includes a member, positioned between an energy beam source and a substrate, on which a deposit is deposited and a removing unit which removes the deposit. The removing unit includes a catalyst for generating, from a gas, an active species for decomposing the deposit by irradiation with the energy beam, a supplying mechanism for supplying the gas to a position where the active species is generated, and a moving mechanism for moving, when executing processing of removing the deposit, the catalyst to a first position which is irradiated with the energy beam, and moving, when executing drawing processing on the substrate, the catalyst to a second position which is not irradiated with the energy beam. |
| US08563948B2 |
Power system for dosimeter reader
Described is a portable dosimeter reader that is small in size and light in weight comprising an optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) reader for reading one or more OSL sensors of a dosimeter sled. The portable dosimeter may also include a sled slider that is driven by an engine to position in turn each of the one or more OSL sensors of the dosimeter sled at a reading position where the OSL reader reads each respective OSL sensor. A display may be provided for displaying information relating to reading the one or more OSL sensors. The portable dosimeter may also include a battery compartment for one or more batteries and a case enclosing the device. |
| US08563945B2 |
Sampling of confined spaces
In various embodiments of the invention, a cargo container can be monitored at appropriate time intervals to determine that no controlled substances have been shipped with the cargo in the container. The monitoring utilizes reactive species produced from an atmospheric analyzer to ionize analyte molecules present in the container which are then analyzed by an appropriate spectroscopy system. In an embodiment of the invention, a sorbent surface can be used to absorb, adsorb or condense analyte molecules within the container whereafter the sorbent surface can be interrogated with the reactive species to generate analyte species characteristic of the contents of the container. |
| US08563941B1 |
Data acquisition
An imaging detector includes processing electronics with a thermal coefficient about equal to a negative of a summation of thermal coefficients of a photosensor array and a scintillator array of the detector. In another instance, the imaging detector includes an A/D converter that alternately converts first charge corresponding to impinging radiation into a first signal and second charge corresponding to decaying charge into a second signal and a logic unit that corrects the first signal based on the second signal. In another instance, the imaging detector includes an A/D converter, an integrator offset voltage signal determiner, and a logic unit, wherein the determiner induces an electrical current via an offset voltage, the A/D converter measures the current, and the logic unit calculates a resistance of the photosensor array based on the reference voltage and the measured current. |
| US08563939B2 |
Radiation detecting apparatus and radiation detecting system
A radiation detecting apparatus includes: a sensor panel for converting radiation or light into an electric charge; a casing holding the sensor panel; an acceleration detecting unit for detecting an acceleration relating to a movement of the radiation detecting apparatus, and for transmitting a signal based on a value of the acceleration; a determining unit for determining, based on the signal transmitted from the acceleration detecting unit, as to whether the radiation detecting apparatus is in an excessively accelerated state, a free falling state or a normal state; and a buffer unit for operating to absorb a shock exerted on the radiation detecting apparatus, responsive to determination by the determining unit such that the radiation detecting apparatus is in an excessively accelerated state or a free falling state. The buffer unit is arranged outside of the casing. |
| US08563938B2 |
Detector assembly of a digital X-ray detector
In one embodiment, a digital X-ray detector assembly is provided that includes a digital detector array and a support panel secured to the detector array, wherein at least one side of the support panel includes a recess exposing an edge region of the detector array. In another embodiment, a method is provided for assembling a digital X-ray detector assembly. The method includes securing a rear side of a detector array to a front side of a support panel that includes a recess in at least one side of the support panel, wherein the recess of the support panel exposes an edge region of the detector array; and processing the exposed edge region of the detector array. In a further embodiment, a method is provided for assembly and servicing of a digital X-ray detector assembly. |
| US08563937B2 |
Apparatus and method for detection of radiation
Digital images or the charge from pixels in light sensitive semiconductor based imagers may be used to detect gamma rays and energetic particles emitted by radioactive materials. Methods may be used to identify pixel-scale artifacts introduced into digital images and video images by high energy gamma rays. Statistical tests and other comparisons on the artifacts in the images or pixels may be used to prevent false-positive detection of gamma rays. The sensitivity of the system may be used to detect radiological material at distances in excess of 50 meters. Advanced processing techniques allow for gradient searches to more accurately determine the source's location, while other acts may be used to identify the specific isotope. Coordination of different imagers and network alerts permit the system to separate non-radioactive objects from radioactive objects. |
| US08563933B2 |
Thermal detector, thermal detector device, electronic instrument, and method of manufacturing thermal detector
The thermal detector includes a support member supported on a substrate. The support member has a mounting portion supporting a thermal detector element, and at least one arm portion connected at one end to the mounting portion and connected at the other end to the substrate. At least one of the mounting portion and the at least one arm portion has a first member disposed towards the substrate, a transverse width of a transverse cross-sectional shape of the first member set to a first width; a second member disposed toward the thermal detector element and facing the first member, a transverse width of the second member set to the first width; and a third member linking the first member and the second member, a transverse width of the third member set to a second width that is smaller than the first width. |
| US08563932B2 |
Device and method for diffusion optical tomography
A device and method for diffusion optical tomography are disclosed. The device includes a sensing circuit with a plurality of light sources and sensors and an optical tomography element having a control unit, a computation unit and an image reconstruction unit. First, the computation unit constructs an image model of an object using optical parameters of the object, and performs decomposition on the image model. Then, the control unit instructs the light sources to emit light to the object, and receives a plurality of optical signals generated by the object in response to the light. Finally, the image reconstruction unit combines the optical signals and the decomposed image model and reconstructs an image of the object based on the combination of the optical signals and the decomposed image model. |
| US08563916B2 |
Compact low noise signal readout circuit having at least one open-loop amplifier and method for operating thereof
The present invention discloses a solid-state electric charge sensor (200, 600) comprising at least one signal-readout circuit (205, 605) that comprises a current source (140, 640) and a column line (120, 620). The sensor also comprises at least one charge detector circuit (210, 610) that is operatively coupled with the at least one signal-readout circuit (205, 605). The at least one signal-readout circuit (205, 605) is characterized by further comprising at least one open-loop amplifier (250, 650), the input of which is operatively connectable with the at least one column signal line (220, 620) and with the at least one current source (240, 640); at least one feedback line (230, 630) that is operatively connectable with the output (254, 654) of the at least one open-loop amplifier (250, 650); and operative to selectively form a negative feedback loop; and wherein the open-loop amplifier (250, 650) has an inverting voltage gain. |
| US08563914B2 |
Unit pixels including boosting capacitors, pixel arrays including the unit pixels and photodetecting devices including the pixel arrays
A unit pixel capable of achieving full initialization of a floating diffusion area, a pixel array including the unit pixel, and a photodetecting device including the pixel array. The unit pixel includes a photodetector, a transmission transistor for transmitting charges generated from the photodetector to a floating diffusion area, a reset transistor for initializing the floating diffusion area, and a boosting capacitor having a first terminal connected to the floating diffusion area and a second terminal to which a boosting voltage is applied. |
| US08563911B2 |
Device for opening and locking a tail unit for ammunition
A device for opening and locking a tail unit is provided. The tail unit includes a body and at least one fin, pivotable relative to the body along a first axis, that has a projection that forms an element. The device comprises a control ring, slidable relative to the body along a second axis, that includes a component, forming an element, that bears against the projection to deploy the fin, the second axis being non-parallel and non-secant to the first axis. A means for shaping one of the elements during translation along the second axis of the control ring towards the projection of the fin is provided on the other element. The body includes a bearing surface to support the fin during shaping, in which the support of the fin on the bearing surface corresponds to the deployed position of the fin. |
| US08563906B2 |
Insulating microwave interactive packaging
In one embodiment, an insulating microwave packaging material (200) includes a microwave interactive material substrate (205) joined to a second substrate (210) along bond lines (212) to define closed cells (214). Upon impingement of the insulating microwave packaging material (200) by microwave energy in a microwave oven, the closed cells (214) expand to form insulating pockets (216). One side of the insulating pocket (216) bulges and lofts above the opposite side. When a food product is situated on the insulating microwave packaging material (200), the insulating pockets (216) insulate the food product from the microwave oven environment. |
| US08563904B2 |
Heated eyelash curler
A heated eyelash curler comprises a curling head portion having an arcuate top surface on one end and a protection case on the other end. The protection case serves as a handle and also encloses the power source. A heating element is laid on the arcuate top surface caged inside a plurality of bridges or protected between protruding comblike spikes. The curler includes a pigmented silicone piece which changes in color corresponding to the temperature of the heating element as indicator. The heating element comprises a conducting wire lined or coated with a high temperature insulation arranged in zigzag configuration inserted into a conducting tube. The circuitry includes a converter for boosting the voltage of the power source which hastens the rise in temperature of the heating element and this in combination with the heating element having the conducting wire in zigzag configuration, provide a more stable and even heating. |
| US08563900B2 |
Charcoal smoke-far infrared ray radiating oven
An oven body includes a grilling chamber provided with several far infrared ray heaters and a smoking chamber that emits smoke from the charcoal heated by electric heaters, wherein the meat to be roasted is rotated in the grilling chamber by a rotating means, rotating alternately through a far infrared ray heating area where far infrared ray concentrates and through a smoking area where smoke concentrates, in which process the roasting operation by the far infrared ray and the smoking operation with particular scent of a charcoal are carried out simultaneously. |
| US08563897B2 |
Sheathed welding wire
Provided is a welding wire and method for manufacturing a welding wire providing for quality welds on 300 series stainless steel and similar materials. A metal powder core is encapsulated in a metal sheath. The metal sheath composition comprising up to about 6% nickel, by weight, and may correspond to a series 400 stainless steel. A combination of the metal sheath and the metal powder core provides an overall alloy content of a series 300 stainless steel. |
| US08563895B2 |
Method and device for processing a movable substrate by means of laser
The invention relates to a method for processing a movable substrate by means of laser, wherein the processing results in the release of material separated from the substrate, wherein during processing of the substrate a higher pressure prevails on the side of the substrate where the substrate is impinged by the laser beam than on the other side of the substrate, and to a device for performing such a processing, wherein the device comprises guide means for guiding the substrate and laser processing means adapted to cast onto the substrate a laser spot which processes the substrate in a laser processing zone, and comprises means for generating a higher pressure on the side of the substrate where the substrate is impinged by the laser beam than on the other side of the substrate. |
| US08563894B2 |
Combined machine for punching and laser cutting of flat sheet metal
A combined machine for punching and laser cutting of a flat sheet metal includes a fixed base, a fixed punching head, a laser cutting head and a manipulator for the movement of the sheet metal on a Cartesian plane. The laser cutting head is carried by a variable-aperture compass structure, which is mobile along a linear guide. |
| US08563890B2 |
Method and apparatus for microplasma spray coating a portion of a turbine vane in a gas turbine engine
A method and apparatus for microplasma spray coating a portion of a turbine vane without masking any portions thereof. The apparatus includes a microplasma gun with an anode, cathode, and an arc generator for generating an electric arc between the anode and cathode. An arc gas emitter injects gas through the electric arc. The electric arc is operable for ionizing the gas to create a plasma gas stream. A powder injector injects powdered material into a plasma stream. A localized area of the turbine vane is coated with the powdered material without having to mask the turbine vane. |
| US08563888B2 |
Arc containment device and method
An arc containment device is presented. The arc containment device includes a shock shield further having a multiple apertures for escape of gas, the shock shield configured to surround an arc source. The device further comprises an inner enclosure having a multiple openings generally aligned with the multiple apertures, the inner enclosure configured to provide an electrical insulation base for the arc source. An outer enclosure disposed is provided around the inner enclosure, the outer enclosure configured to direct the gas to the environment outside the device. |
| US08563885B2 |
Cantilevered beam NEMS switch
Nanoelectromechanical devices use a cantilevered beam supported by a base. The cantilevered beam is constructed with a nanoscale gap (e.g., less than 10 nm) separating the cantilevered beam from an electrical structure. A low voltage (e.g., less than 2 volts) applied to the cantilevered beam can cause the beam to bend and make contact with the electrical structure. High switching speeds (e.g., less than 10 ns) can be provided. The electrical structure can be a second cantilevered beam or another structure. |
| US08563883B1 |
Transfer switch with cover-mounted power inlet
A transfer switch for interconnection in a power supply system for an electrical load, such as a traffic signal, for selectively switching between primary and alternate power sources. The transfer switch includes a housing having a cover that is movable between open and closed positions for selectively providing access to an interior. An input receptacle is configured to engage an electrical connector of the alternate power source. The input receptacle is movable between a first position for facilitating engagement of the connector with the receptacle when the cover is open, and a second position when the cover closed. A selector switch is contained within the interior and interconnected with the load and the primary and alternate power sources. The selector switch selectively connects the primary power source and the alternate power source to the load, and the cover prevents access to the selector switch when the cover is closed. |
| US08563882B2 |
Electronic circuit breaker having a locking and unlocking mechanism and methods of operating same
Embodiments provide an electronic circuit breaker. The electronic circuit breaker has main electrical contacts configurable between an opened and a closed condition, a handle coupled to at least one of the main electrical contacts, the handle moveable between at least an ON configuration and an OFF configuration, secondary electrical contacts configured to engage each other in the ON configuration, and a moveable stop operable to maintain separation of the main electrical contacts initially when moved toward the ON configuration, and operable to unlock and allow closing of the main electrical contacts upon successful completion of a self-test. A method of operating the electronic circuit breaker is provided, as are other aspects. |
| US08563881B2 |
Input device and electronic apparatus having the same
An input device and an electronic apparatus having the same are provided. The input device includes a main body, and a plurality of keys each having a contact part which contacts a pressing unit and a non-contact part which extends from the contact part and is spaced apart from the pressing unit. The contact parts and the non-contact parts of the keys may be arranged in a zigzag pattern. The electronic apparatus includes the above-mentioned input device and a display device which is provided in the main body. |
| US08563880B2 |
Operating tool with conductor pieces
An inexpensively-produced operating tool to which information about the direction of the operating tool or various kinds of identification information can be provided, and in which a switch can be provided. An operating tool (100), which is placed on the detection plane of a conductor detector capable of detecting a conductor by detecting a change in coupling coefficient of loop coil groups crossing each other, comprises a plurality of conductor pieces (102). The conductor piece has, for example, a circular shape, a rectangular shape, or a ring shape. At least a part of the plurality of conductor pieces may be arranged in a predetermined pattern such that the conductor detector can detect the direction of the operating tool. |
| US08563879B2 |
Inertial microbalance filter assembly
A low tare weight filter system is disclosed. The low weight makes the system especially advantageous for use in inertial microbalance instrumentation where small variations in mass must be accounted for to deliver accurate results. Moreover, the assembly is constructed to permit the filter collector to flex and stretch over a complimentary body incorporated in a filter support base and securely fasten to the same. Such use offers further advantages for instrument performance. It insures consistent apposition and long-term stability in the contact between the filter media and its reference surface. |
| US08563873B2 |
Substrate with metal film and method for manufacturing the same
A method for manufacturing a substrate with a metal film includes preparing a first insulation layer having first and second surfaces, forming a first conductive circuit on the first surface of the first insulation layer, forming on the first surface of the first insulation layer and on the first conductive circuit a second insulation layer having first and second surfaces, forming in the second insulation layer a penetrating hole tapering from the first surface toward the first conductive circuit, forming on the inner wall of the penetrating hole, a composition containing a polymerization initiator and a polymerizable compound, providing a polymer on the inner wall of the penetrating hole by irradiating the composition, applying a plating catalyst on the polymer, and forming a plated-metal film on the inner wall of the penetrating hole. The first surface of the first insulation layer faces the second surface of the second insulation layer. |
| US08563872B2 |
Wiring board, wiring board manufacturing method, and via paste
A wiring board includes a plurality of wirings laid via an insulating resin layer, and a via-hole conductor provided for electrically connecting the wirings. The via-hole conductor includes metal and resin portions. The metal portion includes a region made of copper particles, a first metal region mainly composed of tin, a tin-copper alloy, or a tin-copper intermetallic compound, and a second metal region mainly composed of bismuth, and has Cu/Sn of from 1.59 to 21.43. The copper particles are in contact with one another, thereby electrically connecting the wirings, and at least part of the first metal region covers around and extends over the portions where the copper particles are in plane contact with one another. |
| US08563870B2 |
Transparent conductive film
A transparent conductive film which comprises: a substrate composed of a non-crystalline polymer film; a first hard coating layer; a first transparent conductor layer; a first metal layer; a second hard coating layer; a second transparent conductor layer; and a second metal layer. The first hard coating layer includes a binder resin and a plurality of particles. And the second hard coating layer includes a binder resin and a plurality of particles. The first metal layer has a plurality of projections on a surface thereof and the second metal layer has a plurality of projections on a surface thereof. |
| US08563868B2 |
Electronic device for a flexible display device and method the same
An electronic device (100) includes a first plane (102) and a second plane (103) where one of the planes can be deformed under mechanical pressure. A common contact region forms a cavity (145) on at least one of the first and second planes. An electrical connection (110) is configured to complete an electrical connection between the first and second planes wherein the electrical connection includes a solidified form of a liquid conductor dispensed in the cavity to complete an electrical path between the first and second planes. |
| US08563867B2 |
Smart link coupled to power line
A smart link in a power delivery system includes an insulator, which electrically isolates a power line, and a switchable conductance placed in parallel with the insulator. The switchable conductance includes switchgear for sourcing, sinking, and/or dispatching real and/or reactive power on the power line to dynamically in response to dynamic loading, transient voltages and/or currents, and phase conditions or other conditions on the power line. |
| US08563864B2 |
Flexible tubing and novel manufacturing methods for making such a tubing
A smooth-bore plastic tubing with an outer helical support bead is resistant to collapse and incorporates plural conductors disposed outside of the tubing bore and insulated both from ambient and from one another. The conductors may have a desired relatively high thermal conductivity to tidal air flow within the tubing, while also having a comparatively high thermal resistance to ambient. The conductors may be electrical conductors, or may include fiber optic conductors as well in the same tubing structure. A method for making the tubing includes extruding a molten thermoplastic ribbon. The plastic ribbon is wrapped to form a tubular body, and a grooved plateau portion is wrapped upon the tubular body. At least one conductor is embedded in the groove of the plateau portion. Finally a molten thermoplastic bead is then applied atop the plateau portion and atop of the embedded conductor providing a unitary flexible tubing structure with substantially smooth inside and outside surfaces free of crevices which could retain soil or bacteria. |
| US08563860B1 |
Large loop retractile cord
An electrical power cable extension cord with a coiled section between the first and the second ends and at least one metal core conductor contained within the electrical power cable extension cord for transmitting electrical current to supply electrical power to a power device. The coiled section has a coiled diameter of approximately five times or more greater than the diameter of the electrical power cable extension cord. |
| US08563859B1 |
Tamper resistant wallplate
A wall plate including a base having a perimeter and a front surface, a recessed portion in the base located behind the front surface and having at least one opening for receiving an electrical receptacle face, a panel slidable within the recessed portion, a pair of release buttons for selectively permitting slidable movement of the panel, and wherein the panel is biased in the closed position. |
| US08563854B2 |
Dye-sensitized photoelectric conversion apparatus and manufacturing method thereof
A dye-sensitized photoelectric conversion apparatus having enhanced energy conversion efficiency and a production method thereof are provided.The dye-sensitized photoelectric conversion apparatus which has semiconductor layer (13) containing a photosensitizing dye (14) and is constituted such that a charge carrier generated by allowing light to incident in the photosensitizing dye (14) is drawn out through the semiconductor layer (13), in which the semiconductor layer (13) is constituted by a plurality of regions (13A to 13D) having different energy levels from one another of a passage through which the charge carrier is transferred. Further, the plurality of regions (13A to 13D) are arranged such that the energy levels are reduced stepwise and/or continuously in the direction of drawing the charge carrier out. |
| US08563851B2 |
Method to increase field effect mobility of donor-acceptor semiconductors
A method including activating an electronic device, such as an organic thin film transistor, by exposing the device to non-ionizing radiation while the device is under an electrical field. Activation of the transistor increases the field effect mobility of the transistor. |
| US08563849B2 |
Diode and heat spreader for solar module
Arrangements of diodes and heat spreaders for solar modules are described. For example, a solar module may include a backsheet with a low profile, surface-mount diode disposed above the backsheet. A pair of ribbon interconnects is coupled to the low profile, surface-mount diode and may penetrate the backsheet. |
| US08563844B2 |
Thin-film heterostructure thermoelectrics in a group IIA and IV-VI materials system
Embodiments of a thin-film heterostructure thermoelectric material and methods of fabrication thereof are disclosed. In general, the thermoelectric material is formed in a Group IIa and IV-VI materials system. The thermoelectric material includes an epitaxial heterostructure and exhibits high heat pumping and figure-of-merit performance in terms of Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, and thermal conductivity over broad temperature ranges through appropriate engineering and judicious optimization of the epitaxial heterostructure. |
| US08563842B2 |
Method and apparatus for separating musical sound source using time and frequency characteristics
A method and apparatus for separating and extracting main sound sources from a mixed musical sound signal are provided. A musical sound source separation apparatus may include an prior information signal compressor to compress an prior information signal including a characteristic of a predetermined sound source, a mixed signal divider to divide a mixed signal including a plurality of sound sources into a plurality of segments, a Nonnegative Matrix Partial Co-Factorization (NMPCF) analyzer to acquire common information shared by the plurality of segments, by applying an NMPCF algorithm to the prior information signal, and a target musical instrument signal separator to separate a target musical instrument signal corresponding to the predetermined sound source from the mixed signal, based on the common information. |
| US08563841B1 |
Safety hoop for drum
Drum structure comprising, in combination a drum shell and a drum head, and a counter hoop to be supported by the shell proximate the head and having an edge shaped to resist or prevent drum stick damage, there being a drainage gap or opening providing access between the counter hoop and its side wall. |
| US08563840B2 |
Apparatus for making carbon nanotube composite wire structure
An apparatus for making a carbon nanotube composite structure includes a supply unit, a wrapping unit, and a collecting unit. The supply unit is configured to supply a linear structure. The wrapping unit includes a drive mechanism, a hollow rotating shaft, and a face plate. The drive mechanism is mounted on a first end of the hollow rotating shaft to drive the hollow rotating shaft. The face plate is fixed on a second end of the hollow rotating shaft and loads a carbon nanotube array with a growing substrate. The carbon nanotube array forms a carbon nanotube structure. The wrapping unit winds the carbon nanotube structure around the linear structure. The collecting unit pulls the linear structure and collects the carbon nanotube composite wire structure. |
| US08563832B1 |
Maize variety hybrid X18B735
A novel maize variety designated X18B735 and seed, plants and plant parts thereof, produced by crossing Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. proprietary inbred maize varieties. Methods for producing a maize plant that comprises crossing hybrid maize variety X18B735 with another maize plant. Methods for producing a maize plant containing in its genetic material one or more traits introgressed into X18B735 through backcross conversion and/or transformation, and to the maize seed, plant and plant part produced thereby. This invention relates to the maize variety X18B735, the seed, the plant produced from the seed, and variants, mutants, and minor modifications of maize variety X18B735. This invention further relates to methods for producing maize varieties derived from maize variety X18B735. |
| US08563831B1 |
Maize variety inbred PH17AN
A novel maize variety designated PH17AN and seed, plants and plant parts thereof. Methods for producing a maize plant that comprise crossing maize variety PH17AN with another maize plant. Methods for producing a maize plant containing in its genetic material one or more traits introgressed into PH17AN through backcross conversion and/or transformation, and to the maize seed, plant and plant part produced thereby. Hybrid maize seed, plant or plant part produced by crossing the variety PH17AN or a locus conversion of PH17AN with another maize variety. |
| US08563829B1 |
Maize variety inbred PH18HH
A novel maize variety designated PH18HH and seed, plants and plant parts thereof. Methods for producing a maize plant that comprise crossing maize variety PH18HH with another maize plant. Methods for producing a maize plant containing in its genetic material one or more traits introgressed into PH18HH through backcross conversion and/or transformation, and to the maize seed, plant and plant part produced thereby. Hybrid maize seed, plant or plant part produced by crossing the variety PH18HH or a locus conversion of PH18HH with another maize variety. |
| US08563826B1 |
Soybean cultivar 5555821658
A soybean cultivar designated 5555821658 is disclosed. Embodiments of the invention include the seeds of soybean 5555821658, the plants of soybean 5555821658, to plant parts of soybean 5555821658, and methods for producing a soybean plant produced by crossing soybean 5555821658 with itself or with another soybean variety. Embodiments of the invention include methods for producing a soybean plant containing in its genetic material one or more genes or transgenes and the transgenic soybean plants and plant parts produced by those methods. Embodiments of the invention also relate to soybean cultivars, breeding cultivars, plant parts, and cells derived from soybean 5555821658, methods for producing other soybean cultivars, lines or plant parts derived from soybean 5555821658, and the soybean plants, varieties, and their parts derived from use of those methods. Embodiments of the invention further include hybrid soybean seeds, plants, and plant parts produced by crossing 5555821658 with another soybean cultivar. |
| US08563815B1 |
Soybean variety XBP33003
A novel soybean variety, designated XBP33003 is provided. Also provided are the seeds of soybean variety XBP33003, cells from soybean variety XBP33003, plants of soybean XBP33003, and plant parts of soybean variety XBP33003. Methods provided include producing a soybean plant by crossing soybean variety XBP33003 with another soybean plant, methods for introgressing a transgenic trait, a mutant trait, and/or a native trait into soybean variety XBP33003, methods for producing other soybean varieties or plant parts derived from soybean variety XBP33003, and methods of characterizing soybean variety XBP33003. Soybean seed, cells, plants, germplasm, breeding lines, varieties, and plant parts produced by these methods and/or derived from soybean variety XBP33003 are further provided. |
| US08563814B2 |
Soybean variety XB009E11
A novel soybean variety, designated XB009E11 is provided. Also provided are the seeds of soybean variety XB009E11, cells from soybean variety XB009E11, plants of soybean XB009E11, and plant parts of soybean variety XB009E11. Methods provided include producing a soybean plant by crossing soybean variety XB009E11 with another soybean plant, methods for introgressing a transgenic trait, a mutant trait, and/or a native trait into soybean variety XB009E11, methods for producing other soybean varieties or plant parts derived from soybean variety XB009E11, and methods of characterizing soybean variety XB009E11. Soybean seed, cells, plants, germplasm, breeding lines, varieties, and plant parts produced by these methods and/or derived from soybean variety XB009E11 are further provided. |
| US08563809B2 |
Radish cultivar E66V70336
A radish line designated E66V70336 is disclosed. The invention relates to the seeds of radish cultivar E66V70336, to the plants and plant parts of radish cultivar E66V70336 and to methods for producing a radish plant, either inbred or hybrid, by crossing the radish cultivar E66V70336 with itself or another radish line. The invention further relates to methods for producing a radish plant containing in its genetic material one or more transgenes and to the transgenic plants produced by that method and to methods for producing other radish lines derived from the radish cultivar E66V70336. |
| US08563808B2 |
AXMI-003, a delta-endotoxin gene and methods for its use
Compositions and methods for conferring pesticidal activity to bacteria, plants, plant cells, tissues and seeds are provided. Compositions comprising a coding sequence for a delta-endotoxin polypeptide are provided. The coding sequences can be used in DNA constructs or expression cassettes for transformation and expression in plants and bacteria. Compositions also comprise transformed bacteria, plants, plant cells, tissues, and seeds. In particular, isolated delta-endotoxin nucleic acid molecules are provided. Additionally, amino acid sequences corresponding to the polynucleotides are encompassed. In particular, the present invention provides for isolated nucleic acid molecules comprising nucleotide sequences encoding the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:2 or 4, or the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1 or 3, as well as variants thereof. |
| US08563804B2 |
Amphidiploid aquatic animal and method of breeding the same
An amphidiploid aquatic animal according to the present invention has genomes AB of different species and carries fertile XXXY sex chromosomes. Among a large number of aquatic animals of the first filial generation kept in a closed system, a nonreductive sperm of a male and a nonreductive egg of a female are selected. Then the nonreductive egg is fertilized with the nonreductive sperm to create an amphidiploid aquatic animal having fertile XXXY sex chromosomes. Since this amphidiploid has the XXXY sex chromosomes, it can be crossed with an egg AXBX of an F1 hybrid that produces nonreductive eggs, thus ensuring a stable creation of amphidiploids in the subsequent generations by natural crossbreeding. In the meiotic division, one set of the chromosomes of each species is assuredly distributed to each gamete. Therefore, the trait of the first generation (F1) will be perpetually maintained. Since no genetic separation takes place, two sets of the genomes of different species are always inherited to every individual. Therefore, inbreeding depression will not take effect even if relative mating is repeated. |
| US08563803B2 |
Method of making protein in an egg of a transgenic chicken
The invention includes isolating pharmaceutical proteins from avian hard shell eggs containing pharmaceutical proteins wherein the pharmaceutical proteins are exogenous to the egg. |
| US08563800B2 |
Method of use of a tulip-shaped sacral wound dressing
A sacral wound dressing having a bottom end with three substantially V-shaped projections. In use, a protective layer of the wound dressing is removed to expose an adhesive layer and an absorbent layer, the wound dressing is folded over on itself substantially along a central axis, a medial V-shaped projection is inserted into a superior portion of the gluteal cleft of the person to adhere the medial projection to the skin within the gluteal cleft, two lateral V-shaped projections are then pushed against a superior portion of the buttocks of the person to adhere the lateral projections to the skin, and the opposing lateral ends and the top end of the wound dressing are then pushed against the skin of the person until the wound dressing is properly adhered to the sacrococcygeal region over the sacral wound. |
| US08563799B2 |
Wound-covering hydrogel material
A wound-covering hydrogel material which has excellent stretchability and absorbs exudates from wounds. It can maintain over long a wet environment which is suitable for accelerating the healing of wounds. There is no fear of causing pain or damaging the regenerated skin when the wound-covering hydrogel material is replaced with a fresh one. The wound-covering hydrogel material prepared by spreading a hydrogel comprising a water-soluble semi-synthetic polymer, glycerol and water, on a laminated two-layer film composed of a polyurethane film and hydrophobic fibers. The covering material has a moisture permeability as measured by the cup method in accordance with JIS Z0208 of 500-2,000 (g/m2/24 h). |
| US08563795B2 |
Aromatic aklylating agent and an aromatic production apparatus
One exemplary embodiment can be a process using an aromatic methylating agent. Generally, the process includes reacting an effective amount of the aromatic methylating agent having at least one of an alkane, a cycloalkane, an alkane radical, and a cycloalkane radical with one or more aromatic compounds. As such, at least one of the one or more aromatic compounds may be converted to one or more higher methyl substituted aromatic compounds to provide a product having a greater mole ratio of methyl to phenyl than a feed. |
| US08563791B2 |
Process for the dissolution of coal, biomass and other organic solids in superheated water
A process of solubilizing organic solids that includes reacting an organic solid with an oxidant in superheated water to form a solubilized organic solute. Preferably, the organic solid is selected from the group consisting of coal, lignite, kerogen, biomass, solid organic wastes, and mixtures thereof. The oxidant preferably is molecular oxygen. |
| US08563790B2 |
Process for production of 2-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene
There is provided according the present invention a process for producing 2-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene, comprising: hydrogenating 1,2-dichloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene with hydrogen (H2) in the presence of a catalyst having a transition metal and a poisoning substance supported on a support. The present production process is industrially advantageous as the target 2-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene can be obtained with high selectivity and high yield under moderate reaction conditions and with easy waste treatment. |
| US08563777B2 |
Ionizable isotopic labeling reagents for relative quantification by mass spectrometry
Relative quantification of metabolites by Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (ESI-MS) requiring a mechanism for simultaneous analysis of multiple analytes in two or more samples. Labeling reagents that are reactive to particular compound classes and differ only in their isotopic compositions facilitate relative quantification. Heavy and light isotopic forms of methylacetimidate were synthesized and used as labeling reagents for quantification of amine-containing molecules. Heavy and light isotopic forms of formaldehyde and cholamine were also synthesized and used independently as labeling reagents for quantification of amine-containing and carboxylic acid-containing molecules, such as found in biological samples. The labeled end-products are positively charged under normal acidic conditions involving conventional Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS) applications. Labeled primary and secondary amine and carboxylic acid end-products generated higher signals concerning mass-spectra than pre-cursor molecules and improved sensitivity. Improved accuracy concerning relative quantification was demonstrated by mixing heavy and light labeled Arabidopsis extracts in different ratios. |
| US08563776B2 |
L-Threonine derivatives of high therapeutic index
The present invention is directed to a derivative comprised of an L-Threonine bonded to a medicament or drug having a hydroxy, amino, carboxy or acylating derivative thereon. The derivative has the same utility as the drug from which it is made, but it has enhanced therapeutic properties. In fact, the derivatives of the present invention enhance at least one or more therapeutic qualities, as defined herein. The present invention is also directed to pharmaceutical compositions containing same. |
| US08563772B2 |
Methanol carbonylation with improved aldehyde removal
Methanol carbonylation with improved aldehyde removal includes: (a) scrubbing light ends and aldehyde impurity from vent gas with an absorber solvent; (b) stripping absorbed light ends and aldehyde impurity from the absorber solvent to provide a vent-recovered light ends stream; (c) purifying the vent-recovered light ends stream to remove aldehyde impurity; and (d) recycling purified light ends from the vent-recovered light ends stream to the production system. |
| US08563768B2 |
Process for the preparation of isocyanates
An isocyanate is produced by reacting an amine with a stoichiometric excess of phosgene in the gas phase. This reaction is carried out at a temperature above the amine's boiling point to obtain a liquid stream containing the isocyanate and a gas stream containing hydrogen chloride and phosgene. The gas stream containing hydrogen chloride and phosgene thus produced is separated into a gas stream containing hydrogen chloride and a liquid stream containing phosgene. At least part of the liquid stream containing phosgene is then converted to a gas stream containing phosgene which gas stream is then recycled. The gaseous phosgene stream is maintained at a higher pressure than the liquid phosgene stream. |
| US08563766B2 |
Indane derivatives for use as intermediates
A compound of Formula (4), wherein each X is independently fluorine or chlorine; n is 1 or 2; R1 is C3-C8 alkyl, phenyl or benzyl; and R2 is C1-C6 alkyl; and its production and use. |
| US08563762B2 |
Metal oxide surface treatment with a fluoroalkyl silanizing agent
This disclosure concerns a metal oxide surface treatment with a fluoroalkyl silanizing agent. |
| US08563761B2 |
Boron or aluminum complexes
The present invention relates to boron and aluminum complexes, to the preparation thereof, and to the use thereof for solubilizing ionic compounds. The complexes have one of the following formulae: in which D represents B or Al; R1 represents R, RF, NO2, CN, C(═O)OR, RSO2, or RFSO2; —X1—, —X2—, —X3— and X4 each represent a divalent group >C═O, >C═NC≡N, >C═C(C≡N)2, >CR2R3 or >SO2; —Y1—, —Y2— and —Y3— each represent a divalent group —O—, >N(C≡N), >N(CORF), >N(SO2R4), >NR4, >N(COR4) or >N(SO2RF); R, R2 and R3 each represent H, an alkyl group, an aryl group, an alkylaryl group, an arylalkyl group, an oxaalkyl group or an alkenyl group; R4 represents an alkyl group, an aryl group, an alkylaryl group, a heteroaryl group, an arylalkyl group, an oxaalkyl group, an alkenyl group or an RFCH2— group; RF is a perfluoroalkyl group, a partially fluorinated alkyl group, or a partially or totally fluorinated phenyl group; each of the R′2 and R′3 groups represents R or F. |
| US08563751B2 |
Method for manufacturing trimellitic anhydride aryl ester
Disclosed is a method for manufacturing a trimellitic anhydride aryl ester in an efficient, high-yielding manner, wherein carboxylic acid lithium salt is used as a catalyst when a carboxylic acid aryl ester and trimellitic anhydride are caused to undergo an ester exchange reaction to manufacture a trimellitic anhydride aryl ester. |
| US08563747B2 |
Processes for the alkylation of pyrazoles
The invention provides a process for the preparation of a compound of formula (I) in particular, wherein a compound of formula (II) is reacted with a dialkylsulphate. R1 is C1-C4haloalkyl; R2 is optionally substituted alkyl, optionally substituted aryl or optionally substituted heteroaryl; and R3 is methyl or ethyl. |
| US08563743B2 |
Benzofuranone compound and pharmaceutical composition containing same
Provided is a novel compound having an effective anti-cancer activity.The novel compound according to the present invention includes a compound represented by formula (I): [wherein R1 represents an alkoxyalkyl group having 2 to 6 carbon atoms] or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. |
| US08563742B2 |
Substituted aminothiazole derivatives, pharmaceutical compositions, and methods of use
Substituted aminothiazole derivatives, methods of their preparation, pharmaceutical compositions comprising a substituted aminothiazole, and methods of use in treating human or animal disorders. The compounds may be useful as inhibitors of action of AgRP on a melanocortin receptor and thus may be useful for the management, treatment, control, or the adjunct treatment of diseases which may be responsive to the modulation of melanocortin receptors including obesity-related disorders. |
| US08563738B2 |
Ligands for copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition reactions
Ligands useful for promoting copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition reactions comprise a compound represented by structural Formula (I) as described in the specification, wherein in Formula (I) Z1 is a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic group or a group represented by the formula: Y1—(CH2)c—Y2—(CH2)d—Y3—CH2—N(CH2Z4)(CH2Z5), where Y1 is -E1-C(O)O—, -E1-C(O)NH—, -E1-, or a covalent bond; Y2 is a covalent bond, —CH═CH—, or a 1,4-(1,2,3-triazolyl) group; Y3 is —OC(O)-E2-, —NHC(O)-E2-, -E2-, or a covalent bond; each of E1 and E2 is a benzimidazolyl group attached at the 1 and 2 positions; each of c and d is independently 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5; each of Z2, Z3, Z4 and Z5 is a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic group including a substituent X1 and optionally including a substituent (CH2)n—R1, and Y1, Y2, Y3, X1, R1, c, d and n are each as defined in the specification. |
| US08563733B2 |
Process for the preparation of esomeprazole and salts thereof
A novel process for the preparation of omeprazole and its enantiomers, such as esomeprazole, as well as the preparation of related 2-(2-pyridinylmethyl-sulphinyl)-1H-benzimidazoles, including pantoprazole, lansoprazole and rabeprazole, as recemates or single enantiomers, and their alkali or alkaline salts has been developed. The novel process involves the surprising discovery that protection of the free-base benzimidazole sulfoxide (e.g. omeprazole or esomeprazole), by reaction with an alkyl, aryl or aralkyl chloroformate following oxidation of the corresponding sulfide, eliminates the need for its direct isolation. Subsequent removal of the protecting group with a solution of alkali or alkaline earth alkoxide in a C1-C4 alcohol directly provides the corresponding salt. By eliminating the need to handle the free-base benzimidazole sulfoxide, this advantageous procedure provides increased chemical yields over processes described in the art. |
| US08563731B2 |
Mesylate salt of 5-(2-{[6-(2,2-difluoro-2-phenylethoxy)hexyl]jamino}-1-hydroxyethyl)-8-hydroxyquinolin-2(1H)-one as agonist of the β2 adrenergic receptor
The present disclosure relates to a mesylate salt of 5-(2-{[6-(2,2-difluoro-2-phenylethoxy)hexyl]amino}-1-hydroxyethyl)-8-hydroxyquinolin-2(1H)-one as well as pharmaceutical compositions comprising them, and their use in therapy as agonists of the β2 receptor. |
| US08563727B2 |
(+)-morphinanium N-oxides and processes for their production
The present invention provides (+)-morphinanium N-oxide compounds or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof. The invention also provides processes for producing (+)-morphinanium N-oxides or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof from the corresponding tertiary N-substituted (+)-morphinan compound or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. |
| US08563726B2 |
Stereoselective reduction of a morphinone
A synthetic method is provided, wherein the method comprises stereoselectively reducing a ketone of a morphinone to form a reduced morphinone and optionally covalently attaching a water soluble polymer to the reduced morphinone. |
| US08563723B2 |
Arylsulfonyl pyrazoline carboxamidine derivatives as 5-HT6 antagonists
This invention concerns arylsulfonyl pyrazoline carboxamidine derivatives as antagonists of 5-ht6 receptors, to methods for the preparation of these compounds and to novel intermediates useful for their synthesis. The invention also relates to the uses of such compounds and compositions, particularly their use in administering them to patients to achieve a therapeutic effect in parkinson's disease, huntington's chorea, schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, manic depression, psychoses, epilepsy, obsessive compulsive disorders, mood disorders, migraine, alzheimer's disease, age related cognitive decline, mild cognitive impairment, sleep disorders, eating disorders, anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorders, panic attacks, akathisia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, attention deficit disorder, withdrawal from abuse of cocaine, ethanol, nicotine or benzodiazepines, pain, disorders associated with spinal trauma or head injury, hydrocephalus, functional bowel disorder, irritable bowel syndrome, obesity and type-2 diabetes. The compounds have the general formula (1) wherein the symbols have the meanings given in the description. |
| US08563722B2 |
Stereoselective hydrogenation of a ketone
The present invention relates to a method comprising reducing a ketone of formula I: with an enantioselective hydrogenating agent to form substantially enantiomerically pure alcohol of formula II: where R—R4 and m are as defined herein. The method of the present invention is useful for making CCR2 modulators as wells as precursors CCR2 modulators. |
| US08563720B2 |
Method for producing imatinib base
The present invention relates to a novel method for preparing an imatinib base, and more particularly to a method for preparing an imatinib base, which comprises reacting 4-(4-methyl-piperazinomethyl)-benzoic acid with a 2,2′-dibenzothiazolyl disulfide derivative in the presence of a phosphine derivative to prepare a novel thioester compound and preparing an imatinib base using the thioester compound as a reaction intermediate. In addition, the invention provides a novel thioester compound, which is used in the preparation of imatinib base, and a preparation method thereof. Ultimately, the invention provides a method of preparing the imatinib base in an economic manner and in high yield and purity and is expected to be used in the commercial production of large amounts of the imatinib base. |
| US08563715B2 |
Pyrimidine derivative having cell protecting effect and uses thereof
[Problem] To provide a prophylactic/therapeutic agent against, for example, nerve diseases and the like such as ischemic brain disease and neurodegenerative disease, or a prophylactic/therapeutic agent against diseases against which antioxidant action is effective, as a cell protecting agent, in particular as an inhibitor of brain cell damage or brain cell death.[Means of Solving the Problem]A compound represented by Formula (1), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, solvate, hydrate, or prodrug thereof: |
| US08563714B2 |
Bridged spiro [2.4] heptane derivatives as ALX receptor and/or FPRL2 agonists
The present invention relates to bridged spiro[2.4]heptane derivatives of formula (I), wherein W, Y, Z, R1 and R2 are as defined in the description, their preparation and their use as pharmaceutically active compounds as ALX receptor and/or FPRL2 agonists for the treatment of inflammatory and obstructive airways diseases. |
| US08563713B2 |
Antibodies specific to carbamazepine
The present disclosure is directed to antibodies specific to carbamazepine, immunogens used to produce the antibodies, and immunoassay kits and methods for using the antibodies. |
| US08563709B2 |
Method for inhibiting function of micro-RNA
A miRNA-inhibiting RNA complex has a double-stranded structure, in which at least one RNA strand that includes a miRNA-binding sequence is linked to the two strands at at least one end of the double-stranded structure. The complex can efficiently inhibit miRNAs. In particular, RNAs in which two RNAs containing a miRNA binding sequence are positioned between two double-stranded structures were able to strongly inhibit miRNA. These RNAs can be expressed from, for example, a PolIII promoter, and by integration into a vector, miRNAs can be stably inhibited for a long period of time. |
| US08563703B2 |
Fluorescent proteins and methods for using same
The present invention provides nucleic acid molecules encoding novel red fluorescent proteins from Entacmaea quadricolor and mutants thereof. Also of interest are proteins that are substantially similar to the novel red fluorescent proteins. In addition, host cells, stable cell lines and transgenic organisms comprising the nucleic acid molecules encoding the novel red fluorescent proteins are provided. The subject proteins and nucleic acid compositions find use in a variety of different applications and methods, particularly for labeling of biomolecules, cells, or cell organelles. Finally, kits for use in such methods and applications are provided. |
| US08563698B2 |
Antigen binding proteins to proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin type 9 (PCSK9)
Antigen binding proteins that interact with Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin Kexin Type 9 (PCSK9) are described. Methods of treating hypercholesterolemia and other disorders by administering a pharmaceutically effective amount of an antigen binding protein to PCSK9 are described. Methods of detecting the amount of PCSK9 in a sample using an antigen binding protein to PCSK9 are described. |