Document Document Title
US09537389B2 Inverter device, transformer, and transformer manufacturing method
Provided is an inverter device that can reduce high-frequency noise. The inverter device includes a transformer for converting the voltage of the AC power output from an inverter circuit and outputting the resulting power. Each of first to third coil sections for converting the voltage of the AC power output from the inverter circuit and outputting the resulting power includes an inner coil respectively wound around first to third core sections and an outer coil. The first to third core sections are each column shaped having an axis in the Y direction, and are arranged in the Z direction. Non-magnetic pressing members are provided between the adjacent coil sections and between the adjacent coil sections. The pressing members press against the adjacent coil sections and the adjacent coil sections respectively.
US09537386B2 Driver controller with internally calculated average output current
Methods, devices, and integrated circuits are disclosed for a driver controller that internally calculates average output current. In one example, a method includes receiving an output voltage of an output line. The method further includes performing a calculation of an average output current at the output line based at least in part on the output voltage. The method further includes controlling an interval timing of a switch based at least in part on the calculation of the average output current at the output line, wherein the switch is configured for switching current to the output line.
US09537385B2 Induction current sampling device and method for bridgeless PFC circuit
Disclosed are an induction current sampling device and method for a bridgeless PFC circuit. The device includes a first sampling unit, a second sampling circuit and a third sampling circuit, wherein the first sampling unit, connected in serial with a first switch transistor of the bridgeless PFC circuit, is configured to sample a current flowing through the first switch transistor to acquire a first sampling signal V1; the the second sampling unit, connected in serial with a second switch transistor of the bridgeless PFC circuit, is configured to sample a current flowing through the second switch transistor to acquire a second sampling signal V2; and the third sampling unit, with one terminal connected with a ground of the bridgeless PFC circuit and the other terminal connected with a negative output of a PFC capacitor of the bridgeless PFC circuit, is configured to sample a current flowing through a boost diode of the bridgeless PFC circuit to acquire a third sampling signal V3.
US09537383B1 Switching regulator with controllable dead time and quick start
A driver circuit for driving a switching transistor includes a dead time calibration circuit and/or a quick start circuit. The dead time calibration circuit includes a delay comparator to compare a present delay between the low side switch turning off or the high side switch turning off and a voltage at a switch node between the high side switch and the low side switch to a past delay and a controller responsive to the comparison is configured to adjust the delay of an adjustable delay element coupled to a control terminal of a switching transistor. The quick start circuit includes a quick start signal generator having an adjustable delay element to generate a quick start signal having a pulse to turn on the switching transistor for a quick start interval, a quick start comparator configured to monitor the quick start signal, and a control circuit responsive to the comparison by the quick start comparator to adjust the delay of the delay element.
US09537382B2 Switch controller with validation circuit for improved noise immunity
A switch controller includes a primary side including signal transmission circuitry to transmit signals representative of desired transitions of a switch. A signal transformer galvanically isolates the primary side from a secondary side but inductively couples signal transmission circuitry to signal reception circuitry. A switch is coupled to switch a low impedance onto a primary side winding of the signal transformer during pauses between transmissions of the signals representative of the desired transition of the switch. The secondary side includes signal reception circuitry, a drive signal generator to generate a drive signal in response to valid signals received by the signal reception circuitry, and a validation circuit that includes a first comparator, a timer, and a second comparator to compare a timed duration with a threshold duration, and to output to the drive signal generator signals indicative of the validity of particular signals received by the signal reception circuitry.
US09537379B2 Motor including a rotor and magnetic flux adjustment unit to change an amount of magnetic flux generated by the rotor
A motor realizes mechanical field-weakening control by controlling the leakage magnetic flux from the rotor cores of the motor. The motor includes a stator, a rotor including rotor cores circumferentially spaced apart from one another inside the stator and permanent magnets disposed between the respective rotor cores which extend radially from the stator, and a magnetic flux adjustment unit including a ring-shaped main frame, magnetic substance portions extending from the main frame so as to be circumferentially spaced apart from one another and non-magnetic regions defined between the magnetic substance portions. The magnetic flux adjustment unit is rotatable to control the leakage magnetic flux from the rotor cores.
US09537376B2 Electric motor arrangement for a medical handpiece
An electric motor arrangement for a medical, especially dental, tool handle, which is extremely compact and resistant to sterilizing temperatures due to a plurality of advantageous embodiments. The electric motor arrangement is characterized by the following properties: the use of a light source based on SMD-LED or LED as a semiconductor chip; the shortening of the INTRAmatic coupling to between 20 mm and 25 mm; a hermetically extruded stator comprising integrated media tubes and molded connection sockets; the stator winding is embodied as a coil segment winding instead of an H winding or triangle; and the winding head has openings for media tubes.
US09537373B2 Alternator fan
An alternator fan includes a base member having a central hub, an outer peripheral edge, and a web that extends between the central hub and the outer peripheral edge, and a plurality of openings extending through web. A plurality of fan blade elements is arranged in corresponding ones of each of the plurality of openings.
US09537367B2 Driving device
A motor casing of a driving device has a cylindrical wall portion, a bottom wall portion and a bearing holding portion formed in the bottom wall portion. An electric motor has a stator, a shaft and a rotor. A motor control unit controls operation of the electric motor. A first frame, to which the motor control unit is fixed, is provided between the motor control unit and the bottom wall portion of the motor casing. A first contacting portion is formed in the bottom wall portion and projected toward the first frame. The first contacting portion is in contact with the first frame at a front-side surface of the first contacting portion. A contacting surface area between the motor casing and the first frame is limitedly reduced, to thereby reduce noise caused by vibration. In addition, since a sufficient surface pressure can be obtained, strength of the driving device in its axial direction is increased.
US09537365B2 Magnet-type generator
A magnet-type generator 1 has a stator 20 having a stator core 21 and a coil 60, and fixed on an engine cover. The stator core has an annular base portion 26 and salient pole portions 27 extended in a radial direction from the annular base portion. The coil is wound around winding frame portions formed on the salient pole portions. Lead wires 64A, 64B, 64C are inserted into through holes 35A, 35B, 35C passing through the stator core and connected with outgoing wires of the coil at one side of the stator core. The stator core has an extension portion 33, which is partly enlarged outwards in a radial direction from an outer periphery of the annular base portion and fills a part of a gap 32 between neighboring salient pole portions. The through holes are provided on an area including the extension portion of the stator core.
US09537363B2 Electric motor-driven compressor having an electrical terminal block assembly
An electric motor-driven compressor having an electrical terminal block assembly and corresponding method of assembly are provided. The electrical terminal block assembly includes a base plate that has a staging feature for receiving a lug end of a motor stator cable prior to connection of the motor stator cable with a terminal bar of the terminal block assembly. In this way, once the terminal block assembly is lowered into the enclosure and the motor stator cable is no longer visible to the user, a stator cable fastener may be passed through a stator cable mounting hole in the terminal bar to engage the stator cable lug that is being held in the proper position by the staging feature of the base plate. Upon rotation of the stator cable fastener, the stator cable lug may be drawn into conductive engagement with the terminal bar.
US09537356B2 Power supplier and receiver and mobile device
An arrangement place for a device such as a rectifier and a power storage device is easily secured. At the time of power supply using a resonance phenomenon, a power-receiving device generates a magnetic field space having a lower magnetic field strength than other parts at or around the inner side of the power-receiving module, and this magnetic field space is used as the arrangement place of an electronic component. The power-receiving module includes a power-receiving resonance coil which is resonated with a power-supplying module and a power-receiving coil which partly overlaps the power-receiving resonance coil in a coil diameter direction and receives and supplies power from and to the power-receiving resonance coil.
US09537354B2 System and method for smart registration of wireless power receivers in a wireless power network
A system and method for smart registration of wireless power receivers within a wireless power network is disclosed. Each wireless power device may include a universally unique identifier (UUID). Each wireless power device bought by a customer may be registered, at the time of purchase or later. The registry may be stored in an energy domain service, where energy domain service may be one or more cloud-based servers. The method for smart registration may include the steps of detecting a customer device; establishing a connection with a wireless power receiver to read its UUID; sending wireless power transmitter manager's UUID and wireless power receiver's UUID to energy domain service; inspecting wireless power transmitter manager registry; verifying wireless power receiver registry; authorizing power transfer to wireless power receiver; and reporting energy consumption for subsequent billing of customer depending on billing policy of wireless power transmitter manager specified within registry.
US09537352B2 Differential load detecting method for detecting a wireless power receiver in wireless power network and wireless power transmitter
A differential load detection apparatus and method are provided for detecting a wireless power receiver in a wireless power network. The differential load detection method includes transmitting first detection power for detecting the wireless power receiver, transmitting second detection power when an impedance variation greater than a first predetermined threshold value and equal to or less than a second threshold value is detected, and waiting for a reception of an advertisement signal according to the transmission of the second detection power from the wireless power receiver.
US09537347B2 On demand customization of mobile computing devices
Embodiments of the invention describe mobile computing device configuration processes. A device executing configuration logic may wirelessly transmit power to a mobile computing device housed within a sealed product packaging to charge a battery power supply of the mobile computing device. A short-range wireless communication link is established with the mobile computing device housed within the sealed product packaging to install a firmware image on the mobile computing device, wherein the firmware image is to be selected based, at least in part, on a geographic location of the mobile computing device. The short-range wireless communication link is then used to activate a wireless network interface of the mobile computing device housed within the sealed product packaging to connect to a boot server including an OS image for the mobile computing device to download and install.
US09537346B2 Extendable wireless power delivery for small devices
In various embodiments, an electronic device such as a portable computer has a structure that extends from the device to wirelessly transfer electrical power between itself and an external device. The structure may be placed in a non-extended position when not being used for such power transfer. In some embodiments power transfer may take place in either direction, and may be used for various purposes, such as to provide operational power and/or to charge a battery. The external device may be placed on or near the extended structure for power transfer to take place.
US09537341B2 Power supply output configuration system and method
A power supply output configuration system/method providing a digitally controlled uninterruptable power supply (UPS) to protected load devices (PLD) configured as power supply units (PSU) serviced by one or more power supply sources (PSS) is disclosed. The system generally includes a number of power supply sources (PSS) that are monitored by power condition sensing (PCS) circuitry that determines individual power source states within the PSS. This physical state information is used by a digitally controlled switching network (DSN) that reconfigures the electrical connections between the PSS and the individual PLD elements to properly route power from the PSS to the PLD in the event of individual PSS failures. The DSN receives phase/voltage state information from the PSS to ensure that current between the PSS and PLD is transferred in a synchronized manner and that PSS resources are properly protected during the switching transition.
US09537340B2 Method for sending an electrical current between a battery and a device
An apparatus comprises a first plurality of walls, a second plurality of walls, and a plurality of channels formed by the first plurality of walls and the second plurality of walls. The second plurality of walls meets the first plurality of walls at substantially right angles and forms a housing with a first side and a second side. The plurality of channels extends through the housing from the first side to the second side. The plurality of channels has a first plurality of openings on the first side. The plurality of channels has a second plurality of openings on the second side. The plurality of channels has substantially a same shape and is configured to receive a plurality of battery cells.
US09537336B2 Battery system for a power tool, as well as battery holder therefor, charger, and charging system
A battery system for a power tool includes two or more battery packs (12), at least one battery holder (14) adapted to detachably engage two or more of the battery packs and a charger (16, 216, 316, 416) adapted to detachably engage the battery holder and to simultaneously electrically communicate with two or more of the battery packs while the at least one battery holder engages both the charger and the battery packs.
US09537333B2 Voltage supply system and method for disabling operation of a DC-DC voltage converter
A voltage supply system having a first battery with a first anode and a first cathode, and a contactor coupled in series between the first anode and an electrical node is provided. The system includes a first voltage sensor generating a signal indicative of a first voltage level of the first battery, and a second voltage sensor generating a signal indicative of a second voltage level between the electrical node and the first cathode. The system includes a DC-DC voltage converter coupled between the electrical node and the first cathode; and a second battery, and a microprocessor. The microprocessor disables operation of the DC-DC voltage converter such that the converter does not apply a voltage to the second battery, if both the first voltage level is substantially equal to the second voltage level, and the first voltage level is less than a first threshold voltage level.
US09537329B2 Battery management circuit maintaining cell voltages between a minimum and a maximum during charging and discharging
A battery management circuit maintains voltage balance during charging and discharging of a multi-cell, series connected battery stack. The circuit allows the entire energy content of the battery stack to be drained, as opposed to just monitoring the cells and turning off the discharge when the first cell voltage drops below a predetermined threshold. The circuit also provides high efficiency voltage balancing during charging of the battery stack conserving energy and keeping the temperature of the battery pack to a minimum.
US09537328B2 Battery management system and method of driving the same
A battery rack includes: a plurality of battery packs; a plurality of slave battery management systems, each of the slave battery management systems being coupled to a corresponding one of the battery packs, being powered by an operating power, and being configured to use the corresponding one of the battery packs for the operating power in response to receiving a corresponding one of a plurality of operating power changing signals; and a master battery management system coupled to the slave battery management systems and configured to transmit the operating power changing signals to the slave battery management systems.
US09537325B2 Battery state estimation system, battery control system, battery system, and battery state estimation method
A battery state estimation system estimates a state of charge of a chargeable battery. A SOCv computing unit calculates a state of charge of the battery using a voltage applied across the battery. A SOCi computing unit integrates a current flowing through the battery to calculate a state of charge of the battery. A SOCw computing unit which performs weighted addition to the state of charge of the battery calculated by the SOCv computing unit and the state of charge of the battery calculated by the SOCi computing unit, wherein when the temperature of the battery is a threshold value or less and the current flowing through the battery is a threshold value or less, the SOCw computing unit sets the specific gravity at the state of charge of the battery calculated by the SOCi computing unit larger than that in other cases upon the weighted addition.
US09537322B2 Sub-apertures with interleaved transmit elements for wireless power transfer
A signal generator generates an electrical signal that is sent to an amplifier, which increases the power of the signal using power from a power source. The amplified signal is fed to a sender transducer to generate ultrasonic waves that can be focused and sent to a receiver. The receiver transducer converts the ultrasonic waves back into electrical energy and stores it in an energy storage device, such as a battery, or uses the electrical energy to power a device. In this way, a device can be remotely charged or powered without having to be tethered to an electrical outlet.
US09537319B2 Reconfigurable power systems and converters
Reconfigurable power systems and converters and operating methods therefor are disclosed. Reconfigurable power systems may include a DC power source, an electrical energy storage device, an AC power grid connection, and a power converter configured to selectively couple two or more of the DC power source, the electrical energy storage device, and the AC power grid connection.
US09537314B2 Power system voltage stabilizer and stabilization method
In an electric power system with a distributed power source, a fluctuation of its system voltage is brought about by an amount of power generation of the distributed power source that depends on weather. Stabilization of the system voltage is realized by generating a driving signal of a switch that the system has from weather forecast information and power system information and switching a configuration of the system.
US09537313B2 Method and system for using demand side resources to provide frequency regulation using a dynamic allocation of energy resources
Dispatch engines service endpoints by transmitting dispatch signals to the serviced endpoints that cause the endpoints to adjust their electric power consumption from the electric power grid in accord with a control signal received by the dispatch engine. A market interface dispatch engine receives its control signal from an electric power grid managing entity, and downstream dispatch engines form a hierarchy cascading downstream from the market interface dispatch engine with each downstream dispatch engine being an endpoint serviced by a dispatch engine located upstream in the hierarchy. The control signal received by each downstream dispatch engine comprises dispatch signals transmitted by the upstream dispatch engine. The endpoints further include electric power-consuming loads. A suitable load controller comprises separate power interface and logic elements operatively connected to define the load controller, with the logic element powered by low voltage DC power received from the power interface element.
US09537310B2 Method of controlling the operation of a hybrid system
A method of controlling operation of a hybrid continuous current supply, the current supply including a fuel cell stack, a battery, and a DC/DC converter including an input and an output, the converter input being connected to the fuel cell stack output and the output being connected to a variable load in parallel with the battery, the fuel cell stack being formed of a plurality of electrochemical cells configured to produce electricity from a fuel and an oxidizing gas.
US09537309B2 Power supply circuit, power supply system, and electric storage device
There is provided a power supply circuit including a first series regulator including a first semiconductor element and a first constant voltage source, and a second series regulator including a second semiconductor element and a second constant voltage source, wherein the first series regulator and the second series regulator are cascaded and an input voltage to the first series regulator is a high voltage equal to or greater than 500 V.
US09537306B2 ESD protection system utilizing gate-floating scheme and control circuit thereof
An ESD protection system for an internal circuit is disclosed. The ESD protection system comprises an ESD clamping device connected between a pad and a ground of a first domain); a pre-driver having an output coupled to a gate of the ESD clamping device); an ESD control circuit connected between the pre-driver and the internal circuit; and a transient detection unit coupled to the ESD control circuit, configured to detect an ESD transient from the pad of the first domain. The transient detection unit outputs an first signal to the control circuit upon detection of an ESD transient. In response, the control circuit causes the pre-driver to output a high-impedance state at the gate of the ESD clamping device, thereby floating the gate thereof.
US09537304B2 Surge suppression device with high structural stability
A surge suppression device comprising a voltage sensitive element, heat sensitive materials, terminals, a blocking element and a non-conductive barrier is disclosed. One of the terminals comprises an arm portion, a contact portion and an extension portion extended from the contact portion. The blocking element has a part engaging with the extension portion and another part contacting with the barrier and separating the barrier from the arm portion of the terminal. The device has higher structural stability and sensitivity and is only failed in the event that the voltage sensitive element is failed due to aging or grid fault.
US09537298B2 Electronic module, electronic arrangement and method for producing an electronic module
An electronic module (100) has a first and a second circuit (200, 300) with respective first and second output connections (230, 330), respective first and second reference potential connections (220, 320), and respective first and second sensing connections (240, 340), each circuit (200, 300) comprising a respective sensing block (250, 350), which at its input side is connected to the respective sensing connection (240, 340) and to the respective reference potential connection (220, 320). The first sensing connection (240) is either connected to the first output connection (230) or to the second output connection (330). The second sensing connection (340) is connected to the second output connection (330). The sensing blocks (250, 350) are configured to detect a failure of the electronic module (100) with respect to its respective reference potential connection (220, 320) and to indicate a detected failure by providing a failure signal at its respective output connection (230, 330).
US09537292B2 Method for placing at least one duct/communication cable below a road surface in an area
The present invention relates to a method for placing at least one duct/communication cable below a road surface in an area, said area comprising a first layer (L1 and a second layer (L2), said first layer (L1) being a road layer, such as asphalt or concrete, and said second layer (L2) being a bearing layer for said first layer (L1) and being located below said first layer (L1), said method comprising the steps of: cutting a micro trench in said area through said first layer (L1) into said second layer (L2); placing at least one duct/communication cable in said micro trench so that said at least one duct/communication cable is placed below said first layer (L1); and filling said micro trench so as to restore said road surface.
US09537286B2 Circuit system and manufacturing method for same
A circuit system includes: a first optoelectronic semiconductor component situated with an n-conductive surface facing an electrically conductive support surface and connected to the support surface in an electrically conductive manner; and a second optoelectronic semiconductor component situated with a p-conductive surface facing the support surface and connected to the support surface in an electrically conductive manner.
US09537285B2 Laser diode apparatus
Laser diode apparatus, comprising a carrier (1) having a carrier top (11), a laser diode chip (4) arranged on the carrier top (11) emitting, during operation, electromagnetic radiation through a radiating face (5), which radiating face (5) runs perpendicularly to the carrier top (11), and at least one optical element (6) to deflect at least some of the electromagnetic radiation radiated by the laser diode chip (4) perpendicularly to the carrier top (11). By the use of a plurality of laser diode chips having wavelengths that differ very slightly from one another, speckles can be reduced. By means of a retarder plate (8) between the laser diode chip and the optical element it is possible to influence the polarization. A polarization cube enables the deflected light beam bundles to fully cover one another as differently polarized light beam bundles.
US09537282B2 System and method for a multi-mode pump in an optical amplifier
An optical amplifier includes a multi-mode pump laser module, a multi-mode waveguide, a multi-mode to multiple single-mode fiber converter module and a plurality of single-mode cores. The multi-mode pump laser module emits pump light having a plurality of modes to the multi-mode fiber or waveguide. The multi-mode waveguide propagates the emitted pump light to the converter module. The converter module receives the pump light and distributes the pump light approximately uniformly to a plurality of single-mode cores.
US09537281B2 System and method for providing multiple simmer outputs
A power supply and circuitry system for powering HVPT devices includes a power supply circuit that selectively provides an operating power and a simmer power to multiple HVPT devices. The system also includes a trigger circuit for each respective HVPT device that selectively couples the power supply circuit to one HVPT device to provide the operating power thereto. The system also includes a simmer control circuit for selectively coupling the power supply circuit to the HVPT devices to provide the simmer power thereto, the simmer control circuit further including a simmer switch circuit for each HVPT device, wherein each simmer switch circuit comprises an input coupled to the power supply circuit to receive the simmer power therefrom and an output coupled to one HVPT device. The simmer control circuit also further includes a simmer drive circuit coupled to each simmer switch circuit for selectively enabling the simmer switch circuits.
US09537276B1 Power adapter with replaceable plug structure
A power adapter with replaceable plug structure includes a plug and a housing. The plug includes a contact point. The housing includes an assembly member configured for detachably engaging the plug. The housing includes a left cover, a right cover and an assembly plate. When the left cover and the right cover are assembled, the assembly plate is disposed between the left cover and the right cover. One or more slots are disposed on the assembly plate to form a resilient area. The resilient area includes an electrical conductor. The electrical conductor is in contact with the contact point when the plug is assembled onto the housing.
US09537275B2 Electrified bus bar and bus bar system for retail merchandise displays
An electrified bus bar assembly is provided. The electrified bus bar assembly includes a track and one or more take-away adaptors that each are capable of acting as a power source to one or more display components. Each take away adaptor is mountable to the track via an electrical and mechanical connection.
US09537268B2 Integrated cord tie and signal conducting device
In one embodiment, an integrated extension cable/cord tie device includes male jack, a female jack, and a cable connected to the male jack and female jack. The cable comprises at least one electrical conductor forming an electrical connection between the male jack and the female jack, and a mechanical component that allows the cable to be bent to at least partially around an object upon the application of a first force, to substantially retain its shape after removal of the first force so as to remain at least partially around the object after removal of the first force, and to be unbent upon the application of a second force to be removed from the object. In another embodiment, the mechanical component is integrated directly into a non-detachable cord of a device or a detachable cord usable with one or more devices.
US09537264B2 Electrical connector
The present disclosure provides an electrical connector adapted to connect a cable having a metal braid layer with an electrical apparatus having an apparatus housing. The electrical connector includes a body adapted to be mounted on the apparatus housing; a cover fitted on the body; a metal shielding member fitted on the body and partially covered by the cover; and a terminal module arranged within the body. The terminal module comprises a grounding terminal for a grounding connection via the apparatus housing or a grounding wire of the electrical apparatus and a plurality of signal terminals for supplying electrical current from the cable to the electrical apparatus. The metal shielding member comprises a clamping portion adapted to clamp and electrically contact the metal braid layer and an elastic terminal electrically contacting the grounding terminal.
US09537263B2 Connector receptacle having a shield
Connector systems may include a connector receptacle and connector plug or insert. The connector receptacle may include a tongue. A first plurality of contacts may be formed on a top surface of the tongue. A first ground pad may be located on a top surface of tongue, and a shield may be formed around the tongue. The connector insert may include a housing and a conductive shield around the housing behind a leading edge of the connector insert. A front edge of the shield may be folded into an opening at the leading edge. In other examples, the receptacle shield may include one or more fingers. These fingers may contact the connector insert shield to form a ground path. One or more of these fingers may engage openings in the insert shield to provide a retention force between the connector insert and receptacle.
US09537261B2 Port connector with capability of dual mating orientation
A port connector includes a port shell disposed inside the port shell, a housing base and a port contact set. The housing base includes a main base and a tongue structure. The tongue structure extends from the main base and has a first face and a second face opposite to the first face. The port contact set is mounted with the housing base. At least one port contact of the port contact set includes a main body installed inside the main base, a foot portion, a first end portion and a second end portion. The foot portion extends from the main body and stretches out of the main base. The first end portion protrudes from the main body and is exposed from the first face. The second end portion corresponding to the first end portion protrudes from the main body and is exposed from the second face.
US09537260B1 Power distributor with modular cover units and a slidable hanging mechanism
A power distributor includes an upper cover with an inverted U-shaped cross-section, a plurality of output power sockets being located along a longitudinal direction of the upper cover. The power distributor also includes a lower cover with a U-shaped cross-section. The lower cover is engaged with the upper cover to form housing for the power distributor. The upper cover is composed of several modular cover units that are interconnected with each other. Each modular cover unit includes stepped connecting parts that connect to stepped connecting parts of adjacent modular cover units. The lower cover includes a slidable hanging mechanism. A front end of the housing is provided with an input power connector.
US09537256B2 Connector
A connector includes a connector housing including a locking mechanism which locks a mating housing and formed to be fitted to the mating housing, and a connector terminal held by the connector housing to come into contact with a mating terminal held by the mating housing. The connector housing is designed to have a locking position of the connector housing with the mating housing by the locking mechanism and a contact position of the connector terminal with the mating terminal, and the locking position and the contact position coincide with or come close to each other in a fitting direction relative to the mating housing.
US09537244B2 Connector having an attachment piece not aligned with a protrusion formed in a sidewall of the connector body
A connector includes: a socket having a socket fitting body provided with socket terminals; and a header having a header fitting body provided with header terminals. At least one of a sidewall surface on an inner side of the socket fitting body and a sidewall surface on an outer side of the header fitting body includes a protrusion in which at least one side surface of the both side surfaces in the width direction faces the corresponding opposite surface formed in the sidewall surface of the other fitting body with the socket and header fitting bodies fitted to each other.
US09537243B2 Electrical contact element and method for manufacturing same
An electrical contact element and a method of manufacturing an electrical contact element having a connecting segment which is formed of a copper sheet and comprising a coating overlaying the copper sheet having at least two layers. A first layer contains at least 60% by weight of tin. A second layer is disposed between the first layer and the copper sheet. The second layer contains a copper-containing alloy. The copper-containing alloy contains 40 to 80% by weight of copper and 20 to 60% by weight of zinc. The combined percentage by weight of copper and zinc in the second layer is at least 90%. A third layer containing tin may be disposed between the second layer and the copper sheet. A fourth layer containing zinc may be disposed on a side of the first layer opposite the second layer.
US09537242B2 Electrical power connector and a terminal assembly
An electrical power connector and a terminal assembly are disclosed. The electrical power connector includes a base and at least two terminal assemblies being symmetrically mounted in the base. Each terminal assembly includes a conductive terminal and a reinforcing terminal. The conductive terminal has a plate-shaped main body, a flexible engaging portion and a mounting end. The reinforcing terminal has an upright portion, an L-shaped pressing portion and an U-shaped latching portion. The upright portion is attached to one side of the plate-shaped main body of the conductive terminal, the latching portion is located at the other side of the plate-shaped main body, and the pressing portion presses the flexible engaging portion. The electrical power connector of the present invention employs the two terminal assemblies having high conductivity and good elastic to provide a better electrical performance and a long term reliable connection.
US09537241B2 Electrical connector with female terminal and motor with such an electrical connector
The invention relates to an electrical connector comprising, a female terminal, including a terminal base body; one or more pairs of terminal plates facing each other, protruding in an insertion direction from the edge of the terminal base body, for receiving and connecting to a mating male terminal and the one or more pairs of terminal plates facing each other being adapted to form recesses for receiving the mating male terminal and to provide a clamping compressive force against the mating male terminal; and one or more tilting restriction elements, a connector cavity for building the female terminal in, and an opening of the electrical connector for inserting a mating male terminal for connecting the mating male terminal with the female terminal, wherein the connector cavity includes one or more contacting portions corresponding to the tilting restriction elements.
US09537238B2 Folding SO-DIMM socket
Sockets that provide easy access for users to change cards while allowing the use of thinner device enclosures. One example provides a socket having two positions. When the socket is in an open state, the card may be oriented in a direction substantially away from the main logic board. When the socket is in a closed state, the card moves such that it is oriented at least closer to being in parallel to the main logic board.
US09537237B2 System to improve an in-line memory module
A system to improve an in-line memory module may include an edging carried by the in-line memory module to stiffen, support, protect, and/or aid in handling the in-line memory module. The system may also include guide ribs carried by the edging to facilitate positioning of the in-line memory module during installation. In one embodiment, the system includes a heat spreader to aid in cooling a plurality of heat sources carried by the in-line memory module. The system may further include a compliant member to regulate the heat spreader's positioning relative to the plurality of heat sources.
US09537232B2 Continuity providing port
A port for providing electrical continuity to a coaxial cable connector includes, in one embodiment, an outer housing having a first end and a second end. The outer housing is configured to terminate a coaxial cable connector at one or both of a first end and a second end. The biasing member is disposed within the outer housing to bias a post of the coaxial cable to extend continuity between the port and a mated connector.
US09537221B2 Reflectarray
A reflectarray having multiple elements arranged in an array, each element having a H-shaped patch provided in separation from a ground plate, the H-shaped patch formed by four outer vertices defined by two rectangular outer patches and four inner vertices defined by an inner patch. A length of the inner patch with respect to a first direction is determined to change the reflection phase of an electric field incoming in parallel to the first direction while keeping positions of the four outer vertices and sizes of the outer patches constant. The first direction is determined by positions of the four inner vertices, and a length of the H-shaped patch with respect to a second direction is determined to change the reflection phase of an electric field incoming in parallel to the second direction, wherein the second direction is determined by positions of the four outer vertices.
US09537220B2 Antenna assembly and wireless communication device employing same
An antenna assembly includes a base, a ground surface, a first radiating portion, a second radiating portion, a third radiating portion, and a feed portion. The ground surface is arranged on a surface of the base. The feed portion includes a plurality of feed points mounted on the radiating portions. The first radiating portion and one feed point transmit and receive wireless signals at a first frequency band and a second frequency band; the second radiating portion and the third radiating portion couple with the feed points to transmit and receive wireless signals at a third frequency band and a fourth frequency. The first radiating portion, the second radiating portion, and the third radiating portion form several slot antennas. A wireless communication device employing the antenna assembly is also described.
US09537219B2 Electronic device with passive antenna retuning circuitry
An electronic device may have wireless circuitry with antennas. An antenna may have an inverted-F antenna resonating element, an antenna ground, and other resonating element structures. A tip of the antenna resonating element and the antenna ground may be separated by a peripheral housing gap filled with plastic. The antenna may be sensitive to capacitance changes induced by the presence of a user's hand overlapping the gap or other portions of the antenna. A hand capacitance sensing electrode may be mounted in the plastic of the gap or elsewhere in the vicinity of the antenna. A transmission line may couple the hand capacitance sensing electrode to the antenna to retune the antenna in the event that the user's hand overlaps the antenna.
US09537217B2 Broadband capacitively-loaded tunable antenna
A broadband capacitively-loaded tunable antenna, and device there for is provided. The device comprises: an antenna feed; a first radiating arm connected to the antenna feed; a second radiating arm capacitively coupled to the first radiating arm; an adjustable reactance device connecting the second radiating arm to one or more of a ground and a third radiating arm; and, a processor in communication with the adjustable reactance device, the processor configured to adjust a reactance of the adjustable reactance device to tune a resonance frequency of a combination of the second radiating arm, the adjustable reactance device, and, when present, the third radiating arm.
US09537213B2 Antenna selection
A network device communicates with one or another set of antennas depending on an orientation of the network device. The network device includes a first set of one or more antennas, a second set of one or more antennas, a processor, and memory having stored thereon instructions executable by the processor to cause the device to perform functions. The functions include (1) determining that an orientation of the network device is one of a first orientation and a second orientation; (2) if the determined orientation is the first orientation, then causing the network device to communicate using the first set of one or more antennas; and (3) if the determined the orientation is the second orientation, then causing the network device to communicate using the second set of one or more antennas.
US09537212B2 Antenna array system for producing dual circular polarization signals utilizing a meandering waveguide
An antenna array system for directing and steering an antenna beam is described in accordance with the present invention. The antenna array system may include a feed waveguide having a feed waveguide length, at least two directional couplers in signal communication with the feed waveguide, at least two pairs of planar coupling slots along the feed waveguide length, and at least two horn antennas.
US09537211B2 Multi-feed diversity receive system and method
Embodiments disclosed herein relate to diversity receive systems and methods. An antenna system may comprise a reflector and a plurality of feed antennas configured to receive a wireless signal from a common source with directional diversity. A receive system may comprise such antenna system in combination with a plurality of receivers and/or demodulators, and in combination with a combiner and/or controller.
US09537209B2 Antenna array with reduced mutual coupling between array elements
An array of antenna feed elements includes a plurality of horns, each horn having an aperture and configured for transmission of electromagnetic energy therethrough. At least a first horn is configured with an electrically conductive external surface proximate to the aperture, the external surface contoured so as to reduce mutual coupling between the first horn and an adjacent horn. Where the electromagnetic energy is within a radio frequency (RF) band, the external surface is contoured so as to provide an abrupt change in a gap dimension between the first horn and an adjacent horn, the change occurring at a distance behind the aperture of equal to a multiple of one half the characteristic wavelength of the RF band.
US09537207B2 Antenna assembly with a multi-band radome and associated methods
An antenna assembly is for a fuselage of an aircraft and includes a first satellite antenna operable in a first frequency range, a second satellite antenna operable in a second frequency range, and a radome covering the first and second satellite antennas. The radome includes, in stacked relation, an inner skin having a quartz fabric and epoxy resin, an inner core having epoxy syntactic foam, a center laminate having quartz fabric and epoxy resin, an outer core having epoxy syntactic foam, and an outer skin having quartz fabric and epoxy resin. A fairing mounts the radome to the fuselage of the aircraft.
US09537206B2 Force application ring for foamed radomes
A force-applying element for fixing radomes provides an annular flange region. The force-applying element provides at least one fixing region, which extends from the flange region in the direction towards the radome to be fixed, and its outer surfaces are surrounded by the radome in a form-fit manner.
US09537205B2 3D antenna for integrated circuits
An antenna comprises a first layer having a first redistribution layer, a feeding line, a ground connection element, and one or more antenna inputs. The antenna also comprises one or more intermediate layers over the first layer. The antenna further comprises a second layer having a second redistribution layer over the one or more intermediate layers. The antenna additionally comprises one or more through vias arranged to communicatively couple the second redistribution layer and the first redistribution layer. The antenna also comprises a short element. The antenna further comprises one or more radiator antennas within the one or more through vias, the one or more radiator antennas being in communication with the one or more antenna inputs by way of the feeding line.
US09537200B2 Antenna apparatus
There is provided an antenna apparatus capable of stably communicating with a communication partner and increasing the maximum possible communication range even when the antenna apparatus is relatively smaller than an antenna in the communication partner and the two antennas are disposed in close proximity on the same axis. A magnetic flux passing through a coil aperture of an antenna coil passes through a conductor aperture of a conductive layer, but the magnetic flux does not pass through the conductive layer. Accordingly, the magnetic flux is diverted to a path in which the conductor aperture of the conductive layer is the inside and the outer edge of the conductive layer is the outside. As a result, the magnetic flux passing through the coil aperture of the antenna coil makes a relatively large loop and links the inside and the outside of a coil conductor in an antenna in a communication partner with the antenna apparatus.
US09537199B2 Package structure having an integrated waveguide configured to communicate between first and second integrated circuit chips
Embodiments include package structures having integrated waveguides to enable high data rate communication between package components. For example, a package structure includes a package substrate having an integrated waveguide, and first and second integrated circuit chips mounted to the package substrate. The first integrated circuit chip is coupled to the integrated waveguide using a first transmission line to waveguide transition, and the second integrated circuit chip is coupled to the integrated waveguide using a second transmission line to waveguide transition. The first and second integrated circuit chips are configured to communicate by transmitting signals using the integrated waveguide within the package carrier.
US09537196B2 High power high frequency loads for energy recovery
A radio frequency load for absorbing a radio frequency wave having a frequency in a predetermined frequency band and a wavelength comprises a waveguide with a portion having an opening for said radio frequency wave. In addition, the radio frequency load comprises at least one metal rod provided in said waveguide, said at least one metal rod having a length of one-half of said wavelength to damp said radio frequency wave.
US09537195B2 Rectangular band-pass filter having recesses of less than one-quarter wavelength depth formed therein for fitting a dielectric insert with a superconductive film within the recesses
A band-pass filter having a body, a rectangular waveguide, and a dielectric insert, the dielectric insert has a dielectric plate and a high temperature superconductive film in line with a plurality of rectangular windows of the same height. The waveguide has a×b cross-section, a being length of the long side walls and b the length of the short side walls. Each long side wall has a fixing groove at the central portion and a rectangular recess in the fixing groove. The dielectric plate has two ends in the fixing grooves and is symmetric with a perpendicular bisecting plane of the long side wall. The rectangular recess is symmetric to the perpendicular bisecting plane and has the same length as that of the waveguide, with its width w satisfying t
US09537194B2 Multimode resonator and RFID tags using the same
Chipless RFID tags and a tag system are provided, wherein the stepped impedance higher-order mode resonator includes two sets of composite transmission lines each set having an equal line length and including a plurality of transmission lines each having a plurality of specific levels to which the transmission line characteristic impedance is assigned, the two sets of composite transmission lines each connected in series, the sets being connected at the center to form an electrically symmetrical configuration and wherein the chipless RFID tags and the tag system allow each of the codes to be assigned to each of the structures of the stepped impedance higher-order mode resonator, and allow each of those codes to be identified by detecting each of the combinations of the higher-order mode resonance frequencies that may be produced from each the structures of the resonator that corresponds to each of the codes that have been assigned.
US09537193B2 Fuel cell system
A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell module for generating electrical energy by electrochemical reactions of a fuel gas and an oxygen-containing gas, a condenser for condensing water vapor in an exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cell module by heat exchange between the exhaust gas and a coolant to collect the condensed water and supplying the collected condensed water to the fuel cell module. The condenser includes an air cooling condensing mechanism using the oxygen-containing gas as the coolant. The air cooling condensing mechanism includes a secondary battery for inducing endothermic reaction during charging and inducing exothermic reaction during discharging.
US09537192B2 Battery with low temperature molten salt (LTMS) cathode
A battery is provided with an associated method for transporting metal-ions in the battery using a low temperature molten salt (LTMS). The battery comprises an anode, a cathode formed from a LTMS having a liquid phase at a temperature of less than 150° C., a current collector submerged in the LTMS, and a metal-ion permeable separator interposed between the LTMS and the anode. The method transports metal-ions from the separator to the current collector in response to the LTMS acting simultaneously as a cathode and an electrolyte. More explicitly, metal-ions are transported from the separator to the current collector by creating a liquid flow of LTMS interacting with the current collector and separator.
US09537190B2 Battery cell separators
A battery cell separator includes a body having front and rear sides for being stacked against respective battery cells. The body has a cross-section between the front and rear sides. The cross-section may have a saw-wave pattern, a square-wave pattern, or a sine-wave pattern.
US09537189B2 Temperature control system for a high-temperature battery or a high-temperature electrolyzer
A control system for controlling the temperature in a high-temperature battery to which hot air is supplied via an air duct system or in a high-temperature electrolyzer to which hot air is supplied via an air duct system is provided. The control system includes at least two temperature probes designed to detect the temperature at two different points in the air duct system, at least one first air-conditioning unit for physically conditioning the air, mounted in the air duct system upstream of the high-temperature battery or high-temperature electrolyzer, and a recirculation duct which recirculates hot air discharged from the high-temperature battery or high-temperature electrolyzer to a point in the air duct system upstream of the high-temperature battery or high-temperature electrolyzer and feeds the hot air back into the air duct system. The control system controls the first air-conditioning unit in accordance with the temperatures detected by the temperature probes.
US09537188B2 Temperature control device
A temperature control device for heating or cooling a battery has a cooling apparatus (5) and an electric heating apparatus (10). To simplify the temperature control of batteries, in particular of high-voltage batteries or traction batteries, the electric heating apparatus (10) is combined in one component with a highly thermally conductive material (20).
US09537186B2 Battery pack providing improved distribution uniformity in coolant
Disclosed is a battery pack including battery cells or unit modules (unit cells), wherein the battery pack is configured to have a structure in which the unit cells are uprightly arranged in a width direction (a horizontal direction) of the battery pack in a state in which a spacing distance for coolant flow is provided between the respective unit cells to constitute a battery module, a plurality of battery modules is arranged to constitute a battery module group, battery modules groups are vertically arranged from a coolant introduction direction of a coolant inlet port in a height direction (a vertical direction) of the battery pack to have a two or more layer structure or laterally arranged from the coolant introduction direction of the coolant inlet port in a length direction (a horizontal direction) of the battery pack to have a two or more row structure.
US09537179B2 Intermediate temperature sodium-metal halide battery
An intermediate temperature molten sodium-metal halide rechargeable battery utilizes a molten eutectic mixture of sodium haloaluminate salts having a relatively low melting point that enables the battery to operate at substantially lower temperature compared to the traditional ZEBRA battery system and utilize a highly conductive NaSICON solid electrolyte membrane. The positive electrode comprises a mixture of NaX and MX, where X is a halogen selected from Cl, Br and I and M is a metal selected Ni, Fe, and Zn. The positive electrode is disposed in a mixed molten salt positive electrolyte comprising at least two salts that can be represented by the formula NaAlX′4-δX″δ, where 0<δ<4, wherein X′ and X″ are different halogens selected from Cl, Br and I. The positive electrode may include additional NaX added in a molar ratio ranging from 1:1 to 3:1 of NaX:NaAlX′4-δX″δ.
US09537177B2 Electrode assembly and secondary battery including the same
An electrode assembly and a secondary battery including the same. The electrode assembly includes a plurality of alternately disposed positive electrode plates and negative electrode plates, separators disposed between the positive electrode plates and the negative electrode plates, a plurality of positive electrode tabs formed in the plurality of positive electrode plates, a plurality of negative electrode tabs formed in the plurality of negative electrode plates, a positive electrode lead including a clip accommodating the plurality of positive electrode tabs and a lead line coupled to the clip, and a negative electrode lead including a clip accommodating the plurality of negative electrode tabs and a lead line coupled to the clip.
US09537176B2 Material for non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery negative electrode
An object of the present invention is to provide a material for non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery negative electrodes containing a graphitic material and a non-graphitizable carbonaceous material, the material having excellent resistance against deterioration due to moisture absorption and excellent charge/discharge cycle resistance; a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery negative electrode using the same; and a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery using these, that has low resistance and excellent cycle durability.The present invention comprises a carbonaceous material obtained by carbonizing a plant-derived organic material having a potassium content of 0.5% by mass or less, an average particle size Dv50 of 2 μm to 50 μm, an average interlayer spacing of (002) plane determined by powder X-ray diffraction of 0.365 nm to 0.400 nm, an atomic ratio (H/C) of hydrogen atoms to carbon atoms determined by elemental analysis of 0.1 or less, and a true density determined by a pycnometer method using butanol of 1.51 g/cm3 or greater but 1.65 g/cm3 or less; and a graphitic material having an average interlayer spacing determined by powder X-ray diffraction of 0.345 nm or less, and a true density determined by a pycnometer method using butanol of 1.9 g/cm3 or greater.
US09537173B2 Pouch type lithium secondary battery
A pouch type lithium secondary battery including a medium- or large-sized battery module includes: a jelly-roll type electrode assembly; a resin-type first packing material that is formed of a two-layer structure having an inner resin layer and an outer resin layer, and for packing the jelly-roll type electrode assembly in the form of a unit cell; and a metal-type second packing material that integrally packs and contains two or more unit cells packed in the first packing material in the form of a module, and prevents moisture and gas penetration by a sealed structure. The pouch type lithium secondary battery is applicable particularly to medium- and large-sized batteries for EVs, p-HEVs, HEVs, and so on.
US09537172B2 Sealed secondary battery and manufacturing method of sealed secondary battery
According to one embodiment, in a manufacturing method of a sealed secondary battery of the embodiment, a first sealing body, which is configured to seal an opening portion of a lid body to cover the opening portion and is formed into a sheet-like shape by using a metal material, is placed on the lid body, and the first sealing body is welded to the lid body. The sealed secondary battery having the first sealing body welded thereto is charged, and the sealed secondary battery is discharged after the charge. A hole is bored in the first sealing body to form a hole portion after the discharge, a second sealing body is placed to cover the first sealing body, and the second sealing body is welded to the lid body through the first sealing body.
US09537170B2 Biofuel cell and electronic device
A small and high-density biofuel cell capable of easily supplying fuel; and an electronic apparatus are provided. The biofuel cell is formed using a stack in which two power generating bodies that include at least a pair of electrodes and a separator are stacked through a gas diffusion layer through which only gas is permeable, the electrodes forming an anode and a cathode and having at least one surface on which an oxidoreductase is present, the separator being arranged between the electrodes and including a proton permeable membrane. In addition, cathode-side surfaces of the respective power generating bodies of the stack are arranged in contact with the gas diffusion layer. This biofuel cell is mounted on the electronic apparatus.
US09537160B2 Operational method for a simplified fuel cell system
A system and method for reducing the corrosive effects of an air/hydrogen front in a fuel cell stack. The method includes shutting down the fuel cell stack and then initiating a hydrogen sustaining process where hydrogen is periodically injected into an anode side of the fuel cell stack while the stack is shut down for a predetermined period of time. The method determines that the hydrogen sustaining process has ended, and then purges the anode side and a cathode side of the fuel cell stack with air after the hydrogen sustaining process has ended and the stack is still shut-down.
US09537157B2 Nanodevices for generating power from molecules and batteryless sensing
A nanoconverter or nanosensor is disclosed capable of directly generating electricity through physisorption interactions with molecules that are dipole containing organic species in a molecule interaction zone. High surface-to-volume ratio semiconductor nanowires or nanotubes (such as ZnO, silicon, carbon, etc.) are grown either aligned or randomly-aligned on a substrate. Epoxy or other nonconductive polymers are used to seal portions of the nanowires or nanotubes to create molecule noninteraction zones. By correlating certain molecule species to voltages generated, a nanosensor may quickly identify which species is detected. Nanoconverters in a series parallel arrangement may be constructed in planar, stacked, or rolled arrays to supply power to nano- and micro-devices without use of external batteries. In some cases breath, from human or other life forms, contain sufficient molecules to power a nanoconverter. A membrane permeable to certain molecules around the molecule interaction zone increases specific molecule nanosensor selectivity response.
US09537156B2 Method for making membrane-electrode assembly for fuel cell and method for making fuel cell system comprising the same
A membrane-electrode assembly for a fuel cell of the present invention includes an anode and a cathode facing each other, and a polymer electrolyte membrane interposed therebetween. At least one of the anode and the cathode includes a catalyst layer and an electrode substrate. The catalyst layer includes a catalyst and a porous ionomer. The polymer electrolyte membrane contacts one side of the catalyst layer and the electrode substrate contacts the other side of the catalyst layer.
US09537154B2 Anode for secondary battery and secondary battery having the same
The present disclosure provides an anode for a secondary battery, comprising a wire-type current collector; a metallic anode active material layer formed on the surface of the wire-type current collector and comprising a metallic anode active material; and an inert metal layer formed on the surface of the metallic anode active material layer and having no reactivity with lithium.
US09537149B2 Method for manufacturing a lithium transition metal phosphate
Disclosed is a method for manufacturing a lithium transition metal phosphate. The disclosed method for manufacturing a lithium transition metal phosphate comprises the steps of: injecting reaction materials containing lithium, a transition metal, and a phosphate, into a reactor, and mixing the raw materials at the molecular level in the reactor; and allowing the reaction materials to chemically react in the reactor so as to cause nucleation.
US09537146B2 Positive electrode material for sodium batteries and method for producing same
The invention is to provide a positive electrode material for sodium batteries, which has high operating potential and enable charging and discharging at high potential, and a method for producing thereof. Disclosed is a positive electrode material for sodium batteries, comprising positive electrode active material particles represented by the following general formula (1), and an electroconductive carbonaceous material that coats at least part of the surface of the positive electrode active material particles: General Formula (1): NaxMy(AO4)z(P2O7)w wherein M is at least one selected from the group consisting of Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu and Zn; A is at least one selected from the group consisting of Al, Si, P, S, Ti, V and W; x is a value that satisfies 4≧x≧2; y is a value that satisfies 4≧y≧1; z is a value that satisfies 4≧x≧0; w is a value that satisfies 1≧w≧0; and at least one of z and w is 1 or more.
US09537143B2 Lead acid cell with active materials held in a lattice
An electrode for a lead-acid voltaic cell comprises a high surface area, high porosity 3-dimensional lattice structure wherein the core elements forming the lattice are substantially contiguous. The core elements are coated with one or more corrosion resistant and conductive materials, and solid active materials are coated on the core elements and retained within the matrix. The lattice structure acts as the current collector.
US09537141B2 Method for making lithium ion battery electrode
A method for making a lithium ion battery electrode is provided. A support having a support surface is provided. A graphene layer is formed on the support surface of the support. An electrode material layer is applied on an exposed surface of the graphene layer. The graphene layer is located between the electrode material layer and the support.
US09537140B2 Manganese spinel-type lithium transition metal oxide
Provided is a new 5 V class spinel exhibiting an operating potential of 4.5 V or more (5 V class), which can suppress the amount of gas generation during high temperature cycles. Suggested is a manganese spinel-type lithium transition metal oxide represented by formula: Li[NiyMn2-(a+b)-y-zLiaTibMz]O4 (wherein 0≦z≦0.3, 0.3≦y<0.6, and M=at least one or more metal elements selected from the group consisting of Al, Mg, Fe and Co), in which in the above formula, the following relationships are satisfied: a>0, b>0, and 3≦b/a≦8.
US09537139B2 Negative electrode for non-aqueous secondary battery, and a non-aqueous secondary battery
[Objectives] The present invention provides a non-aqueous secondary battery in which a material containing Si and O as constituent elements is used in a negative electrode. The present invention provides a non-aqueous secondary battery having good charge discharge cycle characteristics, and suppressing the battery swelling associated with the charge and the discharge. Also, the present invention relates to a negative electrode that can provide the non-aqueous secondary battery. [Solution] The negative electrode includes a negative electrode active material, including a composite of a material containing Si and O as constitution elements (atom ratio x of O to Si is 0.5≦x≦1.5) in combination with a carbon material, and graphite. The graphite has an average particle diameter dg (μm) of 4 to 20 μm. The material containing Si and O as constitution elements has an average particle diameter ds (μm) of 1 μm or more. The ratio ds/dg (i.e., ds to dg) is 0.05 to 1. The material containing Si and O as constitution elements has a crystallite diameter of 50 nm or less, the crystallite diameter is calculated from a half width at a (220) plane of Si obtained by an X-ray diffraction method, using Scherrer Formula. In 100 mass % of the composite of the material containing Si and O as constitution elements, and the carbon material, a ratio of the material containing Si and O as constitution elements is 70 to 95 mass %.
US09537136B2 Battery pack
A battery pack includes a lead tab, a connection member positioned on a protective circuit module, the connection member connecting the protective circuit module and the lead tab and having a first through-hole, and a soldering member inserted into the connection member through the first through-hole so as to form a connection between the connection member and the lead tab.
US09537134B2 Rechargeable battery
A rechargeable battery includes an electrode assembly for performing charging and discharging operations, a case accommodating the electrode assembly, a cap plate coupled to an opening of the case, an electrode terminal installed on the cap plate, and a lead tab connecting the electrode assembly to the electrode terminal, the lead tab including a terminal connection part connected to the electrode terminal, and a current-collecting connection part connected to the electrode assembly, the current-collecting connection part including a welding portion connected to the electrode assembly, and an absorption portion separated from the welding portion in a first direction parallel to the cap plate and provided on an outer side of the welding portion.
US09537133B2 Electric storage device and power source module
An electric storage device includes: a power generating element; a housing container that houses the power generating element; a connecting body electrically connected to the power generating element; and an insulating member that fits the housing container at a plurality of fitting portions, secures the connecting body, and insulates a conductive path, which includes the power generating element and the connecting body, and the housing container from each other.
US09537131B2 Battery anode with preloaded metals
A method is presented for fabricating an anode preloaded with consumable metals. The method provides a material (X), which may be one of the following materials: carbon, metals able to be electrochemically alloyed with a metal (Me), intercalation oxides, electrochemically active organic compounds, and combinations of the above-listed materials. The method loads the metal (Me) into the material (X). Typically, Me is an alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, or a combination of the two. As a result, the method forms a preloaded anode comprising Me/X for use in a battery comprising a M1YM2Z(CN)N.MH2O cathode, where M1 and M2 are transition metals. The method loads the metal (Me) into the material (X) using physical (mechanical) mixing, a chemical reaction, or an electrochemical reaction. Also provided is preloaded anode, preloaded with consumable metals.
US09537129B2 Batteries prepared by spinning
Methods of forming a lithium-ion battery on a vehicle component by spinning and vehicle components with a batteries formed thereon are disclosed. The spinning may include electrospinning. A first electrode layer may be spun, followed by a first separator layer, a second electrode layer, and a second separator layer. Each layer may be spun directly onto the previously spun layer to provide a battery that does not include metal current collectors. The anode and/or cathode layers may include polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers. To render the anode and cathode layers conductive, they may be carbonized using a heat source (e.g., a laser). The disclosed method may allow for the formation of batteries directly onto a vehicle component, such as a body panel, thereby using otherwise empty space to increase the battery capacity of the vehicle.
US09537126B2 Battery pack
The battery pack according to the present invention includes a plurality of battery cells generating an electric current to which leads are connected in order to supply the generated electric current. At least two of the leads of the battery cells are welded in the plurality of battery cells. A shock absorbing unit is formed bent between the welded connection portion and the battery cell of each of the leads. Therefore, it is possible to minimize damage to the connection portions of the leads caused by external vibration or shock, and to improve the durability of the leads.
US09537125B2 Battery module
A battery module includes a plurality of battery cells arranged in a first direction, a pair of end plates adjacent to outermost battery cells of the plurality of battery cells, the pair of end plates extending along the plurality of battery cells in a second direction and being spaced apart along the first direction, and at least one bush member coupled to each of the end plates.
US09537120B2 Polymer battery module packaging sheet and a method of manufacturing the same
A polymer battery module packaging sheet includes, as essential components, a base layer (61), an aluminum layer (62), chemical conversion coatings (64a, 64b) coating the opposite surfaces of the aluminum layer (62), and an innermost layer (63). The chemical conversion coatings (64a, 64b) are formed by processing the opposite surfaces of the aluminum layer (62) by a phosphate treatment method. The base layer (61) and the innermost layer (63) are bonded to the chemical conversion coatings (64a, 64b) of the aluminum layer (62) with adhesive layers (65a, 65b), respectively.
US09537118B2 Organic light emitting diode display and manufacturing method thereof
An organic light emitting diode display includes a substrate including a display region displaying an image and a peripheral region surrounding the display region, a plurality of pad wires formed in the peripheral region of the substrate, and a plurality of bumps formed between the plurality of pad wires. The organic light emitting diode display blocks or relieves impact which is generated when a temporary upper protective film is half-cut and applied to a plurality of pad wires or an insulating layer by forming a plurality of bumps between the plurality of pad wires, thus preventing a damage to the pad wires or the insulating layer.
US09537117B2 Singlet harvesting with dual-core copper (I) complexes for optoelectronic devices
The invention relates to dimeric copper(I) complexes according to formula A, in particular as emitters in optoelectronic devices such as organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) and other devices wherein: Cu: Cu(I), X: Cl, Br, I, SCN, CN, and/or alkynyl and P∩N: a phosphine ligand substituted with a N-heterocycle.
US09537115B2 Organic light emitting diode package structure and display device
An OLED package structure and a display device are provided. The OLED package structure has an OLED substrate including an OLED component; and a package substrate including an active metal film. A sealed chamber is formed by using a sealant to bond the OLED substrate and the package substrate, and the OLED component and the active metal film are positioned in the sealed chamber. The life time of the OLED component and the display device can be increased by absorbing residual oxygen in the package structure and external penetrating oxygen.
US09537112B2 Solid-state compositions and methods for generating white light
This application discloses a new family of inorganic-organic hybrid semiconductor bulk materials built on periodic nanostructured 2D layers of ZnS that emit bright white light with high quantum efficiency. These ZnS-based crystalline inorganic-organic hybrid semiconductors have well defined and precisely controllable crystal structure and composition. Their optical emission properties, including intensity, quantum yield, and color quality, can be systematically tuned by varying the composition of both inorganic and organic components. Methods for preparing these materials, use of these materials as a new type of single-phased white light emitting phosphors, and their applications in making WLED devices are also disclosed.
US09537110B2 Chalcogen-containing organic compound and use thereof
An organic compound represented by formula (1) or formula (2) that is easy to synthesize, and has excellent chemical stability, semiconductor characteristics (high carrier mobility) and high solubility in a solvent. in formula (1), X is oxygen, sulfur or selenium; n is 0 or 1; R1 to R3 are hydrogen, fluorine, alkyl having 1 to 20 carbons, aryl, pyridyl, furyl, thienyl, thiazolyl or the like. However, except for a case where X is selenium, a case where all of R1 to R3 are simultaneously hydrogen is excluded, and a case where X is sulfur and all of R1 are simultaneously butyl is also excluded. In formula (2), X is oxygen, sulfur or selenium; n is 0 or 1; R1 to R2 are hydrogen, alkyl having 1 to 20 carbons, aryl, pyridyl, furyl, thienyl, thiazolyl or the like; however, a case where all of R1 to R2 are simultaneously hydrogen is excluded.
US09537109B2 Light-emitting element, light-emitting device, electronic device, and lighting device
Provided is a light-emitting element which has high emission efficiency and a long lifetime and is driven at low voltage. The light-emitting element includes an EL layer between a pair of electrodes. The EL layer includes a compound which gives a first peak at a m/z of around 266.10 in a mass spectrum.
US09537106B2 Organic electroluminescent materials and devices
Donor-acceptor compounds with nitrogen containing polyaromatics as the acceptor with emission originated from the charge transfer (CT) state is disclosed. The donor-acceptor compound is provided that has the structure of Formula 1 shown below: wherein X1 to X12 is independently selected from the group consisting of C—R and N, wherein at least one of X1 to X12 is N, wherein each R is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, deuterium, halide, alkyl, cycloalkyl, heteroalkyl, arylalkyl, alkoxy, aryloxy, amino, silyl, alkenyl, cycloalkenyl, heteroalkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, heteroaryl, acyl, carbonyl, carboxylic acids, ester, nitrile, isonitrile, sulfanyl, sulfinyl, sulfonyl, phosphino, and combinations thereof; and at least one of the R comprises a donor group with at least two electron-donating nitrogens.
US09537105B2 Materials for organic electroluminescent devices
The present invention describes indenocarbazole derivatives having electron- and hole-transporting properties, in particular for use in the emission and/or charge-transport layer of electroluminescent devices or as matrix material. The invention furthermore relates to a process for the preparation of the compounds according to the invention and to electronic devices comprising same.
US09537101B2 Composition capable of changing its solubility, hole transport material composition, and organic electronic element using the same
An embodiment of the present invention relates to a composition containing a polymer oroligomer (A) having a repeating unit with hole transport properties and also having a thienylgroup which may have a substituent, and an initiator (B), wherein the solubility of the composition is capable of being changed by applying heat, light, or both heat and light.
US09537100B2 Process of producing and applications of three component benzo[1,2-B:4,5-B] dithiophene-thienothiophene randomly substituted polymers for organic solar cells
A process of polymerizing f with wherein the stoichiometric ratio of f≈(g+h) and f, g and h are not equal to 0. This process can also have R1 selected from the group consisting of alkyl group, alkoxy group, aryl groups and combinations thereof. Additionally, x and y can be different from each other and can be independently selected from the group consisting of: alkyl group, alkoxy group, aryl groups, where y=1-3, where y=0-12, where R2 is selected from the group consisting of H, alkyl group, alkoxy group, aryl groups, where R3 is selected from the group consisting of H, alkyl group, alkoxy group, aryl groups, where R4 and R5 are independently selected from the group consisting of H, alkyl group, alkoxy group, aryl groups, —NR6R7 where R6 and R7 are independently selected from the group consisting of H, alkyl group, alkoxy group, aryl groups.
US09537092B2 Integrated circuits with memory cells and methods of manufacturing the same
Integrated circuits and methods for manufacturing the same are provided. An integrated circuit includes a lower electrode overlying a substrate, an insulating layer overlying the lower electrode, and an upper electrode overlying the insulating layer. The lower electrode, the insulating layer, and the upper electrode form a stack having a side surface. A phase change spacer is adjacent to the side surface, where the phase change spacer is electrically connected to the lower electrode and the upper electrode.
US09537086B1 Linear magnetoresistive random access memory device with a self-aligned contact above MRAM nanowire
A technique relates to a linear magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) device. A linear magnetic tunnel junction structure includes a non-magnetic tunnel barrier on top of a reference layer and a free layer on top of the non-magnetic tunnel barrier, where the linear magnetic tunnel junction structure is in a line. Magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) devices are formed of the reference layer, the non-magnetic tunnel barrier, and the free layer, each of the MRAM devices are in the line. Self-aligned contacts are formed on top of the linear magnetic tunnel junction structure, and the self-aligned contacts individually define the MRAM devices. The self-aligned contacts are separated from one another in the line. Bottom conductive vias are underneath the linear magnetic tunnel junction structure. The bottom conductive vias abut the reference layer of the linear magnetic tunnel junction structure.
US09537082B2 Piezoelectric ceramic, piezoelectric ceramic component, and piezoelectric device using such piezoelectric ceramic component
In a piezoelectric ceramic which has an alkali-containing niobate-based perovskite structure in which constituent elements are Li, Na, K, Nb, and O, a Li3NbO4 crystal phase is intentionally deposited on a piezoelectric ceramic having an alkali-containing niobate-based perovskite structure, whereby sintering becomes possible at about 1000° C. rather than at the normally required sintering temperature of 1050° C. or greater.
US09537080B2 System for driving a piezoelectric load and method of making same
A system for driving a piezoelectric load includes a direct current (DC) voltage source and a bi-directional DC-to-DC converter having a primary side coupled to the DC voltage source and a secondary side and comprising a control input configured to receive a first control signal configured to control conversion of a first voltage on the primary side of the bi-directional DC-to-DC converter to a second voltage on the secondary side of the bi-directional DC-to-DC converter. The driver system also includes a capacitor coupled to the secondary side of the bi-directional DC-to-DC converter and configured to remove a DC offset of the second voltage and includes a reactive load having a first terminal coupled to the capacitor and a second terminal coupled to the secondary side of the bi-directional DC-to-DC converter.
US09537073B2 Method for fabricating a light emitting diode (LED) die having strap layer
A method for fabricating a light emitting diode (LED) die includes the steps of forming an epitaxial stack on a substrate having an n-type semiconductor layer, multiple quantum well (MQW) layers, and a p-type semiconductor layer. The method also includes the steps of forming a plurality of trenches in the n-type semiconductor layer, and forming a strap layer having conductive straps and contact areas in the trenches, forming an electrical insulator layer on the strap layer, forming an n-pad on the n-type semiconductor layer, and forming a p-pad on the p-type semiconductor layer.
US09537072B2 Light emitting device, lead frame and resin cavity molding package
Pkg resin crack is suppressed after dicing.A light emitting device 1 where a light emitting device 2 that emits light is mounted on a lead frame 3 and that uses a resin cavity molding package 5 having an integrally molded lead frames 3, 4 constituting electrodes that correspond to the light emitting element 2 and resin, wherein roundness is given to a part or all of a cutting plane corner part of a retention section (hanger lead 3a, 4a) that become a cause of crack generation due to the retention sections (hanger leads 3a, 4a) of the lead frames giving stress concentration to resin at the time of cutting by a blade 7.
US09537070B2 Optoelectronic component with a wireless contacting
An optoelectronic component contains a semiconductor chip (1) and a carrier body (10), which are provided with a transparent, electrically insulating encapsulation layer (3), the encapsulation layer (3) having two cutouts (11, 12) for uncovering a contact area (6) and a connection region (8) of the carrier body, and an electrically conductive layer (14) being led from the contact area (6) over a partial region of the encapsulation layer (3) to the electrical connection region (8) of the carrier body (10) in order to electrically connect the contact area (6) and the electrical connection region (8) to one another. The radiation emitted in a main radiation direction (13) by the semiconductor chip (1) is coupled out through the encapsulation layer (3), which advantageously contains luminescence conversion substances for the wavelength conversion of the emitted radiation.
US09537069B1 Inorganic light-emitting diode with encapsulating reflector
An inorganic light-emitting diode structure includes a transparent substrate and an inorganic semiconductor having a conduction layer and a light-emitting layer over and in contact with only a portion of the conduction layer. A first metal contact is in electrical contact with the conduction layer and a second metal contact is in electrical contact with a second contact portion of the light-emitting layer so that a current supplied between the first metal contact and the second metal contact through the inorganic semiconductor causes the light-emitting layer to emit light. A dielectric layer is located over at least a portion of the light-emitting layer and a reflective layer is located over at least a portion of the dielectric layer. The reflective layer encapsulates the light-emitting layer exclusive of the portion of the conduction layer in contact with the light-emitting layer.
US09537067B2 Radiation emitting device
An embodiment of the present invention relates to a radiation emitting device comprising: a radiation emitter for generating radiation; a waveguide; a lens placed between the radiation emitter and the waveguide and directing a first portion of the radiation towards the waveguide; a sleeve that comprises a reflective inner surface and is placed between the radiation emitter and the waveguide, said inner reflective surface coupling a second portion of the radiation into the waveguide; wherein the lens and the sleeve are separate components that can be positioned relative to each other during fabrication of the radiation emitting device.
US09537065B2 Light-emitting device with reflective resin
Improves light extraction efficiency. A light emitting device 1 using a white resin molding package 5 integrally molded with lead frames 3, 4 constituting an electrode corresponding to one or a plurality of light emitting element 2 and white resin, wherein an area in a plane view of a white resin surface on a reflective surface that is level with amounting surface of the light emitting element 2 is configured to be larger than total area in a plane view occupied by surfaces of the lead frames 3, 4 and the light emitting element. Further, a step section is formed on the surfaces of lead frames 3, 4, white resin is filled in the step section, and the area of white resin surface on a reflective surface where the light emitting element 2 is mounted is increased.
US09537061B2 Phosphor compositions and lighting apparatus thereof
A phosphor composition is disclosed. A phosphor composition, comprises at least 10 atomic % bromine; silicon, germanium or combination thereof; oxygen; a metal M, wherein M comprises zinc (Zn), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), or combinations thereof; and an activator comprising europium. The phosphor composition is formed from combining carbonate or oxides of metal M, silicon oxide, and europium oxide; and then firing the combination. A lighting apparatus including the phosphor composition is also provided. The phosphor composition may be combined with an additional phosphor to generate white light.
US09537060B2 Semiconductor light emitting device package
A semiconductor light emitting device package includes: a light emitting device; a wavelength conversion unit formed in a path of light emitted from the light emitting device and including a mixture of a wavelength conversion material and a glass material; and a reflective film disposed on an upper surface of the wavelength conversion unit and reflecting a partial amount of light emitted from the light emitting device and allowing a partial amount of light emitted from the light emitting device to be transmitted therethrough.
US09537058B2 Embedded white light LED package structure based on solid-state fluorescence material and manufacturing method thereof
The present invention discloses an embedded white light LED package structure based on a solid-state fluorescence material. In the present invention, the high power blue light chip is directly embedded into and bonded with a groove of the solid-state fluorescence material, and blue light emitted by the chip and yellow and green light obtained by conversion and emitted by the solid-state fluorescence material are blended by using the principle of lenses, to obtain white light. The embedded white light LED package structure based on a solid-state fluorescence material has a simple process, low cost, and high fluorescence efficiency; and blue light does not leak. Heat dissipation can be directly performed by using the solid-state fluorescence material, and heat dissipation performance is desirable. Energy conservation and environmental protection is achieved, and a service life of an LED lighting device is greatly improved.
US09537051B2 Nanostructure semiconductor light emitting device
A nanostructure semiconductor light emitting device may include a base layer having first and second regions and formed of a first conductivity-type semiconductor material; a plurality of light emitting nanostructures disposed on the base layer, each of which including a nanocore formed of a first conductivity-type semiconductor material, and an active layer and a second conductivity-type semiconductor layer sequentially disposed on the nanocore; a contact electrode disposed on the light emitting nanostructures to be connected to the second conductivity-type semiconductor layer; a first electrode connected to the base layer; and a second electrode covering a portion of the contact electrode disposed on at least one of light emitting nanostructures disposed in the second region among the plurality of light emitting nanostructures, wherein light emitting nanostructures disposed in the second region and light emitting nanostructures disposed in the first region among the plurality of light emitting nanostructures have different shapes.
US09537048B2 Vertical type AC-LED device and manufacturing method thereof
The present invention discloses a vertical AC LED element and fabrication method thereof, wherein the vertical AC LED element comprises a conductive substrate (102); a light-emitting module on the conductive substrate (102), including two horizontally arranged in parallel and mutually-isolated LEDs; wherein the first and second LEDs include a first semiconductor layer (111), a light-emitting layer (112) and a second semiconductor layer (113) from top down; a first insulating layer (131) is arranged between the second semiconductor layer (113) of the first LED and the conductive substrate (102) for mutual isolation; an ohmic contact is formed between the second semiconductor layer (113) of the second LED and the conductive substrate (102); a first conductive structure that connects the first semiconductor layer (111) of the first LED, the second semiconductor layer (113) of the second LED and the conductive substrate (102); and a second conductive structure that connects the second semiconductor layer (113) of the first LED and the first semiconductor layer (111) of the second LED.
US09537041B2 Emitters of a backside contact solar cell
A system and method of patterning dopants of opposite polarity to form a solar cell is described. Two dopant films are deposited on a substrate. A laser is used to pattern the N-type dopant, by mixing the two dopant films into a single film with an exposure to the laser and/or drive the N-type dopant into the substrate to form an N-type emitter. A thermal process drives the P-type dopant from the P-type dopant film to form P-type emitters and further drives the N-type dopant from the single film to either form or further drive the N-type emitter.
US09537040B2 Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor image sensor and manufacturing method thereof
A method for manufacturing semiconductor devices includes following steps. A substrate having a pixel region and a periphery region defined thereon is provided, and at least a transistor is formed in the pixel region. A blocking layer is formed on the substrate, and the blocking layer includes a first opening exposing a portion of the substrate in the pixel region and a second opening exposing a portion of the transistor. A first conductive body is formed in the first opening and a second conductive body is formed in the second opening, respectively. The first conductive body protrudes from the substrate and the second conductive body protrudes from the transistor. A portion of the blocking layer is removed. A first salicide layer is formed on the first conductive body and a second salicide layer is formed on the second conductive body, respectively.
US09537037B2 Wet etching method for an N-type bifacial cell
A wet etching method for an N-type bifacial cell including: (1) providing an N-type silicon wafer, proceeding with surface structuralization on the N-type silicon wafer, and producing a PN junction on a surface of the N-type silicon wafer by using a boron diffusion technique; (2) proceeding with a first mixed acid washing, etching the PN junction on an edge and a back surface of the N-type silicon wafer; (3) proceeding with a first pure water washing and a first alkaline washing, removing residual acid solution from the surface of the N-type silicon wafer; (4) proceeding with a second pure water washing and a second mixed acid washing, removing residual impurities from the surface of the N-type silicon wafer; (5) proceeding with a third pure water washing and air drying; and (6) after air drying, completing etching on the N-type bifacial cell.
US09537032B2 Low-cost high-efficiency solar module using epitaxial Si thin-film absorber and double-sided heterojunction solar cell with integrated module fabrication
One embodiment of the present invention provides a double-sided heterojunction solar cell module. The solar cell includes a frontside glass cover, a backside glass cover situated below the frontside glass cover, and a number of solar cells situated between the frontside glass cover and the backside glass cover. Each solar cell includes a semiconductor multilayer structure situated below the frontside glass cover, including: a frontside electrode grid, a first layer of heavily doped amorphous Si (a-Si) situated below the frontside electrode, a layer of lightly doped crystalline-Si (c-Si) situated below the first layer of heavily doped a-Si, and a layer of heavily doped c-Si situated below the lightly doped c-Si layer. The solar cell also includes a second layer of heavily doped a-Si situated below the multilayer structure; and a backside electrode situated below the second layer of heavily doped a-Si.
US09537031B2 Nozzle assembly and method for fabricating a solar cell
A method for fabricating a solar cell using a nozzle assembly that includes a base portion, a scriber coupled to the base portion, and a nozzle coupled to the base portion such that the nozzle is positioned a predefined distance from a tip of the scriber is provided. The method generally comprises positioning a substructure that includes a buffer layer and an absorber layer proximate to the base portion. A P2 line is scribed through the buffer and absorber layers of the substructure using the scriber tip. A nanoparticle solution is sprayed, using the nozzle, onto at least one portion of the buffer layer at a predefined pressure when the P2 line is being scribed through the buffer and absorber layers such that a transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layer is inhibited from forming over the portion of the buffer layer that is being sprayed with the nanoparticle solution.
US09537028B2 Pinned photodiode (PPD) pixel architecture with separate avalanche region
Described herein is a pinned photodiode pixel architecture having a p-type substrate that is independently biased with respect to a pixel area to provide an avalanche region between an n-type region and a p-type region formed on the substrate. Such a pinned photodiode pixel can be used in imaging sensors that are used in low light level conditions.
US09537027B2 Backside configured surface plasmonic structure for infrared photodetector and imaging focal plane array enhancement
The invention relates to quantum dot and photodetector technology, and more particularly, to quantum dot infrared photodetectors (QDIPs) and focal plane array. The invention further relates to devices and methods for the enhancement of the photocurrent of quantum dot infrared photodetectors in focal plane arrays.
US09537026B2 Method for manufacturing solar-power-generator substrate and apparatus for manufacturing solar-power-generator substrate
A method for manufacturing a solar-power-generator substrate by cutting out a semiconductor substrate by slicing a semiconductor ingot and then by forming a texture structure on a surface of the semiconductor substrate by performing a surface treatment on the surface of the semiconductor substrate, includes: cleaning including cleaning and removing an organic impurity and a metal impurity adhering to the surface of the semiconductor substrate with a cleaning fluid containing an oxidizing chemical; and etching including removing a damaged layer on a substrate surface generated by the slicing and forming the texture structure on the surface of the semiconductor substrate by performing anisotropic etching on the surface of the semiconductor substrate with an alkaline aqueous solution, the etching being performed subsequent to the cleaning.
US09537025B1 Texturing a layer in an optoelectronic device for improved angle randomization of light
Embodiments generally relate to optoelectronic devices and more specifically, to textured layers in optoelectronic devices. In one embodiment, a method for providing a textured layer in an optoelectronic device includes depositing a first layer of a first material and depositing an island layer of a second material on the first layer. Depositing the island layer includes forming one or more islands of the second material to provide at least one textured surface of the island layer, where the textured surface is operative to cause scattering of light.
US09537021B2 Photovoltaic cell
A concentrated photovoltaic cell comprises a semiconductor stack comprising an upper surface and a lower surface opposite to the upper surface, wherein the upper surface is operable to absorb a light which comprises a light intensity distribution on the upper surface; and an upper electrode formed on the upper surface of the semiconductor stack and comprising an electrode pattern approximately corresponding to the light intensity distribution, wherein the light intensity distribution comprises a high light-concentrated area having a first light intensity and a low light-concentrated area having a second light intensity, wherein the second light intensity is lower than the first light intensity.
US09537020B2 Solar cell electrode
A method of manufacturing a solar cell electrode comprising steps of: preparing a semiconductor substrate, applying a conductive paste onto the light receiving side of the semiconductor substrate, wherein the conductive paste comprises (i) a conductive powder, (ii) a glass frit, (iii) an organic polymer comprising an elastomer and (iv) an organic solvent; and firing the applied conductive paste.
US09537019B2 Semiconductor device
A semiconductor device includes a base, a semiconductor element disposed on the base, a resist layer formed on the base, and a resin-sealed portion covering the semiconductor element and the resist layer. A plurality of concave portions is formed in the resist layer, and each of the plurality of concave portions is filled with a part of the resin-sealed portion.
US09537017B2 Process for forming a planar diode using one mask
A planar diode and method of making the same employing only one mask. The diode is formed by coating a substrate with an oxide, removing a central portion of the oxide to define a window through which dopants are diffused. The substrate is given a Ni/Au plating to provide ohmic contact surfaces, and the oxide on the periphery of the window is coated with a polyimide passivating agent overlying the P/N junction.
US09537010B2 Semiconductor device structure and method for forming the same
A semiconductor device structure is provided. The semiconductor device structure includes a substrate having a doped region in an upper portion of the substrate. The doped region is doped with first dopants of a first conduction type. The semiconductor device structure includes one fin structure over the substrate. A first dopant concentration of the doped region exposed by the fin structure is greater than a second dopant concentration of the doped region covered by the fin structure. The semiconductor device structure includes an isolation layer over the substrate and at two opposite sides of the fin structure. The semiconductor device structure includes a gate over the isolation layer and the fin structure.
US09537009B2 Semiconductor devices including a stressor in a recess and methods of forming the same
Semiconductor devices including a stressor in a recess and methods of forming the semiconductor devices are provided. The methods may include forming a fast etching region comprising phosphorous in an active region and forming a first trench in the active region by recessing the fast etching region. The methods may also include forming a second trench in the active region by enlarging the first trench using a directional etch process and forming a stressor in the second trench. The second trench may include a notched portion of the active region.
US09537000B2 Semiconductor device with increased safe operating area
A semiconductor device includes a substrate having a surface, a composite body region disposed in the substrate, having a first conductivity type, and comprising a body contact region at the surface of the substrate and a well in which a channel is formed during operation, a source region disposed in the semiconductor substrate adjacent the composite body region and having a second conductivity type, and an isolation region disposed between the body contact region and the source region. The composite body region further includes a body conduction path region contiguous with and under the source region, and the body conduction path region has a higher dopant concentration level than the well.
US09536999B2 Semiconductor device with control structure including buried portions and method of manufacturing
A semiconductor device includes transistor cells with source zones of a first conductivity type and body zones of a second conductivity type. The source and body zones are formed in a semiconductor mesa formed from a portion of a semiconductor body. Control structures include first portions extending into the semiconductor body on at least two opposing sides of the semiconductor mesa, second portions in a distance to the first surface between the first portions, and third portions in a distance to the first surface and connecting the first and the second portions, wherein constricted sections of the semiconductor mesa are formed between neighboring third portions.
US09536994B2 Method for manufacturing semiconductor device and semiconductor device
A minute transistor and the method of manufacturing the minute transistor. A source electrode layer and a drain electrode layer are each formed in a corresponding opening formed in an insulating layer covering a semiconductor layer. The opening of the source electrode layer and the opening of the drain electrode layer are formed separately in two distinct steps. The source electrode layer and the drain electrode layer are formed by depositing a conductive layer over the insulating layer and in the openings, and subsequently removing the part located over the insulating layer by polishing. This manufacturing method allows for the source electrode later and the drain electrode layer to be formed close to each other and close to a channel forming region of the semiconductor layer. Such a structure leads to a transistor having high electrical characteristics and a high manufacturing yield even in the case of a minute structure.
US09536984B2 Semiconductor structure with a spacer layer
A multi-layer semiconductor structure is disclosed for use in III-Nitride semiconductor devices, including a channel layer, a band-offset layer having a wider bandgap than the channel layer, a spacer layer having a narrower bandgap than the band-offset layer, and a cap layer comprising at least two sublayers. Each sublayer is selectively etchable with respect to sublayers immediately below and above, each sublayer comprises a III-N material AlxInyGazN in which 0≦x≦1, 0≦y≦1, and 0≦z≦1, at least one sublayer has a non-zero Ga content, and a sublayer immediately above the spacer layer has a wider bandgap than the spacer layer. Also described are methods for fabricating such semiconductor structures, with gate and/or ohmic recesses formed by selectively removing adjacent layers or sublayers. The performance of resulting devices is improved, while providing design flexibility to reduce production cost and circuit footprint.
US09536983B2 Methods of manufacturing semiconductor devices including gate patterns with sidewall spacers and capping patterns on the sidewall spacers
A method of forming a semiconductor device includes forming a gate electrode on a substrate, forming a first spacer on a sidewall of the gate electrode, forming a second spacer on the first spacer, and forming a capping pattern on top surfaces of the gate electrode, the first spacer and the second spacer. An outer sidewall of the second spacer is vertically aligned with a sidewall of the capping pattern.
US09536982B1 Etch stop for airgap protection
A semiconductor device that includes a gate structure on a channel region of a semiconductor device. Source and drain regions may be present on opposing sides of the channel region. The semiconductor device may further include a composite gate sidewall spacer present on a sidewall of the gate structure. The composite gate sidewall spacer may include a first composition portion having an air gap encapsulated therein, and a second composition portion that is entirely solid and present atop the first composition portion.
US09536969B2 Self-aligned split gate flash memory
The present disclosure relates to a self-aligned split gate memory cell, and an associated method. The self-aligned split gate memory cell has cuboid shaped memory gate and select gate covered upper surfaces by some spacers. Thus the memory gate and select gate are protected from silicide. The memory gate and select gate are defined self-aligned by the said spacers. The memory gate and select gate are formed by etching back corresponding conductive materials not covered by the spacers instead of recess processes. Thus the memory gate and select gate have planar upper surfaces and are well defined. The disclosed device and method is also capable of further scaling since photolithography processes are reduced.
US09536968B2 Semiconductor devices including contact patterns having a rising portion and a recessed portion
Semiconductor devices may include a gate pattern and a contact pattern disposed on an active region. The contact pattern may include a recessed portion near the gate pattern, and a rising portion away from the gate pattern. The gate pattern may include a gate insulating layer and a gate electrode disposed on the gate insulating layer. An upper surface of the recessed portion may be lower than an upper surface of the rising portion.
US09536966B2 Gate structures for III-N devices
A semiconductor device includes a III-N layer, a plurality of parallel conductive fingers on the III-N layer, an insulator layer over the III-N layer, and a gate. The plurality of parallel conductive fingers includes a source and drain bus, a plurality of source fingers coupled to the source bus and extending from the source bus towards the drain bus to respective source finger ends, and a plurality of drain fingers coupled to the drain bus and extending from the drain bus towards the source bus to respective drain finger ends, the drain fingers being interdigitated between the source fingers. The gate comprises a plurality of straight and a plurality of connecting sections, each straight section between a source finger and adjacent drain finger, and the connecting sections each joining two adjacent straight sections and curving around a respective source or drain finger end.
US09536965B2 Heat spreader on GaN semiconductor device
A semiconductor device comprises: a substrate; a multilayer semiconductor layer located on the substrate; a source located on the multilayer semiconductor layer, the source including a first source portion inside an active region and a second source portion inside a passive region; a drain located on the multilayer semiconductor layer, the drain including a first drain portion inside the active region and a second drain region inside the passive region; a gate located on the multilayer semiconductor layer, the gate including a first gate portion inside the active region and a second gate portion inside the passive region, and the first gate portion being in a form of interdigital among the first source portion and the first drain portion; and a heat dissipating layer disposed at one or more of the first source portion, the first drain portion, the first gate portion, the second source portion, the second drain portion and the second gate portion.
US09536963B2 Electrode structure of a transistor, and pixel structure and display apparatus comprising the same
An electrode structure of a transistor, and a pixel structure and a display apparatus comprising the electrode structure of the transistor are disclosed. The electrode structure of the transistor comprises a first electrode and a second electrode. The first electrode has at least two first portions and at least one second portion. The first portions are substantially parallel with each other and each has a first width. The second portion has a second width, and connects the substantially parallel first portions to define a space with an opening. The first width is substantially greater than the second width.
US09536955B2 Nitride semiconductor substrate
A nitride semiconductor substrate is provided which is suitable for a high withstand voltage power device and prevents a warp and a crack from generating in a Si substrate when forming a thick nitride semiconductor layer on the substrate. A nitride semiconductor substrate 1 is prepared in such a manner that a buffer layer 3 and a semiconductor active layer 4 each comprising a group 13 nitride are stacked one by one on one principal plane of a Si single crystal substrate, the one principal plane has an offset angle of 0.1° to 1° or −1° to −0.1° with respect to a (111) plane, an average dopant concentration in a bulk is 1×1018 to 1×1021 cm−3, the Si single crystal substrate 2 has a SiO2 film on the back, and the total thickness of the buffer layer 3 and the semiconductor active layer 4 is 4 to 10 μm.
US09536953B2 Method for making a sensor device using a graphene layer
A graphene layer is generated on a substrate. A plastic material is deposited on the graphene layer to at least partially cover the graphene layer. The substrate is separated into at least two substrate pieces.
US09536952B2 Body contact layouts for semiconductor structures
Body contact layouts for semiconductor structures are disclosed. In at least one exemplary embodiment, a semiconductor structure comprises: a plurality of gates disposed on a semiconductor layer, each gate extending parallel to a y-axis in a coordinate space; a source region disposed between two of the plurality of gates; a plurality of body contacts disposed in each source region; and wherein a portion of each source region, adjacent to the gate, has a width extending parallel to the y-axis that is greater than the width of the source region parallel to the y-axis at a distance on an x-axis from the gate.
US09536950B2 Semiconductor device and method of fabricating the same
A semiconductor device may include a strain relaxed buffer layer provided on a substrate to contain silicon germanium, a semiconductor pattern provided on the strain relaxed buffer layer to include a source region, a drain region, and a channel region connecting the source region with the drain region, and a gate electrode enclosing the channel region and extending between the substrate and the channel region. The source and drain regions may contain germanium at a concentration of 30 at % or higher.
US09536947B1 Silicon nanowire device and method for its manufacture
There is provided an electronic device and a method for its manufacture. The device comprises an elongate silicon nanowire less than 0.5 μm in cross-sectional dimensions and having a hexagonal cross-sectional shape due to annealing-induced energy relaxation.
US09536936B2 Organic light emitting diode display
An organic light emitting diode display includes a display substrate, a sealing member disposed to face the display substrate, a sealant disposed between the display substrate and the sealing member, the sealant being configured to attach the display substrate and the sealing member to each other, a plurality of conductive wires on the display substrate, the conductive wires overlapping the sealant, and at least one short-circuit blocking layer between the conductive wires.
US09536933B2 Display device having a light emitting layer on the auxiliary layer
A display device, in which self-luminous elements are arranged, prevents a leakage current through a common layer, provided for the self-luminous elements and disposed throughout its image display area, from causing adjacent pixels to emit unintended light. A light-emitting element layer 102 includes a lower layer 102d and a light-emitting layer. The lower layer 102d has carrier mobility and includes a carrier transport layer or a carrier injection layer. The lower layer 102d is stacked on lower electrodes 100 and banks 106. The light-emitting layer is stacked on the lower layer 102d. An upper electrode 62 is disposed on the light-emitting element layer 102 and supplies carriers to the light-emitting element layer 102 together with each lower electrode. A lower layer 102d has a dividing area 112 on the bank. The dividing area 112 prevents carriers from traveling between adjacent pixels through the lower layer 102d.
US09536931B2 Organic light emitting device and manufacturing method thereof
An organic light emitting diode (OLED) display with an improved light efficiency and a method of manufacturing the OLED display are disclosed. The OLED display includes a substrate, an insulation layer on the substrate and having concave portions, first electrodes on the insulation layer, pixel defining layers (PDLs) on the insulation layer and configured to define the first electrodes into pixels, organic light emitting layers on the first electrodes as defined by the pixels, and a second electrode on the organic light emitting layers. Each of the concave portions includes a bottom surface and inclined parts. Each of the first electrodes is on the bottom surface and the inclined parts of one of the concave portions. Embossings are on a part of a surface of the PDLs.
US09536930B2 Display device
In a display device including an device substrate arranged with a plurality of pixels arranged with a light emitting device, a color filter layer with different transmission bands corresponding to each of the pixels, and a color filter substrate arranged with an overcoat layer above the color filter layer, by arranging a first light shielding layer arranged corresponding to a matrix of pixels and a second light shielding layer wider than the first light shielding layer and separated from the first light shielding layer and on a side close to a pixel, light emitted in a diagonal direction leaking to an adjacent pixel enters the second light shielding layer and by increasing the length of a light path of the incident light, the light is absorbed and attenuated by the second light shielding layer and improvements in viewing angle characteristics are achieved without decreasing the aperture ratio of a pixel.
US09536927B2 Method for producing semiconductor device
A method for producing a semiconductor device includes forming a fin-shaped semiconductor layer on a semiconductor substrate and a first pillar-shaped semiconductor layer, a first dummy gate layer and a second pillar-shaped semiconductor layer, and a second dummy gate layer. Third and fourth dummy gate layers are formed on sidewalls of the first dummy layer gate, the first pillar-shaped semiconductor layer, the second dummy gate layer and the second pillar-shaped semiconductor layer. An interlayer insulating film is deposited, the dummy gate layers are removed, and a gate insulator is formed film around the first and second pillar-shaped semiconductor layers. A first metal is deposited and a gate electrode and a gate line are formed around the first pillar-shaped semiconductor layer. Second and third metals are deposited and a first contact and a pillar-shaped resistance-changing layer, a lower electrode, and a reset gate are formed.
US09536926B1 Magnetic tunnel junction based anti-fuses with cascoded transistors
Magnetic tunnel junction antifuse devices are protected from degradation caused by programming voltage drop across the gates of unselected magnetic tunnel junction antifuses by connecting said magnetic tunnel junction serially with a first field effect transistor and a second field effect transistor, the first field effect transistor having its gate connected to a positive supply voltage while the gate of the second field effect transistor is switchably connected to a programming voltage.
US09536924B2 Light-emitting diode and application therefor
A light-emitting diode is provided to include: a transparent substrate having a first surface, a second surface, and a side surface; a first conductive semiconductor layer positioned on the first surface of the transparent substrate; a second conductive semiconductor layer positioned on the first conductive semiconductor layer; an active layer positioned between the first conductive semiconductor layer and the second conductive semiconductor layer; a first pad electrically connected to the first conductive semiconductor layer; and a second pad electrically connected to the second conductive semiconductor layer, wherein the transparent substrate is configured to discharge light generated by the active layer through the second surface of the transparent substrate, and the light-emitting diode has a beam angle of at least 140 degrees or more. Accordingly, a light-emitting diode suitable for a backlight unit or a surface lighting apparatus can be provided.
US09536923B2 Solid-state image pickup device and image pickup system
A solid-state image pickup device has an image pickup pixel including a first photoelectric conversion portion and a first transistor and a focus detection pixel including a second photoelectric conversion portion, a second transistor, and a light shielding portion, in which a reflection preventing portion is provided on the underface side of the light shielding portion.
US09536921B2 Radiation image-pickup device and radiation image-pickup display system
A radiation image-pickup device includes: a plurality of pixels each configured to generate signal charge based on radiation; and a field effect transistor used to read the signal charge from each of the plurality of pixels, wherein the field effect transistor includes a semiconductor layer including an active layer and a low concentration impurity layer formed to be adjacent to the active layer, and a first and a second gate electrode disposed to face each other with the active layer interposed therebetween, and one or both of the first and the second gate electrodes are provided in a region not facing the low concentration impurity layer.
US09536920B2 Stacked image sensor having a barrier layer
An image sensor includes a sensor portion and an ASIC portion bonded to the sensor portion. The sensor portion includes a first substrate having radiation-sensing pixels, a first interconnect structure, a first isolation layer, and a first dielectric layer. The ASIC portion includes a second substrate, a second isolation layer, and a second dielectric layer. The material compositions of the first and second isolation layers and the first and second dielectric layers are configured such that the first and second isolation layers may serve as barrier layers to prevent copper diffusion into oxide. The first and second isolation layers may also serve as etching-stop layers in the formation of the image sensor.
US09536917B2 Two color detector leveraging resonant cavity enhancement for performance improvement
Methods and structures for providing single-color or multi-color photo-detectors leveraging cavity resonance for performance benefits. In one example, a radiation detector (110) includes a semiconductor absorber layer (210, 410A, 410B, 610, 810, 1010, 1030, 1210, 1230) having a first electrical conductivity type and an energy bandgap responsive to radiation in a first spectral region, a semiconductor collector layer (220, 630, 830, 1020, 1040) coupled to the absorber layer (210, 410A, 41013, 610, 810, 1010, 1030, 1210, 1230) and having a second electrical conductivity type, and a resonant cavity coupled to the collector layer (220, 630, 830, 1020, 1040) and having a first mirror (240) and a second mirror (245).
US09536916B2 Stacked type image sensor including color separation element and image pickup apparatus including stacked type image sensor
A stacked type image sensor including color separation elements, and an image pickup apparatus including the stacked type image sensor, are provided. The stacked type image sensor includes a first light sensing layer including first pixels configured to absorb and detect light of a first wavelength band and transmit light of a second wavelength band and a third wavelength band, and a second light sensing layer disposed to face the first light sensing layer, the second light sensing layer including second pixels configured to detect light of the second wavelength band and third pixels configured to detect light of the third wavelength band. The color separation elements are disposed between the first light sensing layer and the second light sensing layer, and are configured to direct the light of the second wavelength band toward the second pixels, and direct the light of the third wavelength band toward the third pixels.
US09536915B2 Image sensor with embedded infrared filter layer
An image sensor includes a substrate, photosensitive devices, a color filter layer, a micro-lens layer and an infrared filter layer. The photosensitive devices are disposed in the substrate. The color filter layer is disposed to cover the photosensitive devices. The micro-lens layer is disposed on the color filter layer. The infrared filter layer directly covers the micro-lens layer.
US09536913B2 Display device integrated with touch screen panel and method for fabricating the same
Disclosed is a display device integrated with a touch screen panel and a method for fabricating the same. The display includes: a TFT positioned at each pixel region; a first electrode spaced from one of a source electrode or a drain electrode of the TFT; a second electrode facing the first electrode; a TFT protective layer positioned on the TFT and has a first contact hole; a touch signal line positioned between a first touch connection pattern, which is made of the same material as the first electrode, and a second touch connection pattern made of the same material as the second electrode, and transfers a touch driving signal to the second touch connection pattern; a first connection pattern made of the same material as the second electrode; and a first electrode protective layer positioned on the first electrode and the touch signal line.
US09536912B2 Method of transferring thin film, method of manufacturing thin film transistor, method of forming pixel electrode of liquid crystal display device
A method of transferring a thin film is a method of transferring a thin film formed on a first substrate to a second substrate, the method including: allowing the first substrate to come into contact with a liquid to swell the first substrate; allowing the second substrate and the thin film to come into contact with each other via the liquid; and drying the liquid to allow the thin film to adhere to the second substrate.
US09536911B2 Assembling method for array substrate and color filter substrate of liquid crystal display
The present invention discloses an assembling method for array substrate and color filter substrate of liquid crystal display, which comprises: coating a seal on a color filter substrate; forming multiple sealing points at the predetermined position between an array substrate with liquid crystal and the color filter substrate; rotating the color filter substrate to fit the array substrate; irradiating the sealing points using a light source to cure the sealing points, so that the array substrate and the color filter substrate are bonded. According to the embodiment of the present invention, it can be aligned precisely during assembling process of the array substrate and the color filter substrate, which avoids the poor substrate alignment caused by handling or flip and then improves the product yield.
US09536902B2 Method of fabricating a thin film transistor substrate using a plurality of photo masks and liquid crystal display
A thin film transistor array substrate includes a pixel electrode layout area, a data electrode layout area, a transparent pixel electrode layer formed in the pixel electrode layout area, a first metal layer, a first dielectric layer, an amorphous silicon layer, a second metal layer, a second dielectric layer formed in the pixel electrode layout area and the data electrode layout area. The first dielectric layer covers the first metal layer. The amorphous silicon layer, the second metal layer and the second dielectric layer are sequentially formed on the first dielectric layer. The transparent pixel electrode layer is connected to the second metal layer through a via hole formed in the pixel electrode area of the second dielectric layer. Moreover, a method for manufacturing the thin film transistor array and a liquid crystal display including the thin film transistor array substrate also are provided.
US09536901B2 Method for fabricating a semiconductor device by bonding a layer to a support with curvature
The object of the invention is to provide a method for fabricating a semiconductor device having a peeled layer bonded to a base material with curvature. Particularly, the object is to provide a method for fabricating a display with curvature, more specifically, a light emitting device having an OLED bonded to a base material with curvature. An external force is applied to a support originally having curvature and elasticity, and the support is bonded to a peeled layer formed over a substrate. Then, when the substrate is peeled, the support returns into the original shape by the restoring force, and the peeled layer as well is curved along the shape of the support. Finally, a transfer object originally having curvature is bonded to the peeled layer, and then a device with a desired curvature is completed.
US09536898B2 Nonvolatile semiconductor memory device
A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device of an embodiment includes: a semiconductor layer; a tunnel insulating film that is formed on the semiconductor layer and includes a first organic molecular film including first organic molecules each having an alkyl molecular chain as the main chain; a charge storage layer formed on the tunnel insulating film, the charge storage layer being made of an inorganic material; a block insulating film formed on the charge storage layer; and a control gate electrode formed on the block insulating film.
US09536896B2 Non-volatile memory device having a vertical structure and method of fabricating the same
A non-volatile memory device having a vertical structure includes a semiconductor layer, a sidewall insulation layer extending in a vertical direction on the semiconductor layer, and having one or more protrusion regions, first control gate electrodes arranged in the vertical direction on the semiconductor layer, and respectively contacting one of portions of the sidewall insulation layer where the one or more protrusion regions are not formed and second control gate electrodes arranged in the vertical direction on the semiconductor layer, and respectively contacting one of the one or more protrusion regions.
US09536895B2 Methods of fabricating three-dimensional semiconductor devices
A three-dimensional semiconductor device includes an upper structure on a lower structure, the upper structure including conductive patterns, a semiconductor pattern connected to the lower structure through the upper structure, and an insulating spacer between the semiconductor pattern and the upper structure, a bottom surface of the insulating spacer being positioned at a vertical level equivalent to or higher than an uppermost surface of the lower structure.
US09536886B2 CMOS compatible resonant interband tunneling cell
A semiconductor device includes a first diode connected transistor of a first conductivity type and a second diode connected transistor of a second conductivity type connected in series, each of the first and second diode connected transistors being configured to exhibit negative differential resistance in response to an applied voltage. The first drain and first source regions of the first diode connected transistor include dopants of the first conductivity type at degenerate dopant concentration levels and a gate of the first diode connected transistor has a work function that corresponds to that of the semiconductor containing dopants of the second conductivity type. The second drain and second source regions of the second diode connected transistor include dopants of the second conductivity type at degenerate dopant concentration levels and a gate of the second diode connected transistor has a work function that corresponds to that of the semiconductor containing dopants of the first conductivity type.
US09536885B2 Hybrid FINFET/nanowire SRAM cell using selective germanium condensation
A semiconductor device including a pFET and an nFET where: (i) the gate and conductor channel of the pFET are electrically insulated from a buried oxide layer; and (ii) the conductor channel of the nFET is in the form of a fin extending upwards from, and in electrical contact with, the buried oxide layer. Also, a method of making the pFET by adding a fin structure extending from the top surface of the buried oxide layer, then condensing germanium locally into the lattice structure of the lower portion of the fin structure, and then etching away the lower portion of the fin structure so that it becomes a carrier channel suspended above, and electrically insulated from the buried oxide layer.
US09536884B2 Semiconductor device having positive fixed charge containing layer
A semiconductor device can include a substrate including a plurality of active regions having a long axis in a first direction and a short axis in a second direction, the plurality of active regions being repeatedly and separately positioned along the first and second directions, an isolation film defining the plurality of active regions, a plurality of word lines extending across the plurality of active regions and the isolation film, and a positive fixed charge containing layer covering at least a portion of the plurality of word lines, respectively.
US09536878B2 Semiconductor devices and fabricating methods thereof
Provided are semiconductor devices and fabricating methods thereof. The semiconductor device includes a field insulating layer formed in a substrate, an interlayer dielectric layer formed on the field insulating layer and including a trench exposing at least a portion of the field insulating layer, a deposition insulating layer formed in the trench to be disposed on the field insulating layer, a gate insulating layer formed the trench to be disposed on the deposition insulating layer, and a metal gate formed the trench on the gate insulating layer.
US09536877B2 Methods of forming different spacer structures on integrated circuit products having differing gate pitch dimensions and the resulting products
One example disclosed herein involves forming source/drain conductive contacts to first and second source/drain regions, the first source/drain region being positioned between a first pair of transistor devices having a first gate pitch dimension, the second source/drain region being positioned between a second pair of transistor devices having a second gate pitch dimension that is greater than the first gate pitch dimension, wherein the first and second pairs of transistor devices have a gate structure and sidewall spacers positioned adjacent the gate structure.
US09536871B2 Integrated switch devices
Various aspects of the technology include an integrated circuit device comprising a compound semiconductor layer and a plurality of input, switch, and ground ohmic metal fingers fabricated on the compound semiconductor layer in a repeating sequence. A control gate may be disposed between each input finger and adjacent switch finger, and a sync gate may be disposed between each ground finger and adjacent switch finger. A sync gate and a control gate may be disposed adjacent each switch finger. The device further includes a plurality of control gate pads, each control gate pad at an end of two control gates, and a control gate pad at opposite ends of each control gate, and a plurality of sync gate pads, each sync gate pad at an end of two sync gates, and a sync gate pad at opposite ends of each sync gate.
US09536867B2 N/P boundary effect reduction for metal gate transistors
The present disclosure provides a semiconductor device. A first active region is formed in a substrate. The first active region is elongated in a first direction in a top view. A first gate is formed over the substrate. The first gate is elongated in a second direction in the top view. A portion of the first gate is located over the first active region. A second gate is formed over the substrate. The second gate is elongated in the second direction in the top view. A portion of the second gate is located over the first active region. The second gate is shorter than the first gate in the second direction.
US09536864B2 Package structure and its fabrication method
This disclosure provides a package structure and its fabrication method. The package structure includes: a protective insulation layer; a wiring layer including at least one metal wire and disposed on the protective insulation layer; and a first package unit disposed on the wiring layer and including a plurality of metal pillars, a first integrated-circuit chip and a first molding compound layer; wherein the plural metal pillars are located in a pillar region and electrically connected to the at least one metal wire, the first integrated-circuit chip is located in a device region and electrically connected to the at least one metal wire, and the first molding compound layer filling up the remaining part of the first package unit.
US09536862B2 Microelectronic assemblies with integrated circuits and interposers with cavities, and methods of manufacture
Semiconductor integrated circuits (110) or assemblies are disposed at least partially in cavities between two interposers (120). Conductive vias (204M) pass through at least one of the interposers or at least through the interposer's substrate, and reach a semiconductor integrated circuit or an assembly. Other conductive vias (204M.1) pass at least partially through multiple interposers and are connected to conductive vias that reach, or are capacitively coupled to, a semiconductor IC or an assembly. Other features are also provided.
US09536857B1 Heating header of semiconductor mounting apparatus and bonding method for semiconductor
A heating header of a semiconductor mounting apparatus includes: a first material; and a second material, the second material being bonded to the first material and coming into contact with a first semiconductor chip when the first semiconductor chip is compressed, wherein a contact surface of the second material with the first semiconductor chip is a curved surface that is convex toward the first semiconductor chip side, and the contact surface of the second material with the first semiconductor chip becomes a planar surface when each temperature of the first material and the second material reaches a melting temperature of a solder that is formed between a first terminal of the first semiconductor chip and a second terminal of a second semiconductor chip.
US09536854B2 Bonding wire for semiconductor device use and method of production of same
Bonding wire for semiconductor device use where both leaning failures and spring failures are suppressed by (1) in a cross-section containing the wire center and parallel to the wire longitudinal direction (wire center cross-section), there are no crystal grains with a ratio a/b of a long axis “a” and a short axis “b” of 10 or more and with an area of 15 μm2 or more (“fiber texture”), (2) when measuring a crystal direction in the wire longitudinal direction in the wire center cross-section, the ratio of crystal direction <100> with an angle difference with respect to the wire longitudinal direction of 15° or less is, by area ratio, 50% to 90%, and (3) when measuring a crystal direction in the wire longitudinal direction at the wire surface, the ratio of crystal direction <100> with an angle difference with respect to the wire longitudinal direction of 15° or less is, by area ratio, 50% to 90%. During the drawing step, a drawing operation with a rate of reduction of area of 15.5% or more is performed at least once. The final heat treatment temperature and the pre-final heat treatment temperature are made predetermined ranges.
US09536842B2 Structure with air gap crack stop
An method including forming multiple interconnect levels on top of one another, each level comprising a metal interconnect and a crack stop both embedded in a dielectric layer, and a dielectric capping layer directly on top of the dielectric layer and directly on top of the metal interconnect, the crack stop is an air gap which intersects an interface between the dielectric layer and the dielectric capping layer of each interconnect level, and forming a through substrate via through the multiple interconnect levels adjacent to, but not in direct contact with, the crack stop, the crack stop of each interconnect level is directly between the metal interconnect of each interconnect level and the through substrate via to prevent cracks caused during fabrication from propagating away from the through substrate via and damaging the metal interconnect.
US09536841B2 Semiconductor package with conformal EM shielding structure and manufacturing method of same
A semiconductor package includes a substrate having a front side, a bottom side, and a sidewall along a perimeter of the substrate, a plurality of solder pads on the bottom side, at least one EM shielding contact structure on the bottom side and partially exposed on the sidewall, a semiconductor device mounted on the front side, a mold compound on the front side and covering the semiconductor device, and an EM shielding layer conformally covering the mold compound and the sidewall. The EM shielding layer is in direct contact with the exposed portion of the EM shielding contact structure on the sidewall.
US09536838B1 Single crystal ingot, semiconductor wafer and method of manufacturing semiconductor wafers
An embodiment of a method of manufacturing semiconductor wafers comprises forming a notch or a flat in a semiconductor ingot extending along an axial direction. A plurality of markings are formed in the semiconductor ingot. At least some of the plurality of markings at different positions along the axial direction are distinguishable from each other by a characteristic feature. The semiconductor ingot is then sliced into semiconductor wafers.
US09536837B2 TSV via provided with a stress release structure and its fabrication method
A TSV via structure comprising an upper part made on the side of the front face of a substrate in which electronic components are located and a lower part with height and cross-section smaller than the height and cross-section the upper part, the arrangement of the connection element in the substrate being such that it releases stresses generated by the different materials of said structure.
US09536831B2 Semiconductor device and method for fabricating the same
A semiconductor device is disclosed. The semiconductor device includes: a substrate having a die region and a scribe line region defined thereon; and a bonding pad on the die region of the substrate and overlapping the scribe line region.
US09536830B2 High performance refractory metal / copper interconnects to eliminate electromigration
An interconnect structure and method of making the same. A preferred interconnect structure has a first interconnect including a first dual damascene via and narrow line and a second interconnect at the same level as the first including a second dual damascene via and wider line. The first and second interconnects may have different aspect ratio and may have different line heights while being co-planar with each other. The second line of the second interconnect may abut or partially surround the first line of the first interconnect. The first interconnect includes a refractory metal material as the main conductor, whereas the second interconnect includes a lower resistivity material as its main conductor.
US09536826B1 Fin field effect transistor (finFET) device structure with interconnect structure
A semiconductor device structure is provided. The semiconductor device structure includes a first metal layer formed over a substrate and an interconnect structure formed over the first metal layer. The interconnect structure includes an upper portion, a middle portion and a lower portion, the middle portion is connected between the upper portion and the lower portion. The upper portion and the lower portion each have a constant width, and the middle portion has a tapered width which is gradually tapered from the upper portion to the lower portion.
US09536822B2 Drawn dummy FeCAP, via and metal structures
An integrated circuit containing hydrogen permeable dummy vias configured in a linear or rectangular array and symmetrically positioned over a component in the integrated circuit. An integrated circuit containing matching components with identical layouts and hydrogen permeable dummy vias in identical configurations over the matching components. A process of forming an integrated circuit containing matching components with identical layouts and hydrogen permeable dummy vias in identical configurations over the matching components.
US09536820B1 Power distribution network
An improved power distribution network for an integrated circuit package that reduces the number of power supply pins that are used in the pin array and achieves better operating performance. In a preferred embodiment, the ratio of power supply pins to input/output (I/O) pins is in the range of approximately 1 to 24 to approximately 1 to 52. In this embodiment, the integrated circuit package comprises a substrate, an integrated circuit mounted on the substrate, a first decoupling capacitor mounted on the substrate, and a second decoupling capacitor formed in the integrated circuit. The package is formed by coupling a power supply pin to both the first and second capacitors by a low frequency path and a DC path, respectively, and the first and second capacitors are coupled by a high frequency path.
US09536814B2 Die stacking apparatus and method
Embodiments of a die stacking apparatus are provided. The die stacking apparatus includes a storage device configured to contain a top wafer and an interposer wafer. The top wafer has a number of top dies, and the interposer wafer has a number of interposer dies. The die stacking apparatus also includes a carrier device configured to carry the interposer wafer, and a transferring device configured to transfer the interposer wafer to the carrier device and to dispose the top dies on the interposer dies. The die stacking apparatus further includes a process module configured to control the transferring device. The process module controls the transferring device to transfer the interposer wafer to the carrier device, and controls the transferring device to dispose the top dies on the interposer dies of the interposer wafer, which is stacked on the carrier device.
US09536813B2 Semiconductor device
A semiconductor device includes: a semiconductor chip, and a lead frame. The semiconductor chip is mounted over a die pad. Four suspension leads are connected with the die pad and at least one of them is provided between first and second lead groups and is deformed to protrude toward the first lead group. At least one of the leads of the second lead group which is nearer to the deformed suspension lead is deformed to be apart from remaining leads of the second lead group.
US09536807B2 Stack package and semiconductor integrated circuit device including a variable voltage
A stack package may include a first chip, a second chip, a through silicon via (TSV) and an interface circuit unit. The first chip may include a first internal circuit unit driven by an internal voltage. The second chip may be stacked over the first chip. The second chip may include a second internal circuit unit driven by the internal voltage. The TSV may be electrically coupled between the first chip and the second chip. The interface circuit unit may be arranged in the first chip and the second chip. The interface circuit unit may be coupled to the TSV. A portion of the interface circuit unit may be received a variable voltage different from the internal voltage as a driving voltage.
US09536806B2 Multi-component cooling element
The invention relates to a micro cooling element (1) with a mounting surface (2) for a component to be cooled, in particular a semiconductor component, which has within it a micro cooling structure (3) which is connected by connection channels (4) to at least one inflow opening (4a) and at least one outflow opening (4b) by means of which a cooling medium can be supplied to the micro cooling structure (3) or be discharged from the latter, and which is characterized in that it is formed from at least two different powdery and/or liquid, in particular metallic and/or ceramic, materials or material mixtures (10) while maintaining a monolithic structure, wherein regions of different stresses (I, II) of the micro cooling element (1) are built by a powdery and/or liquid, in particular metallic and/or ceramic materials or material mixtures (10) being adapted to the stress respectively.The invention further relates to an apparatus and a process for producing a micro cooling element according to the invention.
US09536802B2 Semiconductor device
A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor chip, a resin mold portion sealing a component in which the semiconductor chip is included, and a bonding layer disposed between the resin mold portion and the component. The bonding layer is made of an organic resin that is disposed at an obverse side of the component, and includes a first layer bonded to the component and a second layer bonded to the resin mold portion. A loss coefficient tan δ of the first layer is smaller than a loss coefficient tan δ of the second layer within a temperature range of 200° C. to 250° C.
US09536801B2 Electronic component having encapsulated wiring board and method for manufacturing the same
An electronic component including a wiring board having interlayer insulation layers and conductive patterns, the wiring board having a first surface and a second surface on the opposite side of the first surface, multiple first bumps formed on a first conductive pattern positioned on the first surface of the wiring board among the conductive patterns of the wiring board, a semiconductor element mounted on the first surface of the wiring board through the first bumps, an encapsulating resin encapsulating the semiconductor element and at least a portion of a side surface of the wiring board, the side surface of the wiring board extending between the first surface and second surface of the wiring board, and multiple of second bumps formed on the second surface of the wiring board and connected to a second conductive pattern of the conductive patterns in the wiring board.
US09536796B2 Multiple manufacturing line qualification
Methods and systems for multiple manufacturing line qualification are provided. A method includes establishing a product template and producing products on one or more manufacturing lines. The products include product macros placed on a chip. The method also includes establishing allowed parametric match from line to line. The method further includes determining that products from the one or more manufacturing lines meet the allowed parametric match.
US09536794B2 Techniques for dual dielectric thickness for a nanowire CMOS technology using oxygen growth
In one aspect, a method of forming a CMOS device includes forming nanowires suspended over a BOX, wherein a first/second one or more of the nanowires are suspended at a first/second suspension height over the BOX, and wherein the first suspension height is greater than the second suspension height; depositing a conformal gate dielectric on the BOX and around the nanowires wherein the conformal gate dielectric deposited on the BOX is i) in a non-contact position with the conformal gate dielectric deposited around the first one or more of the nanowires, and ii) is in direct physical contact with the conformal gate dielectric deposited around the second one or more of the nanowires such that the BOX serves as an oxygen source during growth of a conformal oxide layer at the interface between the conformal gate dielectric and the second one or more of the nanowires.
US09536793B1 Self-aligned gate-first VFETs using a gate spacer recess
Methods for self-aligned gate-first VFETs using gate-spacer recess and the resulting devices are disclosed. Embodiments include providing a substrate including adjacent transistor regions; forming adjacent and spaced fin-structures each including hardmask over a fin and over a different transistor region; forming a gate-dielectric and metal-spacer consecutively on each side of each fin-structure; forming a liner on all exposed surfaces of the hardmask, gate-dielectrics, and metal-spacers and the substrate; forming an ILD filling spaces between the fin-structures and coplanar with an upper surface of the liner; removing the liner over the fin-structures; removing the hardmask and recessing the liner, the gate-dielectrics and metal-spacers of each fin-structure creating cavities in the ILD; forming a low-k spacer on sidewalls of and over the metal-spacers and liners in each cavity; forming a top S/D structure over the gate-dielectric and fin in each cavity; and forming a top S/D contact over each top S/D structure.
US09536791B2 Stable multiple threshold voltage devices on replacement metal gate CMOS devices
A technique for a multiple voltage threshold transistor structure is provided. A narrow channel and long channel are formed on a fin. An epitaxial layer is formed on the fin, and an interlayer dielectric layer is formed on the epitaxial layer. Spacers on the fin define the narrow channel and the long channel. A high-k dielectric material is deposited in the narrow and long channels. A metal layer is deposited on the high-k dielectric material in the narrow and long channels. A height of the high-k dielectric material in the narrow channel is recessed. The metal layer is removed from the narrow and long channels. A work function metal is deposited in the narrow and long channels. A gate conduction metal is deposited to fill the narrow channel and long channel. A capping layer is deposited on the top surface of the structure.
US09536790B2 Semiconductor device with self-heat reducing layers
A semiconductor device comprises a substrate, a source region over the substrate, and a guard ring over the substrate. The guard ring is separated from the source region by a first spacing. The semiconductor device also comprises a first heat conductive layer formed over couples the source region and the guard ring. The semiconductor device further comprises a first via over a first portion of the first heat conductive layer. The semiconductor device additionally comprises a second via separate from the first via over a second portion of the first conductive layer. The semiconductor device also comprises a second heat conductive layer over and coupling the first via and the second via. In use, the semiconductor device generates heat, and the heat dissipates, at least partially, from the source region through the first heat conductive layer to the guard ring and the substrate.
US09536789B1 Fin-double-gated junction field effect transistor
A method of forming a double-gated junction field effect transistors (JFET) and a tri-gated metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) on a common substrate is provided. The double-gated JFET is formed in a first region of a substrate by forming a semiconductor gate electrode contacting sidewall surfaces of a first channel region of a first semiconductor fin and a top surface of a portion of a first fin cap atop the first channel region. The tri-gated MOSFET is formed in a second region of the substrate by forming a metal gate stack contacting a top surface and sidewall surfaces of a second channel region of a second semiconductor fin.
US09536783B2 Wafer-level die attach metallization
Embodiments of a semiconductor wafer having wafer-level die attach metallization on a back-side of the semiconductor wafer, resulting semiconductor dies, and methods of manufacturing the same are disclosed. In one embodiment, a semiconductor wafer includes a semiconductor structure and a front-side metallization that includes front-side metallization elements for a number of semiconductor die areas. The semiconductor wafer also includes vias that extend from a back-side of the semiconductor structure to the front-side metallization elements. A back-side metallization is on the back-side of the semiconductor structure and within the vias. For each via, one or more barrier layers are on a portion of the back-side metallization that is within the via and around a periphery of the via. The semiconductor wafer further includes wafer-level die attach metallization on the back-side metallization other than the portions of the back-side metallization that are within the vias and around the peripheries of the vias.
US09536779B2 Selective local metal cap layer formation for improved electromigration behavior
A method of forming a wiring structure for an integrated circuit device includes forming a first metal line within an interlevel dielectric (ILD) layer, and forming a second metal line in the ILD layer adjacent the first metal line; masking selected regions of the first and second metal lines; selectively plating metal cap regions over exposed regions of the first and second metal lines at periodic intervals such that a spacing between adjacent metal cap regions of an individual metal line corresponds to a critical length, L, at which a back stress gradient balances an electromigration force in the individual metal line, so as to suppress mass transport of electrons; and wherein the metal cap regions of the first metal line are formed at staggered locations with respect to the metal cap regions of the second metal line, along a common longitudinal axis.
US09536778B2 Self-aligned double patterning process for metal routing
Self-aligned double patterning processes to produce metal route between and connecting conductive lines are disclosed. Embodiments include forming a hard mask over a dielectric layer; forming a patterning template including plural parallel linear elements on the hard mask, wherein said hard mask is exposed between adjacent parallel linear elements; forming a block mask covering a portion of said adjacent parallel linear elements and spaces therebetween; etching exposed portions of said hard mask through said block mask and said patterning template defining plural parallel lines; removing said block mask and said patterning template; forming a cut mask above said hard mask to define an opening perpendicular to and connecting two adjacent parallel lines; etching said hard mask through said cut mask and removing the cut mask; etching recesses in the dielectric layer through said hard mask; removing the hard mask; and filling said recesses with a conductive material.
US09536777B2 Interconnect apparatus and method
A method comprises bonding a first chip on a second chip, depositing a first hard mask layer over a non-bonding side of the first chip, depositing a second hard mask layer over the first hard mask layer, etching a first substrate of the first semiconductor chip using the second hard mask layer as a first etching mask and etching the IMD layers of the first chip and the second chip using the first hard mask layer as a second etching mask.
US09536776B2 Method of manufacturing semiconductor device
An object of the invention is to provide a semiconductor device having improved performance. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes: forming a trench and then forming a first insulating film made of a silicon oxide film through CVD using a gas containing an O3 gas and a TEOS gas to cover the side surface of the trench with the insulating film; forming a second insulating film made of a silicon oxide film through PECVD to cover the side surface of the trench with the second insulating film via the first insulating film; and forming a third insulating film made of a silicon oxide film through CVD using a gas containing an O3 gas and a TEOS gas to close the trench with the third insulating film while leaving a space in the trench.
US09536774B2 SOI substrate, method for manufacturing the same, and semiconductor device
An SOI substrate having an SOI layer that can be used in practical applications even when a substrate with low upper temperature limit, such as a glass substrate, is used, is provided. A semiconductor device using such an SOI substrate, is provided. In bonding a single-crystal semiconductor layer to a substrate having an insulating surface or an insulating substrate, a silicon oxide film formed using organic silane as a material on one or both surfaces that are to form a bond is used. According to the present invention, a substrate with an upper temperature limit of 700° C. or lower, such as a glass substrate, can be used, and an SOI layer that is strongly bonded to the substrate can be obtained. In other words, a single-crystal semiconductor layer can be formed over a large-area substrate that is longer than one meter on each side.
US09536771B2 Gap fill self planarization on post EPI
The present disclosure relates to an integrated chip IC having transistors with structures separated by a flowable dielectric material, and a related method of formation. In some embodiments, an integrated chip has a semiconductor substrate and an embedded silicon germanium (SiGe) region extending as a positive relief from a location within the semiconductor substrate to a position above the semiconductor substrate. A first gate structure is located at a position that is separated from the embedded SiGe region by a first gap. A flowable dielectric material is disposed between the gate structure and the embedded SiGe region and a pre-metal dielectric (PMD) layer disposed above the flowable dielectric material. The flowable dielectric material provides for good gap fill capabilities that mitigate void formation during gap fill between the adjacent gate structures.
US09536769B1 Pixelated capacitance controlled ESC
Implementations described herein provide a chucking circuit for a pixilated electrostatic chuck which enables both lateral and azimuthal tuning of the RF coupling between an electrostatic chuck and a substrate placed thereon. In one embodiment, a chucking circuit for an electrostatic chuck (ESC) has one or more chucking electrodes disposed in a dielectric body of the ESC, a plurality of pixel electrodes disposed in the dielectric body, and a chucking circuit having the one or more chucking electrodes and the plurality of pixel electrodes, the chucking circuit operable to electrostatically chuck a substrate to a workpiece support surface of the ESC, the chucking circuit having a plurality of secondary circuits, wherein each secondary circuit includes at least one capacitor of a plurality of capacitors, each secondary circuit is configured to independently control an impedance between one of the pixel electrodes and a ground.
US09536766B2 Article transport carriage
An article transport carriage includes a carriage main body configured to travel along a travel path, a support portion configured to support a bottom surface of an article from below, a projecting and retracting actuator for projecting and retracting the support portion between a projected position and a retracted position, a pressure applying portion located directly above the article supported by the support portion in the retracted position, and a distance changing actuator for changing the distance in the vertical direction between the support portion and the pressure applying portion between a pressure applying distance and a spaced apart distance.
US09536765B2 Load port unit and EFEM system
A load port unit can prevent or control leakage of inert gas from an EFEM system to the outside. The load port unit used in the EFEM system is provided with an air inlet that opens on a side facing a mini-environment between the upper end of an opener driving unit and the lower end of the pod. The width of the air inlet opening is larger than the width of the opening of the pod. With this arrangement, surplus gas is sucked from the pod when gas purging is performed on the pod.
US09536764B2 End effector for wafer transfer system and method of transferring wafers
An end effector of a wafer transfer system includes synchronously movable blades operable to hold and release wafers. The end effector comprises an end effector housing including a first blade mount coupled to a first blade, a second blade mount coupled to a second blade, and an actuator operable to move the blade mounts on respective linear rails. The actuator includes a longitudinally movable piston coupled to the respective blade mounts by respective actuator links. The actuator links are pivotally coupled to the longitudinally movable piston at respective first ends thereof and to the first and second blade mounts at respective second ends thereof wherein moving the piston towards a retracted position causes the blades to synchronously move laterally towards each other and moving the piston towards the retracted position causes the blades to synchronously move laterally away from each other so as to hold or release a wafer.
US09536762B2 Method and apparatus for thermal mapping and thermal process control
A thermal processing apparatus is provided in accordance with some embodiments. The thermal processing apparatus includes a heating source for transmitting incident radiation to a work piece having a circuit pattern formed on a front surface; a radiation sensor configured to receive light radiated from the front surface of the work piece; and a controller coupled to the radiation sensor, the controller being designed to control the heating source to reduce temperature variation of the work piece.
US09536761B2 Substrate liquid processing apparatus
A substrate liquid processing apparatus includes a cup 50 configured to receive a processing liquid supplied onto a substrate. The cup includes a ring-shaped first exhaust space 530 in contact with a top opening 50A, and a ring-shaped second exhaust space 540 which is in contact with an exhaust port 52 and is disposed adjacent to the first exhaust space, and the first exhaust space and the second exhaust space communicate with each other intermittently or continuously along an entire circumference thereof. Further, the cup has an inner wall that confines an inner periphery of the second exhaust space, and the inner wall includes a first wall portion 581 serving as an upper part of the inner wall, and a second wall portion which serves as a lower part of the inner wall and is located at an inner position than the first wall portion in a radial direction.
US09536753B2 Circuit substrate interconnect
A packaged integrated circuit (IC) includes a substrate including a first substrate pad disposed on a first side of the substrate, an IC die disposed on the first side of the substrate, and a first insulating layer molded over the IC die and the substrate. The IC die includes a first die pad on a side of the die opposite from a side of the die adjacent to the first side of the substrate. The first insulating layer includes a first channel extending through the first insulating layer to the first substrate pad, a second channel extending through the first insulating layer to the first die pad, conductive paste filling the first channel and in contact with the first substrate pad, and conductive paste filling the second channel and in contact with the die pad.
US09536747B2 Method for treating a gallium nitride layer comprising dislocations
A method is for treating a doped gallium nitride substrate of a first conductivity type, having dislocations emerging on the side of at least one of its surfaces. The method may include: a) forming, where each dislocation emerges, a recess extending into the substrate from the at least one surface; and b) filling the recesses with doped gallium nitride of the second conductivity type.
US09536746B2 Recess and epitaxial layer to improve transistor performance
Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a semiconductor device configured to mitigate against parasitic coupling while maintaining threshold voltage control for comparatively narrow transistors. In some embodiments, a semiconductor device formed on a semiconductor substrate. The semiconductor device comprises a channel comprising an epitaxial layer that forms an outgrowth above the surface of the semiconductor substrate, and a gate material formed over the epitaxial layer. In some embodiments, a method of forming a semiconductor device is disclosed. The method comprises etching the surface of a semiconductor substrate to form a recess between first and second isolation structures, forming an epitaxial layer within the recess that forms an outgrowth above the surface of the semiconductor substrate, and forming a gate material over the epitaxial layer. Other embodiments are also disclosed.
US09536744B1 Enabling large feature alignment marks with sidewall image transfer patterning
In an embodiment, this disclosure relates to a method of creating an alignment feature within a sidewall image transfer process by the addition of a block mask. The presence of the alignment feature would enable better overlay and alignment for subsequent lithographic stacks.
US09536742B2 Lateral double-diffused MOSFET and fabrication method thereof
The present disclosure provides a method for forming a Lateral Double-Diffused MOSFET (LDMOS). The method includes providing a semiconductor substrate having a first conductivity type; forming a first shallow trench isolation (STI) structure in the semiconductor substrate; and applying a first ion implantation to form a drift region of a second conductivity type into the semiconductor substrate with the drift region surrounding the first STI structure. The method also includes applying a counter-doping implantation to form a counter-doped region having the first conductivity in the drift region and forming a body region on one side of the drift region in the semiconductor substrate. The method further includes forming a gate structure on the semiconductor substrate, wherein one end of the gate structure extends to an area on the body region another end of the gate structure extends to an area on the first STI region.
US09536741B2 Method for performing activation of dopants in a GaN-base semiconductor layer by successive implantations and heat treatments
The method for performing activation of n-type or p-type dopants in a GaN-base semiconductor includes the following steps: providing a substrate including a GaN-base semiconductor material layer, performing the following successive steps at least twice: implanting electric dopant impurities in the semiconductor material layer, performing heat treatment so as to activate the electric dopant impurities in the semiconductor material layer, a cap layer covering the semiconductor material layer when the heat treatment is performed, two implantation steps of electric dopant impurities being separated by a heat treatment step.
US09536731B2 Wet clean process for removing CxHyFz etch residue
A method for cleaning etch residues that may include treating an etched surface with an aqueous lanthanoid solution, wherein the aqueous lanthanoid solution removes an etch residue that includes a majority of hydrocarbons and at least one element selected from the group consisting of carbon, oxygen, fluorine, nitrogen and silicon. In one example, the aqueous solution may be cerium ammonium nitrate (Ce(NH4)(NO3)),(CAN).
US09536729B2 Tubular light source having overwind
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a tubular lamp with a coiled filament having an overwind wrapped around the coil. In one embodiment, the tubular lamp has a coiled coil filament, and the coiled coil has an overwind wrapped around the coiled coil.
US09536727B2 Time-of-flight mass spectrometer and method of controlling same
A flight-of-time mass spectrometer is offered which can provide a variable range of collisional energies that can be made wider than heretofore. Also, a method of controlling this spectrometer is offered. The spectrometer has an ion source, a first mass analyzer, an ion gate, a potential lift, a collisional cell, a second mass analyzer, a detector, and a potential control portion for controlling the potential on the potential lift. When the precursor ions selected by the ion gate enter the potential lift, the potential control portion sets the potential on the conductive box at V1. When the potential on the potential lift is varied, the potential control portion varies the potential on the potential lift from V1 to V2 while precursor ions are traveling through the potential lift.
US09536723B1 Thin field terminator for linear quadrupole ion guides, and related systems and methods
A field terminator includes a plurality of electrode plates positioned around a guide axis at a radial distance therefrom. The plates generate a quadrupole DC field such that a polarity on each plate is opposite to a polarity on the plates adjacent thereto. The plates may be positioned at an axial end of a quadrupole ion guide such as a mass filter. In addition to an RF field, the ion guide may generate a quadrupole DC field. The DC field of the plates may be opposite in polarity to that of the ion guide.
US09536720B2 Analyzing apparatus
There is provided an analyzing apparatus including an irradiation unit irradiating a first point with a laser, a convergence unit causing an analysis target to converge at the first point, and a unit analyzing a sample gas including a substance that has been irradiated with the laser at the first point using an ion mobility sensor. One example of the convergence unit includes a unit causing the analysis target to be captured in a carrier substance in a liquid state; and a discharging unit discharging the carrier substance including the analysis target to the first point.
US09536716B2 MALDI mass spectrometer with irradiation trace formation means and irradiation trace identifier for identifying a MALDI sample plate
When a sample plate 3 is set on a sample stage 2, an irradiation trace formation controller 22 appropriately moves the sample stage 2 and throws a short pulse of high-power laser beam to create an irradiation trace at a predetermined position on the sample plate 3. The irradiation trace has a unique shape. A microscopic image of the irradiation trace is captured and saved in an image storage section 32. After the sample plate 3 is temporarily removed from the stage 2 to apply a matrix to a sample, the sample plate 3 is re-set on the same stage 2. Then, the displacement of the sample plate 3 from its original position is calculated from the difference in the position of the irradiation trace between an image taken at that point in time and the image previously stored in the image storage section 32. Based on the calculated result, an analysis position corrector 24 modifies the position information of an area selected by an operator. Thus, the displacement of the re-set sample plate can be accurately detected. There is no need to use a special sample plate previously processed for creating a marker for displacement detection.
US09536715B2 Recycling method for tantalum coil for sputtering and tantalum coil obtained by the recycling method
The present invention relates to a method for recycling a tantalum coil for sputtering that is disposed between a substrate and a sputtering target. The method for recycling a tantalum coil for sputtering is characterized in that the whole or partial surface of a spent tantalum coil is subject to cutting (cutting is performed until a re-deposited film and knurling traces are eliminated) so as to eliminate the re-deposited film that was formed during sputtering, and knurling is newly performed to the cut portion. While sputtered grains are accumulated (re-deposited) on the surface of the tantalum coil disposed between the substrate and the sputtering target during sputtering, by eliminating the sputtered grains accumulated on the spent coil by way of cutting after the sputtering is complete, the tantalum coil can be efficiently recycled. Thus, provided is technology capable of lean manufacturing of new coils, improving productivity, and stably providing such coils.
US09536714B2 Sputtering target having increased power compatibility
A plate-centering system that has a plate with a holder, in which the plate is centered in the holder both at room temperature and at higher temperatures, independently of the thermal expansion of the plate and the holder, and the plate can freely expand in the holder at higher temperatures. The invention relates in particular to a target having a frame-shaped target mount, which is very well suited for use in a coating source for high power pulsed magnetron sputtering of the target.
US09536713B2 Reliable plasma ignition and reignition
This disclosure describes systems, methods, and apparatus for ensuring desirable ignition of plasma in a plasma processing chamber via providing increased instantaneous power during an ignition period for both continuous wave (CW) and pulsed power delivery. The systems, methods, and apparatus can be applied to both initial ignition of a plasma and reignition of a plasma where pulsed power delivery leads to periodic extinction of the plasma.
US09536710B2 Tunable gas delivery assembly with internal diffuser and angular injection
An apparatus for providing processing gases to a process chamber with improved uniformity is disclosed. One embodiment provides a gas delivery assembly. The gas delivery assembly includes a hub, a nozzle, and one or more gas diffusers disposed in the nozzle. The nozzle has a cylindrical body with a side wall and a top surface. A plurality of injection passages are formed inside the nozzle to deliver processing gases into the process chamber via a plurality of outlets disposed in the side wall. The injection passages are configured to direct process gases out of each outlet disposed in the side wall in a direction which is not radially aligned with a centerline of the hub.
US09536708B2 Plasma generating device, method of controlling the same, and substrate processing device including the plasma generating device
Provided is a plasma generating device. The plasma generating device includes: an RF power supply providing an RF signal; a plasma chamber providing a space where gas is injected to generate plasma; a first electromagnetic inducer installed at one portion of the plasma chamber and inducing an electromagnetic field in the plasma chamber as the RF signal is applied; a second electromagnetic inducer installed at another portion of the plasma chamber and inducing an electromagnetic field in the plasma chamber as the RF signal is applied; a first load connected to the first electromagnetic inducer; a second load connected to the second electromagnetic inducer; and a controller controlling a power supplied to the first electromagnetic inducer and the second electromagnetic inducer by adjusting at least one impedance of the first load and the second load.
US09536702B2 Multi-beam particle microscope and method for operating same
A multi-beam particle microscope includes first particle optics in order to direct particle beams onto an object, a detector with detection regions, with a transducer being assigned to each detection region, and a data acquisition system, which has a control computer system, image recording computer systems and a screen. The image recording computer systems receive electrical signals from the transducers and generates a first file, which represents a high resolution image, and a second file, which represents a low resolution image. The control computer system maintains a data structure which represents an assignment of transducers to two-dimensional spatial vectors and depicts the images on the screen, wherein a reference point in each image is arranged on the screen in a coordinate system of the screen at a location which is defined by a sum of a leading vector, which is the same for all images, and the spatial vector.
US09536701B2 Radiation analyzer including a support for tilting an energy-dispersive radiation detector
A radiation analyzer includes a primary ray source that generates primary rays, an optical system applies the primary rays emitted from the primary ray source to a sample, an energy-dispersive radiation detector that detects radiation that has been generated from the sample when the primary rays have been applied to the sample, and a support that supports the radiation detector so that the tilt of the center axis (C) of the radiation detector with respect to the optical axis (Z) of the optical system can be changed.
US09536698B2 Systems and methods for particle pulse modulation
Methods and apparatus for modulating a particle pulse include a succession of Hermite-Gaussian optical modes that effectively construct a three-dimensional optical trap in the particle pulse's rest frame. Optical incidence angles between the propagation of the particle pulse and the optical pulse are tuned for improved compression. Particles pulses that can be modulated by these methods and apparatus include charged particles and particles with non-zero polarizability in the Rayleigh regime. Exact solutions to Maxwell's equations for first-order Hermite-Gaussian beams demonstrate single-electron pulse compression factors of more than 100 in both longitudinal and transverse dimensions. The methods and apparatus are useful in ultrafast electron imaging for both single- and multi-electron pulse compression, and as a means of circumventing temporal distortions in magnetic lenses when focusing ultra-short electron pulses.
US09536690B2 High performance power input circuits using synchronized mechanical switches
Synchronized mechanical switches are configured to support electrical switching circuits operating at frequencies equal to or higher than the frequency of the primary AC power supply. Due to near perfect impedances of mechanical switches as well as accurate timing control mechanisms, the mechanical switching circuits provide timely electrical connections to the terminals of the primary AC power supply to generate proper waveforms suitable to power next stage electrical circuits without the need to use semiconductor devices.
US09536679B2 Trenched super/ultra capacitors and methods of making thereof
A method of manufacturing trenched electrochemical double layer capacitors is provided. One aspect of the method employs state-of-the art processes used in semi-conductor wafer manufacturing such as photolithography etching for creating trenches in the electrodes of the double layer capacitor. Another aspect of the method employs a die-saw process, which is scalable and low-cost. The trenched super/ultra capacitors made by the disclosed methods have the combined advantage of higher energy storage capacity than conventional planar super/ultra capacitors due to the increased surface area and higher power density than commonly used Li-ion batteries due to the faster charging time and higher instantaneous energy burst power. The manufacturing processes also have the advantage of better manufacturability, scalability and reduced manufacturing cost.
US09536678B2 Stability enhancing additive for electrochemical devices
Embodiments described herein relate generally to electric double layer capacitors having an electrolyte formulation that includes a quantity of a stabilizing additive such that the electrochemical double layer capacitors retain cell capacitance for longer periods of time, generate less gas during operation, and experience less long term ESR. In some embodiments, an electrolyte formulation includes an ionic species, a solvent, and a stabilizer. In some embodiments the stabilizer contains a moiety that promotes adsorption to a surface, such as a carbon surface, and a moiety that promotes polarity of the stabilizer. In some embodiments, the solvent can be a nitrile compound and the stabilizer can be a compound of the formula I: Such that R is H, saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched, acyclic carbon group, OH, halogen NH2, NO2, S(O)2CF3, or monocyclic or polycyclic aryl, and n is an integer from 0 to 5.
US09536673B2 Temperature stable solid electrolytic capacitor
A capacitor whose electrical properties can be stable under a variety of different conditions is provided. The solid electrolyte of the capacitor is formed from a combination of an in situ polymerized conductive polymer and a hydroxy-functional nonionic polymer. One benefit of such an in situ polymerized conductive polymer is that it does not require the use of polymeric counterions (e.g., polystyrenesulfonic anion) to compensate for charge, as with conventional particle dispersions, which tend to result in ionic polarization and instable electrical properties, particularly at the low temperatures noted above. Further, it is believed that hydroxy-functional nonionic polymers can improve the degree of contact between the polymer and the surface of the internal dielectric, which unexpectedly increases the capacitance performance and reduces ESR.
US09536672B2 Storage module
This invention provides a storage module formed using a plurality of storage cells. The each storage cell includes a storage unit that stores a charge, a polyhedral container that houses the storage unit and has two opposing surfaces, and a pair of electrode terminals that output and input the charge of the storage unit. The electrode terminals include a positive electrode terminal that projects externally from an end portion of the container and has a joint surface that is formed to be substantially coplanar with one of the two opposing surfaces of the container and joined to an electrode terminal of an adjacent storage cell, and a negative electrode terminal that projects externally from the end portion of the container and has a joint surface that is formed to be substantially coplanar with another of the two surfaces and joined to an electrode terminal of an adjacent storage cell.
US09536670B2 Capacitor with multiple elements for multiple replacement applications
A capacitor provides a plurality of selectable capacitance values, by selective connection of six capacitor sections of a capacitive element each having a capacitance value. The capacitor sections are provided in a plurality of wound cylindrical capacitive elements. Two vertically stacked wound cylindrical capacitance elements may each provide three capacitor sections. There may be six separately wound cylindrical capacitive elements each providing a capacitor section. The capacitor sections have a common element terminal.
US09536667B2 Ceramic powder and multi-layer ceramic capacitor
A multi-layer ceramic capacitor is made by alternately layering a dielectric layer constituted by a sintered body of a ceramic powder, and an internal electrode layer. The ceramic powder contains, as a main composition, barium titanate powder having a perovskite structure with a median size of 200 nm or smaller as measured by SEM observation, wherein the barium titanate powder is such that the percentage of barium titanate particle having twin defects in the barium titanate powder is less than 10% as measured by TEM observation and that its crystal lattice c/a is 1.0075 or more.
US09536664B2 Electronic component
In an electronic component, capacitor conductors include linear portions parallel or substantially parallel to a lower surface of a laminate, and lead-out portions led out respectively from the linear portions to the lower surface. Outer electrodes are disposed on the lower surface and cover exposed portions where the lead-out portions are exposed at the lower surface, respectively. At least one of the linear portions includes a groove, which is recessed in a direction away from the lower surface, in a region thereof overlapping with the corresponding outer electrode when looking at the electronic component in a plan view from a z-axis direction.
US09536661B2 Method of production of transformer module
A method of producing a transformer module by placing at least one transformer which includes a core, a primary winding, and a secondary winding at a bottom surface of a case at which a plurality of external terminals are provided. The method comprising placing two support columns on the bottom surface, placing the bottom surfaces of cores near the lead-out points of the leads of the windings at the two sides of the cores on core support parts of the two support columns to support them, stringing leads at the two sides of the cores to the external terminals and electrically joining them, removing the two support columns so that the bottom surfaces of the cores are placed on the bottom surface of the case, then fastening the cores to the bottom surface of the case to produce a transformer module where the leads from the cores are given excess length.
US09536660B2 Chip electronic component and method of manufacturing the same
A chip electronic component may include: a magnetic body; and internal coil parts buried in the magnetic body. The magnetic body includes: a core layer including the internal coil parts; and upper and lower cover layers disposed on upper and lower portions of the core layer, respectively, the core layer having a level of magnetic permeability different from that of at least one of the upper and lower cover layers.
US09536658B2 Grain oriented electrical steel sheet and method for manufacturing the same
A grain oriented electrical steel sheet that is subjected to magnetic domain refining treatment by electron beam irradiation and exhibits excellent low-noise properties when assembled as an actual transformer in which tension exerted on the steel sheet by the forsterite film is 2.0 MPa or higher both in a rolling direction and a direction transverse (perpendicular) to the rolling direction, and a ratio of an irradiation pitch in a thermal strain introduced region (B) to a spot diameter (A) on an electron beam irradiation surface satisfies 0.5≦B/A≦5.0.
US09536657B2 Grain oriented electrical steel sheet and method for manufacturing the same
A grain oriented electrical steel sheet is subjected to magnetic domain refinement by laser irradiation and has magnetic flux density B8 of at least 1.91T, wherein the nitrogen content in the forsterite coating is 3.0 mass % or less. The grain oriented electrical steel sheet satisfies recent demand for iron loss reduction.
US09536654B2 Power receiving device, power transmitting device, and power transfer system
A power receiving device includes: a power receiving unit receiving electric power from an external power transmitting unit contactlessly; a first coil; a first shielding wall surrounding the first coil; a first device; a first shielding casing having the first device accommodated therein, the first shielding casing being also disposed inside the first shielding wall; and a first wiring connected to the first device and extending from inside the first shielding casing to outside the first shielding casing, and also pulled outside the first shielding wall, the first shielding casing having an external surface including a first opposite portion closer to the first shielding wall than the first coil, the first shielding wall having a first region opposite to the first opposite portion, the first region having a first hole, the first wiring being pulled outside the first shielding wall through the first hole.
US09536652B2 Inductor
The present invention relates to an inductor, wherein the inductor according to the present invention includes: a body, a winding wire winded around the body, and a housing used for covering the body, according to the present invention, the inductor reduces the volume and increases the withstanding voltage of inductor by twisting the wires, and the present invention also provide a production method of the inductor can simplify the production process of inductors.
US09536648B2 Core for wire-wound component and manufacturing method thereof and wire-wound component made therewith
A drum core for a wire-wound component having a pair of flange parts provided on both ends of an axis core around which a winding wire is wound, with tapered surfaces of roughly conical shape formed on their facing inner surfaces in such a way that the interval of the inner surfaces increases toward the outer sides of the flange parts. The flange parts have roughly a rectangular shape and the sides along which their long side faces contact the tapered surfaces have the curved shapes that convex roughly at the center. The curved shapes make the height of the corners of the flange parts from the reference surface lower than the height of the convex parts of the curved shapes from the reference surface, and the loads received by the wire during winding are reduced as a result.
US09536647B2 Multi-layered chip electronic component
There is provided a multi-layered chip electronic component including: a multi-layered body formed by stacking a plurality of magnetic layers; and conductive patterns disposed between the plurality of magnetic layers and electrically connected in a lamination direction to form coil patterns, wherein in a case in which a single coil pattern in the coil pattern is projected in the length and width directions of the multi-layered body, when an area of the magnetic layer inside of the coil pattern is defined as Ai and an area of the magnetic layer outside of the coil pattern is defined as Ao, 0.40≦Ai:Ao≦1.03 is satisfied.
US09536646B2 Sintered ferrite magnet and its production method
A sintered ferrite magnet comprising metal elements of Ca, La, Fe and Co, whose atomic ratios are represented by the general formula of Ca1-xLaxFe2n-yCoy, wherein x and y, and n representing a molar ratio meet 0.3≦x≦0.6, 0.25≦y≦0.5, and 3≦n≦6, and further comprising 0.2% to 0.35% by mass of SiO2.
US09536645B2 Ferrite composition and electronic component
A ferrite composition comprises a main component and a sub component. The main component is comprised of 40.0 to 49.8 mol % iron oxide in terms of Fe2O3, 5.0 to 14.0 mol % copper oxide in terms of CuO, 0 to 32.0 mol % zinc oxide in terms of ZnO, and a remaining part of nickel oxide. The sub component includes 0.5 to 4.0 wt % tin oxide in terms of SnO2, 0.10 to 1.00 wt % bismuth oxide in terms of Bi2O3, and 0.21 to 3.00 wt % cobalt oxide in terms of Co3O4, with respect to the main component.
US09536644B2 Composite resistors
A composite resistor includes a thin film resistor element having a first temperature coefficient of resistance and a metal resistor element having a second temperature coefficient of resistance. A portion of the metal resistor element overlaps a portion of the thin film resistor element such that the portion of the metal resistor element is in thermal communication with the portion of the thin film resistor element to compensate for a resistance drift arising during operation of the composite resistor.
US09536641B2 Method of manufacturing an automobile high voltage wire harness
A method of manufacturing an automobile high voltage wire harness includes setting a shrinkable tube which has a color to make the wire harness recognized as a high voltage one outside a metal pipe body which is an exterior member of one or a plurality of high voltage electrical pathway(s) wired in an automobile, making the shrinkable tube shrink to cover part of or all of the outer surface of the metal pipe body, and bending the metal pipe body to a predetermined position to be formed into a three-dimensional shape.
US09536638B2 Halogen-free insulated cable material used for 125C irradiation cross-linked EPCV photovoltaics and a preparation method thereof
The present invention discloses a halogen-free insulated cable material used for 125° C. irradiation cross-linked EPCV photovoltaics and a preparation method thereof. The material is mainly prepared from the following raw materials based on weight parts: 5-20 parts of ethylene propylene diene monomer; 0-25 parts of polyethylene; 0-10 parts of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer; 1-5 parts of compatibilizer; 50-75 parts of aluminum hydroxide; 1-5 parts of stabilizer; 1-5 parts of silicone masterbatch. The halogen-free insulated cable material of the present invention has excellent insulating property and flame retardancy, and can achieve the halogen-free flame retardant VW-1, and releases a very low amount of smoke when burning, making a light transmittance of greater than 90% in the smoke, and also has excellent mechanical properties and electrical properties, and can suffer capacitance change rate test at 90° C. for 14 days in water according to UL44, fully meeting the property requirements of UL4703-2010 standard.
US09536635B2 Insulated wire construction for fire safety cable
An electric wire includes a metal conductor, a first insulation layer, wherein the first layer is a non-ceramifiable silicone compound, and a second insulation layer, wherein the second layer is a ceramifiable silicone compound, wherein the second layer is on the outside of the first layer.
US09536631B1 Systems and methods to avoid instability conditions in a source plasma chamber
In LPP EUV systems, sinusoidal oscillations or instabilities can occur in the generated EUV energy. This is avoided by detecting when the LPP EUV system is approaching such instability and adjusting the LPP EUV system by moving the laser beam of the LPP EUV system. Detection is done by determining when the generated EUV energy is at or above a primary threshold. Adjusting the LPP EUV system by moving the laser beam is done for a fixed period of time, until a subsequently generated EUV energy is below the primary threshold, until a subsequently generated EUV energy is below the primary threshold for a fixed period of time, or until a subsequently generated EUV energy is at or below a secondary threshold below the primary threshold.
US09536630B2 Method for removing radioactive cesium, hydrophilic resin composition for removal of radioactive cesium, method for removing radioactive iodine and radioactive cesium, and hydrophilic resin composition for removal of radioactive iodine and radioactive cesium
A method for removing radioactive cesium and/or iodine from a radioactive substance in liquid and/or a solid matter using a hydrophilic resin composition comprising a hydrophilic resin and a metal ferrocyanide compound, wherein the hydrophilic resin includes at least one hydrophilic resin selected from the group consisting of a hydrophilic polyurethane resin, a hydrophilic polyurea resin, and a hydrophilic polyurethane-polyurea resin each having at least a hydrophilic segment, and a metal ferrocyanide compound is dispersed in the hydrophilic resin composition in a ratio of at least 1 to 200 mass parts relative to 100 mass parts of the hydrophilic resin.
US09536629B2 Passive power production during a nuclear station blackout
Apparatus for passively generating electric power during a nuclear power station blackout by utilizing the temperature difference between the hot inlet of a residual heat removal circuit and the surrounding containment environment. A heat engine, such as a thermoelectric generator, a Stirling Cycle Engine or Rankine Cycle Engine, is coupled in heat exchange relationship with an uninsulated portion of the inlet to a passive residual heat removal heat exchanger and/or passive residual heat removal heat exchanger channel head to generate the power required to operate essential equipment needed to maintain the nuclear power station in a safe condition during a loss of normal onsite and offsite power.
US09536628B2 Nuclear fuel assembly support grid
A nuclear fuel assembly grid having a torpedo-shaped mixing vane assembly supported at each intersection of the grid straps that surrounds a fuel rod support location. The torpedo-shaped stem supports mixing vanes that extend over each of the fuel rod support locations.
US09536626B2 Memory subsystem I/O performance based on in-system empirical testing
A memory subsystem empirically tests performance parameters of I/O with a memory device. Based on the empirical testing, the memory subsystem can set the performance parameters specific to the system in which the memory subsystem is included. A test system performs the testing. For each of multiple different settings for multiple different I/O circuit parameters, the test system sets a value for each I/O circuit parameter, generates test traffic to stress test the memory device with the parameter value(s), and measures an operating margin for the I/O performance characteristic. The test system further executes a search function to determine values for each I/O circuit parameter at which the operating margin meets a minimum threshold and performance of at least one of the I/O circuit parameters is increased. The memory subsystem sets runtime values for the I/O circuit parameters based on the search function.
US09536625B1 Circuitry and method for critical path timing speculation in RAMs
User data or constantly toggling functional critical path timing sensors measure delays in actual critical paths that include a RAM. Variable resistors or variable capacitors are added to RAM bit lines for redundant cells to delay bit-line sensing by sense amplifiers. The sense amplifiers' delayed data is compared to non-delayed data from normal selected RAM cells to detect timing failures. Variable resistors or capacitors may also be added between the write drivers and bit lines to delay writing data into the redundant cells. A margin delay adjustment controller sweeps margin delays for constantly toggling paths until failures. A margin delay is then adjusted and added to functional critical paths that carry user data. Functional critical path timing sensors test setup time with the added margin delay. Timing failures cause VDD to increase, while a controller reduces VDD when no failures occur. Actual delays through the RAM adjust VDD.
US09536624B2 Data transfer circuit
A data transfer circuit has a first data transmission unit and two or more second shift registers. The first data transmission unit has a first shift register which has a plurality of first flip flop circuits which store data, shifts the data of the plurality of first flip flop circuits, and transmits data of two or more output terminals out of output terminals of the plurality of first flip flop circuits to the two or more second shift registers. The two or more second shift registers each shift data inputted from the two or more output terminals out of the output terminals of the plurality of first flip flop circuits.
US09536619B2 Hybrid-HDD with improved data retention
Data are refreshed in a nonvolatile solid-state device to significantly reduce the likelihood of data retention errors. Test data are written in a region of the nonvolatile solid-state device when user data are stored in the nonvolatile solid-state device, and are subsequently read to detect the possibility of data retention errors occurring when the associated user data are read. The test data may be a portion of the user data or a predetermined test pattern. To increase sensitivity to incipient charge leakage that may compromise the user data, the test data may be written using a modified write process and/or read with a modified read operation. The nonvolatile solid-state device may be employed as part of a solid-state drive or as the flash-memory portion of a hybrid hard disk drive.
US09536609B2 Memory modules with multi-chip packaged integrated circuits having flash memory
A memory module is provided. In one example, the memory module includes a printed circuit board with one or more connectors, and a plurality of multi-chip packaged integrated circuit parts mounted to the printed circuit board. Each of the plurality of multi-chip packaged integrated circuit parts includes an integrated circuit package including a slave memory controller (SMC) die and one or more pairs of (1) a spacer under the slave memory controller die and (2) a flash memory die under the spacer. Each flash memory die is larger than each spacer to provide an opening into a perimeter of the flash memory die to which electrical connections may be made.
US09536608B1 Content addressable memory device
Disclosed aspects include a content addressable memory device comprising at least two memory banks connectable to a global search line. Each memory bank comprises at least two content addressable memory cells. Each content addressable memory cell can store one bit. Each content addressable memory cell is coupled to a respective local search line. Aspects include a bank connection circuitry configured for coupling the global search line to the local search lines in dependence of a bank prediction signal line. The bank connection circuitry of the content addressable memory device may comprise bank hold circuitry for storing a search value transmitted by the global search line.
US09536603B2 Methods and apparatuses for determining threshold voltage shift
Apparatuses and methods for determining threshold voltage shift are described. A number of methods for determining threshold voltage shift in memory cells include determining changes in threshold voltage for memory cells at each data state of a first number of data states by searching threshold voltage data of memory cells programmed to the first number of data states and determining changes in threshold voltage for memory cells at each data state of a second number of data states by searching threshold voltage data of memory cells programmed to the second number of data states within a range of threshold voltages, wherein the range is shifted from a previous range based on the changes in threshold voltage for memory cells programmed to the first number of data states.
US09536596B2 Three-port bit cell having increased width
An apparatus includes a first read port, a second read port, a write port, and at least one storage latch. A width of a bit cell that includes the first read port, the second read port, and the write port is greater than twice a contacted poly pitch (CPP) associated with the bit cell. For example, a bit cell may be a 3-port static random access memory (SRAM) bit cell that is compatible with self-aligned double patterning (SADP) processes and that can be manufactured using semiconductor manufacturing processes of less than 14 nanometers (nm).
US09536593B1 Low power receiver with wide input voltage range
An input receiver is provided with a pass transistor that is controlled to pass an input signal to an inverter only while a first binary state for the input signal equals a low voltage. The input receiver also includes a source follower transistor configured to pass a threshold-voltage-reduced version of the input signal while the first binary state of the input signal equals a high voltage greater than the low voltage.
US09536592B2 Memory device and semiconductor device
A memory device includes a first memory circuit including a silicon transistor, a selection circuit including a silicon transistor, and a second memory circuit including oxide semiconductor transistors and a storage capacitor, in which one terminal of the storage capacitor is connected to a portion where two oxide semiconductor transistors are connected in series, an output of the second memory circuit is connected to a second input terminal of the selection circuit, and an input of the second memory circuit is connected to a first input terminal of the selection circuit or an output terminal of the first memory circuit.
US09536591B1 Staggered DLL clocking on N-Detect QED to minimize clock command and delay path
Apparatuses and methods are described for meeting timing and latency requirements using staggered clocking within the command path. In one example, an apparatus is disclosed that includes a timing circuit configured to provide an internal clock signal; a clock stagger circuit configured to receive the internal clock signal from the timing circuit and to generate at least one delayed internal clock signal; and a shift circuit arranged in a command decode and delay path of a command signal, coupled to the timing circuit and to the clock stagger circuit, and configured to capture the command from an external clock domain into an internal clock domain based on one or both of the internal clock signal and the delayed internal clock signal
US09536590B1 System and method of memory electrical repair
Aspects of the disclosure provide an integrated circuit (IC) chip having a memory controller. The memory controller includes a memory interface circuit configured to interface the IC chip with a memory chip having a memory array, and a first control circuit. The memory chip has a configuration circuit for adjusting one or more configurations of the memory chip. The first control circuit is configured to control the memory interface circuit and to communicate with the configuration circuit in the memory chip via the memory interface circuit to adjust the one or more configurations of the memory chip.
US09536587B2 Semiconductor devices and integrated circuits including the same
A first semiconductor device equalizes levels of a bit line and a complementary bit line of a high-order bit line pair in a first memory block using a first drive voltage signal whose level is controlled when a power-down mode or a self-refresh mode is activated according to a level combination of high-order command/address signals. A second semiconductor device equalizes levels of a bit line and a complementary bit line of a low-order bit line pair in a second memory block using a second drive voltage signal whose level is controlled when the power-down mode or the self-refresh mode is activated according to a level combination of low-order command/address signals.
US09536585B2 SRAM storage unit based on DICE structure
The present invention provides an improved SRAM memory cell based on a DICE structure, which comprises following structures: four inverter structures formed through arranging PMOS transistors and NMOS transistors in series, wherein the part between the drains of a PMOS transistor and an NMOS transistor serves as a storage node; each storage node controls the gate voltage of an NMOS transistor of the other inverter structure and of a PMOS transistor of another inverter structure; a transmission structure consisting of four NMOS transistors, whose source, gate and drain are respectively connected with a bit line/bit bar line, a word line and a storage node. The use of an improved SRAM memory cell based on a DICE structure not only avoids such defects as small static noise margin and being prone to transmission error facing the traditional cell structures consisting of 6 transistors, but also resolves the problem that the current SRAM storage cells based on a DICE structure can easily be affected by the electrical level of storage nodes. This effectively improves reliability of storage cells.
US09536581B2 Tamper-resistant non-volatile memory device
A non-volatile memory device includes a memory cell array including memory cells, each having a resistance value reversibly transitioning among resistance value ranges in a variable state in accordance with application of different electrical signals, a control circuit that, in operation, receives a control signal, a read circuit that, in operation, obtains pieces of resistance value information each relating to the resistance value of one of the memory cells in accordance with the control signal, and an arithmetic circuit that, in operation, calculates a binary reference value based on at least a part of the pieces of resistance value information. In operation, the read circuit selectively assigns, based on the binary reference value, one of two values to each of the pieces of resistance value information.
US09536580B2 Clock signal processor and non-volatile memory device including the same
A clock signal processor includes a duty cycle corrector, a switch point calculator, and a multiplexer. The duty cycle corrector generates a second clock signal by modifying a duty cycle of a first clock signal. The switch point calculator activates a switch signal at an end of a latency period in which a read command is provided to a non-volatile memory device and an invalid data is read from the non-volatile memory device. The multiplexer outputs one of the first and second clock signals as a third clock signal based on the switch signal.
US09536579B2 Semiconductor integrated circuit capable of precisely adjusting delay amount of strobe signal
An interface circuit provided in a semiconductor device supplies an operation clock to an external memory device based on a clock signal and receives a data signal and a strobe signal from the external memory device. The interface circuit includes a delay circuit delaying the received strobe signal. The delay circuit includes a first adjustment circuit and a second adjustment circuit connected in series with the first adjustment circuit. The first adjustment circuit is capable of adjusting a delay amount of the strobe signal in a plurality of steps in accordance with the set frequency of the clock signal. The second adjustment circuit is capable of adjusting the delay amount of the strobe signal with a higher precision than the first adjustment circuit.
US09536578B2 Apparatus and method for writing data to memory array circuits
A write driver for a memory circuit includes a control circuit configured to: operate a first push-pull driver to generate a first drive signal in a first voltage domain at a first node based on an input signal in a second domain and in response to a mode select signal being in a first mode, wherein the first drive signal is at a same logic level as the input signal; operate a second push-pull driver to generate a second drive signal in the first voltage domain at a second node based on the input signal and in response to the mode select signal being in the first mode, wherein the second drive signal is at a complement logic level with respect to the input signal; and operate the first and second push-pull drivers to float the first and second nodes in response to the mode select signal being in a second mode.
US09536576B2 Semiconductor device with a sense amplifier unit responsive to a voltage change of input signals and a sense control signal
A sense amplifier circuit includes an enable signal generation unit configured to generate an enable signal when a change in a voltage level of input signals is sensed; a sink unit configured to provide a sense voltage in response to the enable signal; and a sense unit configured to generate an output signal in response to the sense voltage and the input signals.
US09536573B2 3D memory structure and method for manufacturing the same
A 3D memory structure and a method for manufactured the same are provided. The 3D memory structure comprises a plurality of strings, a plurality of first conductive lines, a plurality of second conductive lines and a plurality of third conductive lines. The strings are disposed in parallel. The first conductive lines are disposed over the strings. Center regions of the first conductive lines are disposed perpendicular to the strings. The second conductive lines are disposed over the first conductive lines. The second conductive lines connect end regions of half of the first conductive lines. The third conductive lines are disposed over the second conductive lines. The third conductive lines connect end regions of the other half of the first conductive lines.
US09536572B2 Apparatus with sealed cavity formed by at least one impermeable weld
Certain exemplary aspects of the present disclosure are directed towards an apparatus in which a base deck and a forged base deck cover are coupled to one another, via a weld joint, to provide a hermetically sealed cavity within. The base deck includes an outer region, and the base deck cover includes a lip that interfaces with the outer region of the base deck to provide the weld joint. Similarly, the base deck is formed by an outer region of a base deck bottom portion interfacing with a lip of the shroud to form, via welding, the base deck.
US09536565B2 Media foundation media processor
A system and method for a media processor separates the functions of topology creation and maintenance from the functions of processing data through a topology. The system includes a control layer including a topology generating element to generate a topology describing a set of input multimedia streams, one or more sources for the input multimedia streams, a sequence of operations to perform on the multimedia data, and a set of output multimedia streams, and a media processor to govern the passing of the multimedia data as described in the topology and govern the performance of the sequence of multimedia operations on the multimedia data to create the set of output multimedia streams. The core layer includes the input media streams, the sources for the input multimedia streams, one or more transforms to operate on the multimedia data, stream sinks, and media sinks to provide the set of output multimedia streams.
US09536562B1 Method and apparatus for imitating a defect in a read-back signal received from a rotating storage medium
A read channel module including an input, a location module and a generation module. The input is configured to receive a read-back signal from a rotating storage medium. The location module is configured to determine a location to insert a first imitation defect within the read-back signal. The first imitation defect imitates a first defect. The generation module is configured to (i) selectively generate the first imitation defect, and (ii) insert the first imitation defect in the read-back signal at the determined location.
US09536561B1 Writing dummy indices on a tape medium partition
A request for writing a first index information to a first partition of a serial storage medium of a serial system is received. The serial storage medium includes a first partition for writing the first index information including a first index position, a second partition for storing a data set, the data set including a second index information including a second index position, a memory for determining the second index position, and a module for writing the first index position. A beginning position of the first index is written on the first partition. A determination is made whether the beginning of the first index position is proximate to the second index position. In response to the beginning of the first index position being proximate to the second index position, an interrupted index position is registered. A dummy index is written to the first partition at the interrupted index position.
US09536560B2 Cadence determination and media content selection
Systems, devices, apparatuses, components, methods, and techniques for cadence determination and media content selection are provided. An example media-playback device comprises a media-output device that plays media content items, a cadence-acquiring device, and a cadence-based media content selection engine. The cadence-acquiring device includes an accelerometer and a cadence-determination engine configured to determine a cadence based on acceleration data captured by the accelerometer. The cadence-based media content selection engine is configured to identify a media content item based on the cadence determined by the cadence-determining engine and cause the media-output device to playback the identified media content item.
US09536557B2 Systems and methods for content playback and recording
A method for content playback and recording may include using a computer to obtain media content from a recorded medium. Concurrently with obtaining the media content, the method may include reencrypting the encrypted media content using a secondary encryption key and storing the reencrypted media content in a storage device.
US09536549B1 Multiple sensor magnetic reproducing device with reduced inter-sensor spacing
A multi-sensor reader that includes a first sensor that has a sensor stack, which includes a free layer (FL) that has a magnetization that changes according to an external magnetic field. The first sensor also includes a shielding structure that is positioned over the sensor stack. The multi-sensor reader also includes a second sensor stacked over the first sensor. The second sensor includes a sensor stack, which includes a FL that has a magnetization that changes according to the external magnetic field. The multi-sensor reader further includes an isolation layer between the first sensor and the second sensor. A FL-to-FL spacing reduction feature is included in at least one of the isolation layer or the shielding structure.
US09536543B2 Information processing device, storage medium, and method
There is provided an information processing device including an input unit to which words are input, an analysis unit configured to analyze meanings of the respective words, an image generation unit configured to generate single images corresponding to the respective words, and a display control unit configured to control the images generated by the image generation unit to be displayed on a display unit.
US09536540B2 Speech signal separation and synthesis based on auditory scene analysis and speech modeling
Provided are systems and methods for generating clean speech from a speech signal representing a mixture of a noise and speech. The clean speech may be generated from synthetic speech parameters. The synthetic speech parameters are derived based on the speech signal components and a model of speech using auditory and speech production principles. The modeling may utilize a source-filter structure of the speech signal. One or more spectral analyzes on the speech signal are performed to generate spectral representations. The feature data is derived based on a spectral representation. The features corresponding to the target speech according to a model of speech are grouped and separated from the feature data. The synthetic speech parameters, including spectral envelope, pitch data and voice classification data are generated based on features corresponding to the target speech.
US09536537B2 Systems and methods for speech restoration
A method for speech restoration by an electronic device is described. The method includes obtaining a noisy speech signal. The method also includes suppressing noise in the noisy speech signal to produce a noise-suppressed speech signal. The noise-suppressed speech signal has a bandwidth that includes at least three subbands. The method further includes iteratively restoring each of the at least three subbands. Each of the at least three subbands is restored based on all previously restored subbands of the at least three subbands.
US09536534B2 Speech/audio encoding apparatus, speech/audio decoding apparatus, and methods thereof
Provided is a speech/audio encoding apparatus with which it is possible to code a significant frequency domain region with high precision, and to enable high audio quality. A speech/audio encoding apparatus codes a linear prediction coefficient. A significant frequency domain region detection unit identifies a frequency domain region which is aurally significant from the linear prediction coefficient. A frequency domain region repositioning unit repositions the significant frequency domain region which is identified by the significant frequency domain region detection unit. A bit allocation computation unit determines a coding bit allocation on the basis of the significant frequency domain region which is repositioned by the frequency domain region repositioning unit.
US09536533B2 Linear prediction based audio coding using improved probability distribution estimation
Linear prediction based audio coding is improved by coding a spectrum composed of a plurality of spectral components using a probability distribution estimation determined for each of the plurality of spectral components from linear prediction coefficient information. The linear prediction coefficient information is available anyway. Accordingly, it may be used for determining the probability distribution estimation at both encoding and decoding side. The latter determination may be implemented in a computationally simple manner by using, for example, an appropriate parameterization for the probability distribution estimation at the plurality of spectral components. The coding efficiency as provided by the entropy coding is compatible with probability distribution estimations as achieved using context selection, but its derivation is less complex. The derivation may be purely analytically and/or does not require any information on attributes of neighboring spectral lines such as previously coded/decoded spectral values of neighboring spectral lines as is the case in spatial context selection.
US09536531B2 Editing of higher-order ambisonic audio data
In general, techniques are described for editing of higher-order ambisonic audio data. A device comprising a memory and one or more processors may be configured to perform the techniques. The memory may be configured to store spherical harmonic (SH) basis functions. The one or more processors may be configured to manipulate the SH basis functions associated with higher order ambisonics coefficients to alter a direction of an audio object represented by the higher order ambisonics coefficients.
US09536529B2 Apparatus for processing an audio signal and method thereof
An apparatus for processing an audio signal and method thereof are disclosed. The present invention includes receiving a downmix signal and side information; extracting extension type identifier indicating whether extension area includes a residual signal from the side information; when the extension type identifier indicates that the extension area includes the residual signal, extracting control restriction information for residual using mode from the side information; receiving control information for controlling gain or panning of at least one object signal; estimating modified control information based on the control information and the control restriction information; obtaining at least one of enhanced object signal and one or more regular object signals from the downmix signal using the residual signal; and, generating an output signal using the modified control information and at least one of enhanced object signal and one or more regular object signal, wherein the control restriction information for residual using mode relates to a parameter indicating limiting degree of the control information in case of the residual using mode.
US09536527B1 Reporting operational metrics in speech-based systems
A speech-based system is configured to use its audio-based user interface to present various types of device status information such as wireless signal strengths, communication parameters, battery levels, and so forth. In described embodiments, the system is configured to understand spoken user requests for device and system status. For example, the user may speak a request to obtain the current wireless signal strength of the speech-based system. The speech-based system may respond by determining the signal strength and by playing speech or other sound informing the user of the signal strength. Furthermore, the system may monitor operational parameters to detect conditions that may degrade the user experience, and may report such conditions using generated speech or other sounds.
US09536521B2 Voice recognition
A voice recognition method and system. A voice command can be received from a speech recognition unit associated with a device by a language switching module configured in association with the device. The voice command is recognized and processed into particular content to identify via a language database, a language associated with the device. The language can then be changed based on a detected language so that the language can be altered without reference to an instruction manual. In one scenario, a user walks toward the machine or device associated with the user device and speaks the desired/known language. The device “listens” to the voice, detects the language, and changes the user interface accordingly.
US09536517B2 System and method for crowd-sourced data labeling
Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage devices for crowd-sourced data labeling. The system requests a respective response from each of a set of entities. The set of entities includes crowd workers. Next, the system incrementally receives a number of responses from the set of entities until one of an accuracy threshold is reached and m responses are received, wherein the accuracy threshold is based on characteristics of the number of responses. Finally, the system generates an output response based on the number of responses.
US09536516B2 Speech recognition circuit using parallel processors
A speech recognition circuit comprises an input buffer for receiving processed speech parameters. A lexical memory contains lexical data for word recognition. The lexical data comprises a plurality of lexical tree data structures. Each lexical tree data structure comprises a model of words having common prefix components. An initial component of each lexical tree structure is unique. A plurality of lexical tree processors are connected in parallel to the input buffer for processing the speech parameters in parallel to perform parallel lexical tree processing for word recognition by accessing the lexical data in the lexical memory. A results memory is connected to the lexical tree processors for storing processing results from the lexical tree processors and lexical tree identifiers to identify lexical trees to be processed by the lexical tree processors. A controller controls the lexical tree processors to process lexical trees identified in the results memory by performing parallel processing on a plurality of said lexical tree data structures.
US09536515B2 Headphone device
There is provided a headphone device including a first housing and a second housing; a headband connected to the first and second housings; a first headphone unit and a second headphone unit disposed in the first and second housings, respectively; a first microphone and a second microphone arranged in the vicinity of the first and second headphone units; and a signal processing unit disposed in the first housing for processing input audio signals from the outside and microphone signals detected by the first and second microphones, and generating first and second noise-canceled audio signals to be supplied to the first and second headphone units.
US09536514B2 Hunting noise masking systems and methods
Portable noise generator apparatuses and methods may be used to mask sounds in a hunting area. A noise generator apparatus may have a portable housing configured to be used by a hunter in a hunting area where game may be present, a loudspeaker positioned in the housing, and an electronic noise generator held within the housing. The electronic noise generator may be used to output noise through the loudspeaker to mask sounds made by the hunter while in the hunting area, and the noise may comprise frequencies perceptible by a non-human species. The noise may include white noise and ambient noise that is capable of limiting or covering the sounds of the hunter perceived by game animals.
US09536509B2 Systems and methods for capturing and interpreting audio
As part of a system, a device is provided as part of a system, the device being for capturing vibrations produced by an object such as a musical instrument. The device has a first sensor placed in contact with a surface of the drum, such as a rim of the drum, and a second sensor placed at a fixed location relative to the drum, but not touching the drum. A method may be provided for interpreting the output of the sensors within the system, the method comprising identifying the onset of an audio event in audio data, selecting a window in the data for analysis, applying transforms to generate a representation of the audio event, and comparing that representation to expected representations in a model.
US09536506B1 Lighted drum and related systems and methods
A lighted drum or other article may have a LED strip light and a wireless receiver/decoder in communication with the LED strip light. The wireless receiver/decoder may be configured to receive wireless control signals from a remote computer and control operation of the LED strip light in response to the control signals. Some embodiments may include a trigger assembly engaged with a drum head; a wireless receiver/decoder in communication with the trigger assembly; and at least one LED strip light in communication with the wireless receiver/decoder. The trigger assembly may be configured to generate a trigger signal in response to movement of the drum head. The wireless receiver/decoder may be configured to receive the trigger signal and wireless control signals and control operation of the at least one LED strip light in response to the trigger signal and the control signals. Related systems and methods are also described.
US09536500B2 Map display device and map display system
A map display device includes: a processor that defines a coordinate system on a map including element polygons showing constituent elements of an urban map; a processor that sets coordinates located inside the element polygons as inner coordinates and sets coordinates located outside the element polygons as outer coordinates; a processor that calculates, for each coordinate in the coordinate system, a moving average value; a processor that resets each of the outer coordinates which has the moving average value larger than a predetermined value as the inner coordinate; a processor that sets, as an urban polygon, a polygon along an outer periphery of a region formed of an aggregate of the set and reset inner coordinates; and a processor that enables the urban map to be displayed when a current location is present inside the urban polygon.
US09536499B2 Compositing screen
A compositing screen includes a partially or fully transparent front screen that displays one image or video and a back screen displaying another image or video. The two images can be seen simultaneously, providing a composite image.
US09536496B2 Image processing apparatus, display apparatus, and image processing system and method, for displaying image data
An image processing apparatus, a display apparatus, and an image processing system and method, for displaying image data, are provided. The image processing apparatus includes a color gamut converter configured to convert a color gamut of at least a portion of an image received from the display apparatus, a controller configured to control the color gamut converter to convert color gamut of at least the portion of the image data based on region division information of a display image received from the display apparatus through the communicator and profile information for converting color gamut of a plurality of divided regions based on the region division information. Thus, the display apparatus displays image data converted into multiple-color gamut without an additional component for converting image quality and color gamut of the image data.
US09536495B2 System for relayed data transmission in a high-speed serial link
A system for transmitting data from a timing controller (TCON) to several source driver integrated circuits (SICs) in a display. The system is suitable for use either with a high data rate or a low data rate to each of the SICs. The TCON provides a serial data stream to a SIC, which either uses all of the received data, if it requires high rate data, or relays a portion, e.g., half, of the data to another SIC, which then does not require a separate direct connection to the TCON.
US09536493B2 Display apparatus and method of controlling display apparatus
A display apparatus and a method of controlling the display apparatus are provided. The method includes detecting a user when the display apparatus keeps a standby mode, in response to the detecting of the user, activating an area of a display unit to display at least one object, and in response to selection of one of the at least one object, controlling the display apparatus according to the selected object.
US09536490B2 Display device, display panel and driving method thereof which include applying different common voltages
The present invention provides a display panel and driving method thereof, and display device. The display panel includes an array substrate and a color filter substrate, disposed oppositely; the array substrate comprising a plurality of scan lines, disposed at intervals; a plurality of data line, disposed at intervals, and crossing over and isolated from the scan lines; and a plurality of pixel units, arranged in a matrix form, and driven by the scan lines and data lines; each of the pixel units further divided into at least two active areas; the color filter substrate includes at least two common electrodes, disposed correspondingly to the active areas, the at least two common electrodes applying common voltages independently. The present invention can eliminate the non-uniform luminance problem in display images and improve the display quality.
US09536489B2 Liquid crystal display
The exemplary embodiment relates to a liquid crystal display device. The liquid crystal display according to the exemplary embodiment includes: a liquid crystal display panel on which a plurality of data lines cross a plurality of gate lines, wherein each data line and each gate line is connected to a thin film transistor; a source drive IC supplying data voltages to the data lines; a gate drive IC supplying gate pulses to the gate lines; a system board equipped with a scaler that transmits data from the scaler through an interface that comprises 4-pair of data transmitting lines; and a control board equipped with a timing controller that receives the data through the interface and supplies the data to the source drive IC and controls the operating timing of the source drive IC and the gate drive IC.
US09536487B2 Semiconductor device, display device, and signal loading method
A drive IC, a display device and a loading method enable signals of different differential formats to be loaded without resulting in circuit redundancy. A drive IC includes an input section, a holding section, a selection section, and an output section. The input section includes a first input circuit and a second input circuit. When data of RSDS format is loaded, a selection section selects for output to the output section data held in a holding section that temporarily stores data output from the input section. When mini-LVDS format data is loaded, the selection section selects the data output from the input section for output to the output section. When the mini-LVDS data is loaded, a switch switches the output destination of the output section, such that data is rearranged in the desired sequence and externally output.
US09536483B2 Display having shared drain structure
A display includes a source driver, a demultiplexer, a first data line, a second data line, a first pixel and a second pixel. The demultiplexer includes a first pixel signal transmission unit and a second pixel signal transmission unit. The first pixel signal transmission unit includes a first sub-pixel signal transmission unit, a second sub-pixel signal transmission unit and a third sub-pixel signal transmission unit. The first sub-pixel signal transmission unit and the second sub-pixel signal transmission unit share a drain. A second pixel signal transmission unit next to the first pixel signal transmission unit includes a fourth sub-pixel signal transmission unit, a fifth sub-pixel signal transmission unit and a sixth sub-pixel signal transmission unit. The fourth sub-pixel signal transmission unit and the fifth sub-pixel signal transmission unit share another drain.
US09536482B2 Display device and driving module thereof
A display device with a plurality of sub-pixel groups is disclosed. Each of the sub-pixel groups comprises a first sub-pixel, located at a first column; a second sub-pixel, located at a second column adjacent to the first column; a third sub-pixel, located at a third column adjacent to the second column; a fourth sub-pixel, located at a fourth column adjacent to the third column; and a fifth sub-pixel, located at the fourth column; wherein the row of the second sub-pixel overlaps the row of the first sub-pixel; wherein the row of the third sub-pixel overlaps the row of the first sub-pixel; wherein the row of at least one of the fourth sub-pixel and the fifth sub-pixel overlaps the row of the first sub-pixel; wherein a sum of the heights of the fourth sub-pixel and the fifth sub-pixel is smaller than or equal to the height of the first sub-pixel.
US09536477B2 Display control device and recording medium
There is provided a display control device including a determination unit configured to determine a type of input information, and a display controller configured to switch modes of a display unit capable of being switched to a mirror surface mode and a display mode in accordance with a result of determination by the determination unit.
US09536475B2 Display device having improved image realization and driving method thereof
A display device includes first pixels emitting light in a first field and second pixels emitting light in a second field. The first field includes a first compensation period during which threshold voltages of driving transistors of the first pixels are concurrently compensated, a first scan period during which scan signals corresponding to the first pixels are sequentially transmitted and corresponding data signals are programmed, and first light emission periods during which the first pixels concurrently emit light according to the data signals. The second field includes a second compensation period during which threshold voltages of driving transistors of the second pixels are concurrently compensated, a second scan period during which scan signals corresponding to the second pixels are sequentially transmitted and corresponding data signals are programmed, and second light emission periods during which the second pixels concurrently emit light according to the data signals.
US09536473B2 Display device and a method of manufacturing display device
Disclosed herein is a display device including: a pixel array portion; a drive portion; and a power source wiring; the pixel array portion, at least a part of the drive portion configured to drive the pixel array portion and the power source wiring are forming a panel, the pixel array portion including scanning lines disposed in rows, signal lines disposed in columns, and pixels disposed in matrix in portions where the scanning lines and the signal lines cross each other, respectively, the drive portion including a scanner portion configured to drive the pixels in a line-sequential manner through the scanning lines, and a signal portion configured to supply a video signal to each of the signal lines in correspondence to the line-sequential drive, so that an image is displayed on the pixel array portion.
US09536471B2 Display device and power consumption reduction method
The present invention relates to a display device and a method of operating the display device that reduces power consumption, the method including: operating the display device in a normal driving mode to display an image on a display panel according to an image data signal; operating the display device in a sleep mode, by adjusting a clock signal and an image data signal transmitted from a set controller to of the display device to a first voltage; measuring a sleep mode time period during which the display device operates in the sleep mode; and adjusting a register value of the set controller when the measured sleep mode time period exceeds a first reference time period and maintaining the clock signal at a second voltage according to the adjusted register value as a clock-off mode.
US09536470B2 Organic electroluminescence display device
An organic electroluminescence display device is provided in which circuit components can be installed at a high density and which can reduce power consumption. The organic electroluminescence display device of the present invention comprises a display part including a first display area including a plurality of first pixels and a second display area including a plurality of second pixels, and a switch unit formed from a plurality of transistors and switching between display in the first display area and display in the second display area. The switch unit does not drive the plurality of second pixels during a frame time period for driving the plurality of first pixels in the display part and drives the plurality of second pixels during a vertical retrace time period in which the plurality of first pixels are not driven in the display part.
US09536468B2 Display device
There is provided an active matrix EL display device that can display a clear multi gray-scale color display to reduce the shift in the potential caused by the potential drop due to the wiring resistance of a power source supply line, in order to decrease the unevenness in a display region. A plurality of drawing out ports of the power source supply line are arranged. Further, in the wiring resistance between the external input terminal and the pixel portion power source supply line, potential compensation is performed by supplying potential to the power source supply line by a feedback amplifier. Further, in addition to above structure, the power source supply line may be arranged in a matrix.
US09536466B2 Shift register unit, gate driving circuit and display panel
This disclosure provides a shift register unit comprising an access control module and a shift register module. The access control module is used for controlling access of an input signal and a reset signal. The shift register module is used for outputting the accessed input signal or reset signal under the driving of a clock signal. The access control module comprises a depletion field effect transistor. The shift register unit further comprises a connection control module arranged between the access control module and the shift register module for blocking the connection between the access control module and the shift register module when the shift register module performs outputting. By means of the design of the connection control module in this disclosure, when the shift register unit performs outputting, its high potential leakage path is blocked, so as to reduce the leakage current greatly, and ensure normal output of the shift register unit. This disclosure further provides a gate driving circuit comprising the shift register unit and a display panel comprising the gate driving circuit.
US09536465B2 Re-interpolation with edge detection for extracting an aging pattern for AMOLED displays
A method that includes an initial uniform pixel measurement and interpolation followed by an edge detection algorithm to recognize the areas that contribute mostly to the estimation error due to the interpolation. The pixels on the detected edges and around their vicinity are also measured, and an aging pattern of the entire display is obtained by re-interpolating the entire measured set of data for the initially measured pixels as well as the pixels around the detected edges. The estimation error is reduced particularly in the presence of aging patterns having highly spatially correlated areas with distinctive edges.
US09536464B2 Display panel and display method thereof, and display device
The present invention provides a display panel and a display method thereof, and a display device. The display panel comprises a plurality of sub-pixel arrays, each sub-pixel array is composed of eight sub-pixels arranged in two rows and four columns. In each sub-pixel array, four sub-pixels in a same row include three color sub-pixels and one compensation sub-pixel, the three color sub-pixels include one red sub-pixel, one green sub-pixel and one blue sub-pixel, colors of two sub-pixels in a same column are different from each other. The display method comprises: causing a plurality of color sub-pixels with the same color near a sub-pixel position to display, so that the required color component is displayed at the sub-pixel position under an average effect of the color sub-pixels with the same color; and performing display compensation on a sub-pixel position by using a plurality of compensation sub-pixels near the sub-pixel position.
US09536460B2 Display systems with compensation for line propagation delay
A method for characterizing and eliminating the effect of propagation delay on data and monitor lines of AMOLED panels is introduced. A similar technique may be utilized to cancel the effect of incomplete settling of select lines that control the write and read switches of pixels on a row.
US09536458B2 Display apparatus to be carried above a wearer's head
A wearable display apparatus comprises a support structure for supporting a display (6), in use, above a wearer's (2) head; and a weight-bearing torso support for supporting the support structure, the torso support being arranged to extend, in use, around the wearer's torso below the level of the wearer's arms. The support structure comprises a yoke (12) arranged to sit on the wearer's shoulders; and at least one support member extending from the display to the wearer's shoulders and from there to the torso support. Where it extends over the wearer's shoulders, the support member bears on the yoke to distribute the weight of the apparatus between the yoke and the torso support.
US09536457B2 Installation kit and method of using same for sign construction with sectional sign assemblies
A method of converting an existing signage mounting structure to an electronic sign comprises using an installation kit for providing and installing at least one section sign assembly, loaded with a plurality of display modules and having a power routing system with a plurality of individual power extensions extending from a single node to a plurality of display module receiving bays node receptacles, wherein passageway openings at a rear portion of the at least one sectional sign assembly facilitate replacement of individual ones of said plurality of display modules from a rear side of the sign construction, and coupling said single node to a source of power for completing the conversion.
US09536453B2 Computer-implemented communication assistant for the hearing-impaired
Computing systems are provided for facilitating communication to the hearing-impaired. The computing systems obtain and modify a video that includes a signer performing sign language about a topic. The video is then modified and presented to a viewer in such a way that the viewer can simultaneously view the sign language and the one or more objects corresponding to the topic. In some instances, the modified video is blended with another video corresponding to the same topic so as to enable a user to view the sign language at the same time as the corresponding video presentation. This can be done in real-time or with a time delay. In other instances, the modified video is rendered on a display through which the user is also viewing the one or more related items associated with the sign language.
US09536449B2 Smart watch and food utensil for monitoring food consumption
This invention is a device and system for monitoring a person's food consumption comprising: a wearable sensor that automatically collects data to detect eating events; a smart food utensil, probe, or dish that collects data concerning the chemical composition of food which the person is prompted to use when an eating event is detected; and a data analysis component that analyzes chemical composition data to estimate the types and amounts of foods, ingredients, nutrients, and/or calories consumed by the person. In an example, the wearable sensor can be part of a smart watch or smart bracelet. In an example, the smart food utensil, probe, or dish can be a smart spoon with a chemical composition sensor. The integrated operation of the wearable sensor and the smart food utensil, probe, or dish disclosed in this invention offers accurate measurement of food consumption with low intrusion into the person's privacy.
US09536447B2 Playing aid for a stringed instrument
A playing aid for a stringed instrument comprises an alignment means arranged in use to be located on the neck of the instrument. The alignment means comprises a linear alignment element arranged in use to extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the neck of the instrument. The aid further comprises a glider comprising having a collar arranged to receive a part of the player's hand. The aid further comprises a coupling means arranged to couple the glider slid-ably to the linear alignment element of the alignment means.
US09536446B2 Motion simulation system controller and associated methods
A motion simulation system includes actuators having a planetary gearbox engaged with and driven by a servomotor engaged with a crank. A connector rod is engaged with the crank of each actuator, and engaged with a platform configured to attach to a vehicle. A control system is operable with each electric servo motor of each actuator for delivering control for providing a simulated motion to the top plate. Control data is sent to the servomotors using a msec data send and receive rate, with internal processing within the nano-second range. Such update rates coupled with a real time, dynamically responsive motion controller results in a desirably smooth and accurate simulator motion. The control system includes a washout filter for transforming input forces and rotational movements. One to six degrees of freedom systems having smooth performance with high payload capability are provided.
US09536443B2 Evaluating expert opinions in a question and answer system
An approach is provided for evaluating subject matter experts (SMEs) in a question and answering (QA) system. In the approach, a number of responses are received at the QA system with each of the responses being a response to a common question and each of the responses being received from a SME. One of the responses is selected with the selected response being from one of the SMEs that is being evaluated. The approach evaluates the selected response by comparing the selected response to the responses received from the other SMEs. Based on the evaluation, the approach updates a SME confidence score that corresponds to the selected SME.
US09536440B2 Question setting apparatus and method
A question setting apparatus is disclosed, including a processor and a storage part. The storage part stores a problem database which maintains problem data including a problem and a correct answer and a student answer database which maintains answer data including an answer of a student for the problem and a correct/incorrect answer determination result for each of the students. The processor performs recording the answer data and the correct/incorrect answer determination result by using the problem database based on a correct answer of the problem, the answer data being received during a test from each of student terminals connected through a network; and sending a comment to the student terminals through the network in which during the test, an answer state of the students is determined by using the student answer database and the comment related to the problem is acquired from a teacher based on a determination result.
US09536439B1 Conveying questions with content
A service for conveying questions with an item of content is disclosed. The content question service may analyze a portion of an item of content, select a question task, and then generate a question about the portion of the item of content using the selected question task. The content question service may receive a user's response to the conveyed question, analyze the response, and track the user's skill level for the selected question task.
US09536436B2 Learning system and method that communicates messages amongst geographically dispersed students based on region profiles
A learning management system and method displays corresponding learning environments for delivery of instructional material to a plurality of geographically dispersed remote student workstations located in a plurality of regions after the learning system authenticates a corresponding plurality of students at the plurality of geographically dispersed remote student workstations. Each learning environment displays a user interface on a respective remote student workstation located in one region of the plurality of regions. At least one region profile stores information specifying a rule associated with communication of information between a first region and another second region. Messages are communicated amongst the geographically dispersed remote student workstations located in the plurality of regions in accordance with the region profile.
US09536433B2 Method and device for determining the optimal turn direction of an aircraft
A method determines the optimal turn direction of an aircraft among two directions, right and left, following a lateral trajectory to join an arrival straight charted by an angle of arrival, based on a departure point and angle of departure defining a departure straight oriented along movement of the aircraft, the direction defined by a respectively positive or negative optimal turn sign, comprising: determining a conventional departure sign of the departure point; determining a center value of an angle of change of course equal to the difference between the angle of arrival and angle of departure referred back between −180° and +180°, the center value exhibiting a logical sign corresponding to the center value sign of the angle of change of course; determining the sign of the optimal turn based on comparison between the departure sign and the logical sign, the sign of the optimal turn defining optimal turn direction.
US09536432B2 Method and device for displaying the limits of flight margins for an aircraft
A method of displaying, for a system for anti-collision monitoring of an aircraft, the limits of flight margins in relation to obstructions located in a flight zone, and a device for displaying the limits of operational flight margins and the limits of alert zones, is provided. The operational flight margins in the flight zones not initially envisaged, and the limits of the alert zones around the trajectory of the aircraft, are presented.
US09536426B2 Systems and methods for determining a speed limit violation
Systems and methods to determine a speed limit violation by a vehicle. A locator device coupled to the vehicle receives GPS location coordinates from a satellite. The systems and methods determine the speed of the vehicle using the received coordinates or the functions of an engine control module. The speed limit of the segment of roadway on which the vehicle is traveling is identified based on the coordinates, and the vehicle speed is compared to the speed limit to determine whether the vehicle is violating the speed limit for the segment of roadway. The systems and methods alert any interested parties, such as the vehicle driver or a fleet manager, of the speed limit violation.
US09536425B1 System and method for providing traffic congestion relief using dynamic lighted road lane markings
A system and method for providing increased traffic carrying capacity of a road, such as a highway, by modifying an existing roadway from, for example, four lanes to five lanes, to create an additional travel lane. The system and method dynamically changes the width of travel lanes using, for example, embedded pavement lights, or other lighting arrangements, in lieu of traditional painted lane lines. As traffic volumes increase and speeds decrease along the road, an intelligent transport system (ITS) sends a congestion signal to the overhead lane controls and dynamic message signs (DMS) along the entire road segment of interest. The posted speed limits are changed, and the lane markings are controlled to dynamically increase the number of lanes in the road segment to five, for example, of narrower widths until traffic volumes reduce and the number of lanes can be returned to four, for example, with normal speed limits.
US09536423B2 Fiber optic telemetry for switched-mode current-source amplifier in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Example systems, apparatus, circuits, and other embodiments described herein concern acquiring telemetry data from an MR system and providing the telemetry data via fiber optic cable. One example apparatus includes a telemetry signal acquisition element (e.g., circuit, circuit component) that is configured to acquire a telemetry signal from a component in the MR apparatus. The component may be, for example, a transmit coil or an on-coil amplifier. The example apparatus also includes a fiber optic cable that is configured to carry an output signal from the MR apparatus through a field produced by the MR apparatus. The example apparatus also includes a telemetry signal output element that is configured to produce the output signal from the telemetry signal and to transmit the output signal via the fiber optic cable.
US09536422B2 Remote control system
Provided is a remote control system with which leakage current flowing in a switch can be reduced so that power consumption can be reduced. The remote control system includes a portable information terminal, a server, and an electric device. The on/off of the switch included in the electric device is controlled using information transmitted from the portable information terminal to the server. The switch includes a transistor formed using a semiconductor whose band gap is larger than that of single crystal silicon in a channel formation region.
US09536420B2 Apparatus and method of performing customer-designated action based on power event
A power grid event detection apparatus includes an event detection unit to detect a location of an event in a power grid, a customer location unit to determine a location of interest to an interested party, and a rule application unit to determine whether to perform an action designated by the interested party at least when the location of the event corresponds to the location of interest to the interested party.
US09536416B2 Reminder apparatus and method for items left in a vehicle
A vehicle has an interior antenna for detecting transmissions from a keyless entry device (KED) and/or a radio frequency device (RFD) associated with a portable item when inside the vehicle, and an exterior antenna for detecting transmissions from the KED and/or the RFD when outside the vehicle. A processor receives determines, based on transmissions received by the interior and exterior antennas, passing of the KED from inside to outside the vehicle, and generates an alert if the interior antenna detects the RFD remaining inside the vehicle after said passing. The processor may further determine passing of the RFD from outside to inside the vehicle based upon detection by the exterior antenna of transmissions indicating the RFD is outside the vehicle, and subsequent detection by the interior antenna of transmissions from the RFD indicating it is inside the vehicle.
US09536415B2 Non-contact noise attenuation water flow system and method for detecting washing compliance
A low cost solution for detecting the flow of water in a sink using a non-contact vibration sensor coupled with a computer vision system and a passive switched RFID tag that becomes active upon detection of water flow. In some embodiments, the water flow forms an active antennae system for the RFID tag. The sensor comprises a piezo electric film attached at the underside of a water receptacle, for example, a sink so as to collect the sound generated by water splashing or hitting the sink and a vision system using active detection techniques.
US09536413B2 Verifying and monitoring stove operation
A method for an apparatus to monitor an appliance includes receiving information about a translation of a control knob of the appliance along an axis and a rotation of the control knob around the axis, determining if a first event has occurred based on the information, and, when the first event has occurred, starting a timer and determining if a second event has occurred based on the information before the timer reaches a time interval. The method further includes, when the second event does not occur before the timer reaches the time interval, triggering an alert.
US09536404B2 Bottle fraud detection system and method
A bottle fraud system and method encapsulates a wireless communication tag into a bottle to ensure the authenticity of the bottle. The tag stores information about the bottle. The tag is physically integrated into a bottle stopper through encapsulation by multiple layers of a polymer film and a wax composition. The physical condition to the bottle stopper or the layers serves as an indication of whether tampering has occurred. The information in the tag is accessible through a reading device. The reading device communicates with a database that stores information about the bottle and analyzes the probability of fraud with an algorithm. The algorithm analyzes the information about the bottle, such as shipping history, contents and location, to predict whether fraud is likely. Thus, both the physical condition of the bottle, and the predictive capacity of the algorithm help detect fraud on the bottle.
US09536399B2 Power management for an automated banking machine
An automatic banking machine operates responsive to data read from data bearing records corresponding to authorized user or financial account data. The machine includes a card reader for reading data from user cards. The automated banking machine causes financial transfers related to financial accounts that correspond to data read from user cards. The automated banking machine also includes devices that control the supply of power to included devices to avoid exceeding power supply capacity.
US09536398B2 Apparatus and method for playing poker-style games involving a draw
An apparatus and method for enhancing participation in gaming activities that involve replacement items, replacement cards, or other draw-type activity. A player is allowed to hold cards (or other items) of a starting hand/payline. Multiple sets of potential replacement cards are provided, from which the player can select the desired set of replacement cards. The selected set of replacement cards is used to complete the player's hand. Multiple hands may be played concurrently.
US09536395B2 System and method for providing a baccarat game based on financial market indicators
A system comprises a client operable to communicate a bet regarding a baccarat game. The system further comprises a controller communicably coupled to the client and operable to determine a result of the baccarat game, the result based at least in part upon one or more digits of at least one financial market indicator at a configurable point in time. The controller is further operable to determine an outcome of the bet based at least in part on the determined result.
US09536393B2 Gaming system with elimination feature
A method is described for running a feature on a gaming system comprising a plurality of gaming consoles linked by a communication network. The method comprises running at least one elimination round of the feature. A set of participating gaming consoles are determined for the elimination round and a group of options is displayed on the participating gaming consoles. Selections of options from the group are entered by players at the participating gaming consoles and a winning option is displayed from the group of options. Consoles are eliminated from the set of participating consoles unless the winning option was selected at the respective console; and further elimination rounds are commenced unless termination criteria are met. A flashing sequence of lights and sounds may be exhibited to reveal the winning option.
US09536392B1 Bingo game system and method
A bingo system having individual bingo player terminals on which players purchase bingo cards at varying costs and play bingo, coupled to backend computer systems called bingo game managers (BGMs). The BGMs manage bingo game play in two modes, banked and non-banked. Non-banked mode forms bingo games from requests at the same wager level, and forms bingo sessions from bingo games where a bingo session uses a single bingo ball draw. Each wager level has at least one prize pool associated with it; each prize pool is constructed such that it guarantees a given percentage hold to an operator and further enables realistic mimicking of highly complex games such as 5-reel 9-payline slots for use in post-bingo-play displays. Banked mode uses no pools; bingo prizes are generated using an RNG and game template or paytable.
US09536391B2 Award indicator for economic gaming activity
A system and method obtains random award-content information on an economic entity associated with a gaming establishment. The system has an award identifier selected from the group consisting of an article or purchase receipt intimately associated with an electromagnetically functional such as a hand-held information receiving and transmission device that can interrogate the award identifier. The award identifier contains communicable information relating to a random value that can be used for wagering credit in the gaming establishment. A distal server is in wireless two-way communication with the intermediate system entry device, the distal server capable of receiving, storing and transmitting information from the award identifier transmitted through the intermediate system entry device. Information specific to at least available gaming value available through the intermediate system entry device is identified only after communication has been first established between the intermediate system entry device and the server.
US09536384B2 Methods and systems for determining and selling wagering game outcomes to be viewed remotely
In accordance with some embodiments, a plurality of outcomes are generated and used to create a video presentation of representative outcomes. The video presentation is recorded onto a tangible medium (e.g., DVD or CD-ROM) or otherwise provided to a player (e.g., player may access the video presentation online). This allows a player to purchase a video presentation of (e.g., predetermined) outcomes in a jurisdiction in which gambling is legal yet view the presentation at the player's convenience (e.g., from any jurisdiction and at any time). A player who purchases such a video presentation may subsequently redeem it for a redemption value associated therewith.
US09536382B2 Gaming system and method for providing team play
A gaming system where in one embodiment, as players play the primary games of the gaming devices, players are enabled to join one of a plurality of teams associated with a secondary team game. Each of the teams includes a plurality of players. The gaming system periodically monitors at least one factor or parameter of each player's gaming activity to determine a score for that player. In one embodiment, the scores for each of the players on each team are accumulated to determine that team's cumulative score. If a team's cumulative score reaches a winning value, the gaming system provides a prize to one or more of the players on that team. The gaming system enables players to switch from one team to another in attempt to be on a particular team when that team's cumulative score reaches a winning value.
US09536380B2 System and method for facilitating trades for bonus activity in gaming systems
A system and method for allowing gaming device participants to effect trades of player assets for improved odds of attaining gaming bonus events. A player engages in play of a gaming activity, such as a slot game, which includes a standard mode of play and a bonus mode of play. Player assets are traded for an increased probability of attaining a bonus event associated with the bonus mode. A trade amount is surrendered by the player as part of the trade, and the probability of the player attaining the bonus event increased, thereby allowing the player to engage in bonus activity sooner, more frequently, or when otherwise less available to the player.
US09536377B2 Removable module and adapter for electronic gaming machine and associated methods
An electronic gaming machine has memory components configured for easy removal during programming or validation procedures. A module may carry first and second memory devices on a module board having a module connector configured to removably attach to a baseboard carrying a processor. Accordingly, multiple memory devices may be removed and reinstalled together as a unit. An adapter may be provided to allow connection of the module to an interface device having a standard interface connector. The module may also provide status information regarding the execution of code stored on one or more of the memory devices.
US09536375B2 User interface manager for a skill wagering interleaved game
Systems for a networked gaming system are disclosed, including an entertainment game controller connected to a game world controller, and constructed to: communicate game world information; receive a request to aggregate information; aggregate game world information, encode and associate it with a transaction identifier; receive a gambling outcome; display gambling outcome; a real world controller connected to the game world controller, and constructed to: receive a wager request; determine gambling outcome; communicate gambling outcome; the game world controller connected to the entertainment game controller and to the real world controller, and constructed to: receive game world information; determine whether or not to generate an aggregation request; generate an aggregation request; communicate plurality of transaction identifiers; receive game world information and transaction identifier; determine whether the transaction identifier is valid; disaggregate game world information, communicate wager request; receive gambling outcome; and communicate gambling outcome.
US09536371B2 Gaming system and a method of gaming
Gaming systems and methods are disclosed. An example gaming system includes a symbol selector arranged to select a plurality of symbols for display at a plurality of display positions, one or more of the display positions including at least two symbols, and an outcome evaluator arranged to determine whether symbol combinations defined by the displayed symbols correspond to one or more winning outcomes. Each symbol combination includes one symbol from each display position used to form the symbol combination.
US09536370B2 Electronic parking meter mechanism with wireless communication antenna
An electronic single-space parking meter mechanism is provided. The electronic single-space parking meter mechanism includes an inner housing having a front side and a rear side. The meter mechanism includes wireless communications hardware including an antenna. The meter mechanism includes a payment reader supported by the inner housing and an electronic display screen supported by the inner housing. At least a portion of the antenna is located above at least a portion of the electronic display screen.
US09536364B2 Vehicle integration of BLE nodes to enable passive entry and passive start features
A system and method for employing BLE nodes in a PEPS system to determine whether a FOB is within or outside of a vehicle. The method includes interrogating the FOB using a signal transmitted by a BLE device on the vehicle to determine whether the FOB is in a predetermined vicinity of the vehicle and receiving a Bluetooth signal at the BLE device that is transmitted by the FOB if the FOB is in the vicinity of the vehicle. The method also included determining a transmit power of the Bluetooth signal transmitted by the FOB and determining a receive power of the Bluetooth signal transmitted by the FOB and received by the BLE device. The method uses the transmit power and the receive power in a comparison process to determine whether the FOB is inside or outside of the vehicle.
US09536362B2 Polarized images for security
One embodiment may take the form of a method for providing security for access to a goal including storing a first image and receiving a second image comprising polarized data. The method also includes comparing the first image with the second image to determine if the first image and the second image are substantially the same. In the event the first and second images are not substantially the same, the method includes denying access to the goal. In the event the first and second images are substantially the same, the method includes determining, utilizing the polarized information, if the second image is of a three-dimensional object. Further, in the event the second image is not of a three-dimensional object, the method includes denying access to the goal and, in the event the second image is of a three-dimensional object, permitting access to the goal.
US09536358B2 Method and a device for determining and optimizing parameters that are characteristic of the operation of a rotary wing aircraft
A method of determining parameters that are characteristics of the operation of a vehicle having a power plant with at least one engine and mechanical transmission means, sensors, and display means. During the method, various items of information about the aircraft, its state and/or its operation and/or its environment are measured, and then, for at least one parameter Pi relating to the state and the operation of the aircraft there are determined a first limit value Pi_lim for the parameter Pi, a second value Pi_X for each parameter Pi to enable the aircraft to perform a predetermined maneuver X, and an instantaneous third value Pi_inst for each parameter Pi. Thereafter, each first, second, and third values Pi_lim, Pi_X, Pi_inst is displayed simultaneously in order to show up the relative position of second and third values Pi_X and Pi_inst relative to a first value Pi_lim for each parameter Pi.
US09536357B2 Door monitoring system
A door assembly includes a first door skin and a second door skin spaced apart from the first door skin. The assembly also includes an energy sensor generating an energy signature signal and a memory storing a door component operating signature. A controller is coupled to the accelerometer and forms a comparison of the energy signature signal to the door component operating signature and generates a door component operation status signal in response to the comparison.
US09536356B2 Methods and systems for using multiple permanent postage rates in mailing machines
A mailing machine that provides for permanent postage is described. Postage may be purchased at one point of time at a then prevailing rate and used in the future at the same effective purchasing power even if a new more expensive rate schedule is in effect. The mailing machine provides for the accounting of such rate purchased postage using a Postal Security Device and may include multiple rate-table based accounts each associated with a particular postage rate table.
US09536351B1 Third person view augmented reality
In one embodiment, a panoramic camera captures a panorama of the physical environment visible from a position within the physical environment. An orientation sensor determines an orientation of a handheld device. Based on the orientation of the handheld device, a backend augmentation application selects a portion of the captured panorama visible in a corresponding orientation from the position to produce a view of the physical environment. The view of the physical environment shows physical features of the physical environment and at least a portion of the user's body. The backend augmentation application augments the view of the physical environment to merge computer-generated features with the view of the physical environment to create an augmented reality view. The augmented reality view shows a relationship between the portion of the user's body, the physical features, and the computer-generated features. The augmented reality view is displayed on the handheld device.
US09536347B2 Apparatus and method for forming light field image
An apparatus and method for forming a light field image includes projecting vertices of a graphic object to a far plane corresponding to a first distance directed to a screen reproducing a light field, and forming the light field image with respect to the graphic object using the vertices projected to the far plane.
US09536345B2 Apparatus for enhancement of 3-D images using depth mapping and light source synthesis
An apparatus for enhancing a 3-D image illuminated by a light source and having associated depth and texture information includes generating from the depth information a surface mesh having surface mesh sections. Texture sections corresponding to the surface mesh sections are determined from the texture information. The texture sections are ranked based upon their color intensity, and the characteristics of one or more light sources are adjusted to alter the color intensity of the ranked texture sections to thereby produce an enhanced image.
US09536344B1 Automatic decoration of a three-dimensional model
A method and apparatus for automatically decorating a three-dimensional model is disclosed. The method may include receiving an image file from a user. The image file is to decorate a surface of a three-dimensional model upon display of the three-dimensional model in a simulated three-dimensional world. The method may also include automatically formatting the image file for display on the three-dimensional model in response to receiving the image file, and storing the formatted image file in a database.
US09536342B2 Automatic partitioning techniques for multi-phase pixel shading
Automatic partitioning techniques for multi-phase pixel shading are described. In an example embodiment, an apparatus may comprise logic, at least a portion of which is in hardware, the logic to determine one or more respective suitability metrics for each of one or more candidate partitioning policies for a set of pixel shader inputs for a graphics frame, each candidate partitioning policy comprising one or more rules for partitioning the set of pixel shader inputs for multi-phase pixel shading based on quality sensitivity values for the pixel shader inputs, select a partitioning policy for the set of pixel shader inputs from among the one or more candidate partitioning policies based on the determined suitability metrics, and construct a multi-phase pixel shader for the graphics frame by partitioning the set of pixel shader inputs into multiple classes according to the selected partitioning policy. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US09536340B2 Software incorporating efficient 3-D rendering
Design software in accordance with an implementation of the present invention is configured to provide believable three-dimensional representations of user selections in real-time. Design elements that would otherwise be difficult to efficiently render three-dimensionally in real-time are prerendered for realistic visual effects, such as realistic shading, which correspond to various positions of the elements in a design space. Blanks of the visual effects for each position are then stored in a data store for visual effects. At run time, data associated with user design choices, as well as the blanks for any corresponding design elements are fed in one implementation to peripheral processing hardware, such as a GPU, which sends the processed data to a display device. The user is therefore able to view complex visual data of certain design choices efficiently with added realism.
US09536331B2 Methods and apparatus for data visualization of hierarchical data structures
Methods and apparatuses for creating an output graphic using a processing device may include receiving one or more elements of a hierarchical data structure, wherein each of the one or more elements includes a value. In addition, the methods and apparatuses may include calculating a total value for the hierarchical data structure by adding the value from the one or more elements and creating relationships that associate the one more elements with the total value. The methods and apparatuses may also include generating a diagram to illustrate the total value and the relationships among the one or more elements and the total value and transmitting the diagram for presentation on a display.
US09536328B2 Method to optimize the visualization of a map's projection based on data and tasks
A method and system for generating a map using a computer is based on data and weighted factors to minimize corresponding projection distortions. The method and system includes determining visualization goals from analyzing a set of datasets for a map using the computer. A set of visualization characteristics are calculated for each dataset based on the visualization goals using the computer. The visualization characteristics are analyzed to weight factors for each of the datasets. Each of the weighted factors is adjusted based on the relevance of each of the datasets for visualization of the map. An aggregate vector of weighted factors is calculated based on all of the datasets, and the map for visualization is generated based on the aggregate vector of weighted factors.
US09536319B2 Motion analysis method, motion analysis display method, and motion analysis device
A motion analysis device has a determination unit which uses an output from an inertial sensor mounted on at least one of a subject and a tool operated by the subject, to determine a dominant hand of the subject in a swing. The determination unit can determine the dominant hand on the basis of the sign of angular velocity or acceleration from the inertial sensor. A calculation unit which calculates motion analysis information in a swing, using an output from the inertial sensor can add dominant hand information from the determination unit to the motion analysis information. The motion analysis device can include a coincidence determination unit which determines that a first subject and a second subject have different dominant hands, and an inverted image generation unit which inverts first motion analysis information in the case of no coincidence.
US09536313B2 Method and apparatus for direct detection, location, analysis, identification, and reporting of vegetation clearance violations
A method and system for processing digital image data taken from a three-dimensional topographic area including terrain and a right of way including a first and a second object to establish a clearance surface to define clearance violations within a boundary area. Waypoints are located to define a centerline and the boundary area to be analyzed. Vegetation coordinate points in the scene are determined from the digital image data. Ground coordinate points are determined from the digital image data. A clearance surface segment is constructed within the boundary area between the first and second object. The clearance surface is determined from the location of the first and second object and clearance criteria. The clearance surface is used to define a violation region.
US09536310B1 System for determining whether an individual suffers a fall requiring assistance
A system and method for monitoring an individual in a dwelling so as to know when such individual falls or indicates the need of assistance. A plurality of 3D motion and sound sensors are located in the dwelling and provide data to a computerized monitoring system. The sensors are configured to recognize one or more biometric identifiers of the individual being monitored. When the monitoring system detects that the individual has fallen or gestured, a computerized communication system contacts the individual to determine the need to send assistance to help the individual. Where assistance is required the system automatics contacts the previously designated caregiver for the individual and can also contact emergency personnel.
US09536302B2 Image processing apparatus, X-ray radiographic apparatus, and image processing method
An image processing apparatus has an extraction unit, a base calculation unit, a recommended-region calculation unit and a display unit. The extraction unit extracts a region including a branch artery of a subject based on volume data. The base calculation unit calculates a base of the branch artery based on the region including the branch artery. The recommended-region calculation unit calculates a recommended region for placing a balloon of a balloon catheter based on the volume data and the base. The display unit aligns and displays the recommended region on a basic image.
US09536300B2 Image processing method, image processing system, and storage medium storing image processing program
An image processing method in an observation system 1A includes a step of acquiring a measured image G1 measured from a semiconductor device S and a first pattern image G2 showing a pattern of the semiconductor device S corresponding to the measured image G1, a step of acquiring a second pattern image G3 showing a pattern of the semiconductor device S, a step of acquiring matching information indicating a correlation of the first pattern image G2 and the second pattern image G3 based on the first pattern image G2 and the second pattern image G3, and a step of superimposing the second pattern image G3 and the measured image G1 based on the matching information to acquire a superimposed image G4.
US09536296B2 Imaging for quality control in an electronic cigarette
Assembly and quality of an electronic cigarette (“e-Cig”) may be tested and verified using imaging techniques. Infrared (“IR”) imaging may identify whether a temperature is uniform in an e-Cig during usage. Potential burning locations may be identified through the imaging by identifying locations whose temperature is unusually high or non-uniform. This temperature information may be used to calibrate the power of the e-Cig.
US09536292B2 Imaging apparatus with scene adaptive auto exposure compensation
A method adjusts an auto exposure target in an auto-exposure operation on a sequence of images, such as a sequence of infrared images. The method comprises: obtaining a histogram of at least one of the images; applying a weighted histogram table to the histogram to obtain weighted histogram bins wherein at least some bins in the histogram containing saturated pixels are assigned a higher weighting value and at least some bins in the histogram containing unsaturated pixels are assigned a lower weighting value, and summing the weighted histogram bins to obtain a saturation score and decreasing an auto exposure target for an auto exposure operation when the saturation score exceeds a first threshold value, and increasing the auto-exposure target when the saturation score is below the first threshold value and the image is underexposed.
US09536290B2 Tempered auto-adjusting, image-editing operation
Some embodiments provide a novel method for tempering an adjustment of an image to account for prior adjustments to the image. The adjustment in some embodiments is an automatic exposure adjustment. The method performs an operation for a first adjustment on a first set of parameters (e.g., saturation, sharpness, luminance). The method compares the first set of parameters to a second set of parameters to produce a third set of parameters that expresses the difference between the first adjustment and a second adjustment. The method performs a third operation to produce an adjusted image. The first set of parameters quantify a set of prior adjustments to the image by an image capturing device when the image was captured in some embodiments. The second set of parameters is a set of target parameters. The third set of parameters specify the tempered adjustment of the image.
US09536288B2 Creating details in an image with adaptive frequency lifting
Image details are created for an image. An image is processed to obtain image information. Detected texture samples are processed to obtain texture information. A processor device is used for transforming received image information for obtaining frequency domain information. The texture information is used for determining a lifting factor. A frequency distribution is determined for the frequency domain information using the lifting factor for creating particular frequency. An inverse transformation is performed on an updated frequency distribution for creating output image blocks. The output image blocks are combined to create image details for a lifted image. The lifted image is mixed with the image.
US09536280B2 Transmitting apparatus, receiving apparatus, transmitting method, receiving method, and transmitting and receiving system
Provided is a transmitting apparatus including an image obtaining unit configured to obtain image data having pixel information including color information and having a first resolution, an image conversion unit configured to delete the color information of at least a portion of pixels of the obtained image data, to rearrange the pixel information of a plurality of pixels, and to convert the image data having the first resolution into image data having a second resolution lower than the first resolution, and an output unit configured to output, to a transmitter, the image data whose resolution has been converted from the first resolution into the second resolution by the image conversion unit, the transmitter having a maximum resolution of image data which the transmitter is allowed to wirelessly transmit to a receiving apparatus, the maximum resolution being the second resolution.
US09536275B1 Using a geometry shader for variable input and output algorithms
A system and method uses the capabilities of a geometry shader unit within the multi-threaded graphics processor to implement algorithms with variable input and output.
US09536271B2 User-configurable indication device for use with an on-demand transport service
A system and method for configuring an indication device is described. An on-demand service system arranges a transport service for a user to be provided by a driver. The system determines whether the user has specified an output configuration for an indication device in an account of the user. In response to determining that the user has specified an output configuration for the indication device, the system identifies data corresponding to the output configuration and transmits the data to a driver device of the driver to enable the driver device to control the indication device of the driver based on the data.
US09536258B2 Systems and methods of processing information and data involving digital content, digital products and/or experiences
Systems and methods described herein relate to processing of information, data and database identifiers involving content and/or experiences. According to one exemplary implementation, an illustrative method of computerized information processing may involve handling and/or processing data regarding a product, where the product may be an experience, a physical product, and/or a digital product.
US09536257B2 Device and process for remote management of a network of audiovisual information reproduction systems
Management device for a network of audiovisual information reproduction systems or jukeboxes, including a database with a plurality of sets of arrays, each array containing grouped information either about the composition of a jukebox, or the use of the jukebox, or the payment of fees. The database is managed by a computer server connected with the audiovisual information reproduction systems to receive messages sent by each audiovisual information reproduction device and containing information necessary to update determined sets of arrays in the database, and update data or the program for each audiovisual information reproduction device with information stored in at least one set of arrays in the database and transmitted in this message.
US09536254B1 System and method for providing a vehicle condition report
A system and method for providing a current, standardized and comprehensive vehicle condition report while also creating lead generation data. Embodiments described herein can process vehicle information, vehicle appraisal, and computerized arrangements that enable shoppers to investigate, locate, specify, requisition, purchase, or otherwise exchange information concerning vehicles.
US09536243B2 Methods, systems, and computer readable media for facilitating in-store or near-store ordering and payment of goods and services through a single-tap of a near field communication (NFC) device
Methods, systems, and computer readable media for facilitating in-store or near-store ordering and payment of goods and/or services through a single tap of a near field communication (NFC) device are disclosed. In one embodiment, a system can include a smart poster locatable in an area that is accessible to a potential consumer of goods or services. The system can further include a mechanism in or on the smart poster for directing the NFC enabled device to access a portion of a merchant ordering and payment system specific to the good or service advertised by the smart poster. The system can further include a wallet application residing on the NFC enabled device that upon interfacing with the smart poster downloads, submits, and pays for an order of the good or service advertised by the smart poster via the single NFC tap.
US09536242B2 Printer credit management
A printer credit management method is disclosed, the method includes receiving a code at a printer. From the code, a printer identifier and a credit value are discerned. It is determined if the printer identifier corresponds to a unique identifier assigned to the printer. Only upon a positive determination, a credit balance maintained by the printer is updated to include the credit value.
US09536240B2 Secure cardless cash withdrawal
Methods, systems, and computer program products for secure cardless cash withdrawal are provided. A computer-implemented method may include identifying one or more cash machines near a computing device of a user, receiving a cash request from the computing device, generating a one-time authorization code on a secure server for the cash request when the computing device is detected by a sensor of a selected cash machine, providing the one-time authorization code to the computing device for display to the user when the computing device is detected within a distance allowing the user to operate the cash machine, validating a user-provided code received from the selected cash machine in view of the one-time authorization code, instructing the selected cash machine to distribute the requested cash when the user-provided code is validated, and invalidating the one-time authorization code when the cash request is completed.
US09536239B2 Transaction processing and remote activation
Embodiment of the invention extend to a device (which may be considered an asset which is purchased or which provides a service which may be purchased) which can be controlled through the use of a mobile communications device such as a cellular phone. The cellular phone is connected to a transaction processing system which allows the user to pay for the use of the device. The transaction processing system communicates with the device to allow usage of the device only if the user has successfully paid for such use. A further embodiment of the invention relates to collecting usage information of the device and collating this information at a location remote from the device.
US09536238B2 Hand-held electronics device for aggregation of and management of personal electronic data
A hand-held electronics device for aggregation of and management of personal electronic data useable for identification and, or transacting business includes a digital medium for storing data and software, a card reading/writing interface, a display screen, a biometric scanner, a user interface application stored on and executable from the digital medium and a docking bay for docking a readable and rewriteable internal card blank.
US09536237B2 Recipe suggestion apparatus and method
A computer-implemented method is disclosed for suggesting recipes. Within the method, one or more point-of-sale transactions may be conducted. The transactions may involve a computer system and a customer possessing a mobile computing device. The computer system may store receipt data documenting the transactions. The computer system may also receive a request from the mobile computing device for one or more recipes, analyze the receipt data to identify at least one of the food patterns and food preferences of the customer, and identify one or more recipes corresponding to at least one of the food patterns and food preferences. The computer system may then pass the one or more recipes to the mobile computing device.
US09536236B2 Computer-controlled, unattended, automated checkout store outlet and related method
A computer-controlled, automated checkout store outlet comprises at least one bay. A normally locked door is associated with each bay, and provides access to items within the bay by customers approved by a computer of the automated store outlet. At least one tray is disposed within at least one bay, and adapted to hold items to be stocked by the bay. A sensor system is configured to detect the removal of an item from the bay and identify the removed item, such as when a customer is removing the item for purchase.
US09536233B2 Purchasing a gift using a service provider network
A system facilitates a first user providing a second user with a gift through a service provider network. A first user may provide an asset such as a ring tone for use on the second user's mobile device. Alternatively, the first user may provide a monetary credit to the second user. Embodied systems are enabled for charging or billing an account associated with the first user and notifying the first user of a successful transaction including receipt or use of the gift. In some embodiments, a service delivery platform communicates with a unified storefront and a payment module for receiving and processing gift requests and payments. Gifts may be requested through an interface associated with the first user's IPTV set-top box. In addition, gifts may be presented to the second user by an interface associated with the second user's set-top box. The unified storefront allows access to gifting through mobile devices and other networked data processing systems in addition to set-top boxes.
US09536228B2 Contact management systems
An improved contact management system allows users to establish contact sharing relationships with one another and store updating contacting information for these users alongside static contact information for other users in personal, private data collections. The system may allow a user to specify various levels of information sharing and customize communication options by which other users may contact them. The system may provide seamless integration with legacy contact management and/or and communication systems.
US09536227B2 Restoring deleted items with context
Deleted property information relating to deleting an item, such as an electronic message, is used for restoring the deleted item. The deleted property information is stored in response to deleting the item. The stored deleted property information identifies a location of where the item was deleted from and may include other information. The location information may be a specific location such as a folder (e.g. inbox, sent, folder 1, . . . ), a calendar, a network location, and the like. In response to a request to restore a deleted item, the deleted property information is used to restore the deleted item to the location where the item was when deleted. A graphical user interface may be used to assist a user in restoring deleted items. The user interface may display a user friendly name (e.g. “Inbox”, “Folder 1”, . . . ) of where the deleted item(s) will be/have been restored.
US09536225B2 Aggregating business analytics architecture and configurator
A method and associated system for designing an architectural solution. Functional requirements and nonfunctional requirements are received. Responsive to receiving the functional requirements and nonfunctional requirements, first level outputs are produced. Further input is received through a guided questionnaire, wherein the guided questionnaire is based on the first level outputs. Responsive to receiving the further input, a list of client specific components and subcomponents, a client specific solution reference architecture, and a set of reference links are produced.
US09536223B2 Gathering, selecting and graphing n-grams
A user can designate a dataset and one or more n-grams in a graphical user interface displayed by a client computing device (“the client”). The client can send the designations to a server computing device (“the server”). The server can execute a query over the dataset based on the n-grams, and return statistics indicating occurrences of the n-grams in the dataset. The client can generate a graphical representation corresponding to the statistics. The user can select a portion of the graphical representation, which the client sends to the server. The server can respond with excerpts of documents corresponding to the selected portion and other n-grams within the documents. The client can then display a list of the excerpts and a list of other n-grams. The user can then perform further actions on the lists such as viewing the underlying documents or adding n-grams to the search query.
US09536221B2 System and method for adaptive matching of user profiles based on viewing and contact activity for social relationship services
A method and system which adaptively recommends potential relationships to individual users based on a set of items that are known to be of interest to the user, such as a set of potential matches previously messaged by the user. The system generates the adaptive recommendations using previously-generated user activity that indicates the user's preferences of particular attributes.
US09536220B2 Personnel cost planning
Computer-implemented prospective planning of personnel costs for an enterprise includes conducting planning preparation to plan the personnel costs, electronically collecting data relating to personnel costs, electronically performing a cost planning run, electronically conducting a detailed analysis of the results to revise and modify the collected data to produce updated results, and reporting the results of the cost planning run.
US09536219B2 System and method for calibration and mapping of real-time location data
A method of mapping the location of at least one object in three dimensional space, relative to an initial point in three dimensional space by an EIR terminal which contains a microprocessor, memory, a scanning device, a motion sensing device, and a communication interface. The method includes scanning a signal of decodable indicia located at a pre-defined area of a physical object, locating the decodable indicia within this signal, decoding the decodable indicia into a decoded message. The decoded message is an identifier for said physical object, which is then displayed. After receiving an interface command, the EIR terminal is placed in mechanical contact with the pre-defined area of the physical object and a first spatial position is stored as a point of origin in the EIR terminal.
US09536217B2 Object association using dynamic object location correlation
A method of object association is disclosed. The method includes receiving object location information for a first object, receiving object location information for a second object, determining an existence of a correlation between a varying position of the first object and a varying position of the second object over for a predetermined amount of time and dynamically associating the first object with the second object based on the correlation.
US09536215B2 Real-time and offline location tracking using passive RFID technologies
A system for location tracking using passive tags includes a reader and a location tracker. The reader receives an identifier associated with a first passive tag. The location tracker receives the location of the passive tag, and maps the location of the first passive tag to the identifier associated with the first passive tag. The location tracker determines the location of an object based on the location of the first passive tag. The location tracker may receive the location of a second passive tag, and map the location of the second passive tag to an identifier associated with the second passive tag. The location tracker may update the location of the object using the location of the second passive tag in response to the reader receiving the identifier associated with the second passive tag.
US09536210B2 Origin-destination estimation system for a transportation system
To determine origin-destination (OD) data for a transportation system, a processor may receiving passenger statistics collected from a set of data collection devices deployed throughout the transportation system. The processor developing a model representing passenger usage of a portion of the transportation system. The model comprises nodes that each represent a geographical area of the transportation network, and links that represent transportation routes that connect two nodes. The system determines link utilization rates for each of the links by applying the passenger statistics to the model, and it generates an observation report comprising an origin-destination matrix for at least the portion of the transportation system so that the origin-destination matrix comprises the determined link utilization rates.
US09536208B1 Kernel parameter selection in support vector data description for outlier identification
A computer-readable medium is configured to determine a support vector data description (SVDD). For each of a plurality of values for a kernel parameter, an optimal value of an objective function defined for an SVDD model using a kernel function, a read plurality of data points, and a respective value for the kernel parameter is computed to define a plurality of sets of support vectors. A plurality of first derivative values are computed for the objective function as a difference between the computed optimal values associated with successive values for the kernel parameter. A plurality of second derivative values are computed for the objective function as a difference between the computed plurality of first derivative values associated with successive values for the kernel parameter. A kernel parameter value is selected where the computed plurality of second derivative values first exceeds zero.
US09536207B2 Using data obtained from an online social network to optimize subscription offers
The disclosed embodiments relate to a system that uses data from an online social network to optimize subscription offers. During operation of the online social network, the system gathers data associated with subscription offers that were presented to members of the online social network, including information about which subscription offers were converted. Next, the system uses a machine-learning technique to train a model based on the gathered data. Finally, the system uses the trained model to select subscription offers to present to a member of the online social network.
US09536205B2 Adaptive control of hybrid ultracapacitor-battery storage system for photovoltaic output smoothing
A hybrid ultracapacitor-battery energy storage system is integrated with a photovoltaic system to help solve fluctuations. A fuzzy-logic-based adaptive power management system enables optimization of the power/energy distributions and a filter-based power coordination layer serving as a rudimentary step for power coordination among the hybrid storage system and a fuzzy-logic-based control adjustment layer that keeps monitoring the operation status of all the energy storage devices, taking into account their dynamic characteristics, and fine-tuning the control settings adaptively.
US09536202B2 Identifying geospatial patterns from device data
Determining geospatial patterns from device data collected from a plurality of computing devices. The devices represent, for example, a plurality of sources providing the device data. The device data describes the computing devices and/or environments thereof. Some embodiments present the determined patterns to users for editing, update maps with the edited patterns, and distribute the maps to the users. The maps are stored to create a searchable map library.
US09536199B1 Recommendations based on device usage
A method includes receiving, at a storage device, a plurality of data files that each have a file size, and are each associated a respective device that corresponds to one of a plurality of device types and defining device type pairs each including a first device and a second device having different device types. The method also includes determining, by one or more computing devices and for each device type pair, an engagement score based at least in part on the file sizes for the data files associated with the first device and the second device, wherein the engagement score represents a degree of usage of the first device concurrent with usage of the second device, and generating, by the one or more computing devices.
US09536194B2 Method and system for exploring the associations between drug side-effects and therapeutic indications
A system and method for analyzing chemical data including a processor and one or more classifiers, stored in memory and coupled to the processor, which further includes an indication predictive module configured to predict whether a given chemical treats a particular indication or not and a side effect predictive module configured to predict whether a given chemical causes a side-effect or not. A correlation engine is configured to determine one or more correlations between one or more indications and one or more side effects for the given chemical and a visualization tool is configured to analyze the one or more correlations and to output results of the analysis.
US09536186B2 Coded light pattern having hermitian symmetry
A method includes identifying one or more codewords of a bit sequence that fail to satisfy at least one codeword constraint. The method also includes removing the one or more codewords from the bit sequence to generate a punctured bit sequence. The method includes, in response to determining that the punctured bit sequence is symmetric, generating a hermitian symmetric codebook primitive based at least in part on the punctured bit sequence, where the hermitian symmetric codebook primitive is useable to form a diffractive optical element (DOE) of a structured light depth sensing system.
US09536183B2 Image processing device and image processing method
An image forming device includes: a rasterizing section, a resolution converting section and a thinning section. The rasterizing section generates, by rasterization, image data having any one of standard resolution, resolution higher than the standard resolution and resolution lower than the standard resolution. The resolution converting section converts the resolution upon rasterization for the generated image data having the higher or lower resolution than the standard resolution into the standard resolution. The thinning section thins the image data having the standard resolution. When thinning the image data of which the resolution is converted higher than upon rasterization in the resolution converting section, the thinning section adjusts thinning strength to become larger upon thinning than when thinning the image data of which the resolution upon rasterization is kept as it is.
US09536181B2 Printing apparatus, control method thereof, and storage medium storing program
This invention relates to a printing apparatus and control method thereof. In the printing apparatus and control method thereof, an image is input, and an envelope is conveyed so that the long edge of the envelope serves as the leading end in the conveyance direction. When the envelope is conveyed so that the long edge of the envelope serves as the leading end in the conveyance direction, it is controlled to shift the image by a set offset amount to be used to print an image on an envelope, and print the image on the envelope.
US09536174B2 Fault-aware matched filter and optical flow
In one embodiment, a fault-aware matched filter augments the output of a component matched filter to provide both fault-aware matched filter output and a measure of confidence in the accuracy of the fault-aware matched filter output. In another embodiment, an optical flow engine derives, from a plurality of images, both optical flow output and a measure of confidence in the optical flow output. The measure of confidence may be derived using a fault-aware matched filter.
US09536173B2 Method and device for image-based visibility range estimation
A method for image-based visibility range estimation for a vehicle includes: ascertaining a depiction of an object of the surroundings in an image of an image detection device of the vehicle, the object having an extension in the direction of travel of the vehicle, the image showing a depiction of surroundings ahead of the vehicle; segmenting the depiction of the object in order to obtain first and second object ranges of the object having respective first and second distances to the image detection device within respective tolerance ranges; determining a first object luminance of the first object range and a second object luminance of the second object range; and determining an atmospheric extinction coefficient correlated to the visibility range, using the first and second object luminances, and the first and second distances.
US09536171B2 Logo detection by edge matching
To detect the presence of a logo in a search image, the positions of edges, in an image of the logo and in the search image, are represented by ratios of distances between the respective edge and a plurality of preceding edges. This can be carried out both horizontally and vertically. A sequence of edges at a selected position in the logo image is then compared with sequences of edges from a plurality of positions in the search image, and the position of the logo in the search image is determined from the position of a match between the respective sequences of edges.
US09536165B2 Flash characterization for camera
A method (100) is provided for characterizing a functionality of a flash (14) from at least one image (200) captured with a camera (12) using the flash (14). The method (100) includes: analyzing the image (200) by segmenting (106) the image (200) into at least one sub-region (206, 208), and applying a metric (108) to the sub-region (206, 208) to measure an image property within the sub-region (206, 208); and determining (110) the functionality of the flash (14) in response to a result of the applied metric.
US09536162B2 Method for detecting an invisible mark on a card
The present invention relates to a method for detecting a mark that is invisible in the visible light region. Here, the invisible mark is displayed on a card using a characteristic according to which the color of light is changed by means of a refractive index difference according to media in the visible light region. According to the method for detecting the invisible mark, it may be quickly determined whether the card is a counterfeit card in an investigation. In addition, since it is unnecessary to repeatedly inspect the card to be checked using various wavelengths, the time required for determining whether the card is a counterfeit card may be reduced.
US09536160B2 Extracting card data with card models
Embodiments herein provide computer-implemented techniques for allowing a user computing device to extract financial card information using optical character recognition (“OCR”). Extracting financial card information may be improved by applying various classifiers and other transformations to the image data. For example, applying a linear classifier to the image to determine digit locations before applying the OCR algorithm allows the user computing device to use less processing capacity to extract accurate card data. The OCR application may train a classifier to use the wear patterns of a card to improve OCR algorithm performance. The OCR application may apply a linear classifier and then a nonlinear classifier to improve the performance and the accuracy of the OCR algorithm. The OCR application uses the known digit patterns used by typical credit and debit cards to improve the accuracy of the OCR algorithm.
US09536159B2 Smart glasses and method for recognizing and prompting face using smart glasses
Smart glasses and a method for recognizing and prompting a face are provided. The smart glasses store a database recording a plurality of profile information and business card information thereof. In the method, an image located in the field of view of the smart glasses is captured by an image capturing unit and at least one face appearing in the image is recognized. Facial features of each of the recognized faces are compared with those of the profile information in the database to find the profile information matching the facial features. In particular, if profile information matching the facial features is found, business card information corresponding to the profile information is displayed on a display unit; if profile information matching the facial features is not found, the business card information of a business card appearing in the image is recognized to associate the business card information with the recognized face.
US09536158B2 Biometric based demography tool
Systems and methods to determine demographic attributes of pedestrians in a retail environment are presented. In some examples, media content is selected for presentation to one or more pedestrians based on the determined demographic attributes. In a further example, the media content is interactive, and a response is received from the pedestrian indicating recognition of the interactive media content and an identity of the pedestrian. In some examples, the demographic attributes of a group of pedestrians passing a particular location are aggregated to determine a demographic profile of a pedestrian traffic flow. In some other examples, demographic attributes of pedestrians are derived from biometric responses to a media presentation. Based on the location and duration of visual attention to the media presentation, a demographic attribute of the pedestrian is determined.
US09536154B2 Monitoring method and camera
A method of monitoring a scene by a camera (7) comprises marking a part (14) of the scene with light having a predefined spectral content and a spatial verification pattern. An analysis image is captured of the scene by a sensor sensitive to the predefined spectral content. The analysis image is segmented based on the predefined spectral content, to find a candidate image region. A spatial pattern is detected in the candidate image region, and a characteristic of the detected spatial pattern is compared to a corresponding characteristic of the spatial verification pattern. If the characteristics match, the candidate image region is identified as a verified image region corresponding to the marked part (14) of the scene. Image data representing the scene is obtained, and image data corresponding to the verified image region is processed in a first manner, and remaining image data is processed in a second manner.
US09536153B2 Methods and systems for goods received gesture recognition
Disclosed are methods and systems to automatically detect and optionally classify when a recipient receives goods in surveillance video. According to one exemplary embodiment, a computer implemented method determines a customer has received goods which are associated with a retail environment.
US09536152B2 Methods and systems for multimedia trajectory annotation
A system and method of providing annotated trajectories by receiving image frames from a video camera and determining a location based on the image frames from the video camera. The system and method can further include the steps of determining that the location is associated with a preexisting annotation and displaying the preexisting annotation. Additionally or alternatively, the system and method can further include the steps of generating a new annotation automatically or based on a user input and associating the new annotation with the current location.
US09536151B1 Detection of inactive broadcasts during live stream ingestion
Systems and methods are provided herein relating to real-time detection of inactive broadcasts during live stream ingestion. Both audio fingerprints and video fingerprints can be dynamically and continuously generated for a live stream ingestion. Sets of video fingerprints and sets of audio fingerprints can be continuously generated based on common successive overlapping time windows. A set of audio fingerprints and a set of video fingerprints can be associated with each time window. Video similarity scores and audio similarity scores can be generates for each time window to determine whether the stream is inactive or static during the time window. Only fingerprints relating to an active broadcast can be indexed in a fingerprint index.
US09536148B2 Property assessment and prospecting tool
A property assessment system includes image processing logic configured to identify building structure attributes from image data and rate their associated condition. The outputs can include property condition ratings, occupancy predictions and similar scores.
US09536143B2 Systems and methods for imaging seismic data
Systems and methods for imaging seismic data using hybrid one-way wave-equation-migration in tilted transverse isotropic media and/or hybrid two-way reverse-time-migration in tilted transverse isotropic media.
US09536141B2 System and method for forms recognition by synthesizing corrected localization of data fields
A method and system generates an idealized image of a form. An image of a form and a template model of the form are received. The form includes data fields. Word boxes of the image are identified. The word boxes are assigned to corresponding data fields of the form. An idealized image of the from is generated based on the assignments and the template model.
US09536138B2 Dynamic remapping of components of a virtual skeleton
Technologies are described herein for dynamically remapping components of a virtual skeleton to enhance the control and appearance of an avatar. Embodiments disclosed herein may remap components of the virtual skeleton if a need for an enhancement, replacement or correction is identified. For example, one or more components of a virtual skeleton, e.g., a joint, hand, arm or leg, may be remapped with modeled components if the component is distorted, missing or incomplete. Components of a virtual skeleton may be remapped with modeled components if enhancements, augmentations, corrections or special effects are desired. A remapped skeleton defining one or more modeled components may be generated from model data. The remapped skeleton may be used to drive user-controlled animations having enhanced movement and appearance characteristics. In addition to driving user-controlled animations, the remapped skeleton may be used to drive robotic devices.
US09536132B2 Facilitating image capture and image review by visually impaired users
Techniques and mechanisms are provided for facilitating the capture and review of visual images by visually impaired users. In one implementation, these techniques and mechanisms provide pre image capture functionality and captured image review functionality. With the pre image capture functionality, audio messages are provided to the user to help the user position an image capturing mechanism properly to capture the desired subjects in a picture, to frame the subjects properly within the picture, to size the subjects properly within the picture, etc. With the image review functionality, audio messages are provided to the user to help the user enjoy and “visualize” a visual image that has been captured and is being displayed to the user. With these functionalities, a visually impaired user is able capture and review images to a much greater degree than is currently possible.
US09536129B2 Fingerprint sensors
A sensor for detecting fingerprints is provided having first and second substrates, a two-dimensional array of sensing elements formed on the first substrate, and a plurality of thin-film transistors or TFTs for controlling the sensing elements at pixel locations along the array. Each of the sensing elements detects one of electrical signals (e.g., capacitance, resistance, or impedance), temperature, or light via one of the first or second substrates representative of one or more fingerprints. The top of the second substrate or the bottom of the first substrate may provide a platen upon which one or more fingers can be disposed. The sensor may be utilized in a fingerprint scanner having one or more processors driving sensing elements or reading from sensing elements analog signals representative of one or more fingerprints, and generating an image representative of the one or more fingerprints from the analog signals.
US09536126B2 Function execution method based on a user input, and electronic device thereof
Provided is a method and apparatus for executing a function based on a user input. The method of executing a function in an electronic device includes: sensing a user input for selecting an object in a first area; recognizing a surface pattern of an input unit used for providing a user input in a third area when the user input is sensed in the third area; and executing a related function, based on a surface pattern recognition result in the third area when the user input of the first area and the user input of the third area are associated with each other. Accordingly, a function desired by a user may be readily executed.
US09536113B2 Information processing apparatus, information processing system, and computer program product
According to an embodiment, an information processing apparatus includes a main processor, a secure operating system (OS) module, a non-secure OS module, a secure monitor memory setting module, a timer, and an address space controller. When receiving a notification of an interrupt from the timer, a secure monitor instructs the secure OS module to execute certain processing. The secure OS module is configured to execute certain processing instructed by the secure monitor and store data of a result of the processing in a first memory area.
US09536111B2 Secure processing unit systems and methods
A hardware Secure Processing Unit (SPU) is described that can perform both security functions and other information appliance functions using the same set of hardware resources. Because the additional hardware required to support security functions is a relatively small fraction of the overall device hardware, this type of SPU can be competitive with ordinary non-secure CPUs or microcontrollers that perform the same functions. A set of minimal initialization and management hardware and software is added to, e.g., a standard CPU/microcontroller. The additional hardware and/or software creates an SPU environment and performs the functions needed to virtualize the SPU's hardware resources so that they can be shared between security functions and other functions performed by the same CPU.
US09536110B2 Secure processor and a program for a secure processor
The instruction code including an instruction code stored in the area where the encrypted instruction code is stored in a non-rewritable format is authenticated using a specific key which is specific to the core where the instruction code is executed or an authenticated key by a specific key to perform an encryption processing for the input and output data between the core and the outside.
US09536106B2 System and method for the display of restricted information on private displays
The present invention is directed to a system and method for restricting data, or portions thereof, to specific display devices when accessed by a user. Furthermore, the system and method of the invention are directed, in part, to evaluating in real time, the access level of a device and restricting the availability of sensitive information on the device according to the access level as determined by device location and hardware configuration.
US09536102B2 Privacy-protective data transfer
A method receives authentication credentials for a user from a client device and receives a request from the user for content stored on a remote storage system. A portion of the content is encrypted and a corresponding decryption key is available only at the computer system. The remaining portion of the content is unencrypted. The method retrieves the content from the remote storage system and uses the received credentials to determine whether the user is authorized to view the encrypted portion. When the user is not authorized, the method forms alternative content by replacing the encrypted portion with a substitute element and transmits the alternative content to the client device. When the user is authorized, the method decrypts the encrypted portion of the content using the decryption key, and combines the decrypted portion with the unencrypted portion to form updated content. The updated content is transmitted to the client device.
US09536101B1 System and method for controlling access to data using API for users with disabilities
Disclosed are systems and methods for controlling access to data on mobile devices using an accessibility API for users with disabilities. An exemplary method comprises: registering on a mobile device a security application as a service for users with disabilities, wherein the security application provides an accessibility API for the users with disabilities that comprises a plurality of accessibility API functions; intercepting, using the accessibility API, data accessed by a user application being executed on the user device; determining, by the security application, a category of intercepted data; intercepting, using the accessibility API, events of execution of the user application on the user device; determining, by the security application, an access control policy for accessing the intercepted data based on the category of intercepted data and intercepted events; and controlling, using the accessibility API, access of the user application to the intercepted data based on the determined access control policy.
US09536097B2 Method and apparatus for secure display of visual content
Methods and apparatus for displaying visual content on a display such that the content is comprehensible only to an authorized user for a visual display system such as a computer, a television, a video player, a public display system (including but not limited to a movie theater), a mobile phone, an automated teller machine (ATM), voting booths, kiosks, security screening workstations, tactical displays and other systems where information is displayed for viewing.
US09536087B2 Controlling malicious activity detection using behavioral models
Systems, methods, and computer program products are described for controlling malicious activity detection with respect to information technology assets based on behavioral models associated with the respective information technology assets. Protection rules and corresponding sensitivities associated with the behavioral models are applied by protection services to detect malicious activity with respect to the information technology assets.
US09536085B2 Data management of potentially malicious content
In a data management system, examination of first data for malicious content by a malicious content scanner is initiated in response to a request to write first data to a data storage device. In response to the examination revealing no malicious content in the first data, the first data, a first signature representative of a version of the malicious content scanner at a time of the examination of the first data, and second data linking the first signature to the first data as read-only data are written to the data storage device.
US09536083B2 Securing data on untrusted devices
One example method for securing data on untrusted devices includes the steps of identifying, by a first process, a command in a command queue, the command from a second process and comprising an action on secure data; determining whether the command is permitted based on the action and a user credential; and responsive to determining the command is not permitted, removing, by the first process, the command from the command queue.
US09536082B2 Isolated program execution environment
Embodiments relate to an isolated program execution environment. An aspect includes receiving, by the isolated program execution environment on a computer comprising a processor and a memory, a request to run a program. Another aspect includes wrapping program code corresponding to the program as a function. Another aspect includes cloning a real global object of the isolated program execution environment to create a fake global object. Another aspect includes passing the fake global object to the function. Another aspect includes executing the function, such that the function executes the program.
US09536080B2 Method for validating dynamically loaded libraries using team identifiers
According to one embodiment, in response to a request received from an application by a launch module hosted by an operating system and executed by a processor to dynamically load a library, a library validation module hosted by the operating system extracts a first team identifier (ID) from the application, where the first team ID identifies an application provider that provides the application. The library validation module extracts a second team ID from the library, where the second team ID identifies a library provider that provides the library. The first team ID and the second team ID are compared to determine whether the first team ID matches the second team ID. In response to determining that the first team ID matches the second team ID, the launch module launches the library to allow the application communicate with the library; otherwise, the request is denied.
US09536076B2 Software verification for automatic train operation
An automatic train operation system includes a first control system configured to run a first software for controlling a first vehicle subsystem and a second control system configured to run a second software for controlling a second vehicle subsystem. The automatic train operation system also includes a software verification controller. The software verification controller is configured to identify a first identifier of the first software and a second identifier of the second software as a software configuration and determine whether the software configuration is preapproved. The software verification controller is also configured to, if the software configuration is preapproved, authorize the first control system and the second control system to run the first and second software.
US09536070B2 Access requests at IAM system implementing IAM data model
Systems and methods are provided for provisioning access rights to physical computing resources using an IAM system implementing an IAM data model. The IAM data model may identify logical and physical computing resources. An access request handler may receive an access request and identify a set of logical permissions based on the access request. The access request handler may derive a set of logical entitlements based on the set of logical permissions. An entitlement translator may translate the set of logical entitlements to a physical entitlement specification based on a set of physical permission specifications associated with the set of logical permissions. A physical permission specification may be obtained by mapping a logical permission to one or more physical permissions. An access control manager may then provision access rights to at least one physical computing resource indicated in the physical entitlement specification.
US09536066B2 System and method of ownership of an online collection
Methods, systems, and apparatuses, including computer programs encoded on computer-readable media, for providing access to content of a web-based collection, which includes receiving content from at least two users authorized to provide content. A request is received from another user to view content in the web-based collection, the another user not authorized to provide content to the web-based collection. A determination is made as to whether the another user is associated with either of the two users. If so, the another user is enabled to view any content on the web-based collection. If not, the another user is prevented from viewing any content on the web-based collection. The another user is determined to be associated with one of the two users based on the one of the two users selecting the another user as having a relationship to the one of the two users on a social network website.
US09536058B2 Apparatus and method for managing digital copyright on EPUB-based content, and apparatus and method for providing EPUB-based content according to user's right
Disclosed are an apparatus and method for managing a digital copyright on electronic publication (EPUB)-based content and an apparatus and method for providing EPUB-based content according to a user's right. An encryption unit of the apparatus for managing digital copyright generates encrypted unit files by encrypting a plurality of unit files included in content in the form of a compressed archive including the plurality of unit files with different encryption keys, stores the encrypted unit files in a content database, generates mapping data by mapping the encryption keys to pieces of identification information of the encrypted unit files, and stores the mapping data in an encryption key database. A rights management unit transmits an encryption key selected from among the plurality of encryption keys to a content provision apparatus, which decrypts the encrypted unit files and provides the unit files to a user, based on at least one of identification information of the user and identification information of the content included in an encryption key provision request message received from the content provision apparatus.
US09536055B2 Cabinet system
A cabinet system for securely storing items includes a cabinet housing, a controller, and at least one drawer unit. The cabinet housing has a locking mechanism, and the controller is in communication with the cabinet housing and configured to operate the locking mechanism. The drawer unit is designed to be releasably locked at least partially within the cabinet housing by the locking mechanism, and slidable within a portion of the cabinet housing when released by the locking mechanism. The drawer unit includes at least one storage compartment, a cover, memory, and a power source. The storage compartment is configured to store at least one item therein. The cover is movable to an open configuration and a closed configuration. When the cover is in the closed configuration, the cover limits access to the item of the storage compartment. The memory is powered by the power source and is configured to store data associated with a movement of the cover.
US09536054B1 Method and means of CAD system personalization to provide a confidence level indicator for CAD system recommendations
A method and means to utilize machine learning to train a device to generate a confidence level indicator (CLI). The device is a CAD system that has been initially trained using initial machine learning to recommend classifications for image features presented to the device. Probabilistic classification is utilized to incorporate intermediate values given by a human operator to better indicate a level of confidence of the CAD system's recommendations as to what classes should be associated with certain image features.
US09536053B2 Systems and methods for managing medication adherence
Systems and methods are provided for managing medical adherence. An exemplary method may include managing medical adherence utilizing data aggregating and processing to determine impact on a user's health based on their behavior related to prescribed medication. The method may entail utilizing data related to a medication regimen and patient behavior to determine a patient's compliance to the regimen in terms of dosage and time. These values may be utilized to calculate a medical adherence value representing a patient's adherence to a prescribed regimen. Responsive to determining low medical adherence, a notification may be generated which may result in an intervention with the patient.
US09536052B2 Clinical predictive and monitoring system and method
A clinical predictive and monitoring system comprising a data store operable to receive and store data associated with a plurality of patients selected from medical and health data; and a number of social, behavioral, lifestyle, and economic data; at least one predictive model to identify at least one high-risk patient associated with at least one medical condition; a risk logic module operable to apply the at least one predictive model to the patient data to determine at least one risk score associated the at least one medical condition and identify at least one high-risk patient; a data presentation module operable to present notification and information to an intervention coordination team about the identified at least one high-risk patient; and an artificial intelligence tuning module adapted to automatically adjust parameters in the predictive model in response to trends in the patient data.
US09536044B2 Metadata extraction pipeline
An example for processing patient image data workflows can temporarily serially arrange a set of semantic labeling modules in a patient image data workflow pipeline responsive to receiving an event trigger. The example can also remove the set of modules from the patient image data workflow pipeline responsive to receiving an event completion trigger.
US09536039B2 Optical proximity correction (OPC) accounting for critical dimension (CD) variation from inter-level effects
Various embodiments include computer-implemented methods, computer program products and systems for modeling at least one feature in an integrated circuit (IC) layout for an inter-layer effect. In some cases, approaches include a computer-implemented method of modeling at least one feature in an IC layout for an inter-level effect, the method including: building a set of shape measurement regions each connected with an edge of the at least one feature; determining a set of shape parameters for each shape measurement region in the set of shape measurement regions; and creating a column vector representing each shape measurement region using the set of shape parameters, the column vector representing the inter-layer effect of the at least one feature, wherein the inter-layer effect includes a physical relationship between the at least one feature and another feature on a distinct level of the IC layout.
US09536038B1 Method and algorithm for functional critical paths selection and critical path sensors and controller insertion
CAD software examines delays of paths in a design from design engineers and first selects the longest paths. Then all paths that converge with these longest paths are examined for delays, and a fastest converging path is selected for each of the longest paths. The longest paths are again sorted by the fastest converging delay, and paths with slower converging paths are selected to be Functional Critical Paths (FCP's). Functional critical path timing sensors are added to each FCP to test setup time with an added margin delay. When the margined path delays fail to meet setup requirements, the functional critical path timing sensors signal a controller to increase VDD. When no failures occur over a period of time, the controller decreases VDD. The CAD software can replicate some of the FCP's and add toggle pattern generators and timing sensors and a margin controller to adjust the margin delay.
US09536034B2 Method and apparatus for performing parallel routing using a multi-threaded routing procedure
A method for designing a system to be implemented on a target device includes generating bounding boxes on the target device for nets in the system where a bounding box identifies routing resources available for routing its corresponding net. The nets in the system are assigned to a plurality of threads to be routed. The threads are executed so that a plurality of the nets are routed in parallel within their corresponding bounding box.
US09536028B2 Method and system of change evaluation of an electronic design for verification confirmation
A computer implemented method and system of change evaluation of an electronic design for verification confirmation. The method has the steps of receiving the electronic design comprised a subcomponent, employing a banked signature of data representative of the subcomponent, receiving a review request of the subcomponent, generating a current signature of the data representative of the subcomponent and determining a difference of the current signature and the banked signature.
US09536027B2 Executing a hardware simulation and verification solution
One embodiment of the present invention provides systems and techniques to execute a hardware simulation and verification solution on a multiprocessor system. The hardware simulation and verification solution can be partitioned into different modules which can include a simulation kernel to simulate changes in signal values, a value change dump module to store the changes in the signal values on a computer-readable storage medium, a functional coverage module to check functionality, a toggle coverage module to check signal toggling, an assertion engine to check complex behaviors, and a testbench module to generate test scenarios. Embodiments of the present invention can execute different modules on different processors, thereby improving performance.
US09536018B2 Computer-implemented method of identifying a group of perforations
A computer-implemented method of simplifying a geometrical model including through holes, by replacing perforations in the geometrical model, comprising: automatically identifying a potential group of perforations in a geometric model, and replacing the group of perforations with a porous replacement portion.
US09536013B2 Method and apparatus for web browsing of handheld device
A method for web browsing of a handheld device includes determining, when a marker is set on at least one object embedded in a webpage, a download status of the at least one object on which the marker is set, and notifying, when a download of the at least one objects is completed, a user of the completion of the download of the at least one object.
US09536012B2 Presentation of the media content on mobile devices
A system, computer-implemented method and computer-readable medium for generating a magazine edition menu, is provided. Dimensions of a display screen on a mobile device are determined. Based on the dimensions, the size of an edition preview pane is determined, where the edition preview pane displays multiple images from the magazine editions. Based on the dimensions the size of a thumbnail section is determined, the thumbnail section displays a plurality of thumbnail editions associated with each magazine edition. Based on the size of the thumbnail section and a number of magazine editions, a layout of the plurality of thumbnail editions on a display screen is determined.
US09536011B1 Applying string matching algorithms to finding ad unit availability interval
Methods and systems for identifying availability of a content unit are described. Processors receive a request to reserve inventory of a content unit for a contiguous set of time units within a date range. The processors generate a request string including a first plurality of characters corresponding to a position in the request string and having a character value. The processors generate an inventory string including a second plurality of characters corresponding to a position in the inventory string and having a character value. The processors determine a substring of the inventory string that includes an equal number of characters as the request string and each character of the substring has a character value that is equal to or greater than a character value of a corresponding character of the request string. The processors display dates corresponding to the substring.
US09536009B2 Embedding a representation of an item in a host
Functionality is described for creating objects that represent respective items provided in a store. The objects can be embedded in various hosts, such as network-accessible pages (e.g., web pages), network-accessible journals (e.g., blogs), messages (e.g., Emails), and so on. Consumers can activate the objects in the hosts to retrieve information associated with the corresponding items. According to one illustrative feature, the functionality provides a general interface for creating objects for different types of items stored in the store, including file items of various kinds (e.g., text files, image files, audio files, spreadsheet files, video files, etc.), list items, folder items, and so on. According to another illustrative feature, the functionality provides an interface for allowing users to customize various aspects of objects.
US09536008B2 System and method for generating digital content
The described embodiments provide methods and systems for generating online dynamic content. The methods and systems enable content from online publications to be efficiently reused and repurposed in other data collections and publications.
US09536003B2 Method and system for hybrid information query
Method, system, and programs for hybrid information query. A request is first received from a user associated with a hybrid query. The hybrid query is expressed in accordance with an input in terms of one of a user, a feature, and a document, and a desired hybrid query result in terms of one of a user, a feature, and a document. A mapping is then determined between the input and the desired hybrid query result. A hybrid model is established based on hybrid information collected and associated with one or more users. The mapping is performed based on the hybrid model to obtain the desired hybrid query result based on the input. Eventually, the desired hybrid query result is provided as a response to the hybrid query.
US09536002B2 Digital consumer data model and customer analytic record
As a company expands its businesses to include digital products and services in addition to more traditional telecommunications and media offerings, digital consumption data may be used along with telecommunications consumption data and other customer-centric information in order to create a more comprehensive data model and make better predictions. A customer-centric data model identifies entities with data from diverse locations and product sectors associated with a single customer. Customer analytic records aggregate existing data into base variables and store it for each customer along with additional variables generated by performing calculations on exiting data. Both the data model and the customer analytic records can be used by the company to make more accurate business and marketing decisions.
US09536001B2 Intent-based presentation of search results
Various embodiments of the disclosed subject matter include computer-implemented methods, computer-readable media, and computer systems configured to respond to a search query from a computer user. In response to receiving a search query from the computer user, search results are obtained. A plurality of user intents are identified according to the obtained search results. The obtained search results are then grouped according to the subject matter of the search results, where each group corresponds to one of the plurality of user intents. A first user intent (with the corresponding group of search results) is selected. A search results page is generated from the search results of the group the search results corresponding to the selected first user intent and the generated search results page is returned to the computer user in response to the search query.
US09536000B2 Profile prediction for shared computers
A profile prediction system may identify one of multiple user profiles for a single computer. For example, a home computer may have multiple users that may not be targeted unless the user on the home computer can be identified. The system's user identification may be based on a clustering model that considers various browsing characteristics to identify different clusters that each correspond to a particular user or user profile. The model may be generated and refined by tracking web browsing over multiple sessions. Future activity on the computer may be used to identify which user is the source of the activity and the user may receive targeted content including advertisements.
US09535998B2 Information repository search system
Systems and methods for an information repository search system are disclosed. The system receives search criteria from users and associates the search criteria with source information. The source information identifies sources via which the search criteria are being received. The system further maintains counts of instances for the plurality of search criteria in association with the respective source information.
US09535993B2 Creative work registry
A search engine server supports crawling of third party servers communicatively coupled to the search engine server to gather vectors to web content, wherein the search engine server delivers a report to registered creative work owners by identifying vectors to web content that contain similarities to their works and by providing protection to the copyrighted creative works. The search engine server has components that identify similarities to the works of the registered owners of the creative works and provide protection by reporting to the registered owners as well as host third party servers, in case of textual, image, audio and video creative works. This service is an added value based service of the search engine server to the registered owners of the creative works upon service charge basis. The search engine server also provides additional services that include reporting to the host third party servers that contain web content having similarities to that of creative works of registered owners and assisting the third party servers to delete the content upon consideration.
US09535990B2 Systems and methods for generating video program extracts based on search queries
A process builds extracts for video programs based on search query spikes during transmission of the video programs. The process is performed at a server system with one or more processors and memory storing programs configured for execution by the one or more processors. The process identifies a plurality of search query spikes from search queries submitted by a plurality of users, and correlates a subset of the search query spikes to a broadcast video program. Each correlated search query spike corresponds to a respective location in the video program. The process constructs a snippet of the video program by stitching together portions of the video program that contain the locations corresponding to the correlated search query spikes. In some implementations, the portions extend to video scene boundaries before and after each location. In some implementations, video program subtitles are used to match search query spikes to video program locations.
US09535988B2 Blog-based video summarization
Methods, apparatuses and systems directed to summarizing video or other multimedia content based on the blogging activities of one or more users. In one implementation, a user may select a video and one or more blogs that annotate various segments of the video. A user may specify one or more desired attributes of the blog or comment entries, which a system processes to create an edit decision list. The edit decision list can be used to generate a summarized version of the multimedia content that includes the content segments associated with blog entries that meet the desired attributes.
US09535987B2 “At least” operator for combining audio search hits
System and method to search audio data, including: receiving audio data representing speech; receiving a search query related to the audio data; compiling, by use of a processor, the search query into a hierarchy of scored speech recognition sub-searches; searching, by use of a processor, the audio data for speech identified by one or more of the sub-searches to produce hits; and combining, by use of a processor, the hits by use of at least one combination function to provide a composite search score of the audio data. The combination function may include an at-least-M-of-N function that produces a high score when at least M of N function inputs exceed a predetermined threshold value. The composite search score employ a soft time window such as a spline function.
US09535985B2 Dual purpose audio player in cassette housing with built-in display and controls
A fully functioning dual purpose digital audio player presented in cassette-shaped housing which incorporates a display, control buttons, audio output, and remote control.
US09535982B2 Document analysis, commenting, and reporting system
A document analysis, commenting, and reporting system provides tools that automate quality assurance analysis tailored to specific document types. As one example, the specific document type may be a requirements specification and the system may tag different parts of requirements, including actors, entities, modes, and a remainder. However, the flexibility of the system permits analysis of any other document type, such as instruction manuals and best practices guides. The system helps avoid confusion over the document when it is delivered because of non-standard terms, ambiguous language, conflicts between document sections, incomplete or inaccurate descriptions, size and complexity of the document, and other issues.
US09535980B2 NLP duration and duration range comparison methodology using similarity weighting
A mechanism is provided in a question answering system for duration similarity weighting in a question answering system. The question answering system receives an input question. The question answering system generates a plurality of candidate answers to the input question using a corpus of information. The question answering system identifies a question-side duration value for the input question and identifies a policy-side duration value for a policy to be applied to an entity identified in the input question. The question answering system determines a duration similarity weight for each of the plurality of candidate answers. The question answering system applies the duration similarity weight to each of the plurality of candidate answers. The question answering system ranks the plurality of candidate answers and outputs one or more of the candidate answers.
US09535977B1 Object building for an aggregate object class request
A client device of a data storage system is configured to generate an aggregate object class request, or view class request, that relates to multiple objects stored by an object storage device. The aggregate object class request represents a view of the object model stored by the object storage device in a format that is specific to the perspective of the client device. In response to receiving the aggregate property file, such as from the client device, the object storage device accesses the property files associated with each of the metadata tags, retrieves the corresponding object data, and identifies the object data to the client device. With such a configuration, use of the aggregate object class request allows the client device to receive object data associated with multiple object classes with a single request or call to the object storage device.
US09535976B2 Information exchange engine providing a critical infrastructure layer and methods of use thereof
A virtual record manager and a data exchange engine are provided for dynamically defining data records in a database and for dynamically allocating instances of defined data records. These components are capable of mediating between the database and application and client interface layers to facilitate exchange of information over a network. Embodiments are configured to allow complex data records having a plurality of related fields, and to allow management and exchange of information at both the data field level and data record level.
US09535975B2 Parallel programming of in memory database utilizing extensible skeletons
An execution framework allows developers to write sequential computational logic, constrained for the runtime system to efficiently parallelize execution of custom business logic. The framework can be leveraged to overcome limitations in executing low level procedural code, by empowering the system runtime environment to parallelize this code. Embodiments employ algorithmic skeletons in the realm of optimizing/executing data flow graphs of database management systems. By providing an extensible set of algorithmic skeletons the developer of custom logic can select the skeleton appropriate for new custom logic, and then fill in the corresponding computation logic according to the structural template of the skeleton. The skeleton provides a set of constraints known to the execution environment, that can be leveraged by the optimizer and the execution environment to generate parallel optimized execution plans containing custom logic, without the developer having to explicitly describe parallelization of the logic.
US09535973B2 Methods for decomposing events from managed infrastructures
Methods are provided for clustering events. Data is received at an extraction engine from managed infrastructure. Events are converted into alerts and the alerts mapped to a matrix M. One or more common steps are determined from the events and clusters of events are produced relating to the alerts and or events.
US09535971B2 Method and system for auditing transaction data from database operations
A method for validating SRS registry transaction data includes receiving OLTP transaction data from a first database, parsing the OLTP transaction data, and comparing the parsed OLTP transaction data to one or more of a set of profiles. Each of the one or more of the set of profiles includes metadata in XML files. The method also includes caching the parsed OLTP transaction data in a first data cache, receiving log data associated with the OLTP transaction data; and caching the log data in a second data cache. The method further includes correlating the parsed transaction data cached in the first data cache with the log data cached in the second data cache.
US09535968B2 System for distributing nameless objects using self-certifying names
A content replication system can cache nameless Content Object across multiple replica servers in a Content Centric Network (CCN). During operation, a CCN client can obtain a nameless Content Object from one or more content-hosting services by disseminating an Interest for a data collection, and receives a Content Object that includes a manifest for the data collection. The manifest can include Content Object hash (COH) values for a set of other Content Objects of the data collection. The client then determines a name prefix for a content-hosting service that hosts the data collection, and generates another Interest for a Content Object of the data collection. This Interest's name includes the name prefix for the content-hosting service, and also includes a COH value for the respective Content Object. The client disseminates the new Interest over CCN to obtain the respective Content Object of the data collection.
US09535962B2 In-view and out-of-view request-related result regions for respective result categories
The invention relates to systems and methods of providing in-view and out-of-view request-related result regions for respective result categories. The system may facilitate result presentation by providing, in response to a user request, at least one region that is designated to initially be in-view and at least one region that is designated to initially be out-of-view where: (i) the initial in-view region comprises one or more results related to the user request and a first category; and (ii) the initial out-of-view region comprises one or more results related to the user request and the second category. A result related to a category may comprise a result related to a specific topic, a result of a specific type, a result from a specific source, or other result. A user request may comprise a query, a command, or other user request.
US09535961B2 Query summary generation using row-column data storage
A data storage system includes a column store and a row store. The data storage system may generate a query summary. The data storage system determines query summary fields comprised of a subset of fields from a schema used to store data in the row store. The data storage system searches the column store or the row store for query results in the query summary fields. A query summary field is generated from the query results in the query summary fields.
US09535958B2 Device data personalization
A method and system for synchronizing contents is provided. The method includes retrieving a user profile associated with a user. A user specified order for presenting data from a services content repository is determined. A context of the data is determined and the user profile is compared to additional user profiles. In response, commonly followed orders of presenting the data to a plurality of users are determined. Specified data and a specified order for presenting the specified data to the user via a personal device are determined.
US09535953B2 Systems and methods for managing a database
One example discloses a database management system that can comprise a memory for storing computer executable instructions and a processing unit for accessing the memory and executing the computer executable instructions. The computer executable instructions can comprise a query data collector to access a query repository table to determine if a first query plan for a first configuration executed on a relational database has a lowest resource cost of execution between the first query plan and a second query plan for a second configuration. The query repository table can include a plurality of query records with annotated query plans, each annotated query plan comprising text sufficient to generate a query plan of a certain form.
US09535952B2 Dynamic selection of optimal grouping sequence at runtime for grouping sets, rollup and cube operations in SQL query processing
A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for optimizing a query in a computer system. Grouping operations are optimized during execution of the query in the computer system by: (1) translating the grouping operations into a plurality of levels, wherein each of the levels is comprised of one or more grouping sets with the same number of grouping expressions; (2) deriving the grouping sets on a level-by-level basis, wherein the grouping sets in a base level are obtained from the database and the grouping sets in a next one of the levels are derived by selecting as an input a smallest one of the grouping sets in a previous one of the levels with which it has a derivation relationship; and (3) combining the derived grouping sets into an output for the query.
US09535950B2 Method and apparatus for optimizing the evaluation of semantic web queries
A semantic query over an RDF database is received with RDF database statistics and access methods for evaluating triple patterns in the query. The semantic query is expressed as a parse tree containing triple patterns and logical relationships among the triple patterns. The parse tree and access methods create a data flow graph containing a plurality of triple pattern and access method pair nodes connected by a plurality of edges, and an optimal flow tree through the data flow graph is determined such that costs are minimized and all triple patterns in the semantic query are contained in the optimal flow tree. A structure independent execution tree defining a sequence of evaluation through the optimal flow tree is created and is transformed into a database structure dependent query plan. This is used to create an SQL query that is used to evaluate the semantic query over the RDF database.
US09535948B1 Data access statement translation
Techniques are described for dynamic translation of data access statements. A first set of statements is sent by an executing process to access a first data storage that supports a first query language. The first set of statements is intercepted and translated into a second set of statements configured to access a second data storage that supports a second query language. The second set of statements may be executed on the second data storage, and the result data set may be sent to the executing process that generated the first set of statements. The first and second storages may employ different data storage formats, such as relational and non-relational storage formats. The behavior of the executing process may be monitored to determine the feasibility of modifying the source code of the process to employ a different query language.
US09535945B2 Intent based search results associated with a modular search object framework
A modular search object framework provides modular search results including entity search results reflecting the intent of a searcher. Also, an interface (such as a graphical user interface provided by the framework), aids in organizing results (such as links, titles, and description) according to the intent of the user as manifest in the search query and interactions with the interface. Circuitry of the framework also predicts user intent from historical information corresponding to the searcher (or to a group with which the searcher is associated).
US09535939B2 Intra-block partitioning for database management
A method for storing database information includes storing a table having data values in a column major order. The data values are stored in a list of blocks. The method also includes assigning a tuple sequence number (TSN) to each data value in each column of the table according to a sequence order in the table. The data values that correspond to each other across a plurality of columns of the table have equivalent TSNs. The method also includes assigning each data value to a partition based on a representation of the data value. The method also includes assigning a tuple map value to each data value. The tuple map value identifies the partition in which each data value is located.
US09535935B2 Schema-based application model validation in a database
Technologies are provided for validating application models within a database environment. For example, an application model can be provided to a database environment and validated against a meta-schema and/or an application schema stored within the database environment. Successful validation can be required before the application model is allowed to run within the database environment (e.g., before the application model can be stored within the database environment).
US09535932B1 Backup and restore of databases
A logical backup of a database is performed that allows physical properties of the database to be preserved upon restore. The physical properties of the database include properties related to storage of the data on the hard disk. Preserving the physical properties of a database allows performance debugging of the source database by performing performance tests on the target database rather than a production system. Incremental backup of metadata of a database is performed to minimize execution of statements that provide the final configuration of the database. Incremental backup is performed by restoring a database using a full backup and applying incremental backups to reach a particular state. The user can inspect the restored database after applying each incremental backup to determine whether the database has reached a desired state.
US09535927B2 Method and apparatus for situational context for big data
Described is a method and apparatus for constructing a boundary comprising a set of contextual square quadrangles. Also described is a method and apparatus for searching a set of contextual square quadrangles.
US09535924B2 Scalability improvement in a system which incrementally updates clients with events that occurred in a cloud-based collaboration platform
Techniques are disclosed for improving scalability in a system which incrementally updates remote clients with events that occurred in a cloud-enabled platform. In one embodiment, a method comprises, in response to an action from a user in the cloud-enabled platform, determining a list of events to update one or more collaborators of the user about the action. The method further comprises separating the list of events into a plurality of sub-lists of events such that each sub-list of events can be stored in a database within a designated amount of time, and further comprises storing the plurality of sub-lists of events into the database to be read by the one or more collaborators. Among other advantages, embodiments disclosed herein provide enhancement in scalability, robustness and availability for cloud-based collaboration platforms with large numbers of collaborators by incorporating mechanisms to divide-and-conquer the workload of event updates in such platforms.
US09535913B2 Method and system for file conversion
A method for file conversion includes obtaining an original file including content, that includes objects. The method further includes rendering each object of the multiple objects into a page description language (PDL) format to obtain rendered objects, and extracting, from the original file, a tag for an object of the multiple objects. The method further includes generating object composition metadata based on a composition rule corresponding to the tag. The object composition metadata includes a description of a composition of the object in the original file, and is added with the rendered objects to a PDL file.